This is such a nasty cliffhanger for you all, I'm going to post the next chapter tomorrow and then another on Friday morning. Hope you all like this chapter!



Chapter 46

Departure

The Portkey

As the discussion came to a close, the four of them leaned back against the backs of their seats. They were all exhausted, partly from the very rough night, but more because of the energy this last discussion had required. They were all frightened, unsure of where they were going in about six hours and even more unsure of what they would find when they got there. Harry stood up and looked through the front window again. The three Death Eaters were still out there. He wondered if he would have to face Malfoy tonight. Maybe he would be so busy here that he wouldn't come to the battle. He wouldn't complain about that. Malfoy was a vicious fighter. He turned back to his fellow inmates in this little Fidelius prison. They were all looking at him, like they were expecting him to entertain them somehow.

Ron sat up straight again. "You've mentioned playing chess twice. Did you play here?" At Harry's nod, Ron stood up and started looking around. "Where's the board? I'd love to play a game." Harry smiled.

"The board is over on the desk by the phone." Harry watched with a faint smile as Ron approached the board. He wondered if he had forgotten it was Muggle chess. He hadn't seemed interested the night before.

Ron got to the desk and stared open-mouthed at the chess board. He knelt down and looked more closely at the pieces and, finally, took his wand out and prodded one or two pieces with the tip of his wand. "Wow! Weird! These pieces really don't move - at all!" He picked one of them up and turned it over in his hand, looking at it from all sides.

Harry chuckled. "No, not at all."

Cassie had sat up and was looking at Ron strangely. "Um, do you expect them to move? By themselves?" Before Ron could answer, Harry spoke up.

"Yeah. He does. In Wizard Chess, the pieces are animated."

"I don't know how this is going to be, Harry. Is playing this a lot different?" Ron had picked up the board and pieces and was walking over to the coffee table.

"What do you mean by animated?"

"They move and they also talk. It can be a real pain listening to all of your pieces offering you advice and chewing you out if you make a move they don't like."Cassie laughed at the thought of moving, talking chess pieces.

Ron set up the pieces and looked expectantly up at Harry. "Well, how about it? You want to play a game of chess?" Harry was about to agree when he noticed Cassie had turned a shade pinker and was grinning at him. He immediately knew the cause of the blush and grin and felt his face go hot as he turned red. Hermione, who had taken a seat on the couch next to Cassie, noticed the red faces and guilty looks between the two.

"What's all this about?"

Ron looked up from the chess board as Harry and Cassie turned redder and didn't respond. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing. Besides, I didn't say it on purpose."

"Wait! What did you say?" Hermione was smiling, looking between the two of them. "No secrets, come on. Spill it."

"It's nothing. Did you want to play or not, Ron?"

By then Cassie was giggling loudly and Hermione, who still had no idea what was really going on, was laughing along with Cassie at the silliness of the whole situation. "Come on, Cassie . . . tell us what happened. Come on, Harry said something about chess . . . what was it?" Finally, Cassie, who by this time was beet-red, leaned over and whispered something to Hermione. Brown eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open in a combination of shock and amusement. She burst out laughing. "You didn't, Harry? You actually said that?"

Harry wanted to slink away in total embarrassment. He, too, was beet-red as he watched Cassie and Hermione laughing and noticed Ron deciding that he also wanted to find out what Harry said. As he sputtered and tried to change the subject, Ron practically flew over to Hermione's side begging her to let him in on the secret. Hermione grinned at both him and Harry and then quietly told him. A very large and wicked grin crept across Ron's face as the reason for Harry's embarrassment sank in. He turned to Harry. "Oh, that's good. You really said 'Let's play chest' to Cassie?"

Cassie had tears of laughter in her eyes although she was still red. Harry couldn't stay mad at her. It had been very funny. He imagined he would hear about this for many years to come. "I'm sorry, Harry. I really am. It was just so funny. And the look on your face. . ." The girls started laughing again and Harry grinned in spite of himself. But he definitely wanted to get off his embarrassment and back to the actual game.

"I should warn you, Ron, I think I've improved dramatically."

"What, playing Muggle chess against a novice? I'm not too worried."

Cassie sniffed at being dismissed as an unworthy opponent and said to Hermione, "He might be surprised. Harry has a secret weapon." Ron looked at her and then at Harry.

"Secret weapon? What's she on about?"

"She got me a book on chess strategy. It's pretty helpful." Harry reached under the table and picked it up, thumbing through it quickly. When he and Cassie had played yesterday, they had both used pointers from the book and Harry had been pleasantly surprised at the improvement in his game from just those few hints. He intended to memorize the thing if necessary. Someday he wanted to beat Ron at this blasted game. By himself with no help from Ginny.

He decided to take the book over to the table in the hall and put it with his wand. He wanted to make sure that he didn't leave it here by accident. He had no idea whether he'd ever be able to get back in here and he wasn't about to take a chance. He was just about to shut the book when he noticed something on the inside cover. He opened it wider and looked in surprise. He didn't know how he had missed this yesterday. Cassie had written a note to him. He decided that he wanted to read it in private.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Ron nodded rather absently. Cassie and Hermione were involved in some sort of conversation and Ron was listening to them rather than worrying about Harry. Harry went into his bedroom and closed the door. He opened the book again and stared at the cursive writing he had come to recognize almost as well as his own.



Dear Harry, This is an inadequate thank you for the telescope but there is not much I could give you that would be an adequate one. And this is also a thank you for being my friend. So, it is inadequate on both counts, but I hope that you will use it often and think of me and remember how much you mean to me. I don't know all your big secrets but I do know some things about you. You are wonderful! I don't think people tell you that often enough. Every time you read this note, though, you'll remember that I know it and maybe someday you can find that out for yourself. Please don't forget me. I know I'll never forget you or the time that we've had together.

Love always,

Cassie



Harry sat and stared at the book for a long time. He wondered if she still felt the same now as she did when she had handed this book to him a little more than 24 hours ago. He had felt a shift in their relationship since Ron and Hermione had arrived and he wasn't sure whether it was him that was changing or her or both. He knew that they couldn't go back to before, but he wished that he could think of some way to be that close again. Well, maybe after this insanity was over. There was a knock on his bedroom door and Ron poked his head in. "Coming?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was just, uh, getting some ideas of how to beat you."

"Fat chance that'll happen." The two boys walked back into the living room and Harry said he would play white.

Over an hour later, Harry finally conceded defeat. But he felt proud of himself. He had made Ron sweat a few times. The two boys stretched and put the game into its box. Ron stood up and yawned widely. He smiled at Hermione and then walked over and sat down in the easy chair. He shifted a bit and attempted to get comfortable. "Harry, I still don't see how you were able to sleep in this thing. It's horrible. I'm so tired, I thought I'd sit down and try to get a wink. But I'm not going to be able to sleep . . . yawn . . . in this thing . . . at all . . ." This was followed by a moment or so of silence and then a loud snore. The other three looked at each other and grinned.

Hermione and Cassie glanced at each other and Hermione asked, "Harry, have you thought about lunch?"

"Uh, no. But I really should. It's about 1:30 and we should eat no later then 3:00, I guess."

"Well, Cassie and I will help you get something together."

The three went into the kitchen and Harry busied himself looking to see what he had for them to eat. "I've got some lunch meat and cheese. There's some canned soup. I think there's a bag of frozen potatoes in the . . ." Harry had turned while he was talking and saw both girls quietly talking to each other and glancing at him. He had a sudden, overwhelming feeling self-conscious embarrassment. "Uh, is there a problem?"

Both of the girls looked at him, Cassie blushing a little. Hermione looked at Cassie with an expectant expression and Cassie shook her head. Hermione hardened her expression and Cassie looked pleadingly at her. Harry was not only puzzled but frustrated at the girls' actions. He was very well aware that he obviously was the topic of their whispered communication. "Okay, what's going on?"

Hermione was the first to speak. "Harry, Cassie has something she needs to talk to you about."

Harry had a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was going to figure out now what he had been thinking earlier. Something had definitely changed and obviously Hermione was trying to convince Cassie to tell him. Harry lost all interest in food.

"Go on, Cassie." Hermione softly encouraged.

"Harry, we need to talk. I . . . need to tell you some things."

Harry's sinking feeling intensified and he realized he was weak in his knees. He sat down, inwardly berating himself for reacting the way he was. Hermione muttered something about leaving them alone and Cassie busied herself by starting to fuss with the things Harry had placed on the counter. Harry watched Cassie as she moved around the kitchen, assembling some sort of casserole, although Harry wasn't sure exactly what it was. He could tell that something was wrong between them and he wasn't quite sure what that was either. She didn't say anything for a few minutes and Harry allowed himself to just remember how things had been between the two of them.

He had known from the very beginning that the time would come when he had to leave her. This, however, was turning out to be a little more involved than he thought. Rather than a nice kiss goodbye and a promise to write to each other that would probably never have worked out, who knew what was going to happen now. He had already been thinking that the relationship was going to be very hard to maintain. Now, it was going to be nearly impossible. She knew about his being a wizard and didn't seem overly thrilled about the idea. The thing was, he had to admit to himself, that she was really fantastic and easy to talk to. He had felt like he could be completely honest with her, even before she knew about the magic and everything. He had been able to tell her things that he hadn't been able to ever tell anybody. And she always listened. Now it was his turn to listen to what was bothering her.

She finally said, "Harry?"

"Yeah?" He felt a sudden clenching in his stomach. Now that the moment was upon him, he thought he didn't want to hear this anymore.

"We need to talk." He didn't trust his voice at the moment, so he just nodded but she was turned away at the moment, making some sort of vegetable dish, so she turned to face him a minute later. "Is that okay?"

He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

She slipped the two pans into the oven and sat down at the table. She was twisting her hands again in that nervous way that made Harry feel very guilty. He was the one that had put her under this kind of stress. "First of all, Harry, I want you to know that I . . . I got more serious with you than I ever meant to. I knew that you were leaving and I just wanted to keep things kind of, um, casual. But you . . . you made it hard because you, well, you needed . . . me. And I could tell and I . . ." She swallowed hard and he had to listen really hard to hear what she said next. "I have to admit that I fell in love with you, Harry. You're a great guy and I knew . . . well, I feel, like maybe you love me too, at least a little bit."

Harry sat for a long minute staring at her. He didn't know what to say or what she wanted him to say. Did he love her? He knew he liked her a lot. He had admitted that to himself already. But he wasn't sure about loving her. Things had changed so much since last night. She must have thought the same thing because she echoed his thoughts.

"But last night, I . . . I saw something in you that I hadn't seen before." Her blue eyes were clear and open and Harry met her gaze fully. "And it's not the, um, magic or anything. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me, still. But it's like . . .a responsibility. You suddenly turned into this person in charge of things. And I thought it was incredible, to see the difference in you. And I think I fell a little more in love with you because of it." Harry felt a warm glow in the region of his heart. He had so rarely had anyone tell him that they loved him that it still surprised him when someone did. "And then you started telling me these incredible things and I could sense this emptiness in you, this ache. I knew that it would not be easy to stay in touch and everything after you left, but I didn't care. I wanted to try because I wanted to fill this ache for you. I wanted to be the person who loved you and the one who you loved. I thought that I could . . . make your pain go away."

"I notice that you are talking about all this in the past tense, Cassie." Harry reached for her hand. She was obviously going to dump him. Great. He really hated his life sometimes. This was one of them. He threaded his fingers through hers. If she really loved him, maybe he could convince her to give them a try. It wouldn't be easy, but they were good together. It would work out if they were willing to make an effort. He opened his mouth to tell her as much, to try to persuade her not to leave him, but she started speaking again and after a minute, he closed his mouth and listened to her.

She smiled shakily at him, not bothering to respond to his attempt at lightning the mood. "But then, Harry, I asked you about Ginny. It was more than just casual interest. She seemed to be important to you and I wanted to know about my competition." She laughed. "The way you talked about her, Harry. The tone of voice you use when you say her name. You are so in love with that girl that it's amazing you can see straight. And I decided right then, Harry, that there is no competition. She loves you. You love her. That is where you need to put your attention. She is the one that can . . . love you the way you need to be loved. She can . . . understand you better than I ever could."

Harry spoke up quickly, anxious to show all the flaws in her arguments. "But I've never been able to talk to her like I can talk to you, Cassie. You understand me . . . ." She just shook her head.

"You haven't ever had the chances to talk to her like you have had with me. I imagine that your life at school, and out of it, is pretty full." Harry nodded slowly. "If you took the time to talk to her, you'd feel the same way about her. I'm nothing special."

"I like you, Cassie. I don't want to lose you. I don't -"

"It's not going to be easy for me, either, Harry. It's like ripping my heart out, you understand that? You have to go and do your . . . fighting and I have to stay here and I guess probably I won't ever hear from you again. But it's how it has to be. It's what I want. And I think, I think that you want it, too." Harry shook his head again.

"No, I want to try to work something out. Muggles and Wizards marry all the time, and -"

"I'm flattered, Harry, but I don't think I'm ready to think about marriage. Are you?"

"Well, no. But we would date first, of course, and . . . ."

"Harry. This is what I want. Do you understand that? I . . . It's just not going to work." Cassie stood up, wiping at her eyes as she stepped over to the stove and checked on the pans inside. "Promise me that you won't try to . . . contact me again after I get back home, okay?"

"No, I'm not going to promise that. I don't want to lose what we have . . . I . . . I don't want to give up on you, on us."

"Harry, when we get back to your school, uh, Hogwarts, you'll see Ginny, right?"

"I think so. She is in the D.A. and Hermione said that everyone is still there."

"Fine. Make sure you see her. You'll know what I mean when you see her."

"She said she doesn't love me anymore."

"She was lying, Harry. I can tell that and I've never even met the girl. Hermione told you that, too. If you don't believe me, at least believe her. She's very smart."

"But how does Hermione know it?"

"Well, Ginny told her, but we girls can kind of tell these things. It comes with the hormones and everything." Harry blushed. "Anyway, when you see her, you'll know what I mean. And you'll be glad. And I want you to be honest with her, Harry. Tell her what you think. Tell her how you feel. Let her love you. And I'll know. . ." Harry could have sworn that he heard her voice break. "I'll know that there is someone to love you the way you deserve to be loved. And that is what I want for you. Promise me, Harry!" She turned from her fussing at the oven and met his gaze squarely. "Promise."

"Okay. I'll try."

"Well that hardly wins any enthusiasm awards, but I'll take it." She stepped toward him and kissed him on the cheek and Harry could feel the wall she had already put up between them. The almost instant closeness they had shared for the last three weeks was hidden behind it, and he felt its absence sharply. It hurt. But it wasn't the first time he had felt pain. And he would survive. So he took a deep shaky breath and hugged her hard. He couldn't think of anything to say after all that had been said, so he just walked out of the kitchen. He stood for a minute in the hall looking into the living room. Ron was still sleeping but Hermione was staring out the window. Harry briefly considered going into his room and shutting the door but decided against it. Hermione would understand if he didn't say anything and he didn't want to be alone at the moment. He walked into the room.

Hermione turned and looked with an obvious question in her eyes. Harry tried to smile at her, but he didn't think it worked because she looked even more worried. "Oh, Harry! Was it too awful?" He shook his head.

"She's right, of course. It never could have worked between us. I don't think she's too thrilled about the wizard stuff." His words sounded hollow even to himself but he sat down on the couch and stared at the ceiling.

"Is that what she said? 'Cause I don't think that's it, Harry." Hermione left the room quickly and a minute later he heard the two girls in the kitchen. So much for not wanting to be alone. Ron wasn't very good company. He couldn't hear what the girls were saying but maybe that was for the best. He looked at Ron for a minute and thought that maybe he should try to sleep, too. Lunch was supposed to be ready in about another half hour. He got up, intending to go lay on his bed but when he entered the hallway, he realized his mistake. The door to the kitchen was open a little and he could hear Cassie crying and Hermione muttering little soothing words to her.

"It hurts so bad. I feel like I'm going to die."

"Yeah. I know. I know."

She sobbed again and Harry wanted to push the door open the rest of the way and gather her up into his arms. But he knew that wouldn't help anything and that she wouldn't want him to. He forced his feet to carry him to the bedroom where he lay down on his bed and tried to will himself to sleep.

Try as he might, Harry was not able to go to sleep and, after a half hour, he was almost relieved when Hermione knocked and then tentatively opened the door. She surveyed him and then asked, "Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm okay . . . I think."

"Lunch is ready. You really need to eat so you'll have your strength for . . . tonight."

"I know. I'll come and eat."

"Harry, she's doing it for you. She really cares about what's best for you. It's not because you're a wizard."

"I know."

Harry stood up and, to his surprise, Hermione gave him a big hug. Twice in two days, he thought to himself. This is getting to be a habit. After a moment, Hermione let go, blushing a little. "I thought you needed a hug."

Harry smiled down at her in response and they walked back to the kitchen where they found Ron sitting at the table, still looking sleepy, and Cassie bustling about the kitchen. She turned when they entered and forced a smile. Her cheeks were a bit flushed but she looked calm and collected. He envied her poise. He didn't think that he looked as unaffected by their talk earlier.

They sat down to what turned out to be a delicious casserole. All three complimented Cassie on her cooking and she genuinely beamed in appreciation. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed and friendly and the small talk around the table was punctuated by laughter. At one point during the meal, Ron turned to Harry. "Well, we know the two of you played chess over the last couple of weeks." He and the girls grinned at Harry who turned suitably red. He then continued. "What else did you do while you were here?"

"Well, we went to the movie I mentioned and we watched some videos. We even went to the British Museum and looked at the Egyptian relics. You would have gotten a kick out of the exhibits." Harry remembered how Ron had talked about the curses and things on the tombs when his family had visited Bill the summer before their third year. He was tempted to mention the old wizard they met there to Hermione but decided that this wasn't the time. He would tell her about it later. "Oh, and we played a really fun game called Scrabble."

Hermione stifled a snicker. "You've never played Scrabble before?"

"No." She should know that. Did she think that he and the Dursleys sat down to play games over the weekends?

"Neither have I," Ron chimed in.

"It really was fun," Cassie agreed. "We had a bet on who'd win the game. I won, but it was close. Harry really came up with some good words. Uh, what were some of them, Harry? I can't remember them right now."

Harry really didn't want to bring up some of the words he'd used. It had been risky then and he had been happy to get away with using them and the Robinsons not catching on. "Oh, well, it's been so long, I don't know if I can remember them."

Cassie was obviously thinking hard about what words Harry had used. Finally, her face lit up and then she got a curious expression. "I should have guessed. You used the word wand and looked at me funny. I wondered for a few minutes." She laughed. .

Harry turned red and had a rather silly expression on his face as both Ron's and Hermione's mouths dropped open and they starred in unbelief at him. Hermione was the first to speak. "You really used the word wand? What were you thinking, Harry?"

"Well, it was a bet. And . . . and, I didn't want her to win."

"So you risked letting Muggles know about you just so you could win some bet over a stupid game? Sorry, Cassie, nothing against you, but . . ."

"No, it's okay," Cassie broke in. She then grinned at Harry. "Besides, it wasn't just wand he used."

"I also used elf, potions, and, uh, giant."

"You used all of those words?" Hermione practically yelled.

Cassie looked a little concerned. "It's okay, Hermione. None of us caught on. My mum thought Harry must be a big Lord of the Rings fan or something."

Ron looked at her. "Lord of the what?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Never mind, Ron. Harry, I can't believe you actually mentioned elves and giants. That was kind of suspicious."

"I just couldn't think of any other words. It's hard under pressure, you know."

Cassie had a surprised look. "I know you said giants exist. Do elves exist?"

"Sure," Ron said, "there's a lot of house elves."

Hermione bristled, "Not house elves, Ron. They're just elves. It's just a habit in the wizarding world to call them house elves."

"Whatever." Harry laughed.

"He also used dragon for a Scrabble word. And, that time we were watching Dragonheart. Harry," Cassie turned toward Harry, who was sitting with his head down a little, shaking it back and forth, "you said dragons were mean and vicious and they don't speak English. Do dragons really exist?"

Ron looked at her incredulously. "Muggles think dragons speak English? Remind me to tell Charlie that one."

Harry smiled at Cassie. "Ron's brother, Charlie, works with dragons."

"So they really do exist? Honestly? Have you ever seen a dragon?"

Ron practically jumped out of his seat with excitement. "Seen one?! He had to fight a dragon one time. It was part of the Tri-Wizard Tournament a couple of years ago. He had to steal a mother dragon's egg. It was wild. Harry was up on his broom flying around and that dragon was trying to take off after him and was breathing fire at him. He got the egg faster than any of the other contestants."

Cassie's eyes were big with amazement, "He had to fly around the dragon and steal an egg? You've got to be kidding!"

Hermione chimed in. "Harry didn't have to fly on his broom. That's how he chose to approach the dragon and get the egg. Harry's one of the best flyers Hogwarts has ever seen."

Cassie looked pretty shocked at the idea of dragons being real. After a few minutes, she asked hesitantly, "They don't have dragons at your school, do they? I mean, I won't have to actually see one or anything?" Ron laughed loudly and both Harry and Hermione glared at him.

"No. Dragons are extinct in Britain. They do live in other countries, but your chances of actually seeing one are very slim." With Hagrid around, Harry couldn't rule out any possibility, but he certainly doubted that she would see one tonight.

At the end of lunch, all four of them helped clean the dishes and kitchen. Harry thought this was probably stupid, but it filled time, and all of them were looking for something to do to keep their minds from dwelling too much on what was going to happen in the next two hours. As they washed the last pan and slid it into the cupboard, Ron sighed with relief. "I'll be glad to be able to use magic again. I've been working like a house elf . . ."

"Don't even start, Ron." Hermione glared at him. He grinned, grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms. She tried hard to hide the smile that was beginning to creep across her face. Harry and Cassie decided to give the two some privacy and left them in the kitchen. They walked into the living room and were suddenly aware of an uncomfortable awkwardness. Harry didn't quite know what to say or how to approach Cassie under the circumstances. To Harry's relief, she spoke first.

"That was fun visiting. You really fought a dragon? That's absolutely amazing!"

"Well, it was uh . . . interesting. I wouldn't want to do it again, though."

Cassie sat down at one end of the couch and Harry, after hesitating a moment, sat in the chair. The awkward silence returned and they both stared at the door that led to the kitchen, hoping that Ron and Hermione would come through and relieve the tension.

Cassie finally spoke up. "We can still be friends. We can talk and just . . . " She stopped and fought to hold back tears. "You know I care about you."

"I know, Cassie. And, I know you're right. It's just . . . hard."

"I know."

They sat for a few more minutes in silence. Finally, Cassie broke the silence. "Harry, would you answer a rather strange question?"

"If I can."

"Well, both you and Ron are from wizarding families. But Ron seems . . . well, kind of like a fish out of water in the normal or, well, uh, Muggle world. You seem to be a lot more comfortable. And I don't think it's just the three weeks you've been here because I met you right at the beginning and you seemed normal to me. Well, I mean . . . well, I didn't think you were. . . ." Harry laughed. She was obviously trying to avoid saying that wizards were strange.

"Well, Cassie. I was raised as a Muggle. I didn't know I was a wizard until Hagrid gave me my letter. I was raised by my aunt and uncle who are Muggles. My mother was Muggle-born, you see."

"I don't remember you mentioning an uncle."

"Yeah, well, I couldn't tell you too many details. Hiding, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. And I guess that kind of explains it."

Harry smiled at Cassie. They were quiet again for a few minutes, but it was a comfortable silence, the kind that Harry was used to with Cassie. She didn't feel the need to fill every second with small talk and Harry appreciated it. He thought some girls just talked too much. After a minute, though, he looked at the clock and realized that they had better get moving. "Uh, would you like to help me pick things up? I mean, I need to make sure I don't leave anything behind that identifies me. So, I'm going to go around and collect things; put them into a bag or something. That's just in case the Death Eaters get into the house after we leave."

Cassie looked nervous. "How are they going to get in?"

"I don't know and I don't care. We'll be gone." He didn't add on his next thought, that they would see them soon enough. Cassie seemed to take heart at his confidence, smiled, and stood up. The two walked into the entry hall where they both stopped, embarrassed. In the kitchen, Ron and Hermione were holding each other. She had her head against his chest and he was resting his chin on the top of her head. It was obvious she had been crying; he was talking quietly to her and soothingly rubbing her back. Harry glanced at Cassie and she gave an embarrassed smile. The two walked back to his bedroom. For a moment, Harry felt a little uncomfortable being in a bedroom with Cassie, but quickly realized Cassie no longer felt uncomfortable at the thought of being in a bedroom with him. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad about this. Cassie looked around and then smiled at Harry.

"What can I do to help?"

"Well, you can take all of my shirts and jeans out. I think we'll put them in a pillowcase."

After she had folded his trousers and shirts and stuffed them into an empty pillowcase, he grabbed his pyjamas, socks, and underwear and stuffed them in, too. They had almost finished clearing his bedroom when Ron and Hermione appeared at the door.

"Oh," Hermione said, looking at the pillowcase, "You already thought of it. We were coming back to suggest you get everything together that could give away who was living here. And you are."

"Yeah, I didn't want to take any chances of them learning anything if they actually do get in the place."

"Well, can we help?"

Harry looked at his two friends and smiled. He realized they both were putting on brave faces to cover the growing fear they were all feeling. He also realized Ron and Hermione had added fears since they had finally admitted their feelings to each other. He assumed that explained Hermione's tears; not so much for herself, but for Ron. He smiled reassuringly.

"No, Cassie and I are almost done. Why don't the two of you look around the rest of the house. Make sure we haven't forgotten anything. Don't even leave anything that has my writing on it. I don't think any of them would recognize it . . . but we can't take any chances. Then we have some final planning to do before we leave."

Hermione left and Harry went into the bathroom where he grabbed his deodorant, tooth brush, toothpaste, and other toiletries. Cassie stood at the doorway with the bag open while Harry tossed them in. They both laughed quite a bit and Harry felt relaxed and happy. They eventually finished and made their way into the living room where, for the next half hour they plotted exactly what each person would do as they were ready to go. Finally, Hermione looked at her watch.

"It's almost time. We better get into the hall."

They all got up and nervously made their way into the entry hall where Harry dropped the overflowing pillowcase. He then picked up Cassie's book and placed it carefully into the bag. He placed the parchment into his pocket and his wand into his trousers. Ron picked up the lion paper weight that had sat on the hall table since he and Hermione arrived the night before.

"This is the portkey. Cassie, all you have to do is stand here and touch it. Even a finger will do."

She nodded and touched it with her left hand. She looked almost disappointed that it didn't tingle or anything. Harry smiled encouragingly at her and got into place next to the door. Ron stood facing the door with his wand out. It had been agreed he would act as back-up to Hermione who was going to perform the actual summoning charm for the invisibility cloak. It had been decided that should the Death Eaters be able to act more quickly than they thought, Ron was going to have to use his wand to block the curses.

Hermione was carefully looking at her watch. "Harry! It's almost time. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Now, Harry!"

Harry quickly unlatched the various locks and swung the door open. The familiar popping sound could be heard as the house appeared, followed by some exclamations of surprise. At that same moment, Hermione pointed her wand out the door and yelled, "Accio invisibility cloak!" The cloak came flying through the door and Hermione caught it and began to cram it into the bag on top of all the other stuff Cassie's eyes were wide and her mouth open with shock. Harry frantically slammed the door and began re-locking all the locks, while sounds of shouts, curses, and bangs could be heard outside. Done with the re-locking, Harry ran to the little huddle and placed his hand on the lion and turned toward the door. Like Ron, he had his wand out and was watching the door carefully. Hermione pointed her wand at the pillow case, shrunk it and stuffed the hand-sized bag into her robe pocket. Then she, too, looked at the door, wand ready to defend them if the Death Eaters came crashing through. Harry heard the doorbell ask calmly for the password and realized that it would only be another few seconds before they were in the house. He had to get out of here! All of a sudden Hermione got a horrified look on her face.

"Harry!"

He turned and looked at her with a combination of surprise and worry. "What?" He could tell she did not have good news.

"Can Muggles portkey?"

Harry's stomach turned and his heart skipped a beat. How could they have not thought about that and talked it through? He looked frantically at Cassie. Her face had changed from concern to absolute panic. She had understood that question well enough. And the loud curses and noises coming from the door certainly did nothing to reassure her.

"I don't know! Hermione! What could happen?"

"Oh, Harry . . . I don't know, either!" Hermione's tone was panicked. It was too late to do anything but hang on and hope.

Harry looked again at Cassie. Her blue eyes were wide with undeniable fear.

And then, Harry felt the familiar tug behind his navel and the room dissolved.