Disclaimer: All rights go to J.K. Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Updated as of 3/30/2020.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Enemy

James was having a brilliant time.

"C'mon, Evans, just one dance."

The scathing look she sent his way would have deterred anyone by that point, but James had been on the receiving end of it so many times it hardly fazed him.

"For the last time, Potter, go away!"

He would have pressed further, but just then a warmth began seeping through the inside pocket of his robes, spreading to his chest.

Bloody hell, Padfoot, could your timing be any worse?

"Excuse me," he said to Evans with a jaunty wink. "Save me that dance, Evans!"

She looked as if she wanted to pull her hair out, but James was already off, pushing through the crowd until he found Remus and Peter on the edge of the dance floor, looking extremely out of place.

"What's up?" Remus called, spotting him first.

James approached them and reached inside his pocket, pulling out a small mirror from within, the glass warm to the touch. Sirius had a similar one that they had enchanted years ago to keep in touch over the holidays, but they never used it at Hogwarts unless there was an emergency.

"Prongs!" Sirius said when his face appeared in the frame, and James's heart rate picked up in response to the panic in his best mate's voice. "Prongs, can you hear me?"

"I'm here, Pads," James said. "So's Moony and Wormtail."

"I'm in the hospital wing—" Sirius started, and Peter gasped.

"What happened?" James demanded.

"I'm not the one hurt," Sirius said hastily. "Something happened to Cassie. I think she was poisoned."

"Poisoned?" all three echoed in unison, and Sirius nodded quickly.

"Yes, but I'll explain more later," he said. "Grab the cloak and get here. Madam Pomfrey doesn't want anyone else to know, it's just me and Avery here—"

"Avery?" they all said again.

"Just get the cloak and run!" he urged. "Dumbledore will be here any minute, and the doors will be sealed."

"We'll be there," James said before pocketing the mirror and facing the other two. They looked equally shaken and determined, and they didn't even need to hear James give a command before they were pelting for Gryffindor Tower, the music fading fast behind them.

By some miracle, they managed not to run into anyone, and in five minutes they had both the map and the cloak, and they set off at a flat sprint for the hospital wing.

"Filch is in the next corridor," Remus said, the appointed map-reader. "Take the tapestry on the left!"

They bolted through the short passageway behind the tapestry, James nearly skidding in his haste to reach the hospital wing. His heart was pounding, both adrenaline and worry rushing through him, and his mind was flying faster than the new Cleansweep model they had announced just last week. Who had poisoned Cassie? And why?

The doors to the hospital wing loomed before them, and they slowed to a fast walk, James whipping out the cloak. "Everyone under."

They pulled the cloak over themselves, and not a moment too soon. Footsteps sounded behind them, and they turned to see Professor Dumbledore striding for the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall by his side. The headmaster's lined face was grave, the expression so foreign on his otherwise benign features.

The three boys hurried after them, managing to sneak in just as Professor Dumbledore waved his hand, and the doors closed behind them with a soft boom. His bright blue eyes hesitated on the spot the boys had just entered, and James swore he saw a faint grin tug at his lips before Madam Pomfrey rushed over.

"Albus, Minerva," she said, bobbing her head. "I'm glad you got my message."

"What is the matter, dear Poppy?" Professor Dumbledore said, and the young matron looked over her shoulder. James saw Sirius and Avery standing off to the side, both looking furious, and beyond he saw Cassie lying in a cot, eerily still.

His heart in his throat, James turned back to the conversation.

"Mr. Black and Mr. Avery brought Miss Alderfair in ten minutes ago," Madam Pomfrey was saying. "They reported that Miss Alderfair said she couldn't breathe right before collapsing. Sir, they are saying…" She took a deep breath. "They are saying she may have been poisoned, at the party Horace was hosting tonight."

"Poisoned?" Professor McGonagall echoed. "By whom?"

Madam Pomfrey hesitated.

"Mr. Avery claims he doesn't know, while Mr. Black has accused Mr. Avery of doing it," she said. "Almost got in a scuffle too; I had to threaten them both with a month's detentions to get them to calm down."

"And has she been poisoned?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Madam Pomfrey said. "I had to get her lungs cleared first and stabilize her breathing… There wasn't any fluid in her lungs, but the tissue was inflamed, and her larynx was swollen so tightly it was a wonder she hadn't choked. I'll be running more diagnostic spells once you decide what to do with the boys."

"We will speak to them," Professor Dumbledore assured. "Tend to Miss Alderfair, Poppy; we will get statements from Mr. Black and Mr. Avery."

The matron nodded, whisking away back to Cassie's bedside, and Professor McGonagall motioned for the two boys to come over.

"Minerva, if you would kindly take Mr. Avery to your office," Professor Dumbledore said. "We will ask Horace to speak to his student tomorrow, once the effects of the brandy have worn off."

Professor McGonagall nodded, beckoning Avery to follow her, and the two left with the Slytherin throwing one last glare over his shoulder to Sirius.

"Come, Mr. Black," Professor Dumbledore said, guiding him to a cot beside the hidden boys and sitting down. Sirius reluctantly took the seat next to him.

"Tell me everything," said Professor Dumbledore simply.

Sirius raked his hair out of his face, his knee bouncing in agitation.

"I was at Professor Slughorn's party with my friends," he said. "I knew Cassie was going to be there, but I didn't see her, figuring I would eventually." He hesitated, and James watched in bafflement as his friend's cheeks reddened.

"So, you did not see Miss Alderfair drinking anything, or watch someone offer her a refreshment?"

Sirius shook his head, looking angry with himself. "No, sir."

Professor Dumbledore hummed. "Go on."

"I…I was on my way to the Astronomy Tower," Sirius continued, and James watched in increasing bemusement as Sirius suddenly looked flustered. "I-I had asked Cassie to meet me there, after the party, because…"

He hesitated again, and James was amazed. He had never seen his best mate look so out of his depth.

"I asked her there to kiss me," he said in a rush, and Remus smothered a hand over Peter's mouth when he squeaked. Despite the circumstances, James grinned. I knew that bastard fancied her.

"And that was where you found her?" Professor Dumbledore asked, looking far too amused for the situation, and Sirius nodded.

"She was at the base of the stairs," he said, clenching his fists together, "with that slimy Slytherin git all over her—"

"Language, please, Mr. Black."

"Sorry, Professor. With that filthy snake all over her—"

Professor Dumbledore stifled a sigh, but otherwise let Sirius continue.

"After I came in and asked what he was doing, I told Cassie to come with me, but she—she said she couldn't breathe, and when I reached for her, she just…fell, and she wasn't moving…" He took a deep breath, looking to the headmaster with too-bright eyes.

"Is she going to be all right, Professor?" he said quietly. Professor Dumbledore placed an ancient hand on his shoulder and squeezed, his lips drawn in a reassuring smile under his beard.

"That I cannot say with certainty," he said. "But I trust her in the care of Madam Pomfrey, and you should do the same."

"He did it," Sirius burst out angrily. "I know he did this to her."

"That is a serious accusation, Mr. Black," Professor Dumbledore said, his brows high. "And we do not know yet for a fact that Miss Alderfair was poisoned." He gave Sirius a measuring glance. "Unless you have reason to believe that Mr. Avery would want to cause Miss Alderfair harm?"

Sirius opened his mouth, his jaw working, but after a second he closed it, shaking his head.

Professor Dumbledore then stood up, and Sirius did the same.

"Thank you for your recount, Mr. Black," he said, "but it is far past curfew, and I am sure Madam Pomfrey will work diligently on Miss Alderfair while you get some sleep."

James and the others followed them out of the hospital wing, and Dumbledore sealed the doors once more behind them.

"Goodnight, Mr. Black," he said, and this time James did not imagine the wink he sent in their direction before whisking off, soon disappearing down the dark corridor.

Remus ripped off the cloak, stuffing it into his pocket as they surrounded Sirius, their faces white.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" James demanded.

"I don't know," Sirius said. "We won't know bloody anything, not until we can get our hands on Avery or Cassie wakes up, whichever comes first."

"Will she even wake up?" Peter whispered. Sirius turned on him with a thunderous look until Remus intervened.

"Of course she will, Wormtail," he said with false surety. "She'll be all right." He turned back to Sirius, who was pulling his fingers through his hair and breathing heavily. "She'll be all right, Pads."

"Go back to the dormitory," James told them. "Padfoot and I will catch up."

Remus eyed them curiously before nodding, gesturing Wormtail after him as they swung on the cloak and departed. James waited until they were out of earshot before pulling out the map and checking it before he and Sirius began to wander after them.

"Hey," James said, noting the troubled look on his friend's face and nudging his shoulder lightly. "Cassie's tough, Sirius; she'll get through this, don't worry."

When Sirius said nothing, James wrapped an arm around his shoulder, drawing him close to his side.

They walked like that for a while, and it wasn't until they reached the seventh-floor corridor that Sirius spoke up.

"It's my fault," he mumbled, so quietly James almost missed it. "If I hadn't asked her to meet me, none of this would've happened."

"We don't even know if Avery poisoned her yet," he pointed out. "She could've just, I dunno, eaten some bad food or something. You saw that table, and all the exotic stuff…" He trailed off, sighing. "It's not your fault, Sirius. And I know Cassie would agree with me."

James eyed his best mate thoughtfully. "And asking to snog at the Astronomy Tower, sneaky, sneaky. Should I save the wedding invitations for when she wakes up, then?"

"Not funny," he muttered, though his lips twitched slightly.

"Do I get the tragic backstory on how exactly this came to be?" he asked, and Sirius sighed, as if resigning himself to his fate.

"Recently," he admitted. "I first realized it over the holiday, when she came to my place for that awful Christmas dinner. And a few weeks ago, when I let her stay in my bed, that was when I told her how I felt."

James cocked a brow. "And how do you feel?"

Sirius grimaced. "It's hard to say. But Prongs, I know she feels the same way, she just won't admit it. She's too caught up in everything else to realize it, and…" Sirius suddenly turned to him, a horrified expression on his face. "Bloody hell, I sound like you with Evans."

"What, the lovesick pining; the certainty that there's a spark but she denies it; the late nights tossing and turning and wondering what you have to do to get her to bloody see?" James said, ticking off the statements on his fingers. "Yeah, sounds about right." James clapped him on the shoulder. "Sorry to say it, mate, but you're in deep."

"How?" he asked desperately. "I've never had a problem with girls until now. They're the ones who pine after me! What do I even do?"

"Either you can make an embarrassment out of yourself daily—like me—or you can just wait and see if she comes to you," James said. "As my mum always says: 'Love will find its way in time.'"

"So, you're asking me to take the advice your mum gave you? The same advice that you've been disregarding for five years?"

James frowned. "Love is hope, Padfoot. And I'll always have hope for Evans and me." They came to a stop outside of the portrait hole, the Fat Lady eyeing them grumpily. He gave Sirius an earnest glance. "Maybe it's time you start having some for you and Cassie."

The Astronomy Tower was bitterly cold, the sharp wind blowing so fiercely Cassie feared she would be snatched away and carried into the night. She desperately wished she had brought a cloak as she wrapped her arms around her middle, her gauzy dress doing absolutely nothing for her in terms of warmth.

"That color suits you."

She nearly pitched herself off the tower at the sound of the voice, and she whirled around to find Sirius emerging from the winding staircase. Her heart began to pick up speed at the sight of him, and not just because he looked so carelessly handsome with his finely tailored robes and silky dark hair. They both knew what they were here for.

"Thank you," she said, trying her best not to stammer and blush, but her blazing cheeks gave her away anyway, and he grinned faintly as he approached her.

He stepped to her side, so close his elbow brushed against hers as he leaned on the railing, the wind whipping his hair around his face. Cassie momentarily forgot about her coldness, content to watch his face shift in the lights from the castle and moon above, wondering how one person could look so heavenly.

"Do you ever think about how funny it is we're both named after celestial objects?" he asked after several moments.

"I get we're in the Astronomy Tower and all, but are we really going to discuss the stars right now?" she said, her nervousness making her snappy, but he merely smirked at her.

"C'mon, you have to see the irony here," he said. "Cassiopeia, the constellation of the Seated Queen; Sirius, the Dog Star. Pure-bloods and their crazes, eh?"

"You know that Sirius is the brightest star in our galaxy?" she said, for lack of anything better, and he chuckled, nodding.

"Still doesn't take away the fact that my mother named me after a star in the dog constellation," he said, and there was something on his face that made her feel as if she were missing some sort of inside joke.

"It's better than being named after Cassiopeia," she said, making a face. "The vain queen who boasted her beauty to the gods and then let her daughter Andromeda be sacrificed to a sea monster. What kind of legacy is that?"

"A hilarious one, considering my cousin is named Andromeda," he said, and she grimaced. "Don't worry, though; Andy may have been a Slytherin, but she doesn't hold grudges. Most of the time."

Cassie chuckled, her laugh quickly turning to a wheeze when Sirius's hand found hers on the railing, slowly sliding his fingers between hers until they were entwined. She held her breath, the frigid night completely forgotten now that she felt she had caught aflame.

"Your name's right about one thing," he said softly, and she peeled her gaze away from their hands to meet his eyes, a sparkling silver in the faint light. "The beauty of the gods seems dull in comparison to yours."

"You've never even met a god," was her intelligent answer as he leaned in, but this close to him, she doubted she could have come up with something cleverer to say.

"I don't need to," he said, his lips inches from her own, and her body ached at his nearness, wanting him closer. "I have you."

He closed the distance between them, but right before she let her eyes flutter closed, she glimpsed his gaze in front of her and stifled a scream, throwing herself back and slamming into the railing.

Gone were the quicksilver eyes she was so used to seeing, replaced by bright crimson irises and slit pupils—the eyes of the serpent. Sirius no longer stood before her, and she fought the urge to whimper as You-Know-Who materialized into place, ghostly still and pale as death.

"Smart girl," he said coolly. "Love is weakness, after all. I wouldn't want you to become so attached to someone when your fate would never allow it."

"Where's my brother?" she demanded, regaining some vestige of her composure and straightening her spine. She had dealt with the snake before, and she could do it again. "What have you done to him?"

"Oh, he's fine," he said, waving a flippant hand. "Suffering, but fine."

"Why didn't you just kill him? Why keep him alive after finding out he was going behind your back, trying to stop you?"

You-Know-Who sighed, glancing out to the white-washed landscape as if he were already bored speaking to her.

"You never throw away your pawns, Miss Alderfair," he said. "No matter how useless or insufferable they turn out to be, the board can still be set. The game can continue, if only you have all the pieces to do so.

"Make no mistake, the only reason you and your brother are alive is because I have everyone right where I need them. And not to mention that killing you and young William would give a bad impression to the pure-bloods in my service—many of them would turn against me if I murdered the children of such a prominent wizarding family. No, you both still have some use to me yet. You're on the sidelines now, but don't be surprised when I set the board with you in the future. I do need my little pawns."

"I am not anyone's pawn," she said, clenching her fists. "And I sure as hell am not yours, and neither is my brother!"

"Oh, dear," he said, a serpentine smile creeping across his twisted features. "Everyone is a pawn in this game. You will see that soon enough."

She opened her mouth, but with a flick of his wrist, she was suddenly thrown backwards, over the railing and into the open air; and then she was falling, the ground rushing up to meet her at a sickening pace—

Cassie jerked awake with a gasp, her eyes snapping open and immediately watering when the light hit them, sending her reeling. A dream. It had all been a dream, she told herself, though her churning stomach and hammering heart seemed to disagree.

She was in the hospital wing, much to her confusion, and beyond her bedcurtains she could hear the mumbling of low voices, though they were speaking so softly she couldn't discern them.

She sat up, reaching for a glass of water on her bedside table and sucking it down quickly, her throat parched. The glass settled with a sharp clink on the wood, and the voices faltered.

The bedcurtains were suddenly ripped aside, and Cassie blinked when the disheveled form of Lily appeared before her, closely followed by an equally frazzled Alice and an ashen Marlene.

"She's awake!" Lily cried, rushing for her, and Cassie barely had time to think before the three girls had pounced on her, nearly crushing her beneath their weight as she patted their backs awkwardly, bewildered.

"Merlin, I thought the worst," Lily rambled. "When Ja—Potter stopped me in the common room this morning and told me you were in here, I thought it was a sick prank before I realized he was serious, and—oh, Cassie, we came as soon as we got the news! Are you all right?"

"I'm…fine," she said haltingly. "Lily, what—what exactly happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" Alice said, her eyes wide, and Cassie shook her head.

"All I remember is the party," she said, frowning. "And then after that everything became so hazy…"

"We just finished speaking to Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore," Marlene said. She was still wearing remnants of last night's (or, she assumed last night's) makeup, her eyes bloodshot and worried. "Potter told us that you may have been poisoned, but you weren't—or technically, you weren't."

"Someone slipped Veritaserum in your drink last night," Lily said in response to her baffled look. "You had an allergic reaction to it, though; your lungs and esophagus swelled to the point where you couldn't breathe, and you passed out."

Cassie thought back to the party, trying to recall the moment she had drunk anything, but it was like a fog permeated her brain, making everything muddled and murky.

"Ah, Miss Alderfair, it is good to see you awake."

Professor Dumbledore stood politely at the end of her bed while Madam Pomfrey walked in, carrying a tray filled with foul-smelling potions no doubt meant for her.

"Professor," she said, nodding to the headmaster. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing to be concerned about," he said in response to her wary tone. "I will just need to collect your statement over last night's occurrence."

"I don't remember anything," she said, but he nodded to Madam Pomfrey.

"Veritaserum is a tricky little potion," the matron said. "Not many people are allergic to it, but if given to an affected wizard or witch, it creates a temporary loss of memory. Fortunately, a Memory Restoration potion should work."

She handed over a vial of a sizzling violet potion, and Cassie eyed it apprehensively.

"Don't worry, dear, I've heard it tastes like grapes," said the matron.

Whoever told you that is a damn liar, she thought, sucking down the potion and shuddering at the taste. It did taste like grapes, if those grapes had been left out in the sun for a week in a barrel full of pickle juice, and her face puckered as she handed the vial back.

No sooner had Madam Pomfrey taken the empty bottle before she doubled over with a gasp, stars exploding in her vision and her stomach roiling uncomfortably as memories came flooding back to her, making her brain feel like it was about to burst.

She remembered everything now—the party, Carlisle, the wine, the string tugging her toward Sirius, Avery, the kiss—all of it. Breathing heavily through her nose, she sat up, attempting to school her expression into something neutral, even if the mere remembrance of the night before made her want to vomit.

"How do you feel, Miss Alderfair?" Professor Dumbledore asked. The headmaster and Madam Pomfrey were watching in mild interest while the girls stood by her bedside anxiously, Lily gripping her hand so tightly it was beginning to cramp. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Yes," she said, giving the headmaster a bland smile. "I feel fine. It was an accident."

Professor Dumbledore gave no sign of this shocking him, but she saw his left eyebrow tick up ever so slightly. "An accident, you say?"

She nodded, still smiling. "I was thirsty, so I grabbed a drink from one of the house-elves. I remember feeling all light and fuzzy after I drank it, but I assumed it was just the wine. Afterwards I went to find Sirius Black at the Astronomy Tower, but after that, I must have fainted. I don't recall anything else."

"I saw her, before she left the party," Alice spoke up. "I thought she just had too much to drink, but now that I think about it, it was probably the Veritaserum." She blushed faintly. "To be frank, she didn't quite have a filter when I spoke to her."

Professor Dumbledore merely stared.

"And do you have any recollection of Edmond Avery after the party?" he asked her. She cocked her head, pretending to deliberate.

"I think he kissed me," she said. "Probably just to make Sirius jealous, but it wasn't anything sinister. Boys, yeah?"

The headmaster now looked like he wanted nothing to do with their conversation. "Then you do not think Mr. Avery was the one who gave you the Veritaserum, either knowingly or unknowingly of the consequences it could pertain to you?"

"No, sir," she said. "I think it must've been a prank; some girl trying to see if her crush liked her back or not, I suppose. Unfortunately, I happened to be caught in the crossfire." She shrugged. "An accident."

Professor Dumbledore gave her a long, measured look before finally smiling.

"Of course," he said. "We do seem to have a bit of a rampant contraband potion market going on, which I will investigate fully now that there has been an incident involving a student such as this. Thank you for your time and cooperation, Miss Alderfair. I hope you feel well enough to attend your lessons today."

Cassie didn't stop smiling until the headmaster departed, Madam Pomfrey escorting him out, and only when their voices drifted away did she drop her charade, sighing and falling back onto her pillows.

"I can't believe you just did that," Lily snapped, and Cassie looked up to see the redhaired witch fuming.

"Did what?" she said.

"You just lied to the headmaster!" she said, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. Alice and Marlene leaned in to hear better. "Cassie, what happened last night?"

"Nothing!" she said defensively. "Didn't you just listen to what I said?"

"Your story was a load of hippogriff dung and you know it!" she said. "And you know what else, Cass? I've tried staying out of your business with the Marauders for months, but I can't turn a blind eye anymore. I know you and those four have been up to something: sneaking off all the time, having your intense little discussions, you and Potter strutting around with those books that nobody can even read. Something is going on, and I feel like that Veritaserum in your drink happened because of whatever it is you're getting into. So cut the shit, Cassie!"

Cassie gaped.

"You really should be more discreet," Marlene piped up. "You've been acting funny ever since your brother gave you that locket, too."

She pointed to the silver and ruby necklace that poked out of her pajama shirt, and Cassie pressed a hand over it, at an utter loss of what to say.

"So, what have you been doing?" Alice said, hopping onto her bed. "Making a secret tunnel to Hogsmeade? Plotting against the Slytherins?"

Cassie looked between their faces, ranging from Alice's innocent curiosity to Marlene's insatiable desire to know everything, before finally settling on Lily's angry suspicion. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realized that she had kept this from them all this time, hoping that they wouldn't notice or care about what she was doing. She could argue that it had been to protect them, but she knew it was a feeble excuse—she simply just hadn't thought about telling them.

So what did that make her? They were her best friends. She told them everything. And now… It was over. You-Know-Who had won the second he had tortured Will. He knew about her brother's plan, and he knew about her. Only a suicidal idiot would continue to defy him, and with her brother's life hanging in the balance, she knew she couldn't go forward with this. It would be death; not just for Will, but for her as well. But if it was all truly over…

Cassie sighed. "There's something I need to tell you."

When she had finished explaining everything from the moment she received the locket from Will in Hogsmeade all those months ago, she sat in silence, wringing her hands while she let the others absorb all the information she had just thrown at them. They had listened patiently to her story, but she worried that they would think she was barmy, or worse—not believe her. To her relief, however, they thought neither.

"That's…a lot to take in, Cass," Marlene said, eventually breaking the silence. "How have you kept it a secret for so long? I would've gone mad by now, keeping that all to myself."

Cassie winced. "I wasn't exactly trying to keep it a secret. It's just…the Marauders were already there, so they knew, and I didn't know how to tell you all…"

"It's all right, Cass," Alice said, reaching out and taking her hand gently. "We're not mad; you did what you had to do. Right, Lils?"

The three girls turned to Lily, who sat stoically on the edge of Cassie's bed, lips puckered, and arms crossed. She appeared to be deep in thought, but when all attention was on her, she sighed, looking around at them all.

"I don't like it," she said finally. "I think there were a million different ways to handle it, but…" She rubbed her eyes, heaving another sigh. "I understand why you had to do it your way, Cassie. Your stakes were so high, and I…" She shook her head. "I probably would've done the same thing had I been in your position. I can't be mad at that."

She clasped Cassie's hand in her own, giving her a soft smile that she returned.

"Thank you," she said, "all of you. I've been carrying this around for so long, and now I don't have to anymore."

"But what about your brother?" Alice asked lowly. "What's You-Know-Who going to do to him?"

Cassie thought back to her dream, fighting the urge to shiver as she recalled You-Know-Who's clear, cold voice: "I have everyone right where I need them."

"You-Know-Who isn't going to do anything—at least, not yet," she said. "He's cunning enough to keep Will by his side with coercion, not torture, and he wouldn't dare touch me while I'm at Hogwarts."

"That's right," Lily said. "They say that Dumbledore is the only one You-Know-Who is truly afraid of. You're safe here, Cass."

"And you're pure-blood," Marlene added. "He wouldn't kill you or Will, not when he's touting blood purity to the wizarding world, and there's so little remaining pure-blood families."

Cassie nodded. "That gives me time, then."

The three girls looked puzzled.

"Time for what?" Alice said, though Cassie didn't have time to answer, for just then Madam Pomfrey swept back into the room.

"Are you still here?" the matron cried. "Breakfast is almost over! You ladies need to get to your lessons—and no buts!"

"What about me?" Cassie said. "Am I free to go?"

Madam Pomfrey bustled over, taking her temperature and running a diagnostic spell once more before eyeing her critically.

"I suppose you may be allowed to leave," she said, clicking her tongue. "But I want you to take it easy today, Miss Alderfair—no running around with Sirius Black and James Potter."

"Yes, ma'am," Cassie said, already swinging herself out of the bed and waving her wand, conjuring her robes from her trunk in the dormitory.

Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue again. "I want you back here if you start feeling ill again, Miss Alderfair, and that is an order, not a request!"

"Got it!" Cassie said from the other side of the bedcurtains as she changed, the other girls waiting outside.

"Let's go," she told them a few minutes later, grabbing her bookbag and striding for the hospital doors, the others following closely. "Have any of you seen James or the other boys today?"

"We saw them on our way here," Alice said, having to jog to keep up with Cassie's longer legs. "They were going to breakfast."

"I think that's the earliest I've ever seen them up and moving," Marlene said as they turned a corner and started down another corridor, heading toward the Great Hall. "It's funny. They were talking about meeting someone—"

Cassie stopped so abruptly Lily nearly crashed into her, wheeling around to face the blonde witch. "They what?"

"Er, yeah," Marlene said, eyeing her nervously. "I thought they meant you, but then they weren't in the hospital wing…"

"Those bloody idiots!" Cassie said. "They're about to ruin everything! Come on!"

She began sprinting for the Great Hall, the other girls hot on her heels after trading a bewildered glance. Students clogged the lower corridors, heading to their lessons after breakfast, but Cassie shoved them aside without a second thought. She could hear Lily shouting apologies from behind her, but she kept pressing forward, panic driving her legs.

Of course they would go after Avery first, without knowing the whole story. After all, Sirius had seen them together in the Astronomy Tower, and in their minds, Avery would be a prime suspect. But Cassie had to stop them before they could get to him, or else everything would be ruined…

She dashed down the marble steps of the staircase, nearly slipping in the Entrance Hall when she saw Avery making his way to the dungeons, with the Marauders following not far behind, wands drawn.

"STOP!" Cassie shouted, barreling into Sirius just as he raised his wand, pointing it directly at Avery's back. Sirius's jinx went wild, slamming into the wall across from them, and Avery whirled around, drawing his own wand before James Disarmed him.

"Cassie, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Sirius roared from beneath her. "Get off me!"

"No, listen to me!" she cried. "James, stop, lower your wand! Remus, please—"

"Cassie, this bastard poisoned you!" James said, glaring at Avery and refusing to drop his wand from where it was pointed at the Slytherin's chest.

"It wasn't him!" Cassie said, her voice shrill. Sirius still writhed beneath her, but she dug her kneecap into his diaphragm, making him hiss in a sharp breath. "Listen to me—it wasn't Avery, it was Carlisle—"

"I saw him!" Sirius said furiously, nearly bucking her off as he tried to move. "He had his hands all over you—his tongue was practically down your throat—you were fine until he – he—"

"Carlisle slipped Veritaserum in my drink!" she explained, rushing her words before any of them had another chance to hex Avery, who was watching the whole ordeal with glittering eyes and a scowl with James's wand still pointing at him. "I ran into her at the party—she told me something about Will, and warned me to stop meddling, and after I drank the wine she gave me I started feeling weird, like I couldn't control what I was saying—everything just slipped out, like I didn't have a filter—Avery found me on my way to the tower to warn me, but Sirius, when you found us, I had a reaction to the potion—"

"Why would he be warning you, Cassie?" Remus broke in. He'd had the sense to drop his wand when she had crashed into Sirius like a lunatic, but he was still staring at Avery with a dangerous gleam in his eyes she had never seen before.

"Because we're working together!" she cried in exasperation. "We're on the same side now! He's not the enemy!"

The empty hall went quiet. Even Sirius stilled beneath her, and she slid off him, pushing herself to her feet again and meeting everyone's shocked gazes.

"What are you talking about?" James demanded angrily. "He's a Slytherin, Cass—"

"A Slytherin who's not interested in becoming a Death Eater or following You-Know-Who," she stressed. "He's been helping me these last few weeks—keeping tabs on Carlisle and her communications outside and inside Hogwarts, spying on the other students she's using in her plot—"

"He's playing you," Sirius spat, standing from the floor and gripping his wand tightly. "That's what all Slytherins do. They earn your trust, learn your secrets, and before you can even blink they've already stabbed you in the back. Trust me, I know—my whole bloody family are Slytherins!"

"That lion pride must really be a pain in your ass," Avery jeered at Sirius, speaking up for the first time since Cassie had arrived. "Maybe if you weren't such a Muggle-lover you'd be in here with the rest of us, and then you'd see how stupid you are—"

"Enough," Cassie said coldly, silencing the Slytherin with a sharp look. "You can save your insults for another time."

She gave everyone a hard, measured look, meeting each of their eyes individually. "Whatever plan we had is done. You-Know-Who knows about everything now. That's what Carlisle told me last night. He tortured Will and found out about it all, and threatened to kill me if he didn't obey him by sticking with the Death Eaters. That's it. It's over. So before you all hex each other into oblivion, just know that now there's nothing to be a part of. We can all go our separate ways again."

The hall was silent once more. Somewhere in the depths of the castle, the bell tolled, signaling the start of lessons.

"Your brother was supposed to save us," Avery hissed. "He can rot in hell for all I care now." He spat at the floor near her feet before retrieving his wand and disappearing into the dungeons, his footsteps echoing eerily in the silence.

"We should get to class," Lily said quietly, throwing Cassie an uncertain glance before starting up the staircase once more, Alice and Marlene reluctantly following and leaving her alone with the four Marauders. Once they were out of earshot, James spoke.

"You promised," he said flatly, and she winced at his tone. "You promised that there would be no more secrets between us, Cassie."

"I know," she said softly.

James stowed his wand back into his robes and stalked off without a backward glance. After a moment of hesitation, Peter scuttled after him with an apologetic look.

Remus sighed, coming up to her and patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"It's going to be all right," he said. When her only response was a sniffle, he sighed again and trudged after the others, leaving just her and Sirius.

"James is right," he said after several long moments, and she flinched at how hollow and angry his voice sounded. "No more secrets."

"I was coming to find you," she blurted as he turned away. He paused, his back to her, but she continued. "Last night, after the party. I was willing to meet you."

He said nothing, and she blinked back the sudden onslaught of tears as he disappeared up the staircase without another word.

"Some show."

Regulus Black stepped out of the dungeon shadows, clapping his hands slowly.

"I'm impressed, Gryffindor," he said. "You really sold it."

"Does Avery suspect anything?" she asked.

"As clueless as a kitten, that one," he said. He gave her a cool, calculating look when she didn't respond, his dark grey eyes raking over her. "You know, you would've made a formidable Slytherin. Scheming suits you."

She only scowled at him.

"Well, now you have what you were after," he said. "Avery is out of the way and Carlisle thinks you're putting a stop to your meddling. You now have free rein to do what you want."

"And I have your word you'll stay out of my way as well?"

"Of course, my lady."

"Good," she said. "Because from here on out, I work alone."

She turned on her heel, but his voice held her back.

"And just what are you planning to do alone, Alderfair?" He was staring after her with a mischievous glint in his eyes that was almost reminiscent of his brother's, and she ignored the sharp flare in her chest at the sight.

"I'm going to save my brother," she said. "And hopefully bring about the downfall of the Dark Lord in the process."

His smile grew until it was almost predatory.

"Best of luck, then, Alderfair."

"I don't need luck," she retorted, walking away. "I have myself."

Next Chapter: The Lone Wolf

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