Notes: This chapter is dedicated to my muse, Robert because he came home! Robert would also like to take this opportunity to point out that dedications cannot be demanded or taken by force. They are given because the author wants to. End of story.
:D Enjoy!
* * * *
Snape shut his eyes and sighed inwardly, resisting the amazingly strong urge to reach over the arm rest between them and use every curse he knew on Sirius Black. Flying wasn't an especially nice experience and it was only made worse by Sirius' constant annoying comments that planes crash on a regular basis. The last thing Snape needed on his mind at that moment was an image of a burning wreck in the middle of the ocean. Wizard or not, he wouldn't be able to get out of that one.
"Hmm," Sirius murmured thoughtfully.
"What?" Snape asked, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
"I wonder what it means with the oxygen masks come down and that light with the outline of a burning plane lights up," Sirius answered, his voice still low and thoughtful.
"Sirius!" Cassandra said sharply just as Snape's eyes snapped open.
"What?" he asked, searching blindly for the light Sirius was talking about. "Already? We're going to die already?"
"We're not dying," Cassandra said from Sirius' other side.
Snape straightened himself in the chair and set his mouth in a thin, straight line. "Of course we're not. Don't be ridiculous."
Sirius snicked, but was silenced quickly by Cassandra's glare. She kicked him sharply, then leaned back in her chair.
"The last thing we need is for you to annoy us both all the way to Naples," she said.
"Fine," Sirius mumbled, then sunk into his chair and pouted.
"And don't pout," Cassandra added, before turning away from him.
Sirius growled deep in his throat. "Fine," he said, then glanced over at Snape and grinned.
"And, for the love of Merlin, don't annoy Severus," she said.
Sirius fell away from the other man, grumbling under his breath about not being allowed to have any fun on the trip.
Snape had to turn toward the window the hide the smile on his face. Cassandra certainly knew how to handle Sirius and that was definitely something that would come in handy on the trip. Besides, he relented, she wasn't half as bad as the rest of their wretched group had been and that was something he counted as a blessing. Two months alone with Sirius would have been unbearable and Snape was lucky he had someone else with them.
Even though he was finding their mission to be reckless and rather unorganized, he hoped that with Cassandra's help they would be able to find Lupin in time. It wasn't that he was fond of him, or fond of any of them really, but Snape didn't fancy seeing the world turn into a giant slave pool for Voldemort because Remus Lupin couldn't be found. He didn't know why Lupin was important, just that he was, and if he was important that meant they would have to save him before Voldemort tried to launch another war. Their time seemed to be short and Snape hoped that Cassandra knew what she was doing.
* * * *
Cassandra sighed as she entered the motel room they had rented and swung her bag onto the bed. Naples offered a wide range of expensive and gorgeous hotels for them to stay in, but they had once again chosen the cheapest place they could find. It wasn't that she minded staying in the motel, but she hated that this time they were all crammed into the same room. Management had been less than understanding about Sirius' mistake when he accidentally pulled out his wand with his money and they had nearly refused them a room. It had taken Cassandra nearly twenty minutes to convince them to let her have just one room in her broken Italian, flipping through a translation book Sirius had bought at the airport upon their arrival.
"One room," Sirius grumbled, tossing his bag beside hers. "One room, two beds." He turned toward Snape, then grinned wickedly. "I get to share a bed with Snapey!"
"If you call me that again I will blast a hole in your head so large that whatever small amount of brains you do have will leak out onto the floor," Snape growled.
"Boys," Cassandra said warningly. "No fighting."
"He started it," Sirius said, pointing at Snape.
"Here's the plan," she said, smiling sweetly at him. It was a smile Sirius knew was covering up her sudden and overwhelming desire to yell at him. "Sirius will share a bed with me, I think that will make everyone the most comfortable. If either of you pulls out your wand to use on the other I will steal it and put you in a full body bind for the rest of the night. Do I make myself clear?"
Both men nodded and slunk to their own sides of the room, Snape glaring daggers at them both the entire way.
"I should have been a teacher," Cassandra mumbled, sinking onto the bed and laying on her back.
"So . . . what are we doing tomorrow?" Sirius asked.
Cassandra shrugged miserably. "I don't know yet," she murmured, staring at the ceiling. "It's late though, maybe we should all just get to sleep."
Sirius nodded slowly. "Sure, Cass."
They prepared for bed silently, taking turns using the tiny bathroom and sliding under the covers with their own thoughts. Cassandra lay in the dark and stared at Sirius' profile as he drifted off to sleep. She couldn't even use her abilities to help Remus and her best friend. If she didn't know where to go next they would be completely lost and that thought chilled her blood. She couldn't fail them, she wasn't allowed to fail them. If she lost the battle to find Remus, the entire world would suffer and it would be all her fault.
She would lead them to the ends of the earth and back again, if that was what it took to find out where Remus was being kept. Cassandra wasn't about to let Voldemort win the battle; not after everything he'd already done to her friends. She drifted into a restless sleep with that thought on her mind; the entire world rested on her shoulders.
* * * *
Cassandra woke up suddenly in the dark, her eyes searching for whatever it was that could have woken her. Sirius mumbled something in his sleep from beside her and she relaxed slightly, then strained to hear Snape's even breathing as he slept. She sighed, then closed her eyes, remembering bits and pieces of a dream she'd been having.
It had been her sixth year at Hogwarts, just before everything had fallen apart. Remus and Sirius were staying in Hogwarts, wondering if she had completed what she'd been working on since they had graduated . . .
. . . Cassandra stared down the dark lane that lead to the back of the Shrieking Shack, then shook her head vehemently.
"You're not getting me to try it right out in the open here," she said.
Sirius sighed impatiently. "What're you going to go? Go back to Hogwarts and sneak into the Shack using the Whomping Willow? Dumbledore will catch you for sure, or worse, that coward Snape will be skulking around and he'll see you."
"I can't just do it here where everyone could see," she replied.
Remus touched her shoulder and Cassandra turned to him. His eyes calmed her, they always had, and soon she was feeling as if there was nothing she couldn't do while standing right there.
"You've worked hard, Cass," Remus said softly. "But we'll understand if you don't want to try today. Sirius and I can come back another time before graduation, or you can even wait until after you've left Hogwarts to show us."
Her hand found his, their fingers entwining. "I'm just worried about being caught. This is illegal, you know."
Sirius chuckled. "You're friends with us, Cass, since when has that stopped you?"
She dropped Remus' hand and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at his friend. "You're the one always getting us in trouble, Sirius Black, not me!"
He grinned. "But isn't it fun?"
"Sirius," Remus said sharply. "You're not helping her nerves."
She smiled thankfully at Remus and Sirius giggled shrilly.
"Oh, you two are just the cutest things, EVER!" he exclaimed, batting his eyes. "Why, I could just eat you both right up! Aren't they darling?" he shouted to the passing students. Lucius Malfoy passed by, staring at all three disdainfully and Sirius made a rude gesture before grinning like an angel.
"Just wait, Black," Lucius said softly, but even from a distance they could hear the venom in his voice. "You too, Lupin and you . . . Cassandra Harvey . . ." he trailed off, grinning maliciously. "When I have Black and Lupin held so tightly in my grasp that they can't escape, I'll do things to you that you've never even imagined."
Cassandra stepped backward, alarmed at the hatred in his words. After their attempt at a date, he had ignored her, telling his friends that he had used the girl and tossed her aside after he was done, but he had never spoken directly to her.
"Now you're a man?" she asked suddenly. "Now you've graduated and you can finally say to me what you couldn't during school?"
Lucius fixed her with a steely glare. "Just wait," he murmured. "Soon I'll own you, Harvey." Then he turned and was gone, his robes swishing behind him as he walked.
"I hate him," she growled.
"Didn't stop you from going on a date with him," Sirius said, only half teasing.
Cassandra glared at him. "Don't bring that up, okay?"
Sirius held up both his hands defensively, but said nothing more.
"Come on, Cassandra," Remus said softly. "You're too angry, you can't do it now."
"I can and I will," she said, then turned and strode down the lane toward the back of the Shrieking Shack. Remus and Sirius exchanged a worried glance before hurrying after her.
Cassandra was pressed up against the back fence, her eyes shut tightly and her fists clenched on ether side.
"Cass, calm down," Sirius said. "Watch me first."
She opened her eyes slowly, then studied Sirius as he slipped into his dog form. It took him surprisingly little effort for a person who'd been changing for little more than a year, but Cassandra knew it would be far more trying for her. She had never turned before in her life, but she'd been studying how to for close to a year.
"Are you sure you're ready?" Remus asked.
Cassandra turned toward him and pressed a quick kiss against his lips. The dog pacing behind them made a gagging noise and she turned to shoot a quick glare in his direction.
"I'm ready," she said, then stepped away from him and closed her eyes.
Remus watched as her eyelids fluttered and her fists clenched again. A pained moan escaped her lips and he reached for her, but the dog stepped between them, blocking his way. A moment later her body went limp and she collapsed, her forehead pressed against the dusty ground behind the Shrieking Shack. She groaned again, then rolled onto her side and fought the tears that had begun to pour down her cheeks. Remus could only imagine how painful it would be for her the first time, her bones and muscles shifting and changing.
As painful as it must have been it only took her a few short moments to change. A minute later Remus was staring down as a speckled grey mare struggled to her feet. She swayed unsteadily for a moment, then took a step toward them testing her new hooves.
Sirius changed back into himself and glanced at Remus.
"She's gorgeous," he whispered and Remus nodded slowly. "I'm impressed," Sirius continued. "Not even James looks that good."
Remus grinned and nudged his friend. "Stop talking like that about my girlfriend."
The mare trotted toward them, and nudged Sirius out of the way before nuzzling Remus' arm. Sirius just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"You shouldn't stay like that long," Remus said, staring at the mare's huge, grey eyes. "You'll be exhausted."
She ducked her head slightly, then moved away and slowly melted back into the girl she had been only moments before.
"That was amazing," Remus said.
Cassandra smiled. "Thanks." She turned to Sirius. "So . . . gorgeous, huh?"
"Shuddup," Sirius growled, but he was smiling . . .
. . . It was a good memory, a reassuring omen in a time when she felt less certain about everything with each passing day. Still smiling slightly, Cassandra moved to get out of bed, but was struck by a sudden vision. She stumbled and fell, grabbing for the bed sheets as she tumbled to the floor.
It was a mare.
Running.
Helpless, frightened, a grey mare running wildly across the desert.
"No," she murmured.
The mare tossed her head and ran faster, pushing herself to the limit. She wasn't being chased, but she ran on, her hooves beating down on the sandy terrain. Something told the mare to keep running, that if she stopped she would die.
"Stop," Cassandra moaned, her eyes wide, watching as the creature ran on.
The mare's hide was spotted with darker grey specks, her long, dark mane threaded with grey hairs. She ran blindingly fast and Cassandra could see the blood on her hooves with each step she took.
"You're going to kill yourself!" she screamed at the mare, but there was no stopping the animal.
Cassandra watched as the horse ran, pounding over sandy hills and crushing the tiny plants that grew there. And suddenly it was over. The mare went down on her side, sliding over the sand and coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the desert. Her hooves bled freely, blood staining the sand and her grey legs red. Her eyelids fluttered twice and four laboured breaths were drawn into her body before the mare moved no more. She had run herself to her death, but what she had been fleeing, Cassandra couldn't see.
A moment later she became aware of Sirius shaking her shoulder and she glanced up to see him kneeling above her.
"Cass, what happened?" he asked.
She stared at him for a long moment, then glanced over to where Snape was looking at her curiously.
"You can't leave me," she told them.
"We already promised we wouldn't," Sirius said.
"You can't leave me, or I will die."
"Die?" Snape asked.
Cassandra nodded. "If I'm left alone to find him, I will run myself to my death. I don't know what I'm running from and I don't know why . . . but I do know where."
"You do?" Sirius asked.
"Takoradi, Ghana . . . it's in Africa," she said.
Snape grabbed a piece of paper from the night table and wrote down the location.
"I believe we'll find Remus at a place called Cape Three Points . . . but it's not going to be easy to get him out," she said, then stood on shaking legs and went back to the bed.
"Get some sleep, we leave in two days," she said, then closed her eyes and tried to drift back to sleep.
* * * *
More Notes: I have no idea how or what it takes to turn into one's Animagus form, so I made it up. Unless I missed something, it's never really explain, so I hope mine was okay.
:D Enjoy!
* * * *
Snape shut his eyes and sighed inwardly, resisting the amazingly strong urge to reach over the arm rest between them and use every curse he knew on Sirius Black. Flying wasn't an especially nice experience and it was only made worse by Sirius' constant annoying comments that planes crash on a regular basis. The last thing Snape needed on his mind at that moment was an image of a burning wreck in the middle of the ocean. Wizard or not, he wouldn't be able to get out of that one.
"Hmm," Sirius murmured thoughtfully.
"What?" Snape asked, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
"I wonder what it means with the oxygen masks come down and that light with the outline of a burning plane lights up," Sirius answered, his voice still low and thoughtful.
"Sirius!" Cassandra said sharply just as Snape's eyes snapped open.
"What?" he asked, searching blindly for the light Sirius was talking about. "Already? We're going to die already?"
"We're not dying," Cassandra said from Sirius' other side.
Snape straightened himself in the chair and set his mouth in a thin, straight line. "Of course we're not. Don't be ridiculous."
Sirius snicked, but was silenced quickly by Cassandra's glare. She kicked him sharply, then leaned back in her chair.
"The last thing we need is for you to annoy us both all the way to Naples," she said.
"Fine," Sirius mumbled, then sunk into his chair and pouted.
"And don't pout," Cassandra added, before turning away from him.
Sirius growled deep in his throat. "Fine," he said, then glanced over at Snape and grinned.
"And, for the love of Merlin, don't annoy Severus," she said.
Sirius fell away from the other man, grumbling under his breath about not being allowed to have any fun on the trip.
Snape had to turn toward the window the hide the smile on his face. Cassandra certainly knew how to handle Sirius and that was definitely something that would come in handy on the trip. Besides, he relented, she wasn't half as bad as the rest of their wretched group had been and that was something he counted as a blessing. Two months alone with Sirius would have been unbearable and Snape was lucky he had someone else with them.
Even though he was finding their mission to be reckless and rather unorganized, he hoped that with Cassandra's help they would be able to find Lupin in time. It wasn't that he was fond of him, or fond of any of them really, but Snape didn't fancy seeing the world turn into a giant slave pool for Voldemort because Remus Lupin couldn't be found. He didn't know why Lupin was important, just that he was, and if he was important that meant they would have to save him before Voldemort tried to launch another war. Their time seemed to be short and Snape hoped that Cassandra knew what she was doing.
* * * *
Cassandra sighed as she entered the motel room they had rented and swung her bag onto the bed. Naples offered a wide range of expensive and gorgeous hotels for them to stay in, but they had once again chosen the cheapest place they could find. It wasn't that she minded staying in the motel, but she hated that this time they were all crammed into the same room. Management had been less than understanding about Sirius' mistake when he accidentally pulled out his wand with his money and they had nearly refused them a room. It had taken Cassandra nearly twenty minutes to convince them to let her have just one room in her broken Italian, flipping through a translation book Sirius had bought at the airport upon their arrival.
"One room," Sirius grumbled, tossing his bag beside hers. "One room, two beds." He turned toward Snape, then grinned wickedly. "I get to share a bed with Snapey!"
"If you call me that again I will blast a hole in your head so large that whatever small amount of brains you do have will leak out onto the floor," Snape growled.
"Boys," Cassandra said warningly. "No fighting."
"He started it," Sirius said, pointing at Snape.
"Here's the plan," she said, smiling sweetly at him. It was a smile Sirius knew was covering up her sudden and overwhelming desire to yell at him. "Sirius will share a bed with me, I think that will make everyone the most comfortable. If either of you pulls out your wand to use on the other I will steal it and put you in a full body bind for the rest of the night. Do I make myself clear?"
Both men nodded and slunk to their own sides of the room, Snape glaring daggers at them both the entire way.
"I should have been a teacher," Cassandra mumbled, sinking onto the bed and laying on her back.
"So . . . what are we doing tomorrow?" Sirius asked.
Cassandra shrugged miserably. "I don't know yet," she murmured, staring at the ceiling. "It's late though, maybe we should all just get to sleep."
Sirius nodded slowly. "Sure, Cass."
They prepared for bed silently, taking turns using the tiny bathroom and sliding under the covers with their own thoughts. Cassandra lay in the dark and stared at Sirius' profile as he drifted off to sleep. She couldn't even use her abilities to help Remus and her best friend. If she didn't know where to go next they would be completely lost and that thought chilled her blood. She couldn't fail them, she wasn't allowed to fail them. If she lost the battle to find Remus, the entire world would suffer and it would be all her fault.
She would lead them to the ends of the earth and back again, if that was what it took to find out where Remus was being kept. Cassandra wasn't about to let Voldemort win the battle; not after everything he'd already done to her friends. She drifted into a restless sleep with that thought on her mind; the entire world rested on her shoulders.
* * * *
Cassandra woke up suddenly in the dark, her eyes searching for whatever it was that could have woken her. Sirius mumbled something in his sleep from beside her and she relaxed slightly, then strained to hear Snape's even breathing as he slept. She sighed, then closed her eyes, remembering bits and pieces of a dream she'd been having.
It had been her sixth year at Hogwarts, just before everything had fallen apart. Remus and Sirius were staying in Hogwarts, wondering if she had completed what she'd been working on since they had graduated . . .
. . . Cassandra stared down the dark lane that lead to the back of the Shrieking Shack, then shook her head vehemently.
"You're not getting me to try it right out in the open here," she said.
Sirius sighed impatiently. "What're you going to go? Go back to Hogwarts and sneak into the Shack using the Whomping Willow? Dumbledore will catch you for sure, or worse, that coward Snape will be skulking around and he'll see you."
"I can't just do it here where everyone could see," she replied.
Remus touched her shoulder and Cassandra turned to him. His eyes calmed her, they always had, and soon she was feeling as if there was nothing she couldn't do while standing right there.
"You've worked hard, Cass," Remus said softly. "But we'll understand if you don't want to try today. Sirius and I can come back another time before graduation, or you can even wait until after you've left Hogwarts to show us."
Her hand found his, their fingers entwining. "I'm just worried about being caught. This is illegal, you know."
Sirius chuckled. "You're friends with us, Cass, since when has that stopped you?"
She dropped Remus' hand and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at his friend. "You're the one always getting us in trouble, Sirius Black, not me!"
He grinned. "But isn't it fun?"
"Sirius," Remus said sharply. "You're not helping her nerves."
She smiled thankfully at Remus and Sirius giggled shrilly.
"Oh, you two are just the cutest things, EVER!" he exclaimed, batting his eyes. "Why, I could just eat you both right up! Aren't they darling?" he shouted to the passing students. Lucius Malfoy passed by, staring at all three disdainfully and Sirius made a rude gesture before grinning like an angel.
"Just wait, Black," Lucius said softly, but even from a distance they could hear the venom in his voice. "You too, Lupin and you . . . Cassandra Harvey . . ." he trailed off, grinning maliciously. "When I have Black and Lupin held so tightly in my grasp that they can't escape, I'll do things to you that you've never even imagined."
Cassandra stepped backward, alarmed at the hatred in his words. After their attempt at a date, he had ignored her, telling his friends that he had used the girl and tossed her aside after he was done, but he had never spoken directly to her.
"Now you're a man?" she asked suddenly. "Now you've graduated and you can finally say to me what you couldn't during school?"
Lucius fixed her with a steely glare. "Just wait," he murmured. "Soon I'll own you, Harvey." Then he turned and was gone, his robes swishing behind him as he walked.
"I hate him," she growled.
"Didn't stop you from going on a date with him," Sirius said, only half teasing.
Cassandra glared at him. "Don't bring that up, okay?"
Sirius held up both his hands defensively, but said nothing more.
"Come on, Cassandra," Remus said softly. "You're too angry, you can't do it now."
"I can and I will," she said, then turned and strode down the lane toward the back of the Shrieking Shack. Remus and Sirius exchanged a worried glance before hurrying after her.
Cassandra was pressed up against the back fence, her eyes shut tightly and her fists clenched on ether side.
"Cass, calm down," Sirius said. "Watch me first."
She opened her eyes slowly, then studied Sirius as he slipped into his dog form. It took him surprisingly little effort for a person who'd been changing for little more than a year, but Cassandra knew it would be far more trying for her. She had never turned before in her life, but she'd been studying how to for close to a year.
"Are you sure you're ready?" Remus asked.
Cassandra turned toward him and pressed a quick kiss against his lips. The dog pacing behind them made a gagging noise and she turned to shoot a quick glare in his direction.
"I'm ready," she said, then stepped away from him and closed her eyes.
Remus watched as her eyelids fluttered and her fists clenched again. A pained moan escaped her lips and he reached for her, but the dog stepped between them, blocking his way. A moment later her body went limp and she collapsed, her forehead pressed against the dusty ground behind the Shrieking Shack. She groaned again, then rolled onto her side and fought the tears that had begun to pour down her cheeks. Remus could only imagine how painful it would be for her the first time, her bones and muscles shifting and changing.
As painful as it must have been it only took her a few short moments to change. A minute later Remus was staring down as a speckled grey mare struggled to her feet. She swayed unsteadily for a moment, then took a step toward them testing her new hooves.
Sirius changed back into himself and glanced at Remus.
"She's gorgeous," he whispered and Remus nodded slowly. "I'm impressed," Sirius continued. "Not even James looks that good."
Remus grinned and nudged his friend. "Stop talking like that about my girlfriend."
The mare trotted toward them, and nudged Sirius out of the way before nuzzling Remus' arm. Sirius just shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"You shouldn't stay like that long," Remus said, staring at the mare's huge, grey eyes. "You'll be exhausted."
She ducked her head slightly, then moved away and slowly melted back into the girl she had been only moments before.
"That was amazing," Remus said.
Cassandra smiled. "Thanks." She turned to Sirius. "So . . . gorgeous, huh?"
"Shuddup," Sirius growled, but he was smiling . . .
. . . It was a good memory, a reassuring omen in a time when she felt less certain about everything with each passing day. Still smiling slightly, Cassandra moved to get out of bed, but was struck by a sudden vision. She stumbled and fell, grabbing for the bed sheets as she tumbled to the floor.
It was a mare.
Running.
Helpless, frightened, a grey mare running wildly across the desert.
"No," she murmured.
The mare tossed her head and ran faster, pushing herself to the limit. She wasn't being chased, but she ran on, her hooves beating down on the sandy terrain. Something told the mare to keep running, that if she stopped she would die.
"Stop," Cassandra moaned, her eyes wide, watching as the creature ran on.
The mare's hide was spotted with darker grey specks, her long, dark mane threaded with grey hairs. She ran blindingly fast and Cassandra could see the blood on her hooves with each step she took.
"You're going to kill yourself!" she screamed at the mare, but there was no stopping the animal.
Cassandra watched as the horse ran, pounding over sandy hills and crushing the tiny plants that grew there. And suddenly it was over. The mare went down on her side, sliding over the sand and coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the desert. Her hooves bled freely, blood staining the sand and her grey legs red. Her eyelids fluttered twice and four laboured breaths were drawn into her body before the mare moved no more. She had run herself to her death, but what she had been fleeing, Cassandra couldn't see.
A moment later she became aware of Sirius shaking her shoulder and she glanced up to see him kneeling above her.
"Cass, what happened?" he asked.
She stared at him for a long moment, then glanced over to where Snape was looking at her curiously.
"You can't leave me," she told them.
"We already promised we wouldn't," Sirius said.
"You can't leave me, or I will die."
"Die?" Snape asked.
Cassandra nodded. "If I'm left alone to find him, I will run myself to my death. I don't know what I'm running from and I don't know why . . . but I do know where."
"You do?" Sirius asked.
"Takoradi, Ghana . . . it's in Africa," she said.
Snape grabbed a piece of paper from the night table and wrote down the location.
"I believe we'll find Remus at a place called Cape Three Points . . . but it's not going to be easy to get him out," she said, then stood on shaking legs and went back to the bed.
"Get some sleep, we leave in two days," she said, then closed her eyes and tried to drift back to sleep.
* * * *
More Notes: I have no idea how or what it takes to turn into one's Animagus form, so I made it up. Unless I missed something, it's never really explain, so I hope mine was okay.
