Chapter 51
One Conspirator Identified

Cassie looked at George in complete confusion. "What? I don't understand. How would putting the Prime Minister under the Imperious curse possibly help Blackman find Grimmauld Place?"

"Yeah," Fred echoed right behind Cassie. "How?"

George raised his eyebrows. "Didn't you two listen to what Tonks just said?"

Cassie shook her head while Fred just looked sheepish. "I was too busy paying attention to the fact that there was an actual head in your fire to listen to anything she said until the very end."

"I can understand that I guess, but what's your excuse?" George looked at Fred.

"Uh, would you believe me if I told you I was thinking about how to improve the Rudolpho's?"

"Yeah. I'd believe that and it actually wouldn't surprise me at all." Arthur wasn't listening to the three of them talk but Cassie noticed out of the corner of her eye as he grabbed his cloak off the hook by the door and threw it on. He disapparated quickly and Cassie turned her attention back to George, thinking that she would have to ask George where his dad had gone.

"Tonks said that Blackman and Sootspinner were in with the Prime Minister this afternoon for at least an hour. After they left, the Prime Minister called in various department heads for short meetings. He dealt especially with the Home Office and the military people. She said she overheard comments by several of the people as they left the office and they were really confused. Your Dad, Cassie, was worried, too. In fact, I think that's where my dad just went. To talk to yours."

"I still don't understand how this all . . . has to do with Remus."

"He's using Muggle police to track it down. He's got wizards working with Muggle policeman . . . all on the pretext of looking for terrorists. I still can't believe none of this penetrated either of your brains . . . but, okay. She said that he knows the general area for Headquarters and that they are doing a house to house search, starting tomorrow. If they get close, Remus will have to get out quickly, that's when Mum said he'd have to come here."

"I heard that part."

"Well, that's about it, then. Apparently Sootspinner and Blackman are telling the Prime Minister to do this."

"But why do they want Headquarters? I mean, no offense, but isn't it just a building?"

"Well, yeah. Remember? That's what I asked at the beginning of this little conversation."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Cassie was a little embarrassed.

"I mean, I don't know what Blackman wants, really. And the fact the Aurors are involved. . . . it's all just very confusing."

"The Aurors?"

"Sootspinner. He's in charge of the Aurors right now, remember?"

Cassie stared at George for a minute. "So they're working together?"

"Apparently."

"I don't suppose you have a picture of him?"

"No. I . . ." George looked at her with a sideways glance. "Do you think you may have seen him there?"

"Maybe. I don't know. It's worth trying. He's not a Death Eater, is he?"

"Of course not! Why would the Ministry put a Death Eater in as head of the group that's supposed to be fighting them?"

"Again, no offense, but I really wouldn't put it past them."

George laughed. "You could be right. I'll have Dad dig you up a picture somewhere. I'm sure there's one around."

Fred shook his head in obvious confusion. "But they'll never actually find Headquarters. They can't. It's Fidelius Charmed and everything. And Dumbledore's the Secret Keeper."

"If you ask me," Cassie said, looking very seriously at the two of them, "then you may as well paint a big target on the building with a neon sign saying - 'Wizards here.' Those Fidelius charms are worthless."

"Well, that's not true. They're impenetrable."

"Ha!" She would have said more but Molly, who had apparently been doing something in the other room, came bustling in and Cassie didn't pursue the subject.

Cassie and the twins helped Molly clean up after dinner even though all of them were lost in their own thoughts. They then went out into the living room to wait for Arthur to come back. Cassie was very nervous about her dad. It didn't sound like he was in immediate danger, but she knew that Blackman was keeping a close eye on him, and if he did anything suspicious, he could easily have him killed. This was not a comforting thought. If someone had asked Cassie later what she had done that evening, she honestly did not think she could have said. They talked, but it was mostly small talk about events at the store and preparations for Christmas. Many times they just sat in silence, listening for Arthur's return. It was at least an hour before Cassie heard the now familiar pop in the kitchen and everyone got up to greet Arthur who looked tired and worried. Cassie helped Molly serve up the apple tart and coffee while Arthur filled them in on what he had learned.

"Well, it doesn't look good. I went first to see what Andrew had to say. He really didn't know much more than Tonks told us, although I could tell he was worried, too. He is also worried that this may cause internal problems in the government because some are questioning whether he is still fit to lead."

"I don't suppose Mr. Robinson has any idea how the Muggle police are supposed to find a Fidelius charmed house, does he?"

"Obviously not, but Albus thinks he knows."

"When did you talk to Albus?" Molly asked, surprised.

"Right after I left Andrew and Rebecca. Sometimes I hate those blasted wards. Had to walk all the way in from the gate and then, of course, had to sneak into the castle and find Albus and it was not easy. There are Aurors all over that place. It would make me feel relieved about Ginny and Ron's safety, but I don't trust them. They're there to arrest Albus and Remus, not to watch out for the students."

"Oh, speaking of Aurors, Cassie wants to see a picture of Sootspinner." Arthur's gaze sharpened on her immediately.

"Yes. Yes. Of course."

"So, what's Dumbledore's theory?" George gestured impatiently at his father.

Arthur just shrugged. "I don't know. He's supposed to come in the morning to talk about it."

"Do you think they're trying to arrest Dumbledore so they can force him to give up the secret?"

Arthur's brow crinkled at Fred's question. "I would say that was a distinct possibility except that they don't know that he's the secret keeper."

"But they have to suspect. I mean, it would be the obvious choice."

"Maybe. Maybe. It would make sense, I guess." There was nothing else to really say after that and Cassie went to bed only a few minutes later feeling inestimably weary.

Unfortunately, this did not translate to getting to sleep, however. Cassie lay awake for a very long while as her mind went over the evening's events again and again.

Cassie awoke with her alarm clock the next morning. She was tired as she hadn't slept well and considered having a lie-in. She was sure Molly wouldn't mind. But then she remembered that Arthur had said Professor Dumbledore was coming this morning, so she pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Cassie rubbed her eyes blearily as she pushed the half-open door wide and blinked frantically at the sudden intrusion of light onto her dark-adjusted pupils. Her eyes teared up and she closed her eyes instantly, trying to crack open one eye.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," said a very amused masculine voice.

Cassie was not similarly amused. "The lights, the lights." She hoped he was decent, not that she could tell. But instead of dimming the lights in consideration of her pain, he just laughed again. She cracked open her eye again and this time, allowed the pupil to adjust to the light of the lamps. When she finally could, she opened her other eye and focused on his grinning face. He was smiling at her and despite her frustration at his unwillingness to dim the lamps, she felt her mouth curving into a matching grin. "You didn't shut the door."

"Well, I expected Fred to come down and I needed to let the steam out from my shower. Sorry." He'd already showered? Despite the thought that she definitely should not be doing this, she felt her eyes drop down from his face and encountered bare chest. Ah. She willed her eyes back to his face but they did not obey, rather only traced the lines of muscles on his chest down to the towel that was fastened around his waist. He noted her scrutiny and laughed again. "I'm almost done, but you're welcome to use the sink, if you need to." He nodded at her toothbrush in explanation. She looked at his face again and saw for the first time that he had a bit of shaving cream on one cheek and was holding a razor in one hand.

"Okay." She wet her toothbrush under the faucet and carefully applied toothpaste, trying not to let her hand shake as she stealthily studied him in the mirror. He was carefully pulling the razor over his face and she glanced back at her toothbrush before he met her eyes. "I would have thought you would have had some more sophisticated way of shaving than a regular safety razor."

"Well, it's possible to use magic, but if you really want a nice smooth shave, actual blades work best." She nodded, and put her toothbrush in her mouth. "I'm done, love, I'll let you have your privacy." And he walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind himself. She brushed her teeth quickly, her heart pounding rapidly at what had just happened. It was not possible that she had just seen him in a towel, was it? Was she dreaming? She pinched herself quickly. No, she was definitely awake. She nodded to herself, admitting that he looked pretty good wearing only a towel. She blushed at her own daring and shook her head, trying to concentrate on brushing her teeth.

Back in her room, she dressed quickly and ran a comb through her hair, taking a deep breath as she started down the stairs. She could hear Molly downstairs but nothing else. When she reached the kitchen, though, Arthur was sitting at the table and three coffee cups were arranged on its surface. She knew without asking that Professor Dumbledore had come and gone. She felt bad for missing him. She tried to read on Arthur's face the way the discussion had gone, but his face was carefully blank. Molly was standing at the stove and Cassie joined her. They smiled at each other, speechlessly dividing the work along what were quickly becoming familiar lines. They prepared bacon, eggs, grilled tomatoes, toast, and marmalade, with pumpkin juice and more hot coffee. A few minutes later, Cassie heard the heavy tramping of the twins' feet on the stairs. She turned to greet them and immediately remembered how George's shoulders and chest had looked without his shirt. She felt the heat of a very rosy blush and noticed George too was blushing lightly. Fred had a puzzled and suspicious look on his face as he glanced between the two. Cassie was relieved that neither Arthur nor Molly seemed to notice the blushes, which came and went throughout breakfast. After everyone was done eating, Arthur took a deep breath.

"I'm almost dreading showing you this. But here." He handed a surprised Cassie a small photograph. It was moving, but not much and she could clearly see the face of the wizard in the snapshot. She studied it carefully but didn't have any doubts. She had seen the face before, one dark night exactly two weeks ago last night. There was no question about it. She nodded faintly and the four other occupants of the kitchen caught their collective breath.

"Well, that is certainly interesting. I will get the news to Dumbledore today, I hope."

"Is that Sootspinner?" Everybody nodded and Cassie could feel the tension in the room as she looked at the photo again. "I remember him so clearly. He was sitting next to the one empty chair in the room. He was wearing dark green robes, I think, with black piping. Or at least that's what I remember." Arthur was nodding.

"Yes. He likes green. He thinks it brings out the color of his eyes. Most of his robes are a forest green. Which is interesting, because I think he was in Ravenclaw at school, not Slytherin. Well, thank you, Cassie. This might really help." Ten minutes later, all three men were ready to disapparate, Cassie rather shyly kissing George on the cheek and then Fred for good measure. Fred looked between her and George again, obvious questions in his eyes. But then they were gone and Cassie didn't envy George today, sure that he would get the third degree all morning long.

After the men had left for work, Cassie helped Molly clean up and then she settled down in front of the fire to read. She had only been reading a short time when she heard a voice. Cassie looked up to again see Tonks' head in the fire, let out a little yelp of surprise, and went to fetch Molly from the other room. Molly followed her in and Cassie couldn't help but wonder what was wrong now. Judging by the look on Tonks' face, it was definitely not a social call.

"The police have moved faster than we imagined they possibly could. Their information was obviously very good. They're on the street now, and the wizards with them have started casting the spells Albus believes will expose the house. Remus has got to get out now. I think Albus is going to have him portkey out but we don't know for sure -"

"I told you last night that he should come here. And I meant it."

"Thank you, Molly. But I actually am here for another reason. We have no way to notify Remus that he has got to get out. The Floo network is being watched too carefully. We had planned on Albus just apparating there and telling him personally that the time had come to leave but that won't work now. What we really need is someone who can get right into the house."

"I don't understand - what can I do to help you?"

"Not you, Molly. Cassie," and Tonks' eyes searched her out in the room, "your portkey will take you directly into the house. Then you and Remus can get out together. We hate to involve you, but we just don't have any choice." Cassie felt a sudden onset of nerves in her stomach. She didn't trust the Fidelius Charm on the house at all but if Remus was there she couldn't just leave him to the kind mercies of the police and the Ministry wizards they had with them. Molly was shaking her head.

"No. There has to be some other way. Another portkey can be set up that someone else can use . . ."

"That would be ideal, but it's just not possible. It takes some time to get a portkey made that can pass through wards that strong and time is one thing we do not have."

"I'll go. I'll go immediately." Cassie didn't even wait for either of them to acknowledge her statement before she walked into the kitchen to grab the ugly little statue. Molly followed her and just before she touched it, she heard her voice tell her to take care of herself and Remus and to come back as soon as possible. Then the now too-familiar tugging vibrated through her body and it was only a moment later that she opened her eyes in the hallway of #12 Grimmauld Place. The house was quiet, almost too quiet, and she had the sudden thought that if Remus had already left, she was stuck here with no options. Panic filled her throat and she tried to cry out for him, but couldn't get out any noise. "Calm down," she told herself. "They aren't just going to leave you here. And he's probably still here." This time, when she called out for him, she heard an answering yell from another part of the house.

Remus found her in the hallway a few moments later and to say he looked surprised would have been a distinct understatement. "Cassie! What the hell are you doing here? Is there a problem? What's happened at the Burrow?"

She shook her head. "There's nothing wrong at the Burrow. There's something wrong here. You've got to get out immediately!"

"What? Why?" Remus looked very puzzled, like he expected her to start laughing any moment and say it was just a joke.

"Tonks said that the police are already on this street and that the wizards are casting the spells to dissolve the wards."

"That's impossible!"

"Honestly, Remus. She showed up in the fire at the Burrow just a few minutes ago. She said that they couldn't notify you because no one could come to the house except for me. Something about my being able to come right into the house . . ."

"Yes, yes. Okay. Well, I've got the papers upstairs. Come on, Cassie. If they're that close, we have no time to waste." Cassie had no idea what papers he was talking about but followed him up to a bedroom on the second level where there was a large pile of boxes. "I was planning on sitting on these to let the portkey take them as well. And I guess that will still work with the two of us. You better hold on to that handle there." Cassie looked at the pile of boxes. They were plain looking cardboard file holders like people used when they were moving offices, but they had cut-out handles on the side. "Uh, I guess before I do this portkey, you better tell me where we're supposed to go."

"The Burrow. Molly insisted."

"Okay." He picked up a picture frame, said something while waving his wand, and it glowed bright blue for a brief second. He then climbed onto the pile of boxes himself and sat down next to Cassie. "This feels vaguely familiar." She laughed, but didn't even have time to finish before the portkey activated and she, Remus, and the boxes disappeared from Grimmauld Place and reformed themselves in the quiet kitchen of the Burrow.

Molly apparently heard their landing because she came rushing in a second later. "Oh, thank goodness. You've arrived safely." She hugged both Cassie and Remus in the sort of smothering hugs she was known for and then ran back out into the living room. "I've got to let Tonks know that the package has arrived."

"What package?" Cassie asked Remus when Molly had rushed out the kitchen door.

"I think she means us. If they're watching the Floo network, which I can only imagine they are, she can't very well tell her that I'm here. That would be a complete red flag and Aurors would certainly be here within the hour."

"Tonks said something about the Floo network."

"Yes. It would have been dangerous enough for her to even come here but . . . you said that the police had already found Grimmauld Place?"

"Well, that's what Tonks said, although she didn't really say anything else about it that I understood." Molly came back into the room.

"I told her. She was very relieved. Are you hungry, can I get you some breakfast or anything?"

"No, no. I'm fine. Do you understand what Tonks was saying about the police already finding the house?"

"That's all I really know, Remus. She said that they would be at the house in a matter of only a few minutes."

"I just don't understand this at all. Since when have wizards worked with Muggle policeman? Why are the Ministry officials so determined to find Grimmauld Place? I still don't even understand why I was set up. I feel disconnected, out of sorts, like I've been asleep for a hundred years and now I'm awake and everything has changed." Molly was clucking her tongue in sympathy.

"Yes, well. I'm sure we'll have answers soon enough. But, in the meantime, I'm putting you into Percy's old room while you're here. Cassie, can you show him?" Cassie nodded. "I'm going to go talk to Arthur for a minute. And I think I'd better go in person." Neither of them said anything as with a quiet pop she left.

"Arthur thinks all this has something to do with the meeting I witnessed."

"What!!!" Remus turned his head to her so fast that she thought he may have broken his neck.

"The head of the Aurors, Sootspinner, he was one of the men at the meeting. They finally thought to show me a picture of him and I definitely recognized him." Remus stared at her for a long moment and Cassie shifted uncomfortably on her feet. It was the truth. He had definitely been there. She could even remember where he was sitting when that door had opened. "It's true. I wouldn't make something like that up."

"No . . . no. Of course not, I just . . . I've known him for years. I always liked him." Remus looked away from Cassie and she wished with all her heart that she was mistaken. But she knew she wasn't.

"I'm sorry, Remus." He didn't answer for a long moment.

"Yes. Well, you have nothing to apologize for." He smiled rather wanly. "You'd better show me to the room. I'd like to get these up there so they don't get in Molly's way." Cassie showed him to Percy's room, struck again as she opened the door for him at how impersonal it was. Remus stood in the doorway and directed the boxes as they floated up the stairs and into the room, where he stacked them neatly on the empty desk. "So, Cassie, how are you settling in here at the Burrow?"

"Fine. It's fun here. Molly is very nice. Everyone else is very busy. How is everyone at school?" Remus gave her that small sad smile again.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been back."

"But . . . your classes?"

"I daresay they were canceled this week. Either that or Severus is teaching them. I didn't have the option of showing up for them. I would have been arrested on the spot."

"Oh, Remus! I'm sorry! I forgot about that!"

"That's all right. Albus can hide in the school somehow and still have people he trusts relay messages etc. And the portraits keep him informed of what is going on. But as a teacher I don't have that luxury." The last box settled into place on the desk followed almost immediately by a rather battered-looking suitcase that opened itself on the foot of the bed.

Cassie searched around for a different topic of conversation, anxious to get away from these rather sad ones. "Uh, so what's in all these boxes?"

"Paperwork. Every organization, even a secret one, runs on reams of parchment, this is ours. We didn't dare leave it there."

"Will they destroy the house when they find it?"

Remus looked at her for a long moment and Cassie wondered if he had, somewhere along the road, picked up the skill of Legilimency. He kept giving her these very long looks that made her feel completely exposed. "I don't know. They might."

"Did you save the pictures of Sirius, then?"

"No." The answer was so short that Cassie felt embarrassed for having asked. So much for a happier topic of conversation.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you to get settled in." The door closed behind her and she stood staring at it for a long time before she went back downstairs. Molly had come back and was in the kitchen getting lunch.

"I need to tell you, Cassie, thanks for getting Remus. Arthur says that the house has already been broken into. They seem to be looking for something." Cassie didn't answer. She felt like going up to Ginny's room, throwing herself over the bed, and crying. She felt the insistent push of tears in the back of her throat and tried to push them down. Finally, when she thought she could speak without embarrassing herself, she spoke.

"It was easy. I'm glad I could help." Molly glanced back at her over her shoulder.

"Did Remus get settled in all right?"

"I guess so. He said the room was nice and thank you." He hadn't really, but Cassie figured it wouldn't hurt to say so anyway. She moved to the counter next to Molly and started helping her. She had at least three different pans on the stove and was mixing a cake at the moment. "Molly? Aren't only three of us eating lunch?"

Molly looked at her, chagrin obvious in her face. "Yes. But when I'm nervous or upset, I cook. So . . . I'm cooking."

"Okay. What can I do?"

An hour later, Molly, Cassie, and Remus sat down to a very large lunch. Contrary to Cassie's worries, the subject of conversation was light and pleasant. The fact that Grimmauld Place was possibly being searched even now or the fact that Remus was still in hiding from the law were not discussed. Instead, it focused mainly on how the various Weasley children were doing. They spent a long time talking about Bill and Fleur's plans and another long time about Ron and Ginny, particularly about how they were both doing in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Cassie listened with interest to the stories Remus was telling, laughing several times at things that Ron and Harry did to get into trouble. Molly didn't seem to think they were as funny as she did.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly. Molly kept popping in and out "arranging things" she said and getting things that Remus said he needed. Cassie didn't actually see Remus as he was busy doing something with all of the boxes although she had no idea what. Cassie realized that it was now a week before Christmas and spent some time wrapping the few presents she did have. She had no idea when or how she would get them to her parents and family, but trusted that she would be able to somehow and she wanted to be ready when someone could take them for her. She read a little and even took a short nap. When she eventually went down to see what she could do to help with dinner, Molly was again cooking much more food than even the six of them could eat. This time, though, this seemed to be more intentional, as most of it was put into the refrigerator before Arthur or the boys even arrived at home. Cassie realized with a sudden jolt that tomorrow Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione would be arriving from Hogwarts and thought that maybe Molly was getting some food prepared in advance. She had seen Ron and Harry eat and together with the twins and any other Weasley siblings that happened to drop in, feeding them could be quite a full-time job.

When George and Fred arrived at their usual time, both of them were very surprised to see Remus sitting in the kitchen. George looked thunderstruck when he heard the whole story of how Headquarters had been located so quickly and how Cassie had gone in to rescue Remus. His hand had tightened on hers until it was almost painful before she finally pulled it out of his grip. "George, don't worry now. It was easy. Piece of cake." Remus had laughed at the look on George's face.

"That was nothing compared to the situations she was in at Hogwarts. She's a brave girl. I think she's got nerves of steel." Cassie had shaken her head at that.

"I was always terrified, but what choice did I ever have?"

Remus had met her eyes squarely then and said in his best professor voice. "You have had some choices from the very beginning of this and you've always performed admirably." Cassie had flushed but was very pleased that he thought so.

Dinner was a fairly quiet affair although both George and Fred told Remus, Arthur, and Molly about their success with the new gift certificates and they were all suitably impressed. After dinner, George told Cassie that he had a gift for her and handed her a small corked bottle of clear liquid. "What is this?"

"It's the potion to get the red out of your hair." Cassie grinned and ran upstairs to use it, hopping into the shower and washing it through her hair, praying that George had put the potion together correctly. Looking at herself in the mirror afterward, she smiled. It was good to see her hair blond again. She had gotten extremely used to the red, but was glad to look like herself again. She quickly rolled her hair into the sponge curlers, and then, not wanting to be the object of stares and jeers all night, she tied a thin scarf around her head and managed to cover the majority of them. New Muggle hairstyle indeed!

Sitting quietly on the couch next to George a few minutes later, Cassie listened as Remus, Arthur, and the twins exchanged ideas about what was going on with Headquarters and the Ministry. "We're really fortunate that Cassie saw the meeting, even though it has made her life extremely complicated. If she hadn't, it's hard to know what sort of danger we'd all be in." Arthur beamed at her as he said this, and Cassie smiled faintly. He was right, of course, but she really wished that she had just stayed at George's shop that night and not decided to go exploring.

"And we're also fortunate that we have such a brave girl on our side. She has been beyond spectacular, much better than I ever could have expected when she first arrived at Hogwarts. I can't even count the number of times I was told, by fellow professors as well as other students, how impressed they were at her magical skill. It took me a great deal of self-control not to burst into laughter every time."

"So, she wasn't exaggerating about everyone thinking she was a powerful witch?" Fred asked as George squeezed her hand in pride.

"Not at all!"

"But how did she do it? How did she fake everyone out?"

"I only know about my class, of course. And I tried to avoid making it necessary that she use magic at all. I cast several spells on the students during the classes and lectured them several times. I did use Imperius on her, just so she knew what the Prime Minister was experiencing. And I have to say that surprisingly she managed to resist the curse quite well, better than many students in her class. But she'd have to tell you about the other classes."

"You cast Imperius on the students?"

"Yes. It is allowed, although . . ."

"He did a weak Cruciatus, too, although I deferred having it put on me." They all stared at Remus for a few minutes and he shrugged.

"I can't teach them to defend themselves against something they've never experienced. No one screamed. It was quite weak."

"But we want details," Fred almost whined. "I want to know how you fooled them. I don't care about what Remus did!"

"I told you . . . someone-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Someone else did the magic and you pretended it was you. But, again, I want details." Cassie laughed.

"It's true. I don't really know what else to say."

"Come on. You can remember, can't you?"

"I remember, I just . . . well, you realize that it required a lot of sneaking, lying, etc. I wouldn't want any other students to get into trouble." She looked at Remus rather pointedly, but also let her eyes drift over to Molly. Arthur was more laid back, and she supposed that he would be very unlikely to give any of his children trouble over their underhanded behavior when they were trying to help Cassie, or much of anything else, really.

"I'm sure that everything said here tonight," George said in a conspiratorial half whisper, "is completely off the record."

Cassie groaned and thought back to her arrival at Hogwarts two weeks ago. "There's so much to tell, I don't know where to start." But she closed her eyes for a second and leaned her head against the back of the couch. Then she opened them again and looked into five eager faces. "It started immediately, when I was going to my dorm room right after I got there. Harry and Ron carried the trunk into Gryffindor tower, but when we needed to go up to the 6th year girls' dorm, that was the first time we did it. It was Ginny and I, and Hermione assisted. They taught me the spell Locomotor trunk . . . ."