A/N: I'm so sad that this story is coming to an end. I hope this chapter will make you all happy!
Chapter Fourteen: What an Odd Year
Christmas break passed all too fast. Then spring came. The end of school was nearing and things at Hogwarts for the most part had calmed down.
Helena forgot all about Jason Tai and currently was available. Cassandra and Ron hooked up and so did Dawn and Loofamin. Harry concentrated most of his time on Quidditch and Hermione on her studies.
Brett and Esmeralda's wedding had been postponed until after final exams. The day after school got out, actually.
On one rainy Saturday in April, Cassandra sat at a table in the Great Hall. She was doing homework with Helena when a note popped up. Smiling to herself, Cassandra read it.
Will you meet me in the library in ten minutes?
Of course. The note popped away.
"Who was that?" Helena questioned.
"It's my mysterious note sender. I think I know who it is."
The purple eyed witch's eyes bulged as she asked eagerly, "Who? Who? Who?"
Cassandra sighed. "Draco Malfoy."
Helena's nose wrinkled. "Oh, that prat. Oh well, tell him you have a boyfriend."
"Did you realize he's my cousin?"
Both girls let out a high pitched squeal of disgust.
After a few seconds of squealing and getting glares from people eating their lunches, Helena asked. "You gonna go?"
"I suppose I should." Cassandra put the back of her hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically.
Helena eyed Cassandra. You going dressed like shit? Or is that the style you're going for?"
The black haired girl looked down at her unflattering gray sweatpants and a too big white T-shirt she stole from Ron. She grinned at Helena and said, "Don't you know grunge is in?"
"Really? And is, like, gray the new pink?" The two girls rolled their eyes. "You should go change. That'll take ten hours if you don't rush it. I'll time you." She flicked her wand and a watch appeared. "Ready, set, go!" The two girls rushed off to Gryffindor Tower, bumping into students, getting yelled at by teachers, and threatened to be hung by Filch.
Nine and a half minutes later, the two girls ran into the library.
Helena wiped the pretend sweat off her forehead. "Merlin that was a work out. Now, fix you hair and you're a model."
Wrinkling her nose, Cassandra said, "No thanks, I'd rather eat."
"Go sit and wait for him. I'll be here." Air quotes. "'Reading'."
Cassandra's stomach twisted into knots of anger, nervousness, confusion, and hunger. Yeah, she forgot to eat lunch.
After what seemed two hours (really 1.5 minutes) someone tapped Cassandra on the shoulder. "Cassandra Sanderson?"
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"I wonder where Cassandra and Helena ran off too," Ron mused out loud.
"Do we care?" Harry yawned and stretched further on the comfy leather couch in the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Well, they are girls, and we wouldn't be here without them, right?" Ron was sitting upside down in a chair. His face was turning red inches above the floor.
"I suppose so. Unless we could possibly find a way to not have women on the world, like make men by magic?"
Harry turned to his friend with a shocked look. "Where's the fun in that."
Ron shrugged. "Too true, mate."
The two sat in a comfortable silence until Harry's stomach growled.
Harry clutched his belly and moaned. "My tummy is mad at me. It needs food. I think we should go get breakfast."
"Yeah, we should. Let's go now," Ron muttered.
Neither boy moved.
"We do need women after all," Harry thought out loud. "They are useful 'cause they bring us things."
"Yes, wasn't it nice that Helena had those stalkers? They did everything for us."
"Yeah, but they all died, didn't they?" The Boy Who Lived asked solemnly.
"I think so. But on a happier note, I have 'It's a Small World' stuck in my head." Ron started humming it.
"How does that help?" the black haired kid raised a questioning eyebrow.
"It doesn't. Where are Helena and Cassandra?"
"A basilisk ate them."
"That's depressing."
The two boys went back to doing nothing.
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"May I help you?" Cassandra asked as her eyes met two brown ones.
"Yeah, I'm here to talk to you," the boy answered. Merlin he was gorgeous. His blonde hair hung into his beautifully brown eyes. His full lips made Cassandra momentarily forget about Ron.
"And you are?"
He stuck out a hand. "David Matthews, sender of you notes."
Cassandra's jaw dropped. "You—I thought—you—why—Dra—what… Huh?"
David chuckled. "I must confess, it wasn't Draco Malfoy. It was me. It was me the whole time. I was the one who sent you the notes. It was at first a dare. My friend dared me to pick a girl in Potions and write to her, pretending I was Draco Malfoy."
"Huh? Why?"
"I have stupid friends. And we all hate Draco, despite what everyone thinks. He's not as popular as he believes himself."
"The Astrology Tower?"
"Me, and it was a dare. I used Polyjuice Potion the two times I saw you when I was disguised as Draco. He was sick so it was easy to go around as him."
"The dance?"
"Me again."
Cassandra took a moment to let it all sink in. "You probably don't have anything to do with this, but do you know anything about those stalker-ish clubs? The ones with the little kids like Johnny Depth and Bernadette Peterson?"
"Uh, er, no. That was there own doing I suppose." He let out a nervous laugh. "You must think I'm a jerk. Right?"
Grinning, Cassandra said, "I should be pissed at you yelling profanity like 'you bloody bastard' and such but, I find this too funny!" Cassandra laughed till her belly ached. David laughed to humor her. He really didn't find it that funny.
"I have another confession to make," David said slowly.
"Another?" Cassandra sighed angrily. "Get on with it."
"I found that I got to know you through the notes we sent. And, well." He kicked the ground nervously. "I wanted to ask you something."
"And that would be?"
"You wanna go out with me? Like, on a date, or something? OrwecouldjustbefriendsandItotallyunderstand!"
"I'm sorry, but I kind of already have a boyfriend." Cassandra bit her lip.
"Oh," David looked to the floor disappointed. "Well, then, that's that. Erm, bye now." He pecked a very confused Cassandra on the cheek and walked sluggishly away.
Cassandra watched the boy go and mused out loud, "What an odd year this has been!"
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"Did we ever figure out where Helena and Cassandra were?" Harry asked as he conjured a snitch in his hands. He tossed it lazily up in the air and watched as it flickered away from him up to the girl's dormitories.
Ron yawned loudly. "What's that, mate?"
"Helena and Cassandra. Where the bloody hell are they?"
"Did the fall into the lake and get eaten by those freaky mer-people?" Ron opened and closed his eyes sleepily.
"Possibly,"
Jus then Lavender Brown screamed bloody murder and ran from the dorms. An owl was tugging at her hair and pecking her nose.
Hermione ran after her saying, "Stop screaming, you'll only provoke it!"
The two girls ran out of the common room still yelling.
Ron yawned again. "What a weird year this has been!"
Harry burped in agreement.
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Finals passed with a blur and soon it was the day before the last day of school. And all through the Houses, sobs and shouts of joy were to be heard.
Helena scratched her nose impatiently as she waited for Cassandra to be done in the bathroom. "Really, woman, you'd think it was Harry in there with all the hot water you're using up!"
"It's a special day. I need to look beautiful 'cause I won't have time to get ready later," was the curt reply. "You do remember what today is, don't you?" Cassandra stepped out of the shower with a full steam effect. She grabbed a fluffy red towel and wrapped it around herself muttering, "Drat, where did I put my clothes?"
Helena frowned, thinking hard. "Is today possibly the day I get proposed to by a mysterious man in black?" She tugged absentmindedly at her red shirt.
Still looking for her clothes, Cassandra said flabbergasted, "I can't believe you forgot! Tonight is my brother's wedding rehearsal. His wedding is the day after school gets out. Since it would be too hectic to have the rehearsal tomorrow, it's tonight. Remember, we're bridesmaids?"
"Oh yes." The purple eyes witch crinkles her nose. "We have to wear those gaudy dresses. Yuck!"
Cassandra smiled as she found her clothes. Pulling on her knickers she snorted, "I don't think Blackwood was completely sober when she picked out the color. What was it called again? 'Springtime Fairy Green'?"
"I don't remember. Oh, we have to wear those little headdresses made of pale pink and yellow flowers, don't we?"
"Afraid so." After Cassandra wand dried her hair, she was all dressed, perfumed, made-up, and ready to go. "And we have to wear seven inch heels."
Helena rolled her eyes. "Why can't we have a normal number like six inch? Or maybe lower like one inch? But noooo! Blackwood has to be all up in our asses. 'It makes you look more majestic', she says. Well, Esmeralda, since it's your bloody wedding, you can shove your majestic little seven inch shoes up your—!"
"Hello Professor Blackwood!" Cassandra greeted the teacher laughingly. "I was just getting ready for the day."
Blackwood smiled and put a hand on Cassandra's black curls. "You don't need to get ready for the rehearsal now, darlings. You can get ready after supper. Helena, dear, red really isn't your color. It makes you look…snobbish." Turning her back on the girls, she called, "Don't be late, remember seven tonight in the Great Hall. It will all be majestic!"
With that she sauntered off.
"Helena, your red shirt matches your face. It's quite 'majestic'," Cassandra giggled maliciously.
"Shut it before I eat your face for my dinner!" Helena growled in tune to her stomach. "Let's make like bread and roll."
Cassandra stopped mid-stride and stared at her best friend. Did she seriously say that?
"Cassandra, are you coming?"
"Of course!"
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The wedding rehearsal went smoothly with only one flaw; Helena's seven in heels broke. Oh dear. Cassandra had to fix it before Helena grew too happy.
Soon the two witches were in their little beds and all through the Houses, not a creature was sleeping, not even the ghosts.
Cassandra stared at the ceiling dreading tomorrow. All her schoolmates would be getting on the Hogwarts Express and leaving her to "enjoy" her brother's wedding. She wouldn't see them until next September when she would be in her Seventh Year. Yikes, N.E.W.T.S. were approaching. Seventh Year, hell year according to Brett. Seventh Year…
The though trailed in her mind as she drifted to sleep.
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The wedding took place near the lake. Enchanted doves flew in pairs holding ribbons that said thing like "love" "happiness" and "together forever". Glitter rained down from trees. The guests were few. The Blackwood clan, the Sanderson clan, teachers, very close friends, and Helena.
Cassandra looked from the back and surveyed everyone. They all seemed to be anxiously awaiting the grand feast promised afterwards. Turning around, she saw Esmeralda having a nervous breakdown.
"I can't do this, Cassandra! What was I thinking? I can't get married!" Esmeralda clung on to Cassandra.
"Erm, I think they'll be starting the wedding march soon. Compose yourself." Cassandra suggested. Immediately she did.
The wedding march began and Cassandra took them arm of a cousin of Esmeralda's, who, in Helena's opinion, was quite fine.
Cassandra took one step forwards and somehow made it all the way down the isle, lined up and before she knew it, the wedding was over.
"You were wonderful, sweetie." Eve gushed.
"Thanks, mom." Cassandra gave her adopted mother a hug.
"You called me mom!" Eve's eyes welled with tears. "Oh baby I'm so happy! And after all you've been through!"
"It doesn't matter, I finally know where I belong and it's right here with you!"
Cassandra looked at the beaming faces of Milo, Dawn, Eve, Brett, Esmeralda, and Odette. Her family. Bellatrix Lestrange might have given birth to her, but she was never her mother. Eve was. Milo, Dawn. Brett, Odette, and even dead little Arabella were her brothers and sisters. Esmeralda was her newest sister. Yes, this was her family. She had found what she was looking for and all this time it had been right under her nose.
The Sandersons, her true family.
Well there you have it folks, the end. It's finished! Yay! I hope you enjoyed that story. It's not my best work or even some of my better work. It's just a foolish story of a few fools doing foolish things. I enjoyed writing it. Sadly, the sequel is going to be put on hold because I am writing a story about the French Revolution that I'm hoping to be published some day. My editor says it's coming along great. If anyone wants to read it, please send me an email. I'll be happy to send some chapters to you.
Thanks for being such great readers!
