Family News (open)

Cecile walked into the Great Hall, having gotten a good night's sleep for the first time all year. She walked over to her table and saw her speckled owl, Snapper, sitting at her usual spot.

"Hey there, buddy," she said, and held out her hand to take the letter he was holding. True to his name, Snapper bit at her finger affectionately, but a little too hard, drawing some blood, "Snap!" She laughed and sat down.

Her owl flew off and she looked at the letter. It was from St. Mungo's. This didn't worry her in the slightest, seeing as it was probably just about her brother, Alex, who had a bad habit of falling out of trees. Or it could have been news about her last checkup, but she doubted it. No one could figure out what was wrong with her hand for years, and it was unlikely to happen now.

She opened the letter, and almost instantly, the world fell out from under her.

Casey (siting at the Hufflepuff table with her sister) was talking animatedly when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye. As she turned her head, she saw a figure a few spaces down fall off the bench in a dead faint.
With a cry, she and Alyssa leaped up and ran over to the girl, dropping to their knees beside her. She felt along the back of the girl's head and felt a slight bump. Casey winced, knowing from experience that it would hurt like the dickens when she woke up.
"I should know her," muttered Alyssa. "Selina? Sandy? Serina? Cecile? That's it! Cecile. Cecile Gregory."
"Cecile? Cecile?" Casey hit the girl's cheeks lightly, trying to wake her up. "Oh, I wish it didn't have to come to this." Casey pulled a small bottle of smelling salts out of her pocket. She herself was prone to fainting and needed to carry them so Alyssa could wake her up. She uncapped the vile smelling bottle and waved it under Cecile's nose. The people who had crowded around backed up, holding their noses.
Suddenly, Cecile half sat up, violently coughing at the smell.