No one knew what was going on, but October had been exceptionally cold, and the rain unusually heavy. Freezing rain poured from the sky in sheets, soaking everyone to the bone.
Many people came down with the flu because of it. Katrina, who had originally thought she would have Albert all to herself for quite some time, fell ill with a cold not long afterward.
She suspected she had caught it when she had last been in contact with her mother. Fortunately, that had happened after Special Medicine was invented, sparing her a great deal of trouble.
Katrina took the opportunity to close the Witch Beauty Shop for a few days.
Naturally, customers could still order potions through Owl Mail Order. Madam Primpernelle still set aside time each day to dispatch their orders on schedule.
Just as Albert had said, as long as the benefits were generous enough, Madam Primpernelle would be even more proactive than you.
So Katrina was happy to leave the shop in the other woman's care while she took the chance to rest and recuperate, hoping to recover as quickly as possible.
Gazing at Hogsmeade, submerged beneath the curtain of rain outside the window, Katrina murmured, "I wonder when he'll be back."
After drawing the curtains again to keep the cold outside, the girl crossed the soft wool carpet to warm herself by the fireplace. A roaring fire burned within, driving away the chill around her.
Katrina settled into a soft recliner, draped a warm wool blanket over herself, then reached for the newspaper on the little round table beside her and read the latest front-page news by the firelight.
It was a report on the current flu outbreak. What made Katrina frown, however, was that the article merely glossed over why the epidemic had been