Cassandra glanced around the cave, and smiled. It looked pretty good. She'd
been living there for five years, and when she had arrived, she had
nothing. Now it was furnished with a sofa, a table and chair, a bookcase,
filled with books, both wizarding and muggle, and she'd even managed to get
hold of a wizarding wireless. It was hard being an outcast of the wizarding
world, having nobody of her own kind to talk to, but what could she do?
After being expelled from Hogwarts, no other school would take her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I'm never going to want to join the ministry!" The sixteen-year-old girl
shouted. "I've said a million times that I don't want to."
"So what do you plan to do with your life. You get good enough marks, so you'd be great in the ministry-look at me!"
"No way do I want to be stuck in a boring office, doing absolutely nothing, like you. I want to.. I want to be an Auror."
"Don't be ridiculous! Girls can't be aurors!"
"It's up to me, what I want to do." She yelled. Her stepfather sighed. Then he tried to speak more patiently to her.
"I'm not sure if they accept women to be aurors, and your mother and I wouldn't want you doing a dangerous job like that, anyway. You could be killed or-
"SHUT UP!" Cassie screamed at him. "You don't care about that. You don't care about me. I'm just a.an inconvenience to you. And you can't tell me what to do because you're NOT MY DAD!" Her step-dad said nothing, but his face gradually turned red, and his eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of his head at any minute. He pointed his wand at Cassie, shouted
"Expelliarmus" and her wand flew out of her hand. Cassandra's mum came into the room, and saw what was happening. She gasped, horrified, and then tried to take her husband's wand from him. She didn't get it, but she caught Cassie's wand, and threw it to Cassie who caught it, just as her step-dad started to move towards her. Without thinking, she shouted 'Stupefy', and he fell to the floor, unconscious.
"I'm sorry mum." Cassandra said. I didn't mean to. well, I suppose I did actually, but I didn't think."
"I know."
At that moment an owl flew through the window, with a letter:
Dear Miss Gibson, We have received intelligence that a Stunning Curse was used at you place of residence, this evening at twenty-three minutes past eight. As you will be aware, underage witches are not permitted to use magic outside of school. You will almost certainly expelled for this. Please come to a meeting tomorrow morning, at 10 am, at the Improper Use of Magic offices with your parents/guardians, to discuss said expulsion. Yours sincerely, Mafalda Hopkirk Improper Use of Magic Office Ministry of Magic.
Cassie passed the letter to her mother, and sank into an armchair, dazed and confused.
"Expelled?" exclaimed her mother, "They can't expel you! You're one of the top Griffindor students in your year. They wouldn't, not from Hogwarts. They can't expel you!"
"I really don't want to expel you Miss Gibson." said Dumbledore gravely.
"But she's already in trouble for cursing Severus Snape last term." Interrupted Nathaniel Malfoy, head of Slytherin house.
"It's a disgrace. Can you imagine what this will do to my reputation!?" said Cassie's step-father. "At least she isn't my daughter. I'd be so ashamed-"
"It is the law." said a Ministry of Magic official.
"Yes." agreed Mafalda Hopkirk. "She has to be expelled."
"Definitely."
"NO!" shouted Cassie, shaking her head violently. Her coppery brown coloured hair completely covered her face, as she rested her head on her hands, and started to cry.
"I can't believe you let that happen. Expelled! Everyone will be talking about us behind our backs. If you were my daughter I'd."
"Well, you might not understand this, but I didn't want to get expelled. I loved being at Hogwarts, just to get away from you in term time. You've already said that no other school will want to take me, so I'm not putting up with you anymore!" She snatched up the two halves of her broken wand, from the table, and ran out the door, clutching them tightly in her fist. She had some money in her pocket. She could cope. She didn't need them. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cassie yawned. It was late. She was just about to switch off the Wizarding Wireless, when she heard something which caught her attention.
"Another attack by the Dark Wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been reported. It seems that at least three muggles were killed in their home in Nottinghamshire. A group has been set up, against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Any other volunteers are welcome, contact Albus Dumbledore."
For some reason, she didn't feel tired any more. She grabbed a pink gel pen (a great muggle thing she had discovered, much more practical than a quill and ink pot!) and paper, and started to write a letter.
'Dear Professor Dumbledore, I have heard on the Wizarding Wireless, that you are organising a group against Voldemort' -'
She crossed that out. She had always said 'Voldemort' when she was at Hogwarts, and some of the other students had got frightened. Her group of friends normally said the name, but most people said 'You-Know-Who', 'The Dark Lord', or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. OK..
'-He-who-must-not-be-named. I would like to volunteer to join you. I have no experience as an auror, and have not completed my magical training, but I always wanted to be an auror. I know I am not likely to be very popular with anyone in the wizarding world. Last time I knew any of you I was only a student, and so was to young for anyone to pay much attention to me. Then I lost any respect people may have given me, when I left. However, I'm sure I can help you.
Yours sincerely, Cassandra Gibson.
She sent the letter off with her owl. Luckily her owl had flown after her when she left, and had found her in the cave, so she didn't have to leave him behind.
The next day her owl returned with a letter, not a scrap of paper, rolled up like the one she had sent, but a letter in a thick parchment envelope.
Dear Cassandra, It is very good to hear from you. Nobody has heard any news of you for five years. As for you joining the group, the Order of the Phoenix, it is called, I will have to discuss it with you further. Could you please come to Hogwarts for a meeting. The stone is a portkey, and will activate at a quarter-past-ten tomorrow morning. The Order meets at eleven o'clock, so I thought we should have a discussion first.
Professor Albus Dumbledore Order of Merlin, First Class. International Confed. of Warlocks, Supreme Mugwump etc.
Cassie tipped the envelope upside down, and a small round pebble fell onto the table.
"So what do you plan to do with your life. You get good enough marks, so you'd be great in the ministry-look at me!"
"No way do I want to be stuck in a boring office, doing absolutely nothing, like you. I want to.. I want to be an Auror."
"Don't be ridiculous! Girls can't be aurors!"
"It's up to me, what I want to do." She yelled. Her stepfather sighed. Then he tried to speak more patiently to her.
"I'm not sure if they accept women to be aurors, and your mother and I wouldn't want you doing a dangerous job like that, anyway. You could be killed or-
"SHUT UP!" Cassie screamed at him. "You don't care about that. You don't care about me. I'm just a.an inconvenience to you. And you can't tell me what to do because you're NOT MY DAD!" Her step-dad said nothing, but his face gradually turned red, and his eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of his head at any minute. He pointed his wand at Cassie, shouted
"Expelliarmus" and her wand flew out of her hand. Cassandra's mum came into the room, and saw what was happening. She gasped, horrified, and then tried to take her husband's wand from him. She didn't get it, but she caught Cassie's wand, and threw it to Cassie who caught it, just as her step-dad started to move towards her. Without thinking, she shouted 'Stupefy', and he fell to the floor, unconscious.
"I'm sorry mum." Cassandra said. I didn't mean to. well, I suppose I did actually, but I didn't think."
"I know."
At that moment an owl flew through the window, with a letter:
Dear Miss Gibson, We have received intelligence that a Stunning Curse was used at you place of residence, this evening at twenty-three minutes past eight. As you will be aware, underage witches are not permitted to use magic outside of school. You will almost certainly expelled for this. Please come to a meeting tomorrow morning, at 10 am, at the Improper Use of Magic offices with your parents/guardians, to discuss said expulsion. Yours sincerely, Mafalda Hopkirk Improper Use of Magic Office Ministry of Magic.
Cassie passed the letter to her mother, and sank into an armchair, dazed and confused.
"Expelled?" exclaimed her mother, "They can't expel you! You're one of the top Griffindor students in your year. They wouldn't, not from Hogwarts. They can't expel you!"
"I really don't want to expel you Miss Gibson." said Dumbledore gravely.
"But she's already in trouble for cursing Severus Snape last term." Interrupted Nathaniel Malfoy, head of Slytherin house.
"It's a disgrace. Can you imagine what this will do to my reputation!?" said Cassie's step-father. "At least she isn't my daughter. I'd be so ashamed-"
"It is the law." said a Ministry of Magic official.
"Yes." agreed Mafalda Hopkirk. "She has to be expelled."
"Definitely."
"NO!" shouted Cassie, shaking her head violently. Her coppery brown coloured hair completely covered her face, as she rested her head on her hands, and started to cry.
"I can't believe you let that happen. Expelled! Everyone will be talking about us behind our backs. If you were my daughter I'd."
"Well, you might not understand this, but I didn't want to get expelled. I loved being at Hogwarts, just to get away from you in term time. You've already said that no other school will want to take me, so I'm not putting up with you anymore!" She snatched up the two halves of her broken wand, from the table, and ran out the door, clutching them tightly in her fist. She had some money in her pocket. She could cope. She didn't need them. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Cassie yawned. It was late. She was just about to switch off the Wizarding Wireless, when she heard something which caught her attention.
"Another attack by the Dark Wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has been reported. It seems that at least three muggles were killed in their home in Nottinghamshire. A group has been set up, against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Any other volunteers are welcome, contact Albus Dumbledore."
For some reason, she didn't feel tired any more. She grabbed a pink gel pen (a great muggle thing she had discovered, much more practical than a quill and ink pot!) and paper, and started to write a letter.
'Dear Professor Dumbledore, I have heard on the Wizarding Wireless, that you are organising a group against Voldemort' -'
She crossed that out. She had always said 'Voldemort' when she was at Hogwarts, and some of the other students had got frightened. Her group of friends normally said the name, but most people said 'You-Know-Who', 'The Dark Lord', or 'He-who-must-not-be-named'. OK..
'-He-who-must-not-be-named. I would like to volunteer to join you. I have no experience as an auror, and have not completed my magical training, but I always wanted to be an auror. I know I am not likely to be very popular with anyone in the wizarding world. Last time I knew any of you I was only a student, and so was to young for anyone to pay much attention to me. Then I lost any respect people may have given me, when I left. However, I'm sure I can help you.
Yours sincerely, Cassandra Gibson.
She sent the letter off with her owl. Luckily her owl had flown after her when she left, and had found her in the cave, so she didn't have to leave him behind.
The next day her owl returned with a letter, not a scrap of paper, rolled up like the one she had sent, but a letter in a thick parchment envelope.
Dear Cassandra, It is very good to hear from you. Nobody has heard any news of you for five years. As for you joining the group, the Order of the Phoenix, it is called, I will have to discuss it with you further. Could you please come to Hogwarts for a meeting. The stone is a portkey, and will activate at a quarter-past-ten tomorrow morning. The Order meets at eleven o'clock, so I thought we should have a discussion first.
Professor Albus Dumbledore Order of Merlin, First Class. International Confed. of Warlocks, Supreme Mugwump etc.
Cassie tipped the envelope upside down, and a small round pebble fell onto the table.