Creeveys in Counselling

Chapter 14

As Cindy settled next to Dennis on the tree trunks in front of the fire, she knew she had to tell her story.

Nathaniel Hawthorne wasn't her real father. Her mother told her before she died. Edith Hawthorne had feared for her life when she told her daughter the truth. And it turned out she was right to do so, because a few days afterwards Nathaniel murdered Edith in front of Cindy!

The time that followed was not easy for her. She was mourning the death of her mother, while Nathaniel acted as though nothing had happened. It came up to a point that Cindy showed magic.

She hadn't know she was a witch, her mother certainly wasn't one, so maybe she got it from her father.

When she first set eyes on her dad, he turned out to be an ill-tempered man, but he had the same straight black hair as her, although hers seemed a lot less greasy. The noses were also very similar, although hers was, thank God, a bit smaller than his. But whereas he had green eyes, Cindy had her mother's magnificent blue eyes.

She had learned her fathers name by heart. It was the only thing her mother could tell her about her father... His name was Severus Snape.

"Snape is your dad?" asked Colin horror struck.

"Yes, but I haven't told him," Cindy said apologising.

"Where do you go during the summers, then?" Dennis asked

"Well, I live with my aunt and uncle in Sotherton," she said.

"That's so far from where we live! We live in Taunton..." Dennis said with a sad face.

"We also live quite far away from you two," said Theo, " but more in the middle. We live in Maidstone in Kent. We only live there because Mum likes the name!"

"Oh, you sad thing," Louise said pulling Cindy into a tight hug.

"What happened to Nathaniel?" Theodore asked, when Louise and Cindy broke apart.

"He's imprisoned, but from what I hear he joined some anti-magic group. He thinks of us as mutants..."

"That sounds like some cartoon I have seen," Dennis said. "It's called the 'X-men' . The Muggles fight them, while the group of mutants called the 'X-men' try to befriend the Muggles."

"Indeed, just like that! Only it's not mutants that they are after. It are witches and wizards!"

Cindy knew they knew what she meant and she was so grateful that finally somebody believed her, that she even didn't mind the clothes anymore. Her dragonhide skirt and bra matched well with her long black hair.

***

Dennis held her hand, squeezing it every once and a while. Just to make sure that she was there, that she wasn't a mirage a figment of his imagination.

Theo smiled while he looked first at Dennis and Cindy, then at Colin and Matilda and finally at Eleanor. He knew they needed support and TLC to get over what happened to each one of them and they were surely getting it now.

***

Before long it was already time to go home. Stage one of the healing process had been completed. Matilda owned an owl and would send messages to Colin as frequent as she could. The rest would be able to meet back at school.

At home everything was already packed for their first day of school, since it was the 31st of August. Even Fanny was found jumping with joy. She had had her letter. She was coming too.

Dumbledore hadn't made any surprise visits, but surely he would tell what stage two of the healing process would be all about!