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"We have to what?" Snape asked, staring at Dumbledore as if the Headmaster had sprouted another head. "You must be joking. I know you fancy yourself quite the joker, Albus, but this is where I draw the line."

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled and he smiled at Sirius and Cassandra. "No, Severus, I am quite serious."

Snape's face went slack, all expression dropping off it. "No," he said. "I won't do it."

"Severus, if we want to find Remus it's the only way," Cassandra said softly.

Snape stared at her. "You go find Remus, I'll stay here if that's what this trip includes."

"If you're travelling in the Muggle world you have to look like you belong there," Sirius said.

"I refuse to travel in the Muggle world, I refuse to wear . . . demin janes, or whatever you call them."

Cassandra grinned. "Denim jeans."

"Whatever," Snape snapped angrily. "And on top of that, I absolutely refuse to travel with these two posing as HER FATHER!"

"Severus," Dumbledore said calmly, "We need to convince the Muggle that you're just a group of regular people passing through."

"Why can't HE be her father?" he asked angrily, pointing at Sirius. "He can be her father and I'll be her husband."

Cassandra wrinkled up her nose and glanced at Sirius, then back at Snape. "How about neither of you come and I galavant across the world by myself?"

"Bad idea," Sirius said. "You're still partially crazy."

Cassandra glared at him, then crossed her arms, noticing finally that she was wearing mittens. She flushed and pulled them off as Sirius raised his eyebrow in that 'I told you so' look.

"Severus, please," Dumbledore said, sitting behind his desk and studying the three of them. "You may not like hearing this but you look quite a bit older than Sirius does, it would be more believable for you to be her father." He raised his hand when Snape opened his mouth to protest and continued. "Second, the way the two of them speak to each other do you really believe for a second that any Muggle wouldn't see right through them?"

Snape glanced at Cassandra and Sirius, then sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll travel in the Muggle world, I'll wear the janes," he sneered.

"Jeans," Sirius supplied.

"Fine," he snapped. "Jeans. And I'll pretend to be her father." He glared maliciously at Sirius. "But if I'm her father and you're her husband I'll be keeping a bloody close eye on you."

Sirius snorted. "Please, Snapey, like I'd put the moves on my best friend's girl." He leaned forward and put his hand to one side of his mouth as if he were about to tell a great secret. "Not to mention that I like my women sane."

"Shut up, Sirius!" Cassandra grumbled. "I take it back. Imaginary Sirius might be better than you. Even Severus is better than you."

Snape just rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Cass," Sirius said, suddenly serious. "I didn't mean it."

She glanced at him, a smile on her lips. "You're really worried about all this, aren't you?"

He nodded. "Of course. You know how I deal with stress."

"You make fun of Severus!" Cassandra said cheerfully.

Snape glared at Dumbledore. "I like her less and less with every piece of sanity that she gets back."

Dumbledore smiled widely. "Go on, Severus. It'll be an experience."

"Experience in what hell must be like?" Snape grumbled, walking toward the door. "I'm going to pack," he said, then stomped down the winding staircase that led from the Headmaster's office.

Once he was gone, Dumbledore turned to the others. "Severus might need to lighten up a bit, but I don't want either of you forgetting the seriousness of what you three are doing. Whoever is holding Remus captive is very powerful and very dangerous. If there is any news I want an owl sent to me immediately, you may take one of the school owls with you to send information."

Sirius nodded. "We're ready for this, Albus."

"I hope so, Sirius. I sincerely hope so. This isn't a joke, despite your nature and I don't want it treated in such a manner any longer."

Cassandra stepped forward and smiled slightly. "I wanted to thank you for getting me out of there," she whispered. "I don't know how much longer I would have lasted."

Dumbledore turned his attention from Sirius to Cassandra and he smiled back. "I did what I had to, my dear."

"You saved my life," she said softly. "And you've saved Remus' life. No one else but me can find him."

Dumbledore nodded. "I truly believe that."

"We won't disappoint you," she promised.

He smiled. "I truly believe that as well."

"Bye," Sirius called, then turned and headed toward the staircase with Cassandra following him. It was hard for him to fathom the depth of the journey they were about to take, but Dumbledore was right. It was time to stop joking and think seriously about what was ahead.

A half hour later the three of them were in the Great Hall, Cassandra and Sirius hidden by his invisibility cloak and Snape looked extremely uncomfortable in the jeans and sweater Dumbledore had supplied him with. Each of them was carrying a magically expanded backpack containing everything they might need on their trip. Even their robes were tucked into a small compartment, in case they needed to enter the wizarding world and look like they belonged there.

"Stop picking at the sweater," Cassandra hissed as they walked off the grounds and toward Hogsmeade. Snape immediately stopped picking at the hem, but glared in her direction, unsure of exactly where she was standing.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, Snape leading to way at a quick pace, his backpack occasionally slipping off his shoulders as he walked. The two others had to job to keep up with his long strides and were so out of breath by the time they reached Hogsmeade that neither of them could have spoken if they wanted to.

"Give me your money," Snape said. "I'll have it changed at Gringotts."

Cassandra and Sirius quickly handed him their money pouches, then waited outside the large, white building as Snape changed their Galleons, Sickles and Knuts into Pounds. He stepped outside and handed them back quickly when two hands appeared out of thin air.

"Really, Snape," Sirius said. "You ought to be more careful when dismembered hands reach for our money. That could have been anyone."

Snape just rolled his eyes and said nothing, motioning for them to follow him. They walked quickly across the small town and down a dirt road that led them away from the busy stores and pubs. Within minutes another building was coming into sight and Cassandra had to squint to read the writing on the side.

"Train Station," the sign flashed in sparkling red letters. "Trains to London, trains to the King Cross Station. If you're not a student at Hogwarts, this train is for you."

Cassandra smiled at Sirius, then hurried after Snape as he entered the station. Within minutes he had managed to get all three of them onto a train to London without Sirius or Cassandra being seen and they were now secure in a compartment near the back. According to the announcement, the train ride would take them exactly four hours and thirty six minutes and Sirius leaned back, prepared to take a nap.

"We need to work out what we'll do once we're in London," Snape said.

Sirius opened his eyes reluctantly. "Now?"

"Yes, now."

He sighed. "Fine."

"It'll be nearing eight o'clock by the time we get there," Cassandra said. "Should be just get a room at a hotel and wait until morning to make the next trip?"

"Next trip where?" Sirius asked. "We're not even sure where we're going yet."

Cassandra looked at him sourly. "I'm working on it, okay? I can't just have visions whenever I want."

"I'm sure Trelawney could have lent you a crystal ball," Sirius supplied.

Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "I sometimes wonder why I ever had a crush on you."

Sirius grinned. "Quite the fierce crush too, if I recall correctly."

Cassandra just growled in her throat and turned her attention back to Snape. "Hopefully by morning I'll know where we're headed and then we can plan our-" she stopped mid sentence and slumped backward against the seat.

"Cass?" Sirius asked in alarm.

Snape sat up straight and stared at her. "Has she ever done this before?"

Sirius shook his head. "I-I don't know. Maybe. I haven't seen her in a very long time."

"Sybil went into a trance when she told me about Potter," Snape said softly. "Perhaps something similar happens to Cassandra when she starts to see something."

"Quiet," she snapped, her eyes opening. They looked completely normal, nothing like the milky white Snape had seen when talking to Sybil. "I don't see things, exactly," she said. "I . . . sense things. I see people, not places."

"And?" Sirius asked.

Cassandra let out a deep sigh. "London is the right direction. That's all I know right now."

"I wish we had a more reliable way of knowing where to go," Snape said.

Cassandra met his eyes and nodded. "So do I."


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