Time passed. Days flew by, then weeks, and soon months. They all passed in a dizzying blur, leaving Cassi trying to catch up without losing her grip on sanity. After that night, when she asked Snape if he loved her, he had not spoken to her alone again. Didn't really speak to her at all, for that matter. She had no idea what was happening.
Time passed. Classes carried on as usual, with the exception of Potions, which was now an exceedingly uncomfortable period. Luckily, what with Seamus Finnigan beside her, there was always something to distract her from the lurking shadow that refused to meet her gaze. Fred and George noticed the sudden lack of DADA tutoring, because suddenly Cassi discovered (or invented) a passion for Quidditch and was constantly dragging them to the pitch to practice with her. They never commented, though, preferring to give her life some stability and work on getting her to laugh again. She tried to pretend everything was fine, but her smiles never lit up her eyes like they used to and she suddenly needed to always be doing something. Fred was so certain of Snape's affection for Cassi that the idea of relationship problems never crossed his mind, but George had his suspicions. Nothing, however, would have induced him to voice them. Asking about it would just hurt her more, and he couldn't bring himself to pain her.
Time passed. The Triwizard Tournament ended with Cedric Diggory being killed, something that cut every student to the heart with pity and fear. If Cedric was really dead, was You-Know-Who really back? And if You-Know-Who was really back, how long would any of them last? It was a chilling thought, one that caused Cassi to worry about Harry almost as much as she worried about anything else. One good thing that came out of this whole fiasco was that Harry had won the thousand-Galleon prize money, and when Fred and George came barging into the common room to find her with a huge bag of a lot of suspiciously round, flat, and clinking somethings, she hardly had to wonder where it came from or what it would be used for.
Time passed. Eventually it was the last week of school, and Cassi finally decided to put an end to this. She had spent the last few months in a frenzy, trying to forget about her problems with Snape, but it hadn't helped. Her wounds were as fresh as ever, and ignoring them would never help them heal without leaving a painful scar. So instead of changing the subject every time she thought of him, she decided that she needed to tell herself that he didn't love her, that it was hopeless, and that he was in love with someone else. Clearly that was the case; there was no other explanation for his actions. At first it still hurt, but it was a dull ache instead of a sharp, stinging pain. And as time went on and she continued her remedy, the ache lessened until she had almost actually accepted the fact that Snape had moved on. Then, she began to really honestly forget about him. After all, there were more important and more life-threatening things to worry about - like spending the summer with Fred and George. All summer. She couldn't wait.
Before she knew it, she was getting off the Hogwarts Express with the twins and hurrying over to where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood waving excitedly. "Oh, there you are, dears, we were afraid we had missed you," exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as she enveloped Cassi in a huge hug, which Cassi happily returned. "Yes, although I shouldn't have worried about you three finding your way somehow - now that the twins can Apparate, and you've been living in the Muggle world, you probably know how to drive, hm?" Mr. Weasley added, casting an inquisitive look at Cassi. She nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, sir, although I haven't passed a drivers' exam yet-"
"Oh, don't bother with the 'sir'. Arthur will do." Cassi was about to protest, but he cut her off with a raised hand. "Please. You're my sons' best friend, and probably who I have to thank for them getting into less and less trouble each year." He winked as Mrs. Weasley gave the twins a glare in the background, though the scowl soon faded to a loving look as she reached up to give each one a peck on the cheek. The second she turned back to Cassi, Fred and George immediately swiped at their faces.
"Yes, and you must call me Molly," Mrs. Weasley piped up, "although if you happen to call me Mum, I'm sure I'll forgive you." She sent Cassi a soft smile before turning toward the barrier which led to the Muggle world. The twins took their places on either side of Cassi, George on the right and Fred on her left. She looked up at them, all three of them grinning like idiots, knowing that she had pretty much just been adopted into the family. Fred and George each held out an arm, and linking her elbows through theirs, the Silver Trio began to walk toward where the rest of the Weasleys - her family in all but blood - were waiting for them.
As they prepared to Apparate to the Burrow, Cassi spared a glance behind her toward the Hogwarts Express. It would be waiting for her here on September 1, ready to convey her back to school and her friends...and Snape. But she would take that leap when she had to, and until then, she would enjoy every second of being with the twins. She wouldn't worry about school or her friends or Snape. She turned away from the train and didn't look back.