Updated as of 8/28/20.
Chapter Thirty-Five
The Forbidden Forest
Cassie blinked, her wand slipping from numbed fingers and clattering to the floor. Brother and sister stared at each other for one long moment, dark eyes identical in the gloom, though now one pair echoed back listlessly while the other filled with tears.
As if moving not of her own volition, Cassie stood from the bed and retrieved her wand, suddenly very cold despite the blazing fire in the hearth. Will watched her blankly as she pointed her wand at him.
She realized that she was shaking as violently as the leaves on the tree outside her window as the storm raged on, and she willed her muscles to stay still. Her heart thundered, adrenaline and horror at what she had done coursing through her veins, and an eternity seemed to pass before Will shifted, shaking his head and frowning.
"Cassie—" he started.
She flicked her wand once more, putting meaning behind her spell as she said, "Obliviate."
Will's face returned to its previous slack expression, his eyes going out of focus, and Cassie shuddered.
Merlin, forgive me for what I have to do.
There was no other way, she told herself. In order to keep Will safe from Voldemort, she had to make him forget, had to send him away. Once Voldemort knew that Gryffindor's object had been found, once he sought the gauntlet for himself, he would kill her brother and pry it from his dead hands for being a traitor, a defector. But she still had a chance. Voldemort told her himself that he didn't want to kill her yet, that her powerful family name and pure blood made her valuable, and she would use that to her full advantage.
It was now with a distant humor that she realized the name Alderfair—the name she had once used to curse—had become her shield against the Dark Lord.
She gripped her wand tighter and looked into her brother's eyes. Only flames reflected back at her.
"You were never here." The smallest tremor laced her voice, but she forced it back, focusing, intent on her spellwork. "The locket and the book are not important—just gifts you gave me, passed down through the generations of our family. You—"
She stopped, heaving a shuddering breath and blinking back tears. Will stared at her, expectant, as if awaiting her orders.
You have to do this.
If Will wouldn't save himself, then she would have to do it for him.
"You are not William Rigel Alderfair," she continued. "When you leave here, you will pick a name and a country, and you will go there. Tell no one where you are going, or what your real name is. Start over—but stay hidden."
He bobbed his head in acknowledgement, and she knew she had to wrap up her spell quickly; her arm was beginning to tremble violently under the pressure of such complex magic that she had never used before, and she had to make sure it held.
"You have a sister who loves you," she said, her voice breaking. "More than anything. Never forget that."
He nodded again, and she lowered her wand, ending the spell. His face maintained its slackened expression and his eyes were still dark and empty, like yawning pits of shadows. She moved over to him cautiously, but he only stood still, watching her blankly, and her heart broke at the realization that her brother could not remember who she was to him anymore.
She touched his cold cheek with her clammy palm, but he didn't even flinch. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed his forehead gently before pressing her own to it. She closed her eyes, and several tears slipped out, fast and hot.
"I love you," she whispered, fearing her voice would give out entirely if she spoke any louder. "I'm so sorry."
She drew away, and he stared at her in confusion before shaking his head, muttering, "I'm not supposed to be here."
And before she could reach for him to say good-bye, he turned on his heel and strode out of her room, closing the door behind him with finality.
Cassie collapsed on her bed and flung her wand across the room, dangerously close to the fire. A scream built in her chest, and she bit into her pillow as sobs wracked her body.
What have I done?
Will was safe now, for a time. She had to believe that, or else what she just did was for nothing. She had no doubt that Voldemort and the Death Eaters would look for him, but if he followed her instructions and disappeared, then she had bought him—and herself—time. All she had to do now was get the gauntlet and give it to Dumbledore to destroy, and perhaps she could get him to negotiate Will's safety at the same time. She had a plan. She knew what she was doing.
Then why did she feel like she had just ruined everything?
She stared into the fire, but the flames offered no answers, and the shadows were just as quiet.
The clock read 10:50, and Cassie was late.
Sirius was surprised his head hadn't popped off yet as he constantly swiveled it in every direction, his eyes sweeping Platform 9 ¾ for a familiar head of sleek dark hair or intense brown eyes. She had told them she would meet them on the platform at ten-thirty, but now she was nowhere to be found.
"Relax, Padfoot," said James from where he sat on the edge of his trunk, eating a box of Bertie Bott's with Peter and Remus. His face was red, and he was sweating slightly; Sirius guessed he must've gotten the ghost pepper bean again. "Stop fretting—you look like my mum."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Prongs. Your mum is quite fit—"
"Oi! Take that back, you disgusting little—"
"Cassie!"
Remus waved to someone over Sirius's shoulder, and he spun around so quickly he almost knocked a firsty to the ground. He picked out Cassie easily amongst the dwindling crowd. She carried her knapsack over her shoulder as her eyes roved warily around the platform, but the severe look on her face lessened when she spotted him and made her way over.
"About time," James said, standing up and shoving the box of beans into his pocket. "Let's get a move on, Princess, or else all the good compartments will be taken."
Sirius studied his girlfriend as she joined their group (still getting an annoying little thrill whenever he realized that she was actually, finally his girlfriend), immediately aware that something was off. Her shoulders were tense, and her eyes looked hollow and bruised, as if she hadn't slept in days. Even her smile seemed forced.
James and Peter had begun boarding their luggage into a compartment, but Sirius and Remus stayed behind with her, the other Marauder apparently having noticed Cassie's mood as well. He exchanged a tight glance with Sirius.
"Out with it, Cass," Sirius said, not believing her casual indifference at all when she looked to him questioningly. "You look awful."
"Nice to see you, too, my charming boyfriend," she replied, rolling her eyes.
Remus watched her carefully. "Something's wrong."
She sighed. "I'll tell you all on the train, okay?"
Remus hesitated, but eventually nodded, giving her one last glance before going to join the others. Cassie made to follow him, but Sirius held her back.
"What's wrong?" he said lowly, casting a look around them to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Did V-Voldemort show up at your house again?"
He scowled, irritated that he had stuttered; but he had gone so long without calling Voldemort by his real name that there was still a trace of fear inside him at the mere utterance of it. Then he was angry that he was afraid—it was a bloody name, after all. He was done being cowed into submission like the rest of the world. If he truly wanted to fight the Dark, then he had to learn to stop being afraid.
"No, no, nothing like that," she said distractedly, beginning to fidget. "I told you I'd tell you all on the train. Now let's go."
She brushed past him, but he held her back once more, his impatience growing. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me you're all right."
"Well, I'm not bloody all right, Sirius!" she burst out, wrenching her arm from his grasp. She was breathing heavily now, tears glistening in her eyes, and he stared at her, stunned. Realizing that several straggling parents had turned in their direction, she lowered her voice, but he could still hear the strain in it.
"I did something awful," she confessed tearfully, her voice nearly a whisper. "I did it, and now I don't know if I can forgive myself."
She began to cry, and his first instinct was to run away screaming, calling for Remus to deal with the situation instead, but he forced himself to stay there. He'd never been able to handle emotions of any sort, but this was Cassie. She was his girlfriend, but more importantly, his friend, and he couldn't let his friends down.
"Come here," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She all but collapsed into his chest, gripping his shoulders tightly as if to anchor herself, and he could feel the small tremors going through her body as she clutched to him, sobbing into his shirt.
"You're okay, love," he murmured into her hair, stroking some of it back with his fingers while he moved his other hand in soothing circles on her back, just as he had done with Regulus when they were younger before their mother had found out and locked them in their rooms for two days with no food.
"The Blacks do not cry!" he could remember her screeching through their doors. "Emotions are weaknesses—they make you vulnerable. Do you know what happens to vulnerable people? They get taken advantage of; they lose their influence—their power! You might as well paint a target on our backs if you both do not learn to discipline yourselves and SHUT—THEM—OFF!"
"I made him forget," Cassie sobbed, bringing Sirius back to the present. "I made him forget everything—I made him forget me."
Sirius froze, drawing back slightly to look at Cassie's white, tear-streaked face.
"Cassie," he said slowly, "what exactly did you do?"
She looked heartbroken, but before she could say anything, the train sounded the warning for them to get on or get left behind. He grabbed her hand, ushering her toward the scarlet steam engine, only to look up when he felt someone watching him. A pair of icy blue eyes stared at him from one of the compartment windows, but as he passed with Cassie in tow, the eyes blinked and retreated, the shades snapping shut. Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling, he herded Cassie into the Marauders' compartment just as the train began to move.
Peter was gagging when they entered the compartment, his round face purple, and Sirius looked to James for an explanation. The bespectacled boy grinned mischievously, rattling the box of Bertie Bott's. "Vomit flavored."
"Budge over, you great lump," Sirius said, nudging Peter with his foot. The small boy retched again. "Oi! Get anything on these shoes and you'll be paying for them the rest of your life!"
Remus handed Peter the brown paper bag he had brought his lunch in, casting Sirius a reproachful look. "Here you go, Pete, use this."
The blond boy took the bag, now gulping for air as Remus turned to Cassie in concern. "Are you all right, Cass?"
"Even Peter is marginally better than how I feel at the moment," she said, causing James to snort before he paused, studying her more closely.
"Wait," he said, "what's going on?"
"Here," said Sirius, guiding her into the seat next to him while he took the space beside Peter, who had stopped heaving enough to listen to their conversation.
"Now," he continued, "whatever you think you've done, Cassie, I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems—"
"I Obliviated Will," she said bluntly.
The compartment went still.
Sirius sucked on his teeth. "Never mind. That's pretty bad."
"Good Godric, Cassie," James said, his glasses nearly slipping off his nose, forgotten, as he gaped at her.
Remus stared at her in alarm. Peter just groaned in the corner. They ignored him.
"How did you even do that?" said James in awe. "We only studied the theory in Defense—"
"Sometimes theory is all you need," she said defensively, crossing her arms. "But I was desperate, okay? I didn't know what else I could do—"
"Wait, back up," Sirius interjected. "How did this even happen to begin with?"
"Will came home a couple nights ago," she said, her expression darkening. "He cornered me in my room, saying that I had to give him the locket." She shook her head quickly. "He wanted to be the one to find the gauntlet. He told me that he only gave me the locket and the book for safekeeping, so he could retrieve them later, but he lied. He was trying to protect me, but I–I—" She buried her face in her hands with a muffled sob. "I had to protect him! Voldemort wants to kill him! I had to send him away, I had to make him forget!"
The compartment was deathly silent besides her small sobs and the chugging of the steam engine as it gained speed, leaving London behind. Sirius put an arm over her shoulders, but she didn't acknowledge him, continuing to cry into her hands.
Finally, James broke the silence.
"Hold on," he said, lifting his pointer finger up in a wait a minute position. "No offense, Princess, but shouldn't you have been caught by the Ministry at this point? I mean, you did magic outside of Hogwarts. Doesn't the Statute of Secrecy say that underage magic is a big no-no?"
"Technically, yes," said Remus when Cassie didn't respond. "But there are loopholes to every rule."
James raised his eyebrows. "Care to elaborate?"
"The Statute of Secrecy was created so Muggles wouldn't find out about magic and wizards," he said, and Sirius imagined that he was reciting this explanation from memory of a textbook he himself should have read long ago. "That's why we can't use magic in front of Muggles, and why underage wizards and witches can't do it outside of special areas, like school; it's too risky."
"But Cassie's underage," pointed out Peter, who had seemed to rejoin the world of the living after his bout of sickness. "How do they even know if you use magic outside of school and you're underage?"
"Because of the Trace," Remus said. "Every wizard and witch are born with it—it's how the Ministry keeps track of the magical population, and how Hogwarts knows which students to send letters to when they turn eleven. The Trace also keeps tabs on underage witches and wizards in case of illegal magic used outside of designated areas."
"But I did a load of magic when I was a kid," said James. "How come the Ministry never came knocking at my door?"
"Accidental magic when you're young doesn't count," he said, shaking his head. "Besides, you grew up in a magical household, James—there's leeway when it comes to that because the Ministry assumes that your parents will keep you in check. It's also hard to identify the Trace in magical households, since there's more than one person who has magic. The only sure way to know if someone underage cast a spell in a magical household is if the Ministry wanted to investigate and collected all the wands to determine which one cast the spell. Thus, Cassie's loophole." He nodded to the hunched over girl. "The Ministry can't necessarily investigate when she was at home, on private property, with no Muggles to witness her do magic, while she was staying in a magical residence. Unless there was evidence of foul play, there's nothing they can really do about it."
James clapped him on the back, grinning. "And this, dear Moony, is why you're the evil genius when it comes to us breaking the rules."
"It's still not right," said Cassie, finally lifting up her blotchy face. "I Obliviated my own brother. I told him to forget everything and run away, find a new life and start over. He doesn't remember anything."
Her lower lip trembled, and Sirius squeezed her shoulder.
"You did what you had to do, Cassie," he said gently. "And it's not as if the spell is irreversible. We'll find Will when all of this is done and restore his memory."
"He'll never forgive me," she said, clenching her hands into fists. "He'll hate me forever for what I did to him."
"Then we'll deal with it when the time comes," he said firmly. "You sent him away so we could find the gauntlet, so that's what we're going to do. We can fix this, Cassie."
He glared at the others as if daring one of them to speak against him, but there was no need; they were all in it together at that point, and there was no turning back. Not when they were so close. Not when they all had each other.
"We're going to get the gauntlet. Tomorrow night."
In the midst of all their planning for the night ahead, school had been the furthest thing from Cassie's mind, though her return to Hogwarts was heralded by lessons and homework, and—to her intense horror—the rumor mill.
Of course, she should have known that dating Sirius Black was bound to bring her more attention than ever; but where once she would have been afraid to show her face at all, she now took the stares and whispers in stride, having much more important and potentially life-saving things in mind than gossip.
"Oh, this is even better than when I dated Sirius," Marlene said gleefully as they made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast. Nearly every eye in the room seemed to be fixed on Cassie as she walked with Lily, Alice, and Marlene. Even some of the staff had to avert their gazes as she glanced over them coolly.
"Just look at Zella Knightley's face!" Marlene continued, giggling shrilly. "She looks like she's chewing on glass!"
Indeed, the snooty fourth-year that had attacked Cassie in the girls' bathroom last term stared at her with an expression of one who appeared to be forcing a wriggling mouse down their throat.
"I can't believe you and Sirius are official," said Alice, diving for the marmalade with a wide grin on her face.
"It's about bloody time," Lily chimed in, sprinkling cinnamon in her porridge.
"Have you snogged yet?" Marlene asked, putting her chin in her hands and waggling her eyebrows.
"No," Cassie said, shrugging when her friends gaped at her. "What? We just haven't really gotten to that point yet." She thought of the few almost-kisses that had happened between them and felt her stomach swoop, but she gulped down some milk so they wouldn't see her burning cheeks.
"Well, have you done anything?" asked Alice, lowering her voice and grinning at her suggestively.
Cassie blinked. "Like what?"
They all groaned.
"Cass, if anyone deserves some action in this school, it's you," Marlene said. "You two really haven't done anything yet?"
"It's not like I don't want to," said Cassie hastily. "It's just…there's never a right moment. And I hate to sound so…cliché, but I don't want to rush things with him. I want it all to be—I dunno—special or something."
She drank some more milk as the girls exchanged a thoughtful look.
"You don't have to look so worried, Cassie," Lily said, laughing lightly. "We're not judging you for it."
"It's just astonishing that Sirius Black, of all people, would be patient enough to go along with it," added Alice.
Marlene nodded solemnly. "He must really fancy you if he's willing to wait for you."
Cassie shrugged, though she wondered if Marlene was right. She always thought Sirius was keeping a respectable distance between them just in case things didn't work out and their friendship could still be salvaged, but what if Marlene was speaking the truth, and he was respecting her personal boundaries because he genuinely wanted to wait until she was comfortable enough to open up fully to him?
Deciding that she didn't want to think about these things so early in the morning, she went back to drinking her milk, only to turn when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
She nearly groaned aloud when she saw Mary MacDonald and Dorcas Meadowes standing over her, their arms crossed identically and twin expressions of skepticism and predatory curiosity on their faces.
"What do you want?" Cassie said, discreetly wiping off the milk moustache above her lip with the sleeve of her robe as she eyed the two Ravenclaws warily. "I've stopped slagging around with Remus and James if you want to have a go at them—Peter's not bad, either."
MacDonald's lip curled in disgust while Meadowes snorted derisively, shaking her wild mane of curls.
"So, it's true?" she asked. She said it as if she couldn't be bothered, but Cassie could see the burning desire to know behind her eyes. "You're dating Sirius Black?"
"Yep," she said, popping the 'p'.
"That's so not true," MacDonald snapped. "As if Black would ever date someone like her." She rolled her eyes, flipping back her long hair. "What'd you do to him, then, Alderfair? Slip some Amortentia into his tea?"
"Actually, I just wasn't a bitch," she said, shrugging. Marlene choked on a laugh behind her. "If you want dating tips, though, I suggest you read my mum's magazine. I heard they help out a lot."
She turned back around without waiting for a response, and only when the other girls burst out into fits of giggles did she know they were gone.
"You should've seen their faces!" Alice gasped. "Oh, my Godric, that was hilarious!"
Marlene was close to falling off her bench, she was laughing so hard. Lily clutched at a stitch in her side.
"Brilliant," the redhead said, beaming. "Those girls are awful. I'm glad they got a taste of their own medicine."
They continued laughing, Cassie joining in this time until an amused voice from behind them said, "Look, Prongs! They saw your ugly mug walk in and now you've reduced them to tears!"
"Shove off, Pads," griped James, shoving Sirius out of the way so he could take the spot next to Cassie. "Just for that, I'm stealing your girlfriend for the day."
"Fat chance," Sirius retorted, grabbing the back of James's robes and yanking him off the bench and onto the floor. Lily snorted in amusement, and Sirius looked to her, surprised, before winking at her. For once, she didn't roll her eyes at him, and grinned pleasantly back instead. Cassie nearly keeled over in shock.
Sirius made room for Remus and Peter, slinging an arm around Cassie's waist while James was relegated to the furthest seat on the bench, huffing and dusting off his robes.
"Oh, no, Sirius, you've wounded his ego!" Cassie said in mock worry. "Remus, fetch Pomfrey, quick, before he dies of no attention!"
James glared at her. "Your day is coming, Alderfair."
"Sorry, mate, what was that?" She cupped her hand around her ear. "I can't hear you from all the way down there."
He shot her an obscene hand gesture, unfortunately when Professor McGonagall happened to look over at them.
"Potter!" she barked from the staff table. "Five points from Gryffindor!"
"Way to go, Prongs," Peter snickered, though shouted, "Ow!" when James kicked him under the table.
"So," Sirius said quietly to her when everyone's attention shifted to the now-grappling boys, "ready for tonight?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with fake optimism, and he snorted, taking her cup and drinking. She snatched it back with a scowl.
"We've gone over the plan a dozen times," he pointed out. "We have nothing to worry about."
"Except for the wee fact that none of our plans ever work out and usually go to shit immediately."
"Valid point."
They chuckled.
"Seriously, Sirius," she said, biting her lower lip. "This isn't some scavenger hunt or breaking into a teacher's office. We're going into the Forbidden Forest. There's a million ways to die in there, and even more creatures that could rip our faces off."
"You really know how to inspire confidence in people, don't you?"
She rolled her eyes. "It isn't funny, Sirius. This is real-life, dangerous stuff. I know I'm willing to risk it, but dragging you along with me—"
"You aren't dragging us anywhere, Princess, trust me." He entwined his fingers with hers, and her heart seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time. "We're in this because we're your friends. And if there's any way we can screw with Voldemort's plans while we're at it, then that's just an added bonus."
She had the intense urge to snog him right then and there, with the whole school watching, but the small part of her that was still the Invisible Girl kept her reined in. It didn't stop her from flicking her eyes down to his lips, however, and she grinned when she looked back up and saw him watching her hungrily.
"Down, boy," she teased.
He shot her a wicked grin, pulling her closer. "What if I don't want to?" he asked, his voice low, and a surge of heat swept through her that left her tingling.
"Too bad," she said, raising her eyebrows. "You said you'd wait, and that's what I intend on doing."
"You drive me mad."
She winked. "I know."
But just for the crowd of watching eyes all around them, she kissed his lips lightly.
"Your move, Black," she said to his stunned face, before grabbing her bookbag and slinging it over her shoulder, making her way out of the Great Hall with every head turning to watch her.
It felt good to be back.
The Defense classroom was as abysmally bare as ever as Cassie took her seat between Remus and Avery, careful not to let her eyes roam to where the Slytherin boy sat on her right.
She hadn't spoken to him since the confrontation after Valentine's, which she felt only minimally guilty about. She had never been able to fully trust the Slytherin, and severing her ties with him would be better for everyone in the long run, including him. If Carlisle or Voldemort ever found out that he had helped her… Well, she may not like him, but he was still an innocent—for now.
Professor Carlisle sat behind her desk at the front of the classroom, her expression as cold as ever, but Cassie could see the signs of strain the witch was trying so hard to conceal. Her grey eyes were broken up like a thawing river in spring; still frozen, but through the cracks there was a sort of rabid panic, a frenzied stress no doubt brought on by Voldemort's increasing pressure on her to find Gryffindor's object. The bruises under her eyes were another testament to her predicament, and her once immaculate white-gold hair was now dull and brittle, with several wisps escaping from her severe bun. Cassie would have felt sorry for her, if she hadn't hated her so much for her part in Will's torture.
"Today will be a hands-on lesson," she announced once everyone had found their seats. "I will allow you to pick one partner of your choice, and you shall spend the rest of the class period practicing your dueling skills." An excited murmur rippled through the class, but she held up a pale hand for silence. "Of course, you will have boundaries. There will be no maiming, no intent to harm another student, and no illegal hexes, jinxes, or curses. If I catch you doing any one of these things, then you will have earned a long, meaningful talk with the Headmaster, your Head of House, and myself." Her red lips curled in a saccharine smile. "Find your partner and begin."
Cassie turned to Remus with a wicked grin on her face. "Be my partner?"
He looked surprised. "Are you sure you don't want Sirius?"
She waved a hand airily. "I spend far too much time stomping his pride into the dirt as is, he and James both. It's your turn, Remus."
He sighed. "I was afraid you would say something like that." He stood up and gestured for her to follow. "C'mon, Princess, let's do it your way."
Laughing, she got up and joined him in the back of the room where the rest of the Marauders stood. Peter looked to her, betrayed, as she approached.
"You stole Moony from me!" he said.
"I never work with Remus," she pointed out. "He's usually hogged away by you."
Peter pouted. "That's because he's the only one who wants to work with me."
"What are we, chopped flobberworm?" said Sirius, indicating himself and James.
"You two are always partners," he whined. "Who am I supposed to work with now?"
"Just be a group of three with us," James said, ruffling his hair. "Carlisle's not even paying attention."
Though Peter still looked put-out over not having been first choice, he perked back up as he went to work with James and Sirius, leaving Cassie and Remus to their own space to duel.
They raised their wands to their faces and bowed before assuming their stances, though Remus started chuckling almost immediately.
"What?" she said, not seeing what he found so funny.
"You look almost excited to beat me to a pulp," he said, shaking his head and grinning.
"Do I detect a hint of fear in your tone, Remus Lupin?" she asked sweetly, brandishing her wand dramatically.
At her taunt, his grin slipped into something more like a smirk, and he eyed her arrogantly. "You wish, Alderfair."
And without warning, he launched his first spell at her.
She doubled over, giggling shrilly as the spell tickled her abdomen with invisible fingers. She could hardly breathe, she was laughing so hard, but seeing Remus's smug face, she managed to lift her wand and choke out, "Flipendo."
The spell caught him off-guard, and he flipped over backwards into the pile of cushions that had been set up, his own spell severing its hold on her. The whole classroom was alive with shouts of spells, bangs and bursts of light from wands, and laughing and dueling students as Cassie pushed herself back to her feet, still panting.
Carlisle had taken to walking along the sparring pairs as Cassie moved to help Remus to his feet, kicking aside cushions as she went.
"You all right?" she asked, offering him a hand as he struggled to disentangle himself from the numerous cushions.
"Yeah, good," he said, accepting her hand up and grinning. "How's your stomach?"
"I reckon I have a six-pack now from laughing so hard, so I thank you for whipping me into shape," she replied sarcastically.
They laughed, but before they could resume, they heard Carlisle say, "Mr. Pettigrew, who are you working with?"
Peter shrank away from the icy witch, his watery eyes darting between James and Sirius, who had stopped dueling to watch nervously. "Er…"
Carlisle sighed before beckoning with her hand. "Mr. Avery, see to it that Mr. Pettigrew has a partner that will actually challenge him."
Cassie and Remus exchanged a hard glance as Avery strolled over, his features bored and haughty. He caught Cassie's eye as Peter reluctantly joined him, and she saw his jaw clench angrily before he turned away, looking to Peter with distaste.
"You think he'll be all right?" asked Remus lowly, watching Peter in concern.
"Avery won't try anything sinister," she said with confidence before frowning. "Still, he'll probably put Pete through the wringer a bit…"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than Peter fell back into the cushions after a loud BANG from Avery's wand. He sat up, dazed, touching a finger to his nose when it started gushing blood.
"The hell are you playing at, Avery?" Sirius barked as the whole class fell silent, turning to watch the exchange. Sharing a nervous look, Cassie hurried over to where Sirius was advancing on the Slytherin as Remus went to help James fish Peter out of the cushions. "'No intent to harm' was one of our rules!"
"I don't see how Pettigrew's own inadequacy is my fault," said Avery coolly, though he watched Sirius near with glittering eyes.
"Sirius, don't," Cassie whispered, grabbing his arm. "He's only trying to get a rise out of you."
"Yes, listen to your precious girlfriend, Black," said Avery nastily, sneering at him and Cassie. "Congratulations, by the way; I know you thought you didn't stand a chance after you caught her snogging me—"
Sirius brandished his wand, shrugging Cassie off as he stalked closer to the Slytherin. The whole classroom was now thick with tension, and Cassie looked around wildly for Carlisle, but the professor had seemingly disappeared.
"James!" she hissed. "Do something!"
The bespectacled boy shrugged helplessly, but before he could say anything, Lily had stepped up, hands on her hips.
"Black, ignore him," she said authoritatively. "Don't make me take points."
"Stay out of this, Evans," he snapped. "The git's had it coming for a while now."
"Don't talk to her like that!" Severus Snape spat, pushing to the front of the crowd, though his sallow face became muddled with scarlet as every eye turned to him.
"Or what, Snivellus?" said James, and Cassie groaned. Of course he would get involved when Snape did. "You'll rub your greasy head all over him?"
The Gryffindors laughed at this while the Slytherins looked murderous. Cassie, sensing danger, tried one last time.
"Sirius, please. He's not worth it."
Avery's face contorted at this, as if what she'd said pained him, but he kept his eyes on Sirius, who had ignored Cassie's plea.
"What's it going to be, Black?" he taunted. "Hex me, so you can prove to the school that you're still their king? Or back down like a coward for your blood traitor—"
Casting aside his wand, Sirius launched himself at Avery, and the two boys went down in a flurry of pummeling fists and flailing limbs. Chaos erupted after that. Snape sent a bright red jinx for James that he barely dodged, and soon the two were embroiled in a rapid-fire duel. Gryffindors and Slytherins began battling against one another, each defending their own, and Cassie finally had enough sense to duck out of the way when a stray spell shot by her ear. She found Lily, Alice, and Marlene standing off to the side, watching in shock as the classroom became a free-for-all.
"Where the hell is Carlisle?" Cassie demanded as she ran over to them.
"She went into her office five minutes ago," Alice said darkly. "We haven't seen her since."
"We have to stop this before someone gets hurt," said Marlene, watching the melee worriedly.
"How?" Lily snapped. "They won't listen to a prefect."
"We can't just stand here and do nothing!" Alice argued.
"She's right," said Cassie, the inklings of an idea already forming in her head. She sighed. "Hopefully this works."
She raised her wand, hoping she had enough power to cast the protection spell, before shouting, "Protego Maxima!"
Instantly, a large shield sprung up between the two groups of students, stranding the Slytherins on one side and the Gryffindors on the other. Everyone turned to Cassie, some accusing, some relieved, while the Slytherins looked like they wanted blood.
"Enough," she said. "Fighting each other is useless."
Kanin Mulciber spat at her. "Piss off, Alderfair. No one cares what a blood traitor has to say."
A spell whizzed over her shoulder and slammed into his gut. He hunched over, gasping for air. Cassie turned in bewilderment to see Lily staring at the Slytherin in disgust.
"And no one cares what a slug like you has to say, Mulciber," she retorted.
"I think I'm in love," Cassie heard James whisper.
Summoning the most refined Alderfair mask she had, Cassie put it on, sweeping her gaze over the room coldly.
"The war is out there," she said, pointing to the window, "not in here. So stop acting like a bunch of children pretending to understand what war is, because none of you do."
When no one said anything, she dropped the shield, raking her eyes over them once more before turning on her heel and exiting the classroom, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.
"I'm going to kill Avery."
Cassie and the Marauders sat in the kitchens after that afternoon's disastrous Defense lesson, waiting for dinner to be over and for night to fall so they could sneak out of the castle and make for the Forbidden Forest.
"You, Sirius Black," said Cassie coldly, "are not going to do anything, to anyone."
She slapped an ice pack on his swollen eye with more force than she meant, and he winced at the sudden cold.
"How can you defend that git, Cass?" James said angrily. He had been pacing for the last twenty minutes, causing the house-elves to steer clear of his wild feet with trepidation. "He's a bastard!"
"I'm not defending him," she snapped. "But what is brawling like a bunch of alpha-male gorillas going to accomplish?"
"Cassie's right," piped up Remus. He had a tear in his robes from where a stray jinx had caught him, but otherwise he had managed to stay out of the fight.
"You always think she's right," James scoffed, and Remus flushed pink.
"Fighting doesn't solve anything," Cassie pointed out. "Besides, we have much more important things to worry about than Avery and the Slytherins. After tonight, they won't even matter."
"Yeah," Peter said nasally. His nose hadn't been broken by Avery, but he had stuck bits of napkin up his nostrils to stem the bleeding. "Once we give the gauntlet to Dumbledore, this will all be over."
"But it won't, will it?" said James. His hair was messier than usual, and his robes were rumpled, but Snape hadn't touched him with any of his spells. He stared at Cassie with a hard look in his eyes, and she flicked her gaze away guiltily. "This is just the beginning. Voldemort won't let this go, whether Dumbledore's involved or not. He'll want revenge, Cassie."
"Do you think I don't know that?" she shouted, whirling on him. "I'm not naïve, James! I know he wants to kill me. I know. But damn him if he thinks I'm afraid! I'm sick of being afraid."
She kicked out at the table Sirius and Remus were sitting at in frustration, hardly feeling the pain in her foot from where it connected with the wood.
"Go if you want," she said in a lower voice. "I won't stop you. But if I want to stop him, then I have to do something about it. Or else nothing will change, and Will and I die anyway."
"Like hell you are," said Sirius angrily. "You are not dying."
"Of course she's not," James growled. He turned back to her. "If you tell me to leave ever again, Princess, I will hex you into bloody oblivion."
"We're with you, Cassie, to whatever end," Remus said. "I think we established that a long time ago."
They all turned to Peter, who had been twiddling his thumbs anxiously. He shrugged, not meeting their eyes.
"You're my only friends," he said. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"
"Everyone has a choice, Peter," said Cassie. "And today is the day to make yours: Are you in or not?"
The small boy hesitated for a long moment before nodding once.
"Good," said Cassie. "We have two hours, boys. Get what you need. It's going to be a long night."
Cassie had just finished replacing her robes with a long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and trainers when the door to her dormitory opened.
Her three dormmates paused on the threshold, taking her in as she pulled a jumper over her head and stowed her wand up her sleeve.
"It's tonight, then?" Lily asked, shutting the door carefully behind her.
Cassie nodded. "We're leaving in ten minutes."
"What do we need to do?" said Alice, squaring her shoulders, and Cassie's heart swelled at her friend's determination.
"Nothing, hopefully. If all goes as planned, we'll be in and out in no time, and we'll be able to get the gauntlet to Dumbledore."
"And if it doesn't?" Marlene said, biting her lip.
Cassie shrugged. "Then we do what we do best: improvise."
Alice suddenly rushed forward, crushing Cassie in a tight hug that knocked the breath from her lungs.
"Be careful, Cass," she said, her voice muffled from her face being pressed into the shoulder of the much taller girl. "Come back to us—preferably with all your limbs still intact."
Cassie snorted. "I'll try."
Marlene came forward as well, wrapping her arms around the other two and squeezing tightly. Cassie met Lily's eyes over their heads, and the red-haired witch wavered a bit before concluding their group hug.
"Don't let Potter convince you to do anything stupid," she said wearily. "And have your wand drawn at all times. And don't take any unnecessary risks—"
"I got it, Mum, thanks," said Cassie, rolling her eyes, but she reached over Alice and Marlene to clasp her hand. Lily smiled tremulously but squeezed her fingers in reassurance.
Cassie released her friends, checking to make sure she had everything before taking a deep breath.
"Don't wait up for me," she told them. "Remember: in and out. No worries."
"Good luck, Cass," Alice said. Cassie shot them a wink before exiting the dormitory, though the nerves gnawing at her insides probably made it look more like a wince.
The Marauders were already waiting for her in the common room. She approached them with a straight spine, not wanting them to notice how she was screaming internally in panic.
"Got everything?" she asked, keeping her voice low so the students sitting around them wouldn't hear.
"I've got the cloak," said James, patting his pocket. "And Remus has the map—"
"What?" Cassie said blankly. "What map?"
The Marauders stared at each other, gobsmacked.
"You mean no one told her?" said Sirius incredulously. "After all this time?"
"I thought one of you must've mentioned it to her," Peter said, looking around at them guiltily.
"I didn't say anything," added Remus. "James, I thought you of all people would've told her—"
Cassie broke in, exasperated. "Tell me what?"
James glanced to her nervously. "Er, don't take this the wrong way, Cass. We didn't mean to keep it a secret…"
She raised a brow. "Out with it, Potter."
He grimaced, gesturing to Remus. "Moony, if you would."
Remus pulled a folded piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her. Cassie stared at it, wondering what was so special about a ruddy piece of paper.
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" she asked skeptically.
Remus cleared his throat, holding out his hand for the parchment. "May I?"
She gave it back, watching dubiously as he tapped his wand to the parchment and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
He passed back the parchment and she took it in bewilderment, only to gasp when thin ink lines began to spread from where his wand had touched, crisscrossing and weaving like a spider's web and fanning to every corner of the parchment. Words appeared on the parchment, and Cassie read in astonishment:
Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs
Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present
THE MARAUDER'S MAP
Cassie laughed, amazed. "This is wonderful!" She drank in the map eagerly, her grin widening as she saw every corner of the castle, with numerous dots floating along the parchment, the names of people she knew hanging above each dot. She found Gryffindor Tower, and her eyes widened when she saw five dots standing in a cluster: Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Cassiopeia Alderfair.
"How did you even do this?" she said in awe, looking up at the four boys in front of her.
"A lot of time, and a lot of trial and error," said Sirius proudly.
"We started exploring the castle our first year," James explained. "We came up with the idea of the map last summer, though, and we worked on it for weeks. Then, when we became Animagi, we started including the grounds, too."
"This is phenomenal spellwork," she said, shaking her head. "I'm…well, impressed."
"As you should be," said James smugly. "We are geniuses, after all."
"You're not mad, are you?" Peter asked her. "I mean, for keeping it secret and all…"
She pursed her lips, contemplating.
"No," she decided. "You intended to tell me. But," she said warningly, "I am mad that none of you got around to telling me until now." She fixed James with a stern glare. "And I assume that this was how you were able to follow me around all last term?"
The messy-haired boy cringed. "Yeah, sorry about that."
She looked back to the map, rolling her eyes. "Does this cover the Forbidden Forest?"
"Only the most basic edges," Remus said. "We haven't been that far in yet. Moony…he, uh, usually goes a little wild before we can explore further. All the creatures and stuff."
Sirius snorted. "Yes, having him eat a poor little bunny would put quite a damper on things."
"Brilliance aside," interjected James, "we should go now, while the night's still young."
Cassie nodded, handing the map back to Remus. "He's right. Let's get this over with."
She led the way out of the portrait hole, and they crept down the corridor until the Fat Lady was out of sight before James pulled out the cloak.
"I dunno how all of us are supposed to fit under there," Peter said doubtfully, and Cassie silently agreed. "Anyone walking by will be able to see our feet."
"That's why we have the map, Pete," said Sirius, clapping him on the shoulder. "Besides, it's only a precaution."
"Everybody under," said James, and they complied, mumbling and grunting as feet were stepped on and elbows dug into sides. "There we go, nice and cozy."
They all groaned, saying in unison, "Shut up, James."
"Ungrateful children," he said, sniffing before turning to Remus. "Are we clear?"
The sandy-haired boy nodded. "Filch is loitering in the west wing with Mrs. Norris, and Peeves is lurking in the dungeons. We're good to go."
"Off to the forest, then," he said cheerfully, before starting down the corridor without warning. "Keep up, children!"
"And he says he's not a mother hen," Cassie muttered under her breath. Sirius snickered behind her.
The castle was eerily quiet as they shuffled through the corridors. Cassie flinched every time a shadow on the wall moved, her anxiety playing tricks on her. She could feel Peter panting on the back of her neck, but she tried to ignore him, keeping her senses trained all around them. Sirius was close behind her, his warmth seeming to jump from his clothes to her skin, making her sweat the longer they stayed under the cloak. She nearly sobbed in relief once they reached the great double doors and slipped out into the courtyard, the cool night air ruffling the cloak and brushing refreshingly across their damp skin.
"All clear," Remus said.
They flung the cloak off, breathing deeply.
"I love you guys," Cassie said, "but I can't ever be that near to any of you again."
"Agreed," James said, removing his glasses and using his shirt to wipe off all the sweat on his face.
"C'mon," Sirius said. "Let's not waste time."
He led the way out onto the grounds, the others following close behind. Though the air was cooler now that they were free from the confines of the cloak, the night was sticky and humid, and Cassie's hair began to plaster to her forehead and neck. The dark trees bordering the edge of the forest loomed before them, growing with every step they took, as if wanting to look as intimidating as possible to warn them off.
They came to a stop right outside the tree line, gazing into the foreboding depths that yawned before them. Peter gulped.
"Do we really have to go in there?" he whimpered.
"Pete, we've been in here a dozen times," said James bracingly. "What's so different about now?"
"We don't have a werewolf with us?"
"Just change into your Animagus form," Cassie suggested. "We'll keep up."
Sirius looked to her appraisingly. "That's not a bad idea, actually. How about we all do it? That way we can either sniff out a path or see something coming."
James nodded. "Let's do it." He turned to Peter. "You ready?"
The blond boy nodded, mustering his courage before shifting right in front of Cassie's eyes. He shrank down and down, his clothes collapsing into the dirt, until finally a squeaking rat emerged from the collar of his jumper, sniffing and patting at the ground.
Sirius and James followed, a black dog the size of a small bear materializing on her right while a regal stag sprung up on her left. The stag looked at her as if to say, Majestic, right? She shook her head faintly.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," she said to Remus, and he grinned.
"You'll come around," he assured her.
She shook her head again before extracting her wand, looking to him. "On three?"
He took out his own wand, the tip illuminating with light as he nodded.
"One," said Cassie.
"Two," said Remus.
"Three," they said together, and with the three animals by their sides, they plunged into the trees.
The forest was darker than she had expected. The farther they went, the closer the trees grew together, their trunks almost touching, and their branches entwined to block out the light of the moon and stars above. It was quieter than she had anticipated, too, which only unnerved her more. The only thing keeping her from turning around and running back to the castle was Remus beside her, his arm brushing hers occasionally, and the three padding animals around them; James and Sirius on their flanks, while Peter forged ahead. Cassie could hear him rustling through the leaves, while the stag and the dog seemed to make no sound at all.
"How far do you think this well is?" Remus asked her. They kept their lit wands moving, roving back and forth across the floor and the trees.
"I don't know," she said. "It must be far, though, if Miranda thought it was safe enough to keep the gauntlet in."
He nodded, though the sudden snapping of a twig made them jump and turn toward the noise. It had only been Sirius, however, and he whined softly in apology. Cassie shook her head quickly, trying to figure out how she even knew how to interpret that.
"I still can't believe Sirius is a dog," she said. "That has to be some sort of cosmic joke. Like, the Dog Star? And he can turn into a dog?"
"The whole world is a cosmic joke," Remus said. "Just look at me: My name is literally Wolfy McWolfman, and I'm a fucking werewolf."
Cassie snorted into her sleeve, trying to stifle her laughter. "This is why you're my favorite, Remus."
Sirius growled low in his throat, throwing her a reproachful look.
"Besides you, my lovely little hairball," she cooed at him, and she was sure that if he were in his human form he would have shoved her into a ditch and left her behind.
James snorted to her right, pawing the ground to get their attention.
"What is it, Prongs?" Remus whispered, but now that they had stopped walking, they heard it: rustling leaves, as if something were approaching. Cassie would have thought it was Peter in his rat form, except he was currently chattering at their feet, squeaking nervously.
"Wormtail, shut up!" Remus hissed. "Go see what it is."
Reluctantly, he slunk back into the undergrowth, and they waited tensely until he gave a sudden squeal of pain.
"Peter!" Cassie cried, throwing herself forward, wand aloft, with the others on her heels. Shoving aside a thorny bush, she found Peter wriggling in the dirt, a small bowtruckle standing over him and beating him with a twig.
"Little Leaf?" Cassie said in astonishment, recognizing the little tree-man instantly.
The bowtruckle stopped pummeling Peter, turning at the sound of her voice and chittering in a familiar pattern.
"Merlin's staff!" Cassie breathed, scooping up the bowtruckle in her free hand. "I don't believe it! Little Leaf, I thought you were gone forever!"
The little tree-man chattered some more, reaching out twiggy arms to caress her face, and she imagined it was his way of recognizing her as she laughed.
Remus stared between her and Little Leaf. "You know this thing on a first-name basis?"
"I had him in Care of Magical Creatures last term," she explained. "I named him, but when I released him back into the wild he would come visit me, until he vanished entirely." She turned back to the bowtruckle. "Little Leaf, what happened? Where did you go?"
He pulled on her finger, using one of his arms to point deeper into the forest.
"Hagrid told me a while ago that there was some migration happening here," she said to Remus. "Little Leaf was part of it."
"A migration like what?" he said. "Why would they be going in deeper? Why not closer to the borders of the forest?"
"Because it's not something bad," Cassie said, realization dawning on her. "If it were something Dark, or some kind of predator, then the creatures would be running away. Something else is drawing them in, something—"
"Powerful," Remus finished, his eyes growing wide. "Something with a lot of magic."
Cassie nodded, the pieces starting to click in her brain. "When I put on the locket, its magic found the well. The well was awakened because of the magic binding them." Her mind was racing a million miles an hour. "But if the well is emitting such strong magic—"
"Then that means others may have tried to find it," said Remus grimly.
"And that means we're not alone out here," Cassie finished, "and that something else may have gotten to the well before us."
Next Chapter: The Well