Chapter Thirty Eight

Before the sun had even come up I found myself sitting on the edge of my bed, curtains drawn, looking at the pile of presents at the bed. Christmas morning came sooner than I wanted and I was exhausted. I had been having trouble sleeping which seemed like a common thing nowadays… it was hard when there was just so much going on.

A small tap on the window caught my attention and I saw Icarus sitting on the edge of the window sill, something wrapped around his leg. Smiling I quickly let him in, feeding the owl a treat before unwrapping the parcel on its leg.

"Thanks love. You can go rest." I mumbled and he pushed his head up against my fingers before flying out the window with a hoot.

Quickly I unwrapped the gift and frowned when a letter and a small package fell out.

Cass,

Merry Christmas. Things have been dull at home. Mother keeps inviting the Parkinson's over and so now Pansy thinks that I'm interested in her. Which I'm sure Mother wants. As nice as it is to have company… it's Pansy.

You know how clingy she can be. How would you get rid of her?

Of course, I didn't just write to rant about her. I ran into your muggle the other day.

She saw me in town picking out your present and assumed that you were home with me for the holidays. She wouldn't stop following me until I told her that you weren't going to be coming back at all. She however, insisted on me passing along a message. She said something about understanding if you were upset with her and that she's sorry? Did something happen?

Are muggles always this strange? She'd probably be a Gryffindor if she went to Hogwarts. Now I understand why you're so taken by her.

If you want me to tell her anything just let me know. At least it'll give me something to do.

Draco

It felt like my heart was in my throat as I stared at the second letter that had my name written boldly on the front. Guilt settled in my stomach. I had just left her hanging right after we had kissed and now I was in this weird relationship with someone else. That was… really messed up when you really think about it. Right? I mean sure we had kissed months ago but- I should have said something. Sent a letter, tried to contact her in some way… right?

Merlin what was wrong with me?

"Cassie are you up?" Hermione's voice startled me out of my existential crisis and I quickly shoved the letter under my pillow before popping my head out of the curtain.

"I-Yeah. Merry Christmas 'Mione!" I gave her a large (fake) smile but luckily she was too busy rubbing the sleep out of her eyes to see.

Hermione's curtains were open and I could see a pile at the end of her bed about the same size as my own. As she moved to look at the presents something gold caught my eye. I frowned as I tried to take a subtle look at the object on her end table, attached to a rather familiar chain.

Since the beginning of the year I had noticed that she was hiding whatever new necklace she had gotten… and she was taking more classes than necessary. I had been so caught up in everything else that I didn't even notice what was sitting right under my nose.

How the hell was she able to make both our Muggle Studies class when she apparently had Divination at the same exact time… especially when the guys swore she never missed a class despite her despising it.

"Is that a bloody time turner?" I demanded before I could stop myself.

Hermione immediately spun around horrified, dropping the present that had been in her hands. Her face was pale as she looked between me and the golden necklace that was sitting so innocently on her nightstand.

She lunged towards it and quickly stuffed the thing in the drawer but the damage had been done.

"Cassie you cannot-"

"You've been hiding a time turner-"

"McGonagall is going to murder me if she finds out-"

"You've been hiding it for the whole bloody year?!" I exclaimed cutting her off and her eyebrows pulled together.

"Well we haven't exactly been able to sit down and talk just the two of us lately have we?" She demanded and I gave a guilty shrug. "Anyways McGonagall made me swear not to tell anyone… and well… I really was going to tell you when I first got it… There's just been so much going on it kind of slipped my mind."

I felt a small smile on my lips form.

"Well you're taking ten bloody classes of course it slipped your mind. Merlin how did I not notice it sooner. Can I take a closer look? I promise I won't use it?"

Hermione looked hesitant for a second before gingerly pulling it out of her dresser and putting it into my cupped hands. I held it up and stared at the hourglass that had what looked like fine sparkly sand inside. Two metal rings wrapped around it and it looked like there was a dial on the side that I assumed made it work.

"Merlin's beard." I breathed trying to look closer at the sand inside. "I've only heard rumors about these things. Do you know how much power-"

"Alright that's enough!" Hermione snatched it out of my hand before I could protest and placed it around her neck, tucking it carefully under her night robe. "You are not taking it apart or fiddling with it in any way alright? I've been sworn not to tell and trusted but not only Dumbledore but the Ministry-"

"Seems a little weird for them to trust such a dangerous object with a third year don't you think?" I asked and she looked offended by my statement. I immediately backtracked. "What I mean is that what happens if you lose it or it smashes or something like that. You could be sent years into the future or past or warp and tear apart time itself or something like that. Dumbledore wouldn't know what to do. Only unspeakables know how to deal with these and-"

"You've become such a downer Cassie." Hermione stated cutting me off. She turned back to her bed and started to rummage around in her trunk at the end of it. "I've already talked about this with McGonagall and they trust me. I only use it when I need it and she casted a few protection spells on it. Stop worrying and open up your gift."

She tossed me a neatly wrapped gift which I could tell immediately was a book of some sorts. Not that I was really surprised. Hermione loved giving books and I, surprisingly enough, loved reading the ones she got me.

"Well here."

I tossed her her own present that I had hidden underneath my bed. I unwrapped the book that she tossed me and couldn't stop my eyebrows from raising.

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?"

"It's an older muggle read but I have a feeling you'll appreciate it. I'm not really into mysteries myself- oh my gosh I love it Cassie!" Hermione exclaimed holding up the knit sweater with a large smile on her face. "Where did you get this? I haven't-"

"Harry and I picked it up in the muggle shops over the summer." I mumbled and she looked at me surprised but started shifting through the rest of her presents with a smile on her face.

I wasn't able to hide the smile on my face as I shifted through my presents. While there were a handful of healing books, I had also received a new set of robes from my mother and a Weasley sweater from Mrs. Weasley.

"You want to go make sure the boys are up?" Hermione asked while tying what looked like a piece of tinsel around Crookshanks' neck. I pulled two neatly wrapped presents out from under my bed for the boys

Hermione stopped as we stood in front of the boys room before pushing it open with a frown on her face.

"What're you two laughing about?"

The boys immediately stopped looking at us surprised. Both were sitting on top of their beds, wrapping paper everywhere and presents unwrapped. While Hermione and Ron bickered about Crookshanks I immediately zeroed in on the shining broom sitting on Harry's bed.

I knew a lot about the Firebolt. Draco talked about it all the time but considering the fact that Father bought him and the whole Slytherin team new brooms last year, there was no way he was getting a new one. I had considered buying him one for Christmas but… it was just so much money. I really didn't think it was worth spending all of the money Mother had set up for me for school supplies over the summer.

"Oh Harry! Who sent you that?" Hermione gasped staring at the broom.

"No idea. There wasn't a card or anything with it. It was just wrapped." Harry shrugged and my stomach dropped.

I glanced at Hermione who looked as nervous as I felt and I leaned down trying to look closer at it.

"You didn't touch it already have you?" I asked pulling at the plain brown parchment that it had clearly been wrapped in.

It didn't look like there was a note or anything like that with it. The fact that a broom this expensive came without anything… it was more than suspicious. Something about this broom was giving me a bad feeling.

"Yeah, I did but so what? What's the matter with you two?" Harry asked.

"I don't know…" Hermione started after seeing that I wasn't going to say anything. "... but it's a bit odd isn't it? I mean it's supposed to be a good broom, isn't it?"

"The best broom there is Hermione." Ron sighed.

"It's a ridiculously expensive broom." I cut in and leaned it looking at it closer, ignoring the weird looks I was getting from the boys. "I don't think that anyone should be touching- and or riding it. Don't you think that B-"

Before I could finish Crookshanks sprang from Hermione's arms right on Ron's chest. He let out a howl as Crookshanks claws ripped into his pajamas.

"GET-HIM-OUT-OF-HERE!" Ron bellowed grabbing at Scabbers by the tail.

I watched as Ron tried to kick at the massive cat but missed, hitting the trunk at the end of Harry's bed. He howled in pain grabbing at his foot. Crookshanks let out a loud meow as a shrill whistle filled the room. I looked around to see that the Sneakoscope Harry had received for his birthday was on the grown whirling and whistling.

"I forgot about that!" Harry mumbled picking up the Sneakoscope off of the ground. "I never wear those socks if I can help it…"

I stared at the small object in Harry's hand before glancing back at the broom. There was no way that that wasn't a sign.

"You better take that cat out of here, Hermione." Ron snapped before glaring at Harry. "Can't you shut that thing up?"

Hermione glared at Ron before gathering Crookshanks in her arm and storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. I watched as Ron rubbed his chest that was covered in scratches and Harry shove the Sneakoscope back inside his socks.

"I'm not joking about the broom Harry, I have a bad feeling about it." I mumbled and Harry just moved the broom away from me giving me the eye.

"It's just a broom Cass." Harry snapped.

I stared at the broom for a second more, trying to ignore the bad feeling that it gave me before tossing the two presents that I had been holding onto their beds and exiting the room.

Ron and Harry drove me absolutely mad. The fact that they were willing to cherish a broom more than our friendship was infuriating. Sure, I hadn't been the one to go to McGonagall about the broom- that was all Hermione.

I had plans of slowly convincing the boys to bring it in- not just spring it on them like Mione did but… But from how they reacted, how they would throw their friendship away for a bloody broom- that drove me mad. In fact, it got to the point where we were barely speaking for months. It was getting ridiculous.

"You have got to take a break Mione." I muttered to the bushy haired girl next to me. She had dark circles under her eyes, and judging from the pile of paperwork in front of her, she really wasn't doing well.

"I can't. I've still got the translations for Ancient Runes that Babbling gave us and the two scrolls on muggle electricity. And the dream diary for Divination."

She ran a hand through her hair, looking more and more stressed as she went over everything she had to do. I peered over at her papers to see that she was still finishing up the potions homework that Snape gave us a few days ago.

"You know I can help you out. I mean it's not technically-"

"Cheating. Yeah. It is Cass." She snapped.

"Can't you… you know…" I glanced around to make sure that nobody was listening and leaned in a little bit. "Make more time for yourself?"

"That's against the rules, Cass. You know I can't do that."

Hermione looked like she was about to say more when the common room suddenly got louder. The two of us both looked up to see that Harry and Ron entered the common room, his broom in hand. Everyone wanted to see it. I rolled my eyes and picked my book back up while Hermione bent over her homework looking peeved.

After what felt like ages, Ron and Harry finally approached the two of us. Ron looking smug while Harry was just… excited.

"I got it back." Harry grinned holding up the Firebolt.

"See you two, there wasn't anything wrong with it!" Ron grinned.

"Well- there might have been! I mean, at least you know it's safe now." Hermione said and I nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose so…" Harry admitted and scratched the back of his neck. Looking sorry for the first time since our fight. "I'd better put it upstairs-"

"I'll take it!" Ron cut him off. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic."

We all watched as he took the Firebolt and rushed up the boy's staircase. I quirked an eyebrow at Harry who was standing there awkwardly.

"Can I sit down then?" He asked rubbing the back of his neck. The frown on my face grew.

Did he really think that after two months of pretty much ignoring us, he could just call it good now that he got his broom back? Was that really fair?

"I don't know. Can you?" He looked a bit hurt at my words and Hermione kicked me sharply in the shin.

"Ignore her." Hermione mumbled pulling her stack of parchment off of the chair in between us.

Harry awkwardly lowered himself into the chair, glancing at me nervously. I just gave him my coolest glare.

"Look, Cassie- I-"

"Let me just say that you're lucky Hermione is more forgiving than I am. If it were up to me- it'd be a totally different story." I said and he shrank back a little bit about my words. Hermione let out a sigh.

Harry was about to say something when a strangled yell came from above. The whole common room froze in fear staring at the boys' staircase. Hurried footsteps grew louder and louder before Ron came running into view- bedsheet in hand.

"LOOK!" He bellowed storming over to the three of us. "LOOK!"

He started shaking the sheet in Hermione's face- his face red with anger.

"Ron- what-?"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

I looked at the sheet closer and frowned at the sight of something red on it. Blood… it was blood.

"BLOOD! HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR-"

"N-no." Hermione's voice shook.

Ron threw something on the table and my heart sank. Tufts of very familiar long ginger cat hairs were sitting in front of us. Hermione's face immediately fell.

"Ron-" Harry started but I stood up, squaring myself up to Ron who almost shaking with anger.

"Look, I get that you're upset about Sc-"

"Upset? UPSET?" Ron nearly roared. "I am a lot more than bloody upset! Her cat who've I've been telling you- has it out for my rat KILLED HIM!"

"That- however, doesn't mean you have the right to scream at her like that! So why don't you back the bloody hell up because I will not listen to this." I snapped back.

"Always siding with her aren't you?" He sneered. "Even when she's wrong you side with her! You might be able to buy a new pet whenever you want but that doesn't mean that I-"

"Oi! Both of you!"

Harry had finally cut in and stepped between the two of us. The rest of the common room was completely quiet- listening to our argument. I could feel the eyes of our housemates on us yet I didn't care in the slightest.

"Let's go calm down Ron." Harry said and before the red head could protest, he was pulled to the boys' dormitory.

I looked down at Hermione who was looking at her notes, tears welling up in her eyes. Merlin why could we never catch a break?