The Letters
Summary: Summary: In the MWPP Era, Sirius receives a series of letters from an unknown person. He seeks to find the person and confront them, but the person is clever. Can Sirius find them?
Chapter 8. The Meeting
Previously…
"Find out lots, Sirius." James advised through a mouthful of chicken at lunch.
"I will." He replied. Then after a short look around, "Hey, where's Wormtail?"
Peter Pettigrew sat by the bedside of Cathryn for a few hours before she woke up. She blinked blindly in the sunlight for a moment. And when her eyes focused better, she stared at him.
"Who are you?" She asked
"My name is Peter." He said, "I'm Sirius' friend. I'm the one who found you."
"But, I told you to go away." She said.
"You were sick, I couldn't just leave you." He replied.
"Thank you." She said getting out of the bed.
"Should you be up?" He asked
"Don't worry about me." She said
"Ok." He said, "Would you like me to help you…"
"Please, I really just want to be alone right now." She replied
"Ok." He repeated.
"She's haunted by her memories?" Sirius inquired confused.
"That's what Dumbledor said." Peter nodded.
"But what does that mean?" James asked
"How should I know?" Peter asked, "I could look it up."
"Oi, Remus," Sirius called across the common room. He motioned for him to come over.
"I'd like to thank you for the discreet, quiet way you did that, Padfoot." Remus said sitting next to them.
"I aim to please." Sirius replied.
"What do you need?" Remus inquired.
"Have you ever heard anything about a person's memories haunting them?" Sirius inquired.
"Sounds familiar, would you like me to look it up for you?" Remus asked
"That'd be great!" Sirius said
"Don't forget to tell us how it goes tonight, Padfoot." James reminded him.
"What? Like I would dare even try to keep something from you!" Sirius laughed. A letter sailed through the window.
"Uh oh, do you think she changed her mind?" Sirius asked
"Open and find out!" Peter instructed.
Dear Mr. Black,
I am not canceling our plans, but I may be a little late, I have a prior appointment.
Love,
The one who loves you.
"Goodie, she might be late, this is my lucky day." Sirius said.
"Whatever." James said, "Just come back with something juicy."
"One pear, coming up." Sirius said.
"I'm going to hold you to that," James said
"I wouldn't doubt it." Sirius replied. He looked at the grandfather clock near the fire. It was four hours till midnight, so he began his homework. His time was spent unproductively, however, for he spent most of it gazing up at the clock.
"Padfoot, are you nervous?" Remus questioned amused
"A little," Sirius admitted
"Why not take James' invisibility cloak, so you can see her before she sees you." Remus suggested.
"Good idea, can I, Prongs?" Sirius requested.
"It's all yours, Padfoot." James said running upstairs to fetch it.
"How do you think she knew?" Peter asked randomly.
"How who knew what?" Remus asked looking up from his book.
"How do you think Cathryn knew who I was, even though I was in rat form?" Peter questioned.
"I hadn't thought of that before." Sirius said, "She said what again?"
"'Leave me alone.'" Peter repeated.
"And she acknowledged that it was you she spoke to in the hospital wing?" Remus asked. Peter nodded.
"Maybe…I don't know, I don't have a clue." Sirius said.
"Did she see you transform?" Remus asked.
"No." Peter said
"Are you sure?" Sirius asked
"I'm not telling you that I don't think so, I'm telling you that nobody saw me, I was upstairs in the dorm we share." Peter said
"Ok."
Sirius walked down to the spot two hours early, he brought a book to read and was prepared to sit by the tree until she came. What he saw completely surprised him.
It was Cathryn and another girl who looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't put a name to her face. He quietly transformed into a dog and crept closer…
"Katie, darling, what's the matter?" This other girl was condescending to Cathryn. She wore all black and her bleach blonde hair streamed down her back. Her big, black eyes pierced through Cathryn like knives.
"I told you not to call me that." Cathryn whispered.
"Why not?" The other girl inquired
"You know why." Cathryn replied.
"Could it possibly be, Katie that that's what a certain someone used to call you?"
Cathryn cringed, "Please Cassandra, don't." Cassandra crept close to Cathryn.
"But your father didn't just hit you did he?" She inquired.
"Stop it." Cathryn whispered.
"Did he, Katie?" Cassandra questioned grabbing her wrists and roughly positioning her arms to be parallel to the ground.
"Stop it!" She screamed pushing the older girl away from her and scrambling clumsily away.
"He has nothing to offer you, Katie." Cassandra said, and Sirius knew she was referring to him.
"Cassandra…" Cathryn began as Cassandra grabbed her neck she whispered into Cathryn's ear.
"He belongs to me…" She said before pushing the girl in the direction of the castle. Cathryn didn't move, "What's wrong?" Cassandra laughed, "Can't you breathe?" The younger girl struggled to her feet and sprinted towards the castle using all of her strength. Sirius returned to human form and walked out of the clearing.
"Mr. Black!" Cassandra said in a girly, flighty voice.
"Hello. Are you 'the one who loves me'?" Sirius asked.
"Yes I am." She nodded enthusiastically, "My name is Cassandra."
"I see. Cassandra, may I ask you something?" He asked sweetly, pretending to have seen nothing of her previous encounter.
"Of course, anything!" Cassandra agreed.
"What classes would I, a sixth year, have in common with you, a third year?" He asked. Cassandra blanched. She hadn't thought he would notice that detail.
"We don't, but you still never noticed me…" Cassandra said.
"Did you ever present yourself to me?" Sirius inquired.
"Well…no…" She said.
"Then how can you blame me, I'm three years older than you, I can't be expected to keep track of everyone can I?" He inquired.
"No, I guess not." Cassandra said, "I'm sorry for lying, I wanted to see you."
"I understand." Sirius smiled, "How do you know Cathryn?"
"Cathryn?" Cassandra inquired innocently
"That's who you were referring to in the letters, right?" Sirius asked.
"Of course, Katie dearest. She likes you a lot." Cassandra said.
"I like her too." Sirius said. Cassandra looked surprised.
"I like you more than she." She said confidently.
"Prove it." Sirius said.
TBC
AN: I don't much like cliffhangers either, but with your kind of luck, you'll get a chapter either today or tomorrow.