Chapter 46
News

Cassie woke up suddenly, her eyes opening onto darkness, and she was momentarily disoriented. She had no idea where she was. She wasn't at home and she wasn't at Hogwarts. It took a few seconds before she remembered. She was at the Burrow! At that moment, she felt a smile explode on her face. She stretched in the tangled sheet and then grimaced. She was very hot and sweaty. She got out of bed and walked over to the window. She could see her watch in the dim light coming through the glass and she squinted to bring the numbers into focus. It was very early. About the same time that Ginny had been getting her up all week so they could get down to the showers and get her hair dried and styled before the other girls woke up.

The thought of Ginny doing her hair made her realize that she had no one to dry it for her this morning. She certainly could not ask George to dry her hair for her or curl it, and she doubted that Molly would be willing. Even if she was, the fact that she still felt quite ambivalent about Molly's feelings toward her as a Muggle would keep her from asking. She would have to just brush it and either let it dry naturally or braid it. Hmm. Unless she wanted her hair straight for the entire time she was here which she really didn't, she would have to round up something like curlers. Gag! She had not had curlers in her hair since she was about five years old. Well, there was no help for it. When one was living without electricity, the luxuries of curling irons and blow dryers were not an option.

She left the window and headed to the bedroom door, grabbing her bathrobe as she went. She opened the door and started down the hall before the sound of running water penetrated her still-sleepy brain. Someone was in the shower. She considered her options. She could wait in the hall, but then someone, a wet steamy someone, would be walking by her in a few moments. She looked at the darkness of the bedroom, and, cursing herself silently for being such a wimp, she ran back inside and shut the door partway. This was certainly awkward. She was not looking her best at the moment anyway, and seeing one of the boys, either one of them really, would be bad. She paced for a few minutes before the water turned off and she waited for whomever was in there to emerge. Finally, she heard footsteps down the hall and then murmured voices. Great, now both of them were down here. And she hated to admit it, but she was getting fairly desperate to get into the bathroom herself. Someone walked by a minute later and then she heard the door shut and then, unbelievably, water started running again. She shut the door completely and went back to sit on the bed. It seemed like she waited at least 15 minutes before she dared open the door again. This time, no water was running and she darted down the hall into the bathroom. She shut the door, locked it and immediately peeled off her nightgown, almost gasping at the relief of having it off. She was really going to have to find a T-shirt or something to sleep in. Maybe Ginny would have something more lightweight than flannel in her drawers that she could borrow. Her shower was quick and after she was done, she towel-dried her hair and brushed through it quickly, then ran back to her room to get dressed.

She wanted to get downstairs fairly quickly to help Molly. She was sure the older woman could use help getting breakfast on the table. She grabbed some clothes out of a drawer and threw them on. Her mum had made some good choices under pressure and had sent some of her favorite outfits. It was good to be back in her familiar things. The Hogwarts' uniforms had not been horrific, but they were certainly not exactly the height of fashion or comfort for that matter. She started down the steps, stopping with knots in her stomach as she had a deja-vu moment. She could hear George and Molly down in the kitchen once again, arguing about her.

"Have you really thought about what you are doing? What sort of problems you could be causing?"

"I don't think liking someone is a problem. And I don't understand why you are so convinced that it is!"

"Mum! Let George be. We've got to get to the store. We're already late!"

"If you're so anxious, you are perfectly capable of apparating there by yourself, Fred! You two are not permanently attached at the hip - and I would think you would be worried about him yourself, rather than nagging me!"

"Worried? Why should I be worried? I like Cassie!"

"So do I. She's a lovely girl. But . . . she's young, she's vulnerable, and . . ." Cassie couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know what Molly had against her, but she wasn't going to stand here on these steps listening anymore. She was going to go down and face them. She started down the steps again and by the time she stepped into the kitchen, George was standing there smiling up at her. They had obviously already eaten breakfast, so her idea of helping Molly was not going to happen. She forced a smile onto her face.

"I was hoping I would see you before you left. Have a good day at the store."

"You're up really early. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. Very well, thank you. And this is the time Ginny's been getting me up for classes." George raised his eyebrows, but then Fred said,

"We have to go! As it is, we'll never get the store opened in time this morning."

"All right. All right!" He hugged Cassie quickly and kissed her fast on the lips, and then with two small pops, they were gone. Cassie stood there for a minute, extremely nervous about turning around and facing Molly, but . . . it had to be done. She turned, the queasiness in her stomach amplifying. Molly was smiling kindly at her and Cassie felt a little better. She may not really like the fact that Cassie was a Muggle, but she wasn't going to be cruel to her or rude. She could at least count on that, she thought.

"I was hoping I could help you with breakfast but I'm obviously too late."

"Oh, no, dear. There really wasn't anything you could have done anyway. You should have had a bit of a lie-in."

"Is there anything I can do now?"

"No. Just sit down and eat. Do you like pancakes?" Cassie nodded and sat down, lifting a pancake onto her plate. She ate quickly while Molly started cleaning up. When she was finished, Molly directed her plate into the sink where the others had already washed themselves and were currently drying themselves. Cassie determinedly grabbed the small sponge off the edge of the sink and dunked it in the soapy water. "It's easier for me just to do that."

"I'm sure it is. But I have to be doing something. Otherwise, I'll feel like I'm taking advantage of your hospitality." She wiped at the table with quick efficient strokes and pretended that she didn't hear the sigh from the sink behind her. There were a few crumbs and one sticky spot where some syrup had been spilled. She emptied her handful of crumbs into the rubbish bin under the sink (same place her mother kept it - funny) and rinsed her sponge in the water again. "Now. What else can I do?"

"Well, I must run a few errands this morning, I'm afraid. I'm just going to finish tidying up in here and then I'll be off. I hope you don't mind if you have to entertain yourself for an hour or two."

"Why don't you go ahead? I can finish." There really was almost nothing left to do, essentially just put the remaining pancakes away and drain the sink.

Molly shook her head. "I'll take care of it. It won't . . ."

"Go ahead. I can do it. Honestly." Molly looked questioningly at her and then shrugged.

"Are you sure?" At Cassie's nod, Molly smiled. "Okay." Two minutes later, she was standing in the kitchen with her purse. "I've strengthened the wards for you while you're here alone. No one will be able to floo in and no one can apparate into the house. I'll just apparate outside the fence when I get back. I can't imagine there being any problem, but in a worst-case scenario, we have an emergency port-key set up for you. All you have to do is touch it. But be careful with it because I'm sure you don't want to go by accident." She indicated a rather ugly little knick-knack hidden on a shelf near the window.

"Where does it take me?"

"Headquarters, dear." Cassie waited for further explanations, but none were forthcoming. "Are you positive you will be all right?"

"Yes. Positive. Don't worry about me." Molly looked worried, but she smiled.

"I'll be home quite soon." And then she was gone with a small pop and Cassie was alone in the Burrow.

At first, she finished cleaning the kitchen like she had promised Molly she would. She decided the remaining pancakes could stay on the plate they were on, but she really should cover them. Normally, she would use plastic wrap for such a job but a thorough search of the kitchen revealed no such thing. Or foil. She did find some brown butcher paper, but decided that probably wouldn't do. Finally, with no other options presenting themselves, she got another plate out of the cupboard and inverted it over the pancakes. That would at least keep them from getting stale. She put them into the fridge which was another eye-opening experience. There were things in that fridge that she did not recognize at all. And it wasn't just the brand, it was the items. She looked around a little bit out of curiosity but eventually closed the fridge. It was interesting, but since labeling laws on exclusively wizarding products obviously were way behind those for the products she and her mother bought, she didn't learn much.

She drained the sink quite easily and then wiped it clean. When she was satisfied the kitchen looked as spotless as possible, she ran up the steps and spent a few minutes straightening her room and making her bed. Her mother would really be unhappy if she didn't do her best to help Molly while she was staying here. She would say "I've trained you better than that. Don't embarrass me." She left her dirty clothes in a neat pile at the end of the bed and hoped she remembered to ask Molly about what to do with them. There didn't seem to be a hamper in the room although she looked around carefully. After she was done with the bedroom, she straightened the bathroom and then wondered what to do with herself. She considered going into the twins' room to straighten it but decided against it. She descended the stairs again and walked into the living room.

She looked around at a few of the pictures, smiling at the various family members who were smiling and waving up at her. She heard a noise outside and her eyes grew wide. Then the door opened, and Molly walked in. "Hello, Cassie, dear. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I was just looking at some of your pictures. The kids were really cute when they were small."

Molly smiled. "Yes. They really were. Every one of them. Of course, I'm a little prejudiced." Molly walked to the couch and sat down. Cassie thought she looked tired and worried. "Remus says hello, by the way."

"You saw Remus?" Molly nodded.

"He's always exhausted the day after the full moon. But he's doing all right."

"Obviously, he hasn't been arrested, then."

"Not yet. Albus has him hidden. I think he's safe for a while, at least." Molly leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"What's wrong, Molly?" There was a dry chuckle in response.

"A better question would be what is right. Things are insane out there today." There was a knocking on the window and Cassie looked up to see an unfamiliar owl at the window. "Ah. The mail. It's a little late today but with the enhanced wards, it probably couldn't get through." She opened the window and the owl flew in, dropping a small bundle of letters and the morning newspaper into Molly's hands. She sat down and opened the newspaper, like she was looking for something. Her eyes skimmed quickly over the front page, her lips pursed in a way that Cassie had quickly learned meant she was upset. "Well, Moody was right. This is a mess."

"Do you mind if I read the article?"

"Not at all. But I don't know that it would interest you." Molly stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Thank you for finishing up earlier."

"No problem," Cassie called back. "I couldn't find any plastic wrap or foil to cover the pancakes. So I just covered the plate with another one. Is that all right?" Molly stuck her head back through the door. "It's fine. Thank you." Cassie looked down at the paper and caught her breath.

"Order of the Phoenix Members Allow Family to Die" read the headline. The article accused the Order of caring more about Muggle families than they did about fellow Wizards. There had been an attack, it explained, on Wednesday night of a pure-blood wizarding family named Bryce in a place called Ercall-Magna. All four of them had been killed and Order members had done nothing to help, despite repeated warnings that they might be attacked and the father's panicked plea for help. The Order members, the article explained, had been fighting that night, but protecting Muggle families instead of wizarding ones. "It is obvious," the author concluded, "that the Muggle-loving tendencies long suspected of the Order head and probably its members have surpassed everyone's worst fears. And in so doing, they allowed good wizards to die needlessly." Cassie's brow furrowed as she finished the article. Disregarding the obvious disdain for the Muggle families saved by the Order, she still didn't understand the article. This had to be the battle that Harry was fighting that night because he mentioned that George, Fred, Arthur, and others had been fighting with him. But she was sure that none of them had known about a wizarding family that needed help. Or at least, no one had mentioned it. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, wondering what Molly was doing.

She found the older woman standing by the window staring outside, her hands twisting together. "Are you all right, Molly?"

Her smile was faint. She was obviously greatly concerned but trying not to show Cassie. "Of course, Cassie. I'm fine. Are you hungry?"

"No. Thank you."

"Okay. How about a sandwich?" Cassie would have grinned if the situation weren't so serious. Molly wasn't listening to what she was saying at all. "I think I've still got chicken from yesterday."

"That sounds good, thank you." A few moments later, Molly was assembling the sandwiches, her mind obviously far away from the kitchen as she first presented Cassie with a sandwich of nothing more than mustard between two slices of bread, having put all the chicken on her bread. When she realized what she had done, she flushed furiously and reassembled Cassie's sandwich.

"Sorry about that." Cassie wanted to offer some comforting words, but honestly didn't know how she could. She glanced up at the family clock. George, Fred, and Arthur's hands were still on Work, if that was any comfort. They both ate in silence, Molly mechanically, and Cassie thought that she probably had not tasted the sandwich at all. Afterwards, Cassie managed to get Molly out of the kitchen and washed the few dishes herself in the sink. It was easy enough, really, although she did have a bit of trouble with the soap. It seemed reluctant to come out of its bottle without help from magic and it took Cassie a lot of effort to convince it that it had better. She went back into the living room and was surprised to see Molly sitting there, looking considerably more relaxed than she had the entire day. She had piles of yarn in front of her and knitting needles were clicking along at a good pace. Cassie did a double take because the needles were not being held by anything, they were just suspended in mid air.

"You knit?" she asked, before thinking that was a rather stupid question.

"Yes. Every year I make jumpers for everyone as part of their Christmas gifts. This one is Ron's. He does so love maroon, which I don't really understand as I think it looks horrid with his hair. But, he does love his jumper." Cassie nodded. She couldn't really tell it was a jumper yet as obviously Molly had just started on it. Er, well, the needles had just started on it.

"That's very nice. It must take you quite a long time, though, to do seven jumpers."

"I do start early, around Halloween most years. And yes, it does take a while. But I enjoy it very much. Usually the needles do most of the work themselves, so of course that makes it nice for me. I just have to make sure they start right and then I usually wind up doing the letter on the front myself as for some reason they never get them formed correctly."

"Oh. I see. My grandmother knits. She tried to teach me once, but I don't think I was a very good student. My potholder was all warped on one side." Molly looked at her with an obvious question in her eyes.

"Your grandmother is a witch, then?"

"Uh, no. She knits, um, by herself. Holding the needles."

Molly's brows furrowed in confusion. "Holding the needles? I had no idea . . . How would that . . . My. Interesting." She relaxed into her chair again, apparently deciding this issue was not worth pursuing. "Doing these little things for the children helps me focus, realize that life continues even when things are difficult. I hope you don't think I'm rude, but I really needed to do this right now."

"No, of course not." Cassie sat down in one of the chairs in the room, wondering what she would do to occupy herself today and for the rest of the week for that matter. The house was clean and there was nothing more she could do in that department. "Molly, is there anything you need done that I could help you with? I am sure with Christmas coming there are presents to be wrapped or something."

"Actually, Cassie, dear, I was wondering if you had all your Christmas gifts that you need for your family. Shopping might be difficult with your needing to be in hiding, but I do have some catalogs and if we order early, it shouldn't be a problem. Owls can usually deliver in just a day or two."

"I don't have anyone's present except for my Mum's. I got that in Hogsmeade but I'm all out of ideas now." Molly directed her to a large stack of well-thumbed catalogs full of all kinds of wizarding items. Cassie spent the entire afternoon looking at all of them, writing down ideas for gifts for everyone and deciding how she was going to pay for them. She had foolishly forgotten to ask her Mum to send her more money with her clothes. She supposed that Arthur could drop by there this evening and get some for her, but of course it would have to be exchanged at the bank. But maybe George could do that tomorrow. So, thinking that some money would probably be available, she came up with an idea of how much she would need for the gifts she wanted. The room was dark and she was squinting at the pages before she closed the last one and folded up her list. It was a lot longer this year than in the past because she had a lot more people to buy for. She really had to get things for all of the Weasleys and, of course, Harry and Hermione and Remus. She didn't think she would need to send gifts to anyone from Hogwarts except for maybe Professor Dumbledore but she imagined that he probably had everything he ever wanted or needed. She would have to ask Harry about that.

"The boys should be home fairly soon. I thought maybe some nice chops for dinner?"

"Sounds lovely. Let me help."

"There's really nothing you can do, Cassie. I'll take care of it." But despite Molly's words, Cassie accompanied her into the kitchen determined to do something. Watching Molly cook was very interesting. She lit the fire magically and put a fry pan on top, then directed the pork chops from the fridge into the pan, where they started sizzling. She waved her wand at the cutting board, which laid down on the counter and some knives flew out of a nearby drawer to rest on it. Vegetables flew out of the refrigerator and the pantry. Then she waved her wand again and the knives began to chop the vegetables by themselves for a salad. Molly pulled out some potatoes and was about to sic a knife on them as well when Cassie interrupted.

"I can peel potatoes."

"Yes, I know. But it's easier this way." She started the knife on the first potato.

"Please. Let me help you. I really would be very happy to do the potatoes."

"It'll be quicker if I just take care of it myself."

"Yes. But I can still have it done in time for dinner." With obvious reluctance, Molly stopped the spell and the knife clattered to the counter top, followed immediately by the potato. Cassie did not even ask for something as mundane as a potato peeler. She just started with the knife, making fairly quick progress through the pile, peeling and chopping as Molly indicated she wanted. She glanced at the clock periodically and it was just luck that she happened to look up as George's hand swung from Work to Traveling and then Home a heartbeat before a pop announced his arrival.

He looked five years older to Cassie than he had this morning. "Hi, Mum. Cassie." He hugged his mother quickly and then did the same to Cassie, kissing her quickly on the cheek. She could feel the exhaustion pouring off him in waves and he sat almost immediately down in a chair.

"Why is Fred still at work?"

"He's closing up. I was anxious to get home." He tried to give a cheeky grin to Cassie, but it failed and she was more concerned than she let show on her face. "I think I really need to talk to Dumbledore. The rumors and things flying around the Alley today were almost too insane to be believed, but I . . ."

"Albus will be here after dinner. I spoke to him earlier today." Molly's lips pursed again and Cassie felt bad. The knitting had really relaxed her but now all the tension and worry she had shown this morning had come rushing back and were multiplied by George's obvious distress. Fred apparated into the kitchen then and he looked as exhausted as George, collapsing into a chair next to his twin.

"Did this all have to happen right before Christmas? The store is insanely busy, which normally would make us very happy, but this year, it's almost too much. I think when the kids get back from school, I'm going to recruit Ron to come help out. One of us should be out with customers at all times to overhear what the gossip is, but that only leaves one of us to man the till and restock supply." Fred put his head down on the table like he was about to go to sleep and Cassie understood with his words what was going on. It wasn't just running the shop that had worn the two of them out. They were trying to do spying, too.

"Dinner will be ready soon, boys. I don't suppose you've heard from your father?" Molly glanced up at the clock, but Arthur's hand was still firmly on Work. Both the twins shook their heads.

"Didn't see anyone today. I think everyone's laying low. We did get one Auror into the store today, supposedly to buy some treats for his daughter, but I think he was keeping an eye on us." Fred groaned. "It might be a relief to be arrested. At least we'd be forced to sit still for a day or two."

"Don't you dare say that, Fred!" Molly banged her fist on the counter. "Don't you ever, ever say that!"

"Mum! Don't have kittens! I was just joking."

"Well, I didn't think it was funny!"

"Neither did I." Cassie spoke quietly as she finished putting the last of the potatoes into the water boiling on the stove. "Not funny at all."

Fred grimaced. "Sorry. Help me out here, George." George, whose hands were covering his face as he rested against the table, just grunted. It was into this silence that Arthur apparated, blinking.

"Molly. I'm afraid that all hell is breaking loose. And I honestly don't understand why."

Cassie felt her stomach turn over. She hated to be selfish because obviously much more was at stake here than her comfort. But the thought of possibly all four Weasleys being arrested, which would leave her without a place to stay, concerned her greatly. Plus, she knew that whatever accusations were being leveled at them were completely false. Something else was going on, she could feel it, but she had no idea what it was. She and Molly served dinner a few minutes later and everyone ate, complimenting them on the food. But Cassie could tell that their hearts really weren't in it. She passed on the chop completely, instead eating just the salad. No one commented on that, which made her just as happy.

The twins filled Arthur in on some of the things they had seen and heard in Diagon Alley today and Arthur briefly mentioned some of the happenings at the Ministry. "And of course they all suspect that I am in the Order. Everyone knows my relationship with Dumbledore. So far, veritaserum hasn't even been threatened, but it is certainly in the back of my mind. I didn't dare drink or eat anything today, Molly. I think from now on, I'll have you pack my lunch." Molly nodded, but Cassie thought that the lines of worry on her forehead looked even deeper now than ever. Molly insisted on doing all the cleanup herself and Cassie thought better of arguing with her about it. She was moving methodically through her usual tasks, and Cassie felt like interrupting her or changing her routine would be more cruel than helpful as it would force her to think. So, instead she sat next to George on the couch in the living room, her hand intertwined with his, Fred on the other side of him. Arthur read the paper, making outraged noises at the article Molly and Cassie had read earlier that day, and then turned further into it. That didn't cheer him up much either.

Cassie got brave and asked the three of them if they had ignored the pleas from help from a wizarding family on Wednesday night. "Of course we didn't," Fred retorted. "That whole thing about us getting repeated warnings that they might be attacked and everything is complete . . . uh, is a complete lie. We only heard about the Muggle-born students' parents being attacked. I don't know where they came up with that pack of . . . uh, junk." George had shot him a warning glance and Cassie knew it was about watching his language. Arthur shook his head again at what he was reading in the paper.

"I just don't understand what Nightscall hopes to accomplish with this vendetta against the Order. I mean, he's complaining that we let that family die and in the same breath says that our supposed crusade against You-Know-Who and the Deatheaters is all a front, that we are actually supporting them and that we need to leave catching them to the actual people who are trained." George and Fred nodded their agreement.

"Yes. There is some piece of the puzzle missing, that is certain," a calm voice announced from the kitchen doorway and Cassie looked up to see Professor Dumbledore standing there, a faint smile on his face as he surveyed the living room. He walked in and sat down, Molly following immediately on his heels. He, too, like everyone else in the room, had deep lines of worry on his face. "Kingsley informs me that there has been a shakeup with the Aurors as well. Woodburn, the head of their department, has resigned and Sootspinner has taken over. He hasn't made any official announcement on change of policy yet, but he feels it is coming tomorrow. That could mean trouble. I am working on the assumption that the resignation was not voluntary." Arthur scowled.

"When did this happen? I haven't heard a thing about it."

"Just this afternoon, Kingsley said." He looked around at each of them, smiling faintly at Cassie as his gaze met hers for a moment before moving on. "Truthfully, my concern is not that the Ministry is against us. It was two years ago and I don't doubt that we could manage to continue functioning whether they are supporting us or not. However, that does not seem to be the actual problem. It seems to me, and correct me if I'm wrong, that they are trying to turn the entire wizarding population against the Order, hoping to somehow neutralize us. And in that, they may be successful." For a long moment, no one spoke. Then, finally, Arthur did.

"I just can't believe that. It would take an organized concerted effort to do that. Yes, people are easily swayed by news coverage, but certainly their fear of Voldemort is greater than their love of either Fudge or Nightscall."

"Dad, you never want to think the bad of anyone! Of course it would take a concerted effort. And it started on Saturday night. Dumbledore's right. We have been lulled into a false sense of security in the last two years. We are not nearly as secret as we were then. Many of our members are known now and if the general public wants to get rid of us, I would say we'd have a hard time staying hidden." George's fingers tightened on Cassie's hand as he made this speech, and Cassie tried not to gasp at the pain shooting down her arm. He relaxed his hold when he was done, much to her relief. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, I think . . ." He never finished his sentence, though, because at that moment, there was a loud yell from the kitchen and Molly ran in to see what was wrong. She stuck her head through the doorway a minute later.

"Tonks is in the fire, Albus. She wants to talk to you. She has news."