DISCLAIMER: Not mine, not mine…Oh, that's mine. No, that one isn't…Most of it isn't mine…No, I'm not stealing anything…Well, maybe a bit of rearranging is going on…Yes, of course it's legal…
A/N: Helloooo! Almost 100 people have added this story to their favorites! Thanks, everyone! As a side note, this chapter took a lot of hard thinking. I want to make everyone's reactions to Cass as believable as possible, and that is the main reason for the late update. I apologize, but I'll have lots more time to write now that it's summer in the States. That means faster updates! Yay!
Additionally, to those who have read my other story, In a Moment of Need, I owe a BIG apology to you. That story is…complicated, because the first few chapters were written with a loose plot outline, and posted with the intent to drive away quarantine boredom. I didn't realize how fast it would grow, and now I'm panicking because it has over one hundred followers waiting for an update that hasn't happened in a month. Eek…but what I'm trying to say is that I'm ironing out the plot a bit more, so an update for that story will be coming soon. Sorry, again!
Enjoy!
OoOoO
Harry sighed and rolled over in his bed, exhaustion begging his eyes to close while anxiety forced them to stay open. He couldn't shake the fear that if he went back to sleep, he would become the snake again. He would try to kill again. The thought turned his mouth sour. It made him want to get up and pace, or talk to Sirius, or ride his broom. Not to lay there, in his warm, comfortable bed, and feel guilty about what he had done. Because, despite Sirius's assurances, he felt it was his fault.
So, while everyone else in the house caught up on some much-needed sleep, Harry tried to focus on anything other than his…whatever it had been. Naturally, his talk with Cass and Sirius came to mind. He didn't know what to feel, other than anger at Dumbledore, of course. It had been very discombobulating talking with them, as though he was looking at the world through a fractured and multicolored lens. His godfather had been talking with his long-lost twin sister. That in itself had been odd, but throw in the fact that Cass was four years his junior and he had only known Sirius for two years, well…it all became very confusing and disconcerting.
Harry sighed again, but what he really wanted to do was scream. A week ago, life had been relatively normal—well, as normal as it got for Harry Potter, at least. Just goes to show that life can always catch you unawares and unprepared, he thought bitterly. Especially when Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore is involved. At the thought of the headmaster, Harry's heart constricted both with anger and hurt. He had trusted Dumbledore, defended him even in the face of death, only for the old codger to withhold information that was his by right. For four—effing—years, Harry had placed his faith in the man. It was infuriating. He felt his fingertips warm, but Harry clenched his hand into tight fists. That had been happening more and more often lately. He assumed it had something to do with the resentment that had become his constant companion. Resentment towards Umbridge, resentment towards the Daily Prophet, resentment towards the Minister, and now resentment towards Dumbledore.
Several times, Harry had considered changing the D.A.'s name, because he couldn't bear the thought of teaching in Dumbledore's name, but then he realized how much trouble Dumbledore would get in if they were ever found out. After all, it wasn't 'Harry Potter's Army,' now was it? If the Ministry ever found out, the sole blame would fall on Dumbledore. Although it pained Harry for things to have changed so abruptly and irrevocably between them, it also gave him satisfaction when he visualized the headmaster being apprehended.
There was a loud knock on the door. Then, Mrs. Weasley's muffled voice sounded through it.
"Harry, Ron, wake up, dears. We've been cleared to visit Arthur."
Harry pretended to have enjoyed a refreshing nap as Ron sat up in bed. In a flash of motion that was surprising coming from the usually slow-to-wake boy, Ron had gotten out of bed and slipped on his dressing gown. Harry felt pity for his friend; it must be horrible, going through all this. Words of comfort withered away on his tongue, though, when Harry thought about how it was all his fault Ron was going through anything in the first place. Instead, he only followed a hurried Ron out the door, guilt worming in his stomach and squeezing his heart.
Harry and Ron met the others going down the stairs. Ginny, seeming to have gotten over her shock at the truth rather quickly, was talking animatedly to Cass. Cass smiled and nodded her head, green eyes devoid of any exhaustion. Harry smiled inwardly; at least she had gotten some sleep.
That thought made Harry's steps falter a second. In the five days of knowing the truth, he had never quite figured out how he should feel about or act around Cass. Should he be protective, or just let her be? Should he be brotherly, or would that just be too soon? If Cass ever had any crazy ideas, should he talk her out of it or encourage her to have fun? Harry felt extremely uncomfortable with being the big brother—to a point where he, admittedly, avoided thinking about it. He just didn't have any experience with…well, with anything in the sibling field. Dudley, although older by a couple months, had never been any sort of brother-like figure to Harry. In fact, Harry thought dryly, he has been quite the opposite. So, the prospect of being a brother didn't sit well with him. It wasn't Cass, it was just…inexperience. And that frightened him.
The smell of tuna sandwiches interrupted Harry's thoughts. Mrs. Weasley had prepared a heaping platter of sandwiches for lunch. At the table were Tonks and Mad-Eye. Tonks, sporting her usual short, pink hair, was craning her neck, apparently looking for something. Harry had a fair guess at what—or rather, who—that might be.
His inference was proven correct when Cass walked in and Tonks jumped up, tripped, then ran over to the first-year. Cass looked mildly amused, but not flustered, which didn't really surprise Harry. He was certain she had inherited his—their—mother's well-known collectedness. Lucky her, he thought dryly.
"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks said while she passed him, grinning. Mad-Eye watched Cass with something close to suspicion, which Harry decided not to focus on.
"Ooh, you look exactly like I thought you would—except for your hair. I thought you would have Lily's red hair," Tonks said. Harry fought to laugh at her first words to Cass; it was, funnily enough, almost identical to the way she had first greeted him.
"No, but she has her face. And her eyes," said Mrs. Weasley, smiling endearingly at Cass from the table, where Fred and George were shaking their heads, slightly agape.
"James's eyebrows," Sirius added matter-of-factly from where he leaned against the kitchen counter.
Cass raised her eyebrows at the room. Harry had to battle with his lips to keep them from shooting upwards at her slightly exasperated expression. He had been on the receiving end of such comparisons for quite some time now.
"I'm Tonks." The bright-haired witch stuck out her hand.
"Cass," Cass returned, shaking Tonks's hand.
"Hmm…Dumbledore didn't mention you had a nickname…" Tonks said musingly.
"Yeah, well, Dumbledore didn't mention a lot of things, did he?" Ron grumbled into his tuna sandwich.
"Ronald Weasley, you keep that talk out of your mouth, you hear me?" Mrs. Weasley admonished sternly, brandishing her wand.
Sirius muttered something Harry didn't catch under his breath, but whatever he said made Mrs. Weasley shoot him a scathing look.
"Sit down, girl, I want to ask you about this…gift, is it?" Mad-Eye growled, ever suspicious.
"It's Cass…sir," Cass said. Even with the respectful 'sir' added, her response definitely had a cheeky undertone. Harry grinned while Tonks sniggered and Sirius gurgled into his coffee cup. Mrs. Weasley gave Cass a slightly condescending look but didn't say anything.
Mad-Eye's magical eye zeroed in on Cass in a penetrating sort of way, no doubt looking for nonexistent details that would somehow proclaim her an imposter. Seemingly finding none, Mad-Eye huffed and said, "How does it work?"
"I'm not sure, actually. I get this sort of pricking in my eyes—like someone has suddenly shined a bright light in them—and then I—erm—See something," Cass explained, a crease between her brows and a faraway look in her eyes.
Mad-Eye looked as though all his dreams had come true. Coming from the heavily scarred man, it was quite terrifying. "Useful, isn't it, for discovering Dark wizards?"
"I've never come face-to-face with a Dark wizard, but I'm sure it would be—"
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" shouted Moody, making everyone at the table jump except Cass, who was pressing her lips together, an amused glint in her green eyes.
Harry suddenly understood why she had gotten a faraway look in her eyes earlier—she must have been Seeing Moody shout.
Moody looked distinctly satisfied.
"Glad it's working properly," he said gruffly, looking absolutely fascinated. Harry wondered if maybe he had done that on purpose as a sort of test. He found he was not okay with the idea at all, for Moody to go testing Cass randomly and without reason
Harry's hands paused as he brought up his tuna sandwich. There it was again, that distinctively brotherly feeling. He brushed it off, deciding to focus on seeing Mr. Weasley and not his jumbled ball of confusing emotions.
Cass sat down next to Harry, smiling, and took a sandwich off the platter. Her eyes scanned his face, and then she shook her head. "Harry, sleep isn't a bad thing," she murmured.
For a split second, Harry was filled with overwhelming confusion. Then he realized she must have been talking about the fact that he hadn't slept at all during the morning. It took him another second of bewilderment to realize she had had a vision. I don't think I'll ever get used to that, he thought.
"It is if you turn into a giant, vicious snake," Harry said despairingly.
Cass gave him a funny look. "You didn't turn into a snake—you saw through the snake's eyes. There's a difference." Her voice was low. Harry was glad; he didn't want the others listening to their conversation.
"You don't get it—I wanted to kill, to bite…" Harry trailed off, sighing angrily.
"I believe you. I just don't think you turned into a giant snake," said Cass, surprising Harry. He had been sure she would try to convince him his feelings hadn't been real.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"Well, for starters, even if you had turned into a snake, you wouldn't magically teleport to London. Also, I Saw Sirius turn into a dog before it happened, so I'm fairly sure I would See you turn into a giant snake," she reasoned matter-of-factly.
Harry mulled that over. At that moment, the table bench indented, and Harry looked over to see Sirius sitting on his right.
"Good morning, Potters," he said cheerfully, looking absolutely giddy at his greeting. Harry thought it had a nice ring to it himself.
"'Morning," Cass replied brightly. "Though, it's not really morning anymore."
Sirius stared at her for a second, blinked, then said, "It's not, is it? Ah well—er—how did you two sleep?"
Harry resisted the urge to wince at Sirius's awkwardness, but, in all honesty, he couldn't really blame him. He, Harry, didn't even know how to feel about things, and that was after five days of talking with Cass. Sirius had only talked to her once, a couple hours ago. It was disconcerting to see his usually cool and collected godfather flustered. Then again, Harry thought sourly, it's a bit disconcerting to learn you have a twin four years younger than you.
"Like a baby," said Cass, her expression a mixture of uncertainty and frustration—that last bit was probably directed towards Dumbledore.
"Well enough," said Harry, glancing at Cass. She lifted her eyebrows marginally but didn't say anything.
"Brilliant…" said Sirius ungainly.
There was a loud snort from across the table. Tonks was shaking her head, a fake look of disappointment on her face.
"My, my, Cousin, I didn't think you would ever lose your cool," she said, feinting shock.
Sirius shot her a disgruntled look.
"You guys are related?" Cass asked.
"Yes, she's my second cousin—mother's side. And you try being in my position, Nymphadora, see how well you fare," Sirius added to Tonks.
"Don't call me Nymphadora!" protested Tonks crossly.
"Serves you right," said Sirius righteously. Harry thought he didn't like being called out on his awkwardness, and he didn't blame Sirius. He didn't blame Tonks either, as she was likely only trying to diffuse the palpable tension. The only person he did blame was Dumbledore, for not telling anyone. The familiar feelings of betrayal rose up inside Harry, but instead of concentrating on them, he decided to change the subject.
"How are we going to get to St. Mungo's?" he asked, brushing crumbs off his fingers.
"A train ride," replied Moody in his growling voice. "So make sure you dress appropriately—I don't want to attract attention in the Muggle world."
"You won't," said George.
"Not one bit," added Fred.
Next to Harry, Cass grinned. Harry thought he knew why; Mad-Eye's magical eye will stand out like a sore thumb anywhere in the Muggle world.
"Cass dear, are you finished with your sandwich—No, no, I'll bring it over to the sink—just stay seated, dear—Harry, you're finished, too?" Mrs. Weasley whisked away their plates, giving them both a pat on the cheek, and dropped them in the sink. Immediately, a sponge sprang to life and started scrubbing them clean.
Ron was just finishing his fourth sandwich when there was a flash of flames above him, and a yellowed envelope landed on his plate.
"Oh, Ron, give that here. It's from Professor Dumbledore—he's saying there have been no leads on the snake…Oh, it looks like Hermione might be joining us for Christmas…" Mrs. Weasley murmured to herself as she read the letter, standing behind a startled Ron.
"Christmas!" Cass said, making Harry turn to look at her. "Where am I going to spend Christmas…?" It looked as though she was talking more to herself than to Harry.
Cass turned to look at him. "Er, Harry? Would you maybe like to meet my grandparents…I don't want to spend Christmas without them—or you…"
Sirius brightened. "Cass, I would be happy to have them over for Christmas dinner. You can spend the morning with them, and then come over later…we'll need to elongate the table, of course, but that's no problem…"
Cass smiled cheerily. "Thanks. Yeah, I'll tell them…Holy macaroni, are they going to be surprised when I explain things…"
"Holy macaroni?" Sirius echoed, a puzzled look on his face.
Cass blushed. "It's what I use to curse—food, I mean…Er, one time my grandma caught me using a curse word from an old film—she was in a right fury—but my grandpa said if I was going to curse, I might as well use something important…my first thought was food…" Cass finished with a red tinge to her cheeks.
Sirius barked a laugh. "I can't wait to meet your—er—your grandparents," he said.
Everyone else looked really confused. Apparently noticing this, Cass hurried to explain. "Joyce and Jimmy McGarther raised me after—well, you know. They're not really my grandparents, but I think—after putting up with me—" the way Cass smiled showed she was only joking, "—they deserve to be called my family."
"That's very sweet, Cass dear. It'll be a delight to meet your grandparents," Mrs. Weasley said, still standing behind Ron. Harry found himself growing rather excited at the prospect of meeting Jimmy and Joyce McGarther. To meet the people Cass had grown up with.
A few moments passed while everyone cleaned up their dishes. Mrs. Weasley having already taken Harry's plate, he simply got up and walked over to his trunk. Wishing he could just levitate it, Harry lugged it up the steps.
"Cass dear, do you need help with that?"
Harry turned around, confused. The twins were at the foot of the stairs, talking to Cass, who was also bringing her trunk upstairs. That wasn't what confused him, though. It took a moment for him to realize it was Fred who had asked Cass if she needed help. Harry laughed softly; Fred's impression of Mrs. Weasley had been quite good.
Cass gave the twins a skeptical look. "I don't fancy having my trunk jinxed, so I'll think I'll pass," she told them, climbing the first few steps of the stairs.
"Us? Never!" George—or maybe it was Fred—exclaimed in a hurt voice.
"How could you even think such a thing?" Fred—or maybe it was George—said mournfully, shaking his head.
Cass rolled her eyes at Harry. Without turning back to face the twins, she said, "I didn't think it—I Saw it."
Fred and George exchanged mischievous looks. Harry watched the scene with mild amusement. Suddenly, Fred chucked a coin at Cass's head. Before a warning could leave Harry's lips, Cass ducked her head and the coin soared over her dark locks. Unfortunately, that meant it was zooming towards Harry. Years of Quidditch kicked in, and Harry snatched the coin from the air, scowling at the twins.
"Wicked, Georgie," Fred commented.
"Didn't even turn around," George remarked.
"Brother, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yes, I think I am."
And without another word, the twins Disapparated with a pop!
"Nice catch," Cass told Harry, grinning. "The joke's on them, though. They lost their coin."
Harry shrugged. "It's a chocolate coin," he said, feeling how squishy it was.
"Of course it is," said Cass, sighing exasperatedly. Then, without warning, she dashed up to Harry's step and smacked the chocolate coin out of his hand. It went flying over the banister before exploding into green goo midair.
Harry heard faint sounds of disappointment from a couple floors up. "Thanks," he said to Cass, glad she had saved him from the green glop made from who knows what.
"No problem. Honestly, though, it's as if they don't realize I'm a Seer."
"That's probably what appeals to them," said Harry. Knowing the twins, that was exactly why they wanted to prank Cass—to say they had pranked a Seer.
Cass winced. "Wonderful," she deadpanned.
They walked up the rest of the stairs, then parted ways to go get dressed in their rooms. Harry quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Ron was already in their room, shrugging a brown jacket on. After lacing his tennis shoes up, Harry crossed the hall and brushed his teeth in the bathroom. A few minutes later, he had gathered in the hall with everyone else, waiting quietly for Mrs. Weasley to come out of her room.
Cass and Ginny were whispering in low tones, barely a sound escaping their lips. Cass smiled at something Ginny said, nodding her head energetically. She wore jeans, a green hoodie, and had tied her curly hair back into a French plait.
Finally, Mrs. Weasley came down to the hall, a red purse hanging from the crook of her arm, and ushered everyone out the doors, holding a finger to her lips to keep them from making too much noise. Sirius waved at them from the doorway, a look of longing on his face. Harry wished, for maybe the billionth time, that his godfather's name could be cleared so he wouldn't have to be a prisoner in his parents' decrepit house.
Moody urged them forward, magical eye searching broadly for signs of danger. Tonks kept up a continuous stream of questions for Cass about the Muggle world. Cass answered them politely, but after the fiftieth question, a monotonous, bored edge entered her voice. Harry struggled not to laugh at her predicament.
Instead, he talked to Ron about how Umbridge must be infuriated that six students had left Hogwarts under her nose. Ron kept the conversation from veering in the direction of Harry's vision, for which Harry was grateful for. He wasn't completely convinced he hadn't turned into a giant snake, even after what Cass had told him.
The group took a train to get to St. Mungo's. Harry wondered how wizards had managed to hide an entire magical hospital in the middle of bustling London, but then reminded himself that they had hidden an entire governmental building under a telephone box. A hospital had probably been lightwork.
They stepped off the train into a jostling crowd. Cass, being the shortest and smallest, had the most difficulty staying with the group. Harry grabbed her shoulder to keep her from being swept away in the sea of people.
"Thanks," she said breathlessly.
"Of course," Harry replied, leaning to the side to avoid colliding with an elephantine woman.
The group emerged onto a street. Mrs. Weasley did a quick headcount to make sure they hadn't lost anybody. After determining that everyone was there, the group started down the street.
"Here we are," grunted Moody as they arrived outside a large, old-looking, red brick clothing shop. Peeling letters above the doorway declared it to be Purge and Dowse Ltd. Cass had pressed her face up to the glass to see in, cupping her hands around her eyes.
"Nothing too interesting in there," she told Harry, shrugging, just as clueless as he was.
"Of course there isn't, it's an illusion," Tonks informed Cass matter-of-factly. Cass's expression turned indignant. "Everybody ready?"
Harry nodded his head even though he didn't know what he was supposed to be ready for. He half expected Cass to get a vision and tell him what was going to happen, but then he reminded himself that she wasn't omniscient.
Tonks leaned close to the glass, looking straight at a very ugly mannequin dressed in a nylon green dress, and said, "Wotcher, we're here to see Arthur Weasley."
Harry watched in awe as the dummy gave a tiny nod and beckoned its jointed finger, as if to say, "Come on in."
Tonks grabbed Mrs. Weasley and Ginny by the elbow and stepped with them through the glass. Cass's mouth had fallen open in shock, but she quickly closed it. A smile danced across her lips as she watched the three ladies vanish through the window, and she promptly skipped through, seeming awed. Harry had to admire her courage.
Fred, George, and Ron stepped through after them. Harry spared a glance at the crowd—not one of the people had noticed that seven people had just melted into a glass pane—before he stepped through the glass.
It felt like walking through a sheet of cool water. Harry felt his ears pop as he emerged on the other side, warm and dry.
Before Harry was a completely different scene than the glass window had displayed. The group had come to a crowded reception area where rows of witches and wizards sat on simple wooden chairs, many with odd ailments. Harry noticed several people were covered in brightly colored warts, pimples, and rashes. A sweaty-faced wizard had a horn sprouting out of the bridge of his nose, and one witch with a pixie cut was glowing a nylon pink that hurt Harry's eyes.
Harry noticed Cass looking around the room with wide eyes that sparkled with amazement. Harry imagined himself as a first-year, looking at this place, and thought he might have a similar reaction. After a few seconds, she seemed to notice her expression, and she hastily rearranged her features into a milder look.
Mrs. Weasley and Tonks led the group over to the receptionist's desk. A blonde witch with a bored look in her eyes directed witches and wizards to where they needed to be, often with a sarcastic remark or two.
"Hello," Mrs. Weasley greeted the witch. "We're here to visit my husband, Arthur Weasley. Could you tell us—?"
"All of you?" asked the witch, raising eyebrows that looked to be filled in with crayons.
"Yes, yes, all of us," Mrs. Weasley said sharply, looking annoyed.
"Arthur Weasley, you said? He should be…" the witch ran her finger down a list, "…yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn ward."
"Thank you," Mrs. Weasley said crisply. "Come on, you lot…I'm sure Arthur's awake by now…"
As they walked off in the direction of the Dai Llewellyn ward, Harry distinctly heard the words, "So many…I could never," in the receptionist's voice.
The group made their way to Mr. Weasley with much haste. Harry could tell the Weasleys were really scared for their father, and he couldn't help but feel guilty, even if it was irrational. After a few moments of walking along corridors that were lit by candles floating in bubbles near the ceiling, they arrived in front of a door that bore the words Dangerous Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites.
"We'll be outside, Molly. Arthur won't want too many visitors at one time—maybe just the family first?" Tonks suggested.
Moody grunted his approval at the idea, and both Cass and Harry backed up to let the Weasleys through the door. However, Mrs. Weasley reached out a hand to Cass's and pulled her through the door with her, saying, "Don't be silly, Cass, Arthur wants to meet you…Harry dear, you come, too. Without you two I shudder to think what might've happened…"
Harry followed Cass and Mrs. Weasley into the ward. It was small, lit only by a high window and more soapsuds with candles in them. Mr. Weasley was at the far end of the ward, propped up with fluffy, white pillows and reading a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's firstborn, was by Mr. Weasley's side, leaning over his shoulder to read the Daily Prophet as well. When Bill saw everyone, he said something to Mr. Weasley and stood to hug his mother.
"Oh, Bill, you look tired! Did you get any sleep at all last night? Arthur, how are you?" Mrs. Weasley said, bending down to give Mr. Weasley a kiss on the cheek. "You're still looking a bit peaky…have your Healers been checking on you properly?"
Mr. Weasley smiled. "Yes, dear, they have. I feel absolutely fine," Mr. Weasley replied, holding out his arm to hug Ginny. "Is she here?"
Mrs. Weasley smiled down at him and nodded her head towards Cass. Bill looked interestedly at Cass, seemed to recognize her, and then quietly observed her. Cass made her way over to Mr. Weasley and smiled at him.
"I'm Cass," she introduced herself, taking care to hold out her hand to Mr. Weasley's good arm.
"My goodness, the resemblance is uncanny! You do look like—"
"Arthur!" warned Mrs. Weasley.
"—like—er—your parents," Mr. Weasley finished in a softer tone. "You have your mother's eyes," he remarked, shaking his head unbelievingly. "It's very nice to meet you, Cass."
"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Weasley," Cass replied, smiling.
"Bill Weasley," Bill introduced himself, sticking out his hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you," replied Cass. "You're the cursebreaker, right?"
"That I am," confirmed Bill.
"Ron told me about you," Cass supplied.
"Aww, Ronnikins is proud of his brotherkins," Fred said, clutching his heart. George pretended to wipe away a tear.
"Shove off," Ron told the twins.
"Boys," Mrs. Weasley said threateningly.
"Sorry, Mum," chorused Fred, George, and Ron.
"Dad, how much longer do the Healers say you have to stay here?" Ginny asked.
"It'd be for only a few more days, if only they could take these bandages off."
"Why can't they take them off?" asked George.
"Well, I start bleeding madly every time they try," said Mr. Weasley. "It seems there was some rather rare type of poison in that snake's fangs—keeps wounds open, it does…I'm sure they'll find its antidote soon, but in the meantime, I have to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion hourly," finished the Weasley patriarch. "Bloody, dirty snake," he muttered under his breath. He then looked worriedly at Mrs. Weasley, but she apparently hadn't caught his last statement. Harry thought, amusingly, that Mr. Weasley seemed distinctly relieved.
"That's not bad at all—" Mrs. Weasley started, but Fred interrupted her by snapping his fingers loudly.
"That's it! The snake! Say, Harry, didn't you tell us You-Know-Who's got a snake? A massive one? Remember, you said you saw it the night he returned—"
His apparent epiphany was cut short as Mrs. Weasley cast a silencing spell on him with a quick jab of her wand. "Fred, we are not discussing this here!" she snapped, removing the charm only once Fred begrudgingly nodded his head.
"Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, and they want to see you. And you lot can wait in the hallway," Mrs. Weasley added, giving Fred a hard glare.
Harry and the rest of the kids filed out of the ward, passing by Tonks and Mad-Eye, who were walking into the ward. Fred and George were talking conspiratorially to each other in low voices.
"They're definitely hiding something," George announced once Mrs. Weasley had closed the ward door rather firmly.
"It doesn't take much to see that," Cass remarked pointedly.
"Yeah, way to state the obvious," said Ginny.
Fred and George paid them no heed. "If only there were a way to hear them…brother, if you will?" said Fred.
George stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a wad of flesh-colored string and earpieces.
"Here, put these in your ears," George said, passing out the Extendable Ears.
"What are they?" Cass asked, examining hers.
"Extendable Ears. Let's you hear things from a distance," answered Fred, sticking the string under the door.
"Designed them ourselves," said George proudly.
Cass looked impressed, but she said, "So…we're eavesdropping?"
"Cass, you helped save my dad's life. If anyone deserves to eavesdrop on him, it's you and Harry," George said.
Cass apparently debated with herself for a minute, but evidently her curiosity won, and she sat down on the floor and stuck her string under the door. Harry was already listening.
"…they searched the whole area, but they couldn't find the snake anywhere," Harry heard Tonks whisper. "It just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur."
"But You-Know-Who can't have expected his snake to get into the department, can he?" Mr. Weasley asked. Harry heard a creak of a bed; Mr. Weasley must have shifted.
"I reckon he sent the bloody beast as a lookout," Moody grunted, "'cause he's not had much luck so far, has he? No, so I'll bet he was trying to get a better picture of what he's facing, and Arthur just got in the way…So Potter says he saw it all happen?"
"Which one?" asked Bill, a slight edge of disbelief in his tone.
"The one who doesn't routinely get visions," answered Moody in a growling voice. "And keep your voice down, boy…if the wrong ears heard you…"
"Alastor, it's quite alright. I've already cast an obscuring charm—anyone who doesn't know us won't hear a thing," Mrs. Weasley said.
"Neat," said Tonks.
"Right, well there are always ways to circumvent those charms, aren't there? Best we don't discuss that particular matter…Dumbledore seems intent on keeping it from You-Know-Who, and I agree," growled Moody.
In his mind's eye, Harry imagined Tonks rolling her eyes.
"Anyway, Alastor, to answer you're question, yes, Harry says he did see everything through the snake's perspective," said Mrs. Weasley uneasily. "You know, Dumbledore talked as though he was expecting something like this to happen…"
"Yeah, well, there's something funny about Potter, I know that," Moody growled.
Cass gasped angrily and bunched her hands into fists. Harry might have thought her demeanor was funny coming from a first-year had he not been so offended by Moody's words.
"Mad-Eye…" Bill trailed off.
"You know it's true! I mean, the boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake…Obviously, he doesn't realize what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him—"
Harry ripped the string from his ear, heart pounding and lungs letting out a shocked breath. Cass looked at him, startled, but continued listening to the adults in the ward. She gestured for him to do so as well, but Harry didn't want to hear more. Rolling her eyes, she yanked his earpiece from his hand and stuck it in his ear herself.
"…can't be, can he?" Tonks asked in a barely audible whisper.
"Dumbledore seems to think he could be—no, that's not it. He thinks You-Know-Who's got a connection to Harry. Something that runs deeper than that Hallowe'en night," Mrs. Weasley answered fearfully.
"Of course he does," Moody growled. "But what?"
"That, I believe, is what concerns Dumbledore," Mrs. Weasley murmured.
There was a ripple of wooden creaks, and the children realized the adults must be getting up from their chairs. Hastily, everyone took the Extendable Ears from their own ears and shoved them back into George's hands. George then stuffed them unceremoniously into his pocket. Harry and the others were doing their best to look natural as Bill, Tonks, and Moody came out of the ward.
"Mum's going to stay with Dad for a bit longer," Bill told them.
Harry nodded, barely processing his words. He felt dirty, contaminated. Voldemort was possessing him. Harry had been the snake, he had attacked Mr. Weasley, he was evil…Harry suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
Cass looked at him worriedly and shook her head, her eyes wide. From fear, Harry thought, feeling infinitely sad that he had ruined their relationship after just five days. Cass seemed to read his face, and instead of backing away from Harry in terror of him, she put her hand consolingly on his arm.
"I don't think you're possessed, Harry," she told him quietly. The group was making its way back to the reception area. Harry and she were at the back, so no one could hear them.
He didn't say anything, feeling only repulsion towards himself.
"Harry," Cass said firmly. "I don't think you're possessed," she repeated.
How could she say that? It all made clear sense to Harry; Voldemort had possessed him, turned him into a snake, and sent him off to London to maim his best friend's dad. Harry shook off Cass's arm, afraid he—or rather, the monster inside him—would hurt her.
Cass sighed. "Harry…"
"No, please. I don't want to hurt you," Harry whispered.
"You won't."
"You don't know that; Voldemort could—"
"Actually, yeah, I do know that," Cass interrupted. Harry shut his mouth; right, she would know things like that.
But that didn't take away from the fact that Dumbledore seemed to think Voldemort was possessing him. Harry realized that was why he hadn't been looking into his eyes all year. The one time Dumbledore had was in his office, right before Harry, Cass, and the Weasleys had left for Grimmauld Place, and Harry had felt only intense anger and hate for Dumbledore. It all made sense…
"Harry, you are not possessed!" Cass whispered furiously, shaking her head.
"How can you tell?"
"Harry, have you been having blank periods?" a voice said right next to him. Harry jumped; he hadn't seen Ginny come up to him.
"What?" he asked, still surprised at her sudden appearance at his side.
"When I was being possessed by You-Know-Who, I had blackouts where I wouldn't remember where I had been for the last couple hours. Has that happened to you?"
Harry looked at her, remembering that she too had been possessed by Voldemort. Ginny had an eyebrow cocked and a slightly angry look in her eyes. "I forgot that…"
"Right, well, I didn't," Ginny said coolly.
"I'm sorry," Harry told her, and he meant it. "And, no, I haven't had those…blank periods." The group had reached the outside of the hospital, and they were now making their way through a crowd of Muggles. Harry felt like quite the idiot. How could he have forgotten about Ginny?
"If you haven't had those, then you've never been possessed by him," Ginny stated.
Harry hardly dared to believe her words, yet his heart was lightening despite his worries.
"And, Harry? I get this feeling whenever I get a vision about Voldemort—this sick, twisted feeling deep in my gut. I don't get it with you…Well, there is something, but it's not as strong…Truthfully, Harry, there is something connecting you to Voldemort. I don't know what," Cass looked as though it frustrated her to admit this, "but it isn't possession."
Harry considered this. He had to admit, he could handle what Cass had said. Although he didn't like the idea of something connecting him to Voldemort, it made sense. His scar always flaring up when he's around, his dreams…however little explanation there was to those things, there was no denying that they had happened. But…
"That dream I had—I was inside that snake. It was like I was the snake…What if Voldemort somehow transported me to London—?"
"You can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts," Cass said, sounding thoroughly exasperated. "I'm pretty sure I've heard Hermione say that at least ten times," she added, giving Harry a shrewd look.
"But—"
"You didn't leave your bed, mate," said Ron, who seemingly materialized out of thin air next to him on the train seat.
"How long have you been here?" Harry asked, surprised again.
"Not long, I just happened to catch the gist of what you were talking about," Ron replied, shrugging.
"Can everyone hear us?" Harry asked, worried that the adults might figure out they had eavesdropped.
"Nah, Moody's gone off on a rant on how that bloke over there—" Ron gestured to a Muggle with a black suit on and a briefcase in his lap, "—is a Death Eater spy…I'm pretty sure Tonks and Bill aren't paying a lick of attention to him, just sort of exchanging eye rolls now and then…"
"Is he always this paranoid?" Cass asked, glancing at Moody.
"Yes," answered Harry, Ginny, and Ron in unison.
"Anyway, you never even left your bed. I saw you thrashing around in your sleep about a minute before we could wake you up," said Ron.
Harry let himself digest their words. Could they be right—? What they were saying was not only comforting, but it also made sense…Almost unconsciously, Harry loosened the shoulders he hadn't known had tensed up and gave his friends—and his…twin (it was still very numbing to think that)—he gave them a small smile.
"Maybe you're right," he conceded.
"I'll take it," said Cass, smiling brightly at Harry.
"Merlin, you two look alike. How did we not see it before…?" Ginny asked, mostly to herself, as she blinked several times disbelievingly.
Harry shrugged. "Dunno," he answered honestly.
"Maybe because it seems impossible—or at least very, very improbable," said Cass.
"No more mind-shattering secrets for a while, okay? Seriously, you two, I don't think I'll be able to take it," Ron said.
Harry and Cass glanced at each other.
"No promises," said Harry.
"Might be a bit difficult," said Cass.
They shared another glance between them, and then they both laughed softly, if a bit surrealistically. Absolutely, barking mad, Dumbledore is…Harry thought. But now, thinking about how Cass hadn't shied away from him even after she heard what Moody said, he wasn't only mad at Dumbledore from keeping this secret from him.
He was angry that Dumbledore had kept such a good person from him.
OoOoO
