A/N: I am so, so, so very sorry for the wait for this update! It had absolutely been my intention to get this chapter posted as scheduled, but with the tragic passing of Alan Rickman along with a few other things, mostly classes, threw that for a loop. But I am back now and will hopefully be back on track with updating regularly! As always, I'd like to thank everyone for all of the feedback I've received so far with this, and would especially like to thank my dear CaelynAilene for helping to push me through finishing this chapter up! And always, reviews and feedback are incredibly appreciated!

The Hogwarts Express had never felt so lifeless. All light had dissipated, from the lanterns and the setting sun alike, leaving every inch of the train and the mountains outside in total blackness. Every window in the train had iced over, and the racks above every compartment's seats was thoroughly frozen to the touch. Silence had fallen, and the only sounds to be heard were those of the shallower breathing of the four teenagers that filled the compartment. The joyous atmosphere had since vanished in the few minutes that had passed since the train had come to an abrupt stop.

"Dementors?" Gemma's voice rang through the space in the darkness, small and quiet. "What would Dementors be doing on the train?"

"What a fantastic question, why don't you-"

"Oh, shut up, Eric, it was just a-"

The chill that had reached throughout the train seeped into the whole of their bodies just as suddenly as if they'd been Stunned. Dread and despair spread through them, forging paths through their bloodstreams and leaving every bone, every nerve in their bodies feeling as if all of the happiness had disappeared from the world. Leaving all of them feeling as if they would rather die then and there, then suffer the agony of the dark despair another minute.

Bitter arguments over words seemed pointless in comparison.

Never had Cassiopeia felt sorrow quite like this before. It consumed and soared through her whole body, drenching her in cold sweat and glazing her eyes over. She was certain that she could hear her heartbeat in her ears, rapid and hammering, sounding just as frightened as she did devastated.

And she could hear the sobbing.

Oh, Merlin, the sobbing…

A faint glow from the corridor drew attention away from the pitch black, horror and dread filled compartment; three pairs of invisible eyes turned towards the sight, and soon it passed their door. It was bright and vivid, and illuminated the whole of everything surrounding in its wake as it passed. Just as quickly as it came, it left. Just as quickly as it left, the lanterns flickered magically and suddenly back to life, offering the senses of warmth and life once again as the train began continued to move.

Across the small space, the badger and the eagle both let out sighs of relief as their wits came back to them. Cedric let his tense grip on Cassi's hand loosen a bit as relief spread through him as quickly as the depression had. Three pairs of eyes turned their gazes onto Cass expectantly, no doubt waiting for the snide comment she would make to brush the whole thing off.

But she wasn't smirking. She wasn't laughing. She wasn't doing much of anything, aside from staring down at the ground in front of her. The dark mass of curls on her head had matted themselves to the back of her neck and her skin was entirely covered in small, raised bumps that wouldn't go away. Even if her eyes hadn't remained glazed, it was likely that she wouldn't be focusing on anything in front of her at all.

A warm hand landed gently on the back of her neck, underneath the masses of curls. It was a sharp contrast to the biting chill that had taken over her entire being and she couldn't help jumping as the feel of it snapped her back into reality. Blinking rapidly, Cass looked up from the ground in front of her and up into two concerned pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?" She asked, eyebrows pulling together in confusion.

"What?" Gemma exclaimed incredulously, her tone much shriller than it could or should have been. Eric slapped the back of his hand lightly on her arm and shook his head at her when she looked over at him.

"We were starting to think you were having some sort of fit or something," Eric offered in a far less critical tone, shooting a look in the direction of the Ravenclaw, who promptly rolled her eyes but remained silent.

Cedric continued to massage the back of her neck. She could feel her muscles beginning to ease from the feel of his fingertips, and she let her body lean back against him weakly. Cedric pressed a kiss to the side of her head and let his arm fall back around her shoulders, his hand reaching down to hers.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, looking down towards her. Gemma and Eric were both staring at them curiously.

Cassiopeia shook her head, still attempting to wrap her own head around whatever it was that had happened. "I…" Dark eyebrows drew together again as she turned her gaze from Cedric towards Gemma. "Were you crying?"

So much sobbing…

A confused and concerned glance passed between Gemma and both badgers.

"No." Gemma shook her head, "Nobody was crying, Cass."

Cassiopeia muttered something incomprehensible under her breath and shook her head again, hoping to help make sense of whatever it was that had happened, to no avail.

Someone had been sobbing.

Shutting her eyes momentarily, Cassi let out a deep breath and rose abruptly from where she'd been sitting. Her stance was shaky for a moment, and she could feel Cedric's hands immediately on her waist to steady her. She gripped onto the side of the door leading into the corridor and mumbled something about needing some air before pushing through and out of the corridor.

She hadn't given much thought to where she was going; all she needed was to be away from whatever had just happened, if only for a moment. In order to stay standing, she'd had to lean partially against the brief space of wall separating the compartments so she could attempt to catch her breath. The sound of the door she'd just let slide shut reopening barely registered in her mind, and it took familiar warm fingers wrapping around her wrist for her to completely come back to where she was.

Her blue eyes were clouded as she looked towards the boy who'd taken hold of her, and it took everything inside of her not to completely collapse both physically and emotionally then and there.

"Are you okay?" Cedric repeated, in a softer voice than before, the same note of concern still evident.

"Someone was crying." She whispered, the words small but hanging between them none the less. "I know, you didn't hear it...but I did."

"Who do you think it was?"

Cassi blinked in surprise before she could help it, "You believe me?"

A sad, bemused laugh escaped him and he shook his head, "I felt the presence those things had too. Just because I couldn't hear what you heard doesn't mean it wasn't there."

She couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her, along with the expression that came across her face. Maybe she hadn't really gone mad within the time it had taken for the Dementors to come onto the train and then just as quickly disappear. Maybe someone, somewhere had been sobbing like she'd heard.

Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't truly beginning to lose her mind the way she had felt ever since first hearing the name Sirius Black.

"Do you want to go back?" His voice pulled her back, "They're both worried." He didn't have to say it for her to hear the excluded piece of his statement; he was worried, too.

It's the first night back with them, McKinnon. Suck it up. They're your mates.

Despite the madness Cass still felt churning within her, the way it had been for far too many hours already, she nodded.

Not even an hour passed between the time of the sudden visit from the Dementors before the Hogwarts Express came to a stop yet again, this time as planned. The train pulled into the station of Hogsmeade and came to its familiar, slow and rumbling stop. Doors throughout the train opened as students anxiously hurried out of their cars and into the corridors, shoving through the hoards of students, all of whom were attempting to make their way onto the platform as quickly as possible.

Nearly as soon as the train had come to a stop, Gemma had risen from where she'd been seated, rolling her eyes and sighing repeatedly in a very over-dramatic fashion at a story Eric was telling, and had rushed out of the compartment without so much as a glance back. As she did so, the remaining three shared a look and an eyeroll. It was typical, really, for their Ravneclaw friend to rush off for one reason or another. Gemma never could stay in one situation for too long; they all had the ongoing joke that she would explode if she ever tried.

Soon after Gemma disappeared, Eric followed in suit, muttering something under his breath and nodding in agreement to meet Cedric inside the Great Hall as he did so. Hands twisted together as usual, Cedric and Cassiopeia followed their friends examples quickly, pushing out of their compartment and into the large groups of fellow Hogwarts students headed off the train and towards the carriages that would lead them to the castle.

The platform of Hogsmeade had always had a familiar, welcoming hum about it, and it was something that Cassi reveled in as she stepped out into the magical air that always reminded her of returning home. Stepping onto the platform, she came to a stop and let her eyelids flutter shut, head falling back as she breathed in deeply. Cedric smiled in a bemused way as he watched her, drawing in a deep breath of his own before the pair began to head of in the direction leading towards the horseless carriages.

A fresh collection of carriages arrived, all coming to a halt for students to climb aboard, as they arrived. Cedric stood aside and allowed for Cassiopeia to climb in first before following in suit, promptly sitting next to her against one side of the carriage as to make more room for the students who were quickly approaching the carriages.

From where they were seated, it was easy to see the groups of students being parted, shouting out expletives or offering glares as two figures rushed through them towards their carriage. Cedric watched the situation warily, trying to determine the cause; Cass, on the other hand, felt a grin spread across her face as her eyes settled upon two familiar, bright crimson heads that came rushing towards them. Just as quickly as she saw them, they were leaping onto the carriage, causing it to wobble uneasily for a moment before settling with the added weight.

"Quite an entrance there, boys," she lilted before she could help herself, the laughter in her tone evident. Fred and George both shared a look, smirking, before shrugging and turning back to look towards her as the carriage began to take off.

"Had to find some way to get your attention, didn't we? You never came to see us!" Fred said, the joke clear in his voice despite the offended look he was attempting to pass off as serious.

"You do realize you get me all night at the feast, don't you?" She asked, an eyebrow raise. "Not to mention the lions party in the common room afterwards."

"Oi!" George exclaimed, shooting a look towards Cedric, who promptly began to trace patterns onto Cassiopeia's palm with his finger and feigned deafness.

Cass rolled her eyes, but ignored the dig, fighting the urge to laugh at Cedric's obvious tactic to avoid being pulled into the conversation with the twins.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't realize it was a secret, what with how you two boast about it with Lee the first day of classes every year."

The twins shared a grin before shrugging.

"Got to induce the first years to Gryffindor somehow," Fred stated, the grin on his face not wavering even slightly.

"The firsties always go off to bed when Perfect Percy orders them too." George said, rolling his eyes, "Now that he's got that bloody badge they're bound to be asleep before they're even shown the common room."

"We could always just start shipping the first years off with Harry," Cass said, scrunching her nose up as she shrugged. She was joking, of course. They all were, for the most part. "Surely that would induce them into the House quick enough."

Cedric snorted a quiet laugh and continued to run his finger across the palm of her hand.

"Not a bad idea," Fred said thoughtfully, nodding and glancing towards George for approval.

"No, no, we couldn't do that." George disagreed, shaking his head, "He'll teach them how to make the Quidditch team first year. Can't risk our positions."

Cass looked over at Cedric, who glanced up from her hand to meet her eyes. She shook her head, "You see what I put up with?" She asked, the joke in her voice evident.

"How awful," he replied with a laugh, the both of them promptly ignoring the feigned offended looks currently being shot their way.

After a moment, George opened his mouth, no doubt preparing a retort of some sort. Just as he did so, Cedric nodded to something behind them, and Cassiopeia turned to see the castle looming in front of her. It looked as if each window was lit up, giving it the same welcoming sense it had been offering to her for six years.

The carriage came to a stop, and the four piled out and onto the cobblestone walkway leading to the castle itself from the gates.

"'Suppose I should find Eric," Cedric said, glancing around at the swarms of students surrounding them.

The twins had taken off, stopping a few feet away to wait for Cassiopeia, feigning looks of irritation as they eyed her and Cedric before returning to their conversation and soon dissolving back into laughter.

"Goodnight," Cass sighed, looking back up towards her badger with a slight frown creasing her face.

"No, none of that." He insisted, lifting an unruly curl out of her face and attempting to put it behind her ear. "What's a few hours in comparison to the last few weeks?"

It was meant to give her mind some ease, but instead did quite the opposite.

"Those weeks dragged on for ages." She muttered, briefly considering what would happen if she refused to let go of his hand and instead the lions had a Hufflepuff among their midst for the returning feast.

"I'll meet you in the morning," Cedric promised, pressing his lips to her nose for a moment. She scrunched it at the contact. "And during first morning break we can do whatever you want."

"Ced, we still need to-"

"Finish talking? I know." He nodded, "As I said. Whatever you want."

She was reluctant to let him go, but as more and more people continued to pass them, she finally dropped his hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She sighed. "I-"

Cedric offered a small smile and pecked her lips before she could finish, "Me too. Goodnight."

Cassiopeia couldn't help the sad frown that creased her features as she watched him disappear into the crowds of people. Shaking it off of her face as best she could, she began to push through the crowds herself, towards her twins.

"Honestly, Ron. You'd think he hadn't just fainted." A bitter and chastising voice came from somewhere behind her just as she was about to meet the twins, and she paused in her steps. She glanced towards Fred and George and gestured for them to continue, mouthing a promise to meet up with them inside. The boys shared a look before nodding her way, disappearing into the masses a moment later.

"I'm fine, Hermione, really." Another voice muttered.

"See? He's fine!"

"Ron!"

The voices came closer, and Cassiopeia spun around on her heel, causing the three of them to nearly run into her and to each other as they saw her.

"Cassi!" Hermione exclaimed, the warmth clear in her voice and the smile on her face.

"Hermione," she returned the smile with a nod, exchanged pleasantries with Ron before turning to Harry. "You fainted?"

The question was nearly silent as she asked it, and after a glance between them, Hermione began to step around the older of the two women, "We'll see you inside, Harry." She said quietly, dragging Ron away by the arm and promptly ignoring his confused protests.

With a tired look on his face, Harry nodded and began to walk again. Cass kept her pace slow to keep up with him. Despite the annoyance she'd heard in his tone moments ago, she could also see the worry on his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Someone was screaming." Harry mumbled, barely glancing up at her.

For a moment, she had no idea what he could possibly be talking about.

But then she remembered. The Dementors on the train.

The sobbing.

Cass gripped his arm in her hand for a moment before decidedly slipping her arm through the crook in his; for the sake of her balance or his, she wasn't sure. "You heard something, too?" She whispered, glancing around as if to make sure nobody overheard. But nobody was paying them any attention, as they all chattered and laughed and made their way to the castle.

"You heard something?" Harry asked, the relief and curiosity clear in his voice, along with the note of dread.

"Crying." She said vacantly, pulling him to a stop as they reached the castle doors and turning to look at him directly. "Harry. I was hoping to wait until at least after the feast, but now…" She shook her head, trying not to think too much about the coincidence; surely, the fact that the both of them heard things nobody else did during the invasion from the Dementors had nothing to do with the fact that they were both the alleged targets of an escaped murderer. But still, the fact remained; they needed to talk. The sooner the better. "We need to talk."

Harry blinked, confusion shining in green irises for a moment before he nodded, "Yeah, alright. When?"

"Tonight. After the feast...the twins, Lee, they're doing the same as they always do in the common room. I'm sure they expect me to be there, but I can sneak away for a bit." She said hurriedly, glancing around as people passed around them. "I can get to your dormitory easy enough. Nine o'clock?" The words came out as a question, though there really wasn't much of one. It was clear enough, she wasn't prepared to leave it up to much discussion.

Harry looked as if he wanted to question what was going on, but he didn't. Instead, he simply nodded. "Yeah. Nine o'clock."