Harry was surprised to find how quickly the summer holiday seemed to pass. Even now that their improvised summer school had ended, EdenVale was a comfortable, busy and happy home. Sirius was almost a different person now that he was no longer on the run or isolated in his childhood home, showing Harry glimpses of the laughing boy that had been Harry's father's best friend. Cassandra too was full of energy and affection.

Despite the somewhat dire circumstances outside the walls of EdenVale, for one whole summer Harry had not been hungry, scared or asked to carry the world on his shoulders. He had guardians who loved and protected him. He knew vaguely that Dumbledore had attempted to see him several times but Cassandra and Sirius had told him no.

Though they had spent the summer together, with her teaching him and his friends Harry hadn't yet been able to spend a lot of time getting to know Cassandra. Which was why he was happy and nervous to find her in the kitchen when Harry snuck downstairs at 2 am after a particularly nasty dream involving Voldemort torturing a group of ministry workers to find out who the Azkaban Secret Keeper was. It was the first glimpse he had had of Voldemort's thoughts since the confrontation at the ministry and his scar was still stinging.

Cassandra looked up from her glass when he walked into the room, his hand still at his forehead. Harry saw her eyes flick to his scar but then she gave him a small smile and poured a second glass of amber liquid and pushed it toward him. They sat there in silence for awhile sipping at the strong whiskey and then Harry spoke up to ask something he had been wondering

"Cassandra, can I ask you a question?" Harry asked.

Cassandra looked up and smiled "of course" she said

"Sirius and Lupin said that your father was an Auror embedded in MI-6, I was wondering why he would do that?" Harry asked.

Cassandra threw her head back and laughed. "do you know what WWII was?" Cassandra asked

"Of course, well mostly" Harry answered

"I swear Wizarding history lessons are so lacking" Cassandra snorted and continued "The Wizarding world didn't suffer the same way muggles did during the war but they hardly got off Scott free and between the the blitz, the atomic bomb and the rise of intelligence agencies the Wizarding world thought it might be time to start keeping an eye on the Muggle governments. They embedded Wizards and witches in the governments and intelligence agencies to keep an eye out, help cover up any magical situations and ensure muggle don't get any ideas about using the magical world as a weapon in their wars. They used muggle born wizards especially ones with prior connections."

"Because they fit in better and have official records." Harry stated.

"Well reasoned" Cassandra said "yes, also because if they were connected enough to make it in, they wanted them working for the Ministry not the Muggles. Fudge ended the program when he was elected, he thought the threat was over." Cassandra laughed again this time derisively.

The two of them sat there for another few minutes. Harry was thinking about witch and wizard spies in muggle wars when Cassandra caught his attention.

"Harry, are you alright?" She asked

Harry looked into her warm eyes and nodded then shook his head. "He's attacking ministry officials to find Azkaban." He answered.

Cassandra nodded silently and let him continue. "This summer, in some ways the war is very far away. Even though I have been keeping up with the news and hearing what's going on. I feel like I should be doing something" He finished awkwardly sure he was bright red and expecting she would ask what a fifteen year old wizard could do. Much to his surprise she nodded as if what he said made sense.

"You grew up expected to always do for yourself, but sometimes you have to take a backseat and wait for your moment. You are learning and growing stronger and waiting for your moment Harry. "

Cassandra sighed sadly "sometimes I think about the child you were and I think Lilly would have been both so proud and incredibly devastated. She would never have wanted this burden on you. Harry I know that the Wizarding world has set the defeat of Voldemort on your shoulders, but it's not yours to carry alone. The only way to defeat him is for us all to work together, you may strike the final blow but we are all in the fight with you."

Cassandra met his eyes and gave sad smile before he continued. "Sometime letting others make the sacrifice is the hardest part of being a soldier, but everyone committed to fighting Voldemort knows the stakes and is willing to die for the cause if that is what's necessary. To deny them that is the ultimate sign of disrespect, it's says that you don't believe they have the right to choose what they are willing to fight and die for. Which is a concept Albus has never understood" she finished with an edge to her voice.

"Cassandra, why do you so dislike Dumbledore? It's seems like it's more than a disagreement on tactics."

Harry asked the question, not sure if his godmother would give him an answer. For a moment he thought she wouldn't answer, then She began to speak.

"Dumbledore doesn't trust anyone. He also allows himself to be touted as a a near saint like figure in the Wizarding world. In my experience people like that tend to have dark secrets and flaws that always blow up in someone else's face."

Cassandra was silent for a moment, as she took a sip of whiskey and the continued.

"Furthermore, he tends to allow people to be put in bad or dangerous situations so that they are strategically placed."

Harry looked at his fiery GodMother as her eyes flared at her last statement. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean"

"Harry, he left you in an abusive household. There is never an excuse for that. He also left Sirius in Azkaban without a trial or even a conversation. If you asked him he would probably blame anger or say it never occurred to him there had been a mistake, but in reality he didn't want to risk loosing control of you."

Once again Cassandra took a sip of whiskey before continuing.

"He allowed Hagrid's expulsion to stand, let Snape abuse students. Allowed Quirrell to teach students. And that was just in the the last few years. He also didn't tell you about the prophesy, never made sure you were told you were a wizard. Think of all the things he never told you, and yet he continually puts you forward to complete impossible tasks. How do you trust someone who won't trust you?"

"Harry" Cassandra said quite seriously "Dumbledore clearly has a plan for you, he is too involved for it to be otherwise. When he lays that on you shoulders remember, you do not have to follow his lead, you can choose a different path. That is all I have to say."

Harry and Cassandra sat in silence for a few minutes as Harry thought through her words. Harry was torn Cassandra saw every action of the headmasters though a suspicious lens, but in some ways what she said made sense, but Harry wasn't sure he believed that Dumbledore's actions were so calculated. Though the Dursley's had been awful, was that truly the headmaster's fault?

Harry pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind to talk though later with Ron and Hermione and instead asked Cassandra to tell him about him mother. She spent the rest of the night telling story after story of her and Lilly's adventures at Hogwarts, Through the stories Harry could sense the intense bond between his mother and godmother. For the first time Harry finally had a sense of his mother, as fully alive person with dreams, quirks and flaws.

Lilly had been loving and open minded but dreadfully neat. She had loved charms and care of magical creatures but hated Potions. She had pulled pranks and made sure that the Marauders got blamed and had friends in all the houses.

By the time Cassandra ran out of stories the first rays of light was on the horizon and Dot had come to the kitchen to start breakfast, but Harry felt closer to Cassandra as if she were truly family, and his thoughts were no longer on Voldemort or Dumbledore or war.