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A/N: And the story continues….
Years passed. Cadance and Cati joined the ranks of the Gryffindor. They joined the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in their second year. It is at the end of that year, at Quidditch practice, where our story picks up again.
"Hey, Nuperson!" exclaimed 7th-year Keeper and Captain, Gwen McGrady. "Bring it in!" She was on the ground and most of the rest of the team was already heading towards her. Only Cati was still flying around the Pitch. She leaned forward on the broomstick, going into a nosedive. She pulled out of it at the last possible second, gracefully sliding off of her broom and landing with a soft thud. She walked over to her teammates where Morgouse McGrady promptly smacked her upside her head.
"Don't do dangerous shit the day before the Quidditch Final!" she exclaimed. Morgouse was Gwen's sister and a Chaser on the team. Gwen, Morgouse, and their other sister Elaine were triplets. Elaine was not on the Quidditch Team. She was more academically-focused and Head Girl.
Gwen, Morgouse, and Elaine were quasi-distantly related to Cadance on her mother's side. The triplets were, like Cadance and Cati and so many others, orphaned from the war with Voldemort. Their mother and Cadance's mother were 2nd cousins and very close. When not at Hogwarts, Gwen, Morgouse, and Elaine lived with their father's aunt. Gwen was the competitive, hot-headed one. Elaine was scholarly and calm. Morgouse was the balance between them.
"Alright, gang," said Gwen. "Tomorrow's the big day. We've been waiting for this day all season. The Slytherin team will play dirty. Well, if it's a dirty game they want, then it's a dirty game we'll give them."
"Uh oh," said 5th-year Seeker Charlie Weasley. "This doesn't sound good."
"Do you want us to go fling mud at them before the game?" asked 6th-year Chaser Kala Tomlinson.
"I don't think that's quite what she means by dirty," said Matthew Spinnet, a 4th-Year and the final Chaser on the team.
"Here's what we can expect from Slytherin," continued Gwen. First, our Chasers are better, and they know that. They're going to rely on their Seeker to catch the snitch early before we can get too many points or else they'll be in danger of losing the House cup though they won the match. Now, their Beaters are pretty strong so, Charlie, watch out. They might try to take you out early to keep you from getting to the snitch. Watch out for illegal moves." She paused and turned to Cadance and Cati; the two Beaters and the youngest on the team. "Their Beaters are stronger than you two; that's for sure. But you two are faster and have better aim. Don't let a bludger near Charlie until he catches that snitch!"
"Okay, but what about after he catches the snitch?" asked Cati. "Then it's okay?"
"I don't care, as long as he catches it!" said Gwen throwing her hands up in exasperation.
"Aye aye, Captain!" exclaimed Cadance as she and Cati gave Gwen a mock salute.
"Alright," said Gwen. "Now hit the showers and go to bed. I want all of you to be well-rested for tomorrow."
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Quidditch Final!" shouted Commentator Christopher Abbot of Ravenclaw. "Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!"
On the field, Cadance stood between Cati and Gwen and looked around. The Slytherin Team seemed huge compared to the mostly-girl Gryffindor Team. Cadance could just picture the broken bones the Slytherin Beaters could cause. She gulped and looked over at Cati, who winked at her.
Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the players rose quickly and gracefully into the air. Cadance and Cati immediately flew to opposite sides of the Pitch as they had done in practice.
"And the quaffle is taken immediately by Slytherin!" exclaimed Abbot. "Callaghan passes to Hunter! Hunter shoots! No dice! Quaffle is blocked by Gryffindor Keeper McGrady who passes it to Tomlinson! Gryffindor in possession."
Kala was moving towards the Slytherin goals. Cati hit a bludger at one of the Slytherin Chasers. He had to dodge to the side to avoid being hit. This gave Kala enough time to shoot.
"Tomlinson scores!" exclaimed Abbot. "10-0 Gryffindor!"
Cadance looked around her for Charlie. He was flying high above them. The Slytherin Seeker was tailing him closely, rather than look for the snitch himself. Cadance smiled to herself as she hit a bludger at one of the Slytherin Chasers. Charlie could easily beat the Slytherin Seeker to the snitch.
Cadance's thoughts were interrupted by gasps and boos from the Gryffindor supporters. Madame Hooch's whistle pierced the air. Cadance looked around to try to find out what happened. Suddenly, she sensed Charlie at her shoulder. "What's going on?" she asked him.
Charlie pointed over at the other end of the Pitch where Matt was hanging off his broomstick with one hand. "One of the Slytherin Beaters 'accidentally' ran into him," he answered.
Matt had one hand firmly around the broomstick. Kala grabbed his other arm to help him. He swung one leg up over the broomstick and in another second or two was safely on his broomstick.
"Hooch wants everyone on the ground," said Charlie pointing to Hooch. She was indicating for everyone to land. Charlie and Cadance swooped down and joined the rest of their team on the ground.
"Hey, Matt, you okay?" asked Charlie as they all crowded close together so they could hear each other over Madame Hooch's creaming.
"That crazy bastard!" exclaimed Matt. "I didn't even see him coming!"
"Don't tell me that," said Gwen. "I'd like to think that all my players are completely observant during the Quidditch Final."
"So are we going to avenge this?" asked Morgouse. "You were talking about playing dirty yesterday."
Kala reached down and grabbed some mud from the field and pulled her arm back. "No, Kala!" exclaimed Charlie, grabbing her arm.
"I got this one," said Cati with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"Okay," said Gwen. She looked at Charlie. "Just catch me that damn snitch."
Madame Hooch's whistle blew again. Christopher Abbot's voice interrupted their team meeting. "And as soon as they're in the air, Matt Spinnet of Gryffindor will be taking a penalty shot."
"Alright, gang," said Gwen mounting her broom. "Go get 'em."
Cati and Cadance locked eyes for a second before taking off. Cati winked and cracked a half-smile. "This can't end well," thought Cadance as she took off.
She watched as Matt made his penalty shot. She hit a bludger at the Slytherin Keeper as Morgouse intercepted the quaffle and scored again. "30-0 Gryffindor!" shouted Abbot.
Suddenly, Cadance felt something whiz by her head. She gave a start and grabbed onto her broom to keep from falling off. Looking forward, she saw that it had been a Bludger. She watched as it smacked into one of the Slytherin Beaters' head. He cracked his face off of the handle of his broomstick. His nose began to bleed. The Slytherins immediately began calling for a penalty, and, sure enough, Madame Hooch's whistle blew. One of the Slytherin Chasers got to take a penalty shot, which he made.
Cadance took the opportunity to fly close to Cati. "Nice aim, Cate!" exclaimed Cadance.
"What?" asked Cati. "He ran into that bludger." She winked and they parted ways.
Suddenly, Cadance noticed Charlie change directions quickly. He went into a dive. He had seen the snitch! The Slytherin Seeker was right on his tail. Cadance closed her eyes until she heard the crowd erupt into cheers. When she opened them, she saw Charlie had his fist raised in the air. The team was all barreling towards him. Cadance joined them. Gwen was crying. They landed as the crowd flooded the field. Matt grabbed Kala and spun her around. Gwen smiled and took the cup from Dumbledore.
McGonagall was crying as well. Elaine nudged her with her elbow and passed her a handkerchief. Dumbledore smiled at Cadance and patted her shoulder. She smiled back at him. When around the other students, this was about the extent of their displays of affection. Cadance had a deep respect for her great-uncle and his position and didn't want anyone to accuse him of treating her differently.
Cati, however, while still having a certain degree of respect for her Uncle Severus, could not be prevented from running up to him, pulling him in a big hug and shouting joyfully, "We beat you!" He sneered at her.
Cadance looked around and smiled. Life was good.
"Wake up, Cadance!" screamed a voice in her ear. Cadance, now almost 16, sat bolt upright in bed and looked into the eyes of her cousin Gwen, her abrupt awakener.
A few years had passed. I'm not going to lie to you and say nothing eventful happened. Gryffindor won two more Quidditch Cups, but lost a third because Charlie wasn't there anymore. There was also an incident involving a particularly nasty demon and Cadance and Cati calling in Aurors from the Ministry as back-up. And Cati ran into a spot of trouble trying to break into the Slytherin Common Room one night; she had never been caught before. And of course, we can't forget to make mention of the incident where an older boy put the moves on Cadance and Charlie came close to beating him senseless, and probably would have managed it had McGonagall not happened by at precisely that moment.
Currently, Cadance was spending the summer with her Godmother, Arabella Figg. Cati was off with Drew. And Gwen, Morgouse, and Elaine were all in Cadance's room staring at her expectantly.
"What?" asked Cadance sleepily.
"Did you forget?" asked Gwen. "Today's the day you're supposed to come to Hogwarts with us!"
Cadance groaned. "Can't we do it later?" asked Cadance. "Like, next week? We barely got out for the summer. My uncle can't miss me too much yet. And I want to go back to sleep!"
"No, it has to be today!" exclaimed Elaine.
"Why?" asked Cadance.
"Because," said Morgouse.
Five minutes later, Cadance was dressed and ready to go. "Arabella, what the heck is going on?" she asked her Godmother. "I just left Hogwarts a few weeks ago, but Morgouse, Elaine, and Gwen are insisting I go visit Uncle Albus. I'm going to be here all summer. Are they going to do this, like, every week?"
"Cadance, dear, they just want to spend some time with you," said Arabella. "They're just using Albus as an excuse. You know they're kept busy at work."
Even though it didn't make sense to Cadance, she allowed herself to be ushered back to Hogwarts by her three cousins as soon as they bounced back into the room. They rolled out of the fireplace in Dumbledore's office; Gwen, Morgouse, and Elaine more energetically than Cadance, who was still sleepy.
"Well, hello, girls," said Dumbledore cheerfully from behind his desk. He stood up to receive them. He flicked his wand and two more chairs appeared next to the two chairs that were already in front of his desk. He waited until all four girls were seated before sitting back down himself. "Cadance, have you been enjoying yourself?"
"Yeah, except I'd probably be enjoying myself more if Arabella wouldn't have stopped letting me beat her at card games. She keeps kicking my butt at cribbage," answered Cadance.
"And how about you girls?" asked Dumbledore, directing his question at the triplets. "How are things in the Auroring Department? Keeping out of trouble, I hope." Dumbledore, though he was not related to these three girls, and who's only connection to them was through Cadance, still retained a certain affection for them. They were, after all, alone in the world, as their aunt recently passed away.
"Well, now that you mention it," began Morgouse. "Just recently…"
Meanwhile, bat at Arabella's house, Arabella was quickly putting covers over her furniture and getting out little doilies and knick-knacks. Her usually long, straight hair was swept back into what can only be described as a 'Grandma hairstyle'. She also put on some frumpy clothes and orthopedic shoes. She had just perched a pair of glasses on her nose when she heard a knock at the door. She opened it with a warm smile, but then she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Minerva, it's just you." She stood aside and let Professor Minerva McGonagall inside.
"Is he here yet, Arabella?" she asked.
"No, not yet," said Arabella, as she shut the door.
"Why are you dressed like that?" asked McGonagall as she appraised her younger friend's appearance in the living room.
"Those awful muggles wouldn't let him come over if they thought he'd have fun, so I had to make it seem as though he'd have an awfully boring time here," said Arabella. "I couldn't bear to watch them drag the poor child off to verbally abuse him as they celebrated that fat, little, dopey son of theirs birthday. I followed them last year. They took them to a restaurant with video games and they barely fed the poor boy and they wouldn't let him play! At least this will give him some time away from them."
"But how did you convince them?" asked McGonagall.
"Well, I put on this muggle get-up once a day for a week and went over when they were in the garden and offered my baby-sitting services," said Arabella. "And when that didn't work, I used magic."
McGonagall shook her head. "I'm not entirely sure this is a good idea, Arabella," she said. "Something could go wrong. Cadance could come back early. How do you think she would react if she found out that you live just two streets away from Lily and James's boy and she never knew? And especially if she's staying with you all summer. How are you going to keep this from her?"
"I've got Morgouse, Gwen, and Elaine keeping her away for the day," said Arabella. "And she wouldn't have to be here at all if you lot up at that castle hadn't sent her and Cati away for the summer."
"Arabella, what with all that's going on with the Ministry and Hogwarts, they can't stay around there!" argued McGonagall. "You know the Ministry is trying to discredit Albus. They're talking of positioning one of their own in the Defense Against the Dark Arts post to try to influence him. Cadance and Cati don't need to be around that. There are Ministry members floating in and out daily."
"They're sixteen," said Arabella. "They're not children anymore. They can take it. They're more mature than most people their age. They've seen and done more, too."
"Mature, you say?" asked McGonagall skeptically. "Do you know what they do in their spare time at Hogwarts? They break rules and they pull pranks! They hold the record for the most detentions in a single year! I've never seen such troublemakers since Sirius Black, James Patter, and Remus Lupin! And look at where Sirius ended up!"
"Minerva," interrupted Arabella.
But McGonagall kept going. "And that's another thing! Cadance is laboring under the delusion that Sirius Black was never a Death Eater. Last summer, I caught her trying to sneak off to Hogsmeade to use Madame Rosmerta's fireplace to go visit him in Azkaban! Do you still think she's better off running loose up there or here under your watchful eyes?"
Arabella was about to open her mouth to respond when the doorbell rang. Arabella pulled out her wand and flicked it casually. Three of the throw pillows on the couch turned into cats. "Just to complete the effect," she said pocketing her wand. "Would you like to blend?"
Arabella walked to the door and paused before opening, just to check that McGonagall wasn't there anymore. Indeed, where the Deputy Headmistress had been standing seconds before, a 4th cat stood; this one a tabby with square markings around the eyes. "And I thought you didn't approve!" said Arabella raising an eyebrow. She opened the door. Before she could evens ay hello, a rather large arm roughly shoved a seven or eight-year-old boy into the house. He had bright green eyes and jet black hair. Arabella paused and then closed the door as the man who had brought the boy over started walking away.
"Oh, Harry, dear," said Arabella steering him over to the living room. "I'm Mrs. Figg. I hope you know how to play cribbage."
"And then we had to run for it," said Gwen. "But it all turned out alright." She had just finished recounting their most recent escapade. "Except we quit."
Cadance, who was leaning her back against the arm of the chair and had her legs swung over the other arm as she flipped aimlessly through one of her uncle's books. She gave a start and fell out of her chair. Dumbledore jumped to his feet and peered over the edge of his desk. "Are you okay?"
"You quit?" asked Cadance. "You can do that?"
"Yes, well, if they let you out of your contract early, you can," said Morgouse.
"And they really weren't all that sorry to see us go," said Elaine.
"Kind of eager actually," added Gwen. "When we told them we wanted out, they barely looked at our Auroring contract before they tore it up for us."
"But why?" asked Cadance incredulously, still on the floor.
"We were tired of the Ministry owning our souls," said Gwen dramatically. "Not with what is going on now.
"What's going on with the Ministry?" asked Cadance as her uncle helped her to her feet.
"I think it's time for tea," said Dumbledore trying to usher Cadance in front of him. Behind him, Elaine and Morgouse shoved Gwen threateningly.
"I saw that," said Cadance, stopping and holding on to the door frame so her uncle couldn't push her out. "What is going on?"
"Nothing, dear," said Dumbledore.
"Uncle Albus," said Cadance warningly. He sighed. "Please," she added.
"Sit down," he said.
"I don't want to," said Cadance. "What's going on?"
"You haven't been getting the Daily Prophet," said Dumbledore. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
"Arabella's been keeping a low profile since she's living in a Muggle neighborhood. Owl Post is way too noticeable," said Cadance.
"No, Cadance. She stopped getting the Daily Prophet because I asked her to keep it from you," said Dumbledore. "And I asked your cousins as well."
"Sorry," said Gwen. "I didn't realize what I said was a slip-up!"
"What is it?" asked Cadance, getting annoyed.
"Well, you know they appointed a new Minister of Magic," said Dumbledore.
"Cornelius Fudge," responded Cadance. "So?"
"Well, he has begun to inquire into the inner-workings of the school," said Dumbledore. "I have been only as cooperative as the Governors of this school require me to be, which isn't very cooperative at all. I have run afoul of the Ministry."
"Fudge is threatened by you, Professor Dumbledore," said Gwen, her temper beginning to get the better of her. "He feels threatened because they wanted you for Minister."
"The Ministry is taking it out on the school as well as myself," said Dumbledore. "I didn't want you around it all summer."
"And Cati?" asked Cadance.
"She's no better off," said Dumbledore. "Her uncle was once a Death Eater. The implications the Ministry will make against Professor Snape will be far worse than what they're saying about me. Professor Snape didn't want her around that either."
"So the Ministry is a little angry," said Cadance. "What's the problem?"
"Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor will be appointed by the Ministry," said Dumbledore. "She will be interfering with how this school is run. And I've been tossed out of the Wizengamot, and been demoted from Chief Warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards."
Cadance paused. "They're trying to discredit you," she said softly. "I want to come home… Hogwarts, I mean. I know the truth now, so I can stay. You don't have to hide it from me. I can help."
"No, Cadance," said Dumbledore. "You can't come back. Stay with Arabella. If you won't obey an old man's request, you'll obey your legal guardian's orders."
"You don't have to go through this alone," said Cadance.
"I'm not 'going through' anything," said Dumbledore. "And I don't care what organizations they kick me out of or demote me from within, as long as they don't take me off the cards in the Chocolate Frogs."
"Mrs. Figg, I have to go to the bathroom," said Harry.
"Well, of course, dearie!" Arabella said. "Right down the hallway and to the left!"
As soon as the bathroom door shut, Professor McGonagall changed back into a human. "Well, you don't have to worry about him having fun and his uncle not allowing him to return," she said quietly. "How many games of cribbage is that now?"
"Oh, shut up," said Arabella.
"I'm going now," said McGonagall. "I'll see you later tonight when I bring Cadance back."
"Okay," said Arabella. McGonagall nodded and was about to walk into the kitchen to go out the back door to Apparate when Arabella stopped her. "And Minerva. Remember. It's their home. Whether they spend their summers there or not, it's their home. They'll always return."
They heard the toilet flush in the bathroom. Arabella looked down the hallway at the bathroom and when she turned back around, McGonagall was gone.
Cadance left her uncle's office so he could get some work done. Gwen, Morgouse, and Elaine left to go somewhere (they wouldn't say where and nobody pressed the subject) saying they would be back later. Cadance pulled a blank piece of parchment out of her robes pocket. She tapped it with her wand and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Suddenly, writing appeared on the parchment to reveal an enchanted map of Hogwarts. It showed where all of its inhabitants were, and revealed secret passages. Cadance had gotten the map from Sirius's house just after Lily and James died and he had been shipped off to Azkaban. Sirius had shown her how to use it when she was living with him after her parents died. When Sirius went to Azkaban, Cadance made one last trip to Godric's Hollow to pack up her things and say goodbye to Remus Lupin. Remus, too, had been preparing to leave. Godric's Hollow was now empty. Anyway, during her last trip to Godric's Hollow, she grabbed the map because it seemed a shame to waste it, plus she knew it was up to her to get it to Harry Potter some day, as he was the only child of the only one of the map's creators to have a kid.
Cadance quickly glanced at the map before locating the person she was looking for. She was heading up the front stairs of the castle. Cadance, being a very thorough planner when it comes to her pranks, knew exactly how fast it took Professor McGonagall to get from point A to point B, which often saved her and Cati from being caught. She was also pretty accurate with Professor Snape, Filch, Mrs. Norris, and Peeves the Poltergeist. Her uncle, however, was trickier since you never could tell when he was going to stop to talk to a picture. Also, his gait changed with his mood.
After deciding that it would take Professor McGonagall 3.2 minutes to get to her office (assuming that's where she was heading), Cadance saw that Mrs. Norris was lurking in the hallway that provided her the quickest route. An alternate route would take her 4 minutes to get to Professor McGonagall's office. Perfect. She started immediately.
"Mischief managed," whispered Cadance. The map was wiped clean, and she pocketed it.
When she entered Professor McGonagall's office, she found her seated at her desk. She looked up as Cadance entered. "Cadance," said Professor McGonagall.
"Can I talk to you for a second, Professor?" she asked. There was something in the way she said it that made Professor McGonagall become concerned.
"What is it?" asked McGonagall. "What's wrong?"
Cadance sat down. "I know what's going on with the Ministry and here," she said.
Professor McGonagall sighed. "This is why we didn't want you to find out," said McGonagall. "We didn't want to upset you."
"Well, I know now," said Cadance. "And now I want the entire truth. I want to know the seriousness of the situation."
"You should talk to you uncle about this," said McGonagall.
"He's acting like it's nothing," said Cadance. "He even made a joke about Chocolate Frogs. Please."
"Alright, Cadance," said McGonagall. "I suppose you know about the Wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards?" Cadance nodded. "Fudge feels threatened by your uncle. He was, of course, first pick for Minister and Fudge is afraid that he'll change his mind and take over the Ministry. He's ousted your uncle of every position of power he has."
"It won't be long before he comes after his position here," said Cadance.
"That is my fear," said McGonagall. "And I'm sure it's your uncle's as well. But I don't think that we have much to worry about. Albus Dumbledore may be losing support among the Ministry, but the Governors are still on his side and so are the parents of the students. But it didn't help your uncle that he got into a loud argument with Fudge at the beginning of the summer."
"About what?" asked Cadance.
"Now that I won't tell," said McGonagall. "You can take that up with your uncle."
"Is that everything?" asked Cadance.
"I promise, it's all I can tell," said McGonagall.
Cadance paused. "Where were you right before I came in?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" asked McGonagall.
"You weren't here," said Cadance.
"Oh…" said McGonagall. "I was…"
"You were outside," said Cadance. "You weren't in the castle."
McGonagall was just about to make up an excuse when there came a knock on the door. "Come in!" called McGonagall, thankful for the diversion.
The door opened and someone's head tentatively poked inside.
"Remus!" exclaimed Cadance excitedly. She jumped up and ran over to him as he stepped inside.
"Hello, Cadance," said Remus smiling weakly. He and Cadance hugged. "Your uncle said I might find you here. Hello, Professor McGonagall."
"Hello, Remus," said Professor McGonagall, standing.
"What are you doing here?" asked Cadance finally letting go.
"I… I came to say goodbye," said Remus.
"Goodbye?" asked Cadance.
"Yes," said Remus. "I quit my job. I'm no longer and Auror. I'm leaving London."
"Why!" asked Cadance. She didn't see Remus often, but she at least got letters from him at least once or twice a month.
"I'm afraid the Ministry isn't as open to my … condition anymore," said Remus.
"But that's not fair!" exclaimed Cadance.
"Life sometimes is not fair," said Remus.
"What will you do?" asked McGonagall.
"I'm going to move west," said Remus. "I'll find a job."
"I don't want you to," said Cadance.
"I'll still write to you," said Remus, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It's not the same," said Cadance. "You won't be close anymore."
"Cadance…" said Remus.
"I hate the Ministry," said Cadance quietly.
Remus rumpled her hair affectionately. "Goodbye, Cadance," he said. He nodded at Professor McGonagall before turning and walking out, closing the door behind him.
Cadance turned back around to Professor McGonagall. "Why don't you sit back down?" asked McGonagall.
"I don't want to," said Cadance putting her hands on her hips. "There is something going on and I want to know what it is."
"What are you talking about?" asked McGonagall.
"You weren't in the castle, and now Remus quit his Auroring job and so did my cousins! I want to know what's going on," said Cadance.
"First of all," said McGonagall, quickly changing to her angry teacher tone. "Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me, Cadance Rose DiGeneva Dumbledore. And second of all, I don't know anything else about why Remus or your cousins left the Aurors and even if I did, I don't have to tell you. And third, the reason I wasn't in the castle was completely non-related to Remus, your cousins, the Auroring Department, or Hogwarts."
Cadance and McGonagall stared each other down. Cadance broke first. "There is something that you don't want to tell me," said Cadance.
"I assure you, it's got nothing to do with the Ministry," said McGonagall.
"But there is something," said Cadance.
"Yes," said McGonagall flatly.
"Does my uncle know?" asked Cadance.
"He's not going to tell you, either," said McGonagall.
"Someday will you?" asked Cadance.
"Theoretically, we could I suppose," said McGonagall.
"Does it affect me at all?" asked Cadance.
"No," said McGonagall.
"Is it bigger than a breadbox?"
"That doesn't even make sense," said McGonagall. Now I have some papers to go through. Go occupy yourself for about an hour until I take you back to Arabella's."
Cadance grudgingly got up and left her office.
