Chapter 24
-Seventh year, pt 2-
Cassie had detention with Professor Umbridge every night that week. The cuts on her hand opened anew every night, and it grew increasingly painful each night.
Hermione Granger gave her essence of dittany to soak her hand in, and that helped with the pain. Of course Hermione thought that she should tell someone. But Cassie felt somewhere deep inside herself that she shouldn't.
A couple of weeks later Cassie found Harry shaking tremendously in a hallway. She immediately knelt down. "Deep breaths Harry, deep breaths." Harry calmed down after a bit and then looked at her with a deep pain in his eyes.
Cassie's eyes widened with concern. "What is it Harry?"
Harry showed her his right hand. Bleeding cuts ran across his skin. "I must not tell lies."
Cassie felt her emotions burning with anger. "What did she put you in detention for?"
Harry sighed. "I started shaking in her class. She thought I was disrupting the class on purpose. I told her this happened to me occasionally and that I couldn't control it. She told me, 'You must not tell lies Mr. Potter.' Ron almost hexed her. Good thing Hermione was there." Harry gave a halfhearted smile.
Cassie's eyes were fierce and angry. "If she does that again to you Harry, I'll-I'll- I don't know! I'll do something that's for sure."
Harry got to his feet. "I have to go. See you later."
Cassie waved and headed to her next class, which was, unfortunately, DADA.
She sat down next to Cedric, knowing that she was late.
Umbridge turned and smiled at her. "Miss Potter, you are late."
Cassie clenched her jaw. "My apologies, Professor, I was helping my cousin."
Umbridge frowned. "The lying one?"
Cassie stood up and pulled her wand out. "How dare you?" She nearly screamed.
Cedric grabbed her arm and pulled her down.
Professor Umbridge was breathing hard and looked personally offended. "Detention, Miss Potter! And twenty points from Hufflepuff!"
The whole class glared at Umbridge as she collected herself.
Cassie was still heated over Umbridges direct insult towards Harry.
Cedric interlocked his fingers with hers and she calmed slightly.
He leaned over and whispered. "You okay?"
Cassie nodded slightly. "For now."
Cassie's scars deepened over the next week. Despite Cassie's protests, Professor Sprout sent a letter regarding Cassie's detentions to James and Lily.
Professor Sprout liked Cassandra Potter very much, and hated to see her punished for standing up for her cousin.
So, Sprout included a note explaining why Cassie was in detention, and expressing her feelings about the matter.
The professor did not think that Cassie should be punished, but she couldn't do anything about it.
Lily wrote to Cassie that week.
Dear Cassie,
Professor Sprout has informed us that you have been in detention for two weeks.
She had also informed us that you are being punished for standing up for yourself and Harry, of which James and I are very proud.
However, you still need to respect your teachers. Please try not to lose your temper again.
Much love, James and Lily.
P.S. You are doing great! I heard that Cedric got detention on the day you arrived? That's a new record! Even Sirius, Remus, and I didn't manage that. Tell Cedric I'm very proud of him. Oh, and try looking in the library for some more books on charms. There might be some good hexes in there, if you catch my meaning. Love, James.
P.P.S. Cassie, do not listen to James' suggestions. Love Lily.
Cassie smiled and folded the letter back up. James and Lily were always arguing about pranks and detentions. Yet it always ended with James smiling his mischievous smile, and Lily shaking her head and kissing him.
Cassie loved them both, and refused to disappoint them.
Every day Cassie looked at the scars on her hand, and her hatred for Umbridge deepened.
Cedrics cuts had faded slightly, but Harry was in detention with Umbridge just as much as Cassie.
Harry was being stretched to a breaking point. This was his O.W.L.'s year, and he had mountains of homework.
Detention took up so much of his time that he was forced to stay up late into the night, and was only sleeping for three hours a day.
He would fall asleep in class sometimes, then get detention, and the cycle would start all over again.
Cassie was glad for the first Hogsmeade weekend. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco were staying at Hogwarts to catch up on homework.
Cassie promised to bring back snacks.
She and Cedric strolled through the streets, drinking it all in.
Their first stop was the Three Broomsticks, where they found Fred and George talking to Lee Jordan over butterbeer.
Cassie and Cedric ordered their drinks and sat down with the twins.
The Weasley twins were notorious for their pranks, and they had been busy over the last few years developing products with the plan of opening up their own shop.
Lee Jordan was listening intently to the twins plans and was slightly surprised to see Cassie and Cedric sit down.
Cassie smiled at him. "Hey Lee."
Lee smiled back. "Hey. How's the detention going? You've been racking them up."
Cassie laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, well you're not wrong. Umbridge is a snake. A pink snake."
The four boys laughed. "I heard she doesn't listen to Harry when he tries to explain about his tremors. Is that true?" Fred was suddenly serious.
Cassie looked at him. "Completely true. It's like she doesn't even care that he was tortured by a former Death Eater."
The group went silent.
George remembered how long Harry had been unconscious, and shuddered.
They all jumped in surprise when Madam Rosmerta clunked two butterbeers down on the table.
She stepped back and looked at them with a strange expression on her face. "What's with the long faces? You five are almost always laughing or joking!"
Cassie didn't meet her eyes. Madam Rosmerta sat down. "What's going on?"
Cedric sighed. Madam Rosmerta wasn't going to let this go. "It's Umbridge. She's put Harry in detention for no reason at least three times."
Fred scoffed. "She's put you and Cassie in for no reason!"
Cassie rolled her eyes. "That doesn't count. I was being kind of..uh.."
George laughed. "You can't even find a reason for why you got in detention."
Cassie smiled half heartedly.
Madam Rosmerta frowned. "This Umbridge woman, what does she have you do in detention?"
Cedric glanced at Cassie. She shook her head slightly. He turned back to Rosmerta. "Just lines."
Madam Rosmerta didn't seem convinced. "Right. Well, I'll see you kids later." She walked back behind the counter.
Fred was looking at them suspiciously. "So, just lines, huh?"
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, just lines." She pulled the sleeve of her sweater further down her hand.
George apparently noticed this movement, because his hand shot out so fast Cassie didn't have time to pull away.
He grabbed her right hand and pulled the sleeve back. He stared at the angry red lines.
He looked, horrified, at Cassie and Cedric. "Is this what she's doing to you? A blood quill?"
Cassie avoided his eyes. Cedric nodded.
Fred frowned. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Cedric sighed. "I'm sorry Fred. It just..didn't seem important enough." He sounded unconvinced as he said this.
George snorted. "Not important enough? Cedric, blood quills are illegal! If you can get proof that she's forcing you to use one, then we could-"
Cassie interrupted. "George, I have a different idea."
All four boys turned to look at her.
She smiled. "A very good idea."
Cassie had been talking to other students, and all of them agreed that they weren't learning anything from Umbridge, and that they would probably fail the exam if they didn't do something about it.
So Cassie had talked to Harry about her idea. He thought it was a great idea. So they started planning.
They would start a club of sorts. Harry and Cedric, who both excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts, would help them learn defensive spells.
Cassie and Cedric had picked students that they knew would be for it and not tell anyone, specifically Umbridge.
They were to meet in the Three Broomsticks during the next Hogsmeade weekend.
The day came, and Cassie and Cedric met Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Minnie, and Ginny.
Others were arriving, including Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, Cho Chang and her friend Marietta Edgecomb, a lot of other Gryffindors, and several more people from various houses.
Cedric cleared his throat. The group quieted and Cedric glanced nervously at Cassie, who smiled.
He took a deep breath. "Thanks for coming here today. I think all of us have the same opinion of Professor Umbridge?" This was met with vigorous nods and muttering.
"We feel that no one is learning anything from her, and that no ones going to pass the exams if we don't do something. So, we're forming a club. Kinda. Basically, we're going to have meetings as much as we can, and we'll practice defensive spells. Cassie has the sign up sheet." he gestured to his girlfriend. "Any questions?"
Cho Chang's hand went in the air. Cedric nodded at her. "Where are we meeting? We don't really want anyone to know about this."
Cedric nodded again. "We're meeting in the Room of Requirement. It's on the seventh floor corridor, opposite of the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. All you have to do to find the hidden entrance is walk up and down the wall three times while thinking about what you need. For example, you would think, 'the place where the secret defense group is meeting.' Does that make sense?"
Everyone nodded, some more sure then others. Then Fred raised his hand with a grin. Cedric grinned back at him.
"When will we be meeting? Cause some of us have quidditch practice." Fred said.
Ginny, Ron, and Draco all nodded and looked at Cedric, who sighed, knowing this would be difficult.
"We'll just have to work something out."
An hour later, they had finally figured out a date for their first meeting.
The group dispersed, and Cedric sat down, exhausted. Cassie smiled at him. "You did great, babe."
Cedric smiled. "Yeah, well, I could do with some more butter beer." He went up and ordered.
Cassie suddenly felt dizzy and clutched the table. Her vision swam, and pain cut through her head.
Harry and his group of friends were still sitting at the table, and Ginny looked at her, concerned. "Cassie? You okay?"
Cassie shook her head slowly and crumpled to the ground.
She was back in the cell with Bellatrix Lestrange. She was watching Cedric writhe on the ground, screaming with pain.
She heard herself scream and a searing pain shot through her head.
The scene changed. She was in Number 4, Privet Drive.
She was ten years old again. She was reading to Dudley, laughing with him. Then his body slumped to the floor, cold and lifeless.
She found herself crying and screams rang out around her. She drifted back into darkness and the noise calmed and she heard a shaky voice. "Cassie? Cassie please answer me, please."
She opened her eyes. Cedric was leaning over her, and she could hear nervous murmurs all around her.
She suddenly realized where she was. She sat up quickly, and groaned. Her head ached.
Cedric helped her to her feet. "Are you sure you're okay?" She sat down at the table she had fallen off of. She nodded at him and smiled weakly.
Madam Rosmerta brought some fire whiskey over to her and told her it would help. She drank it quickly and felt a bit better.
Cedric insisted on going back to the castle, and Cassie didn't protest. She felt very tired and was disturbed about what she had seen in her dream.
Cedric didn't leave her side until she was safely asleep in her dorm. He almost laid down next to her, but thought better of it.
Cassie stirred. "Ced, come here."
Cedric turned back towards her, and she pulled him down next to her and pulled herself close to him.
He kissed her hair and closed his eyes. She smiled and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The first meeting of the defense group was commencing, and Cedric was talking to Harry about what they were going to practice today.
They had students in fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh year, so they could probably group the sixth and seventh years for Cedric to teach, and Harry could take the fourth and fifth years. Harry was already at the sixth year level in DADA.
Cedric coughed loudly and the group quieted. "Okay, so we're going to get started. Fourth and fifth years will go with Harry, sixth and seventh years will come with me."
The group divided itself and Cedric pulled out his wand. He smiled. He was in his element.
Harry was feeling just as confident. "Okay, who here can cast a Patronus?"
No one said anything. He smiled. "Okay, that's what we'll start with."
His hand twitched and he dropped his wand. He grinned and summoned it to his hand.
Hermiones jaw dropped. "Did..did you just?"
Harry grinned and continued. "To cast the patronus charm, you must think of a happy memory. Make sure it's a strong one. Concentrate as hard as you can on it, and say the incantation, Expecto Patronum!"
He waved his wand and a silvery stag galloped around the room. Everyone gazed at it in amazement and admiration.
Harry smiled. "Tell me if you need any help."
He walked around the group and helped them as they needed. When he reached Ginny, who had managed to cast the patronus on her second try, she was watching the shimmering horse gallop around the room.
Harry smiled and she kissed him. He grinned and moved on to Ron and Hermione, who were arguing, as usual. Minnie was standing next to them laughing so hard she was crying.
Harry raised his eyebrows in questioning. "What's so funny?"
Minnie stopped laughing, with difficulty. "Ron's patronus, it's a Jack Russell terrier."
Harry felt confused. "So?"
Minnie giggled. "Hermiones is an otter. Jack Russell terriers are specifically known to chase otters."
Harry smirked.
Hermiones face went red. "Minnie, how did you just know this?"
Minnie shrugged and left to go talk to Draco.
Ron sent a withering glare towards Minnie. "How does she just know the exact thing? How?" He went on muttering.
Harry rolled his eyes and glanced over at Draco and Minnie. Draco was smiling at her with a look Harry was very familiar with.
It was the look on his own face every time he saw Ginny.
He sighed. Draco was falling in love with his little sister. He watched Minnie concentrate and wave her wand. A silvery stream burst out and danced around the room in the shape of a cat.
Harry wasn't sure how to feel about Draco and Minnie. Draco was one of his best friends. Then again, he himself was dating his best friends sister. Why should this be any different?
Because it's mysister.
Harry sighed again. He turned his attention back to the class, which he was going to wrap up momentarily.
"Good work everyone, I think Cedrics going to figure out the date for our next meeting." He turned to Cedric who rolled his eyes. Harry grinned.
Cedric spent twenty minutes trying to fit everyone's schedules, and finally settled on a date. Two weeks from tomorrow, same time, same place.
Cassie took Cedrics hand as they walked back to the dorms. Watching Cedric do what he loved reminded her of how much she loved him. "I love you." She kissed his lips softly.
Cedric smiled. "I love you too."