Sorry for taking two whole chapters for this summer but certain things needed to put into motion before we carry on. As I said before this is all just setting up for where this fic was supposed to start and the more I looked, the more things needed to be explained. Unlikely friendships, enmities and alliances.
I still don't own Harry Potter otherwise I'd be writing all day instead of working to pay the bills.
Dylan the Rabbit. xx
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The Silent World of Cassandra Evans.
11. Come Together.
August the eleventh was Ginny's birthday and she was having a party. Unlike the one a couple of weeks previously which had been a spontaneous, raucous, girls only giggle fest at her best friend's house a mile and a half away, this party was going to be a sober affair. This was due in no small part to the fact that it was organised by her recently returned family and her parents idea of fun most certainly did not involve playing with snakes, wild goose chases for non existant magical beasts or any form of dancing. Molly Weasley had arranged a sedate evening of board games followed by a special birthday dinner. It was all very proper, very sweet and almost unbearably dull. Still at least Ginny had managed to persuade her parents to invite Luna and Cassie over for the evening. Those two irrepressible, irresponsible lunatics were sure to liven things up a bit. She couldn't wait.
She had been pretty upset when her entire family had up and left her for the half the summer after winning the Daily Prophet lottery despite her obvious injury and depressive state of mind that followed in the wake of all that had happened at Hogwarts this year. They had always been a tight family and this action by her nearest and dearest had greatly surprised her. It hadn't surprised her friends though, who had sat her down to explain their theories about the Headmaster and his use of loyalty potions on the school's population (and possbly others) to avoid the trouble that would inevitably come with having a sixty foot basilisk running around killing his students. She had needed some pretty serious comforting at this point. Her parents were among Dumbledore's most ardent admirers and would not think twice about acting on any suggestion of his. Even if it involved abandoning their only daughter in her hour of desperate need.
This all made for a pretty tense birthday celebration until a knock at the door signalled that the real entertainment had finally arrived. Arthur ushered the two stangely well dressed, grinning idiots into the sitting room and her scowling face split into a grin of her own as she leapt at the pair of them.
"Lulu! Rubes! Thank Merlin you're here. At last."
"Hmmm. Oh hello Gingey. Sorry we're late, the slippery nargles were just ferocious tonight. They kept stealing our underwear."
Ginny sniggered at their new nicknames for each other and translated the Luna speak to mean that Cassie's python had got all huffy about being left alone tonight and had made them give him a bit of a fuss before they left. They had decided not to bring him along so that they would avoid freaking out the Weasley's any more than was absolutley necessary.
"Well I suppose you're forgiven then ... Well?" She held out her hand. "Come on then ... Presents."
"Ginny dont be so rude!" Molly amonished only to be stunned into silence by the sight of the three girls laughing and hugging.
With Luna's continual strange and off the wall comments and Cassie's tendancy to start playing dangerously with her dinner knife whenever she caught Ron or Percy glaring at her, the meal suddenly became a lot more entertaining for the birthday girl. This was not an opinion Molly seemed to share as she watched her little girl interacting freely with these two oddballs at her table. The Weasley matriarch decided that she and her daughter would be having a long, mostly one sided, conversation about making some more suitable, less mad, friends in the morning. Her sons had been complaining about the Evans girl for the past two years (backed up by Albus' own insightful observations) and, saviour or no, she was the offspring of that slutty muggle born witch who had dragged the poor Potters through the mud. As for Luna. Well she was just ... Luna. She was going to put a stop to this 'friendship' as soon as possible. She didn't want her Ginny contaminated by these freaks.
At the incredibly boring annual summer ball in the Ministry of Magic's main Atrium Susan waved away another offer of a dance from another purebred scion and hoped that her friends were having a better time than she was. She was more than a little annoyed that she had to miss Ginny's birthday for this ... event, but there was no arguing with Aunt Amelia when she had set her mind to something. As pompous and stupid as this ball was it was important for her career. Connections needed to be made. Alliances secured. Plots dismantled. As the head of the DMLE Amelia Bones had to be here, and so did Susan. However much she hated it.
"Good evening Miss Bones."
She looked up into the cold, disdainful faces of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy and their son.
"Good evening Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy. Draco"
Why in Merlin's name were these three up themselves aristocrats talking to her?
"I hope your studies are progressing well at school."
Something was going on.
"Yes thank-you."
"Draco tells us that you are doing rather well in class."
Oh balls, she thought as she caught on. That mention of their idiot son. Prising her academic prowess. They were sounding her out as a potential match for the blonde ponce. Oh hell no. She was going to have do something to put them off and she was going to have to do it damned fast. Susan suppressed an evil grin as a wonderful idea popped into her head.
"Yes but it helps when you have loyal and clever friends like Cassie to help out."
Draco paled and shifted nervously.
"Cassie?"
"Cassandra Evans. She has been a great inspiration and a great friend. She's been teaching me all sorts of useful things this year. I believe she even managed to impart some wisdom about the ancient art of duelling to Draco here."
"Really?"
Lucius looked sceptical.
"Oh yes. Remind me Draco, how many spells did she cast at you before you passed out? Two was it? Oh no, my mistake. It was one wasn't it."
Lord Malfoy regarded his pale, sweating scion who appeared to be trying to stare a hole into the floor large enough to disappear into. He managed to hold his anger in check for now. That could wait until he got the boy home. Then and only then would he be letting his heir know just how disappointed he was with him for losing a duel to an inferior half blood, and a girl at that. It seemed that a refresher course in the responsibilties of his position was long overdue.
Draco risked a glance at his father and shuddered slightly feeling suddenly very ill. The man was still and pensive but utterly in control. He knew then that he was in a world of trouble. There were two main rules in both Slytherin and at home. First, don't start a fight that you know you can't win and second, if you're going to cheat, don't get caught. He had done both. Damn that Bones slut. She might be all kinds of hot but she had just royally screwed him and not in a good way. He would not forget it.
Susan grinned and gave the three blondes a cheery wave as they stomped unhappily away.
"Ready to go Susan?"
"Yes please Auntie."
"You seem very chipper. Don't tell me you actually had some fun tonight."
"You know what. I really did."
Amelia raised an eyebrow as she looked over her beaming niece. She had, of course, overheard the entire conversation with the Malfoys and whole heartedly approved of the girl's brilliant demolition of Draco's reputation and standing with his parents.
"I think that young Miss Evans is a rather good influence on you." She whispered as she led the shocked redhead off to the floo station.
The old cottage in Little Hangleton was a dark and brooding building, complementing it's owner's dour demeanor perfectly. The witch in the emerald green robe approached it cautiously and with a little trepidation in her heart. One did not go lightly to a meeting with a former death eater no matter how reformed everyone thought them. She paused only briefly at the door to gird her loins, figuratively speaking, before grasping the old fashioned door knocker and rapping sharply twice. At the softly spoken invitation she entered, keeping one hand tightly upon her hidden wand.
"Severus. Filius."
"Minerva."
"Hello Minerva dear. Would you like some tea?"
Minerva MacGonnagal relaxed somewhat seeing her old friend, the charms professsor, in attendance and made a blatent show of putting her wand back in it's wrist holster. Once the tea was served and the niceties were observed the trio of professors relaxed back into their easy chairs and got down to the business end of the evening. Snape started the proceedings off.
"First off I'd like to thank both of you for coming. I know that neither of you fully trusts me, and nor should you, but your attendance here this evening is greatly appreciated."
He looked hard at his guests and rested his sharp chin upon long, steepled fingers.
"Secondly I would like to secure a wizard's oath that we three never discuss the details of this meeting with any other parties unless all of us are in agreement that we should do so."
"Why?"
Severus Snape almost smiled at the Scot's bluntness. Almost.
"Because, Minerva, we are going to discuss two of the most dangerous and deadly people in Hogwarts, and quite possibly the the whole of the magical world. Our esteemed Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore and Cassandra Evans."
That shut her up pretty quickly. Her faith in the old man had been seriously shaken over the last few weeks of the last academic year and she had the feeling that it was not going to be reinstated by whatever revelations the potions master would be offering up tonight. A part of her didn't want to know, didn't want her trust in her old friend finally and irrevocably broken. The brutally honest and straightforward gallic part of her, however, wanted to hear exactly what sort of dangerous games he was playing with the lives of her students. She and Filius glanced at one another in confusion, then shrugging both leaned forward and drew their wands to swear an oath on their magic.
Four hours and two bottles of Ogden's Finest firewhisky later each of them sat in silence, together in body but alone deep in their respective thoughts, ruminating on the fresh perspective that each member of their newly formed little group had brought to the table. Seen in isolation, none of their viewpoints were conclusive, but together? The mounting evidence against the old man was pretty damning. According to their collective observations he had used loyalty potions on both teachers and pupils, obliviated and memory charmed professors and had overtly encouraged bullying almost to the point of sadism. Then there was his treatment of the 'girl who lived'. Albus had consistantly gone out of his way to separate and alienate the girl from the rest of the school and had purposefully manufactured siuations to cause her extreme pain and put her more than once into mortal danger. Far from aiding the saviour of their world it looked as if he was actively trying to kill her, if not himself, then at least by proxy.
He had to be stopped.
Minerva, Filius and Severus unbeknown to each other were all sharing the same thoughts. That they would individually and together do their utmost to support the poor, young orphaned witch who had endured such an incredibly harsh and terrible start to her life. The three of them took their own silent vows to their Gods. Cassie Evans would know what it was to be loved and respected and admired. They would be there whenever and wherever she needed them. Working in secret to keep her safe and to bring down any who wished her harm.
Their reddened eyes met across the room and they clinked their glasses together in recognition of their resolve. After a drunken night in a cold cottage Albus Dumbledore's retirement committee had just been formed.
"Slange var!"
It was with a rare smile that Amelia Bones watched her niece giggle hysterically as she was lifted in the air and enthusiastically whirled around and around in the middle of Platform nine and three quarters by a black haired bundle of energy. She also noted with great interest that almost everyone else in the vicinity was scowling at their very public display of affection for one another. Apart that is from the two younger looking witches who ran full speed to join in their group hug with manic grins and squeals of delight. It was good to see Susan, or 'Cuddles' as she had been named (much to Amelia's amusement) by her crush, smiling for once. She had worried that her ward had been far too gloomy and serious of late but seeing her light up like this at the mere presence of her friends and, especially the girl who held her heart so obviously and completely, made her smile even wider. If only Susan's parents could have lived to see this. They would have been so proud. Just as she was. She made a promise to herself to invite these exuberant young women to Bones Manor to spend the Yuletide holiday with them. If only to see her only niece smile like that again.
"They are rather sweet together aren't they."
"Yes they are. Hello Xenophilius."
They looked on indulgently as the giggling gaggle of girls made their way onto the train with a great deal of fuss and noise. As the four witches disappeared into a vacant carriage in a tangle of limbs, trunks, bags and pet cages Amelia waved one last time and turned to her companion.
"Would you like to join me for a coffee Xeno. You can tell me all about that extraordinary young woman that spent all summer with you and who seems to have captured the hearts of our girls so entirely."
He agreed with alarming speed.
Neither of them noticed, as they turned and headed for Diagon Alley, the rather thin, mangy looking black dog half hidden in the shadows of the platform and watching the departing train with cool gray eyes. Since his recent escape from Azkaban Sirius Black had been having trouble shifting from his animagus form back into himself. It was ridiculous but his dementor infested dreams seemed to affect him less as a dog would let him once in a while think about his remaining family. His beautiful god-daughter. It had thrilled him to see her so happy and he would try to see to it that she remained so. The shaggy mutt shook his head to clear away his watering eyes and trotted off to begin the long, arduous journey to Scotland. He was off to catch a rat.
"Good Morning ladies. I wonder if you would mind the company of a tired old man for the journey."
Cassie subjected the man to a long hard stare which would have made Paddington Bear very proud and perhaps even a little jealous. There was something distinctly off about him, she could feel it in her bones, which could only mean one thing.
"New Defense professor mistress?"
"It would seem so my sweet."
"Do you think we'll end up killing this one too?"
"I hope not. It would be nice to have a quiet year."
"Soooo ... That's a yes then."
"Not helping Shortcake."
The man looked on in horror as after their brief 'conversation' the python waggled his head back and forth in a terrible and terrifying parody of serpentine laughter while the black haired girl lowered her eyes and smiled. The only word that came to mind when he saw that grim, humourless smile on the face of his dead friend's daughter was ... Creepy. The seconds dragged on as the two stared at each other and then quite suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked, she took the hand of her red headed friend and pulled the girl onto her lap with a squeak. Now Cassie was stroking and kissing the other girl's furiously blushing cheek with a tenderness and sincerity that surprised and confused him. He supposed that it shouldn't really have. Her mother was just the same. Hot tempered and fiercely loyal. Albus' warnings were correct. This girl was a true Goddess of chaos.
Remus Lupin sat back into his seat and watched the girls at play until he drifted off into a deep, comforting slumber dreaming of red hair and emerald green eyes. Of pranks and marauders. Of long dead friends and past glories.
While he slept two dozen large, shadowy, cloaked fgures moved swiftly and silently across the countryside towards the scarlet steam train and it's cargo of fresh, happy young souls. The screams of the living heralded the approach of Azkaban's undead guards.
The dementors were coming. And they were very hungry.
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