Chapter 33
Back to Normal?

The five of them stepped into the empty classroom and Harry performed a locking charm on the door while Ginny added a silencing charm for good measure. The three of them, Cassie, Hermione, and Ron all stood for a few seconds and looked at each other. Ron looked between the two girls, and then approached Hermione carefully, putting his hand against her cheek. "Hermione?"

"Yes. It's me."

"I know you're angry with me and I don't blame you. I was a prat . . ."

"No, Ron. You didn't know . . . you couldn't have known."

"But I could have . . . ."

"Well, it's true that you could have . . . but you were trying to think about me." Cassie stared in mild amazement at the two of them. Hermione was wearing her face and Ron was holding her tenderly. Cassie had really expected yelling and screaming and blaming and accusing. She had expected Hermione to be mad at her for letting Ron kiss her, or mad at Ron for trying to kiss her. She had not, in a million years, imagined this. Ron let Hermione go and stepped back.

"You sure look different, Hermione."

"Uh . . . "

"It's strange, really. But cute." Hermione flushed slightly.

"Do you like this way better?"

"What?"

"Do you wish I looked like this all the time instead of like . . . that?" And she waved her hand frantically at Cassie, who suddenly wished she could sink into the floor. This was more what she had expected when they had come in here.

"No . . . I mean . . . I like the way you look normally, not when you're all, you know, cutesy." Cassie took a deep breath. That was definitely the wrong thing to say.

"So you're saying I don't normally look cute?"

"No . . . I just. . . ." Ron looked over at Cassie again as though hoping she would jump in and help but she didn't really know what to say.

"And by the way, did you really think I would go up to your room! Alone? What were you thinking?" She was starting to work herself into a righteous anger now, and the other three automatically stepped backward.

"Oh, Hermione, I . . . I didn't know. I was surprised you'd uh, suggest something like that. If I had known you were going . . ."

"You have no one to blame but yourself, Ron. If you'd come down this morning and found out what was going on or at least asked Harry or one of us in Transfiguration before running like an idiot . . ."

"Oh, bloody hell! Nothing has gone right today. I'm going up and going back to bed. Maybe when I wake up, this entire nightmare will be over."

"Well, that's just fine! We'll have Harry go up and wake you up for dinner. Unless, of course, you're expecting me to come up and wake you personally!"

"Oh, I can't believe this."

Ginny looked at Ron and tried to wipe the grin off her face. "Ron, you silly git. Did you really think Hermione would suggest what you obviously thought she was suggesting?"

Ron's ears turned bright red. "She did, didn't she? I'm sorry that Polyjuice potion wasn't the first thought that crossed my mind! What was I to know? I'm leaving. Don't wake me until this has worn off and they look like themselves again!" He walked to the door, tried to open it, then turned and glared at Harry for a moment. Harry grinned, took his wand out and unsealed the door. Ron walked out, shoulders drooping, and headed toward the staircase.

Cassie felt terrible, both for Ron and for Hermione. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I shouldn't have said those things to him. He obviously took it more seriously than I thought he would."

"It's not your fault, Pia. I actually think it was kind of funny. I just wanted him to know I'm not going to be going up stairs anytime soon." She blushed as she finished her comment. They both glanced at their watches at that exact moment and smiled at each other. "Ten more minutes. I guess we better go." Hermione picked up Cassie's bookbag from the floor and headed over to where Ginny and Cassie were standing.

"Hermione? Is this really necessary? I mean, I don't know what you do in this Ancient Runes class, but can't I just go and fake it, like I have all the other classes?" Both Ginny and Hermione started shaking their heads simultaneously and Cassie turned to Harry for a voice of reason. But he just shrugged and she remembered that he had said he had never taken the class.

"It's not that easy. I'm sure Hermione and I won't be working together because we are almost done with a huge project and I've got another partner, obviously."

"Well, yeah, but can't I just admit to the teacher that I don't have a clue what I'm doing? I mean, that would not necessarily mean I was a Muggle or anything. Harry would have to do the same thing if he had to take the class."

"That's true, Hermione, I would." Harry flashed Cassie a look of support and she smiled at him in appreciation.

"That won't work because I already told the professor that you are really good at Runes because he was throwing a fit about letting you into the class."

"When did you do that?" Cassie was really confused about this as she was pretty sure that she had never met the professor and couldn't imagine when Ginny had done so.

"Earlier today when I thought this was settled. Besides, Draco is in the class and believe me, he would pounce on your inability to do it in a second. It could be trouble."

"Oh, great. Well, I'll take your words for it. Look, Hermione, maybe you can correct your earlier oversight and change him into a toad now." All four of them laughed and they headed out of the classroom, Ginny and Hermione to Ancient Runes and Cassie back up to Gryffindor tower. Harry went with her part of the way and then turned off to head to his next class.

"Cassie?" He said as she turned down one hall and he turned down another.

"Yes, Harry?"

"I just wanted to . . . apologize for dragging you into this."

"Into what?"

"Well, the whole thing, I guess."

"You didn't drag me. I came voluntarily. You don't need to apologize."

"I think you're doing a great job. Everyone is convinced that you're a witch."

"Thanks, Harry. That means a lot to me." She watched as he turned away from her and walked down the corridor. Then she looked at her watch and realized she had better hurry. She made it into the toilet in Gryffindor tower just in time, and hurriedly gulped down the brownish sludge before she had time to talk herself out of it. Aaagh! The stuff got worse every time. No wonder Hermione had said it was best made up fresh that morning. She hated to contemplate what it would taste like by tomorrow.

She went back into the common room to read her book again and noted with embarrassment that several of the students grinned at her when she entered, while a few others whispered something or another to their friends, which was followed by snickering. Cassie again took her place on the couch and pulled out Hogwarts: A History. She decided that she would need to ask Hermione if she could borrow this book or maybe buy her own copy. It was surprisingly interesting and she would have to make sure to tell Hermione that. She took her dose a little early for the last time. Hermione had been worried that it would not wear off completely by the time she had to go to her 3:00 class and was also worried about Cassie getting to Charms looking like herself. So, at about 15 minutes to 3, Cassie stood up, spoke briefly to some of the students in the common room, picked up her bag, and made her way back through the portrait hole and down to Moaning Myrtle's toilet. She pushed the door open slowly, unsure of what to expect on the other side. Myrtle had been barely tolerable when she had Hermione and Ginny as backup. She wasn't sure what she would do if she had to deal with the ghost by herself. She waited nervously by the door, hoping she could escape if there was any indication that Myrtle wanted to visit. Fortunately, the ghost did not put in an appearance before Ginny and Hermione entered the bathroom a few minutes later.

Both girls looked harried and Cassie soon realized why. Hermione's hair was already turning brown again. Cassie looked with interest at the hybrid mixture of her own blue eyes and Hermione's frizzy brown hair. It only took one glance in the mirror to verify that her potion was also wearing off although her hair was still brown. Her face was almost completely back to the one she was used to seeing when she looked in the mirror and she had to admit to herself that she was relieved. Always, in the deepest recesses of her brain, she worried that something would go wrong with these potions and things and she'd be stuck in whatever horrible position she was in. So far, so good. She watched, fascinated, as the process continued until she looked once again like herself. She raised her hand to touch her face again and gasped. Pain! Hermione's bra was digging into her shoulders and back in a very insistent signal that she had better get it off. She hurried quickly into the toilet stall, but not before she looked it over carefully for evidence of a certain pimply-faced girl. Both girls exchanged their clothing again, Hermione cleaning it quickly as they passed it under the divider. After the girls dressed, they exited the stalls and grinned at each other. Cassie felt remarkably refreshed. "It's good to be back to my old self, to use a cliche."

"Yeah. Although it wasn't bad being you. It was different being so . . . attractive, I guess. All the boys kept looking at me."

"I'm sure that's not true, Hermione." Cassie's face was now beet red, she was sure.

'Of course it is, of course it is." Myrtle flew down from the ceiling to look the two girls over. "She's never been pretty. I think she even looked better than she does now when she was half cat!" Ginny giggled and Cassie looked between Hermione and Myrtle in confusion.

"Go away, Myrtle. I don't have time to deal with you today."

"When were you a cat, Hermione?"

"I was never a cat! I was . . . it was a mistake. I've got to go." Hermione grabbed her own bookbag again, swinging it up over her shoulder. But Cassie could have sworn that as the girl left, she was muttering something about "I make one mistake in my second year and no one ever lets me forget it." Ginny laughed again.

"I'll explain it another time. Come on. Let's get to Charms." They left a sulking Myrtle sitting on one of the sinks after she turned on all the faucets and Cassie picked up her robes carefully to avoid dragging them in the wet.

As they walked down the corridor, Ginny explained to Cassie what had happened in the earlier class. "It was really good Hermione went to Runes for you. We were right about my being stuck with my original partner. But to make it even worse, somehow Malfoy finagled a way to be her, your, her partner. You should have seen the smug expression on his face when he thought he had you to himself for almost two hours."

Cassie whistled in amazement. "Did it go all right? He wasn't suspicious or anything?"

"She said that everything went fine. I'm sure they did. She's used to dealing with the prat."

"That would have really been a disaster, wouldn't it have?"

"Could have been." They were quickly approaching the Charms classroom and they stopped talking about the Polyjuice potion. Rhiannon had saved them two spots, and both girls sat down gratefully.

It was an uneventful class for all three of them. The only thing that really happened was that Rhiannon noticed Niles staring at Cassie and started teasing her about going to Hogsmeade with him on Saturday. Cassie blushed as Ginny whispered to her that she obviously had another member of her ever-growing fan club. The majority of the class time was spent discussing the previous class's activities and how everyone's storm and subsequent snowman-animation had progressed. Professor Flitwick mentioned the snowball fight between Cassie's, Ginny's and Rhiannon's snowmen to the rest of the class and gave extra points to Gryffindor for their originality and powerful magical abilities. Cassie almost laughed, but managed to control herself.

The three girls left Charms feeling pretty good about the extra points and laughed and visited all the way back to their dorm room about the snowmen, Niles' puppy dog expression for Cassie, and a seventh-year Ravenclaw Rhiannon had a crush on. As the girls walked up the stairs, they heard raised voices, but when they got into their room, they were really surprised to see Elspeth and Saffron arguing with each other. Both their faces were red and sweaty and it was obvious they had been going at it for some time.

"Well, it was none of your business, Saffron! You had no right to tell your mum about Colin and me. Especially since you knew she would immediately tell my mum!"

"So I'm supposed to censor my letters home to make sure to protect your little relationship with him! I didn't know that she'd even care! It's not like you and my mum even know each other!"

"Oh, please! Your mum is a huge gossip and you know it. I wouldn't be surprised if her mouth has a higher circulation than the Daily Prophet!" Ginny grimaced and the three newcomers tried to intervene in what was obviously becoming a very nasty fight.

"Take that back! How dare you? I didn't know my mum would care about you making a fool out of yourself chasing after a Muggle-born! But since she did, she was obligated to pass on the news to your mum! After all, maybe your mum can talk you out of this horrible idea! Why you would want to taint your family's pure blood with Muggle blood, I'll never know."

"I'm not tainting my family's supposed pure blood by dating Colin."

"Well, if you marry him you will be. Let's face reality, Elspeth! Muggles are inferior to us. Everyone knows that. They're less intelligent and childish! How they've ever been able to survive is beyond me. Pia, Ginny, you're both pure blood. I know your family are all Muggle lovers, but even you have to admit that Muggles are inferior to us. Would you want to taint your family's name and blood by marrying a Muggle? Would your parents want you to do that? Tell her what a mistake she's making!"

Ginny looked at Cassie with an embarrassed, pained look. "For Merlin's sake, Saffron! It isn't like Elspeth is going to marry Colin and have a baby tomorrow. They're just dating. Besides, Colin is a wizard, not a Muggle."

"He's a Muggle-born wizard! Therefore, he still has Muggle blood and he'd still be watering down a pure-blood family. At least you agree with me, Pia, don't you?"

Cassie felt sick to her stomach. The vehemency concerning Muggles in Saffron's voice scared and depressed her. She looked at her and just shook her head. "Saffron, you're mistaken about Muggles. You can't just make a blanket statement like that. Muggles are just like wizards. You have smart ones and dumb ones."

"Oh, you're just as bad as the rest of the Weasleys. You're the ones who are ruining the last pureblood families that are left!" Saffron looked mutinously at all four of her roommates, obviously not swayed by their arguments. But to be fair, Cassie thought, she wasn't swayed by Saffron's arguments either. She thought Colin and Elspeth were a cute couple, and if they wanted to be together, it was no one's business but their own.

Ginny's expression was stony and her face had turned a deep red. "How dare you say that! Your arrogant attitude is what's destroying the last pureblood families. There's nothing wrong with Muggles, especially if they're witches or wizards. Are you going to try to tell me Hermione Granger is less intelligent than you because she was Muggle-born? Please! No one in this school would agree with that comment! How about Harry Potter? His mum was Muggle-born but he's a powerful wizard!" Ginny whirled, eyes flashing, as she found the one roommate she thought would bring some rationality into this argument. "Rhiannon, your mum was Muggle-born. You agree with me, don't you?"

Rhiannon hesitated for a moment and then walked over and stood next to Saffron. "No, I don't agree with you, Ginny, Elspeth! Sorry, Pia. I know you and Ginny love Muggles, but you're not seeing the full picture. Sure, my mum was Muggle-born but she's a powerful witch. But that's not enough for the people around here. I'm still considered inferior here at school! Admit it! It's true." Cassie looked at Ginny, waiting for a denial. But Ginny only nodded, her eyes closing in embarrassment. Elspeth was breathing hard in the aftermath of the yelling, but she didn't disagree with Rhiannon's stark portrait of her life. "Plus, I don't fit in with her family either. They're nice enough and everything. Some of them know about us, but only a few. And after the first few minutes of small talk, I really don't have anything to talk about. They get really uncomfortable if I mention Hogwarts and my mum and dad have stopped even trying to invite them to our house. So, even two generations removed from the Muggles, there are problems. It's just not that easy! It really isn't!" Rhiannon looked pleadingly at Elspeth. " Saffron was probably wrong to tell her mum because I'm sure she knew it would get back to your family. But, maybe it's for the best if you break it off with him now, before you get even more attached." Elspeth let out a gut-wrenching sob and threw herself onto her bed, pulling the curtains closed around her.

Rhiannon looked at Ginny and Pia. "I'm not trying to be mean to her, I'm really not. I'm trying to be realistic. Imagine Colin introducing her to his extended family -- you get the picture. It's not pretty." Saffron and Rhiannon looked at each other and then at Elspeth's closed curtains.

Rhiannon shrugged and she and Saffron walked out the door. Ginny and Cassie watched the door shut behind them and then walked over to Elspeth's bed. Ginny pulled the curtains aside and patted Elspeth on the back. "It's not as bad as all that, Elspeth. I think she's exaggerating. Not everyone's family is like that."

"How would you know?" Cassie jumped in at this sort of rude rejoinder to Ginny.

"Her brother is dating Hermione, remember? And his family isn't complaining."

Elspeth sat up, wiping her face. "Yeah, but I'm not sure, Ginny, that your family is a realistic example of what most are like. You know that." Ginny had to agree.

"But you don't want to stop seeing him, do you?"

"No. I don't. I've had a crush on him forever . . . and he's even more wonderful than I thought. I'm going to have to hide my relationship with him somehow. Maybe Colin and I can study in empty classrooms and not sit by each other at dinner or anything."

"You've got to be kidding, Elspeth. Do you really think Colin would agree to date you but only where people wouldn't see you? I can just see it now: 'Oh, sure, Colin, you can kiss me - out behind the Quidditch pitch where no one will see us, because I'm embarrassed to be seen with a Muggle-born wizard.'"

Elspeth's eyes filled with tears again. "You know I don't think that way."

"Then you better decide what you want to do. It isn't fair to Colin."

"He hasn't even kissed me yet. Maybe he doesn't even like me enough to want to kiss me. Maybe I'm fooling myself into thinking this could be serious." "

Cassie smiled. "I think he does like you. It just took him a while to admit it. He's a little shy, obviously. And maybe he feels self-conscious about the, uh, Muggle-born thing, too."

"You think that could be it?"

"It's a possibility, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess so. I'm supposed to be meeting him for dinner in a minute."

"Well, wash your face and fix your hair and go down and convince him that it's worth the effort for the two of you. If you think it is, than it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks." Elspeth looked at Ginny and Cassie.

"My parents might disinherit me, you know."

"Maybe Colin's family is independently wealthy," Cassie suggested, trying to bring a smile to the girl's face.

Both Ginny and Elspeth laughed. "His dad is a milkman!"

"Oh. Well, I guess that's a no on that front, then." Elspeth stood up and shook out the wrinkles from her robe.

"It's not going to get better by my hiding up here, though. So, I may as well go down and see him. He'll be worried if I don't come for dinner." A few minutes later, the slight girl left the room and Cassie and Ginny looked at each other.

"That was much uglier than I expected it to be. I thought the two of them liked each other." Ginny shrugged.

"Saffron's a bit of a purist. She gets personally offended if anyone even thinks of 'diluting' the wizard blood in a family. She really should have been in Slytherin." Cassie crossed over to her own bed and pulled back the curtains, hoping to lay down for a few minutes before they went down to dinner. She hadn't done that much today but she was still exhausted. And this little emotional drama that had just played out in front of her didn't help. She couldn't help but let out a squeal as she saw what was sitting on her bed. It was an owl. A very familiar-looking owl.

"Icharus! How long have you been here?" Of course, the owl didn't answer her, just looked at her through one reproachful eye and stuck out his leg. Cassie took the parchment quickly, smiling despite herself at George's handwriting. Ginny walked up behind her.

"Oh. Poor baby. I bet you're hungry and thirsty, aren't you? We'll let Pia answer George's letter while I take care of you . . . ." Cassie looked in surprise at Ginny who was now talking babytalk and cooking at the owl, picking it up and stroking it's feathers.

"Do you really think I should answer him? We're supposed to see him in two days." Her stomach clenched as the reality of that visit struck home once again. She really did not want to have the conversation with him that she knew was inevitable.

"Well, of course. Otherwise, he would have been long gone. He was obviously told to wait for a reply." Ginny kept cooing at the owl and petting it, setting it on her dresser and pouring it a small bowl of water from the pitcher that was always present in their room. Cassie unrolled the parchment and sat on her bed to read it, losing all interest in Ginny or the owl as she read what George had to say to her.

Dear Pia, It is Wednesday afternoon. I wanted to wait to write to you when I knew a little bit more about what was supposed to happen tonight, but things are still vague. Hopefully, by the time you get this tomorrow everything will be over and everyone will be safe and well. I hate the waiting part but I think Fred thrives on it. Drives me insane. I am sick to my stomach and worried. He is bouncing around, threatening death to all Death Eaters everywhere. This is typical. He'll probably pack his pockets with all sorts of fireworks and noisemakers. He always says they are good distractions in the heat of battle. I'm not sure that I trust those to protect me against Unforgiveable curses. I don't want you to worry about me. Although I know I look like an idiot and I certainly act like one around you, I've been okay thus far. Harry may come tonight. So take care of Ginny. If anything should happen . . . well. I won't think that far ahead. I'm going to assume that we will see each other on Saturday. I can't bear to think of any other options. I've got a special surprise for you. It's not fireworks or Dragon Kisses. Promise. I'll see you very soon, now, okay? George

Cassie read the note several times over. She couldn't believe that on the afternoon before he went off to fight he took the time to write to her. She pulled out a clean piece of parchment and wrote back to him carefully.

George, By now I know that everyone is back safely. I didn't know you would be fighting until Harry came back and said you and Fred were fine. My heart just about stopped. I couldn't believe that you had been fighting and I hadn't known about it. Promise me you won't do that again. Please let me know in advance. That way I can be praying for you as well as Harry. I am counting the hours until I see you on Saturday. It's not too much longer now. And I don't need anything so please don't bring me any presents. I don't have one for you and don't think I have a chance to get one before then. So, whatever it is, leave it at home and just bring you. Pia

She stood up and walked over to Icharus who was looking, if it was possible, much more content. The owl accepted the parchment with dignity and flew out the window a few seconds later. "I'm starving." Cassie smiled at Ginny.

"Yeah, so am I. Let's go eat." Ginny didn't ask what George had to say and Cassie didn't volunteer the information. "Do you think he'll get that before Saturday?"

"He should get it tomorrow. Are you excited about Hogsmeade?"

"In a way. But just when I think that everything will be fine, something like this afternoon happens, and I realize that I may be deluding myself."

"I really don't think so, Pia. And I know my brothers."

"I guess we'll find out. I need to decide what I'm going to wear. Do we wear school robes on these visits or what?"

"No. You can . . ." And the girls discussed various wardrobe options as they descended the stairs and as they walked to dinner. Hermione kept shooting them dirty looks under her eyebrows while Harry and Ron discussed some professional Quidditch game that had happened the day before and been written about in the newspaper.

The furor over Ron's embarrassment had died down, pretty much, although there were a few catcalls across the room at Hermione and Ron as they sat down. Things seemed to be back to an even keel between them and Cassie marveled at their volatile relationship. She thought that in general they enjoyed the arguing and the fighting. Harry had told her when she first met them that it seemed to be an integral part of their relating to each other. She didn't think she'd enjoy that sort of constant snapping, but it worked for them. She watched Harry and Ginny across the table, also. They seemed to have a much more "normal" dating situation. He fussed over her when she needed it and vice versa. They teased and laughed, but it was rare that she ever heard Ginny say a cross word to Harry. Not that she didn't have a temper with him. It just seemed to mostly be directed at things around him rather than at him personally. Cassie also looked down the table and found Elspeth. Colin was sitting by her and she thought it was possible they were holding hands under the table. She couldn't find Saffron at the table although Rhiannon was eating and smiling with some of her friends and not even looking at the two of them.

Cassie had one unpleasant experience during dinner which was blessedly short-lived. Professor Snape sat down to eat just as she was finishing up. He glared at her under hooded lids for a few minutes and she was reminded that tomorrow morning right after breakfast she would get to face him in his territory - Potions class. She was really excited about that. Ha! She refused to be intimidated, though, and after a few minutes of feeling his eyes practically drilling holes through her, she turned her gaze to him and was pleased to see him look away. She decided that she would remember that in the morning. It was bound to be an interesting class.

The evening was filled with finishing up homework and watching Harry and Ron play chess. It was the first time Cassie had really seen them play at their best and she had to admit that she was impressed. Harry lost, which she knew was expected, but she noticed the Ron worked pretty hard at it before he trapped a loudly complaining king in one of the corners of the board. Harry also introduced her to the joys of Exploding Snap. Cassie shrieked the first couple of times the cards blew up and everyone laughed. She didn't play too much as she decided the idea of having explosions happen under her hand was not really her cup of tea. She watched some first years play Gobstones, which no one could really explain to her. She tried not to look too confused as she gathered that all witches and wizards played these games from the time they were very young and Ginny assured her that a pure-blood witch would certainly understand the rules.

That night, as she lay once more in her four-poster bed, Cassie contemplated the day. Someday she would be able to tell someone that she had been Head Girl at Hogwarts for four hours. That was probably pretty impressive, considering she was Muggle through and through. And tomorrow was Friday. And the day after that was Saturday. And Saturday meant Hogsmeade, which also meant George. And she fell asleep smiling, hardly daring to believe that life could be as wonderful as it seemed to be right at this moment.