Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Welcome back! I'll admit, this chapter was a little weird to write at first considering all the drama of the most recent ones, but it was nice to return to the usual Hogwarts shenanigans (if only for a little while).

Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and many thanks to my reviewers from last time!

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Final Match

Despite the events from the night before, Cassie awoke with the sun only a few hours after their return from the forest. She peeled her back from the headboard of her four-poster, wincing at the sudden ache in her muscles. Her frantic time in the well, coupled with the fact that she had fallen asleep sitting upright while Lily, Marlene, and Alice were curled at her feet in various uncomfortable positions atop her mattress, had served to make her incredibly sore, and she popped her neck and back several times to loosen up her stiff joints.

Being careful not to wake the sleeping girls on her bed, she slipped out from behind her coverings and tiptoed into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind her. Approaching one of the sinks, she turned on the faucet and cupped her hands, letting the ice-cold water fill her palms before splashing some on her face and rubbing the excess on the back of her neck to wake her up a bit more.

She thought, with some morbid humor, that she quite resembled a hag as she stared at herself in the mirror; with her dull, bloodshot eyes, tangled hair, and scraped and bruised skin, she certainly was not a sight to behold, and she wondered why Sirius had even wanted to kiss her last night while she was in such a state, especially when she still smelled strongly of moss and well water.

This prompted her to switch on the shower behind her, turning the tap until the bathroom began to steam up, shrouding her reflection in mist. She stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped into the stream of hot water, sighing blissfully as some of the tension began to drop away from her muscles.

She reached up and felt the empty space on her chest where once the clockwork locket had rested, leaving now only a hollow ache that seemed to resonate within her body. The numbness of shock that had overcome her anger and frustration the night before had not dissipated with sleep, but she still felt tears prick her eyes all the same when she remembered all that had transpired in the forest.

She had come so far, so far, and everything had literally crumbled into dust before her very eyes. The gauntlet was gone, and so were the locket and the well. Miranda had destroyed the Fountain of Youth and taken Slytherin with her. Everything that Cassie had had, every clue that Will had given her, was nothing more than a whisper of a mystery that had been solved and snatched away from her at the last second.

Her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs as she leaned against the wall of the shower, the water mixing with the scalding tears falling freely from her eyes now. She had all but condemned Will to death with her foolishness, thinking that she was the only one who could have solved his riddle. Remus had been right; they should have gone to Dumbledore from the very beginning. She had been so stupid to think that she could have outwitted Carlisle and the Dark Lord in one fell swoop. The only thing she had done even remotely right was sending Will away, but how long would that last until the Death Eaters found him again? With the gauntlet gone, she could never bring him back herself, lest she brought Voldemort's wrath down upon both their heads. Despite the small victory she had won against Voldemort and Carlisle from obtaining Gryffindor's gauntlet, the greater loss of Will's freedom was a crippling blow to her, and she sank to the tiled floor, completely numb.

Get a grip, Cassie, she scolded herself half-heartedly. Blubbering on the bathroom floor isn't going to solve anything. Stand up, clear your head, and start working on a plan to save your brother.

It wasn't an epiphany by any means, but she forced herself to stand again on shaky legs and take a few deep breaths, letting the shower slough away the last of her tears. She washed quickly and dried herself before creeping back into the dormitory, checking to see that the girls were still sleeping before dressing and heading for the common room.

Even though it was a Wednesday morning, she was still up early enough to be one of the first downstairs. Two seventh-year girls were finishing procrastinated work at a table in the corner, but Cassie was surprised to see Peter sitting in front of the fireplace, wearing pajamas and a Gryffindor blanket draped around his shoulders.

Cassie walked towards him, bypassing the sofa she and Sirius had collapsed on only a few hours ago, and her face heated when she recalled their snogging session – though whether her blush was from pleasure or embarrassment, she couldn't tell.

"Hey, Pete," she said softly, plopping down next to the blond boy on the carpet and stretching her legs out in front of her, mimicking him and resting her back against the couch behind them.

"Hi, Cassie," he returned, but judging by his disgruntled tone, she suspected that he wasn't too keen on seeing her.

"What's up? Where are the others?" she asked.

"Sleeping." She noticed a shredded piece of parchment in his lap as he lobbed a wad of paper into the fire, watching the flames eat it away into ash. "What about you? Why are you up so early?"

"Hard to get any sleep after the night we had," she said wryly. "Though I'm not surprised that the others are dead to the world – they could sleep through a hurricane." She frowned when he didn't respond, only chucking another piece of parchment into the hearth. Peter had always liked her jokes, but it was like he had suddenly turned into stone. She sighed. "Look, Pete, I'm sorry about last night—"

"You should be," he said, and she was taken aback by the venom in his voice. He turned to glare at her, his blue eyes more watery than normal. "You could have gotten us all killed out there, and Sirius came close when you left him in that well."

The words were like a slap to the face, and she opened her mouth, but he wasn't done.

"Ever since this year started, you've done nothing but get us wrapped up in drama and secrets that you and your Death Eater brother caused," he hissed. "And James, Sirius, and Remus were happy enough to gallivant after you, but I knew something bad was going to happen. And I was right. We almost died for nothing, Cassie, do you understand that?"

She could only stare, at a loss for what to say. He was right, of course; everything he had said she had already told herself a dozen times, but hearing it come from the mouth of a friend was infinitely worse.

Finally, all she could do was whisper, "I'm sorry," and get up, leaving him alone in front of the fire. It was obvious he needed space, and she needed time to process his harsh words, no matter how true they were.

She crossed over to the portrait hole, but before she left, she turned back and watched him throw another piece of paper into the flames, wondering if the dark glint in his eyes was from the fire, or something else entirely.

"Shit," James said around a mouthful of eggs later that morning, accidentally spraying Cassie with pieces of scramble, and she set down her toast mournfully as she suddenly lost her appetite. "I forgot we had career advising appointments coming up this week."

Cassie agreed with the sentiment, though she had the sense not to spew it out along with her food as she poured a cup of coffee instead. Professor McGonagall was walking along the Gryffindor table, handing out slips of paper to all the fifth-year students that had the dates and times of their appointments to meet in her office to discuss their future career paths on them, much to Cassie's displeasure.

"They're so pointless," she grumbled. "Who even knows what their future is going to look like at sixteen?"

"I can see it now," said James, thankfully with his mouth empty this time. He gestured dramatically with his hand as he said, "'James Potter, Professional Quidditch Player, Handsomest and Richest Wizard in the World'—"

"Sorry, mate, but I think that title belongs to me already," said Sirius, squeezing Cassie's knee under the table playfully as she rolled her eyes.

"Nah, but if Quidditch doesn't work out, I'm going to be an Auror," James said, ignoring Sirius's comment and puffing out his chest slightly. "What about you, Remus?"

The sandy-haired Marauder had been staring intently into his porridge as if he were reading tea leaves, but he looked up at the sound of James's voice. "Huh? Oh, I dunno – I think teaching has its merits."

James made a face, but he nodded encouragingly when Remus looked to him. "That's not a bad idea, Moony. What'd you teach?"

Remus shrugged, swirling his spoon around aimlessly. "I'd like doing Defense, but Charms wouldn't be so bad."

James nodded again, before turning to the unusually quiet and sullen Peter. "Pete? Any ideas, besides being my number one fan at all my matches?"

Peter scowled at the joke, and Cassie looked away guiltily when James's grin wavered at the sight.

"How should I know?" the small boy snapped.

James held up his hands in defense. "All right, mate, never mind," he said, before grinning at Cassie. "And you, princess?"

"Undecided," she said, sipping from her coffee and shrugging. She felt self-conscious now, with an overwhelming wave of anxiety rolling over her, as it always did whenever her future was mentioned. It reminded her far too much of the discussions her parents would have at the dinner table, plotting out her life for her while she sat right there, always talked over or shut down at her slightest suggestion of her own future. "Sirius?"

When he didn't immediately speak, she looked over to him and raised her brows. His jaw was set firmly, his expression determined, and she suddenly had a very good idea of what he wanted from his future before the words were even out of his mouth.

"Whatever I can do to fight the Death Eaters," he said grimly. "McGonagall will know what I mean; Dumbledore trusts her, and there's rumors that he's building his own order to oppose Voldemort's."

"I didn't even think of that," said James, nodding slowly. "I'll ask, too."

"She won't tell you anything," Cassie said. "You're both far too young."

"Minnie can't resist us." James winked at her. "She has a soft spot for us – no doubt from how charming we can be. And after all those long nights in detention, I've seen the way she looks at me—"

"Would you care to elaborate on that statement, Mr. Potter?"

James shrank away from their Head of House after she had appeared behind him abruptly, carrying their schedules. She raised a pointed brow at the messy-haired Marauder as he began to splutter nervously.

"I thought not," she said briskly, before handing around their slips. "Miss Alderfair, I'll see you directly after breakfast. Do try not to be late."

"Yes, Professor," she said, making a face once the strict witch had walked away. "Great. Just great."

"You'll be fine, Cass," said Sirius. "It's not like she's going to punish you for not having a career in mind."

"Still," she said. "I'd rather not deal with it first thing in the morning, especially after the night I've had."

"Sirius is right," James said bracingly. "Just get it over with and then come watch Sirius and I practice for the last match."

"Or she can actually be productive with her time and help me study for O.W.L.s," Remus said, his brow ticking up at James. "You know, those really important exams we have coming up in a month's time?"

James waved him off. "There's still plenty of time to study, Moony. Don't get your knickers twisted in a knot."

Before the two boys could start arguing, Cassie checked Sirius's watch for the time and stood up, draining the last of her coffee. "I'm off to McGonagall's. I'll catch up with you lot later."

They bid her farewell as she left the Great Hall, and she tried not to feel as if she were walking to the gallows as she made her way to the professor's office.

"Have a seat, Miss Alderfair."

Cassie dropped into one of the velvet chairs with resign, her bookbag landing next to her with a dull thud. She was still sore and fatigued, and having to discuss her future with her Head of House was not something she was looking forward to.

Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk, her spectacles perched on the end of her nose as she looked over a file that Cassie assumed to be her student records. After a few moments of silence, the professor took off her spectacles and appraised her, her lips pursed in contemplation.

"Well, Miss Alderfair, before I begin any course recommendations for next year, are there any careers you are interested in that I should take into account while advising?" she asked.

Cassie shrugged. "Truthfully, Professor, I haven't given my future much thought."

McGonagall's face remained impassive, though Cassie noticed that her eyebrows had moved towards her hairline. "Then you have no wish to follow in either your mother's or your father's footsteps?"

Cassie shrugged again. "I'm rubbish at politics, and I don't want to work with publications. I'm not them."

"Indeed." She shuffled a few more papers in her file. "I won't lie to you, Miss Alderfair; your grades have been average, at best – just enough to scrape by without remedial help, yet nothing spectacular, either. I must warn you that most professors do not accept any marks below 'Exceeds Expectations' on their students' O.W.L.s for their N.E.W.T. classes. I myself take nothing less than an O. If it is your desire to advance to the N.E.W.T. level—"

"Is Professor Dumbledore really creating an order to fight back against Voldemort, Professor?" Cassie said suddenly, and McGonagall flinched back at the sound of the Dark Lord's name before she composed herself, now eyeing Cassie shrewdly.

"Of course not," she said stiffly. "Who told you such a thing?"

"Professor," Cassie said, shifting forward in her seat and fixing the older witch with a stare that could rival the professor's own. "I need to know the truth. I asked you once in this very room if you thought a war was coming, and you said one would be inevitable. So, please don't lie to me. If there's an organization out there that's dedicated to fighting Voldemort, I need to know, so that I can join once I've graduated."

The only sounds in the office were from the flames cracking merrily in the fireplace behind the professor and the papers she was shuffling uncomfortably before her, her tight lips pressed into a thin white line. Finally, she looked up to Cassie and seemed to reach some sort of conclusion, for she sighed and dropped her eyes again.

"Miss Alderfair," she said hollowly, "if I tell you this, it must never leave this office. Do you swear?"

"I swear," she said solemnly, and the professor sighed again.

"Yes, it is true," she said. "Professor Dumbledore is creating an organization to oppose You-Know-Who and his followers. All I can tell you is that this organization is dedicated to fighting the Dark – anything beyond that, I am forbidden to share."

"What's it called?" Cassie demanded. Her fingertips had begun to tingle at the professor's admission, and suddenly the dark door in her mind that had barred away her future was beginning to open, a world of possibilities beginning to seep into her brain.

"The Order of the Phoenix," she said. "And that is all, Miss Alderfair – no more questions."

"Good," said Cassie, satisfied, and she sat back casually in her seat. "Now, hypothetically, if one wished to join this secret order once they were out of school, what courses would be most practical to take for their N.E.W.T. studies?"

Professor McGonagall looked as if she wished she had never opened her mouth.

During that day's free block, Cassie found herself holed up in the library with Remus after Peter, James, and Sirius had left for the Quidditch Pitch, poring over notes and old essays that'd been handed back to her as she attempted to study for O.W.L.s. It was going poorly, on her part; she was too distracted by Professor McGonagall's confession to think on much else, even the gauntlet and Will. Remus, seemingly sensing her mind wandering, as he always could, finally looked up from his Charms notes and waved a hand in her face.

"You still in there, Cass?" he said, but she brushed his hand aside irritably.

"I'm thinking," she replied.

"About Professor Flitwick's review, I hope?" He grinned when she flipped him off. "What's up?"

"I think Sirius and James have the right idea," she admitted. "About fighting once school is done. I talked to McGonagall about it today."

"Oh?" He was looking at her quizzically. "What'd she say?"

Cassie dropped her voice to a whisper, looking around discreetly before leaning in close. "Dumbledore's created a secret organization. The Order of the Phoenix. He's fighting back against Voldemort."

Remus was staring at her, his eyes wide. "You're kidding."

She shook her head. "I'm more serious than Sirius Black."

Despite the severity of their conversation, he still cracked a grin at that. "Good one," he said. "But are you sure that's what she said?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not deaf, you know. Yes, that's what she said, you dolt."

"And you're willing to fight?"

"I've been looking for a fight ever since that bastard turned my brother against me," she said darkly. "I'd be more than happy to kill him if I got the chance, and this is my chance, Remus."

Despite the reluctance in his eyes, she knew he wouldn't try and talk her out of it, and she was right, for eventually he nodded.

"I think it's time all of us stood up against the Dark," he said. "Things are only going to get worse, and I'd rather do something about it than nothing at all."

"So, you're with me?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded solemnly. "I am."

They exchanged a high-five (muffled, as Madam Pince was bound to be sniffing around nearby) before Remus shifted in his seat, looking back to her cautiously.

"How are you handling everything?" he said, still eyeing her as if she were going to blow up on him for asking a question. "Er, with the gauntlet and all…"

Cassie sighed, shaking her head before resting it on her arms wearily. "Honestly, I'm not handling it at all," she said. "Sirius says I have to believe that we can save Will without the gauntlet, and I want to believe that, but, how can we? I don't even know where he is, who he thinks he is after I Obliviated him…" She shook her head again. "Peter's right. I messed up, Remus. Big time."

"Wait, what did Peter say to you?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "Did he talk to you today?"

"This morning," she said. "Why?"

Remus shrugged. "Dunno. He's barely talked to any of us today, and if he does, he's usually angry."

"You can blame that on me," she said drily. "He thinks I could've gotten us all killed last night, and I tend to agree with him. That was stupidly dangerous, even for us, and it's all my fault—"

"Nope, no way," Remus said, cutting her off. "I am not allowing you to blame yourself for any of this, Cassie. We knew what we were signing up for when we made that alliance."

Cassie smiled faintly to herself at the memory. "And to think a lemon meringue pie was what started it all." She sighed, dragging a hand through her hair tiredly. "I know you believe that, Remus, but let's be realistic; I've made all your lives decidedly more complicated since entering them."

"Complicated? Yes," he said with a snort. "But would I go back and change any of it? Not for anything in the world."

He said it with such conviction that she felt tears spring to her eyes, and she rubbed at them hastily, wishing she would stop crying so damn much. Not trusting herself to speak, she instead leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to convey everything she was feeling in such a simple embrace. Remus patted her back gently, a silent understanding, and she clung to him tighter, fighting back the tears.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" screeched Madam Pince, who had just rounded the corner near their table. Cassie and Remus leapt apart as the foul librarian swooped upon them, brandishing her feather-duster like a sword. "NO PHYSICAL CONTACT IN THE LIBRARY! OUT! GET OUT!"

Cassie and Remus frantically retrieved their belongings before rushing out of the library as quickly as they could. Madam Pince followed on their heels, waving her feather-duster and ranting about public displays of affection, her shrill screams echoing after them as they sprinted away down the corridor.

The day of the final match dawned cloudless and blue, and the anticipation within the castle was almost palpable as Cassie made her way to the Great Hall with the Marauders.

"These are perfect conditions," James was saying as they descended the marble staircase. "The wind and the temperature are favorable, but without any cloud cover it'll be hard to see because of the sun's glare, so we have to make sure to keep the sun to our backs, so it'll be in the Slytherins' eyes, not ours—"

Cassie leaned over to Sirius, speaking from the corner of her mouth as James continued to ramble. "Is he always like this before a final match?"

Sirius snorted, giving her a pitying look. "Trust me, love, it only gets worse."

Though not a jittery talker like James, Cassie could sense he was as apprehensive as the other boy, and she reached out and entwined her fingers with his, giving them an encouraging squeeze.

"You're going to be brilliant today," she said confidently. "I can see a Gryffindor victory already."

"Since when do you have an Inner Eye?" he joked, pausing before the entrance to the Hall and letting the others walk ahead to the table.

"I don't," she said mysteriously. "But last night I sacrificed some of Hagrid's chickens and their innards spelled out 'Gryffindor will win the match. Also Sirius Black is great, but not as great as Cassie Alderfair.'"

"I think your chickens left something out," he said with faux concern. "See, Gryffindor'll win the match, that's a given; but they fail to mention why Cassie Alderfair is greater than Sirius Black."

"Oh?" she said humorously. "And how exactly is Cassie Alderfair greater than Sirius Black?"

"Because," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer, and she felt her face begin to heat, "the chickens left out how brave she is, trying to topple an evil regime and save her brother; how much she cares about others, especially the people she loves—"

"—How funny she is," she added, trying to detract from her embarrassment at his words, but he only grinned and continued.

"How funny she is," he agreed, "and how Sirius Black hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since that night in the common room—"

Cassie blushed intensely, looking at the wall behind him with a grimace. "Okay, third-person is getting to be a bit much," she said, patting his chest awkwardly despite her racing heart. "Let's tone that down some."

He chuckled, looking down into her face and noticing her expression. "What?" He drew back slightly, suddenly serious. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," she said, shaking her head quickly. "No, not at all. I guess I'm just still…getting used to this."

She gestured between them, and his brows furrowed. "Did I go too far?" he said, dropping his voice lower so the people milling around the Entrance Hall wouldn't hear, despite their obvious eavesdropping. "Er, in the common room. When we, uh, you know…"

Cassie gave him a strange look. "Of course not," she said, snorting lightly. "Merlin, Sirius, do you know how long I've waited for something like that?" She smiled up at him reassuringly, looping her arms around his neck. "This is all just so new to me, you know? Like, relationships. It just takes some adjusting." She gave him a chaste kiss to the lips. "Like that. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's okay to kiss you because I never would've thought that, well, we would end up together."

She stopped talking abruptly, suddenly embarrassed again that she was spilling so much of her inner thoughts. Sirius had yet to run away screaming in horror, however, so she took that as a good sign as he flicked her nose gently, that wry half-smirk she had come to know so well playing on his lips.

"Stop blushing, Cass," he said. "While it is incredibly cute, you don't have to look like you're choking for admitting all that." She laughed, but he eyed her intently. "You can tell me anything, Cassie. Good or bad. Believe it or not, this is new for me too, and I don't want to screw up like all the other times."

"All right." She nodded. "Sounds good. Now, can we please go eat something before all the food is gone?"

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, dear." She smacked his arm when he snickered. "First, though, I think I need some good luck for the match today."

He puckered his lips dramatically, and Cassie scoffed at him, muttering, "Drama queen," before leaning in and kissing him again. She'd only meant for a brief kiss, but Sirius seemed to have other ideas, for he pressed close and deepened the kiss, uncaring of the shocked gazes and whispers all around them. Cassie let it go for a few moments, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers and the thrill that still went through her every time he kissed her, before she patted his shoulder, signaling to bring it to an end.

"Good enough?" she asked sarcastically when he finally relented, and the grin he sent her was so blinding she nearly pulled him in again.

"Better than Felix Felicis," he replied, winking. "Now, let's go get that food."

"Can't you just hold it?"

Cassie turned to face Peter with a scathing look. In the week since his harsh words to her after the forest debacle, the two had seemingly made up – or rather, both of them had refused to bring it up again, and now everything appeared to be back to normal – but he still shrank away with a grimace.

"The match is going to be hours, Pete," she said. "So, no, I can't hold my pee for that long. You and Remus just save my spot."

The stands of the Quidditch Pitch were already beginning to fill rapidly, but Cassie was confident that she could get to the castle, use the loo, and be back before the match started. She just had to trust that Remus and Peter would fend off any other Gryffindors who tried to take her seat, even if they were two of the most unintimidating students at Hogwarts.

"Go," said Remus, nodding to her and punching Peter in the shoulder. "We'll save your spot. Just be quick about it; the match is going to start soon."

Cassie saluted them before taking off, streaking back to the castle and hoping she could make it to the loo in time. She'd had far too much pumpkin juice at breakfast that morning, and she couldn't help cursing her school for their lack of adequate bathrooms near the pitch. If the Gryffindor team wasn't in their locker room at the moment going over last-minute plays, she would've snuck in there; and perhaps she would have, just to wish James and Sirius good luck, but the team captain, Weatherly, had looked so tense that morning at breakfast she was sure he would hex her for interrupting his game plan.

She pelted through the courtyard into the empty Entrance Hall; the castle was devoid of its usual crowds of students and staff due to the anticipated final match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and she rushed for the ground-floor loo, sighing when she was finally able to relieve herself.

After washing her hands as quickly as possible, she exited the loo, only to stop in confusion when she heard a sharp, whispered, "Alderfair!"

Cassie paused, turning in a circle to see where the voice came from, before a shadow shifted somewhere to her left. She whirled around, wand at the ready, only to stop in confusion when there was a small scream, and she found herself pointing her wand between the eyes of Mary MacDonald.

"Alderfair, calm down!" she squeaked, nearly going cross-eyed as she stared at the wand leveled at her head. "Put that thing away! I just want to talk."

"Yes, I'm still dating Sirius, if that's what you're here to ask," grumbled Cassie, reluctantly stowing away her wand. Her heart was hammering madly in her chest, but she willed herself to relax; she'd thought for sure Carlisle or one of her Slytherin cronies had been about to corner her, and her panic had made her angry, especially since it was MacDonald who had snuck up on her.

"That's not what I'm here for," the Ravenclaw said, her green eyes flicking rapidly around them, and Cassie noticed for the first time that the other girl looked…scared. "Can we just—?"

She gestured to the alcove behind her, where she'd been hiding, but after a slight hesitation, Cassie nodded, following her into the cramped space.

"What do you want?" she said, crossing her arms. "Spit it out, MacDonald, I have a match to get to."

"Look, I know I've been a bitch to you in the past," she said in a rush. "And normally I'd still be one, but I overheard something I shouldn't have, and I just couldn't keep it to myself, or else I'd feel annoyingly horrible—"

"What did you hear?" Cassie's blood had chilled in her veins at the Ravenclaw's admission, and she was now staring at MacDonald so intently the other girl shifted uncomfortably. "MacDonald, tell me."

She glanced to the floor, biting her lip, before meeting Cassie's gaze anxiously. "I don't know who it was exactly," she said, "but they sounded like some Slytherins we've been in classes with. They said—" She faltered, but after a deep breath, she continued. "They said that you'd gone too far – they mentioned you by your last name, so that's how I knew they were talking about you. One of them suggested they take you to Professor Carlisle and let her deal with you, but another told him you'd…be better off dead."

Her voice dropped to a whisper at this last part, but Cassie heard it clearly. "What else?" she demanded. "Where did you hear this?"

"In the dungeons," she said. "I'd gotten a detention yesterday, and last night I had to clean Slughorn's cauldrons. They were down a different passage, but once I heard your name, I crept closer to listen."

"Were you seen?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Cassie fell silent, thinking, but MacDonald went on.

"There's more," she said. "I heard other things, too."

Cassie's head snapped back to her. "Like what?"

MacDonald frowned, her eyes narrowing. "It didn't make any sense, but it's what I heard. They were talking about finding someone. One of them was worried that this someone was a traitor – a 'defector', she said – but the other one – one of the blokes – said that this person was still loyal – the most loyal of them all." She shrugged. "Like I said, it didn't make sense to me, but I figured it was important."

Cassie felt like she'd received a swift kick to the ribs. "Did they mention who this person was? A name, a pronoun?"

"I think they only mentioned them by name once," she said. "They said something like 'the Lieutenant.'"

Cassie felt her shoulders loosen infinitesimally. She remembered what Avery had said to her several months ago, about how Carlisle was a less-favored lieutenant to Voldemort, and even Will had mentioned that Voldemort had his most loyal lieutenants with him at all times. Will was a traitor and a defector, yes, but this 'Lieutenant' had to be someone else entirely if Will hadn't been part of Voldemort's inner circle. That still didn't stop her from worrying, however, especially if these Slytherins were talking about killing her or letting Carlisle handle her.

"Thanks, MacDonald," she said grudgingly. "You could've kept this to yourself, but instead you decided to tell me, so…thanks."

MacDonald nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. "I may not like you, Alderfair, but I'm not a snake who only looks out for myself, either."

Cassie quirked her lips. "Never said you were, MacDonald. You coming to the match?"

"In a bit," she said. "You go first. I don't want people to be suspicious if they see us walking together."

Cassie had to admit that she was right, and she suddenly began to understand why she was a Ravenclaw. Nodding to her once, Cassie left the alcove and jogged all the way back to the pitch, clutching a stitch in her side as she finally hoisted herself up beside Remus and Peter in the stands.

"I thought you'd fallen in," said Remus wryly. "You're in luck, though – they've delayed the match."

"What? Why?" she said between her panting breaths.

Remus shrugged. "One of the Slytherin players is late, apparently. Madam Hooch announced it about five minutes ago."

"Do you know who?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"I couldn't tell you," he replied, and she frowned, studying the crowd around them. Everyone was talking, their impatience and speculations making the volume around the pitch louder, but Cassie wasn't paying attention, MacDonald's words echoing in her head.

"Remind me to tell you all something when the match is over," she said loudly to Remus and Peter, and the blond boy nodded, too engrossed in eating the pumpkin pasties he'd brought with him to say much else. Remus looked to her curiously, but she shook her head at his silent question, her gaze promising, Later. He accepted it with a nod and pursed lips.

"Look!" cried Peter suddenly, pointing down to the pitch. "They're coming out!"

Indeed, the players were entering the field, and the Gryffindors screamed for their red-and-gold team, while the Slytherins roared their approval for their silver-and-green players. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were divided between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, but Cassie smirked when she saw quite a few more lion banners than serpents.

"And here they are!" boomed Charlie Jordan from the announcer's box. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, ready for the final match to determine who wins this year's Quidditch Cup! On Slytherin, we have Keeper Flint, Chasers Avery, Sloane, and Mulciber, Beaters and Captain Yaxley and Wilkes, and Seeker Black."

The Gryffindors booed the loudest, and Cassie started when she heard Regulus's name; she hadn't known that Sirius's brother had even played Quidditch.

"And on Gryffindor, we have Keeper and Captain Weatherly, Chasers Potter, McKinnon, and Schaffer, Beaters Black and Hamilton, and Seeker Wood!"

The Slytherins hissed, but Cassie cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors, drowning them out.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch barked from the field, and Weatherly and Yaxley seemed close to breaking each other's hands before Madam Hooch ordered them to mount their brooms. A sharp whistle pierced the air, and suddenly the teams were off, soaring into the air at breakneck speed while the match began in earnest.

It was the most excruciating match Cassie had ever watched. She, Peter, and Remus alternated between cheers when their team scored, groans whenever Weatherly failed to block a goal, insults and taunts when the Slytherin crowd got too rowdy, and screams and swears whenever there was a foul, which seemed to be almost every five minutes.

The teams were playing with a ferocity that bordered on savagery, and Cassie nearly screamed herself hoarse when Wilkes purposefully clobbered Sirius with his bat. Madam Hooch awarded the Gryffindors a penalty shot, which James made easily, but the teams were neck-and-neck, sitting at fifty-sixty, with the Slytherins in the lead.

"Why isn't Wood getting the Snitch?" demanded Cassie. "I've seen it, like, five times already!"

"It's about the points, Cass," explained Remus, while on the other side Peter began leading a vulgar chant against the Slytherins. "We have to be a certain number of points up to ensure that we win the Cup undisputed. Look at it this way—"

Cassie could hardly hear him over the roar of the crowd, but soon even Remus forgot what he was talking about as Gryffindor scored another goal and joined in yelling with the rest of them as Marlene's little brother, Mikey, flew by pumping his fist in victory.

An hour passed of the same brutality and dizzying change of the Quaffle as it passed from hand to hand. Slytherin was awarded a penalty shot after Schaffer tackled Mulciber from his broom, nearly sending both players plummeting towards the ground from a hundred feet in the air. Weatherly was so angry he failed to dodge Mulciber's shot, and it was with great anguish that Jordan announced, "Score now one-eighty to one-forty, with Slytherin still in the lead…"

And then it happened. Years later, Hogwarts alumni would still swear that Merlin himself intervened to secure a Gryffindor victory, and even though Cassie had seen it with her own eyes, she still had trouble believing it.

After two hours of frenzied play, Wood had decided that enough was enough, and that he was going to get the Snitch. Regulus had seen it at the same time, however, and both Seekers had grappled as they raced towards the fluttering golden ball. Regulus had managed to knock Wood back to where the Gryffindor was trailing at the end of his broom, and the Slytherins had screamed, their apparent victory in the bag.

At the last second, however, Wood pulled up until he was flying above Regulus Black, and suddenly let go of his broom. The broom plummeted towards Black at the same time that Wood leapt into empty air, and the stands went eerily quiet, watching the proceedings as if time itself had slowed down.

Black swerved out of the way to avoid being hit over the head by Wood's broom, and in the next second, Wood had miraculously landed on his broomstick, Black was screaming bloody murder, and the Snitch was wriggling in Wood's hand from where he had caught it.

There had been a moment of stunned silence, until the Gryffindors let out a deafening roar as one, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws joining in with cheers of their own.

"WE WON! WE WON!" Peter was shouting again and again, and Remus seemed on the verge of tears as he dragged Cassie into a bone-crushing hug. Cassie herself was in a daze, still disbelieving of what she had witnessed, but she accepted hugs from everyone around her as she cried and laughed alongside them.

The Gryffindor supporters swept the field in a scarlet-and-gold wave, rushing the celebrating team on the ground and bypassing the enraged Slytherins as they argued with Madam Hooch, but the decision was final: Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup.

Peter tackled James to the ground, yelling himself hoarse, and Remus clapped Sirius on the back like a proud father. Sirius was laughing, his face dirty and streaked with sweat, his hair tousled and windswept, but his sparkling eyes found Cassie in the crowd and suddenly he was there, lifting her into the air and spinning her around as if she were the one who had won the match instead of him. She couldn't tell whether she was laughing or crying as his mouth closed over hers, but she decided she didn't care as the world faded into background noise, the only thing she could focus on being snogging the daylight out of her boyfriend.

James was leading the crowd in a victory cheer as he hoisted the Quidditch Cup into the air, and suddenly they were being swept back to the castle, the team riding on the shoulders of their supporters across the grounds.

The cheering didn't stop, even when they entered the castle, but suddenly a noise rose above the rest of the voices, a bloodcurdling shriek that pierced the air and ceased all the celebratory chants immediately.

Cassie felt a cold finger trace her spine as she pushed to the front of the throng, her sudden spurt of adrenaline goading her toward the scream. She fought her way through the bodies until she was standing at the foot of the marble staircase, and her heart seemed to stop at the grisly sight before her.

Mary MacDonald was lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the staircase, with one of her arms twisted at a sickening angle and her legs splayed out unnaturally beneath her. A pool of cooling blood surrounded her head like a mocking halo, turning her blonde hair brown, and her half-open eyes bored into Cassie accusingly.

Cassie realized with a nauseating lurch that someone had done this to Mary – and it was all Cassie's fault.

Mary MacDonald had been attacked because of her.

Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!

Can y'all believe this story only has three more chapters before the end of Book 1 and the start of Book 2? Because I can't, and I'm the one who's writing it all lol. (And don't worry, there's definitely going to be more Cassie/Sirius before we're finished with this one.)

Next Chapter: The Mudblood

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