Cassie opened her eyes, and nearly screeched with surprise.

She was in her own bed, in the Slytherin dorms.

Once she had got over her fright, she stretched and yawned. For the first time since the Weasleys, she had woken up in her own bed. She turned over, and went right back to sleep – might as well enjoy the sleep in while she had the opportunity.

/

Ron was on his way to the hall for breakfast when he found himself on the sixth floor, without knowing how he had got there. "Bother those stairs!" he muttered to himself, before climbing down the nearest staircase. The hall he found himself in was deserted – it held a line of old, unused classrooms – but soon he heard voices coming from around the next corner.

Assuming it was just students, he carried on walking, but stopped when he heard his name. He leaned against the wall, and tried to be quiet.

A deep voice, that sounded suspiciously familiar, was saying "It didn't work because of the rain, I told you this already!"

There was another voice that was so soft that Ron couldn't quite make out what it was saying. Then the deep voice cursed. "I will have it master, I will!"

Ron tried to listen harder, but he could no longer make out what the two voices were saying. It probably didn't matter anyway, but what if it had something to do with the Dark Lord? He had to make sure.

He shuffled along the wall until he was right at the corner. He could see the shadow of a person cast against the opposite wall, and could hear the person – who was the one with the deep voice – muttering curses that made Ron shudder. Then the shadow straightened up, and Ron held his breath. But instead of walking towards Ron, the shadow started to move away from him. Ron peeked around the corner, and saw the back of black robes disappearing around another corner.

It was no use following him – and besides, Ron knew exactly who it was. He couldn't wait to tell Harry.

/

After a quick shower, Cassie skipped breakfast and went straight to the library. She had some essays to finish up on in the hour before classes started. Even though she had skipped dinner the night before, she considered the essays more important, and was determined to get them finished. She met Fred and George on the way – they were sweeping the halls with brooms, but they gave her a quick wink, and whispered "Well done!" to her as she passed.

In the library, Cassie was prepared for a quiet hour, but instead she saw Hermione in the corner. Deciding to say good morning, she tapped her on the shoulder, and said a greeting.

Hermione looked up, and smiled. "Good morning," she returned. "And how are you?"

"Quite well," said Cassie, taking a seat next to her friend. "In fact, really, really great."

"Why?"

"Well, you see, I woke up in my own bed this morning, and so I got ten minutes extra sleep."

Hermione put down her quill with which she had been writing her potions essay, and looked interested. "Why?"

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like yesterday was any different."

"Was it? Well, you know there was the big prank of those twins, and then there was Vincent being bitten in Magical Creatures, and then there was the spill of the Fertilizer potion in Potions, and a whole multitude of other things that could have contributed to it."

Cassie stared at Hermione. "How on earth did you know all of that? You weren't even in my potions class."

Hermione just shrugged. "I ask around. But seriously, why do you think that you didn't disapparate last night?" Cassie hesitated, and Hermione caught it. "What did you do, Cas?"

"We-ell, you probably won't like it. But it was heaps of fun, and hilarious, to be honest." Cassie found herself having a craving to tell her friend, so she did.

"You did what?!" cried Hermione.

"Oh, don't be like that – it didn't hurt anyone, and you should have seen Pansy's face!"

"I can't believe that you had something to do with that ridiculous prank! It's... it's positively ridiculous!"

"You're smiling secretly, Hermione. Come on. I didn't get in trouble."

Hermione tried to keep a stern face. "Well, you could have, and with all the gossip going round about you already!"

"Come on 'Mione, there is hardly any gossip about me nowadays anyway."

It was true. The school seemed to have better things to talk about – such as the fact that Draco Malfoy had actually asked Daphne Greengrass out, and she had accepted, such as the fact that the Gryffindors were greatly losing the house cup, mainly thanks to the Weasley twins, such as the fact that Hufflepuff had recently beaten Ravenclaw in the latest Quidditch match. There was just too much else to worry about over Cassida, a subject which had already been exhausted. She had a condition. She was going to get treated soon. She needed money for it. And that was that.

Hermione sighed, and gave in with a smile. "It was still wrong of them to make you do it, though."

"Oh 'Mione, do lighten up! It didn't hurt anyone, it was lots of fun, and they didn't make me do anything." Cassie found herself wishing she hadn't told Hermione; she wasn't taking it at all like she was supposed to.

"I suppose," said Hermione.

"Oh, do find your inner Gryffindor and find something funny about it!" cried Cassie, exasperated. Then she immediately felt bad, and apologised.

"No, it's fine," said Hermione. "Don't worry. I sometimes worry why the hat did put me in Gryffindor. I mean, it's awful hard being surrounded by such... such idiots sometimes."

"I think I know why," said Cassie slowly. "It's because you're so brave. You value the things that Gryffindor does, such as friendship and loyalty and courage. You wouldn't really fit anywhere else. You are a Gryffindor, even if you are not as headstrong and idiotic as some of them. I mean, look at me. I went and was part of a rather pointless prank just for fun, and I'm not a Gryffindor. I'm a Slytherin. It doesn't even make sense, the whole houses thing I mean."

Hermione shook her head. "No, it doesn't. You just have the Weasley traits. A lot of them." She shook her head rapidly, and then said, "But anyway, what I want to know is how you being part of a prank like that having anything to do with you not disapparating."

"I don't know," sighed Cassie. "I don't think anything has anything to do with that... it just happens."

"What did you do differently from normal? Think, Cas. This is a lot more important than you think."

"Ummm... well, there was potions, and then I was talking to the Weasleys, and then I scattered the powder -"

"-so that's how they did it!-"

"- and then I went down to the hall, but before I started eating it started raining."

"Wait... does that mean you didn't have anything to eat? And without breakfast - you must be starved!"

Cassie shook her head. Though, now that she thought about it, she was rather hungry. That reminded her of her essays. "Look, I have some work to do – I'd much rather talk, but..."

"Oh, of course!" Hermione swept her piles of parchment to the side, clearing a space at the desk for Cassie. "You can work here."

Cassida thanked her friend, and pulled out her quill and parchment. Writing two essays in half an hour was going to be a challenge.

/

Rontold Harry what he had seen during breakfast. Harry was unbelieving. "It can't have been him, you're joking!"

"Look mate, the Dark Lord hasn't done anything all year, and I'm thinking that this is it!"

"Should we tell Hermione?"

Ron considered. "Not yet. At least, not until we get more evidence. She'll probably just blow over and go at me for following him."

Harry just nodded, and the two agreed to keep it to themselves for the moment.