Chapter 19 Memory Lane

I was eleven years old again.

Gertrude had come in and was grinning wickedly.

"If you scream, or try to get anyone's attention, I will kill you." She had pulled a knife from behind her.

I nodded slowly. I didn't want to die.

"Get on the floor, hands around the bed." She gestured down.

I kept my eyes on her as I did what she asked. She put the tip of the knife against my forehead and pulled string out of her pocket. The string had been braided crudely in an attempt to make a rope. She got the rope around my wrist and the foot of the bed I was under, and she was quick to drop the knife on my chest and tied my wrists.

"Very good." Gerturde nodded.

She picked up the knife held it against my forehead and then sat on me.

"Ger-"

There was a sudden pain on the side of my head.

"Shut up!" She snarled.

I closed my mouth and nodded once.

"Little Baby thinks she's so special." Gerturde started to slide the knife over my neck.

My vision started to blur and my eyes started to leak.

"Awe is Little Baby cwying?" Gertrude snarled.

There was a sudden movement and my shirt was moved to exposed my belly.

"No -!"

There was a flash of silver and pain was coming from my stomach. I clamped my mouth shut and breathed hard through my nose to keep from saying anything, or making another noise.

"I said. Shut. Up." Gertrude whispered in my ear.

Her voice was harsh and I flinched away from her. Gertrude faced the door and had her back facing my dresser.

'What am I going to do?' I thought.

I don't know how long she was carving into my skin, making comments about the powers I had and how I didn't deserve them.

I couldn't ask why or how she knew about my powers. Because every time I tried, that knife dug on my face, making that cut deeper.

"Cassie!" Charlotte's voice was outside my room.

"Char-!" I cried out.

"I'm going to kill you!" Gertrude had lifted the knife above her head and was bringing it down.

The door opened and suddenly there was a burst of magic around me and Gertrude was sent backwards.

But she hit her head. I heard a crack and she was down.

"Cassie!" Charlotte was shocked and stood there.

"Help!" I started to cry.

Gerturde didn't move and Charlotte shook herself and got down to untie me.

"Oh my God! Stephanie!" Charlotte called out.

Charlotte had taken my blanket off my bed and pushed it against my stomach, where the worst of the pain was.

"Stephanie, call the authorities!"

I was glad that Charlotte was able to get my wrists untied from the foot, but she stopped me from curling up.

"No, don't. I need to stop the bleeding." Charlotte voice was soothing to hear.

"They're on their way - !" Stephanie gasped.

"Make sure everyone else stays in their rooms." Charlotte ordered.

Stephanie nodded absentmindedly. She was staring at Gertrude and then she looked at me. Her face was pale and she held a hand to her mouth when she left my room.

Once she left, everything blurred.

The authorities showed up. I was sent to the hospital while Charlotte had to stay behind to report what she saw.

I was seeing flashes of different people and the drive to the hospital. People were poking me with needles and they kept asking me for my name and birthdate. I just wanted to sleep.

"Cassie?"

My eyes were heavy and I struggled to open them.

"Cassie." Charlotte cupped the side of my cheek.

"Charlotte." My eyes teared up and then I saw the strange man behind her.

"Miss Zwart." He had a long beard and was wearing strange clothing.

"Cassie, this is Professor Dumbledore. He's here to ask you some questions." Charlotte patted my hand.

"Charlotte, what happened to Gertrude?" There was a strange machine next to me and it started to beep.

"Hush sweetheart," Charlotte was quick to pet my hair to try to calm me down.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Miss Zwart, if you would look at me for just a second." The strange man had a stick pointing at me.

"What are -!" I didn't get to finish me sentence.

Something shut in my mind and I was calm.

"Charlotte. Where am I?" I blinked and I didn't recognize where I was.

"You're in the hospital. You'll be out soon." Charlotte had tears in her eyes.

I opened my eyes and Trelawney had a hand on her mouth and she was crying.

"Oh no." Was all she said.

I stared at her as my own tears started to form.

"Oh darling." She reached out and traced the scar on my face.

"I - I - I have questions." I stuttered out.

"I know, darling." Trelawney wiped her tears and stood up.

"Let's get a cup of tea in us." Trelawney stood up.

With a wave of her wand a teapot and two teacups started to float from the wall towards us. I didn't feel myself get up, but I did feel the comfort of an armchair under me.

"Milk and sugar?" Trelawney asked.

I looked at the bright pink teacup floating in front of me.

"Just milk please." I answered hollowly.

The milk saucer poured itself into my teacup until I said stop. It floated back to the little table that Trelawney was now sitting next to.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Trelawney asked, staring at me with her eyes through her huge glasses.

"I don't know what to say about it." I answered honestly.

My head was feeling better. It didn't hurt to blink anymore, and my brain wasn't trying to rip itself open.

"I thought you had gotten into an accident. Not…"

"Attacked." I finished for her.

She nodded.

"Gertrude is - was - " I caught myself, "my bully. I don't really know how she found out about me being a metamorphmagus but that's why she attacked me." I answered.

"Why did she hate you so much?" Trelawney's voice was soft with comfort.

"I don't know." I answered honestly.

We sat in silence. I didn't realize how bad I was shaking until I went to take a sip of my tea and it spilled all over my front.

"I think that will be all today. However I do believe that you should join me for dinner in a few days. We do have a lot to talk about." Trelawney had noticed the time.

I had spent close to an hour in her classroom.

"I agree. Thank you, Professor." I nodded my agreement.

I slowly stood up. I was still shaking, but I could walk once I got my bearings.

"If you need to come back sooner, you're more than welcome to, dear." Trelawney said as I started down the stairs.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind." I gave her a small smile.

I managed to make it down the spiral staircase by myself. By that time, most students were going to the Great Hall for dinner. I was awfully hungry so I started to head that way.

I was wrapped up in my thoughts I didn't hear Ginny.

"Cassie!" She said loudly in my ear.

"Oh! Hello Ginny." I said, a smile on my face.

"Where have you been?" Ginny looked at me suspiciously.

I don't know why. But once I had stopped and realized it was just me and Ginny, the tears welled up in my eyes again.

"Woah! Cassie, what's wrong?" Ginny asked, concern flashing across her eyes.

I put a hand to my mouth and shook my head. I couldn't speak all of sudden.

"Let's get you to the common room." Ginny laced her arm through mine.

I shook my head again.

"I - I'm h-hungry." I had to even my breath out so that I could say that simple sentence.

"Okay. Let's get you to the common room and then I'll run down and get you some dinner." Ginny said kindly.

"No. I'll be fine. Let's go together." I hit my cheeks to try and stop the burning feeling in my eyes.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, looking around for anyone to help her.

"Yeah, and this way I can explain to you what's happening." I smiled gently down at her.

"Okay!" Ginny nodded.

As we walked down the many corridors, I told her about Gertrude and that terrible things she did to me. I told her about the memory block Dumbledore put on me when I turned eleven. She gasped and looked horrified throughout my story. I told her about what the memory block had suppressed.

"Ginny." I stopped the both of us just as we were about to go down the stairs to the Great Hall.

"I think I killed Gertrude."

And now we know the truth.

Shout out to Aleahyo for adding the first story to their favorite list!

Shout out to Pamela Hutchins and katie owl for leaving reviews!

Pamela Hutchins: I feel a little bad for making you worry for a week, but here we are. And you'll see soon how she really feels about all this.

katie owl: It's proven later that Trewlawney is a legit Seer but she's just milking it 99% of the time. And it'll explain later what he deal is with Cassie. I almost gave away a spoiler but I caught myself!