Chapter Two: Happy Birthday Harry
The days rolled by and Harry was having so much fun that he almost forgot about go to Ron's house until one day after going into town with Cassandra for 'just because shopping' as she called it, he found Pig flying anxiously around his bedroom with a letter from Ron. Harry quickly untied the letter from Pig's leg as he wondered how long had the owl being flying around his room. Harry quickly opened the letter and read Ron's almost unreadable handwriting.
Harry,
We have a plan to get you here. Dad was thinking that if you have the Muggle girl drive you to London, we could meet you outside the Leaky Cauldron, so that we can get our things from Diagon Alley before heading over to the Borrow. How does that sound? Write back to me with your answer.
Ron
A smile stretched across Harry's face as he ran downstairs to dins Cassandra and ask her if she would be able to driving him all the way the London and back, so that he can go to Ron's house. He stop at the bottom of the stairs and thought, "How am I going to ask her?" He didn't want to sound like a stupid little kid asking his grown up for something that couldn't be done. He looked nervously out at her car, he didn't even know if it would make it to London and even if it did, he didn't know if it would make it back. Harry didn't want her to be stuck all the way out there and not have a way back, so he decided to chose his words carefully.
After awhile of standing in the hallway think about how he was going to ask her, he heard the now familiar sound of Cassandra humming in the family room. He crept slowly into the room and found Cassandra sitting in a chair by the window and she was reading a book. It book was what attracted Harry attention. It looked like another book a Muggle would read, but there was something different about this book that Harry couldn't put his figure on. Harry began to walk forward to get a good look at it, but before he could Cassandra noticed that he was there and she quickly closed the book and slipped into the chair next to her. "Oh Harry you startled me!" said Cassandra a little winded. Harry just looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What is it Harry?" asked Cassandra and with that Harry seemed to come to his senses.
"Oh I was just wondering if you could take me down to London in a couple of weeks, so that I could go to my friends house for the last two weeks of summer holiday?" asked Harry timidly. Cassandra looked at him as she thought about the question.
"I will be happy to drive you to London, but." But, Harry's stomach dropped, but what? "I will have to see if it okay with you Aunt and Uncle before I take you." They both walked toward the phone and called the Dursley's on their vacation. Harry sat back and listened to Cassandra speak.
"Hello.... Mr. Dursley this is Cassandra Knight, your House.... No Harry wasn't done anything. We were wondering if Harry could go to his friends house in a couple of week for the rest of the summer?" There was a pause and Harry could hear Uncle Vernon's voice get louder and say something about interrupting his vacation by talking about Harry, but then his voice began to lower so that Harry couldn't hear it from where he was sitting across the room. "Right then. Yes everything is in good condition. No he hasn't lied to me. Yes... Yes... Yes Mr. Dursley. Alright, well goodb...." Cassandra looked that the phone as though it had just bit her, then placed it back down. "Well that was rude." She said and Harry's began to get nervous.
"Well?" He asked impatiently and Cassandra turned to him, but the expression on her face didn't look good.
"Well Harry." She said in a sad tone. "You can go." her tone change to a happy one. Harry thought he was about to have a heart attack when she said that he could go, but now a smile appeared on his face. "So I will take you down to London. I have been wanting to get a couple of thing from there anyways, this just gives me an excuse to go." She returned to her chair and was about to pick up the book again when she noticed that Harry was still there. "Is there anything else Harry?"
Harry quickly looked at Cassandra and shook his head as he headed back upstairs to write back to Ron. When he got into his room, he picked up some parchment that he had left on the floor, and his eagle feather quill (A gift Hermione) and began to write.
Ron
I will meet you in London. Cassandra agreed to take me. We will be there.
Until then
Harry
Feeling good about the letter he tied it to Pig's leg, which still was flying around Harry's room excitedly. The moment that the letter was tied Pig flew out of the window without stopping for water. Hedwig watched him fly out of the window as thought the owl was extremely crazy. Harry laughed at the little owl that was now fly as fast as he could towards Ron's house, to show that he was as good as any other mail owl. The rest of the day went by rather quickly as Harry sat day dreaming in his room about what the next year at Hogwarts would be like. He had a funny feeling that something big would happen, but he couldn't think of what that might be.
That night Harry had another dream. Harry woke up early, but not as early has Cassandra; he could hear her cooking breakfast downstairs. While he was getting dressed Hedwig arrived at the window with Pig right behind him. They both had gifts for Harry's birthday. He relived both of them of the gifts and pilled them onto his bed. He was about to open a letter Ron had sent him when he realized that he was very hungry so he got dressed and went down stairs and into the kitchen.
Cassandra was at the stove as usual cooking breakfast, when Harry suddenly realized that there was something was terrible wrong. The smile that usual lit up Cassandra's face was gone and she now was staring at the wall behind the shove with a blank expression; there was also something on her forehead, a bit of ash maybe. Harry came around to look at her fully when he let out a loud gasp. She had Voldemort dark mark burned into her forehead (a skull with a snake coming out of it). What was going on? The question raged in his mind as he started to back slowly away from Cassandra until he ran into something quite solid. He turned around to see a pair of red eye staring down at him, Voldemort, was standing there. A sharp pain went through his thin scar on his forehead and he turned to run, but his legs seemed to have turned to jelly and would not support his weight. As he fell to the floor he looked over at Cassandra and she too was doubled over in pain, holding on to her right shoulder.
"Get him." Harry heard Voldemort say as two Death Eater grabbed Harry on either side and drag him to a chair next to the kitchen table. The pain in his scar lessened as he got farther away from Voldemort, his buried vision slowly came back he saw that Cassandra had straighten out and was still staring at the wall behind the shove. "Take a seat next to Potter, my dear." Voldemort said to Cassandra and she did exactly what he said and took a seat next to Harry. Harry now realized that Voldemort had put the Imperius Cruse on her, so that she would do whatever he asked her to. Harry's heart was racing inside his chest and his mind was working fast now, trying to find a way out of this, but he soon found that any attempt of escape was fruitless when five other Death Eaters came into the room. They all had their wands out and pointed straight at Harry.
"Finally, Harry Potter, so good to see you again." Voldemort's words seemed to echo through the kitchen. "I like to thank you for making me now so much stronger than before. The spell work much better than I first intended it to." Voldemort laughed his high pitch cold laugh that sent chills down Harry's spine.
"What do you want Voldemort." Said Harry with a surge of courage racing through him, but it didn't last long as Voldemort stepped close and the pain in his scar began anew. Voldemort laughed again.
"I really love doing that." A twisted smiled appeared on his face. "What do I want?" He repeated the question in a very nasty tone. "I want to finish the job I start in the grave yard." Voldemort was running his finger over a knife that sat on the counter next to him and looked as thought he was think of something particularly nasty. Then he motioned for a Death Eater to come to him and one did. Voldemort handed him the knife and whispered something into his ear, the Death Eater nodded and headed for Cassandra. Harry's stomach drop as the thought of this Death Eater killing Cassandra right in front of him with the knife went through his head, but that wasn't what happened when the Death Eater stopped in front of Cassandra. All he did was holding out the knife as though given it to her. "Take it!" Voldemort breathed, and Cassandra took it. "Now kill Potter with it!" he hissed and then watch delight, but the delight on his face waded away when Harry heard Cassandra speak in a very timid voice.
"No." She whispered. Harry was surprise that she could withstand the Cruse, every few people could, Harry among them.
"What?" Voldemort looked at her. "Kill him now!"
"NO!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, and the absent look on her face was replaced with one of cold fury, that he had seen only on the one other person, Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the only person that Voldemort had ever been afraid of. Cassandra turned quickly, quicker than anyone could of thought, and lunged at Voldemort with the knife, but Voldemort was quicker than she was. Cassandra missed by a couple of inches and was now lying on the floor, the knife feet away from her. She went to grab it again, but Voldemort had pulled out his wand and shouted.
"Cruico!" The Cruciatus Cruse, one which Harry knew all to well and hoped never again as he watched Cassandra twitch in pain on the floor, her mouth open in a silent scream. A minute later she stopped and Voldemort turned back to Harry, Cassandra still laying, as though dead, on the floor behind him. "Fine. I will do it myself." He pointed his wand at Harry and opened his mouth to shout out Avada Kedavra Cruse, the death cruse, when Cassandra stood up behind him.
"No get away!" she shouted at him as she had shouted when she was having her nightmare the other night. Voldemort turned to see her stand there and order the Death Eaters to put her back in her chair. When Cassandra was sitting next to Harry, Voldemort again lifted his wand at Harry.
"Avada Kedavra!" He shouted and a green light filled the room. Harry closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack, but it never came. When he opened his eyes he saw why. Cassandra had thrown herself in the way of the attack and she was now standing there with a look of horror on her face as she fell backwards and landed very stiff.
"NO!" Harry yelled. Harry looked up at Voldemort excepting to see his twisted face smiling down at the girl, but there was only an expression of total shock, as though he never thought that she would do something like that. After a while Harry looked down at Cassandra, the horror that appear across her face made Harry's heart jump into his throat. "NO!" he cried again
Harry stared down at Cassandra when he notice her eye moved and looked at him. He jumped. Then she began to speak and the words seemed to be coming from far way. "Harry..." She said. "Harry..." The voice was getting closer, but now the Death Eaters were grabbing him again, trying to get him back into the chair. They were shaking him hard. "WAKE UP!" Cassandra shouted and with one more shake. Harry sat straight up in his bed. The room was dark and he could hardly make out Cassandra skinny outline in the moonlight that came through the window. He was never happier to see anyone in his life, except for Dumbledore last year after he came back from being kidnapped. He reached out and hugged her hard. The dream was so real, but it was only a dream.
"What is this for then?" asked Cassandra as she pulled Harry away a moment later. "Was it a very bad nightmare?"
"YES!" Harry said as he notice that his scar was still aching a little. He brought his hand up to it when Cassandra spoke.
"Yeah. You kept grabbing at your scar as though it was hurting you." Harry had just noticed the worried look on her face. "Do you want to tell me about you dream?" She gave a comforting smile.
"No... It was just a bad memory." Said Harry trying to smile, but it didn't work.
"Harry, I know that look all to well. It wasn't just a bad memory. It was something else, something a lot more than that, but if you don't want to tell me that is okay." Said Cassandra as she started to get up and head toward the door
"It is just that, in my dream you died." Said Harry suddenly. Cassandra stopped and turned to look at Harry. There was a sorrowful look on her face as though she could understand Harry. Suddenly Harry had a feel that she really did understand Harry better than anyone else Harry had ever meet. It seemed odd to Harry that this Muggle girl could understand Harry when even his best friends, who were witches and wizards, were sometimes completely lost when it came to Harry. It felt good to have someone who understood him, at least emotionally, after what happened to him at the end of the last school year. With this understanding came a nagging feel to Harry, what had happened to this every sweet girl to that qualified her to understand Harry. It must have been extremely awful. At that moment his little dream didn't seem all that bad as the memories that seemed to be floating around in her head.
"But it was only a dream." Said Harry with a real smile. Cassandra took a deep breath and gave Harry a half smile.
"Okay, Harry. Why don't you go back to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow?" said Cassandra as she turned and walked out of the room closing the door behind her. Harry finally got to sleep after thinking about Cassandra for a while. When Harry got to sleep he had a much better dream than the one before, but when he woke he could really remember what he had actually dreamt about, except for the song that he heard that seemed to come from everywhere, it was the song Cassandra hummed the day before. He woke up feeling better that he had in weeks. It was his birthday. The first one without the Dursleys messing it up, he was so happy, that he got up and got dressed, but when he smelled the breakfast being cook and turned around to see Hedwig and Pig sitting in the window with gifts and letters from his friends, Harry's heart gave a jump. It is happening again, he thought. This time he would be ready for it, so without untying the gifts from the owls' legs, he went to the loose floorboards and pulled out his wand again. Then as quietly as possible he crept downstairs and towards the kitchen, he stood just outside the kitchen thinking about what he would do as quickly as possible, trying to remember every detail about the dream. When he was ready he flew open the door and ran into the room with his wand out and ready, but when Harry looked around the kitchen there was nothing out of space about it. Cassandra turned to him with a smile.
"So you are excited about you big day." She stepped towards him as Harry quickly shoved his wand into his pocket and turned towards Cassandra. "It's not everyday you become fifteen." She gave Harry a hug and turned back to cook the rest of the breakfast.
"Yeah... excited... that's it I will be right back." Harry quickly went back up to his room to see both Hedwig and Pig looking a little angry at him, but he ignored them once again and put his wand back, pulling out a piece of parchment and his beautiful eagle feather quill, so that he could write to Sirius, he began to calm down a little. He wrote furiously and didn't stop until he had every little detail of the dream and the next morning was down on the paper. Then he went over to Hedwig untied the gifts and letters from her leg and tied the letter he had on. Sensing the urgency of this letter Hedwig flew away without protesting that Harry had ignored her for so long. Harry turned to Pig and untied the gifts and letters from his leg and before Pig left to fly away Harry stopped him. "I still need you to send a letter to Ron. Wait in Hedwig's cage and I will be back."
Harry went back downstairs again ate his breakfast quickly trying not to alarm Cassandra then went back upstairs to his room. Noticing that Pig was asleep he decide that he would open the letters and presents before writing to Ron.
He looked at the pile of gifts that lay on his bed. He noticed that there was letters and gifts from three different people. He first picked up the letter that Ron had written him and tore it open.
Dear Harry
I am glad you are have a good summer. I hope I get to meet this Muggle that you have been talking about so much. Hope you have a happy birthday. See you in a couple of weeks
Ron
P.S. I found your present in a Muggle shop that Dad dragged me to, hope you like it. The person, who own the shop told Dad it had something to do with relaxing, but I can't really see who, they taste really bad.
Harry ripped open the brown paper that was rapped around the present that Ron had sent him. It was a glass bottle filled with what looked to be little light blue crystals. Harry had to laugh a little they were bath crystals, something that Muggle women put in their baths so that they could relax. Even though this wasn't the best of birthday presents that he had received from Ron, but at least Ron was thinking about him. Next Harry reached for the letter from Hermione, another of Harry's best friends from Hogwarts, and the small package that was his present. He opened the present first this time.
It was a golden snitch, a extremely fast ball that flew around at high speeds in a Quidditch game, the seeker, the position Harry himself played on his House team at Hogwarts, had to catch the snitch. This snitch was inside a small glass cube so that it couldn't fly away. Harry placed it carefully onto his desk and then opened the letter.
Dear Harry
I am at Viktor Krum's house, and was very glad when Hedwig showed up. Bulgaria is a very interesting place and I will tell you all about it when I see you at Diagon Alley in a couple of weeks. The snitch that you got is a present from both Viktor and myself. It is the actual snitch that Viktor catch in the World Cup last year. We thought you would like it. I heard that the Dursleys have gone on vacation and you are now being watched by a Muggel girl hope she is treating you better that your Uncle and Aunt usually do. Well I have to go. Viktor and I are going out, he is going to teach me how to fly on a broom better than I do. See you in a couple weeks.
Hermione
The third letter had no present with it. It was only a letter with messy handwriting that Harry recognized has Hagrid's. Hagrid was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts and also a very good friend to Harry. Hagrid, who was half giant, was now run around Europe trying to get the giants that had been kicked out of England to come back and help them with the struggle against Voldemort. Harry opened the letter and read it quickly.
Harry,
I ran across Hedwig as she was coming back from Hermione, who is in Bulgaria visiting Krum, that seeker for the Bulgarian team. Well I wrote this very quickly and can't say much. Very busy you know. I didn't have time to get you anything, but I will bring you back something as soon as I can. I don't know when I will be getting back. I could miss the first and second term, but I will be back by the third. Well have to go Madam Maxime and I am very busy.
Hagrid
Harry smiled at the letter. It didn't really matter to Harry that he didn't get a present from Hagrid, because for most of his life he never had a proper birthday. The letter was enough for him. The last letter Harry found was a letter from Hogwarts. Harry got a letter every year from Hogwarts telling him which books he will need to buy for the next year and any other little things that he would need for the new-year, but this letter was different. Harry could feel it; it was a lot heavier than it usually would be. Harry was wondering what was in this letter. He finally decided just to open it and read the letter. There was the usually book list, but then there was and extra letter that Harry had never received before.
Dear Mr. H. Potter,
We are happy to inform you that you have been chosen to become one of Hogwarts new prefects. This decision should be made lightly. It will require that you are a representative of the school and should act as such. It is a great honor and a great responsibility to be a prefect and with that responsibility you will receive certain privileges, such as, being allowed to use the prefect bathroom and giving and taking away points from the Houses. Please make your decision and send us an owl by a week before school start.
Sincerely your
Professor McGonagall
Deputy Head-Mistress
Harry sat on the edge of his bed stunned, why would they ask him to be a prefect. He wasn't like any of the prefects he had ever know, for one, he has broken more rules in his first four years at Hogwarts than most person do in their life. "Should I be a prefect?" thought Harry and he went over it all in his head. He didn't really want to have all the responsibility of being a prefect; this meant that he couldn't be involved with Fred's and George's practical jokes, and spontaneous parties. He didn't like the thought about being prefect, but then a idea popped into his head that made him smile. 'Giving and taking away points from the Houses' thought Harry as he picture the look on Malfoy's, a boy who is the same year as Harry at Hogwarts, Harry and Malfoy were constantly at odds, when he found out that Harry was a prefect. Harry would have a lot of fun with that, and that was the deciding argument for Harry. He quickly wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall, but it wasn't until he finished that he noticed that he just sent Hedwig on give Sirius the letter about the dream. When he looked a Hedwig's cage all he found was Pig sitting there still asleep. How was Harry going to give this letter to Professor McGonagall? Harry suddenly had an idea, and pulling out another piece of parchment he wrote another letter to Ron.
Ron
I liked your present to me, it gave me a laugh, tell you about that later. I can't wait to see you in London; you will meet Cassandra, because she is taking me. I need to ask you a favor. I need to write Professor McGonagall about something but I just send Hedwig to Sirius and I am not sure when she will be back so I wanted to know if you could send the letter to Hogwarts with Pig. I have put the letter in with this one.
Thanks Ron.
Harry.
Harry tied the letter around the waking owl and let him go out the window. 'Poor Pig.' Thought Harry. 'He doesn't get a break.' Harry watched as the owl as he vanished from view before going back downstairs to find Cassandra. She was still cleaning the dirty breakfast dishes, when Harry walked into the kitchen.
"There you are Harry." Said Cassandra. Harry went to help Cassandra with the dishes, but Cassandra wouldn't let him help. "Oh no you don't. It is your birthday and you aren't allowed to do any work today." Cassandra smiled and turned back to the dishes. "Anyways you should go get ready to go to the surprise place I am going to take you Harry."
"What place?" asked Harry.
"Oh no. That would be telling, and it is supposed to be a surprise, so go get ready to go." Said Cassandra.
"But how can I get ready to go if I don't know where we are going?" Harry tried to get her to tell, but all she did was shake her head and laugh. "Okay I will go get ready." Harry went back upstairs and did what he needed to do to get ready for whatever his was going to do. Minutes later he was back in the kitchen waiting as Cassandra finished the last of the dishes. They piled into Cassandra's old white Volkswagen Beetle, which looked as if a good wind came up it, would fall apart. Harry watched anxiously was Cassandra drove down familiar road and after a while he figured out where they were heading.
"Are we going to the Zoo?" asked Harry.
"Yes. We are going to the Zoo. I think it is a very interesting place. Have you ever been their Harry?" asked Cassandra.
"I was there once four years ago, but I really didn't get to see what I wanted to see. It wasn't all that much fun." Said Harry as he watched the scenes outside the car flew by as the car speed down the streets towards the Zoo. When they finally got there they had to park the car in the very back of the parking lot.
"Race you to the gate." said Harry and he sprinted off with Cassandra closed behind him. Harry was amazed at how fast she could run, because she was now passing Harry and still speeding up. When the reach the front gates they stopped and just started to laugh uncontrollably. They entered the Zoo and the first place Harry went to was the big cats cages where he watched the loins for an every long time, he loved the way the walked. Cassandra also like the big cats cages when Harry had to pull her away from the Black Panthers cage.
They were having such a great time that Harry didn't notice that they were heading towards the reptile house until they were right in front of the entrance. He stopped and stared up at the stone snake that stood just above the door. "What's wrong Harry?" asked Cassandra.
"I just really don't want to go in there," said Harry. Cassandra nodded and they walked away.
"What don't you like snakes?" asked Cassandra.
"No it is not that, just bad memories." Said Harry. There was a sudden flash in front of them and as they looked up they saw a small man with a camera, who was taking pictures of people in the zoo and then selling them. He had just taken Harry and Cassandra's picture and was now waving them over to see if they wanted to buy the picture from him. Cassandra walked up to him with a smiled.
"How much?" She asked. After that Harry wasn't paying attention to anything they said. Harry was looking around at whatever was around him when he something got his eye, a man in black robes walking into the reptile house.
"What?" whispered Harry, as he followed the man into the reptile house? When Harry entered the reptile house the man seemed to have disappeared. He looked around and finally found the man in the black robes at the back of the reptile house looking at a particularly venomous snake that looked coiled and ready to strike. Harry stepped closer to the man, it was only then did he really question what was happening. "Why am I following this guy? He could be a Death Eater and I forgot my wand at the house." Thought Harry as he still moved closer to the man. It was as if he wasn't in control of his legs. Then the man turned so that Harry could see his face. Harry stopped in terror.
"Voldemort" breathed Harry
"Harry." Hissed Voldemort. Then he turned to the cage with the snake that he was just looking at and suddenly the glass was gone, as the time four years before when he accidentally set a python on his cousin. Voldemort reached in and took a hold of the snake, then turned back to Harry. "Snakes are remarkable creators don't you think Harry?" Harry just stood in his place not speaking; he didn't want to play Voldemort's game, whatever it was. Fear and hatred surged through his body as he watched Voldemort pet the snake as thought it was a dog. "Harry, why don't you come over here and say hello to my new friend?"
"I don't think so." Thought Harry, but suddenly he was walking towards Voldemort, unwillingly. Harry was trying to get himself to run in the other direction, but it was useless. He was only feet away from Voldemort when he heard a voice far away but seemed to get closer with very step.
"Harry..." Someone grabbed his arm and turned him around. Cassandra was standing there with a look of worry across her face. "What are you doing?" asked Cassandra. Harry felt as those he just woke up as he looked into Cassandra's face. Harry turned back to where Voldemort was standing, but he disappeared again. He suddenly left extremely tried as through he just woke up.
"Do you see that man?" asked Harry. Cassandra looked around her.
"Which man?"
"The man in black?" Cassandra looked around again with a bewildered look
"I don't see him."
"He was right there," Harry pointed to the spot where Voldemort was standing. "He was there a moment ago." Cassandra straighten up and scanned the crowd carefully. She stopped as those she found what she was looking for. Harry looked in that direction but didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but it seemed important to Cassandra, because she narrowed her eyes as if she was warning someone off.
"Harry, I think we should go now!" said Cassandra. They walked to the car, and Cassandra was walking so fast that it was hard for Harry to keep up with having to jog beside her. Once they got to the car Cassandra speed all the way to the Dursley's without stopping and hurried Harry into the house.
"Is everything alright Cassandra.' Cassandra looked at Harry with a slightly worried expression.
"Yes everything is just fine. I lost track of time and need to get back to do something important." Said Cassandra. Harry could tell that she was lying, but he could think why she would be. Crazy theories ran through Harry's head, each one seemed more unlikely to Harry than the next. Harry shook off the thoughts about Cassandra and turned his mind fully on what happened today when Voldemort was at the zoo, or was he. Was he seeing thing? Questions were popping up all over the place and he wanted nothing more but to go to his room and write Sirius, Mr. Weasley, Dumbledore, anyone, but he could. He sent Hedwig to find Sirius about the dream the night before and that she wasn't back yet, so how was he going to send the letter?
For the rest of the day and into the night Harry sat in his room worrying as if Voldemort was going to suddenly turn up at his doorstep. He had taken his wand out from under the loose floorboards and kept it near him at all times. Later that night as Harry sat worrying and jumping at every little sounds, there came a knock at his bedroom door. A second later Cassandra's head appear through the cracked door. "May I come in?" asked Cassandra.
"Sure." Said Harry. Cassandra came in and sat down next to Harry on his bed. She was playing with a small black box that she was holding.
"Harry, I was going to give you this later, but I think it will be good for you to have it now." Said Cassandra and she handed Harry the box. "Happy Birthday." Harry took the box and opened it. Inside there was a rather large ring on a chain. The ring had three different stones that Harry couldn't identify. There was one red stone, one blue stone and one yellow stone sitting on top of the ring. Harry looked at it and smiled. Then Cassandra picked up the ring and chain and fastened it around Harry's neck. "The person who gave this to me said that it has protective powers." Said Cassandra and Harry looked at her with a shocked expression. "Protective powers?" thought Harry. "Well if you believe in that sort of thing." Added Cassandra.
"Thanks." Said Harry.
"You need to keep it on, so that you are always protected. It will make me sleep better at night." Said Cassandra with a nervous smile. Harry played with the ring as it hung around his neck.
"Okay." Said Harry and he suddenly had a feeling as if he was protected by something. That night Harry slept peacefully not worrying about what happened that day at the zoo.
The days rolled by and Harry was having so much fun that he almost forgot about go to Ron's house until one day after going into town with Cassandra for 'just because shopping' as she called it, he found Pig flying anxiously around his bedroom with a letter from Ron. Harry quickly untied the letter from Pig's leg as he wondered how long had the owl being flying around his room. Harry quickly opened the letter and read Ron's almost unreadable handwriting.
Harry,
We have a plan to get you here. Dad was thinking that if you have the Muggle girl drive you to London, we could meet you outside the Leaky Cauldron, so that we can get our things from Diagon Alley before heading over to the Borrow. How does that sound? Write back to me with your answer.
Ron
A smile stretched across Harry's face as he ran downstairs to dins Cassandra and ask her if she would be able to driving him all the way the London and back, so that he can go to Ron's house. He stop at the bottom of the stairs and thought, "How am I going to ask her?" He didn't want to sound like a stupid little kid asking his grown up for something that couldn't be done. He looked nervously out at her car, he didn't even know if it would make it to London and even if it did, he didn't know if it would make it back. Harry didn't want her to be stuck all the way out there and not have a way back, so he decided to chose his words carefully.
After awhile of standing in the hallway think about how he was going to ask her, he heard the now familiar sound of Cassandra humming in the family room. He crept slowly into the room and found Cassandra sitting in a chair by the window and she was reading a book. It book was what attracted Harry attention. It looked like another book a Muggle would read, but there was something different about this book that Harry couldn't put his figure on. Harry began to walk forward to get a good look at it, but before he could Cassandra noticed that he was there and she quickly closed the book and slipped into the chair next to her. "Oh Harry you startled me!" said Cassandra a little winded. Harry just looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What is it Harry?" asked Cassandra and with that Harry seemed to come to his senses.
"Oh I was just wondering if you could take me down to London in a couple of weeks, so that I could go to my friends house for the last two weeks of summer holiday?" asked Harry timidly. Cassandra looked at him as she thought about the question.
"I will be happy to drive you to London, but." But, Harry's stomach dropped, but what? "I will have to see if it okay with you Aunt and Uncle before I take you." They both walked toward the phone and called the Dursley's on their vacation. Harry sat back and listened to Cassandra speak.
"Hello.... Mr. Dursley this is Cassandra Knight, your House.... No Harry wasn't done anything. We were wondering if Harry could go to his friends house in a couple of week for the rest of the summer?" There was a pause and Harry could hear Uncle Vernon's voice get louder and say something about interrupting his vacation by talking about Harry, but then his voice began to lower so that Harry couldn't hear it from where he was sitting across the room. "Right then. Yes everything is in good condition. No he hasn't lied to me. Yes... Yes... Yes Mr. Dursley. Alright, well goodb...." Cassandra looked that the phone as though it had just bit her, then placed it back down. "Well that was rude." She said and Harry's began to get nervous.
"Well?" He asked impatiently and Cassandra turned to him, but the expression on her face didn't look good.
"Well Harry." She said in a sad tone. "You can go." her tone change to a happy one. Harry thought he was about to have a heart attack when she said that he could go, but now a smile appeared on his face. "So I will take you down to London. I have been wanting to get a couple of thing from there anyways, this just gives me an excuse to go." She returned to her chair and was about to pick up the book again when she noticed that Harry was still there. "Is there anything else Harry?"
Harry quickly looked at Cassandra and shook his head as he headed back upstairs to write back to Ron. When he got into his room, he picked up some parchment that he had left on the floor, and his eagle feather quill (A gift Hermione) and began to write.
Ron
I will meet you in London. Cassandra agreed to take me. We will be there.
Until then
Harry
Feeling good about the letter he tied it to Pig's leg, which still was flying around Harry's room excitedly. The moment that the letter was tied Pig flew out of the window without stopping for water. Hedwig watched him fly out of the window as thought the owl was extremely crazy. Harry laughed at the little owl that was now fly as fast as he could towards Ron's house, to show that he was as good as any other mail owl. The rest of the day went by rather quickly as Harry sat day dreaming in his room about what the next year at Hogwarts would be like. He had a funny feeling that something big would happen, but he couldn't think of what that might be.
That night Harry had another dream. Harry woke up early, but not as early has Cassandra; he could hear her cooking breakfast downstairs. While he was getting dressed Hedwig arrived at the window with Pig right behind him. They both had gifts for Harry's birthday. He relived both of them of the gifts and pilled them onto his bed. He was about to open a letter Ron had sent him when he realized that he was very hungry so he got dressed and went down stairs and into the kitchen.
Cassandra was at the stove as usual cooking breakfast, when Harry suddenly realized that there was something was terrible wrong. The smile that usual lit up Cassandra's face was gone and she now was staring at the wall behind the shove with a blank expression; there was also something on her forehead, a bit of ash maybe. Harry came around to look at her fully when he let out a loud gasp. She had Voldemort dark mark burned into her forehead (a skull with a snake coming out of it). What was going on? The question raged in his mind as he started to back slowly away from Cassandra until he ran into something quite solid. He turned around to see a pair of red eye staring down at him, Voldemort, was standing there. A sharp pain went through his thin scar on his forehead and he turned to run, but his legs seemed to have turned to jelly and would not support his weight. As he fell to the floor he looked over at Cassandra and she too was doubled over in pain, holding on to her right shoulder.
"Get him." Harry heard Voldemort say as two Death Eater grabbed Harry on either side and drag him to a chair next to the kitchen table. The pain in his scar lessened as he got farther away from Voldemort, his buried vision slowly came back he saw that Cassandra had straighten out and was still staring at the wall behind the shove. "Take a seat next to Potter, my dear." Voldemort said to Cassandra and she did exactly what he said and took a seat next to Harry. Harry now realized that Voldemort had put the Imperius Cruse on her, so that she would do whatever he asked her to. Harry's heart was racing inside his chest and his mind was working fast now, trying to find a way out of this, but he soon found that any attempt of escape was fruitless when five other Death Eaters came into the room. They all had their wands out and pointed straight at Harry.
"Finally, Harry Potter, so good to see you again." Voldemort's words seemed to echo through the kitchen. "I like to thank you for making me now so much stronger than before. The spell work much better than I first intended it to." Voldemort laughed his high pitch cold laugh that sent chills down Harry's spine.
"What do you want Voldemort." Said Harry with a surge of courage racing through him, but it didn't last long as Voldemort stepped close and the pain in his scar began anew. Voldemort laughed again.
"I really love doing that." A twisted smiled appeared on his face. "What do I want?" He repeated the question in a very nasty tone. "I want to finish the job I start in the grave yard." Voldemort was running his finger over a knife that sat on the counter next to him and looked as thought he was think of something particularly nasty. Then he motioned for a Death Eater to come to him and one did. Voldemort handed him the knife and whispered something into his ear, the Death Eater nodded and headed for Cassandra. Harry's stomach drop as the thought of this Death Eater killing Cassandra right in front of him with the knife went through his head, but that wasn't what happened when the Death Eater stopped in front of Cassandra. All he did was holding out the knife as though given it to her. "Take it!" Voldemort breathed, and Cassandra took it. "Now kill Potter with it!" he hissed and then watch delight, but the delight on his face waded away when Harry heard Cassandra speak in a very timid voice.
"No." She whispered. Harry was surprise that she could withstand the Cruse, every few people could, Harry among them.
"What?" Voldemort looked at her. "Kill him now!"
"NO!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, and the absent look on her face was replaced with one of cold fury, that he had seen only on the one other person, Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the only person that Voldemort had ever been afraid of. Cassandra turned quickly, quicker than anyone could of thought, and lunged at Voldemort with the knife, but Voldemort was quicker than she was. Cassandra missed by a couple of inches and was now lying on the floor, the knife feet away from her. She went to grab it again, but Voldemort had pulled out his wand and shouted.
"Cruico!" The Cruciatus Cruse, one which Harry knew all to well and hoped never again as he watched Cassandra twitch in pain on the floor, her mouth open in a silent scream. A minute later she stopped and Voldemort turned back to Harry, Cassandra still laying, as though dead, on the floor behind him. "Fine. I will do it myself." He pointed his wand at Harry and opened his mouth to shout out Avada Kedavra Cruse, the death cruse, when Cassandra stood up behind him.
"No get away!" she shouted at him as she had shouted when she was having her nightmare the other night. Voldemort turned to see her stand there and order the Death Eaters to put her back in her chair. When Cassandra was sitting next to Harry, Voldemort again lifted his wand at Harry.
"Avada Kedavra!" He shouted and a green light filled the room. Harry closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack, but it never came. When he opened his eyes he saw why. Cassandra had thrown herself in the way of the attack and she was now standing there with a look of horror on her face as she fell backwards and landed very stiff.
"NO!" Harry yelled. Harry looked up at Voldemort excepting to see his twisted face smiling down at the girl, but there was only an expression of total shock, as though he never thought that she would do something like that. After a while Harry looked down at Cassandra, the horror that appear across her face made Harry's heart jump into his throat. "NO!" he cried again
Harry stared down at Cassandra when he notice her eye moved and looked at him. He jumped. Then she began to speak and the words seemed to be coming from far way. "Harry..." She said. "Harry..." The voice was getting closer, but now the Death Eaters were grabbing him again, trying to get him back into the chair. They were shaking him hard. "WAKE UP!" Cassandra shouted and with one more shake. Harry sat straight up in his bed. The room was dark and he could hardly make out Cassandra skinny outline in the moonlight that came through the window. He was never happier to see anyone in his life, except for Dumbledore last year after he came back from being kidnapped. He reached out and hugged her hard. The dream was so real, but it was only a dream.
"What is this for then?" asked Cassandra as she pulled Harry away a moment later. "Was it a very bad nightmare?"
"YES!" Harry said as he notice that his scar was still aching a little. He brought his hand up to it when Cassandra spoke.
"Yeah. You kept grabbing at your scar as though it was hurting you." Harry had just noticed the worried look on her face. "Do you want to tell me about you dream?" She gave a comforting smile.
"No... It was just a bad memory." Said Harry trying to smile, but it didn't work.
"Harry, I know that look all to well. It wasn't just a bad memory. It was something else, something a lot more than that, but if you don't want to tell me that is okay." Said Cassandra as she started to get up and head toward the door
"It is just that, in my dream you died." Said Harry suddenly. Cassandra stopped and turned to look at Harry. There was a sorrowful look on her face as though she could understand Harry. Suddenly Harry had a feel that she really did understand Harry better than anyone else Harry had ever meet. It seemed odd to Harry that this Muggle girl could understand Harry when even his best friends, who were witches and wizards, were sometimes completely lost when it came to Harry. It felt good to have someone who understood him, at least emotionally, after what happened to him at the end of the last school year. With this understanding came a nagging feel to Harry, what had happened to this every sweet girl to that qualified her to understand Harry. It must have been extremely awful. At that moment his little dream didn't seem all that bad as the memories that seemed to be floating around in her head.
"But it was only a dream." Said Harry with a real smile. Cassandra took a deep breath and gave Harry a half smile.
"Okay, Harry. Why don't you go back to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow?" said Cassandra as she turned and walked out of the room closing the door behind her. Harry finally got to sleep after thinking about Cassandra for a while. When Harry got to sleep he had a much better dream than the one before, but when he woke he could really remember what he had actually dreamt about, except for the song that he heard that seemed to come from everywhere, it was the song Cassandra hummed the day before. He woke up feeling better that he had in weeks. It was his birthday. The first one without the Dursleys messing it up, he was so happy, that he got up and got dressed, but when he smelled the breakfast being cook and turned around to see Hedwig and Pig sitting in the window with gifts and letters from his friends, Harry's heart gave a jump. It is happening again, he thought. This time he would be ready for it, so without untying the gifts from the owls' legs, he went to the loose floorboards and pulled out his wand again. Then as quietly as possible he crept downstairs and towards the kitchen, he stood just outside the kitchen thinking about what he would do as quickly as possible, trying to remember every detail about the dream. When he was ready he flew open the door and ran into the room with his wand out and ready, but when Harry looked around the kitchen there was nothing out of space about it. Cassandra turned to him with a smile.
"So you are excited about you big day." She stepped towards him as Harry quickly shoved his wand into his pocket and turned towards Cassandra. "It's not everyday you become fifteen." She gave Harry a hug and turned back to cook the rest of the breakfast.
"Yeah... excited... that's it I will be right back." Harry quickly went back up to his room to see both Hedwig and Pig looking a little angry at him, but he ignored them once again and put his wand back, pulling out a piece of parchment and his beautiful eagle feather quill, so that he could write to Sirius, he began to calm down a little. He wrote furiously and didn't stop until he had every little detail of the dream and the next morning was down on the paper. Then he went over to Hedwig untied the gifts and letters from her leg and tied the letter he had on. Sensing the urgency of this letter Hedwig flew away without protesting that Harry had ignored her for so long. Harry turned to Pig and untied the gifts and letters from his leg and before Pig left to fly away Harry stopped him. "I still need you to send a letter to Ron. Wait in Hedwig's cage and I will be back."
Harry went back downstairs again ate his breakfast quickly trying not to alarm Cassandra then went back upstairs to his room. Noticing that Pig was asleep he decide that he would open the letters and presents before writing to Ron.
He looked at the pile of gifts that lay on his bed. He noticed that there was letters and gifts from three different people. He first picked up the letter that Ron had written him and tore it open.
Dear Harry
I am glad you are have a good summer. I hope I get to meet this Muggle that you have been talking about so much. Hope you have a happy birthday. See you in a couple of weeks
Ron
P.S. I found your present in a Muggle shop that Dad dragged me to, hope you like it. The person, who own the shop told Dad it had something to do with relaxing, but I can't really see who, they taste really bad.
Harry ripped open the brown paper that was rapped around the present that Ron had sent him. It was a glass bottle filled with what looked to be little light blue crystals. Harry had to laugh a little they were bath crystals, something that Muggle women put in their baths so that they could relax. Even though this wasn't the best of birthday presents that he had received from Ron, but at least Ron was thinking about him. Next Harry reached for the letter from Hermione, another of Harry's best friends from Hogwarts, and the small package that was his present. He opened the present first this time.
It was a golden snitch, a extremely fast ball that flew around at high speeds in a Quidditch game, the seeker, the position Harry himself played on his House team at Hogwarts, had to catch the snitch. This snitch was inside a small glass cube so that it couldn't fly away. Harry placed it carefully onto his desk and then opened the letter.
Dear Harry
I am at Viktor Krum's house, and was very glad when Hedwig showed up. Bulgaria is a very interesting place and I will tell you all about it when I see you at Diagon Alley in a couple of weeks. The snitch that you got is a present from both Viktor and myself. It is the actual snitch that Viktor catch in the World Cup last year. We thought you would like it. I heard that the Dursleys have gone on vacation and you are now being watched by a Muggel girl hope she is treating you better that your Uncle and Aunt usually do. Well I have to go. Viktor and I are going out, he is going to teach me how to fly on a broom better than I do. See you in a couple weeks.
Hermione
The third letter had no present with it. It was only a letter with messy handwriting that Harry recognized has Hagrid's. Hagrid was the Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts and also a very good friend to Harry. Hagrid, who was half giant, was now run around Europe trying to get the giants that had been kicked out of England to come back and help them with the struggle against Voldemort. Harry opened the letter and read it quickly.
Harry,
I ran across Hedwig as she was coming back from Hermione, who is in Bulgaria visiting Krum, that seeker for the Bulgarian team. Well I wrote this very quickly and can't say much. Very busy you know. I didn't have time to get you anything, but I will bring you back something as soon as I can. I don't know when I will be getting back. I could miss the first and second term, but I will be back by the third. Well have to go Madam Maxime and I am very busy.
Hagrid
Harry smiled at the letter. It didn't really matter to Harry that he didn't get a present from Hagrid, because for most of his life he never had a proper birthday. The letter was enough for him. The last letter Harry found was a letter from Hogwarts. Harry got a letter every year from Hogwarts telling him which books he will need to buy for the next year and any other little things that he would need for the new-year, but this letter was different. Harry could feel it; it was a lot heavier than it usually would be. Harry was wondering what was in this letter. He finally decided just to open it and read the letter. There was the usually book list, but then there was and extra letter that Harry had never received before.
Dear Mr. H. Potter,
We are happy to inform you that you have been chosen to become one of Hogwarts new prefects. This decision should be made lightly. It will require that you are a representative of the school and should act as such. It is a great honor and a great responsibility to be a prefect and with that responsibility you will receive certain privileges, such as, being allowed to use the prefect bathroom and giving and taking away points from the Houses. Please make your decision and send us an owl by a week before school start.
Sincerely your
Professor McGonagall
Deputy Head-Mistress
Harry sat on the edge of his bed stunned, why would they ask him to be a prefect. He wasn't like any of the prefects he had ever know, for one, he has broken more rules in his first four years at Hogwarts than most person do in their life. "Should I be a prefect?" thought Harry and he went over it all in his head. He didn't really want to have all the responsibility of being a prefect; this meant that he couldn't be involved with Fred's and George's practical jokes, and spontaneous parties. He didn't like the thought about being prefect, but then a idea popped into his head that made him smile. 'Giving and taking away points from the Houses' thought Harry as he picture the look on Malfoy's, a boy who is the same year as Harry at Hogwarts, Harry and Malfoy were constantly at odds, when he found out that Harry was a prefect. Harry would have a lot of fun with that, and that was the deciding argument for Harry. He quickly wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall, but it wasn't until he finished that he noticed that he just sent Hedwig on give Sirius the letter about the dream. When he looked a Hedwig's cage all he found was Pig sitting there still asleep. How was Harry going to give this letter to Professor McGonagall? Harry suddenly had an idea, and pulling out another piece of parchment he wrote another letter to Ron.
Ron
I liked your present to me, it gave me a laugh, tell you about that later. I can't wait to see you in London; you will meet Cassandra, because she is taking me. I need to ask you a favor. I need to write Professor McGonagall about something but I just send Hedwig to Sirius and I am not sure when she will be back so I wanted to know if you could send the letter to Hogwarts with Pig. I have put the letter in with this one.
Thanks Ron.
Harry.
Harry tied the letter around the waking owl and let him go out the window. 'Poor Pig.' Thought Harry. 'He doesn't get a break.' Harry watched as the owl as he vanished from view before going back downstairs to find Cassandra. She was still cleaning the dirty breakfast dishes, when Harry walked into the kitchen.
"There you are Harry." Said Cassandra. Harry went to help Cassandra with the dishes, but Cassandra wouldn't let him help. "Oh no you don't. It is your birthday and you aren't allowed to do any work today." Cassandra smiled and turned back to the dishes. "Anyways you should go get ready to go to the surprise place I am going to take you Harry."
"What place?" asked Harry.
"Oh no. That would be telling, and it is supposed to be a surprise, so go get ready to go." Said Cassandra.
"But how can I get ready to go if I don't know where we are going?" Harry tried to get her to tell, but all she did was shake her head and laugh. "Okay I will go get ready." Harry went back upstairs and did what he needed to do to get ready for whatever his was going to do. Minutes later he was back in the kitchen waiting as Cassandra finished the last of the dishes. They piled into Cassandra's old white Volkswagen Beetle, which looked as if a good wind came up it, would fall apart. Harry watched anxiously was Cassandra drove down familiar road and after a while he figured out where they were heading.
"Are we going to the Zoo?" asked Harry.
"Yes. We are going to the Zoo. I think it is a very interesting place. Have you ever been their Harry?" asked Cassandra.
"I was there once four years ago, but I really didn't get to see what I wanted to see. It wasn't all that much fun." Said Harry as he watched the scenes outside the car flew by as the car speed down the streets towards the Zoo. When they finally got there they had to park the car in the very back of the parking lot.
"Race you to the gate." said Harry and he sprinted off with Cassandra closed behind him. Harry was amazed at how fast she could run, because she was now passing Harry and still speeding up. When the reach the front gates they stopped and just started to laugh uncontrollably. They entered the Zoo and the first place Harry went to was the big cats cages where he watched the loins for an every long time, he loved the way the walked. Cassandra also like the big cats cages when Harry had to pull her away from the Black Panthers cage.
They were having such a great time that Harry didn't notice that they were heading towards the reptile house until they were right in front of the entrance. He stopped and stared up at the stone snake that stood just above the door. "What's wrong Harry?" asked Cassandra.
"I just really don't want to go in there," said Harry. Cassandra nodded and they walked away.
"What don't you like snakes?" asked Cassandra.
"No it is not that, just bad memories." Said Harry. There was a sudden flash in front of them and as they looked up they saw a small man with a camera, who was taking pictures of people in the zoo and then selling them. He had just taken Harry and Cassandra's picture and was now waving them over to see if they wanted to buy the picture from him. Cassandra walked up to him with a smiled.
"How much?" She asked. After that Harry wasn't paying attention to anything they said. Harry was looking around at whatever was around him when he something got his eye, a man in black robes walking into the reptile house.
"What?" whispered Harry, as he followed the man into the reptile house? When Harry entered the reptile house the man seemed to have disappeared. He looked around and finally found the man in the black robes at the back of the reptile house looking at a particularly venomous snake that looked coiled and ready to strike. Harry stepped closer to the man, it was only then did he really question what was happening. "Why am I following this guy? He could be a Death Eater and I forgot my wand at the house." Thought Harry as he still moved closer to the man. It was as if he wasn't in control of his legs. Then the man turned so that Harry could see his face. Harry stopped in terror.
"Voldemort" breathed Harry
"Harry." Hissed Voldemort. Then he turned to the cage with the snake that he was just looking at and suddenly the glass was gone, as the time four years before when he accidentally set a python on his cousin. Voldemort reached in and took a hold of the snake, then turned back to Harry. "Snakes are remarkable creators don't you think Harry?" Harry just stood in his place not speaking; he didn't want to play Voldemort's game, whatever it was. Fear and hatred surged through his body as he watched Voldemort pet the snake as thought it was a dog. "Harry, why don't you come over here and say hello to my new friend?"
"I don't think so." Thought Harry, but suddenly he was walking towards Voldemort, unwillingly. Harry was trying to get himself to run in the other direction, but it was useless. He was only feet away from Voldemort when he heard a voice far away but seemed to get closer with very step.
"Harry..." Someone grabbed his arm and turned him around. Cassandra was standing there with a look of worry across her face. "What are you doing?" asked Cassandra. Harry felt as those he just woke up as he looked into Cassandra's face. Harry turned back to where Voldemort was standing, but he disappeared again. He suddenly left extremely tried as through he just woke up.
"Do you see that man?" asked Harry. Cassandra looked around her.
"Which man?"
"The man in black?" Cassandra looked around again with a bewildered look
"I don't see him."
"He was right there," Harry pointed to the spot where Voldemort was standing. "He was there a moment ago." Cassandra straighten up and scanned the crowd carefully. She stopped as those she found what she was looking for. Harry looked in that direction but didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but it seemed important to Cassandra, because she narrowed her eyes as if she was warning someone off.
"Harry, I think we should go now!" said Cassandra. They walked to the car, and Cassandra was walking so fast that it was hard for Harry to keep up with having to jog beside her. Once they got to the car Cassandra speed all the way to the Dursley's without stopping and hurried Harry into the house.
"Is everything alright Cassandra.' Cassandra looked at Harry with a slightly worried expression.
"Yes everything is just fine. I lost track of time and need to get back to do something important." Said Cassandra. Harry could tell that she was lying, but he could think why she would be. Crazy theories ran through Harry's head, each one seemed more unlikely to Harry than the next. Harry shook off the thoughts about Cassandra and turned his mind fully on what happened today when Voldemort was at the zoo, or was he. Was he seeing thing? Questions were popping up all over the place and he wanted nothing more but to go to his room and write Sirius, Mr. Weasley, Dumbledore, anyone, but he could. He sent Hedwig to find Sirius about the dream the night before and that she wasn't back yet, so how was he going to send the letter?
For the rest of the day and into the night Harry sat in his room worrying as if Voldemort was going to suddenly turn up at his doorstep. He had taken his wand out from under the loose floorboards and kept it near him at all times. Later that night as Harry sat worrying and jumping at every little sounds, there came a knock at his bedroom door. A second later Cassandra's head appear through the cracked door. "May I come in?" asked Cassandra.
"Sure." Said Harry. Cassandra came in and sat down next to Harry on his bed. She was playing with a small black box that she was holding.
"Harry, I was going to give you this later, but I think it will be good for you to have it now." Said Cassandra and she handed Harry the box. "Happy Birthday." Harry took the box and opened it. Inside there was a rather large ring on a chain. The ring had three different stones that Harry couldn't identify. There was one red stone, one blue stone and one yellow stone sitting on top of the ring. Harry looked at it and smiled. Then Cassandra picked up the ring and chain and fastened it around Harry's neck. "The person who gave this to me said that it has protective powers." Said Cassandra and Harry looked at her with a shocked expression. "Protective powers?" thought Harry. "Well if you believe in that sort of thing." Added Cassandra.
"Thanks." Said Harry.
"You need to keep it on, so that you are always protected. It will make me sleep better at night." Said Cassandra with a nervous smile. Harry played with the ring as it hung around his neck.
"Okay." Said Harry and he suddenly had a feeling as if he was protected by something. That night Harry slept peacefully not worrying about what happened that day at the zoo.