DISCLAIMER: JKR owns Harry Potter. But I own Cass and most of the first-years. JKR gets money—loads of it. But I get no riches. Those are the hard facts, but they keep me from being sued.

A/N: AHHHHHH! Over 100 followers! AHHH! Thanks, guys!

I'm not going to waste time with a long author's note because this is the chapter where things click into place. But, I just have to point out that I think it's ironic that the turning-point of the story came with this fanfic reaching 100 followers, almost like it is a celebration of hitting that mark.

Enjoy!

OoOoO

The week after the D.A. meeting was a hard one. Cass must've tried to make herself get a vision a hundred times. But her gift stubbornly refused her, which irked her tremendously. Why did it choose not to work now? Now, when she needed answers more than ever. She spent her classes speculating on who her mum really was. Maybe some cousin of Lily Potter? But that didn't make sense; why would Cass have seen Lily instead of her actual mum? And even the baffling vision hadn't given her the real answer she was searching for: why had her parents given her up?

What was so maddening was that Cass knew the answer was right there, staring her in the face. It was on the very tip-top tip of her tongue, so close, yet so out of reach. She didn't know how she knew, only that she knew. The worst bit was that the obvious answer was quite impossible, yet it was the one that made the most sense. And it didn't make any bloody sense at all. In the middle of the week, she had convinced herself that it was just a coincidence. It had to be a coincidence. Cass was always so mad at all the wizards who were startled to see someone who looked so much like Lily, yet she was doing the same thing. People can look alike, she told herself. And that was that.

Only that wasn't that. In her heart, Cass knew this was no mere coincidence, yet she clung to her explanation, the only explanation that made a lick of sense. She refused to think that it was anything other than a coincidence, because, of course, that was all it was. A coincidence.

In Friday's Potions class, Cass kept shooting glances at Professor Snape. He had a frown on his face, and more than once their eyes met because he would look at her, too. Every time, his mouth would twist sourly and he would look away while Cass held his gaze as evenly as she could. Sarah, her partner, had to keep repeating what she said at least twice for Cass to hear. Finally, the Slytherin had had enough.

"Cass! What is with you today?" she demanded.

"What—? Uh, nothing…" Cass said, tearing her eyes away from Snape. Something told her he knew something—maybe the exact something that so frustratingly eluded her. "Can you add some of that poppyseed? I don't want the flobberworm to overpower the…" she trailed off at the sight of Sarah's stare. "What?" Cass asked.

"Cass, we put the poppyseed in ten minutes ago," Sarah said matter-of-factly, looking at Cass with concern.

"Er, right. I meant the…uh, wiggentree bark."

"Well, go get it. I haven't gotten it yet," was Sarah's curt reply. Cass sighed and stood up from her table. It wasn't fair to Sarah to let her do all the work while she stared off into space. Gathering the bark in one dragonhide-gloved hand, she told herself to pay strict attention to the rest of the lesson.

Cass felt her senses open up in the air of the Potions lab. She supposed it was all the fumes. When she got back, she started to strip the wiggentree bark into neat, smooth bits. For a while, Cass was really focused on her work, and their potion turned the exact shade of purple it was supposed to. But then she caught Professor Snape looking at her again with that unreadable expression, and she ground her teeth in annoyance.

Maybe it was the fumes of all the potions in the room. Or maybe it was Cass's desperation for the truth. But that vital piece of information came to her so suddenly that the glass vial in her hand shattered, either from Cass gripping it too hard or accidental magic, she couldn't tell. She was already in a completely different world.

A young man with black, greasy hair that hung in his eyes stood outside a door in a dark hallway. A wispy voice came from the crack between the door and the floor.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"

The man fled from the corridor, taking the vision with him.

Flicker.

A raven-haired man was sitting on a green couch with a red-haired woman. The man looked familiar, like someone the Seer knew, but couldn't quite put a name to in the dream world she currently walked in. He had hazel eyes, and the girl had bright green ones.

"Twins?" the man whispered to the woman. A small smile played across her lips, and her eyes watered with joyous tears. "We're having twins! Two! Two beautiful babies, Lily, two! Merlin, two!" the man shouted excitedly, kissing the girl with such tender love the Seer filled up with happiness.

Flicker.

An old man sat in a large office, a red and gold phoenix perched next to him. A bug-eyed woman was sitting in front of him, babbling incoherently. The old man looked tired, so very tired. Like he was holding the world on his shoulders.

"There's been another Prophecy, Albus? What did it say?" another woman spoke up, this one with a very stern and strict look about her. Worry coated her voice.

"It might not apply to the Potters, but it fits…it says…"

The vision flickered before he could finish, landing again on the young couple from earlier. This time, they were distraught. The man was shouting, "No! We won't! How could you say that? How could we give her up? I—we trusted you, Albus, no!" The wails of two babies made him stop. The red-haired woman was holding two squirming bundles in her arms. Two…why was that odd? The man took one from her, nuzzling it to his face. "You don't even know if the Prophecy is about her," he said in a slightly calmer voice, gently cradling the infant to his chest.

Flicker.

"She will die if you don't…it was foretold."

"I can't…"

"You heard what it said, James."

"I won't. We won't." The voice was firm, unyielding.

"It said Voldemort would kill her." That voice was gentle, understanding. And sad, incredibly sad.

Flicker.

A man with white hair and outlandish robes was holding a baby girl in his arms. A strange watch with a silver chain was clutched in his aged hand. A phoenix was perched on his shoulder, and it seemed to be crying. "It's for the best…it won't be long…you'll be back with them soon…" he murmured gently, tears falling into his silver beard.

He tapped his wand to the silver device, and the phoenix burned brightly. A great distance stretched before the Seer—she shuddered inwardly at the sheer impossibility of it. The man, phoenix, and baby were whipped away through time and space. Something happened. The man…he lost grip on the bundle…worlds flashed before her eyes. Images blurred together: a fire station, an elderly pair of hands, a screaming, green-eyed woman, a very sad old man…pain erupted everywhere, driving deep into her skull. Blackness was approaching…a faint voice broke through the cloud of confusion…

OoOoO

Severus Snape's heart skipped a beat when he saw the glass shatter in the girl's hand, when he saw her tense up. The class fell silent and watched her, and the silence continued for a full five seconds. Then Lily—not Lily, Lily's dead—gave a loud gasp.

Immediately, Snape knew it was up, that she knew. And he found he wasn't sad. No, in fact, he felt quite the opposite—he felt happy that she knew. But the girl looked far from happy. She looked shaken, only that didn't begin to describe it. She looked as if her whole world had been yanked from under her feet. Guiltily, Snape admitted to himself that it had been.

"Miss McGarther, why do you feel it necessary to interrupt my class? And to destroy school property—do not think that I will accept this behavior!" Snape said, his initial joy fading as a hard edge sparked in the girl's eyes—Lily's eyes.

"You—" her voice broke. Snape resisted the urge to wince at the accusation in that tone. It was far too similar to Lily's, far too effective in scraping open unhealed wounds. Instead, he made a dangerous gleam fill his eyes, a gleam that made every other student shrink back. But not her. She stared defiantly back at him, meeting his glare—raising it.

Without another word, the girl stuffed her parchment and quill into her bag, blinking rapidly. Snape assumed she was trying to keep tears from falling. To everyone's surprise, including his, he allowed her to sling her backpack over one shoulder and walk out—more like run out. He scowled; he was going to pay for that. What good is a scary reputation if people start to think they can leave whenever they want? Upon thinking this, he told the oafs, "Get back to work, dunderheads," in a very slow tone. Slow, but intimidating.

There was a scuffle of frantic movement, and the class went back to quiet working, except for one student. The girl's friend, a fellow Gryffindor, Miller, was standing at her table in a rebellious manner. Her partner, one his snakes (why he would pair up with a Gryffindor was beyond Snape), kept nudging her with his elbow, but she ignored him, glaring at Snape distrustfully. Idiot girl, he thought. "Miss Miller, ten points from Gryffindor, since you find brewing potions beneath you," Snape announced. That roused her, and she began dumping ingredients into her cauldron angrily.

OoOoO

Tears made Cass's vision fracture into pieces, but she managed to stumble through the blur into the bathroom. She dove into a stall, slammed the lid down on the toilet, and sat on it with her knees hugged to her chest. Breathe, she told herself. Breathe.

She sat there for a few shuddering moments, her breath coming in gasps. Her head was pounding, either from emotional stress or the strong vision. She was choking on her sobs, and her nose was clogged with salty tears. She pressed her palms to her eyelids and forced herself to think it.

Harry Potter is my twin brother.

Again.

Harry Potter is my twin brother.

Suddenly, several things clicked into place. How she caught Dumbledore looking at her sadly from time to time, the vision triggered by Professor Trelawney chanting, "Born with faces same." It made sense…only it didn't, not really.

It was impossible. It really, really was. But it was the undeniable truth; she had Seen it. Not much of her vision had made sense, but Cass knew a few things. 1) Harry was her—twin. 2) Her parents were—her parents had been murdered. 3) Dumbledore had known. He had bloody known… 4) She had travelled forward in time. Cass hadn't known that was possible, but that is what had happened.

She made herself repeat those four things in her head again and again until she calmed down a bit. Her breathing steadied, but her fingers remained twitchy and shaky. An image of the dark-haired man—her father, James Potter—swam before her eyes. It was when he had nuzzled her tiny infant body to his face. That simple motion brought tears to her eyes as she replayed it in her head a small smile on her face despite everything. It held so much love…but he wasn't even alive anymore. The whole situation made Cass want to scream.

She picked herself off the toilet seat and exited the stall. Crying there all day wasn't going to accomplish anything. Never mind that Cass didn't know what she wanted to accomplish. She splashed cold water on her face and looked at her reflection. Bright red spots dotted her cheeks, and there were fingermarks on her temples from where she had clutched her head. She brought up a mental image of Harry and compared it to her reflection. Thinking about it, there were a lot of similarities. James…her dad…had looked a lot like Harry, or, rather, Harry looked a lot like him. Like an exact copy, except for his green eyes, which she shared with him and their…mum. My god. Hers and Harry's noses were the same, but Cass's face was shaped more like Lily's. She let loose a long breath and muttered, "Bloody mother of treacle tarts," under her breath. Tears threatened to spill over again, but she blinked furiously, thinking her tears were stupid and that they were not helping the situation at all. She dried her hands off and left the bathroom…

…only to come face-to-face with Snape.

OoOoO

On his way to the Gryffindor Tower, Harry saw something strange. Snape was leading Cass in the direction of Dumbledore's office. The sour professor had an indifferent look about him, but it was the first-year's face that made Harry stop. She looked…shaken was the word, but it didn't describe her expression nearly well enough. Nevertheless, she walked proud and straight next to Snape, but faltered in her graceful stride when she saw Harry.

Something seemed to squirm inside Harry, telling him a monumental event was about to take place. He felt a deep-rooted nervousness in his gut, but made his way over to Snape and Cass, preparing himself to backtalk the Potions Master.

"This doesn't concern you, Potter," Snape cut, curling his lip.

Cass's face morphed into one of anger. "Really? I think it does concern him. It concerns him very much!" she said. This surprised Harry, seeing her talk back to Snape…and he didn't insult her! He just pressed his lips together and sent a sharp glance to Harry, who was starting to grow worried. What could make Snape overlook such attitude from a first-year?

A knot of dread forming in his stomach, Harry asked, "What is going on?"

Cass looked away, seeming on the verge of tears. Her face held extreme disbelief on it; she looked numb. It was Snape who answered. "The headmaster will tell you."

Sending questioning looks to Cass, who seemed incapable of speech, he followed Snape up to Dumbledore's office. The stone gargoyle leaped aside immediately, not even waiting for the password. It only served to make Harry more uneasy. Darting ahead of Snape, Cass stomped up the stairs and stormed into Dumbledore's office. Harry only stood in the doorframe agape as Cass started to shout at Dumbledore.

"How could you?! How could you keep that from us?! You…I hate you!" she yelled hotly. What had she Seen? What was she talking about?

"Miss McGarther, please listen to me," Dumbledore said, looking heartbroken. Harry's eyes darted from him to Cass to Snape, seeking an explanation.

"Why should I? You—ripped—me away from them! From—from—from," Cass's voice was growing softer and softer. "…from Harry," she finished in a whisper.

"Wh-what?" Harry said, utterly confused. Who was 'them?' And he had never seen Cass before Hogwarts—what was she saying, ripping her away from him?

Cass sat down huffily in one of the office chairs and seemed to be trying to collect herself, taking deep, shuddering breaths. "Please—please explain the whole thing. I—I only got bits and pieces…oh, my goodness…" She hid her face in her hands. "Sorry," she said to the headmaster, not sounding very apologetic at all.

"It's—it's quite all right, Miss McGarther," Dumbledore replied. If Harry wasn't mistaken, he seemed to be avoiding looking him in the eye.

Warily, Harry walked over to the seat next to Cass and sat down, dropping his schoolbag on the floor. "Could someone please tell me what's going on?" he asked quietly.

"I will, Harry, but do not interrupt me. That goes for you too, Miss McGarther," Dumbledore replied. He took a deep breath and launched into a tale.

"In the first wizarding war, Lily and James contacted me saying," Dumbledore paused, "…saying they were going to have twins."

Harry's mind seemed to short-circuit. "What?" he gasped. What? What? What? What? The word bounced around in his head; it was all he could think of.

"Harry, let me explain. Your parents," he included Cass in his look, "were going to have twins," he repeated, as if making sure Harry got it. "You and Miss McGarther were born on July 31st, 1980. It was a time where Voldemort was at large, killing for fun. Everyone was worried, and your parents went into hiding. Two prophecies were made; one I witnessed myself, and one witnessed by Professor Snape. Both were made by Professor Trelawney.

"One of the prophecies spoke of someone born in the last days of the month of July who could defeat Voldemort. The other was a…warning of sorts. I will show both of them to you now." Dumbledore walked over to where his Pensieve was hidden. Harry barely saw him; he was looking at the small first-year girl next to him. Had Dumbledore gone mad? It was impossible that Cass was his—twin. Impossible. So why did it feel so true?

"Harry, Miss McGarther—may I call you Cassandra?" Dumbledore asked from the hidden alcove.

"Yes, you may," Cass replied coldly. There was still a slightly angry tone to her voice. "Sir," she tacked on, as if it was an afterthought. She got up and moved to the Pensieve, and Harry followed reluctantly behind her. Was there a way he could be dreaming? He couldn't seem to keep his eyes off Cass, the girl who made him marvel at how much she looked like his mother. Could it be true…? His brain didn't seem to be functioning correctly; he just kept repeating the words Dumbledore had spoken over and over in his head.

The silvery-blue glow of the Pensieve illuminated Cass's face, which held a multitude of emotions. There was anger—it was, perhaps, the most dominant—anger, disbelief, sadness…and something else. Like she was remembering something fondly. It occurred to Harry that she must have Seen something. And she believed it whole-heartedly.

Instead of bringing his wand tip to his forehead, as Harry had seen him do before, Dumbledore muttered a string of complicated enchantments. Above his white head, a compartment hidden in the wall sprung open. By way of explanation, he said, "I couldn't let anyone learn of this…even my own mind was not a safe enough place for the information I am about to share with you."

"Information that is rightfully ours," Cass said through gritted teeth. Harry stared at her; the girl was scolding one of the most powerful wizards in the world, and she didn't even bat an eyelash. If what Dumbledore said was true…we should've been told. Harry wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but something had been withheld for him. A strong sense of betrayal flooded his mind at the thought of Dumbledore holding something like this from him. Something like what? That Cass is—somehow, impossibly—my…my twin? Harry shook his head.

"Please let me explain, Cassandra," Dumbledore said wearily, his face looking to hold an infinite amount of years. Cass's mouth twisted but she didn't say anything. Dumbledore reached up into the concealed compartment and withdrew a small ivory box from it. He opened it up and revealed a velvet-lined interior. There were three vials in it, each containing silver threads. He took one out, and Harry could just make out his surname in neat script. "I will show you both prophecies, and then a few extra memories after. Of your—of your parents." Again, he included Cass in his look. A growing sense of disbelief was starting to numb Harry. His eyes were glued to Cass, and hers to him. Dumbledore had to clear his throat to make them pay attention to the Pensieve, and even then it was an effort to pull his eyes away from her.

"The first was made before you both were born," he said. Blimey…is this real? Dumbledore dumped the vial's contents into the dish, but instead of having to stick their heads in, an image floated above the Pensieve. It was Professor Trelawney, but a younger one. "I was interviewing her for the Divination position at Hogwarts. She didn't seem to have the Gift, but she was descended from a famous Seer, so I indulged her. To my surprise, she made a prophecy, right there in the inn I was meeting her in."

Harry nodded distractedly. Trelawney opened her mouth, but a wispy voice came out instead of her normal one. He shivered; he had only heard this voice once before, in his third-year. It still gave him the chills.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal , but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"

"What?" Harry choked out. Unconsciously, his hand flew to his forehead, to his lightning-shaped scar. Mark him as his equal… "What?"

Cass was looking at him with shock. Whatever just happened, she hadn't Seen it—or not all of it. "I—I heard the first part in a vision…but I wasn't really focused on that bit…holy macaroni…" she whispered. Her eyes were on Harry's hand, the one that clutched his scar.

"This—how could you keep this from me? And Cass—DEAR GOD, I HAVE A TWIN SISTER THAT IS FOUR YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME! HOW THE—" Harry said an unprintable word "—IS THAT POSSIBLE?" he exploded, glaring at Dumbledore. Cass seemed emboldened by his outburst for she started shouting at Dumbledore again with Harry. The old man let them, wringing his hands nervously and looking like the guiltiest man alive. He is! Harry thought furiously.

For a few minutes, he and Cass screamed insults at Dumbledore—and a few at Snape, who was standing beside Dumbledore's desk. Finally, they calmed down enough to let Dumbledore say, "I get that you are upset, but I am not finished. Let me defend myself, please."

"Defend yourself? Defend yourself?" Harry screeched, fingertips growing warm. He could barely think—how was any of this possible? How was he supposed to defeat Voldemort? How could he have a bloody twin? It was Cass that brought him out of his rage—if only slightly. She put a hand on his arm and looked at him with big green eyes. Harry shook it off, more from shock than anger. Unperturbed, Cass said quietly, "I want to hear his explanation."

"Thank you, Cassandra," Dumbledore began, but she cut him off.

"How are we supposed to argue with him properly if we don't even know his side?" Cass finished. Dumbledore sighed heavily. Harry nodded tersely, regretting shoving her hand away. It had felt very comforting.

"Now, then. I need to move on to the next prophecy," Dumbledore said. Harry could have been mistaken, but he thought he saw tears glistening in his blue eyes. Another image appeared in above the Pensieve. It was in a hallway of Hogwarts, but this time it was Snape and Trelawney. As they walked past each other, the eerie voice spilled out of Trelawney's mouth.

"A boy and girl born with faces same, born as the seventh month ends…born with green eyes both, to those who have sparked the Dark Lord's wrath…shall turn the tide of bloody war…both with powers rare and strong…separated by time warped forward they shall be…the girl to die by hands of the Dark Lord if not severed…a boy and girl born with faces same, born to be separated…born to save."

Harry had not been mistaken; Dumbledore did have tears in his eyes. They now fell freely down his face and into his long beard. "It fit your family. Your parents were going to have twins—that is what 'born with faces same' meant. Professor Snape shared this memory with me, and I shared it with Lily and James. They wanted proof the prophecy was talking about you, Cassandra, so—although it was risky—I took James and you to the Department of Mysteries. It's there that all the prophecies are held, and only the person they are about can retrieve them. You were able to touch it…it proved that the prophecy was about you and Harry—"

"The Department of Mysteries..." Harry murmured, interrupting Dumbledore. Why did that ring a bell? A memory surfaced in his mind; it was the day of his trial, when Mr. Weasley explained to Harry the door leading to the Department of Mysteries. It was the same door he had been dreaming about for months, leading to the same hallway that stalked his nightmares. "It's in there!"

"What's in there, Harry?" Cass asked. Dumbledore had tensed up and was giving Harry a searching gaze.

"I—er—have been dreaming about a hallway for a while now, only it didn't seem to be my dream…I was dreaming of the Department of Mysteries." Harry paused, remembering all the talk about a weapon over the summer at Grimmauld Place. "That's where it is. Whatever Voldemort wants is in there, isn't it?" The way Dumbledore looked down confirmed it. What else was he keeping from him? Harry recalled the old man's warning after his trial. He realized that he must have been talking about Cass—how she was Harry's twin. The thought still sent numbing tendrils down his chest.

"I will get to that another time," Dumbledore said. Snape had gone pale behind the desk. He knew, too, Harry thought. "For now, let me finish with this," Dumbledore continued, taking a deep breath. Once again, the image hovering above the Pensieve shifted, this time showing his mum and dad on a green couch.

Harry's breath caught in his throat at the sight of his parents. They were distraught, his dad wringing his hands and his mom holding two bundles—he assumed it was him and Cass. By the small sizes of them, they must have been only a few days old. But despite their worn-looking state, he drank in every detail of his parents, trying to imprint their images into his mind. His eyes flashed to Cass, and he realized just how alike she looked to his mother. The same heart-shaped face, the same brilliant green eyes, the same challenging chin. It was mind-blowing. More than that. It rocked his world, turned everything he had ever believed on its head.

"You realize what we have to do, don't you?" the memory-Dumbledore asked, a solemn look on his face.

Lily set her mouth firmly and said, "If you think you can take her away, you're mistaken, Albus." James nodded fiercely next to her.

"No—not take her away, not forever. Just long enough to fulfill the prophecy," Dumbledore replied, eyes begging.

"No," James's tone was absolute.

"If you don't, you are signing her death warrant!" Dumbledore said forcefully. Harry's parents' determined looks wavered.

"What you mean to do—travel forward in time—it's impossible! Even with Time-Turners, you can only travel a few hours, and that is back in time. Something could go wrong!" Lily said, an edge of hysteria in her voice—still, it was music to Harry's ears.

"Not impossible. I believe there is a way, if Fawkes agrees to help me," said Dumbledore.

"You believe? You're not even sure? How could we let you go experimenting on our daughter?!" James exclaimed furiously.

"Listen to me! You heard the prophecy! If we don't, she will die! I don't know how, but it says it as clear as day."

The image faded as James's and Lily's face melted into extreme sadness. The light from the Pensieve faded into a soft glow.

"It was only supposed to be one year. Enough to fulfill the prophecy, then you would be back with them." present-Dumbledore's voice was a whisper. "Only one year. I promised them, I promised them. I had everything calculated, I had poured myself into the spell. It could only be done once every millennium, it turns out. Even then, it took a miracle to accomplish. And we did it—Fawkes and I, we managed to travel forward. But I—I lost you. I didn't mean to, I held you so tightly, but you slipped through my grip…I am so sorry," his voice cracked. Tears tumbled down his lined face, dripped off his crooked nose. It shook Harry to see him like this, so weak-looking, so fragile.

"What happened after?" Cass asked softly, voice trembling. "Didn't anyone else know I had been born? Weren't there records? I can't have just disappeared; someone must have known."

Dumbledore took a shuddering breath. "Only those closest to Lily and James even knew they were expecting twins. After I—after I lost you," the words were strained, "your parents told everyone who knew about them expecting twins that only one had survived—Harry."

The world seemed to be crashing down on Harry. Cass was his twin, Cass was his twin. He felt his eyes fill up with tears. He couldn't look away from her, and her face mirrored his own: shocked and disbelieving. Only it was the truth. In a way Harry couldn't put to into words, he knew it was the truth.

"Hey, twin," Cass whispered. Harry choked a laugh and moved his hand through his hair. A small smile danced on her lips, and tears fell down on them.

Harry's face hardened. "Why didn't you tell us? We had a right to know, how could you keep that from me for five years? No, more than that! You were completely capable of telling me while I was at the Dursleys!"

"I—I couldn't let Voldemort find out, I had to protect you, I—"

"No," Cass interrupted coolly. "You were ashamed of yourself. Besides, Voldemort'll find out anyway." She seemed surprised by her words, as if they had come out of nowhere. But she said them with conviction.

"How do you know?" Dumbledore asked.

"I just do," was her curt reply.

"Well, I can keep it from him as long as possible. Cass—"

"Cassandra," Cass snapped, as if she couldn't even let him use her nickname.

"Cassandra, you're only a first-year. You can't tell anyone; we can't risk Voldemort finding out—"

"No, no, no, no. You cannot expect us to keep this secret any longer. Sirius, Remus, they deserve to know," Harry interrupted hotly.

Dumbledore sighed in frustration but nodded his head. "Very well. You may tell Sirius and Remus." At Cass's and Harry's pointed looks, he continued, "I will inform the other members of the Order, as well."

"The Order?" Cass wondered.

"The Order of the Phoenix," Harry provided. "It's a secret order that fights against Voldemort." It pleased him that Cass wasn't scared of saying Voldemort's name—or of hearing it.

"Oh…and who are Sirius and Remus?"

Harry had forgotten she didn't know them. "They were my dad's best friends." He frowned. "Er, our dad's best friends. Anyway, Sirius is my godfather…is he hers, too?" he asked Dumbledore.

"I don't think so—not legally, anyway. He doesn't even know she's alive," the old man replied.

"And whose fault is that?" Cass muttered, looking angrily at the floor. Her mouth was set in a way identical to the way his mum's had been in the memory. All of a sudden, the tears in Harry's eyes spilled over looking at her. This was his twin, his family. And Dumbledore had kept her from him. "You should be ashamed of yourself," Harry told the old man.

"Yes, you should," Cass added.

Dumbledore nodded. "I am," he whispered. "I couldn't let Voldemort find out. And Harry, you said I could have told you about Cassandra before you came to Hogwarts. I couldn't have; I lost her when we were time-travelling. I didn't know where she grew up until the Quill of Acceptance wrote her letter. I only knew her first name—it was embroidered on your blanket, you know," he added to Cass.

"At least they named me," Cass said, wiping her eyes with the hem of her robes. A strangled sound escaped Harry's throat at her heartbroken tone. Fury rose up in him, at Dumbledore for hiding this from them, at Voldemort for killing his parents so Cass would never see them…he sighed heavily. He didn't know how to comfort her, and, besides, anything he did would just feel awkward. They barely knew each other, and they were bloody twins. And she was four years younger than him. And Dumbledore had kept it all from him. His emotions were tangled into a fine mess, and there was no hope of unraveling them any time soon. So how could he possibly help Cass?

"I was so relieved when Professor McGonagall reported that you were indeed Lily's and James's daughter—"

"McGonagall knew?" Cass burst out, surprised. Harry was, too. He would've thought McGonagall would tell them, even if Dumbledore and Snape didn't.

"Professor McGonagall, Cassandra," Dumbledore corrected. Cass gave him a flat look that caused him to clear his throat self-consciously. Self-consciously! Dumbledore, self-conscious? Harry didn't know how much more surprise his poor mind could take.

"Then she should be ashamed, too," Cass said while crossing her arms. Harry felt a smile spread across his face at her attitude. The look Snape sent him made it slip slightly, but Harry forced his lips to form a contemptuous smirk, knowing full-well he would pay for it during his next Potions class.

"Is there anything else?" Harry asked, letting some of his hurt at being lied to his whole life enter his tone.

"I-yes. There is still the matter of the other prophecy—" the one that said Harry was supposed to kill Voldemort…bloody hell… "—and there are a few other things we should discuss."

"A few? You mean this wasn't all of it?" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

"Nothing so monumental as this, I promise, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"Monumental doesn't begin to describe it," Cass grumbled. Harry agreed whole-heartedly.

Dumbledore sighed. "I am sorry."

"I don't care that you're sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't know I had a twin sister for my entire life," Harry said, surprised at the acid in his own voice. He deserves it, he thought.

"I can't give you any other explanation than that I did it to protect you," Dumbledore said with an emphasis on his words.

"As if we would tell Voldemort," Cass said accusingly. Dumbledore opened his mouth, then closed it again. Harry narrowed his eyes; the old man was hiding something. It was then he realized Dumbledore hadn't looked him in the eye once during the entirety of their meeting. It wasn't from shame; Harry had seen him look straight into Cass's eyes. But not his. Anger coursed through his body, but it had lost its punch. Harry was too emotionally drained to feel much of anything right now.

Cass, too, seemed to catch on to Dumbledore's withholding, but, for whatever reason, she held herself back from questioning it. "Can we go?" she asked suddenly.

"Go—? Of course," Dumbledore replied. He glanced at a clock on the wall, then said, "I'm afraid I've made you miss lunch. I can send for the elves to bring something up…?"

"I'm not hungry," Harry and Cass said in unison. Their eyes met for a second, and Cass offered him a tentative smile. Harry smiled back just as slowly.

"You are excused from classes for the rest of the day, by the way. I reckon you two have a lot of catching up to do," Dumbledore said.

"Yeah, we do, thanks to you," Cass said huffily. Her face reddened; for the first time she seemed to get who she was speaking to. But she offered no apology for her disrespect, and Harry didn't think she ever would. Neither would he, for that matter. He didn't think he could ever forgive Dumbledore for this. He hoped Dumbledore never forgave himself as well. That he lived with the guilt for the rest of his senile, manipulating life.

Harry and Cass stepped away from the Pensieve and made their way over to the door, Harry snatching his bag off the floor as he went. Each were looking at the other then looking away quickly. Harry hated the awkwardness of it; he shouldn't feel this uncomfortable towards his own sister. It's all Dumbledore's fault, he thought bitterly. His sister…that was going to take some getting used to. A lot of getting used to. As they reached the door, Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"You can…you can tell anyone you would like to," he said slowly. It seemed to take him a lot of effort to tell them this. "But I urge you to be careful who you tell, please. If Voldemort were to find out about you, Cassandra…I shudder to think about what he would do. And you're only a first-year—"

"—who can See the future. I can handle myself," Cass cut in sharply. Harry remembered how easily he beat her in their duel the other day—he still felt a little guilty about that. In any case, he didn't believe she could best Voldemort, and the look in her eyes told him she didn't either. Harry guessed she just didn't like being belittled, though.

Without another word, he and Cass left the office. A tense silence stretched between them, and Cass was dry washing her hands nervously. What did they do now?

OoOoO

A/N (part two): Sooooo…bet you didn't see that one coming! If you don't like Dumbledore's excuse for not telling them the truth, don't worry, there's more to it. I know I titled the chapter, "Unveiling," but not everything has been revealed. Haha…can't give you all the answers in one chapter, can I? I wonder if anyone guessed this would be the outcome—or at least part of it? The clues weren't obvious (other than Cass looking a lot like Harry), but they were there. I think I mentioned there was time-travel in the story in one of the author's notes, and there was the vision Cass had about Trelawney chanting, "Born with faces same." Still, I would be really surprised if someone guessed this. If you did, congratulations! You're a genius—and very imaginative! If not, don't worry; I wouldn't have either. I spent a long time working out the kinks and buried a lot of subtle clues that I would be shocked to see anyone pick up on.

Please review! I need to know what you guys are thinking!

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please have a wonderful day/afternoon/night!

Inis'sPromise

P.S. I am so happy with this chapter! I've read a lot—way too many, in my sister's (wrong) opinion—of very well written books, and sometimes I think that I could never write as wonderfully as their authors. But I am super proud of this chapter. Even if this twist makes the story flop, I wouldn't regret writing it.