A/N: Hello! I am back - I sincerely apologise for my long absence, life has gotten away from me a little. Thank you for sticking with me if anyone is still interested haha! Enjoy :)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Fallout

The rest of November and beginning of December seemed to speed by. The weather only grew colder as the first snow of the year arrived, and before I knew it we were only a few days away from winter break.

I still wasn't overly excited to be going home, but I couldn't deny that I was at least excited to see my dad. I'd never missed him as much as I had been this year, and even if I was slightly fearing his reactions to what exactly I'd been up to all year - it didn't quell my happiness of being able to see him soon.

"Cass! Wait up!"

I glanced over my shoulder in slight surprise when I heard Fred's voice, seeing him jogging to catch me from further back in the corridor. I hadn't spoken to him or George since the Quidditch match, I still wasn't exactly sure where I stood with the twins these days.

"Alright?" I offered him a small smile as he fell into step with me, still feeling that same weird tension hanging in the air between us.

"Yeah, busy - you?"

I nodded in agreement, "Same, they're really stepping up the homework for break this year because of O.W.L.'s. I suppose you understand though, I can only imagine how much worse it is for you with N.E.W.T.'s."

He shrugged, "I'm not overly dedicated to them, so I wouldn't know."

I shook my head at him with a smile, "Your mother would drop dead if she heard you say that. If not N.E.W.T.'s, what are you so busy with then?"

His smile dropped, shooting me a half-apologetic look. "Uh…"

I stiffened, "Right, forget I asked." I muttered, already knowing exactly what would be occupying all his time.

He let out a sigh, stopping just as we reached the entrance for the courtyard and turning to face me. "I hate this."

"Hate what?" I asked in confusion.

"This, us!" he gestured between us, frowning deeply. "I've never felt more disconnected from you in my life - not even last summer."

"I don't know what to tell you," I admitted honestly. "I don't know how to fix it. I'm not trying to be distant with you or make you feel like we're so out of it with each other, it's just happening all on its own."

The pained expression on his face was only making me feel worse, but I was telling the truth. It was hard to pretend things were how they were with us when there was this massive wedge between me and everyone else, a literal secret club that I wasn't a part of.

"So, you are mad at me still? For not telling you? Because I told you-"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not angry at you, I know it wasn't you - that was all on Harry."

"Then what?" he asked quietly, his eyes flickering with doubt as he looked at me desperately.

I sighed, gazing out over the courtyard for a second before back at him. "I guess I just feel let down, Fred. I just wonder if anyone really tried to stick up for me, or if you all just wrote me off as soon as Harry decided I couldn't be trusted anymore."

He flinched, a deeply apologetic look on his face as he looked back at me silently for a moment. "How do we fix this?"

"I don't know." I said again, hesitating slightly as I looked back at him. "I kind of feel like there's more to it than just that anyway."

He let out a deep sigh, and I could tell he knew what I was referring to. "I really don't think you want to hear my opinion on that particular subject."

My eyes narrowed slightly, frowning at him. "What does that mean? If you have something to say Fred, I want to hear it."

"I just…" he still looked hesitant, frowning back at me but knowing me well enough that I wasn't going to let him off that easily. "I just wonder if all this shit with Harry would be happening if he wasn't in the picture."

My mouth dropped open slightly, "Are you serious?"

He shrugged, suddenly looking frustrated. "I don't know Cass; it just doesn't seem like you! Usually you'd do everything you could to fix things with Harry, is it so wrong of me to think he might be involved with keeping him out of your life?"

"Yes." I snapped, shocked at what I was hearing. "Did you ever think maybe I finally got sick of Harry treating me like crap all the time and expecting me to forgive him? That I finally realised I deserve better than that?"

He stared back at me in slight disbelief, crossing his arms. "And I wonder who put that idea in your head?"

"If you have a problem with me and Draco..." I practically hissed, my temper rising dangerously. "...I'd like to think we were close enough that you would just tell me instead of making up bullshit excuses."

"See, this isn't you!" Fred shot back, his own anger and frustration now getting the best of him. "Don't you get that I'm just worried? I don't want him turning you into someone you're not!"

"I am getting really sick of people telling me who I am." I growled, annoyed at myself when I felt tears starting to prick at the back of my eyes. Hearing two of the people I thought knew me inside out suddenly saying they had no idea who I was anymore hurt me more than I realised. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?" he shot back, before looking slightly regretful as I flinched a little and turned away from him.

"Cassie." I was slightly startled at Theodore's voice, turning to see him and Blaise standing a little ways away - looking between me and Fred warily.

"Everything okay?" Blaise asked, his tone considerably darker than Theo's had been. He could always tell from miles away when something was off with me, so I wasn't surprised at his hostility.

"Fine." I said, avoiding looking at Fred and trying to smile at them reassuringly. "I was just leaving."

"We'll walk with you." Blaise said smoothly, making sure to shoot a cold look Fred's way to let him know whatever conversation we'd been having was now over.

I nodded, ignoring Fred's eyes on me and the last filthy looks my two friends shot him as we walked off.

"What was that about?" Theodore asked after a short silence, eyeing me cautiously.

"Don't worry about it," I muttered. "I'm fine."

Blaise snorted, "That's bullshit - you're definitely not fine. What the bloody hell did he say to you?"

"Nothing." I sighed, shooting both of them pleading looks. "I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?"

Blaise looked irritated but Theo shot him a look over my head that made him decide against saying anything further. I was still in slight shock from the conversation I'd just had, I wasn't crazy enough to think Fred was okay with me and Draco - but I didn't think he was against it to this extent. If he thought I was different, did that mean it was true? Was I changing?

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" I blurted out before I could stop myself, stopping dead in my tracks with a frown.

Theodore and Blaise both stopped too, looking at me in slight shock.

"What?" Theodore asked in bewilderment.

"Is that what he said to you?" Blaise demanded, his eyes flashing angrily. "I'll fucking kill him."

He went to storm back past me, fists clenched dangerously. I didn't let him get far, reaching out and grabbing a hold of his arm and looking at him pleadingly.

"No, Blaise please just leave it. It's fine."

"Bullshit," he spat, wrenching his arm out of my grip. "Where does he get off thinking he can say that shit to you when all that lot has done this year is cast you aside like you're nothing?"

"Did he really say that?" Theodore asked, a deep frown on his face when I glanced back at him.

"Basically," I said quietly. "Everyone seems to think I'm a different person this year, so does that make me a bad one?"

"The only thing different about you this year is you finally realised you don't deserve to be walked all over." Blaise said firmly, some of the anger fading from his eyes and concern replacing it.

"You are not a bad person Cass." Theodore nodded in agreement, putting a comforting hand on my arm. "Deciding to do what's best for you instead of always putting everyone else first does not make you bad."

"Theo's right." Blaise said, his tone much softer now. "You are literally one of the best people I know - don't let anyone try and tell you otherwise."

I nodded, taking a deep breath and looking between both of them with a soft smile - warmth flooding through my body.

"I knew I kept the two of you around for a reason."

Theodore let out an amused snort, Blaise scoffing in disbelief. "You would be dead without us."

We continued towards the Common Room, and just as we rounded the corner I looked between them slightly nervously.

"Don't tell Draco about this, alright?"

Both of them let out slight groans, Theodore looking at me reproachfully. "Seriously? Do you know what he'll do to us if he finds out we kept something about you from him?"

"I can't believe you would put us in this position," Blaise scowled in agreement.

"I'm not planning on telling him anything, so he won't." I rolled my eyes, "If I tell him he'll only overreact and that's the last thing I want to deal with right now."

"Your funeral." Theo remarked drily as we stepped into the Common Room.

The girls were spread between some armchairs and one of the tables due to Daphne and Lillian scrambling to get homework done, the other three girls lazily chatting between themselves. I threw myself onto the same armchair Madi was in, they were big enough that the two of us could sit together with my legs over hers. Draco was over in the corner, engaged in what looked like a heated game of chess with Pucey - brief eye contact the only acknowledgement he managed to give me.

"Where were you guys?" Pansy asked curiously, tossing me the bag of sugar quills she was holding when I held my hand out for it.

"Nowhere in particular." I responded, handing the bag off to Blaise and popping the quill in my mouth.

Madi nudged me gently with her leg, raising an eyebrow subtly - obviously noticing I wasn't in the best spirits. I gave a small shake of my head, letting her know I would tell her later. Her eyes moved to Blaise where he was perched on the arm of the chair next to me and finally seemed to relax when he gave her a small nod too. I smiled into my sugar quill, sometimes I loved our secret forms of communication - it just came from the three of us being so close for so long. We could have entire conversations without uttering a word.

It didn't take me long to figure the talk between our friends was all about winter break, and I instantly re-focused on Madi when I realised she wasn't exactly in the best mood either due to this.

"Don't worry," I murmured, shooting her a small smile. "I'm dreading going home this year too."

She sighed, a worryingly scared look crossing her features. "Any other year I'd say I'll be fine and put up with it…but after this summer I'm not sure."

I frowned, exchanging a slightly worried look with Blaise. "I should just say fuck it and bring you with me," he said strongly, eyes flashing.

Madi snorted, "Your mother would never let that happen, Blaise. It's fine, I'll be okay."

Something about the look in her eyes unnerved me, and I felt a sudden feeling that told me it was not a good idea to let her go home. "Come with me then."

She raised an eyebrow, "You're joking right? That's even less likely to happen."

I sat up a little straighter, the idea already forming in my head at lightning speed as I looked at her in determination. "So don't tell them, by the time they know anything it will be too late."

"It's not the worst idea," Blaise mused. "I'd feel much better knowing you were with her than in that house."

Madi still looked unsure, her eyes flickering in fear as she looked between us. "But your father…"

"Understands." I cut her off, reaching over to grasp her hand. "He understands better than anyone, Mads. Trust me."

"Are you sure?" she whispered; eyes still wide.

I nodded firmly, squeezing her hand. "I'll sort it out, I promise. I'm not letting you go home."

She still looked hesitant, that same fearful look in her eyes. "Can I think about it?"

I shared another look with Blaise, who looked just as concerned but nodded slightly at me. I turned back to my best friend, my gut twisting slightly in anxiety that I didn't have a definite yes yet but smiled reassuringly anyway. "Sure."

We re-joined the conversation happening around us, which had moved on to complaints about all the homework we were being set at the moment.

"Hey." I looked up at Draco's voice as he finally joined us a while later, smiling up at him.

"Did you win?"

"Obviously," he smirked, before tipping his head slightly towards the door. "Come on, last patrol before break remember?"

I nodded, making sure to shoot Blaise a pointed look when he took my spot next to Madi, so he'd know we needed to convince her. He understood, giving me a brief nod as Draco and I walked out of the Common Room.

"What was that about?" Draco asked curiously, very practiced at noticing our silent conversations by now.

I sighed, "I'm worried about Madi going home for break, so I told her she should just come with me instead."

He frowned, "Is it that bad?"

"It's always been bad," I responded quietly. "But I just have a feeling that after this last summer it's only gotten worse, and I really don't want her going back there."

"Is that what's bothering you? I could tell you were upset when you came in earlier," he sounded suspicious, and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. Sometimes I really did wish he would just let me deal with things on my own, he didn't need to know absolutely everything that went on.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just worried about Madi."

He still didn't look entirely convinced, and I felt his eyes on me more than once as we walked in silence. I didn't have the extra energy to try and appease him though, my head was still racing with thoughts of what Fred had said and now worry for my best friend. I would have to get in touch with my dad soon and just pray that he understood the situation. I wasn't too worried though, if anyone was going to understand it would be him. I spared a quick look at Draco after a couple of laps when I realised he was being quiet too, feeling instantly concerned when I saw he was now walking just staring straight ahead with a deep frown on his face.

"Hey." I said gently, moving in front of him and putting a hand on his chest. "What's wrong?"

His grey eyes flickered in concern as he gazed back at me. "What are you going to do over break? With the nightmares?"

My chest constricted slightly, and I looked down at the ground as that old fearful feeling took over. I had been so busy with everything else I hadn't even thought about how my nightmares would most likely return as soon as we were apart. "I don't know. What I used to do I suppose?"

He sucked in a breath, looking away from me again with his jaw slightly clenched.

"Draco…" I murmured softly, moving so I could wrap my arms around his waist. "I'll be okay, it's only a couple of weeks."

He pulled me in closer, brushing a hand over my cheek gently. "I wish I could just bring you with me."

I felt my heart jump a little, my eyes widening in surprise at the seriousness behind his tone and the conflict shining in his eyes - he knew just as well as I did it could never happen, but that didn't mean he didn't wish it could it just as much as I did.

"You know we can't..." I whispered, regret stinging deep in my chest.

"I know," he murmured, still looking slightly conflicted as he ran a hand along my arm gently. "Do you think any exceptions could be made just for Christmas Eve, however?"

My curiosity peaked, "Why's that?"

"Because I don't exactly feel like going to my family's ball without you as my date."

I had to bite back a grin as butterflies erupted in my stomach. "Hmm, we don't have the best track record with balls if you recall…"

"All the more reason to come. Time to change that I think," he murmured in amusement, some of the negative emotions fading off him as he smirked back at me.

"I'm sure I'll be able to figure something out." I responded softly, my stomach flipping even more at the happy smile he gave me in return.

"Good."

"Works out perfectly actually." I continued, taking a deep breath and locking my eyes with his. "I was planning on finally letting our little secret out over break anyway." I hesitated as a slight fear took over when his eyebrows instantly shot up in surprise, "If that's something you'd want…"

I wasn't left worrying for long at all, letting out a surprised giggle when he swiftly pulled me close enough to him to press his lips against mine eagerly.

"Is that a yes?" I gasped out through kisses, tangling my hands in his hair – not even caring that we were in the middle of the corridor and anyone could walk by and see us.

"There is nothing I want more," he replied, trailing kisses along my jaw slowly and making my heart race instantly. "About time I got to show everyone you're mine."

"I'm sick of having to hide this," I said in agreement, leaning away from him a little to catch my breath. "I don't care what anyone else thinks anymore."

He smiled again, his eyes back to pure, beautiful, transparent silver. "I wasn't sure you would say yes, that's why it took me so long to ask you."

I rolled my eyes slightly, baffled at how he still did not understand how much I cared about him. I would do just about anything for him. "Idiot."

His eyes darkened, and I giggled as my heart rate sped up again. "Watch it," he growled.

"What are you gonna do about it?" I whispered back, the challenge clear in my tone. He smirked, and I felt my anticipation building as I fully prepared myself to be dragged into a dark alcove. Unfortunately, we were alerted to determined footsteps heading towards us – and I let out a quiet groan as we stepped away from each other. I would know those footsteps anywhere.

"Brace yourself." Draco muttered, echoing my thoughts. We both turned just as Umbridge was bustling around the corner, making her way towards us. I had been managing to make up enough bullshit to keep her off Harry's scent lately while still proving myself as useful. It was helping that none of them were talking to me, it gave me a valid excuse to give her on why I had no information.

"Evening Professor," I forced a smile onto my face as she came to a stop in front of us.

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Black. I was hoping to run into you two," she simpered, looking between us. "I believe this is your last patrol before the holidays?" Her wanting to run into me was never something I considered to be good, it usually meant she wanted something from me.

Draco was the one who responded, his usual practiced demeanour a far better choice out of the two of us to try and quell whatever she was up to this time. "That's right, are you looking forward to the holidays, professor?"

"Oh, I suppose so." Umbridge smiled briefly at him, before her gaze was shifted back to me. "Do you expect to be seeing Mr Potter over the holidays, Miss Black?" Ah, I should have known.

"I'm not one-hundred percent sure," I responded carefully. "I would assume so, though - we usually do." That was a blatant lie, there was no chance Harry would be anywhere else but headquarters for break.

She frowned like she was absolutely horrified for me, and it made me feel slightly sick. "I see. Well I do hope you still manage to have an enjoyable break, and I'm sure I can count on you to keep an ear out for any...out of the ordinary behaviour?"

I bristled, using every bit of willpower I had left to stop myself from visibly reacting. Was she really telling me to use my holiday break to continue to spy on Harry and the others? Draco was eyeing me warily, probably unsure of how I was going to react - but I was far too practiced at this by now to give myself away.

"As always, professor." I forced a smile, and her own she gave me in return told me once again I had her fooled. For a woman who spent most of her time being so ingenuine, I was surprised she hadn't caught on that I was using her own tricks against her yet.

"Wonderful," she was practically glowing with satisfaction. "I have big plans for this school in the new year, and I do hope I can continue to rely on the two of you to bring them to fruition."

"Of course," Draco responded smoothly. "We take our positions very seriously." I had to bite my lip to stop a laugh escaping me, the way his eyes were glinting telling me he'd been hoping for that exact reaction from me. Arsehole.

"Lovely." Umbridge gave us both one last satisfied smile, turning to leave but then seeming to remember something else at the last second, looking back at me one last time. "I'm glad to see you in better spirits tonight, Miss Black. I happened to overhear your unpleasant exchange with Mr Weasley this afternoon."

Draco stiffened, and I had to close my eyes briefly to keep from undoing all my good work by hexing her into next year. "Oh yes, much better. I was just glad Blaise and Theodore showed up when they did." Merlin, even when she wasn't trying this woman was ruining my life.

If she noticed Draco's reaction she didn't show it, simply giving me another one of her sickly smiles as if it would reassure me further. "Yes, it would be a shame to see you fall back in with the wrong sort."

It was my turn to go rigid, only managing to nod silently in response as she finally turned and headed on her way with an extra bounce in her step that I loathed, like she knew exactly what she'd just done.

"What unpleasant exchange is she talking about?" Draco rounded on me instantly, eyes narrowed– his demeanour the complete opposite of what it had been before we ran into our professor.

"Nothing of your concern," I snapped. "If I thought you needed to know about it I would have told you." I pushed past him, stalking down the corridor determinedly. What were the chances of Umbridge managing to overhear that conversation? I wouldn't even be surprised if she was just following me around at this point…

"No." I didn't get far, he caught me in about two strides and stepped in front of me again - eyes flashing angrily. "Whatever he's said to you is obviously what made you upset earlier, so that does make it my concern."

I let out a frustrated sigh, "This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you, because I knew you would overreact!"

"So you lied?" he snapped harshly, and I winced a little.

"No, I just wanted to avoid a pointless fight between the two of you - and don't act like you aren't thinking about doing exactly that right now either." I raised an eyebrow, holding his glare.

"Oh, I get it," he hissed. This was the angriest I had seen him around me in a long time, we hadn't had any big fights like this in weeks - but Fred had always been a sore spot for him. "You're protecting him."

"That's not what this is," I said, trying to remain calm to avoid the situation escalating any further. "You're twisting my words."

"Isn't it?" he shot back. "Why do you care about what he thinks so much?"

"Because he's important to me, I have always been honest with you about that." I could only see this argument getting worse and going to a place neither of us wanted, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't going to back down on this one easily.

"Even though he's treated you like shit this year just like all of them have!?"

"Draco-"

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

I stared at him in shocked silence for a moment, the question catching me completely off guard and hating the sudden doubt I saw flicker behind his anger. "No. See this is exactly what I mean! You're letting your pointless jealousy turn this into something it isn't! "

"I told you not to lie to me again," his voice was low, eyes narrowed as he glared at me so fiercely I was almost taken back to before last year. Back when the only way he ever used to look at me was like this.

"And I need you to understand that some things really do not concern you. I need room to breathe sometimes, I am capable of taking care of myself." I said firmly.

"Why don't you want me to know so badly?" Draco demanded, practically ignoring everything I was saying - he always had a one-track mind when it came to these kinds of things, and he was not going to stop until he had the answers he wanted. "What did he say that you don't want me hearing?"

"Nothing!"

"Bullshit!" he spat, stepping away a little and running a hand through his hair in frustration before looking back at me, his grey eyes steeled with determination. "Tell me."

I was starting to lose my own temper by this point, I can't remember the last time we'd fought like this. Sure we always had our little tiffs - we wouldn't be us if we didn't - but not a full-blown argument, and I hated the way it was making me feel. "What more do I have to do for you to believe that you don't have to act like this about Fred?"

He snorted, looking annoyed at what I was suggesting. "This has nothing to do with him, it's that something has happened that's upset you and you elected not to tell me - again."

"So are we just going to pretend you wouldn't be this angry if it was any other person Umbridge had seen me having an argument with?"

"Please," his guard was completely up with me now, regarding me so coldly I almost shrank back from him. "I think I've proven I don't have anything to worry about when it comes to him - wasn't last year enough to attest to that?"

His words had exactly the effect he wanted them too. My chest stung harshly as I stepped back slightly in shock, feeling tears pricking at the back of my eyes as I gaped at him. This is what he did when he was angry, he lashed out - but he knew how much my guilt of how I handled things last year haunted me, I never thought he would go as far to use it against me.

"Finish patrol by yourself, I don't want to be around you anymore." I said quietly, just catching a glimpse of the regret flashing across his features as I turned and quickly walked away.

Thankfully, he made no move to stop or follow me - I gathered he was still annoyed enough that some time to cool down alone would do him some good. But I also couldn't help the part of me that was hurt he had just let me go too. I headed straight for the Slytherin Common Room, very keen to just go to bed so this whole awful day could end. I hesitated when I reached the turn off between the girls and boy's dorms, before letting out a sigh and heading for the boys. Even if I were angry at him I did not think having nightmares tonight would help me feel any better. Besides, at least then we could try and talk once he came back - if he decided to stop being such a git.

All the other curtains were drawn already when I came in, so I moved quietly towards Draco's bed and found my favourite dark grey sweater of his, letting out a sigh as I changed and then collapsed onto my back. My mind was still everywhere, the reminder of everything that happened last year only set my thoughts off again. I had made so many wrong choices last year, none of which any objectively good person would ever consider. I had thought I was just finally standing up for myself this year, but maybe Fred was right - maybe somewhere along the way I had gone too far. I wished I could go back to before Umbridge had shown up, my heart aching for the way he'd been looking at me when he asked me to go home with him. I hated how his first instinct was always just to push me away.

I was broken from my thoughts when Draco finally came in. I just caught what looked like relief flicker in his eyes when he saw I was here before he steeled his gaze again, evidently not ready to forgive and forget just yet.

"Good," he said shortly, moving around stiffly. "I was worried I might have to drag you back in here."

I was still mad too, so I pushed down any part of me that was happy he obviously wasn't angry enough at me that he would let me suffer through the night. "You could try."

He snorted, making no move to say anything further as he yanked the curtains closed harshly before disappearing on the other side. I let out an irritated sigh, turning my back to his side of the bed stubbornly and glaring at the dark green velvet curtain in front of me. If he wanted to continue to act like a child and refuse to talk about things like always, that was fine by me.

I kept my back turned when he came back, and if he noticed he either reacted silently or just didn't care. I rolled my eyes when I heard the distinct mutterings of the silencing spell, my temper flaring slightly again.

"Planning on yelling at me some more?"

He let out an angry scoff and I felt the bed dip as he got in, but still refused to turn around. "I just figure I should take precautions," he said coldly. "Not sure how much help I'll be to your nightmares now."

I rolled over instantly at that. He was sitting up with his back to me too, and if he'd felt me roll over he made no move to look at me. "Don't be stupid." I said quietly, my tone less harsh than before. There it was again, that same insecurity he just couldn't seem to shake. Any time one little thing made him think I wasn't completely happy it was like his brain jumped to the worst possible conclusion he could come up with.

He didn't respond, the two of us staying in tense silence for a long while.

"If you're waiting for an apology you aren't getting one." I finally said.

A quiet growl of annoyance was the only acknowledgement I got, and I glared harshly at his back. If anyone owed someone an apology it was him.

"I shouldn't have said it," he said after another silence, almost like he'd read my mind. "It was a shit thing to say to you."

"Well that's why you said it," I responded, my tone cold still. "You knew how much it would hurt me. That's what you do, Draco."

"And apparently what you do is just lie to me all the time."

I turned my back to him again, snorting in disbelief. I wasn't going to get anywhere with him tonight. "I'm going to sleep. We can talk about this when you aren't being an arse."

"Fine," he shot back bitterly, moving to lay down and keeping his back faced to me too.

Hopefully, he would be less stubborn by the morning. I only hoped he had been wrong and me being angry at him wouldn't make the nightmares come back. Trying to brush that thought off as best I could, I felt myself drifting off to sleep for the first time in weeks not feeling safe.

"Cass...hey...Cassie."

It felt like I had only just fallen asleep when suddenly I was being gently shaken, my name whispered into the dark room. I rolled over slowly, squinting and feeling instantly confused when I made out Madi's form through the darkness.

"Madi?"

"Snape just came in looking for you," she said in a hushed tone, concern shining behind her eyes. "He says it's urgent and you need to go with him - now."

I sat up, panic seizing my body. Something had to be wrong. My sudden movement stirred Draco next to me, who rolled over, his eyelids flickering as he woke up slightly.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled sleepily, but I quickly shushed him.

"Snape's looking for me, but don't worry - go back to sleep. I'll be back soon."

He murmured a tired 'mhm' in response, easily giving back into sleep. Despite still being furious at him for earlier, I smiled softly at the sight of him looking so peaceful for a moment before I gently moved out of the bed. Madi was standing just to the side, giving me a small smile in reassurance.

"Here," she held out a pair of my grey tracksuit pants. "I figured you might need these."

I shot her a grateful look as I quickly shimmied into them, "You're the best. Ugh, I am so dead…"

She smirked, the two of us tiptoeing out of the room again.

"I won't lie to you," she turned to me with a grim expression once we could speak more freely, "He looked pretty pissed when he woke me up."

I groaned, already preparing myself for whatever punishment he would dish out to me for catching me not in my own bed. "Brilliant."

"How do you think I feel? You can't even imagine how terrifying of an image an angry Snape was to wake up to."

I snorted back a laugh, "He didn't say what it was about?"

She shook her head, "No, do you think it's bad?"

I grimaced, pausing as we reached the turn off for the Common Room and the dorms. "I can't imagine it to be good if he's getting me out of bed at this hour."

Madi gave my arm a gentle squeeze in comfort before giving me one last smile and heading back towards the dorms. I rushed out to the Common Room, feeling even more terrified than I had been when I saw my professor waiting by the door. To say he looked furious would be an understatement.

"What's going on?" I asked as he moved out of the portrait without a word, leaving me scrambling after him.

"The Headmaster will explain," he said shortly, and I felt even less comforted by the fact this was urgent enough that we were going to see Dumbledore. "It is not safe to talk out here in the open."

"Is Harry okay?" I asked automatically, a million terrible thoughts running through my mind.

"Mr Potter is fine."

"My dad?"

"Fine, Miss Black. As I already stated, the Headmaster will explain."

His tone suggested that maybe someone else wasn't fine, but I was smart enough not to question him further when he shot me a dark look in warning. Yeah, he definitely wasn't pleased with me.

I stayed quiet until we reached the door for the Headmaster's office, before risking another look at him and deciding I had to say something. I had barely opened my mouth before he shot me another warning glare, cutting me off.

"I assure you I will deal with this situation once you return."

I frowned, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment but also feeling immediately concerned by the sentence 'once you return.' I didn't have any more time to wrap my head around it though before Snape pushed the door open and we entered Dumbledore's office.

The building fear that I had felt since Madi came and woke me reached boiling point when I saw Harry and all the Weasley's were already in the office with Dumbledore and McGonagall - the looks on their faces making my heart sink further into my chest.

"What's going on?"

"Mr Weasley has been injured and taken to St Mungo's." Dumbledore explained calmly, much more calmly than I felt warranted the situation. My eyes widened and I instinctively sought out Fred, who looked sick with worry.

"I am sending you all to Grimmauld Place tonight, you will be going by Portkey shortly - we were just awaiting your arrival and the all-clear from Phineas."

"Tonight?" I breathed, my heart clenching slightly. My head was spinning, everything happening too fast for me to be able to properly comprehend what was going on. I was practically in a trance as we were all ushered to stand around an old kettle on Dumbledore's desk, quickly reaching out to take hold as the Headmaster started to count us down. Just before the Portkey tugged us away, I caught Harry's eye for a millisecond - and the dark look in them made my stomach coil in fear. Then, we were spinning as the kettle pulled us away from Hogwarts in flashes of bright colours and a rush of wind until only moments later we hit the ground with a loud, collective thud.

I scrambled up, glancing quickly around the room as I got my bearings. We were in my living room. I really was home. I barely had time to take in the figures of my dad and James rushing towards us before I was enveloped into a tight hug by my father. I felt myself relax instinctively as I hugged him back, reminded of how much I'd been missing him. If nothing else, at least whatever was going on meant I was finally with him again.

"Hi dad," I murmured.

"Missed you kid," he said back quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"What's going on?" I asked again as we pulled back, looking around the room in concern.

"Ask Harry," Fred said, both twins and Ginny's eyes all trained intently on my godbrother.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," George echoed.

I turned to look at Harry too, noticing for the first time how much more shaken he looked than the rest of us - practically white as a ghost. James was standing next to him, looking down at him in concern as he placed a comforting arm on his shoulder. I felt even more fearful when I remembered the look I'd seen in his eyes just before we were whisked away from Hogwarts - the fact that it involved him and was this serious was not a good thing.

"It was…" he hesitated. "I had a kind of - a vision…"

And then he went on to tell us all about the dream he'd had of Mr Weasley being attacked by a snake, watching from the sidelines before Ron woke him up. How he'd gone to McGonagall and then Dumbledore and how he'd managed to be found in time. By the end, I had fallen into one of the armchairs and the twins and Ginny were still staring at Harry in slight shock. My father and James both looked just as pale as Harry now, exchanging worried looks.

"Is Mum here?" Fred turned to my dad and James.

"She probably doesn't even know yet," my dad replied. "The first thing Dumbledore wanted to do was get you all away before Umbridge caught wind and interfered. I expect he'll be letting her know now."

"We have to go to St Mungo's." Ginny said, her tone urgent.

"No," James said firmly, shaking his head. "We can't just go tearing off to St Mungo's, people will ask too many questions about how you all found out so fast."

"What does that matter?" George said hotly.

"It matters because we can't draw attention to the fact Harry is having visions like this," James continued, arms crossed. "Do you have any idea what the Ministry would do with that information?"

None of the Weasley's looked like they gave two shits about the Ministry or what they might think.

"Listen," my dad spoke up calmly. "James is right - we can't compromise our position in this, the circumstances are already fishy enough and we could seriously damage the Order's-"

"We don't care about the Order!" Fred finally snapped, yelling in frustration.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" George yelled.

"Your father knew what he was getting himself into and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" my father's voice rose too, the look he was giving the twins showing he meant business.

Fred and George looked incredulous, either of them looking ready to continue to argue - but James spoke up again before they got the chance.

"We know it's hard, but we've all got to act as if we don't know anything yet. We need to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother."

By this point, the entire events of today had caught up to me and I had very little patience left - letting out a groan when I saw the twins open their mouths to fire back.

"Stop it, they're right and you know it."

Ron let out an angry scoff, glaring at me for probably even daring to speak. "Easy for you to say, I doubt you even care. I don't even know why you're here in the first place."

"I live here," I shot back drily, rolling my eyes slightly. "And it's not as if I really had a choice, did I?"

Harry let out his own snort of disbelief, shooting me a dirty look despite still looking like he could pass out at any moment. "You're unbelievable."

The two adults were now looking between us with baffled expressions, clearly confused as to why we would be acting so hostile towards each other.

"Why?" I shot back at him; eyes narrowed. "I'm just being honest. If I had it my way I'd still be back at Hogwarts."

"Cassie!" My father turned to me in shock.

"What the hell is this about?" James added, gesturing between me and Harry. My dad's eyes were trained on me, searching my face for any kind of answers. I avoided his gaze, continuing to glare at my godbrother, who also chose to remain silent - neither of us answering the question.

Before they could question us further, a sudden burst of fire appeared in the middle of the room, and a piece of parchment fell with a thud onto the table - a single golden feather accompanying it.

"Fawkes," my dad said, moving forward instantly. "That's not Dumbledore's writing - it must be a message from your mother - here…" he handed the letter off to George, who ripped it open and began to read aloud.

"Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St Mungo's now. Stay where you are, I will send news as soon as I can. Mum."

There was a short silence.

"That was comforting." Fred finally muttered as he fell onto the couch - seemingly resigned to the fact they would have to stay put. The rest of them followed his lead, George sinking down next to him and Ginny on his other side - Ron and Harry occupying the two remaining armchairs.

No one made a move to say anything else, it didn't feel like there was anything that could be said that would make anyone feel better. It was just a waiting game now.

I shifted slightly, suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of being in a room where you felt like no one wanted you. It was almost suffocating, sitting here with people who I would have called family only a few months ago to now feeling like such an outsider.

I stood abruptly, everyone's eyes instantly on me.

"Where are you going?" my dad asked in confusion, like I'd broken the silent agreement that said we'd all decided to sit here together and wait.

"Anywhere but here," I replied. "It's been made very clear to me that no one wants me here anyway."

"Nope," Harry muttered under his breath.

"Harry!" James exclaimed angrily, only making him scowl more as he glared at me like it was my fault he was in trouble.

"I want you here." Everyone's attention shifted to Fred as he spoke up abruptly, but his eyes were focused intently on me. "I know you're probably still mad at me but...I want you here. I need you here."

I blinked in slight surprise for a moment, taken aback by his statement. He was right, I was still furious with him for earlier - but the vulnerable, fearful look in his eyes made me sink slowly back into my seat, only able to nod slowly in reply.

"We're all waiting together," my father said firmly, breaking the uneasy tension in the air slightly.

"And then as soon as we know what's happening - we're going to talk about exactly what is going on here." James added, the two of them looking between all of us determinedly.

Silence fell over us all again. I was vaguely aware of my father summoning Butterbeers for everyone at some point, but I didn't so much as touch mine. I tucked my legs up to my chest, finally letting all the emotions of the night wash over me now that everything was still. For the first time, it hit me that I wasn't going back to Hogwarts - a sudden pang of regret filling my chest.

The last thing Draco and I had done was fight.

I curled myself up even tighter, pulling the arms on his sweater right down and letting my head rest on the chair. I breathed in, my eyes fluttering closed when it still smelled just enough like him to bring me comfort. He was probably going to be furious that I had just disappeared in the middle of the night too. It hadn't even been one night, and I already found myself missing him. Especially here, where even if Fred had said otherwise - I still felt unwanted.

The night dragged on, no one spoke except to occasionally ask for the time or reassure each other that the longer we waited the less likely it was to be bad news. I spent most of the night lost in my own thoughts on whether to send an owl back to Hogwarts, the nagging feeling of leaving Draco while we weren't on good terms not going away.

Finally, at just past 5am - Mrs Weasley entered the room. She was extremely pale, but when we all turned to look at her she gave a wan smile as she sensed everyone's panic.

"He's going to be alright," her voice was weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can go and see him later, Bill's sitting with him now."

Fred fell back into the couch with his hands over his face, George and Ginny got up and walked swiftly over to their mother and hugged her, and Ron gave a shaky laugh of relief, downing the rest of his Butterbeer.

"Breakfast!" my father exclaimed; the relief evident in his tone as he jumped up. "I'm thinking bacon, eggs - and some tea, and toast-"

Everyone instantly headed towards the kitchen, the mood considerably lighter as everyone moved to help. I hung back, unsure if I could handle being around them all much longer and wondering if they would even notice if I just retreated to my bedroom.

"Hey…" Fred had paused by the door, taking a hesitant step closer to me when I turned to look at him. "Thanks, you know - for staying. I can't imagine it's very fun for you to sit in a room with Harry right now."

I cracked a small smile, "Not really, but I could tell you needed me so…"

He managed a smile back, the air between us feeling slightly less tense than it had earlier today. "I definitely would have deserved it though if you had left - after what I said today." The guilty look on his face made me reach up and squeeze his arm gently in reassurance.

"I'm always going to be here for you when you really need me, no matter what else is going on. Don't you know that by now?"

His face almost broke out into a full grin as he nodded in response, "I do."

I gave him one more soft smile as he moved off into the kitchen with everyone else, and I let out a long breath before I made my way in behind him.

My hunger was way more important to me right now than avoiding everyone.

Everyone spent the rest of the morning sleeping. I went to my room and lay in bed, but I couldn't bring myself to go to sleep. Surprisingly, I didn't even feel tired - there were still too many emotions running around in my head to even think about sleep.

I heard everyone moving around below me around lunchtime, dragging myself out of bed once the footsteps had all faded. The benefit of being at my house meant that unlike everyone else I actually had extra clothes to change into, changing my grey sweatpants out for a pair of black leggings. I hesitated for a brief moment, pondering whether I should change out of my boyfriend's sweater too - but quickly decided against it, the comfort it was bringing me too much to take away.

I was the last into the kitchen, everyone already eating lunch as I entered. The only acknowledgement I got from the group of Gryffindors at the table was quick grins from the twins, but the mood was definitely much lighter than it had been this morning.

"Get some sleep?" my dad asked, smiling gently from where he was sitting at the table with James and a newly arrived Remus - who I immediately moved to hug.

"A little," I responded to my father as I pulled away from Remus. There was no need to worry him by telling him I hadn't slept a wink.

"Your trunks just came before," he continued, nodding to the side of the kitchen. "Didn't want to send yours up in case you were still sleeping."

I followed his gaze, seeing my trunk was sitting against the wall of the kitchen - feeling another pang in my chest as I realised I definitely wasn't going back to Hogwarts until after the holidays.

"Thanks."

"There's a letter with it too," my eyes widened at his words, and I quickly raced over to my trunk - reaching for the letter that was sitting on top of it hastily as I instantly recognised the handwriting. I didn't even care if it looked strange that I was so eager to open it, sitting on top of my trunk and ripping it open without so much as a second thought.

Cass,

First of all - how dare you run out on me like that in the middle of the night. If I weren't already mad at you, I definitely would be now.

Snape refuses to tell us anything, the git - but judging from the fact he asked Madi to pack your trunk for you I can only assume this means you won't be back until after break. He finally agreed to let me send a letter with it after I told him I wouldn't leave him alone the rest of the year if he didn't.

If I didn't already feel like an absolute dick for yesterday I certainly do now. I can only hope you can forgive me enough to still come on Christmas Eve - that invitation still very much stands, and I don't think I could survive not seeing you until next year if you don't attend.

This is the part where I'm probably supposed to say something cheesy and sappy like 'I miss you already', but I think you know me enough to know that is not going to happen.

I'll see you on Christmas Eve, try not to let Potter and the other prats get you down too much.

Yours,

D.M

PS - Everyone else bugged me (how dare you leave me alone to deal with them) until I agreed to add that although they are all also very pissed you disappeared in the middle of the night; they miss you already.

I had a soft smile on my face by the end, shaking my head slightly. The letter was so perfect for a moment it almost felt like he and the rest of them were still with me.

"Who was it from?" I looked up at my dad's question, seeing all three of them were watching me curiously.

"Just Madi and Blaise," I lied smoothly, folding the letter again but keeping it tightly in my hand. Now was definitely not the time to drop the Draco bomb, not when we were still so unsure about Mr Weasley. I would need to do it sooner rather than later though, to give my dad some time to process before I asked about Christmas Eve.

Because now there was definitely no chance I wasn't going.

Everyone was happy and talkative as we prepared to leave for St Mungo's - well, except for me and Harry. I had been unsure if I would even go, but a particularly stern look from my father and a pleading one from Fred left me with practically no choice. All of us managed a well-needed laugh too when Mad-Eye and Tonks showed up to escort us and Mad-Eye was sporting a bowler hat at an angle to conceal his magical eye.

I walked with the twins, my eyes flitting up to Fred every so often in concern. I knew how good he was at masking his feelings with humour, and I was worried he was more scared than he was letting on as he and George chatted light-heartedly with Moody.

I had never been to St Mungo's before, so was intrigued when we came to a stop outside a dingy old brick building in the heart of London - Tonks and Moody ushering us all into a tight circle before Tonks spoke to a creepy dummy sitting in the window. The dummy nodded and beckoned with its tiny finger, and then Tonks grabbed a hold of Mrs Weasley and Ginny, all three of them disappearing through the glass. I blinked in shock for a moment, before exchanging a shrug with the twins and moving forwards after them.

It was definitely not an old brick building that we re-emerged into. We were in a crowded reception area, full of witches and wizards either patiently seated in chairs or running around with any number of disfigurements and ailments.

"Are you taking notes?" I murmured to the twins, watching in amusement as a man sporting an elephant trunk ambled past us.

"Brilliant." George grinned; eyes trained on a wizard with arms sticking out of his chest at all angles.

"Hurry up you three!" we turned at Mrs Weasley's voice, noticing everyone else had already joined the line in front of what looked like the reception desk. We quickly made our way over, the twins still glancing around the room, eyes glinting in interest.

"Do I even want to ask?" my dad raised an eyebrow at me when we re-joined them, noting the looks on their faces.

"Probably not." I grinned in response, and he shook his head with a chuckle.

We were soon reaching the front of the line and then following the directions to the ward we were told Mr Weasley was on. I could sense the Weasley's growing more nervous the closer we came, their footsteps slowing considerably as we came around the corner into the ward.

"We'll wait outside," James smiled at Mrs Weasley as we reached the door. "Give you all some time."

Harry tried to draw back with us but was quickly pushed forward again by Mrs Weasley. "Don't be silly, Harry. Arthur wants to thank you."

George instantly moved forward with the rest of the family, but Fred hesitated slightly next to me - my concern only growing as I saw the look in his eyes.

"Hey…" I said quietly, reaching for his hand and giving it a small squeeze in encouragement and smiling softly at him. "He's fine Fred, it's okay."

He let out a shaky breath but managed a small nod. George had paused by the door, realising his twin wasn't next to him anymore and glanced back, a look in his eyes I couldn't quite gauge as he looked between us. I gave Fred one more encouraging smile before he disappeared into the room, before moving to lean next to Tonks against the wall. Moody was across from us, his magical eye swivelling up and down the corridor. My father and James had moved a little down the hall, where they were talking in low voices. I frowned slightly, seeing the worry on both of their features. There was definitely something else going on I didn't know about.

"A reunion on the cards for you and Fred?" Tonks' question pulled my attention back, and I quickly shook my head - blushing slightly at her insinuation.

"No, we're just friends."

She scrutinised me for a moment, like she was trying to figure out whether I was telling the truth before her eyes lit up and she smiled knowingly at me. "There's someone else, isn't there?"

My mouth dropped open slightly, and I quickly glanced between the other three adults to make sure they hadn't overheard her, relieved when none of them seemed to have. "How did you know?!" I demanded, my cheeks growing even hotter.

She just continued to grin at me, shrugging lightly. "It was just a guess to be honest, but I also don't see any other reason you wouldn't be with Fred apart from someone else completely sweeping you off your feet."

"You could say that." I muttered, shifting a little and shooting another cautious look towards my father. "Don't say anything to my dad, I haven't told him yet."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." Tonks winked, before raising an eyebrow curiously. "Care to share any more juicy, secretive details about your mystery boyfriend?"

"You'll find out soon enough," I responded. "I'm not planning on keeping him a secret for much longer."

"Well, good. Anyone who's as happy as you seem shouldn't have to hide it."

I gave her one more smile, trying to ignore the part of me that wondered if she would be this supportive if she knew who it was.

The Weasleys and Harry re-emerged from the room then, and I rolled my eyes slightly as all the adults immediately moved into the room and closed the door firmly behind them.

"This feels familiar."

"Hmm," Fred murmured in agreement, his tone cool as he started rummaging through his pockets. "Let them be like that, then."

"Looking for these?" George said, holding out a tangle of Extendable Ears.

"You read my mind," Fred grinned at his brother. "Let's see if St Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"

He and George detangled the strings and separated five Extendable Ears from each other, everyone realising at the same moment that there were six of us.

"Don't worry," I rolled my eyes slightly. I already knew I was going to be the first choice to get the kick. "The last thing I want to do is stand in a tight circle with any of you right now."

Ron shot me a dirty look, but unsurprisingly no one protested. I raised an eyebrow slightly when Harry was hesitant to take one at first until George assured him if anyone deserved to listen it was him.

I tried not to feel too hurt as I watched them all insert the strings into their ears and shuffle into a tight huddle. I turned my gaze away, staring down the hallway instead and trying to act like I really wasn't bothered. I jumped slightly when I felt someone suddenly leaning next to me on the wall, raising an eyebrow at Fred in surprise when I realised it was him.

He shrugged, a slight smile on his face. "They can fill me in; besides I sort of agree with you - I never want to be any closer to Ron than needed."

I snorted back a laugh, shaking my head at him in amusement as he laughed too.

"Glad I could make you laugh," he commented, his eyes shining with concern now too as he frowned at me once our laughter subsided. "I don't really want you to spend your entire Christmas being miserable."

I gave him a small smile, my chest warming slightly at his words. I could always count on him to be the one to know when something wasn't right and then do everything he could to fix it. "I'll be alright, this whole thing has just been a lot to process at once."

He nodded, "I get you; everything has been happening so fast I feel like it's hard to keep up with what I'm supposed to be feeling…"

"How was he?" I asked, concern filling me once more when I remembered how scared he'd looked before.

Fred shrugged, "Looks about as good as a person can when narrowly avoiding death."

I shot him a look for his dry tone, "Stop it. You're allowed to be worried, Fred."

A small smile tugged at the edge of his lips as he let his head fall back against the wall, "Can't get much past you."

I had to bite back my own smile, simply shrugging easily in response.

"So," he continued with a knowing smirk. "How was your letter from Blaise and Madi this morning?"

I turned to glare slightly at him, nudging him with my elbow and glancing warily towards the group still gathered by the door. "Can't get anything past you either, huh?"

"Nope," he grinned, before frowning slightly and looking like he was hesitant to continue. "Does whatever he said have something to do with why you've been so down?"

I sighed, turning my body slightly to avoid any chance of the others overhearing. "Don't worry about it, I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about."

He shook his head, "No - it won't help you not to talk about it. And since I'm the only one who knows...you really have no choice."

I gave him one more skeptical look, but he simply raised an eyebrow in a way that told me he wasn't planning on backing down. "The last thing we did before we all got rushed away was fight," I finally admitted quietly.

"Ah," Fred shifted slightly, giving me an apologetic look. "Assuming that's my fault?"

I shook my head, "No - his fault for overreacting. It's not even the fight that has me upset anymore, it's just the fact that I left before we could talk about it."

He reached over and squeezed my arm gently, giving me a reassuring smile. "It'll be fine, maybe this time away will give him the space to realise what a git he's being."

I snorted back a laugh, giving him a slightly warning look. "Way to stay impartial, Fred."

He raised his hands up in mock surrender, "Hey, I never promised I'd be impartial."

The laughter escaped me this time, and I shoved him away from me as he laughed too. As we were trying to contain ourselves, I felt eyes on us and glanced towards the others at the door to see George was once again watching us - a small frown on his face. Before I could think anything more of it though, Harry suddenly dropped the Extendable Ear he was holding and stepped away from them all. But that wasn't what made that same concern I'd been feeling since last night rear its ugly head again.

The way the rest of them were looking at him was.

A/N: An exciting few chapters to come...