Chapter 56
Arguing and Making Up

All eyes turned to George and then followed his stare to Cassie. Cassie flushed a deep red and felt sick to her stomach. She looked at George with a shocked expression and didn't know what to say. "I wrote that this summer. A long time before I met you."

"What do you mean, this summer?"

Cassie tilted her head toward him. "This summer, in London? When Harry was in hiding? Remember?"

"I remember Harry being in hiding, I don't know what this has to do with it."

"That's how I met him. When I met him. He was in hiding, pretending to be a Muggle and we met and . . .got to be friends." George's eyes narrowed even further.

"This sounds like you were more than friends." Cassie scowled.

"We dated, if you want to know the truth, although it wasn't for long."

"Dated?!!!"

"Well, yes. But you know about that, don't you? I mean, surely Harry mentioned me at one point or another."

George stared at her a moment and answered icily, "No. He never mentioned knowing you or dating you." Cassie stared back at him in shock, and finally turned and stared at Harry who was now standing up giving both of them an uncomfortable look.

"You never even mentioned me once? You . . . you didn't say anything about me?" She whirled on George, her frustration at the situation coming out in her voice, which was rather louder than she intended. "Didn't you ever wonder about how this all started?"

"Yes, I did . . . and you kept changing the subject." George folded his arms and glared at her. Cassie drew her brows down into a frown.

"That is not true at all! I told you I had to come because I was trapped in Harry's house. I just figured you knew about all the other stuff. That's why I didn't explain."

"That's right!" George said, tapping his finger on his chin as he thought about it. "You did say that!" He didn't sound appeased. "You were trapped at Harry's house? How did this all happen?"

"Certainly someone told you about that day?!"

"No. Not that I can remember. And I'm pretty sure I would!"

"Well, didn't you ever wonder - about me! I mean, how a regular Muggle girl wound up in Diagon Alley with a . . . a werewolf and your DAD!" Cassie was standing nose to nose now with George, her finger poking him in the chest.

"I . . .I. You should have told me! I think I had a right to know about it!"

"Yeah, you could be right but I stupidly expected that Harry would have talked about me, or someone would have! I can't really be blamed for what he did or didn't do, now can I? You'd have to ask him why he never mentioned me!" Cassie said, completely forgetting that the wizard in question was standing only 10 feet from her the entire time.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cassie could see Harry moving his mouth, but nothing came out. Ginny, who had also stood up, made some sort of unintelligible squeak. Hermione said soothingly, "Cassie, he's a boy. You know how boys are. They don't talk about people or things the way girls do."

She finally turned to face the others, who were all looking with various degrees of shock at the two of them. "I have to admit I'm amazed that no one ever mentioned my name over the entire summer. It's good to know you all missed me so much!" Cassie's heart was pounding at the stress of the situation and her feelings were hurt more than she would really want to admit. She had pined for all of them all summer long and it had taken a long time to pull herself out of her depression - and they were all just going on like she had never existed.

"It's not like that, Cassie. We did miss you, well, thought about you, but you have to admit . . . that we weren't really good friends yet. That was really-" Cassie pulled back like she'd been slapped before Harry spoke up.

"That's not true. I thought about you a lot. I wrote you and everything. I'm the one that sent Lupin to find out what was wrong!" He glared over at Ron as he said this and Hermione elbowed her red-head boyfriend in the stomach.

"I thought so!" George looked triumphantly between Harry and Cassie. "It was still going on all summer."

"It - whatever you want to call it - was over, George, long before I met you! Or are you accusing Harry of two-timing your sister!" Cassie turned her attention back to George. He looked like he hadn't considered that.

"Well, fine then. Even if it was over before the summer, exactly how close of friends were you?" His insinuation made color creep up Cassie's cheeks and she felt like kicking him.

"Are you implying something? Because we're all adults here, George! You can say the word, if that's what you really want to know!"

Harry spoke up this time and Cassie was so focused on what he said and George's reaction that she only noticed later that the other four had left the room and closed the door behind them. "George, I don't like what you're saying about Cassie. It's true that we dated and we were really good friends, but we were always under control!"

"Sure. Sure." George pulled back from them a small distance. "So you kissed?"

"Well, of course we kissed." Cassie bit into the silence.

"And how often and how deeply?"

"George!" Harry looked genuinely shocked. "I don't think Cassie owes you any sort of account like she was doing something wrong!"

"And you let him touch you?"

Cassie glared at him again. "We held hands, we hugged. We didn't do anything more than that. Look, George." She was speaking quietly now, feeling like this argument was getting out of hand and wanting desperately to regain some control of her anger. "I don't understand what the problem is. I really don't. Did you think you were the first guy I ever dated?"

"No . . .although I didn't realize that you'd ever gotten serious with anyone before." His glanced between the two of them again, and they were standing next to each other and from the look on his face, Cassie realized this made it look like they were both united against him.

"Is that what's really bothering you? Or is it that it's someone you know?" She had scored a direct hit with that one she could tell.

"That doesn't help. Now every time I see you talking to him, I'm not going to be able to keep the picture of you giving each other tonsillectomies out of my head!" The gasp through the door into the complete shocked silence inside the bedroom made Cassie realize that the other four were listening. George apparently realized the same thing because he immediately put a locking and silencing spell on the door.

"George Weasley!" Harry's voice was low and controlled, but Cassie saw the barely leashed anger through it and hoped they didn't start hexing each other. That would not be good. "You owe Cassie an apology! We never kissed like that ever -" There was a momentary pause "-And I'm not sure I can say that about you two! I saw you this morning, you know!" Suddenly, the tenor of the argument changed and the two boys faced each other, essentially leaving Cassie out of the discussion.

"Well, Potter! If I had known I was encroaching on your territory, I would have asked for your permission before kissing her."

"That isn't fair to either Ginny or Cassie, George. They both trust the two of us, although at the moment, I'm wondering why!"

"So, is it just Ginny that's keeping you two from getting back together?" His words were quiet but they were cutting and Cassie had the strange sensation of feeling all the blood draining out of her head. She couldn't believe this was really happening.

"No. No, not at all. I love Ginny and I get the distinct impression that Cassie likes you, at least a little bit. Which actually brings up another point." Harry glanced over at Cassie, who sat down on the nearest bed heavily and tried not scream. "What exactly are your intentions concerning her?"

"Oh. My. God." Cassie said, staring at them.

"What are you on about, Potter?"

"I mean exactly what I said! What are you doing with her?"

"I'm dating her - a concept you are apparently very familiar with!"

"George Weasley! Let me out of this room! I will not stay here and listen to this for one moment longer!"

"No. Stay." And he turned back to Harry, whose arms were now folded as he glared at the twin.

"What are your long term plans! She's very sensitive, you know! I will not allow her to be hurt!"
"You will not allow it? You don't have any say about this at all - unless of course there is still something between the two of you that you don't want to admit."

"This, what's this? I don't have any say in what? That's exactly what I want to know!"

"Harry! Open this stupid door! I am so out of here!" Harry waved his wand, still yelling at George, and Cassie pulled the knob and stepped out into the hall. She could feel the tears starting to stream down her cheeks and that made her even more angry. She raised her head to see four curious faces staring at her. Fred was looking at her with such concern that she wanted to go punch him, just for looking so much like George and not being George.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't want to be around him any longer. He's being rude and ridiculous. You heard what he said, I guess."

"It's getting worse, then?"

"Yeah, now Harry is telling George off for . . . I don't know. Being with me, I guess."

"Bet that's going over well. But where are you going?"

"Anywhere. It doesn't matter. Away. Maybe a walk."

Ginny spoke up, "It's your room. You don't have to leave; they should."

Cassie looked at her for a minute. "You think so? Yeah, I guess you're right. It is my room while I'm here."

They hadn't re-locked the door, apparently too engrossed in the argument to pay attention to such mundane matters. Cassie opened the door to hear George and Harry still going at it. She entered, and could feel all eight eyes from out in the hall following her. George apparently was responding to Harry as he was standing only inches and was towering over him. "It isn't up to you to lecture me on what Cassie and I do in private. Hey, mate, I don't ask you what you do with my little sister; you don't need to ask me what I do with Cassie."

Cassie gasped in shock and anger and could hear Ginny do the same behind her. She didn't know for sure what they were talking about, but it was obvious she was the subject. To make matters worse, they were acting like she was a piece of meat or some other inanimate object. She was so angry she didn't know whether to cry, scream, or start swearing very loudly. She stamped her foot down hard and glared at them when they looked up at her. "This is my room and I don't want to see either of you in it. Especially you, George! Now, get out!"

"You heard her, George! Get out of my room! You too, Harry!" Ginny had her wand in her hand and Cassie would have laughed at the looks of fear on both boys' faces if she hadn't been so angry. Fred grabbed George's arm and Ron took Harry's and they were both dragged out of the room.

Ginny locked the door behind them and put on a silencing spell. As soon as the door was shut, Cassie threw herself onto her bed and started hitting her pillow. After a few seconds of that, she started pacing and kicked her school trunk. Of course, that didn't help but she did feel a little better.

"Are you okay, Cassie?"

"No. I can't believe the way George acted! He was so jealous and . . . stupid!"

"Yeah, well, boys can be that way." Hermione said as Cassie made another round of the room and kicked her trunk with the other foot.

"I mean, George actually insinuated that Harry and I were carrying on a secret affair behind Ginny's back -- and that we had been doing all sorts of obscene things together!"

"Yeah, we heard that part." Ginny and Hermione watched as Cassie made yet another round of the room. At least this time, she didn't kick the trunk because both her feet already hurt. After that, she sat down on the bed and looked at the two of them, both sitting on Hermione's bed and looking over at her.

"Why are boys so stupid?"

"I think it's hard-wired into them to be jealous of other guys encroaching on their perceived territory."

"Harry didn't do any encroaching!"

"I know, Cassie! I'm just trying to offer some reasonable-"

"Well, thanks, Hermione, but I didn't just mean about that, I mean just in general." They all smiled, thinking about their boyfriends. Cassie wiped at her eyes, determined that she was not going to cry again.

"Well, Ron was a little thick about the two of us getting together."

"And he was nothing compared to Harry. At least Ron didn't know you liked him. Harry's known all along and he just ignored it."

"And George should know that if I hadn't met Harry, I never would have met him."

"He'll probably figure that out in about 10 minutes." Ginny got up off Hermione's bed and crossed to her own. They all sat silently for a few minutes. Ginny had put up about five pictures of Harry - really nice ones and recent. He was smiling in every one of them and Cassie watched as they waved and grinned at Ginny. "So, what's going to happen now?"

"I don't know. I don't think I need to apologize for anything so I guess I'll wait for him to make the first move."

"Probably a good idea. He was really being a brainless git. And Harry wasn't much better. Let them grovel in the morning. George won't let you be mad at him for very long."

"Can I just ask one question?" Cassie said a few minutes later as she crawled under the covers and Hermione extinguished the lamps. "If he gives me food as an apology, should I eat it?"

"No!" both girls answered emphatically and despite the ache that Cassie felt in her heart, she laughed. In the stillness, she heard the quiet hooting of an owl and she turned over, burying her head in the pillow so she wouldn't hear it anymore. She did not want to give him the impression that she had forgiven him. She was going to need an apology and it was going to have to be a good one.

When she opened her eyes in the bright sunshine of Sunday morning, she grimaced and shut her eyes again. She had a headache demanding attention behind her eyelids and she wondered what sort of weird headache remedy she would be offered. She wished she had thought to buy a box of aspirin in the village yesterday. She rarely had headaches but after the emotional upset of the night before she was not surprised at its presence. She experimentally opened her eyes again, squinting to keep the amount of light down to a minimum. She stretched and glanced at the other two beds. Hermione was up and gone but Ginny was still asleep, face down on the bed, her arms around her pillow and a rather sappy smile on her face. Cassie wondered if she was dreaming of Harry and decided she would have to tease her about it later.

She swung her legs off the bed and glanced at her alarm clock to see what time it was. There was a huge bouquet of roses on the night stand with a note attached. It was obvious who they were from but Cassie had to admit she was rather flummoxed. Even bewitched roses didn't grow in December, did they? She touched a pink one rather hesitantly, thinking it might be an illusion, but the cool silkiness of the flower under her fingertip convinced her it was real. She bent close and smelled the arrangement. Heavenly! It reminded her of summer at home and she forced down the momentary spurt of homesickness that shot through her as that thought crossed her mind. She looked the bouquet over carefully, it must be about two dozen roses, red, white, and pink all intermixed. She took the card off the holder and smiled as the small cupids on the front both shot arrows at each other and little hearts filled the entire card, only to disappear and show the little cupids again.

There was no signature, but she didn't need it. She knew his writing. "Please forgive me. I shouldn't have reacted so badly. I wouldn't blame you if you never speak to me again, but will you at least allow me to try to apologize in person?" Who could help but be touched by a gift as nice as this? Not her. She really liked George and was willing to give him another chance or maybe more than that to get his act together. Ginny stirred and sat up, grumbling something about morning people and Cassie turned back to grin at her.

Ginny must have just seen the roses because she literally jumped out of bed and crossed the room in three seconds flat. She stared, her eyes huge in her face, and Cassie thought that it must not be that common to see roses in December, even if you were a witch or a wizard. "Wow! He must have really gone somewhere fancy to get those! And parted with a huge pile of Galleons." She turned back to look over at her own night stand. "Not even so much as a weed. Hmmm."

"Harry probably doesn't think he needs to bribe you to get forgiveness. After all, you really weren't involved in the argument, were you?"

"He may think that - but he's got another thought coming soon! I was definitely insulted and there better be some sincere groveling!" Ginny stretched and smiled at the moving photographs. "Hear that, Harry? You'd better grovel." She looked at Cassie. "You want me to do your hair this morning?"

It was about an hour later when Cassie and Ginny descended the steps. George was pacing nervously in the kitchen as they stepped down into it and he whirled to see her standing there.
"Hi!" His voice came out in a bit of squeak and instead of glaring like she had intended to, she felt a smile break out over her face.
"Hi. Thanks for the present."

"You like them?"

"Of course. Do I look like I'm insane?"

"You like him, don't you? Proof that you must be!" Fred teased from across the room but George didn't react and Cassie just pretended she'd never heard him. Harry entered the kitchen and looked warily over at Ginny, who stalked over to him. Cassie didn't hear them, either, concentrating all her emotional energy on the boy in front of her at the moment. He looked so chagrined that she almost laughed. Then she was wrapped in his arms and he was kissing the top of her head and muttering into her hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"I know. We do need to talk, though."

"Okay, sure. Whatever you want!" Cassie looked around and saw many pairs of eyes glued on to the two of them.

"Some privacy would be nice."

"Let's go for a walk, then."

"A walk? I'm starved!" Ten minutes later, both she and Ginny were seated at the table eating magically heated French toast with George encouraging Cassie to eat faster and Harry talking earnestly to Ginny. Cassie could hear the occasional word like "out of control" and "couldn't help it." She smiled to herself because she knew Ginny wasn't really angry at Harry, just wanted to make sure that they cleared the air between the two of them, but hearing Harry's quietly desperate tone, it sounded like he wasn't so sure about that.

Finally, she was bundled in her cloak again with hat and mittens and the two of them stepped out of the door of the Burrow and headed into the field where they had walked a few days before. For the first few minutes, neither of them said anything, just enjoying being together in the cold sunshine.

He spoke first and Cassie felt his hand tighten around her mittened one before he said anything. "Cassie, I'm so sorry. I don't know . . . what happened. I just . . . . Darn. I practiced this practically all night and now it's just coming out all wrong."

"You don't need to worry about saying anything fancy. Just tell me what you're thinking."

He stopped and turned her to face him. "I'm thinking that I won't blame you if you hate me. I . . . practically accused you of being a . . . tramp and leading me on and . . . carrying on -"

"Yeah. I know. Don't start listing them. I may have missed a few. But I don't hate you."

"I lost it. In my mind's eye I kept seeing you kissing him the same way you kiss me and him holding you and I just wanted to kill him so he could never touch you again."

"George!"

"Let's face it, Cassie. He's nicer looking, a hero, very polite, closer to your age - everything about him is-"

"Are you in love with Harry?"

"What!"

"Well, the way you were going on about his attributes I was thinking maybe I should get jealous or something!" George smiled that endearing little quirky smile at her and kissed her on the nose.
"Very funny."

"Look. Harry is a great guy - I mean, if he weren't, I wouldn't have ever been his friend to begin with, right?" George nodded hesitantly. "I'm very particular about boys I date. They have to be very nice . . ." She started counting off on her fingers as she listed the qualities she liked about him " . . . funny, handsome, sexy, great kissers, and I seem to have a real thing about wizards." George laughed and they walked again. "But seriously, George. I liked Harry, a lot. I'm not ashamed to admit it or anything. But he was always in love with Ginny. Always. He didn't know it at the time, but he was. I won't lie and say it didn't hurt to stop liking him. But, with you, it's different." She wanted to admit that she was falling in love with him, but she hesitated and then the moment passed because they had reached the pond, now frozen solid, and George started talking about how they loved to swim in the summer and the conversation drifted onto different subjects.

After a while, they turned around and started walking again toward the Burrow. "Where did you get the flowers? I wanted to ask because even Ginny was impressed, so I know you didn't just whip them up from thin air or transfigure a houseplant."

"No. Those are real roses." He flushed slightly. "I just apparated to greenhouse not too terribly far away from here. They weren't happy about opening up, but bribery works wonders even at midnight on a Saturday night."

"Oh."

"I was going to get all yellow, but the lady wouldn't let me buy them because she said that yellow roses mean jealousy or fading love and I definitely didn't want to give those to you. I didn't know if you'd know that they meant that, but I didn't want to take any chances." She smiled.

"Actually, I did know that. Not that I would have thought that's what you meant. Well, maybe I would have, at first. 'Til I read the card."

"So, then I was going to get all red, because I knew that meant love, but she said red means passionate love and thought that since we aren't married that it probably wouldn't be the best." Cassie flushed slightly. "She suggested mixing the white and the red and the pink and I thought they looked nice."

"They are wonderful."

"They won't last forever - but at least until after Christmas. They can put some sort of preservation spell on flowers."

"Speaking of Christmas, what are you getting me?"

He looked sideways at her. "Are you nuts? I'm not telling!"

"Oh, please, come on! I -"

"No! Don't ask again."

"All right," she conceded grudgingly. She just wanted to have an idea on price. She didn't want to way over or under spend for his present but she didn't have a chance to elaborate before the Burrow was in sight again. They both looked at each other and smiled faintly. "It's really crowded in there now."

"Yes, and it's only going to get worse. Fleur will be coming to be with Bill, Charlie will be here for a few days since he has to come so far. Percy is dropping by. I think Angelina is coming to be with Fred this week for a day or so, and that isn't even mentioning other relatives that might drop by." Cassie stared at him with undisguised shock.

"All those people are supposed to just use one bathroom?" He laughed.

"We'll manage somehow. Come on." He tugged her arm gently as they started down the gentle slope that led to the house.

"Wait. Can we, uh, kiss each other?" His eyes lit up and it was actually quite a few minutes before they made it to the door. Cassie fully expected that she and George would be getting the third degree when they came back in because of their being gone so long and their pink faces, only partly caused by the nipping cold. However, she was wrong. The kitchen was empty and they heard agitated voices coming from the living room so they both went in. Tonks was there, Remus standing next to her but facing the other direction, his head in the fire. She was the one sounding agitated, although Remus' voice was equally disturbed as he talked through the Floo.

"I don't know how they knew I was staying there. I've been so extremely careful. And I don't know for sure if they saw me as me, but the wards were definitely tripped."

"What's going on?" George asked the general circle of people all looking grave.

"Tonks has been found. Her wards were tripped this morning when she came back from getting a newspaper. She didn't dare go back into the house, so she's come here to stay instead."