Bold*- parstletounge
Italics - thoughts
"Normal"- speech and narrative
Chapter 44: Making Him Think And A Break In
31/10/1993
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When she got back to the castle Cassandra immediately went down to Severus's private potions lab to finish brewing the wolfsbane for Lupin. She was quickly finished and scooped some up into a goblet.
Cass levitated it ever so carefully above her head as she navigated the corridors, so no one would see her carrying the strange concoction. As she reached Lupins office she placed the slightly smoking cup into her hand, and knocked.
"Come in!" A voice stated from inside.
She wandlessly opened the door so she did not drop the potion she and her Uncle had spent forever making, and took in the sight before her.
Potter was sat next to the pale looking Professor, glaring right at her. "Thought you were meant to be at Hogsmede, Riddle, or did the dementors scare you to much?"
She sneered, "as Professor Lupin knows perfectly well, I can defend a dementor amazingly. And for your information, Professor Snape requested my presence back at the castle." She set the goblet down.
"Ah thank you Miss Riddle, I was wondering when this would be coming."
She heard the dismissal in his voice, but didn't leave.
"Sir I need to talk to you now, and in private." Her eyes flickered to Potter who was looking from the goblet to her suspiciously.
The man sighed heavily, "of course Miss Riddle. Harry it was nice talking to you, you should head back to your common room now - I hope you enjoy the feast!"
The Gryffindor reluctantly got to his feet and traipsed out the door. As soon as it was shut Cassandra flicked her wrist and a silencing spell was placed on the room.
"Miss Riddle I hardly think that will be necessar-"
"Why do you take wolfsbane Professor?"
Cassandra watched as the man tried to form words, opening and closing his mouth but no sound exiting.
"You see I ask, not because I'm wondering if you are a werewolf, because I already know you are, i ask because do you know what it does?"
Remus had gone deathly pale now and was watching her warily. "Yes of course I know what it does! It keeps my sane mind inside my wolfs body."
She shook her head, "who told you that?"
"Dumbledore"
"Ah of course. Right well, he lied to you, he has been doing for a very long time now - starting with when you began school."
"What do you mean? No he's not. You're just stirring things up - how did you even know that this was wolfsbane?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid I know what wolfsbane looks like, I also helped Professor Snape brew it."
"But that's an extremely hard potion!"
"Like I said, I'm not stupid. Anyway," she pulled a vial out of her pocket, "I presume you can smell and figure out what this potion is?"
He sniffed and then nodded, "that's veritiserum! But what-"
Cassandra downed it. "Ask me about what he's lied to you about. Only about him, you and the wolfsbane potion - nothing else, I am trusting you."
"Um, okay? What does wolfsbane really do?"
Cassandra didn't even try to fight the truth serum coursing through her veins. "It multiplies your urge to reject the wolf part of you. It separates your two minds, makes you think you are in control but you're really not. You're meant to accept the wolf and learn to control it after you get bitten, if you do you will look like a normal wolf during your transformation, and keep your human mind."
She looked up to see if he was still paying attention, when she saw he was Cass continued.
"However, like you, if you are told to reject the transition you're wolf form fights back and when you turn you become this half human, half wolf thing that has no control at all. They make you take wolfsbane to 'help' but really it detaches you more from reality and it becomes addictive. Meaning if you miss a single dose you will go berserk!"
The Professor looked shakily into her eyes. "What else has he lied to me about?"
"You know the law that stops werewolves from getting jobs, because it is deemed 'unsafe'?"
"Of course, this is the only job I've been able to get since I left school and that's only because Dumbledore-"
"-is a manipulative bastard. He is the one who founded that law, the one who created it. He has lied to you so much and you deserve retribution and help."
"I can't just abandon my friends!"
"They were never your friends!" She yelled at him. He looked at her in shock.
"W-what do you mean?"
"Why do you think the old coot let you come to Hogwarts? Not out of the kindness of his heart that's for sure. He did it because he knew you would grow up feeling like you owed him. But he needed to make sure you didn't stray to the other side, for he couldn't afford to have another werewolf on the dark side. He twisted your mind, why else would James Potter come up to you? Because he wanted desperately to prove he could be in the Order like his parents, even at eleven. When he became friends with Uncle Sirius and Peter Pettigrew he informed them and they all joined together to get the shy little boy out of his shell. And they did."
The Professor now had tears in his eyes.
"What was the point in this?"
"To give you the chance of a life you deserve, happiness and retribution for what they did to you!"
"And how exactly is a thirteen year old going to do that for me?"
She rolled her eyes and made the split second decision to roll up her sleeve. As Remus stared at it wide eyes Cassandra continued, "I know people and they want to help. Why do you think Professor Snape was nice to you when the others weren't around? Why do you think he tried to be your friend? Because he knew what was happening to you!"
Cassie placed a hand on the Professors. "I know you think bad of Fenrir Greyback but you have been rejecting the transition. You don't know the joy of being a wolf, or how freeing it can be. If you decide to accept my offer then he can help you start to come to grips with your wolf side and control it. He's really not as bad as you think. I know this doesn't excuse him but on that day your father insulted him half his pack had got killed by the Order so he was already mad and distraught. So he decided for revenge. I know you probably are having trouble to come to terms with this so I will give you time to think it over. If you decide to join we will welcome you and tell you everything, not keep secrets like Dumbledore and the Order. Goodbye Professor!"
She then left an extremely conflicted Remus Lupin and made her way to the entrance hall, for the carriages were coming back from Hogsmede. She saw a dragon poke it's head out of one and grinned as it flew over to her and nudged her neck. The patronus vanished and she ran up to the place where it had exited.
She jumped into her cousin's arms. "Well done Draco! You cast it with the dementors present!"
He swung her around. "Yup! Isn't that awesome?!"
Cassandra nodded and as he put her down she sidled up to Blaise, he pulled her in tight and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Theo? Where's Sirius?" She said suddenly.
The boy blushed and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "he ran off when we got back in the gates, I'm sorry - I tried to grab him but he was just too fast!"
Cass grabbed his hand, squeezing it, as they all began walking into the castle. "It's okay Theo, he'll find his way back to us and we know he'll be safe!"
She let his hand fall and wrapped hers back around Blaise. Theo looked down at his hand, slightly missing the contact and warmth.
———
The Halloween feast was great. They all stuffed themselves with food, laughing and smiling.
Soon enough they were in the Slytherin common room, hanging out in their pyjamas in front of the fire place. Marcus Flint had joined them and started talking to Cass and Draco about quidditch, whilst the Carrow twins were chatting with Daphne and Pansy about fashion. The rest of the boys just chatted about whatever whilst Astoria sat on Cass's lap, she was in need of some company considering she couldn't talk to Luna in public anymore.
All of a sudden Professor Snape barged into the room. "Sirius Black has been spotted in the castle will you all follow me to the great hall where you will be sleeping tonight."
A series of grumbles and protests could be heard.
Severus sighed, "I know you don't want to sleep on the floor but there's nothing I can do! Come on, follow me"
Cassandra, carrying Astoria, followed her Uncle with the rest of Slytherin house to a very cramped looking great hall. The tables were gone and in each corner lay a set of different coloured sleeping bags.
They made their way to the green ones which were next to the Hufflepuffs. A hand flew up and caught her eye, she smiled as she realised Cedric was beckoning her over. She placed Astoria down and then got in the sleeping bag next to Cedric, Blaise automatically got on the one next to her, pulling her into his arms and glaring at the Hufflepuff.
Her friends were all around her and after a quick check of the hall she had found the Weasley twins safe. As the Ravenclaws entered Cass let out a breath of relief as she saw Luna skipping happily to her sleeping bag.
"Cedric do you know any more of what happened? Professor Snape just stated that Sirius Black had been sighted."
She felt Blaise's arms tighten around her as Cedric answered with a smile.
"The portrait that guards the Gryffindor common room got slashed because she would not let him in. You'd think they'd be able to catch him but if he escaped Azkaban I'm pretty sure he can escape the castle."
I hope he can, Cassandra thought as she led down to get some sleep. Blaise was spooning her and she was facing Cedric, smiling sleepily at him whilst he grinned, running a hand through his hair.
