Chapter One
* * * *
Cassandra Harvey sat with her back against the cold stone wall of the dungeons and stared at the bottles of potions that lined the cabinet in front of her. The man who had brought her to Hogwarts was no where to be seen and she huddled deeper into the robes he had given her, trying to ward off the chill of the dungeons. She was away from the Dementors, but she could feel their cold hands in the very air around her.
"Stop it," she hissed, pulling the cloak around her shoulders. "You're not here anymore. I have a happy thought."
A deep chuckle sounded near the doorway and Cassandra turned to see Sirius Black standing there. He had cleaned up since she had last seen him in her cell, his black hair was short and clean, and he looked like he'd had a few good meals put into him.
"You didn't help me," she said.
Sirius grinned. "C'mon, Cass . . . everyone thinks you did it. What good would I be?"
Her grey eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what good you'd be! I needed you."
"For what?"
Cassandra sighed. "I'm scared and I'm lonely without him. I needed a friend so badly."
Sirius walked toward her, shaking his head. "I'm just a useless hallucination. The only thing I'm good at is keeping you company while you slowly go insane."
Cassandra crossed her arms haughtily. "I'm not going to go mad anymore, you prat. In case you hadn't noticed they broke me out of Azkaban."
"Big deal," he said, kneeling down beside her. "Someone's bound to find you eventually and they'll throw you back in there so fast." A sly grin crossed his face. "You're never going to find Remus. You and I both know it."
"I hate you," she spat angrily. "You were so nice in my cell. What the hell happened to you?"
Sirius's grin widened and he leaned forward to plant a big kiss on Cassandra's cheek. "We got out, love. We're free and now I don't have to listen to your pathetic whining anymore."
She growled deep in her throat. "I miss the real Sirius. You're just a stupid, bloody git and I hate you."
"No you don't!" Sirius said cheerfully. "If it weren't for me you'd already be insane."
"I would not," Cassandra answered. "You are not my happy thought Sirius Black."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come off it, love. You were so desperate to meet Remus Lupin, you were just dying to be best friends with Lily Evans, absolutely writhing with jealously whenever you heard us call each other by our secret nicknames." He grinned. "I was your saving grace. After all, who would want to be friends with an ugly, useless girl like yourself? I transformed you, I made you beautiful."
"You were kind to me," Cassandra said. "This isn't you. This isn't you. I want the real Sirius!" she shrieked, putting her hands to her ears. "I want him back! Now!"
* * * *
"She's been talking to herself like that for the last hour," Snape said, motioning to Cassandra. She was still sitting against the wall with his hands over her ears, screaming to the air about wanting to see the real Sirius Black.
Dumbledore nodded. "I thought she might be. Good idea to keep her down here where no one can hear her. Sirius is still on the run and we can't have the students know he's here."
Snape stiffened at this, but said nothing. The Headmaster knew he hated having to keep Sirius Black safe in the castle, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. His innocence had been proven and he was no longer considered a criminal, but not everyone believe his story. He had almost been killed the year before in Hogsmeade, which was the reason he was now in hiding at the school.
"I sent an owl up to his tower," Snape said finally. "He should be here in a few minutes."
Dumbledore nodded again. "Perhaps he will be able to calm her."
"I recognize her, but I don't remember her being at school with us," Snape said thoughtfully, staring at the woman who was huddled against the wall.
"She was younger than you. She was in first year when you were in third."
"What house?"
"Gryffindor," Dumbledore said. "She was a shy little thing, though incredibly intelligent. She reminds me of our own Hermione Granger."
Snape's mouth hardened into a thin line. "Though Miss. Granger is far from shy."
Dumbledore smiled slightly at this, but continued to study Cassandra. "By her fourth year she was desperate for attention and tried to find it wherever she could. Of course, she couldn't believe her luck when a handsome sixth year Slytherin asked her to the Yule Ball."
Snape nodded slowly. "Lucius."
"Who else?" Dumbledore asked. "She thought all her dreams had come true."
"Then he tried to force himself on her," a hoarse voice said from behind them. Sirius Black shed his invisibility cloak and stepped forward, "and all her dreams were shattered."
"Lucky you were there that night to intervene," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly. "Of course, your actions only resulted in her intense infatuation with you."
Sirius grinned slightly. "Until I introduced her to Remus."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, love at first sight and all that annoying nonsense."
"Well, if someone isn't a little bitter," Sirius said, still smiling.
"I wouldn't be smiling, Black," Snape snapped. "Your little friend has almost lost her mind."
Sirius's grin faded and he stepped into the room, dropping the invisibility cloak onto a nearby desk. His hands wavered slightly when he heard Cassandra whimper and clutch her hands tighter to her ears.
"I want the real Sirius," she murmured again.
"Cass?"
Her grey eyes turned upward, staring through him.
"Cassandra? It's me."
"Sirius? Are you in my head?"
He knelt beside her. "No, love, I'm real."
Her head cocked and she peered at him. "Do you think I hurt Remus?"
"No, you'd never do that."
"Will you help me find him?"
His hands reached for hers. "Of course I will."
Her gaze wavered slightly, but she continued to stare at him. Finally, she asked, "Am I going back to Azkaban?"
Sirius grabbed her shoulders and hugged her fiercely. "Not while there's breath in my body."
"You're real," she whispered, hugging him tightly. "The Sirius in my mind would never be so kind. He said all sorts of things to me, especially things about Remus."
"I know you didn't do anything to him," Sirius said, letting go of her and sitting on the ground beside her. "And I know he wouldn't run off without telling us where he was going. Something bad happened to him and I'm going to find out what."
"I want to help," she said, sounding steadier than she had all hour.
Sirius nodded. "Of course."
Dumbledore smiled from the doorway and nudged Snape slightly. "What did I tell you, Severus? This was the best idea I've had in a long time."
Snape just sighed and stared at the two people sitting on the floor of his potions classroom. Now he was harbouring two criminals, both unfairly convicted, but both hated equally in the wizarding community. Remus Lupin was missing, presumed dead by many and the two convicts on his floor were determined to find him.
Snape sighed again. It was definitely turning out to be one of the stranger day he'd ever experienced.
* * * *
End Chapter One
* * * *
Cassandra Harvey sat with her back against the cold stone wall of the dungeons and stared at the bottles of potions that lined the cabinet in front of her. The man who had brought her to Hogwarts was no where to be seen and she huddled deeper into the robes he had given her, trying to ward off the chill of the dungeons. She was away from the Dementors, but she could feel their cold hands in the very air around her.
"Stop it," she hissed, pulling the cloak around her shoulders. "You're not here anymore. I have a happy thought."
A deep chuckle sounded near the doorway and Cassandra turned to see Sirius Black standing there. He had cleaned up since she had last seen him in her cell, his black hair was short and clean, and he looked like he'd had a few good meals put into him.
"You didn't help me," she said.
Sirius grinned. "C'mon, Cass . . . everyone thinks you did it. What good would I be?"
Her grey eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what good you'd be! I needed you."
"For what?"
Cassandra sighed. "I'm scared and I'm lonely without him. I needed a friend so badly."
Sirius walked toward her, shaking his head. "I'm just a useless hallucination. The only thing I'm good at is keeping you company while you slowly go insane."
Cassandra crossed her arms haughtily. "I'm not going to go mad anymore, you prat. In case you hadn't noticed they broke me out of Azkaban."
"Big deal," he said, kneeling down beside her. "Someone's bound to find you eventually and they'll throw you back in there so fast." A sly grin crossed his face. "You're never going to find Remus. You and I both know it."
"I hate you," she spat angrily. "You were so nice in my cell. What the hell happened to you?"
Sirius's grin widened and he leaned forward to plant a big kiss on Cassandra's cheek. "We got out, love. We're free and now I don't have to listen to your pathetic whining anymore."
She growled deep in her throat. "I miss the real Sirius. You're just a stupid, bloody git and I hate you."
"No you don't!" Sirius said cheerfully. "If it weren't for me you'd already be insane."
"I would not," Cassandra answered. "You are not my happy thought Sirius Black."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Come off it, love. You were so desperate to meet Remus Lupin, you were just dying to be best friends with Lily Evans, absolutely writhing with jealously whenever you heard us call each other by our secret nicknames." He grinned. "I was your saving grace. After all, who would want to be friends with an ugly, useless girl like yourself? I transformed you, I made you beautiful."
"You were kind to me," Cassandra said. "This isn't you. This isn't you. I want the real Sirius!" she shrieked, putting her hands to her ears. "I want him back! Now!"
* * * *
"She's been talking to herself like that for the last hour," Snape said, motioning to Cassandra. She was still sitting against the wall with his hands over her ears, screaming to the air about wanting to see the real Sirius Black.
Dumbledore nodded. "I thought she might be. Good idea to keep her down here where no one can hear her. Sirius is still on the run and we can't have the students know he's here."
Snape stiffened at this, but said nothing. The Headmaster knew he hated having to keep Sirius Black safe in the castle, but there was nothing either of them could do about it. His innocence had been proven and he was no longer considered a criminal, but not everyone believe his story. He had almost been killed the year before in Hogsmeade, which was the reason he was now in hiding at the school.
"I sent an owl up to his tower," Snape said finally. "He should be here in a few minutes."
Dumbledore nodded again. "Perhaps he will be able to calm her."
"I recognize her, but I don't remember her being at school with us," Snape said thoughtfully, staring at the woman who was huddled against the wall.
"She was younger than you. She was in first year when you were in third."
"What house?"
"Gryffindor," Dumbledore said. "She was a shy little thing, though incredibly intelligent. She reminds me of our own Hermione Granger."
Snape's mouth hardened into a thin line. "Though Miss. Granger is far from shy."
Dumbledore smiled slightly at this, but continued to study Cassandra. "By her fourth year she was desperate for attention and tried to find it wherever she could. Of course, she couldn't believe her luck when a handsome sixth year Slytherin asked her to the Yule Ball."
Snape nodded slowly. "Lucius."
"Who else?" Dumbledore asked. "She thought all her dreams had come true."
"Then he tried to force himself on her," a hoarse voice said from behind them. Sirius Black shed his invisibility cloak and stepped forward, "and all her dreams were shattered."
"Lucky you were there that night to intervene," Dumbledore said, smiling slightly. "Of course, your actions only resulted in her intense infatuation with you."
Sirius grinned slightly. "Until I introduced her to Remus."
Snape rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, love at first sight and all that annoying nonsense."
"Well, if someone isn't a little bitter," Sirius said, still smiling.
"I wouldn't be smiling, Black," Snape snapped. "Your little friend has almost lost her mind."
Sirius's grin faded and he stepped into the room, dropping the invisibility cloak onto a nearby desk. His hands wavered slightly when he heard Cassandra whimper and clutch her hands tighter to her ears.
"I want the real Sirius," she murmured again.
"Cass?"
Her grey eyes turned upward, staring through him.
"Cassandra? It's me."
"Sirius? Are you in my head?"
He knelt beside her. "No, love, I'm real."
Her head cocked and she peered at him. "Do you think I hurt Remus?"
"No, you'd never do that."
"Will you help me find him?"
His hands reached for hers. "Of course I will."
Her gaze wavered slightly, but she continued to stare at him. Finally, she asked, "Am I going back to Azkaban?"
Sirius grabbed her shoulders and hugged her fiercely. "Not while there's breath in my body."
"You're real," she whispered, hugging him tightly. "The Sirius in my mind would never be so kind. He said all sorts of things to me, especially things about Remus."
"I know you didn't do anything to him," Sirius said, letting go of her and sitting on the ground beside her. "And I know he wouldn't run off without telling us where he was going. Something bad happened to him and I'm going to find out what."
"I want to help," she said, sounding steadier than she had all hour.
Sirius nodded. "Of course."
Dumbledore smiled from the doorway and nudged Snape slightly. "What did I tell you, Severus? This was the best idea I've had in a long time."
Snape just sighed and stared at the two people sitting on the floor of his potions classroom. Now he was harbouring two criminals, both unfairly convicted, but both hated equally in the wizarding community. Remus Lupin was missing, presumed dead by many and the two convicts on his floor were determined to find him.
Snape sighed again. It was definitely turning out to be one of the stranger day he'd ever experienced.
* * * *
End Chapter One
