Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 81

When the Hogwarts Express pulled to a stop at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Isabella was again the first one to jump out. She heaved her trunk, and balanced Snow's carrier on it, and yanked it towards the barrier between the two worlds. 

Rather excited to show Snow Wiffle to her father, Isabella hurried forward, and the old guard at the platform, let her through. 

As usual, her father was standing near, with a trolley, waiting for her. 

"Izzy!" he called brightly as she rushed to him. 

"Hello," Isabella said smiling widely. "Look!" she held up the carrier, where the cat was sleeping peacefully.

"You're not allergic to cats, are you?" she said, anxiously.

"No," her father said. "I don't think so. Never had a problem," 

He pushed the trolley down the station, as Isabella chatted away excitedly.

"He was a stray. I found him in Hogsmeade, the village near my school," she said. "He was looking all murky and dirty, so I gave him a good wash, and he turned out white,"

"So you've taken in a cat now?" her father said with a smile. Isabella nodded enthusiastically.

"I've named him Snow Wiffle," she said. "Because he looks like a snowball when he curls up and goes to sleep,"

"A nice little name," Mr Jefferson chuckled as they headed home.

 Mr Jefferson had always been anxious about this place called Hogwarts. But he wasn't worried anymore, not in the least. 

He hadn't seen his little Izzy this excited in years. And he hoped to see her bright smile for years to come. 

Izzy had his Anna's beautiful smile. But Isabella didn't smile often like that.

When they took the stairs from the back of the shop to the living quarters upstairs, an appetizing smell met wafted out to meet them. 

"Ah, that would be Cathy's dish," Mr Jefferson said. "She said she'd drop it off before she left for work,"

"Dish?" Isabella asked, as Snow jumped up, alert in his cage. 

"Yes, some fried fish," he shrugged. "Apparently, the only thing she knows to make well,"

Just as Isabella had suspected, that year did seem to be extremely eventful. It was rather obvious when her first week of the holidays started out with her almost dying. 

Isabella was just going for an early nap, hoping to dream some more, when Catherine confronted her in her room. 

"Bella, your father tells me that you've been having problems sleeping," she said. "I am a doctor, I might be able to prescribe something,"

". . .I am fine now, you don't have to go through the trouble," Isabella said, sitting on her bed. She had just taken the sleeping draught and the effects were starting to kick in and she had started feeling dizzy.

"Did you know that not sleeping enough can make your brain eat itself?" Catherine said seriously. "Literally. It is not good at all. And Sam says you've been having this for years. Is that true,"

"Yes," Isabella said, trying to hold in a yawn, her eyes watering slightly.

"Oh, dear, I didn't mean to make you cry," Catherine cried, anxiously.