The horse drawn carriage pulled up outside the huge castle; the door to the carriage swung open and the occupants ceased the conversation they'd been having on football. The two security wizards that were traveling with Ginny and Cassie climbed out of the carriage first and looked around before Cassie climbed impatiently out - pushing one of them out of the way, so that she could climb down.
"Chris – honestly, we're at Hogwarts, there's no need to go all Kevin Costner on us!" said Cassie playfully, punching him in the arm. He grinned at her, but the other wizard looked on disapprovingly.
"Don't worry Phil, we'll be careful," soothed Ginny.
At that moment, one of the castle doors slammed open and Severus Snape strode out, his black robes billowing behind him. Albus Dumbledore calmly followed, smilingly happily at them.
"Did you all get here safely?" Snape asked, looking at Cassie.
"Yes, Cassie explained the offside rule to us," said Chris grinning, shooting a glance at her.
Snape glared at him.
Dumbledore stepped forward and shook Ginny's hand,
"Welcome back to Hogwarts Miss Weasley, you are looking well – I trust you've made a full recovery?"
"Thank you professor, I'm fine," she answered politely.
"And you Miss Jones? I hope you are in good health?"
"Yes, thank you," Cassie smiled "have you met Phil and Chris?" she asked as the party turned towards the castle.
That evening they ate dinner in Dumbledore's tower and while the headmaster was polite and cordial, the potion master was impatient for information about Silver Birch. Ginny was still somewhat annoyed at Snape for revealing the secret, and they both spent most of the meal shooting each other glares and insults. Dumbledore made no effort to steer the conversation towards Silver Birch, if anything he endeavored to steer away from the topic.
Ginny was finding it rather strange to be at Hogwarts not as a student but as an adult, and she realized that she was acting most unlike herself. It was the affect Hogwarts was having on her, at Silver Birch she was an authority figure and expected to act as a mother and a first class healer. Here at Hogwarts, she was Ginny Weasley, youngest of the Weasley's and nothing was expected of her.
Later that evening, after a lot of wine, Professor Snape was showing them back to their rooms, discussing his latest findings on the potion that had nearly killed Ginny. Who was finding the ease with which the strict professor was talking to them, somewhat eerie, considering that they had spent the last few hours glaring at each other. In fact it only seemed to increase her annoyance.
"How is your shoulder by the way Miss Weasley? I understand Cassie hasn't examined the wound this week – it really should be looked at,"
"Thank you for your expert opinion – was it also your 'expert opinion' to betray Silver Birch?" asked Ginny testily.
"Yes," he answered; his black eyes narrowed.
"You - " she said struggling to find a word strong enough to describe his arrogance. And failing miserably. "I bar you from Silver Birch and if I ever find out your miserable, betraying death-eating ass telling anyone- ANYONE about Silver Birch! I'll deliver you to Voldemort myself!"
She left a furious Snape standing speechless in the corridor. She slammed the door to her room shut behind her; a few minutes later it re-opened to admit Cassie.
"What the hell was that about?" asked Cassie, fuming.
"What?" asked Ginny in disbelief.
"You were acting like a total nutter! Give him a break – everyone deserves a second chance,"
"He did have a second chance and he blew it. What the hell makes you think he's trustworthy? He used to be a Death Eater, remember? Hello, he hung around with Voldemort!"
"So does Blaise!"
"That's different and you know it! What's wrong with you Cassie? I mean, since when are you on first name terms with Snape?"
"Since when do you get drunk and start threatening people?"
"I haven't threatened anyone who doesn't deserve it! That bastard put everyone's lives in danger - who else has he told?" and then as an after thought, "and I'm not drunk."
"He only told Dumbledore – he would never tell anyone else! He's not like that," and "Yes you are!"
"How do you know?" queried Ginny angrily.
"Because you're slurring something terrible and you've gone all red," replied Cassie.
"that is not what I meant-" started Ginny.
"I just know him alright!"
"Yes, you've been spending an awful lot of time together lately, haven't you?"
Cassie snorted in amusement, causing Ginny to look at her strangely.
"Something you want to share with the rest of the class?" asked Ginny.
"Not at the moment thanks," Cassie said seriously.
"There never is a right moment with you though, is there?" Ginny said accusingly, "You never tell anyone anything!"
"Look who's talking! You're not exactly an open book!"
"I can't afford to be," Ginny pointed out
"And I can?"
"So tell me Cassie – what have you got to hide that's so important?" asked Ginny nastily.
In the tense silence that followed, Ginny felt a twinge of guilt and realized that maybe Cassie was right and she had had too much to drink. She opened her mouth to apologize but Cassie, in a small voice that sounded quite unlike her, spoke first:
"Haven't you ever wondered why I came to Silver Birch? Why I stay there so much and hardly ever go out?"
"Well, you were invited and then you stayed because of your research…" Ginny began.
"No! That's just something I do to try and help, and because I enjoy it. I stay there because it's safe, because no-one will find me, because," Cassie hesitated "because I'm one of them!"
"One of who?" Ginny asked, bewildered
"The people there! The victims, the people who've been hurt by the Death Eaters, by him! I'm one of them!" Cassie repeated
"I don't understand," said Ginny
Cassie turned and stared intently at the fire. Her face was strained, as if she was suppressing some deep emotion.
"I should have told you. I hardly told anyone – it was safer that way. A few people found out – one of them caused a hell of a lot of trouble. Bastard," she added mildly, almost as an afterthought.
"Told me what?"
"Why I transferred to Hogwarts in my fifth year – where I'd been all that time!"
"You were in America," Ginny said "you transferred from that American school."
"I transferred from a Muggle school! I'd been living as a Muggle so no-one would know I even existed! I had to move to Hogwarts when Voldemort came back because I wasn't safe there anymore!"
"Safe from who?" Ginny cried, frustrated
"From Voldemort!" Cassie shouted, her lavender eyes luminous with passion, "He wanted me dead!"
"Why would he want to kill you? I mean, I know you're Muggle-born, but-"
"I'm not Muggle-born. I'm half-blood. He wanted to kill me because," Cassie hesitated again "because Snape's my father!" she burst out.
Ginny froze, shocked.
"What?" she stuttered.
But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. It certainly explained the relationship between Cassie and Snape. Considering the
similarities between them, Ginny wondered how she could have been so blind.
"That was why he stopped being a Death Eater," Cassie was going on, staring blankly into the flames, "he fell in love with a Muggle woman. He
wanted to protect her, and to make up for his past. He betrayed Voldemort, and Voldemort sent a Death Eater after us. I was just a baby at the time."
"What happened?" Ginny asked softly, but she thought she already knew the answer.
"He killed my mother. My father managed to save me, but-" Cassie broke off
"But…?" Ginny encouraged gently.
"We don't think he planned to kill me at first. He – maybe its best if I just show you," Cassie turned and began unbuttoning the bodice of her robes. Ginny, confused and apprehensive, watched silently. Then Cassie, turning back to face Ginny and taking a deep breath, held aside the folds of fabric to reveal her abdomen.
Ginny felt physically sick when she saw the ugly mark that marred the smooth white flesh. She had seen the Dark Mark tattoo before, hundreds of times, but this one looked worse somehow, alien and wrong, nestling between Cassie's bottom two ribs like some hideous parasite.
Ginny swallowed the wave of revulsion rising in her throat and managed to ask
"Why is it there? I mean – why isn't it on your arm?"
"He missed," Cassie said flatly "he was aiming for my arm and he missed. Incompetent pillock," she added calmly, but Ginny could see that her eyes were sparkling with malice.
"But…why did he do that? It doesn't make sense – the Dark Mark tattoo is only used for Death Eaters. Why would you need one?"
Cassie shrugged to say that she didn't know, but avoided Ginny's eyes.
"I can't believe you never told me before," said Ginny absently, noting the way Cassie refused to look at her. Moreover, Ginny wondered what else she wasn't being told.
Cassie sat in the chair, staring at the fire and Ginny felt her head spinning from both alcohol and the revelations of Cassie's announcement.
"I'm in no state to have this conversation… I need to think… I'll be outside getting some fresh air," she mumbled pulling on a thick cloak, gloves and a scarf.
Author's note – Okay this chapter was in fact written before I'd even finished the last chapter, but it needed a bit of fiddling with! If anyone has actually got this far and is still reading, I'm currently searching for fics to add to the website I'm building, if you know of any good ones or even want to add your own. Either leave a note for me to read your fic in a review or email me! And I promise to reply!
Thanks, Abforth