Chapter Eight: The Christmas Presents
The weeks rolled on and finally winter holiday was looming in everyone's mind as the last week before the holiday creep by slowly. The classes were getting harder and everyone was ready to have a break. The day before the winter holiday everyone was running around trying to get things in order. The usual Hogsmeade trip was not going to be taken this year, because of the threat of Voldemort. This didn't make a lot of people happy and forced everyone to stay on Hogwarts grounds that day, as the snow began to fall outside. Harry, Ron and Hermione, spend the day in the Gryffindor's commons room playing chess and some games of exploding snaps. After lunch they decided to visit Cassandra.
When they entered the hospital wing they heard Sirius arguing with Madam Pomfrey. "What do you mean she just disappeared? She isn't suppose to go anywhere without someone knowing." Exclaimed Sirius.
"I know Mr. Black, but when I got here this morning she was gone." Said Madam Pomfrey. She was quiet distressed. "I am not sure where she could be." Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then turned around to leave when Sirius noticed that they were there.
"Harry!" called Sirius. Harry turned and looked at Sirius. "Do you know where Cassandra is?"
"No Sirius. I don't know where I thought she was here. Why?" asked Harry?
"Something could have happened to her." Said Sirius and he rushed out of the hospital wing looking very concerned. Harry took a step toward Madam Pomfrey to ask her a question, but she stopped him.
"Mr. Potter I don't know a thing about Mr. Black's concern so don't ask, but I am concerned myself. That poor girl left and didn't even take any clothes, so she is walking around in that little nightgown that I gave her. It is way too cold to be walking around with only that." She said and returned to her work. Harry walked to the bed where Cassandra had been sleeping since she got to Hogwarts. Something caught his eye. The a few rays of sun were coming through the storm clouds. Harry went to the window to look at the snow-covered grounds, when he saw something on the edge of the forbidden forest.
It was a big black animal. "Sirius?" Harry thought, but there was something odd about the way this animal walked, it wasn't a dog. "Hermione, Ron!" he said and motioned for them to come to the window without taking his eyes off the thing on the edge of the forest. When Ron and Hermione got to the window, Harry pointed down at the animal.
"Is that a cat?" asked Hermione. Harry looked again. It was a cat, a big cat. They watched the cat until it disappear into the shadows of the forest a moment later.
"I wonder what that was all about." Said Ron suddenly. "I mean with Sirius, and all."
"I don't know." Said Harry. "I wonder where Cassandra could be and why she didn't tell anyone where she was going." They started to walk back to the commons room. Harry had a burning thought in his head. Should he tell Ron and Hermione that he thought Cassandra was a Dream Walker and that he thought that she might be working with Voldemort?
"Hey guys I want to tell you something." Said Harry, "but we can't talk about this in the corridors. Lets go back to the common room and I will tell you. Everyone has left to caught the train." They walked to the commons room in silence, excepting the tower to be deserted, but when they entered the commons room they found Neville sitting in a chair near the fire very upset.
"Neville are you okay?" asked Hermione as she rushed over to him. Neville wouldn't speak; he just sat there in the chair and stared into the fire. Harry, Ron and Hermione all sat down in chairs around him.
"Neville, won't you miss the train, it is suppose to be leaving in about five minutes?" asked Ron. Neville looked up at him as through he didn't understand one word that was spoken to him.
"Oh, no. I am staying here this Christmas." Said Neville. "My grandmother send me an owl this morning. There was an emergency with my parents, something is wrong."
"Oh, Neville. I am sorry." Said Hermione and she went over to him and gave him a hug, but Neville just sat there.
"Do you know what is happening?" asked Harry.
"I am not sure, but my grandmother told me to stay here, because she was going to the what is happening. She got an owl from the hospital this morning. My whole family has been waiting for this." Said Neville and a tear slid down his face. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't know what to say, so they all just sat there with Neville until dinner. They all went to Dinner and found that at the teachers table there were a couple of empty seat, but there was one seat that had been empty all this time and now was filled again.
"Hagrid!" yelled all of them and they ran up to the teachers table and hugged him.
"Why it is good to see you too." Said Hagrid. He had a great big smile on his face. Seeing Hagrid had come back had cheered up Neville a little, but he still looked very sad, and Hagrid noticed. "Neville what is the matter." Neville told Hagrid about the owl from is grandmother and just as Neville finished telling Hagrid the story of the owl from is grandmother another owl flew into the Great Hall. Everyone watched the owl as it landed next to Neville and looked at him as though excepting something, but all Neville could do was stared at the has though it had a letter telling him of his own death. Harry was the one who finally took the letter from the owl and handed it to Neville.
"Neville I think you should open it." Said Harry. Neville opened the letter as he nodded his head in answer. He read the letter and as he got further into it his letter the graver his face looked. Everyone sat watching Neville anxiously as he finished the letter and sat there staring at it with a tear rolling down his check. No one wanted to say anything until Hermione stepped forward and put her arm around him.
"Is everything okay Neville?" Everyone looked at Neville expectantly.
"They say that my parents are dying." He said with a sigh that almost made Harry cry. "They say that they went into a comma this morning." Neville got looked up at everyone staring at him, and when he noticed that Hagrid was going to say something to him, he turned and ran out of the Great Hall, he didn't want to hear anything anyone tried to say. Nothing would make it better. Harry watched him until the door to the Great Hall were slammed shut behind him, then he began to run after Neville without even thinking about it. Ron was about to follow Harry, but Hermione grabbed his arm. "No let Harry talk to him alone." Said Hermione, and Harry was grateful because it would be a lot easier to talk with Neville if no one else was there.
When Harry stepped outside the great hall he just caught sight of Neville as he ran out the doors to go outside. Harry ran out after him and finally caught up to Neville when they were half way to the lake. "Hey Neville wait up." Called Harry. Neville stopped and quickly turned around to see Harry running after him. When Harry finally stood next to Neville he notice that the snow was thick on the ground and that the cloud above were threatening to storm. "Neville why don't we go to the commons room and talk about this."
"No Harry I just want to be alone. There is nothing you can say that will cheer me up." Said Neville his eyes now filled with tears. "You can't understand."
"Neville I understand how it feels to lose you parents. I know how it feels to not have them there you whole life." Said Harry. Neville looked that Harry quickly.
"I know you know how it feels. I am sorry to say that you didn't, but it is just that..." Neville gave a heavy sigh. "I always thought that they would get better and that we would be a family again." That hit Harry hard. Harry never thought about the hope of having his family back again. Since they had died when Harry was just a baby and had been gone the whole time he never had hope of having them back as Neville had with his family.
"Neville I don't know what to say about that." Said Harry. "Sometimes I wish that I could have my family back, but I know that can never happen. I hope that the doctor's are wrong about you parents, but if he isn't..." Harry trailed off as Neville looked at him sadly. "If he isn't wrong, I am always here for you to talk to." They stood there in silence as small snow flakes started to fall lightly down the to the ground. After a few minutes Harry decided that he would go back into the school and leave Neville alone to think alone.
"The letter said that there was a strange girl asking to see my parents late last night, before they went into their commas. The girl was told that she couldn't see them, but a nurse found her whispering something to my mother just before the fell asleep last night. When the nurse went to tell her to left the girl just disappeared. They don't know what the girl did, but they think that she was there to kill them." He said and Harry looked at him anxiously.
"What did this girl look like?" asked Harry.
"They didn't say it was just a girl." Said Neville and looked at Harry, who looked very concerned. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Said Harry, but that wasn't the truth. There were questions running around in his head about a couple of things. Who was this girl? Could it have been Cassandra? She was missing since last night and Professor Smith did say something about Cassandra being involved with the Longbottoms. Then the question that plagued him before came back into his head. Could Cassandra be working for Voldemort? Harry was thinking and as he was thinking he was staring at the snow falling down and lightly hitting the ground. Then he noticed something, footprints. "What is that?" Harry pointed to the footprints. Neville looked over to where Harry was pointing and they both moved closer to them.
"It looks like a big cat what walking around here." Said Neville and they both followed the footprints to see what it was and where it went. As the two of them followed the footprint Harry noticed something odd... they suddenly disappeared. "Look over there." Said Neville and he was pointing off to the lake. Harry looked to the place that he was pointing and he saw a figure standing near the edge of the lake. Harry and Neville walked slowly to the figure. It was a girl.
"Cassandra!" said Harry and he began to run to her, Neville close behind. When they got there they noticed that she wasn't wearing anything but a thin nightgown. "Cassandra are you okay?" asked Harry, but she didn't answer him. Neville went up to and touched her arm, but pulled his hand away quickly.
"Bloody hell. She is so cold." Said Neville. They both came around to look at her. She was very pale and was staring out over the lake. Harry waved his hand in front of her face, but Cassandra never moved. "Do you think I should go and get one of the Professors?" asked Neville, but before Harry could answer Cassandra turned her head and looked at Neville.
"You are Neville Longbottom are you not?" she asked.
"Yes, I am Neville." He said, and he and Neville took a step back from her. She looked at the both of them with a smile and then stared back out over the lake.
"Where did you go last night Cassandra?" asked Harry. Cassandra looked Harry in the eye and spoke.
"I went to talk with some people that I knew before everything happened." Said Cassandra. Harry looked at her with a questioning expression.
"Whom did you go see?" he asked and Cassandra looked from Harry to Neville and back again, but didn't answer. "Cassandra what were you doing?"
"Harry, what are you trying to say?" asked Neville. Harry looked at Neville. "Your not saying that... my parents." Neville looked at Cassandra angrily.
"You don't understand. There are things you would never think of doing and would never want to do, unless..." Cassandra trailed off.
"Unless?"
"Unless you were tortured for days and days." She said and her eyes began to tear. The two boys looked at her, horrified. "You see I have done thing that I am not proud of. I have done things... just to make it all stop." Neville took a step back from her.
"You are the Lady of Dream. One of you-know-who's follower." Said Neville.
"Yes and no. I am the one they call the Lady of Dreams, but I never followed Voldemort." Neville flinched at his name. "He would use the Cruciatus Curse over and over again, day after day, for six year. What else was I suppose to do." Tears stared to roll down her checks. Harry looked at her with and understanding glare, he knew what it felt like to be put under the Cruciatus Curse, and he never wished that on anyone. He couldn't imagine having the Cruciatus Cruse on you for as long as Cassandra had. He could closed his eyes and remember the day that Cedric died and Voldemort came back. He remembered how it felt to have the Cruciatus Curse placed on him, how much it hurt. "I was only five years old when I watched him kill my mother in front of me and then take me to do what he wanted to do. I could only last so long. Then I did things he wanted me to just to stop the pain..." She wiped her eye with her hands. "I just want to say I am sorry to all the people I wronged, just to make it stop." She stopped.
"Then why don't you say tell them that you are sorry." Said Neville. Cassandra looked at him with such sadness in her eyes.
"Neville..."
"Yes?"
"I am so sorry." She said to and fell to her knees. "I didn't mean to..." she began to cry.
"What are you talking about?" asked Neville. Harry watched Cassandra just sat in the snow shaking as she cried.
"I made your parents walk into that alley. I made them walk into Voldemort's trap. I told them in a dream, and they never questioned it. They just talked into the alley thinking that they were going home. They never knew what was going to happen. They are where they are now, because of me... I did it to them." She said.
"Where did you go last night Cassandra?" questioned Harry. He needed to know. "Did you go see the Longbottoms?" Neville looked from Harry to Cassandra anxiously.
"Yes." Whispered Cassandra.
"You killed my parent." Said Neville. He took out his wand and pointed it at Cassandra wanting to curse her. Cassandra looked up at him and shook her head. "You killed my parents..." He was about to put a curse on her when Harry stepped in front of him, not for Cassandra's sake but so that Neville wouldn't get into trouble.
"Don't Neville, if she did kill your parents she will pay, but not like this." Said Harry and then he turned to Cassandra and looked at her. "Are you still working for Voldemort?" Cassandra looked at him as if the question hurt her.
"How could you ask that?" she asked and stood up still shaking from the cold. "I hate him. You will never know how much I hate him, Harry. I would never help him."
"But what about Neville's parents. You were seen at there hospital last night Cassandra." Harry said. Cassandra nodded. "Then you killed them."
"No... They are not died." She said and looked at Harry. "They are just lost. They need to find their way back." Cassandra took a step toward Harry and then looked at Neville. Then she rushed past Harry and lunged at Neville. Harry tried to stop her but she was to fast for him. Harry turned excepting something bad, but all that happened was that Cassandra grabbed Neville's hand. She looked up at Neville and then closed her eye. Neville started to shake uncontrollably. Harry rushed and tried to pull Cassandra away from Neville, but when he touched them some force pushed him backwards. Harry watched has Cassandra held on to Neville's hand for what seemed to him an eternity. Then as suddenly as it happened, Cassandra let go of Neville and collapsed on the ground next to Neville, who was starting to cry again. He looked up at Harry and smiled.
"They are not dying... They are not dying." He said and looked down at Cassandra, whose lips were blue from the cold. "Harry we have to take her to the hospital wing." Harry looked at him with a confused expression. Neville was trying to pick Cassandra up all by himself as Harry watched for a few minutes, before helping Neville take her to the hospital wing. As they were entering the hospital wing they heard voices arguing from inside.
"You were suppose to be watching her Sirius!" exclaimed a familiar voice.
"I know that Severus." Said Sirius. "I don't know how she got out."
"It will be your fault if anything happens to her." Said Snape. "Your fault..." He trailed off as he noticed Harry and Neville holding Cassandra at the entrance of the hospital wing. Both Snape and Sirius rushed over to them.
"Where did you find her?" asked Sirius has he and Snape took Cassandra and placed her onto one of the beds. "She is so cold."
"We found her by the lake." Said Harry.
"Thank you for you help Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom, but now I will ask you both to go to your tower." Said Snape and then looked back to Cassandra. There was something odd in the way he looked at Cassandra, which Harry couldn't quite put his finger on. It almost seemed to Harry that he cared for Cassandra very deeply.
"Will she be okay?" asked Harry. Snape looked back at him and nodded. That was good enough for Harry. They both walked back to the Gryffindor's tower in silence, until they reached the portrait of the fat lady. Before they went into the tower Harry stopped. "Neville? What happened when Cassandra..."
"I can't explain it. I saw my parents and I knew that they weren't dying. I don't know if you can understand. I just knew." Said Neville and he turned to the portrait. "Unicorn." He said and the portrait swung open. They both walked inside to find Ron and Hermione sitting in chairs by the fire. "I am going to bed." Said Neville and he walked up to the boy dormitory with a smile on his face. Ron and Hermione watched him walked past them and then they looked at Harry with confused expressions.
"What happened?" asked Ron. Harry told them all that happened outside and what happened in the hospital wing when he over heard Snape and Sirius arguing about Cassandra.
"So she is the Lady of Dreams and a dream walker?" asked Hermione.
"It would seem so." Said Harry. "I thought she might have been when you told me about dream walkers awhile ago."
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ron.
"I was going to but things happened." Said Harry and he yawned. "I am tired and I am going to bed. It is late." Harry got up and went up to the dormitory to find Neville already asleep with a smile. Harry got ready for bed and when he just slipped under the covers and closed his eyes he heard Ron enter the room. Harry opened his eyes to see what he was doing and saw that Ron was pacing in front of his bed.
"Ron go to sleep." Said Harry.
"But I can't Harry. Now that I know there is a dream walker in the school I don't want to go to sleep. Have you heard the stories about dream walkers that they would tell children?" Harry shook his head and sat up in his bed. "They can make you do thing, and afterward you don't know what you did. They can make you think that you are running thought a forest playing with friends when you are actually running off a cliff." Harry watched as Ron paced, he was really upset about this.
"Here Ron if it will make you feel better you can wear the ring." Said Harry and he took off the chain with the ring on it. Then handed over to Ron. "I don't need it."
"Are you sure?" asked Ron.
"Yes. Hermione said that there is only one dream walker born every hundred years so that means Cassandra is the only dream walker around here, and I trust her. No matter what I thought before. I trust her now, go ahead and wear the ring for now, so that you can get some sleep." Said Harry and Ron took the chain.
"Thanks." He said as he put it on and went to sleep. Not long after Ron fell asleep Harry was finally able to get to sleep as well, but it wasn't a very restful sleep. He kept turning over in his sleep. When he woke the next morning he couldn't remember what he was dreaming about but he had the feeling as though someone had been chasing him, but Harry was able to out run whoever it was.
The next week rolled by without anything happening. Cassandra was still unconscious in the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey couldn't understand why. There wasn't anything physically wrong with her, according to Madam Pomfrey. Whenever Harry stop by to see how Cassandra was doing he wasn't to surprised to find either Snape or Sirius watching over her. Harry still was confused about the relation between the three of them, but he accepted that there was something there, and wanted to know more about it. He had righted to ask Sirius about it once, but Sirius changed the subject not wanted to talk about it. Harry couldn't understand why Sirius was acting so strangely, but Sirius wasn't the only one to be acting strangely at the moment. Neville.
Neville still hadn't told Harry about what happened that day when they found Cassandra by the lake, and why Neville's attitude had suddenly changed after that. Since that day Neville had been walking around the tower happier than Harry had ever seen him, even with the daily letters from his Grandmother tell him that his parents were getting worse (according to the doctors). Neville stopped reading the letters from his Grandmother and just let them stack up in the corner, and would let Harry read them after he noticed Harry concern for him, but reading the letters didn't help with Harry concern for Neville it only made things worse, especially when Harry told Neville what was in the letter and Neville just smiled and walked away from him.
Ron and Hermione were also concerned about things when Harry finished telling them everything he had wanted to tell them. Harry finally got the chance on Christmas Eve when all three of them were sitting in the commons room of the Gryffindor tower. Harry told them all the things that had happened since he first meet Cassandra during the summer, he told them about all the dreams he had, about the zoo and anything else that seemed important. He also told them that he thought she might of being a Dream Walker since Hermione found out what they were a couple of months ago, and about his suspicions about Cassandra still working for Voldemort.
"But you don't think that anymore do you?" asked Hermione. Harry smiled at her and shook his head. "Why? I mean what happened to make you think otherwise?"
"Well..." Harry started, but then stop to think. He really didn't know what happened to make him change his mind about it, he just did. "Well the day Neville and I found her, we asked her about her connection with Voldemort, and you should have seen the expression on her face. She was truly hurt by the suggestion that she was helping Voldemort with anything." Harry said and saw the concerned look on Hermione's face. She didn't really believe that that was the reason. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again and just sat there thinking. The three of them sat in an odd silence for a few minutes before Ron spoke up.
"Harry." Said Ron. "I believe that that might be a good reason for you to believe her, but I can't help but think that she still is working for you- know-who." Ron finished and looked at Harry expectantly. Harry couldn't find the words to explain to Ron the real reason why. He just knew that she wasn't. Harry sat and thought for a minute before speaking.
"Well Ron. I find it hard to think that anyone would help Voldemort after they were tortured and experimented upon like he did with Cassandra. You guys saw the whip lashes on her back, and the old scars." Said Harry. Both Ron and Hermione nodded at him. They all sat for a while longer thinking about what was discussed and then decided that it was time to go down to the Great Hall for dinner.
Most of the students had gone home at year and so that Great Hall was almost empty, except one Slytherin and one Ravenclaw, also Neville and Ginny, who were all sitting at the same table eating and talking together happily. The teacher's table was almost empty as well. Snape hadn't been seen in the Great Hall since Cassandra was found, and a couple of the other professors had been gone the whole break. Harry never liked it when the school was this empty, it just didn't seem right.
The three friends took a seat at the student's table and ate until they were full. They stayed there talking to the other students for a while. Neville and Ginny had started a debate about the Quidditch season and everyone had there own opinions about. Jamie Bower, a fifth year Slytherin was the most vocal about how the Slytherin team was going to win this year, but Harry was also as vocal about the Gryffindor team.
"Well you are just saying that the Slytherins are going to win this year, because you are a Slytherin." Exclaimed Ron.
"Well you think your house is going to win, so don't talk to me about being a little bias." Retorted Jamie. She smiled slightly at Ron, who began to laugh.
"That is true." Said Ron. He turned to the sixth year Ravenclaw that had remain silent and asked him his opinion. "So David, what do you think? I probably know what you are going to say."
"Well actually." The sixth year Ravenclaw said in a matter-of-fact tone. "If I were to bet on this years season, my money would be on the Gryffindor team." Everyone sat shocked at what David had just said. No one said anything for a while as they stared at him. Then after a few minute of silence Ron was the first to speak.
"There you have it. I think that end the argument. Gryffindor will win the season." Ron said and smiled at Jamie, but all Jamie could do was stick out her tongue playfully as everyone laughed. This surprised Harry a little. He could believe that a Slytherin would even talk to a Gryffindor let alone joke around with them, but Jamie was sitting there laughing and joking with the rest of them. Not long after David got up to do some homework, leaving the Gryffindors and the Slytherin alone together.
"You know, you are nothing like what Draco say you are." Jamie said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Well he is always bad mouthing you to the Slytherins. He says a lot of things. I don't like him much." Said Jamie in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I don't know why he hates me so much, but I know that he isn't my biggest fan, and I am not his either." Said Harry.
"Yeah Malfoy is just a little git!"
"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione.
"What?" Ron looked as though he didn't understand why Hermione was so upset. They both looked at each other with questioning glares until they heard laugher. Both of them turned to see Jamie laughing, and stared in shock.
"Don't worry about it. I am not Draco's biggest fan either. He walks around the Slytherin tower like he owns it or something. Giving orders to everyone, even the seventh years, and they all do what he says. That really pisses me off. I just want to go up to him and knock some sense into that boy." Jamie said with a flash of anger in her eyes. "Everyone is afraid of what Draco will tell his father and that it might..." Jamie stopped and looked around the room. She looked truly scared.
"That it might what?" asked Ginny. The five Gryffindors leaned in to listen to Jamie a little better. Harry saw the fear in her clear blue eyes, as they moved around the room looking to see if anyone else was listening, but there was no one else in the room, even the professor were gone.
"It's okay you can tell us, we wouldn't tell Malfoy you said anything." Harry said calmly.
"I know you wouldn't. It's not that... it's just..." she trailed off checking the room one more time. "It's just that Draco has ways of finding out things, you know. You could be talking to yourself in the middle of an empty room and he will still know what you said. That is the reason everyone in Slytherin is scared of him. I don't know how he is doing it, but... well he creeps me out sometimes... you know." Harry could see that there was something else bothering Jamie.
"Is there anything else you would like to tell us?" asked Harry. Jamie did another check of the room and brushed her hand through her shoulder length black hair. She looked at Harry, and he noticed that there were tears in her eyes.
"Well it's just that..." she took a deep breath and when she spoke again it was in a low whisper. "It's just..." She leaned in so that they were just inches away from the five Gryffindors. "Voldemort." She whispered and then quickly got up and rushed out of the Great Hall with another word. The five of them watched after her in horror. No one could say anything for a few minutes.
"Did she say what I think she said?" asked Ron. Harry nodded.
"She... she actually said his name!" Neville said with a shocked tone. They sat there for a couple moments longer before deciding to talk more about this in the commons room. As they all stood up and started to walk for the doors of the Great Hall when they burst open. They all stood in shock as they saw who walked through the doors.
A witch and a wizard stood there smiling at the students. Harry had never seen them before, but he knew who they were and it only confirmed what he was thinking when he heard Neville called out in joy. "Mum... Dad." Squeaked Neville as he ran towards his parents. They both took Neville in their arms.
"Oh my dear boy." Cried Mrs. Longbottom with tears falling down her face. Harry watched with great joy at the reunion, but then it soon became too sad for Harry to watch. He sad was heavy with the wish that he could have his parents back. Harry wanted to leave but he felt a little awkward about moving as the rest of his friend were all laughing in joy.
"Oh mum, dad I want you to meet my friends." Neville said suddenly pulling away from his parents. He took both their hands and started to pull them towards the four Gryffindors who had been watching. "This is Ron and Ginny Weasley." Neville pointed to the brother and sister and they nodded with a smile.
"Molly and Arthur's children?" asked Mr. Longbottom.
"Yes the younger two." Said Ron as his face turned bright red.
"This is Hermione Granger." Neville pointed to Hermione.
"I am the first witch in my family." Hermione said with a giggle.
"I am sure your parents are proud of you." Said Mrs. Longbottom. They all stood around for a long moment before Mrs. Longbottom turned to notice Harry standing there with a long expression. "Oh dear. Who is this boy with the sad look on his face." Everyone looked at Harry for a moment before Neville spoke.
"Mum, Dad this is Harry... Harry Potter."
"As in the Harry Potter!" exclaimed Mrs. Longbottom. "We knew your parents they were really good people." Mrs. Longbottom said Harry put on a weak smile before turning to his friends.
"I am going for a walk. See you guys back at the tower." Harry said and headed for the door.
"I am sorry my dear boy, James and Lily were good friends. I am so if I upset you." Said Mr. Longbottom. Harry turned to the sad wizards and smiled a bittersweet smile at him.
"Don't worry about it." Said Harry as he walked from the Great Hall. When he entered the corridor he noticed Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall rushing towards him.
"We just heard something interesting, Mr. Potter, maybe to can tell us if it true or not?" Professor Dumbledore stopped in front of Harry as he nodded in response. "Someone told us that the Longbottom are well and that they were seen heading here."
"Yes. They are in here with Neville." Harry said and pointed into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall rushed into the hall first, but Professor Dumbledore stayed in the corridor for a moment looking at Harry.
"Would you like to talk to me about something?" asked the Professor sensing that Harry was a little upset.
"No, sir. It is nothing." Said Harry. Dumbledore smiled at him and then entered the Great Hall. Harry began his walk heading for the Gryffindor tower, but then doubled back and headed for the hospital wing. He wanted to check on Cassandra again to see how she was doing. He walked down the long corridors thinking to himself; wishing that he could at least talk to his parents, but he knew that that would never happen. His was so into his thoughts that he barely noticed Professor Smith standing by the entrance to the hospital wing. Harry walked up to her and was about to call her name when he noticed that she was just standing there doing nothing but staring into the empty hospital wing. Harry walked up to her silently and when he came around to face the professor he gasped. Her eyes were totally white; there was no color in them.
"Professor?" Harry said trying to get the professor's attention, but she didn't move. He put his arm on her to try and get her to move, but when he touched her he quickly moved his hand away. He got a small shock. "Professor!" Harry yelled, but that didn't help either. Harry was just about to go get someone to help when Professor Smith closed her eyes and when she opened them again the color was back. She looked at Harry and smiled.
"Oh Harry. How are you?" asked the professor. Harry just stared at her for a moment and then answered her.
"I am fine Professor, but are you okay?" asked Harry. Professor Smith just looked at Harry with a questioning glare.
"What are you talking about Harry?"
"Well your eyes... Well... They are all white." Said Harry. Professor Smith looked at him confused.
"I don't know what you are talking about Harry." Said the professor. She sounds a little upset and without another word she walked away. Harry watched after her until she disappeared around the corner. Harry walked into the hospital wing and couldn't find anyone around not even Madam Pomfrey, so he went to find Cassandra and when he did he noticed that she was alone. This struck Harry a little odd, because every since she got there in October there was always someone with her, but now she was completely alone. Harry pulled a chair up next to her and sat watching his cousin as she slept. Her chest moved up and down in steady breaths, and her face looked very peaceful. Then Harry noticed that her eyes were moving quite fast underneath her eyelids. Harry realized that she must be dreaming and he started to wonder what she was dreaming about. He sat there wondering a long time, and didn't realized how tired he really was until he pasted out in the chair next to her.
Harry had a great dream while he slept in the chair next to his cousin. In was in a room that was every familiar. It was his bedroom, in his parents' house before they died all those years ago. Harry was sitting in a chair next to the crib, when suddenly the door to the opened and he watched she his mother came into the room carrying him, as a baby and close behind her came a girl about eleven years old, she had short auburn hair and golden eyes.
"Cassandra?" Harry thought, as he watched his mother sit down in a chair; Cassandra took a seat on the floor. Lily Potter started to sing to the baby that she was rocking in her arms. The song was very familiar and Harry recognized it right off. It was the song that Cassandra was always humming. Harry smiled as he listened to his mother's clear voice sing the words of the song, and it made Harry relax. After a few minutes of singing, Lily carefully laid the baby in it crib and then returned to her chair.
"Auntie Lily?" said the little girl.
"Yes my dear?" asked Lily.
"Can you be my mother now?" Cassandra looked up at Lily with tears in her eyes. Lily just looked down at the girl extremely sad. She didn't know how to answer the girl. She wanted to say yeas, she would be the girl's second mother, but she knew that that would not happen. She moment for Cassandra to come sit in her lap and she didn't. Lily pulled her tight and started to rock her back and forth humming the song that she had just sung. Harry watched this scene with a smile on his face. Not long after that the door opened again, and the proud figure of James Potter entered the room. Harry stood up quickly and looked at his father as he walked across the room to the crib where baby Harry was sleeping.
"He went right out James." Said Lily Potter with a smile.
"Did he now? Well he was crying all last night and kept me up." Laughed James as he reached down and stroked the hair on baby Harry's head, which Harry noticed with a smile that it was slightly untidy. James stood up and turned to his wife and niece. "And what about this one?"
"Well she was just about go to bed." Lily said and gently pushed the small girl off her lap so that she would stand. Cassandra stood looking sleepy and with a smile to the two Potters she turned and walked out of the room.
"Okay... Okay. I can take a hint." She said as she left the room. Lily stood up and went to her husband. James embraced her in a long loving embrace. Harry watched them a while longer before wanting to jump up and hug them too, but he didn't. Then suddenly he was sad as he watched something that he could never have.
"What is the matter Harry?" came a familiar voice from the chair where Lily Potter had been sitting. He turned to see the older Cassandra sitting there smiling at him.
"I want to talk to them, but I know this is only a dream." Said Harry. He looked down at his feet very upset, before turning to his cousin again. "Are you dream walking in my dream?" he asked her.
"Yes Harry. You fell asleep right next to me and I could hear you wishing in you head to be able to speak with your parent, so I brought you here." She said with a simple tone.
"Why?"
"Because you wanted it so badly, and it is Christmas, so I did it for you." She smiled. "Go ahead and talk to them." She pointed to Harry's parents would were still in there embrace.
"But this is only a dream. They won't answer." Said Harry. Cassandra looked at him.
"You think so?" She said and then looked up at the two Potters, who turned to look at Harry.
"Harry dear, is there something you would like to speak to us about?" asked Lily. Harry's heart leaped up to his throat and his eyes started to tear as he heard his mother talk to him.
"Mum?" was the only thing he could say. Lily smiled a warm and loving smile and nodded. Harry turned back to look at Cassandra, but she had disappeared.
"Well out with it, Harry." Said James, who took the seat was Cassandra had been sitting.
"I just wanted to say that... that I... I love you." Harry said as he wiped a tear that had escaped. James smiled and looked at his wife.
"Harry, we know that you loved us, and we love you. We always will no matter what happens." Said his father. Harry nodded at him.
"I only wish that you weren't just a part of my dream. That you were real." Said Harry. James gave a pointed look at his wife and she came and stood behind him.
"But Harry were are real." Said Lily. Harry stand up straight.
"Then you are just a part of my dream you are really here?" asked Harry.
"Well yes and no Harry." Said James. "It is hard to explain. Cassandra called us here to speak with you, we aren't really here, it is all a dream. When you get up we will still be death, but your cousin called upon our spirits to speak with you." Harry began to cry uncontrollably. He was really speaking to his parent, for the first time in his life, beside the brief moment of the horrible day last year. In that moment he was at lost for words, and didn't know exactly what to say. He wanted for so long to speak with them about thing, but when it came around to it he did know what to say.
"Harry we don't have mush more time here. The sun is raising and you will wake up soon." Said Lily as she moved towards her son and place an uncomforting arm around him. It came as a shock to Harry that it felt so real.
"I... I want to say so much, but I don't know how." Said Harry.
"Harry then let me say something. I am so proud of you and I don't know I have been prouder of anything in my life. We are watching you and have seen everything that you have done. We know that you have done great things and will do greater things. I only wish I was there to help you along your travels in life." Harry felt his mother squeeze her hands on his shoulders. "You cousin Cassandra has always been there for you even if you didn't know it. She has always watched after you and would never hurt you. I know that that has been weighing heavily on your mind and that is the only thing that I can tell you about the things that are happening right now.
There are many things going on that I wish I could warn you about, but I am unable to." James stood up and motioned for his son to do the same. Harry stood and James pulled him into a fatherly embrace, which Harry had never felt before, except maybe with Sirius. Lily joined the embrace holding both her husband and son in the same moment. Harry started to cry once again. He never wanted to let go of them, but Lily and James pulled away and as Harry brought his hands up to his face to wipe away his tears he heard his fathers voice again. "We love you Harry and we are so proud." Harry removed his hands from his eye to look at his parent, but they were gone and his was back in the hospital wing. The sun was slanting through the window and Harry knew that it was Christmas morning.
"Happy Christmas, Harry." Said Cassandra. Harry noticed that she was sitting up in her bed. She had brought her knee up so that her chin rested on them and she was hugging her legs. She had been crying as well.
"Thank you Cassandra." Harry said weakly. She smiled at him and got up from her bad and hugged him.
"You don't have to thank me Harry. Consider it one of the two Christmas present I am going to give you." She said as she pulled away from Harry and went to where she was keeping her stuff, before she left to see Neville's parents. She grabbed a long box and returning to Harry, gave it to him. Harry looked at the box with great interest. It looked it a wand box that one would get if they went to buy a wand. "Well open it." Cassandra said as she jumped back into her bed. Harry opened the box slowly and when he finally finished he stood staring at the contents unsure what they were suppose to be, other than two old wands.
"I don't understand. Why are you giving me two old wand Cassandra?" asked Harry.
"Silly they are just two old wand." She smiled at him. "They are you parent's wands." Harry stared at them and then carefully led each one looking at it with great interest.
"How did you get these..."
"Aw, but that would be telling." Said Cassandra with a laugh. "Oh did Neville like his parent Harry?" Harry shot a quickly look at her.
"Was that you?" Harry questioned in amazement.
"Yes." Said Cassandra and she sounded just like the little girl in his dream.
"How?" Harry stood there staring at her.
"Well Harry. They were just lost in their minds. I had to help them find there way out, that's all, but first I had to make them dream, then I showed them the way out." Said Cassandra.
"Lost?" Harry said confused.
"Yes Harry they were lost inside their minds and couldn't find the way out. I showed it to them and once they found it they were okay." She smiled at him. She went to speak but turned her head quickly towards the door. Harry turned his head towards the door, but there wasn't anything there and Harry couldn't even hear anything in the hallway. Harry looked at Cassandra who was still staring hard at the door with complete concentration, but still Harry could see or hear anything.
"Is everything okay Cassandra?" asked Harry. Cassandra started to turn her head toward Harry but stopped half away, her eyes still on the door. That was when Harry heard someone walking towards the room quickly. Harry turned his head back to the door just in time to see Sirius walked in with a surprise and relieved expression.
"Oh, Harry there you are." Said Harry with a heavy sigh of relief. "The last place we look and there you are."
"What are you talking about?"
"You didn't show up at the tower last night your friends went to find Dumbledore and we have been looking for you all night. No one even thought of looking for you in the hospital wing." Said Sirius with a laugh.
"Well I came to visit Cassandra and accidentally fell asleep here." Said Harry and smiled.
"I think you should get to your tower, and I will tell Dumbledore where you were." Sirius said and started to walk out of the room before turning back to him. "Oh Harry I going to stop by you tower later today, since it is only you, Hermione, and the Weasleys."
"What? Where is Neville?" asked Harry
"He left with his parents. They seemed a little upset about saying something that might of upset you." Said Sirius and walked out of the room.
"Well I guess I should be going." Said Harry and turned back to Cassandra to see that she was asleep. Harry smiled at her as he walked out of the hospital wing heading for the Gryffindor tower and within a matter of minutes he was standing in the middle of the commons room holding the box with his parent's wands in his hands. He opened the lid to the box and look at them careful as if they were both made of glass. He didn't know how long he was there before he heard Hermione call his name. Harry looked up to see Hermione and Ron rushing towards him.
"Where were you last night?" asked Ron quickly. Then he saw what Harry was holding. "Why do you have those two old wands?"
"They are just two old wands Ron. They are my parents wands." Said Harry. Ron and Hermione's expressions were ones of complete shock.
"Where did you get your parents wands?" asked Hermione.
"Cassandra gave them to me for my Christmas present, and that is were I was all night. I feel asleep in the hospital wing." Said Harry and then he told them about the dream that he had.
"You actually talked to your parents? How?" asked Hermione.
"Cassandra again. I guess Dream Walkers have the ability to contact people that are dead." Harry said and smiled to his friends. "Why don't we open our presents?" said Harry and they all opened their presents as they talked about things that happened that night.
"Oh and what about Jamie. She looked really scared." Said Ron. "And she actually said his name. I wonder what she was trying to tell us."
"I don't know, but I hope to talk to her later." Said Harry. They all decided to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast and see if they could caught Jamie, but she wasn't there and they didn't see her for the rest of the day. In fact they didn't she her for the rest of Christmas holiday and it wasn't until their first class with the Slytherins did Harry see her as she shot nervous glances at him and Ron. After class Harry tried to speak with her, but she left the class fast, trying to avoid the three of them. Harry started to get really worried about her.
The weeks rolled on and finally winter holiday was looming in everyone's mind as the last week before the holiday creep by slowly. The classes were getting harder and everyone was ready to have a break. The day before the winter holiday everyone was running around trying to get things in order. The usual Hogsmeade trip was not going to be taken this year, because of the threat of Voldemort. This didn't make a lot of people happy and forced everyone to stay on Hogwarts grounds that day, as the snow began to fall outside. Harry, Ron and Hermione, spend the day in the Gryffindor's commons room playing chess and some games of exploding snaps. After lunch they decided to visit Cassandra.
When they entered the hospital wing they heard Sirius arguing with Madam Pomfrey. "What do you mean she just disappeared? She isn't suppose to go anywhere without someone knowing." Exclaimed Sirius.
"I know Mr. Black, but when I got here this morning she was gone." Said Madam Pomfrey. She was quiet distressed. "I am not sure where she could be." Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then turned around to leave when Sirius noticed that they were there.
"Harry!" called Sirius. Harry turned and looked at Sirius. "Do you know where Cassandra is?"
"No Sirius. I don't know where I thought she was here. Why?" asked Harry?
"Something could have happened to her." Said Sirius and he rushed out of the hospital wing looking very concerned. Harry took a step toward Madam Pomfrey to ask her a question, but she stopped him.
"Mr. Potter I don't know a thing about Mr. Black's concern so don't ask, but I am concerned myself. That poor girl left and didn't even take any clothes, so she is walking around in that little nightgown that I gave her. It is way too cold to be walking around with only that." She said and returned to her work. Harry walked to the bed where Cassandra had been sleeping since she got to Hogwarts. Something caught his eye. The a few rays of sun were coming through the storm clouds. Harry went to the window to look at the snow-covered grounds, when he saw something on the edge of the forbidden forest.
It was a big black animal. "Sirius?" Harry thought, but there was something odd about the way this animal walked, it wasn't a dog. "Hermione, Ron!" he said and motioned for them to come to the window without taking his eyes off the thing on the edge of the forest. When Ron and Hermione got to the window, Harry pointed down at the animal.
"Is that a cat?" asked Hermione. Harry looked again. It was a cat, a big cat. They watched the cat until it disappear into the shadows of the forest a moment later.
"I wonder what that was all about." Said Ron suddenly. "I mean with Sirius, and all."
"I don't know." Said Harry. "I wonder where Cassandra could be and why she didn't tell anyone where she was going." They started to walk back to the commons room. Harry had a burning thought in his head. Should he tell Ron and Hermione that he thought Cassandra was a Dream Walker and that he thought that she might be working with Voldemort?
"Hey guys I want to tell you something." Said Harry, "but we can't talk about this in the corridors. Lets go back to the common room and I will tell you. Everyone has left to caught the train." They walked to the commons room in silence, excepting the tower to be deserted, but when they entered the commons room they found Neville sitting in a chair near the fire very upset.
"Neville are you okay?" asked Hermione as she rushed over to him. Neville wouldn't speak; he just sat there in the chair and stared into the fire. Harry, Ron and Hermione all sat down in chairs around him.
"Neville, won't you miss the train, it is suppose to be leaving in about five minutes?" asked Ron. Neville looked up at him as through he didn't understand one word that was spoken to him.
"Oh, no. I am staying here this Christmas." Said Neville. "My grandmother send me an owl this morning. There was an emergency with my parents, something is wrong."
"Oh, Neville. I am sorry." Said Hermione and she went over to him and gave him a hug, but Neville just sat there.
"Do you know what is happening?" asked Harry.
"I am not sure, but my grandmother told me to stay here, because she was going to the what is happening. She got an owl from the hospital this morning. My whole family has been waiting for this." Said Neville and a tear slid down his face. Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't know what to say, so they all just sat there with Neville until dinner. They all went to Dinner and found that at the teachers table there were a couple of empty seat, but there was one seat that had been empty all this time and now was filled again.
"Hagrid!" yelled all of them and they ran up to the teachers table and hugged him.
"Why it is good to see you too." Said Hagrid. He had a great big smile on his face. Seeing Hagrid had come back had cheered up Neville a little, but he still looked very sad, and Hagrid noticed. "Neville what is the matter." Neville told Hagrid about the owl from is grandmother and just as Neville finished telling Hagrid the story of the owl from is grandmother another owl flew into the Great Hall. Everyone watched the owl as it landed next to Neville and looked at him as though excepting something, but all Neville could do was stared at the has though it had a letter telling him of his own death. Harry was the one who finally took the letter from the owl and handed it to Neville.
"Neville I think you should open it." Said Harry. Neville opened the letter as he nodded his head in answer. He read the letter and as he got further into it his letter the graver his face looked. Everyone sat watching Neville anxiously as he finished the letter and sat there staring at it with a tear rolling down his check. No one wanted to say anything until Hermione stepped forward and put her arm around him.
"Is everything okay Neville?" Everyone looked at Neville expectantly.
"They say that my parents are dying." He said with a sigh that almost made Harry cry. "They say that they went into a comma this morning." Neville got looked up at everyone staring at him, and when he noticed that Hagrid was going to say something to him, he turned and ran out of the Great Hall, he didn't want to hear anything anyone tried to say. Nothing would make it better. Harry watched him until the door to the Great Hall were slammed shut behind him, then he began to run after Neville without even thinking about it. Ron was about to follow Harry, but Hermione grabbed his arm. "No let Harry talk to him alone." Said Hermione, and Harry was grateful because it would be a lot easier to talk with Neville if no one else was there.
When Harry stepped outside the great hall he just caught sight of Neville as he ran out the doors to go outside. Harry ran out after him and finally caught up to Neville when they were half way to the lake. "Hey Neville wait up." Called Harry. Neville stopped and quickly turned around to see Harry running after him. When Harry finally stood next to Neville he notice that the snow was thick on the ground and that the cloud above were threatening to storm. "Neville why don't we go to the commons room and talk about this."
"No Harry I just want to be alone. There is nothing you can say that will cheer me up." Said Neville his eyes now filled with tears. "You can't understand."
"Neville I understand how it feels to lose you parents. I know how it feels to not have them there you whole life." Said Harry. Neville looked that Harry quickly.
"I know you know how it feels. I am sorry to say that you didn't, but it is just that..." Neville gave a heavy sigh. "I always thought that they would get better and that we would be a family again." That hit Harry hard. Harry never thought about the hope of having his family back again. Since they had died when Harry was just a baby and had been gone the whole time he never had hope of having them back as Neville had with his family.
"Neville I don't know what to say about that." Said Harry. "Sometimes I wish that I could have my family back, but I know that can never happen. I hope that the doctor's are wrong about you parents, but if he isn't..." Harry trailed off as Neville looked at him sadly. "If he isn't wrong, I am always here for you to talk to." They stood there in silence as small snow flakes started to fall lightly down the to the ground. After a few minutes Harry decided that he would go back into the school and leave Neville alone to think alone.
"The letter said that there was a strange girl asking to see my parents late last night, before they went into their commas. The girl was told that she couldn't see them, but a nurse found her whispering something to my mother just before the fell asleep last night. When the nurse went to tell her to left the girl just disappeared. They don't know what the girl did, but they think that she was there to kill them." He said and Harry looked at him anxiously.
"What did this girl look like?" asked Harry.
"They didn't say it was just a girl." Said Neville and looked at Harry, who looked very concerned. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Said Harry, but that wasn't the truth. There were questions running around in his head about a couple of things. Who was this girl? Could it have been Cassandra? She was missing since last night and Professor Smith did say something about Cassandra being involved with the Longbottoms. Then the question that plagued him before came back into his head. Could Cassandra be working for Voldemort? Harry was thinking and as he was thinking he was staring at the snow falling down and lightly hitting the ground. Then he noticed something, footprints. "What is that?" Harry pointed to the footprints. Neville looked over to where Harry was pointing and they both moved closer to them.
"It looks like a big cat what walking around here." Said Neville and they both followed the footprints to see what it was and where it went. As the two of them followed the footprint Harry noticed something odd... they suddenly disappeared. "Look over there." Said Neville and he was pointing off to the lake. Harry looked to the place that he was pointing and he saw a figure standing near the edge of the lake. Harry and Neville walked slowly to the figure. It was a girl.
"Cassandra!" said Harry and he began to run to her, Neville close behind. When they got there they noticed that she wasn't wearing anything but a thin nightgown. "Cassandra are you okay?" asked Harry, but she didn't answer him. Neville went up to and touched her arm, but pulled his hand away quickly.
"Bloody hell. She is so cold." Said Neville. They both came around to look at her. She was very pale and was staring out over the lake. Harry waved his hand in front of her face, but Cassandra never moved. "Do you think I should go and get one of the Professors?" asked Neville, but before Harry could answer Cassandra turned her head and looked at Neville.
"You are Neville Longbottom are you not?" she asked.
"Yes, I am Neville." He said, and he and Neville took a step back from her. She looked at the both of them with a smile and then stared back out over the lake.
"Where did you go last night Cassandra?" asked Harry. Cassandra looked Harry in the eye and spoke.
"I went to talk with some people that I knew before everything happened." Said Cassandra. Harry looked at her with a questioning expression.
"Whom did you go see?" he asked and Cassandra looked from Harry to Neville and back again, but didn't answer. "Cassandra what were you doing?"
"Harry, what are you trying to say?" asked Neville. Harry looked at Neville. "Your not saying that... my parents." Neville looked at Cassandra angrily.
"You don't understand. There are things you would never think of doing and would never want to do, unless..." Cassandra trailed off.
"Unless?"
"Unless you were tortured for days and days." She said and her eyes began to tear. The two boys looked at her, horrified. "You see I have done thing that I am not proud of. I have done things... just to make it all stop." Neville took a step back from her.
"You are the Lady of Dream. One of you-know-who's follower." Said Neville.
"Yes and no. I am the one they call the Lady of Dreams, but I never followed Voldemort." Neville flinched at his name. "He would use the Cruciatus Curse over and over again, day after day, for six year. What else was I suppose to do." Tears stared to roll down her checks. Harry looked at her with and understanding glare, he knew what it felt like to be put under the Cruciatus Curse, and he never wished that on anyone. He couldn't imagine having the Cruciatus Cruse on you for as long as Cassandra had. He could closed his eyes and remember the day that Cedric died and Voldemort came back. He remembered how it felt to have the Cruciatus Curse placed on him, how much it hurt. "I was only five years old when I watched him kill my mother in front of me and then take me to do what he wanted to do. I could only last so long. Then I did things he wanted me to just to stop the pain..." She wiped her eye with her hands. "I just want to say I am sorry to all the people I wronged, just to make it stop." She stopped.
"Then why don't you say tell them that you are sorry." Said Neville. Cassandra looked at him with such sadness in her eyes.
"Neville..."
"Yes?"
"I am so sorry." She said to and fell to her knees. "I didn't mean to..." she began to cry.
"What are you talking about?" asked Neville. Harry watched Cassandra just sat in the snow shaking as she cried.
"I made your parents walk into that alley. I made them walk into Voldemort's trap. I told them in a dream, and they never questioned it. They just talked into the alley thinking that they were going home. They never knew what was going to happen. They are where they are now, because of me... I did it to them." She said.
"Where did you go last night Cassandra?" questioned Harry. He needed to know. "Did you go see the Longbottoms?" Neville looked from Harry to Cassandra anxiously.
"Yes." Whispered Cassandra.
"You killed my parent." Said Neville. He took out his wand and pointed it at Cassandra wanting to curse her. Cassandra looked up at him and shook her head. "You killed my parents..." He was about to put a curse on her when Harry stepped in front of him, not for Cassandra's sake but so that Neville wouldn't get into trouble.
"Don't Neville, if she did kill your parents she will pay, but not like this." Said Harry and then he turned to Cassandra and looked at her. "Are you still working for Voldemort?" Cassandra looked at him as if the question hurt her.
"How could you ask that?" she asked and stood up still shaking from the cold. "I hate him. You will never know how much I hate him, Harry. I would never help him."
"But what about Neville's parents. You were seen at there hospital last night Cassandra." Harry said. Cassandra nodded. "Then you killed them."
"No... They are not died." She said and looked at Harry. "They are just lost. They need to find their way back." Cassandra took a step toward Harry and then looked at Neville. Then she rushed past Harry and lunged at Neville. Harry tried to stop her but she was to fast for him. Harry turned excepting something bad, but all that happened was that Cassandra grabbed Neville's hand. She looked up at Neville and then closed her eye. Neville started to shake uncontrollably. Harry rushed and tried to pull Cassandra away from Neville, but when he touched them some force pushed him backwards. Harry watched has Cassandra held on to Neville's hand for what seemed to him an eternity. Then as suddenly as it happened, Cassandra let go of Neville and collapsed on the ground next to Neville, who was starting to cry again. He looked up at Harry and smiled.
"They are not dying... They are not dying." He said and looked down at Cassandra, whose lips were blue from the cold. "Harry we have to take her to the hospital wing." Harry looked at him with a confused expression. Neville was trying to pick Cassandra up all by himself as Harry watched for a few minutes, before helping Neville take her to the hospital wing. As they were entering the hospital wing they heard voices arguing from inside.
"You were suppose to be watching her Sirius!" exclaimed a familiar voice.
"I know that Severus." Said Sirius. "I don't know how she got out."
"It will be your fault if anything happens to her." Said Snape. "Your fault..." He trailed off as he noticed Harry and Neville holding Cassandra at the entrance of the hospital wing. Both Snape and Sirius rushed over to them.
"Where did you find her?" asked Sirius has he and Snape took Cassandra and placed her onto one of the beds. "She is so cold."
"We found her by the lake." Said Harry.
"Thank you for you help Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom, but now I will ask you both to go to your tower." Said Snape and then looked back to Cassandra. There was something odd in the way he looked at Cassandra, which Harry couldn't quite put his finger on. It almost seemed to Harry that he cared for Cassandra very deeply.
"Will she be okay?" asked Harry. Snape looked back at him and nodded. That was good enough for Harry. They both walked back to the Gryffindor's tower in silence, until they reached the portrait of the fat lady. Before they went into the tower Harry stopped. "Neville? What happened when Cassandra..."
"I can't explain it. I saw my parents and I knew that they weren't dying. I don't know if you can understand. I just knew." Said Neville and he turned to the portrait. "Unicorn." He said and the portrait swung open. They both walked inside to find Ron and Hermione sitting in chairs by the fire. "I am going to bed." Said Neville and he walked up to the boy dormitory with a smile on his face. Ron and Hermione watched him walked past them and then they looked at Harry with confused expressions.
"What happened?" asked Ron. Harry told them all that happened outside and what happened in the hospital wing when he over heard Snape and Sirius arguing about Cassandra.
"So she is the Lady of Dreams and a dream walker?" asked Hermione.
"It would seem so." Said Harry. "I thought she might have been when you told me about dream walkers awhile ago."
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Ron.
"I was going to but things happened." Said Harry and he yawned. "I am tired and I am going to bed. It is late." Harry got up and went up to the dormitory to find Neville already asleep with a smile. Harry got ready for bed and when he just slipped under the covers and closed his eyes he heard Ron enter the room. Harry opened his eyes to see what he was doing and saw that Ron was pacing in front of his bed.
"Ron go to sleep." Said Harry.
"But I can't Harry. Now that I know there is a dream walker in the school I don't want to go to sleep. Have you heard the stories about dream walkers that they would tell children?" Harry shook his head and sat up in his bed. "They can make you do thing, and afterward you don't know what you did. They can make you think that you are running thought a forest playing with friends when you are actually running off a cliff." Harry watched as Ron paced, he was really upset about this.
"Here Ron if it will make you feel better you can wear the ring." Said Harry and he took off the chain with the ring on it. Then handed over to Ron. "I don't need it."
"Are you sure?" asked Ron.
"Yes. Hermione said that there is only one dream walker born every hundred years so that means Cassandra is the only dream walker around here, and I trust her. No matter what I thought before. I trust her now, go ahead and wear the ring for now, so that you can get some sleep." Said Harry and Ron took the chain.
"Thanks." He said as he put it on and went to sleep. Not long after Ron fell asleep Harry was finally able to get to sleep as well, but it wasn't a very restful sleep. He kept turning over in his sleep. When he woke the next morning he couldn't remember what he was dreaming about but he had the feeling as though someone had been chasing him, but Harry was able to out run whoever it was.
The next week rolled by without anything happening. Cassandra was still unconscious in the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey couldn't understand why. There wasn't anything physically wrong with her, according to Madam Pomfrey. Whenever Harry stop by to see how Cassandra was doing he wasn't to surprised to find either Snape or Sirius watching over her. Harry still was confused about the relation between the three of them, but he accepted that there was something there, and wanted to know more about it. He had righted to ask Sirius about it once, but Sirius changed the subject not wanted to talk about it. Harry couldn't understand why Sirius was acting so strangely, but Sirius wasn't the only one to be acting strangely at the moment. Neville.
Neville still hadn't told Harry about what happened that day when they found Cassandra by the lake, and why Neville's attitude had suddenly changed after that. Since that day Neville had been walking around the tower happier than Harry had ever seen him, even with the daily letters from his Grandmother tell him that his parents were getting worse (according to the doctors). Neville stopped reading the letters from his Grandmother and just let them stack up in the corner, and would let Harry read them after he noticed Harry concern for him, but reading the letters didn't help with Harry concern for Neville it only made things worse, especially when Harry told Neville what was in the letter and Neville just smiled and walked away from him.
Ron and Hermione were also concerned about things when Harry finished telling them everything he had wanted to tell them. Harry finally got the chance on Christmas Eve when all three of them were sitting in the commons room of the Gryffindor tower. Harry told them all the things that had happened since he first meet Cassandra during the summer, he told them about all the dreams he had, about the zoo and anything else that seemed important. He also told them that he thought she might of being a Dream Walker since Hermione found out what they were a couple of months ago, and about his suspicions about Cassandra still working for Voldemort.
"But you don't think that anymore do you?" asked Hermione. Harry smiled at her and shook his head. "Why? I mean what happened to make you think otherwise?"
"Well..." Harry started, but then stop to think. He really didn't know what happened to make him change his mind about it, he just did. "Well the day Neville and I found her, we asked her about her connection with Voldemort, and you should have seen the expression on her face. She was truly hurt by the suggestion that she was helping Voldemort with anything." Harry said and saw the concerned look on Hermione's face. She didn't really believe that that was the reason. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again and just sat there thinking. The three of them sat in an odd silence for a few minutes before Ron spoke up.
"Harry." Said Ron. "I believe that that might be a good reason for you to believe her, but I can't help but think that she still is working for you- know-who." Ron finished and looked at Harry expectantly. Harry couldn't find the words to explain to Ron the real reason why. He just knew that she wasn't. Harry sat and thought for a minute before speaking.
"Well Ron. I find it hard to think that anyone would help Voldemort after they were tortured and experimented upon like he did with Cassandra. You guys saw the whip lashes on her back, and the old scars." Said Harry. Both Ron and Hermione nodded at him. They all sat for a while longer thinking about what was discussed and then decided that it was time to go down to the Great Hall for dinner.
Most of the students had gone home at year and so that Great Hall was almost empty, except one Slytherin and one Ravenclaw, also Neville and Ginny, who were all sitting at the same table eating and talking together happily. The teacher's table was almost empty as well. Snape hadn't been seen in the Great Hall since Cassandra was found, and a couple of the other professors had been gone the whole break. Harry never liked it when the school was this empty, it just didn't seem right.
The three friends took a seat at the student's table and ate until they were full. They stayed there talking to the other students for a while. Neville and Ginny had started a debate about the Quidditch season and everyone had there own opinions about. Jamie Bower, a fifth year Slytherin was the most vocal about how the Slytherin team was going to win this year, but Harry was also as vocal about the Gryffindor team.
"Well you are just saying that the Slytherins are going to win this year, because you are a Slytherin." Exclaimed Ron.
"Well you think your house is going to win, so don't talk to me about being a little bias." Retorted Jamie. She smiled slightly at Ron, who began to laugh.
"That is true." Said Ron. He turned to the sixth year Ravenclaw that had remain silent and asked him his opinion. "So David, what do you think? I probably know what you are going to say."
"Well actually." The sixth year Ravenclaw said in a matter-of-fact tone. "If I were to bet on this years season, my money would be on the Gryffindor team." Everyone sat shocked at what David had just said. No one said anything for a while as they stared at him. Then after a few minute of silence Ron was the first to speak.
"There you have it. I think that end the argument. Gryffindor will win the season." Ron said and smiled at Jamie, but all Jamie could do was stick out her tongue playfully as everyone laughed. This surprised Harry a little. He could believe that a Slytherin would even talk to a Gryffindor let alone joke around with them, but Jamie was sitting there laughing and joking with the rest of them. Not long after David got up to do some homework, leaving the Gryffindors and the Slytherin alone together.
"You know, you are nothing like what Draco say you are." Jamie said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Well he is always bad mouthing you to the Slytherins. He says a lot of things. I don't like him much." Said Jamie in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I don't know why he hates me so much, but I know that he isn't my biggest fan, and I am not his either." Said Harry.
"Yeah Malfoy is just a little git!"
"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione.
"What?" Ron looked as though he didn't understand why Hermione was so upset. They both looked at each other with questioning glares until they heard laugher. Both of them turned to see Jamie laughing, and stared in shock.
"Don't worry about it. I am not Draco's biggest fan either. He walks around the Slytherin tower like he owns it or something. Giving orders to everyone, even the seventh years, and they all do what he says. That really pisses me off. I just want to go up to him and knock some sense into that boy." Jamie said with a flash of anger in her eyes. "Everyone is afraid of what Draco will tell his father and that it might..." Jamie stopped and looked around the room. She looked truly scared.
"That it might what?" asked Ginny. The five Gryffindors leaned in to listen to Jamie a little better. Harry saw the fear in her clear blue eyes, as they moved around the room looking to see if anyone else was listening, but there was no one else in the room, even the professor were gone.
"It's okay you can tell us, we wouldn't tell Malfoy you said anything." Harry said calmly.
"I know you wouldn't. It's not that... it's just..." she trailed off checking the room one more time. "It's just that Draco has ways of finding out things, you know. You could be talking to yourself in the middle of an empty room and he will still know what you said. That is the reason everyone in Slytherin is scared of him. I don't know how he is doing it, but... well he creeps me out sometimes... you know." Harry could see that there was something else bothering Jamie.
"Is there anything else you would like to tell us?" asked Harry. Jamie did another check of the room and brushed her hand through her shoulder length black hair. She looked at Harry, and he noticed that there were tears in her eyes.
"Well it's just that..." she took a deep breath and when she spoke again it was in a low whisper. "It's just..." She leaned in so that they were just inches away from the five Gryffindors. "Voldemort." She whispered and then quickly got up and rushed out of the Great Hall with another word. The five of them watched after her in horror. No one could say anything for a few minutes.
"Did she say what I think she said?" asked Ron. Harry nodded.
"She... she actually said his name!" Neville said with a shocked tone. They sat there for a couple moments longer before deciding to talk more about this in the commons room. As they all stood up and started to walk for the doors of the Great Hall when they burst open. They all stood in shock as they saw who walked through the doors.
A witch and a wizard stood there smiling at the students. Harry had never seen them before, but he knew who they were and it only confirmed what he was thinking when he heard Neville called out in joy. "Mum... Dad." Squeaked Neville as he ran towards his parents. They both took Neville in their arms.
"Oh my dear boy." Cried Mrs. Longbottom with tears falling down her face. Harry watched with great joy at the reunion, but then it soon became too sad for Harry to watch. He sad was heavy with the wish that he could have his parents back. Harry wanted to leave but he felt a little awkward about moving as the rest of his friend were all laughing in joy.
"Oh mum, dad I want you to meet my friends." Neville said suddenly pulling away from his parents. He took both their hands and started to pull them towards the four Gryffindors who had been watching. "This is Ron and Ginny Weasley." Neville pointed to the brother and sister and they nodded with a smile.
"Molly and Arthur's children?" asked Mr. Longbottom.
"Yes the younger two." Said Ron as his face turned bright red.
"This is Hermione Granger." Neville pointed to Hermione.
"I am the first witch in my family." Hermione said with a giggle.
"I am sure your parents are proud of you." Said Mrs. Longbottom. They all stood around for a long moment before Mrs. Longbottom turned to notice Harry standing there with a long expression. "Oh dear. Who is this boy with the sad look on his face." Everyone looked at Harry for a moment before Neville spoke.
"Mum, Dad this is Harry... Harry Potter."
"As in the Harry Potter!" exclaimed Mrs. Longbottom. "We knew your parents they were really good people." Mrs. Longbottom said Harry put on a weak smile before turning to his friends.
"I am going for a walk. See you guys back at the tower." Harry said and headed for the door.
"I am sorry my dear boy, James and Lily were good friends. I am so if I upset you." Said Mr. Longbottom. Harry turned to the sad wizards and smiled a bittersweet smile at him.
"Don't worry about it." Said Harry as he walked from the Great Hall. When he entered the corridor he noticed Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall rushing towards him.
"We just heard something interesting, Mr. Potter, maybe to can tell us if it true or not?" Professor Dumbledore stopped in front of Harry as he nodded in response. "Someone told us that the Longbottom are well and that they were seen heading here."
"Yes. They are in here with Neville." Harry said and pointed into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall rushed into the hall first, but Professor Dumbledore stayed in the corridor for a moment looking at Harry.
"Would you like to talk to me about something?" asked the Professor sensing that Harry was a little upset.
"No, sir. It is nothing." Said Harry. Dumbledore smiled at him and then entered the Great Hall. Harry began his walk heading for the Gryffindor tower, but then doubled back and headed for the hospital wing. He wanted to check on Cassandra again to see how she was doing. He walked down the long corridors thinking to himself; wishing that he could at least talk to his parents, but he knew that that would never happen. His was so into his thoughts that he barely noticed Professor Smith standing by the entrance to the hospital wing. Harry walked up to her and was about to call her name when he noticed that she was just standing there doing nothing but staring into the empty hospital wing. Harry walked up to her silently and when he came around to face the professor he gasped. Her eyes were totally white; there was no color in them.
"Professor?" Harry said trying to get the professor's attention, but she didn't move. He put his arm on her to try and get her to move, but when he touched her he quickly moved his hand away. He got a small shock. "Professor!" Harry yelled, but that didn't help either. Harry was just about to go get someone to help when Professor Smith closed her eyes and when she opened them again the color was back. She looked at Harry and smiled.
"Oh Harry. How are you?" asked the professor. Harry just stared at her for a moment and then answered her.
"I am fine Professor, but are you okay?" asked Harry. Professor Smith just looked at Harry with a questioning glare.
"What are you talking about Harry?"
"Well your eyes... Well... They are all white." Said Harry. Professor Smith looked at him confused.
"I don't know what you are talking about Harry." Said the professor. She sounds a little upset and without another word she walked away. Harry watched after her until she disappeared around the corner. Harry walked into the hospital wing and couldn't find anyone around not even Madam Pomfrey, so he went to find Cassandra and when he did he noticed that she was alone. This struck Harry a little odd, because every since she got there in October there was always someone with her, but now she was completely alone. Harry pulled a chair up next to her and sat watching his cousin as she slept. Her chest moved up and down in steady breaths, and her face looked very peaceful. Then Harry noticed that her eyes were moving quite fast underneath her eyelids. Harry realized that she must be dreaming and he started to wonder what she was dreaming about. He sat there wondering a long time, and didn't realized how tired he really was until he pasted out in the chair next to her.
Harry had a great dream while he slept in the chair next to his cousin. In was in a room that was every familiar. It was his bedroom, in his parents' house before they died all those years ago. Harry was sitting in a chair next to the crib, when suddenly the door to the opened and he watched she his mother came into the room carrying him, as a baby and close behind her came a girl about eleven years old, she had short auburn hair and golden eyes.
"Cassandra?" Harry thought, as he watched his mother sit down in a chair; Cassandra took a seat on the floor. Lily Potter started to sing to the baby that she was rocking in her arms. The song was very familiar and Harry recognized it right off. It was the song that Cassandra was always humming. Harry smiled as he listened to his mother's clear voice sing the words of the song, and it made Harry relax. After a few minutes of singing, Lily carefully laid the baby in it crib and then returned to her chair.
"Auntie Lily?" said the little girl.
"Yes my dear?" asked Lily.
"Can you be my mother now?" Cassandra looked up at Lily with tears in her eyes. Lily just looked down at the girl extremely sad. She didn't know how to answer the girl. She wanted to say yeas, she would be the girl's second mother, but she knew that that would not happen. She moment for Cassandra to come sit in her lap and she didn't. Lily pulled her tight and started to rock her back and forth humming the song that she had just sung. Harry watched this scene with a smile on his face. Not long after that the door opened again, and the proud figure of James Potter entered the room. Harry stood up quickly and looked at his father as he walked across the room to the crib where baby Harry was sleeping.
"He went right out James." Said Lily Potter with a smile.
"Did he now? Well he was crying all last night and kept me up." Laughed James as he reached down and stroked the hair on baby Harry's head, which Harry noticed with a smile that it was slightly untidy. James stood up and turned to his wife and niece. "And what about this one?"
"Well she was just about go to bed." Lily said and gently pushed the small girl off her lap so that she would stand. Cassandra stood looking sleepy and with a smile to the two Potters she turned and walked out of the room.
"Okay... Okay. I can take a hint." She said as she left the room. Lily stood up and went to her husband. James embraced her in a long loving embrace. Harry watched them a while longer before wanting to jump up and hug them too, but he didn't. Then suddenly he was sad as he watched something that he could never have.
"What is the matter Harry?" came a familiar voice from the chair where Lily Potter had been sitting. He turned to see the older Cassandra sitting there smiling at him.
"I want to talk to them, but I know this is only a dream." Said Harry. He looked down at his feet very upset, before turning to his cousin again. "Are you dream walking in my dream?" he asked her.
"Yes Harry. You fell asleep right next to me and I could hear you wishing in you head to be able to speak with your parent, so I brought you here." She said with a simple tone.
"Why?"
"Because you wanted it so badly, and it is Christmas, so I did it for you." She smiled. "Go ahead and talk to them." She pointed to Harry's parents would were still in there embrace.
"But this is only a dream. They won't answer." Said Harry. Cassandra looked at him.
"You think so?" She said and then looked up at the two Potters, who turned to look at Harry.
"Harry dear, is there something you would like to speak to us about?" asked Lily. Harry's heart leaped up to his throat and his eyes started to tear as he heard his mother talk to him.
"Mum?" was the only thing he could say. Lily smiled a warm and loving smile and nodded. Harry turned back to look at Cassandra, but she had disappeared.
"Well out with it, Harry." Said James, who took the seat was Cassandra had been sitting.
"I just wanted to say that... that I... I love you." Harry said as he wiped a tear that had escaped. James smiled and looked at his wife.
"Harry, we know that you loved us, and we love you. We always will no matter what happens." Said his father. Harry nodded at him.
"I only wish that you weren't just a part of my dream. That you were real." Said Harry. James gave a pointed look at his wife and she came and stood behind him.
"But Harry were are real." Said Lily. Harry stand up straight.
"Then you are just a part of my dream you are really here?" asked Harry.
"Well yes and no Harry." Said James. "It is hard to explain. Cassandra called us here to speak with you, we aren't really here, it is all a dream. When you get up we will still be death, but your cousin called upon our spirits to speak with you." Harry began to cry uncontrollably. He was really speaking to his parent, for the first time in his life, beside the brief moment of the horrible day last year. In that moment he was at lost for words, and didn't know exactly what to say. He wanted for so long to speak with them about thing, but when it came around to it he did know what to say.
"Harry we don't have mush more time here. The sun is raising and you will wake up soon." Said Lily as she moved towards her son and place an uncomforting arm around him. It came as a shock to Harry that it felt so real.
"I... I want to say so much, but I don't know how." Said Harry.
"Harry then let me say something. I am so proud of you and I don't know I have been prouder of anything in my life. We are watching you and have seen everything that you have done. We know that you have done great things and will do greater things. I only wish I was there to help you along your travels in life." Harry felt his mother squeeze her hands on his shoulders. "You cousin Cassandra has always been there for you even if you didn't know it. She has always watched after you and would never hurt you. I know that that has been weighing heavily on your mind and that is the only thing that I can tell you about the things that are happening right now.
There are many things going on that I wish I could warn you about, but I am unable to." James stood up and motioned for his son to do the same. Harry stood and James pulled him into a fatherly embrace, which Harry had never felt before, except maybe with Sirius. Lily joined the embrace holding both her husband and son in the same moment. Harry started to cry once again. He never wanted to let go of them, but Lily and James pulled away and as Harry brought his hands up to his face to wipe away his tears he heard his fathers voice again. "We love you Harry and we are so proud." Harry removed his hands from his eye to look at his parent, but they were gone and his was back in the hospital wing. The sun was slanting through the window and Harry knew that it was Christmas morning.
"Happy Christmas, Harry." Said Cassandra. Harry noticed that she was sitting up in her bed. She had brought her knee up so that her chin rested on them and she was hugging her legs. She had been crying as well.
"Thank you Cassandra." Harry said weakly. She smiled at him and got up from her bad and hugged him.
"You don't have to thank me Harry. Consider it one of the two Christmas present I am going to give you." She said as she pulled away from Harry and went to where she was keeping her stuff, before she left to see Neville's parents. She grabbed a long box and returning to Harry, gave it to him. Harry looked at the box with great interest. It looked it a wand box that one would get if they went to buy a wand. "Well open it." Cassandra said as she jumped back into her bed. Harry opened the box slowly and when he finally finished he stood staring at the contents unsure what they were suppose to be, other than two old wands.
"I don't understand. Why are you giving me two old wand Cassandra?" asked Harry.
"Silly they are just two old wand." She smiled at him. "They are you parent's wands." Harry stared at them and then carefully led each one looking at it with great interest.
"How did you get these..."
"Aw, but that would be telling." Said Cassandra with a laugh. "Oh did Neville like his parent Harry?" Harry shot a quickly look at her.
"Was that you?" Harry questioned in amazement.
"Yes." Said Cassandra and she sounded just like the little girl in his dream.
"How?" Harry stood there staring at her.
"Well Harry. They were just lost in their minds. I had to help them find there way out, that's all, but first I had to make them dream, then I showed them the way out." Said Cassandra.
"Lost?" Harry said confused.
"Yes Harry they were lost inside their minds and couldn't find the way out. I showed it to them and once they found it they were okay." She smiled at him. She went to speak but turned her head quickly towards the door. Harry turned his head towards the door, but there wasn't anything there and Harry couldn't even hear anything in the hallway. Harry looked at Cassandra who was still staring hard at the door with complete concentration, but still Harry could see or hear anything.
"Is everything okay Cassandra?" asked Harry. Cassandra started to turn her head toward Harry but stopped half away, her eyes still on the door. That was when Harry heard someone walking towards the room quickly. Harry turned his head back to the door just in time to see Sirius walked in with a surprise and relieved expression.
"Oh, Harry there you are." Said Harry with a heavy sigh of relief. "The last place we look and there you are."
"What are you talking about?"
"You didn't show up at the tower last night your friends went to find Dumbledore and we have been looking for you all night. No one even thought of looking for you in the hospital wing." Said Sirius with a laugh.
"Well I came to visit Cassandra and accidentally fell asleep here." Said Harry and smiled.
"I think you should get to your tower, and I will tell Dumbledore where you were." Sirius said and started to walk out of the room before turning back to him. "Oh Harry I going to stop by you tower later today, since it is only you, Hermione, and the Weasleys."
"What? Where is Neville?" asked Harry
"He left with his parents. They seemed a little upset about saying something that might of upset you." Said Sirius and walked out of the room.
"Well I guess I should be going." Said Harry and turned back to Cassandra to see that she was asleep. Harry smiled at her as he walked out of the hospital wing heading for the Gryffindor tower and within a matter of minutes he was standing in the middle of the commons room holding the box with his parent's wands in his hands. He opened the lid to the box and look at them careful as if they were both made of glass. He didn't know how long he was there before he heard Hermione call his name. Harry looked up to see Hermione and Ron rushing towards him.
"Where were you last night?" asked Ron quickly. Then he saw what Harry was holding. "Why do you have those two old wands?"
"They are just two old wands Ron. They are my parents wands." Said Harry. Ron and Hermione's expressions were ones of complete shock.
"Where did you get your parents wands?" asked Hermione.
"Cassandra gave them to me for my Christmas present, and that is were I was all night. I feel asleep in the hospital wing." Said Harry and then he told them about the dream that he had.
"You actually talked to your parents? How?" asked Hermione.
"Cassandra again. I guess Dream Walkers have the ability to contact people that are dead." Harry said and smiled to his friends. "Why don't we open our presents?" said Harry and they all opened their presents as they talked about things that happened that night.
"Oh and what about Jamie. She looked really scared." Said Ron. "And she actually said his name. I wonder what she was trying to tell us."
"I don't know, but I hope to talk to her later." Said Harry. They all decided to go down to the Great Hall for breakfast and see if they could caught Jamie, but she wasn't there and they didn't see her for the rest of the day. In fact they didn't she her for the rest of Christmas holiday and it wasn't until their first class with the Slytherins did Harry see her as she shot nervous glances at him and Ron. After class Harry tried to speak with her, but she left the class fast, trying to avoid the three of them. Harry started to get really worried about her.