Chapter 34 Sirius Black Strikes Again

We partied all day, and well into the night. Fred and George had managed to sneak into Honeydukes and supplied us with bottles of butterbeer, pumpkin fiiz, and several full bags of Honeydukes sweets.

I was sitting with Hermione, just relaxing from the game and trying to help her as best as I can with her studies. Harry decided to join us.

"Did you even come to the match?" Harry asked, sitting down on an empty chair.

"Of course I did," Hermione's voice was high pitched.

I knew she was reaching her breaking point.

"And I'm very glad we won, and I think you did really well, but I need to read this by Monday."

"Come on, Hermione, come and have some food," Harry said, looking over at Ron.

"I can't, Harry. I've still got four hundred and twenty-two pages to read!" Hermione was now sounding hysterical. "Anyway… " She looked over at Ron. "He doesn't want me to join in."

Ron chose that moment to make me facepalm.

"If Scabbers hadn't just been eaten, he could have had some of those Fudge Flies. He used to really like them -"

Hermione burst into tears and tucked her enormous book under her arm and ran toward the girls' dormitories.

"Can't you give her a break?" I asked, not so quiet.

"No." Ron said flatly. "If she just acted like she was sorry - but she'll never admit she's wrong, Hermione. She's still acting like Scabbers has gone on vacation or something."

I made a noise of disgust and went to grab another plate of food.

"Hey, Cassie." A hesitant voice said from behind me.

"Hey George." I said cautiously.

"You played really well today." He said awkwardly.

"Thank you. You did too." I nodded to him.

I left with the plates of food before anymore could be said between us. He hurt me. And I wasn't ready to start trying to get our friendship back.

I had managed to get Hermione to eat something, and even got her in the bath again. And she came out looking just a little bit better before she climbed into bed with her book.

"I'm going to take a shower, want me to sleep with you?" I asked, stretching my arms over my head.

Hermione didn't say anything about me not climbing into bed with her, so I took it as a yes. I took a shower to wash away the sweat and grime from the day.

I tapped my head with my wand and it braided itself into a french braid when I got out.

Walking into the dormitory, Hermione was on her side with her book underneath the candle light. I climbed into bed next to her and got comfortable.

"Thank you." Hermione whispered.

"Someone's gotta take care of you while you study." I said sleepily.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I shot up out of Hermione's bed. She had sat up just as quickly as I did.

"What was that?" I asked, getting out of the bed.

"I don't know." Hermione answered, also getting out of bed.

We held our wands out when I got out to the common room, I heard the portrait hole close.

Harry suddenly appeared from the boys staircase and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Did you see him?" He asked.

"See who?" I asked, confused.

"Who shouted?"

"What're you doing?"

Voices were asking all sorts of questions.

Ron showed up, looking pale and shaken.

"Ron, are you alright?" I asked, putting my hand on his arm.

"Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Ron?" Harry asked.

"I'm telling you, I saw him!" Ron said indignantly.

"What's all the noise?"

"Professor McGonagall told us to go to bed!"

Boys and girls were coming down the stairs.

"Excellent! Are we carrying on then?" Fred asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Everyone, back upstairs!" Percy said loudly, trying to get things back in order.

"Perce - Sirius Black!" Ron's voice had gone faint.

My heart stopped.

"In our dormitory! With a knife! Woke me up!" Ron managed to get out.

The common room went still.

"Nonsense!" Percy looked startled. "You had too much to eat, Ron - had a nightmare -"

"I'm telling you -"

"Now, really, enough's enough!"

McGonagall had come into the common room.

"I am delighted that Gryffindor won the match, but this is getting ridiculous! Percy, I expected better of you!"

"I certainly didn't authorize this, Professor!" Percy puffed up his chest indignantly. "I was just telling them all to get back to bed! My brother Ron here had a nightmare -"

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE!" Ron suddenly shouted. "PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"

I took a deep breath and looked up to see Harry was looking at me.

"Don't be ridiculous Mr. Weasley, how could he possibly have gotten through the portrait hole?" McGonagall asked.

"Ask Sir Cadogan." I spoke up.

McGonagall turned to look at me.

"He's going to be the only person who can say if Black was really here." I said, putting my hand on Ron's shoulder.

McGonagall glared at us with suspicion, but she pushed the portrait opened and stepped outside.

Ron turned and opened his mouth.

"Don't." I said, shaking my head.

He closed his mouth and turned back to the portrait hole.

"Sir Cadogan, did you just let a man enter Gryffindor Tower?" McGonagall asked.

"Certainly, good lady!" Cadogan sounded proud.

There was a stunned silence. I fell back onto a chair I didn't know was behind me.

"You - you did?" McGonagall asked. "But - but the password!"

"He had 'em." I whispered with Cadogan. "Had the whole week's worth."

Hermione looked at me sharply and I looked up at her.

"Read 'em off a little piece of paper!" Cadogan finished.

McGonagall pulled herself back into the common room, her face pale. All eyes turned to me, even hers.

"Which person," her voice was shaking.

I didn't know if it was with fury or fear.

"Which abysmally foolish person wrote down this week's passwords and left them lying around?" She asked.

I held my chin up and looked her straight in the eye. I didn't do it. The last time I even saw Sirius was earlier that week and I had told him about what I did with the broom. He was hurt what I did, but in the end he understood.

There was a gasp behind me. McGonagall broke eye contact with me and we looked over to see that Neville had raised his hand.

McGonagall had me go with her so that she could take me to Dumbledore. I kept my distance from her and didn't say anything during our walk to Dumbledore's office.

"Albus." McGonagall said.

"Minerva," he looked up, his face a blank page.

"Black was spotted in the Gryffindor common room." She said.

Dumbledore left with McGonagall and I was left alone in his office. So I sat in a chair and Fawkes flew the short distance between his perch and the arm of the chair.

"Hello." I said quietly, scratching his head.

He cooed at me and kept me company until Dumbledore came back. But he was accompanied by Snape and McGonagall.

"Did you give Black the list of passwords?" Snape was the first to ask me anything.

I glared up at him and kept my mouth shut.

"How did Black get into the castle?" McGonagall asked, but I knew it wasn't directed at me.

"Cassie." Dumbledore's voice was calm.

I broke my eye contact with Snape and looked at the Headmaster.

"Do you know how Sirius got the list of passwords?" He asked, his voice quiet.

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

"Have you had any contact with him?" He asked.

"No sir." I shook my head.

"She's lying." Snape snarled.

I stood up from my chair, Fawkes took flight and the chair fell backwards from me pushing it.

"I AM NOT IN CONTACT WITH SIRIUS BLACK!" I shouted.

"Severus," Dumbledore spoke up.

Snape looked away from me and to the Headmaster.

"I will handle this matter. Minevra, Severus, go check on your houses and I will send Cassie to bed when I am done." He spoke with a finalty in his voice.

"Headmaster -" Snape tried to speak up.

"I will handle this." Dumbledore said with more finality.

Snape looked between me and him before walking out the door, the anger coming off of him. McGonagall hesitated at the door, but she left as well.

"Cassie," Dumbledore gave his wand a wave and the chair righted itself up. "Please sit."

I sat down, but Fawkes stayed on his perch.

"Now, would you like a cup of tea?" He asked.

"No. I just want to go to bed." I shook my head.

"I understand. But I do have to ask, have you had any contact with Sirius Black?" Dumbledore asked, waving the pot of tea towards him.

"No sir." I lied, forcing my shoulders not to shrug.

He and I looked at each other before he gave a nod.

I stood up and just as I reached the door,

"I would be careful about leaving the castle for your dinner visits." Dumbledore's voice was quiet, and I know it wasn't a threat, but I still stiffened and looked back at him.

He didn't have a twinkle in his eye this time.

I was hexed so many times the next day, Madam Pomfrey kept me in the hospital wing to make sure I didn't develop a side effect from the different jinxes. And even then I had to have an escort to get to my classes during the week.

Ron was suspicious of me at first, but after I got hexed, he was the first to come to my defense. He knew I didn't want any attention drawn to myself when I didn't raise a wand to defend myself.

But my presence wasn't stopping Ron rise of popularity.

So many people were asking for his to recount what happened that night and he was enjoying it.

"... I was asleep, and I heard this ripping noise, and I thought it was in my dream, you know? But then there was this draft… I woke up and one side of the hangings on my bed had been pulled down… I rolled over… and I saw him standing over me… like a skeleton, with loads of filthy hair… holding this great long knife, must've been twelve inches… and he looked at me, and I looked at him, and then I yelled and he scampered."

Ron retold the story to a group of second year girls. When they walked away, he turned to Harry and I.

"Why, though?" Ron asked. "Why did he run?"

"He must've gotten the wrong bed. He probably thought you were Harry. And when you shouted he ran because he was spooked." I answered.

I hated lying but they wouldn't believe me if I told them that Sirius was looking for Scabbers, who was really Peter Pettigrew.

The tale sounded crazy, even to me.

Neville was a trembling mess. McGonagall had banned him from future Hogsmeade visits and he was to wait outside the common room and someone was to let him in. He even got a Howler from his grandmother.

The Fat Lady had been beautifully restored and was put back for her job and had asked for extra protection. So now we had security trolls pacing the corridor to the common room. It was a mess.

I hadn't tried to get out to see Sirius, he probably knew I was suffering from his actions and that was enough for me.

Barnabas had come down with Hedwig to visit me and it was a pleasant surprise. Though Harry didn't notice that Hedwig had a letter for him and he got nipped on the wrist.

"Ouch! Oh - thanks, Hedwig."

Hedwig hopped over to me so that I scratch her face while Barnabas helped himself to my food.

"Listen to this,

'Dear Harry and Ron,

How about having tea with me this afternoon 'round six?

I'll come and collect you from the castle.

WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL;

YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN.

Cheers,

Hagrid

P.S. Tell Cassie I'm sorry for not inviting her. I didn't think she wants to be seen wandering the grounds after school.'"

"He's right." I said, feeling a pain in my stomach but nodding.

"Do you still want to come with us?" Harry asked.

"No, it's okay. I'll just do homework instead." I gave them a smile.

Staying in the common room with Hermione, who was stressing out about all of her homework, she could use some company.

Sometime after nine, Ron and Harry had come into the common room and were checking out the notice board. McGonagall had come in and put a post about the next Hogsmeade weekend being the next one.

"Harry!" Hermione cleared a space between her books, revealing me and her sitting at her table.

"Harry, if you go into Hogsmeade again… I'll tell Professor McGonagall about that map!" She said when they joined us.

"Hermione!" I gasped.

She hadn't told me any of this, we were focusing on homework when they walked in.

"Can you hear someone talking, Harry?" Ron growled.

"Ron!" I snapped at him.

"Ron, how can you let him go with you? After what Sirius Black nearly did to you! I mean it, I'll tell -"

"So now you're trying to get Harry expelled!" Ron said furiously. "Haven't you done enough damage this year?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond but Crookshanks jumped up into her lap with a hiss. Hermione took one look at Ron's face and went up the girls staircase with her cat.

"You sure know how to be a prat to anyone who isn't your family." I said casually to Ron.

He blinked once and there was just a flash of guilt, but it was gone in an instant.

I didn't listen to what was said, I walked after Hermione to comfort her. She already had a bath going for her and was in the process of taking some clothes in there with her.

"Her-"

"I don't want to hear it." She said, her voice tight.

"Hermione, I get wanting to protect Harry, but by saying what you did, it's just going to make him angrier." I said, noticing that Lavender and Parvarti were not whispering to each other.

"I -!" She didn't know what to say.

"I get it. I really do, and I'm sorry Ron's being a prat to you." I said, giving her a hug.

"I don't get why he's so upset with me!" She said, letting me go after a while.

"Hermione, he's had that rat for over three years! And even then Scabbers had been in the Weasley family for so long! Had Scabbers died in his sleep or something it would have been different." I tried to explain as we walked into the bathroom together.

I turned around so that I could give Hermione some privacy, and I waited until I heard the shower curtain move to turn around.

"But Crookshanks -"

"Is a cat, and an old one who is set in his ways. There was no telling him that Scabbers was a harmless rat, and he did what cats do. It could even have been Ariel, but Crookshanks has had it out for Scabbers since before school started. Ron is upset that his pet died, and even more since you're not making an effort to apologize to him." I interrupted.

Hermione sat there, thinking.

"If something were to happen to Crookshanks, and he didn't die in his sleep, wouldn't you be upset too?" I asked quietly.

Ariel meowed at the door and I opened it for her to come in.

"I would be upset if Ariel was killed." I added.

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