C. M. Black: Eyes of an Owl

Chapter XXXI: The uses of a bag of meat

Time ticked on in the History of Magic exam. People frantically tried to recall the useful information in Professor Binn's endless drivel. Cassy's eyes darted to the large clock on the wall in front as she finished the last of the short answer questions. She had seventy-minutes to go to answer the essay question at the end, ahead of schedule.

There was a sudden thud behind her. She was inclined to ignore it until a familiar, faint groan made its way to her ears. Her head whipped around. Harry was on the floor, gasping for air, his face scrunched in pain. His fingernails ripped and pulled at his scar, red streaks of agitated skin left in their wake. The chair was suddenly pushed backwards and Cassy ignored calls for her to return to her seat. She knelt beside him and pulled his hands from his face firmly as he writhed. His eyes blinked open at through the haze, he opened his mouth, mumbling incoherent words.

Professor Tofty rushed to their side. He pulled Harry up immediately and said, 'Come with me, Mr Potter! Return to your seat.' He did not spare a glance to Cassy, but Harry did. He turned frantically, his eyes communicating more than his mouth could ever in that instance. He had had a vision, one that panicked him more than she had ever seen.

While Cassy returned to her exam question, she did not fully concentrate on it. She filled all the space, but her conscious thought was elsewhere. She was not the only one, for the minute they were excused, Neville, Hermione, and Ron were by her side to push through the crowd of students in the doorway.

'You don't think it's my dad again, do you?' asked Ron frightfully.

Cassy thought it was unlikely, but she did not say anything. She was busy debating whether to try the hospital wing or the common room for Harry. Normally her second and third choice would have been the Headmaster's office or Professor McGonagall's, but their options for aid were becoming increasingly limited. In the end, she did not have to choose, for halfway up the stairs Harry rushed into view, panting.

'Come with me,' he commanded quickly. He did not wait for a response and darted back down the corridor. Everyone was ushered inside an abandoned classroom. The door was slammed shut and he rounded on them frantically and announced, 'Sirius is gone.'

Everyone stared.

'They've got him, in the Department of Mysteries. They're torturing him,' he said. There was a slight pause as he waited for someone to react. It was Hermione who gathered her wits first.

'How would he have gotten in, though? He's supposed to be at the house,' she said timidly.

'I don't know,' bristled Harry. 'All I know is that we have to go and rescue him.'

'Are you sure it was a vision?' continued Hermione. 'The Ministry is full of workers and they would have seen a giant dog pass through. Surely the Order would know he's missing too.'

'It's always empty when I've been,' said Harry hurriedly.

'Those are dreams, though,' protested Hermione.

'They're not!' he snapped.

After a second of silence, Cassy's voice broke in. It was calm and cold in a tone she had not had to use with them in a while. It shocked everyone from their defensive positions and they turned all heads towards her.

'How do you know it was real? How do you know it was not projected and is a ploy to make you go there yourself?'

Harry stared at her incredulously and she understood why. Had it been Harry's father tortured and screaming in the Ministry walls he would have been half-way to London by now, but Cassy was not Harry. She refused to act on this feeling, not when it was so undeniably possible it was not real at all.

'I want him safe just as much as you do, Harry, but if we go to London and this is a ploy, we all risk dying for nothing. We must make sure he has left first,' she said evenly. If they went and no one knew, they would all die. They had to alert someone and try all their options to ensure Sirius was truly gone.

'How?' asked Harry, slightly calmer but still on edge.

'The mirror,' she said simply. 'He's always answered straight away when we have called, so he must take it with him. If he does not answer, then we know he is gone.'

Hermione bit her lip. 'That's not a very reliable method, is it? He could be doing anything.'

Ignoring her, Harry nodded. 'We'll call the mirror and we'll go.'

'You're not listening to me!' snapped Hermione.

Cassy turned to her and said, 'I will keep trying on the way and see what we can do.'

'How're we getting there?' asked Ron, who had been very quiet through the entire argument. 'We can't walk.'

The answer was obvious. The Floo Network was the only working means of travel and the only one still functioning was the one in Umbridge's office. They needed a distraction.

'Don't worry about that,' said Harry flippantly.

'We have to think this through,' protested Hermione. 'I know you have a saving people thing but –'

'I do not,' argued Harry loudly. He looked to Cassy who looked as though she was mentally weighing up the argument and inevitably came to the conclusion that he did indeed have a hero complex with a resigned raise of her eyebrows. He frowned at her although she was unaware he had been watching.

'You think Sirius has really cracked?' asked Ron.

'The Department of Mysteries is where the weapon is held. Maybe they're trying to get him to show them how to use it,' suggested Neville fearfully.

Hermione turned to him with a piercing expression. The last thing anyone needed to do was to put more ideas into Harry's head.

Suddenly, the door opened. Everyone held their breath. The thought on everyone's mind was that Umbridge had tracked them down after hearing of Harry's collapse. She could have been outside for minutes, listening and taking in all their secret information they had spilled so carelessly in a classroom. No pink emerged as the door swung open, though. Two small shapes of black appeared, one with red and one with yellow heads of hair, both long and tied back. Bright brown eyes of Ginny Weasley stared at them all curiously. An eyebrow was raised and she peered around the room expectantly. Beside her, Luna smiled.

'Hello, everyone,' she said, dazed.

'What's this?' asked Ginny. 'We thought we could hear you.'

Harry breathed in sharply. 'Sorry, I don't have time for this. Cassy, c'mon.' He pushed past the girls and Cassy cast the pair an appraising eye before chasing him down the corridor. Only a second later their friends' voices emerged in the hall after them. Neville, hushed and quick, tried to catch Ginny and Luna up on everything that had happened as they followed all the way to the Gryffindor common room.

Harry paid them no mind. He did not stop his march even at the sound of Ginny's sharp gasp and Ron's declaration that they had to do something. He barged through the portrait hole and the others tumbled in behind them. Luna even stepped inside. Her eyes raked over the scarlet décor with interest.

'This is nice. It's homely, but Ravenclaw's is nicer,' she commented.

'Why is a Ravenclaw in here?' sounded a bemused third-year.

Cassy followed Harry up to the fifth-year dormitory. He ignored all queries of his health and dived for his trunk. The clothes were strewn all across the floor, rummaging deeper and deeper and it was not until all of his belongings were on the floor and his trunk had been thrown several feet that he remembered he had stuffed the mirror down the side of his bed. She pulled it from his grasp and twisted it several times. There was no answer.

Grimly, the pair stared at one another. A sinking sensation fell from her heart to her stomach. It rose again, forming a lump in her throat. Sirius always answered immediately. There had not been a single time they had called him that his cheerful grey eyes had not popped into focus against the dark and dingy decor of their ancestral home. She had not given him much of a chance to answer, though. The mirror was still in her hands and angled towards her face. She turned it again, stimulating the needed eye-contact to the mirror's surface to begin the connection. Still, there was no answer.

Her throat was suddenly drier than she could ever recall; breathing enticed long claws to pull at her insides, scratching and tearing the parched surface. For a second, she could not think of anything to say. Her brain restarted almost immediately. The mirror was placed inside one of the deep inner pockets of her robe. She nodded to herself and rounded on Harry, who looked ready to snap at the first sign of allowance.

'Are we going then?' she asked.

Wordlessly, the pair ran from the room. Harry bumped and knocked the static Gryffindors out of the way and Cassy hopped over their fallen bodies unremorsefully on the way to the portrait hole. There was no slowing to inform the others of the result of the call. They collected Neville, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Ron with a mere wave of a hand and no one needed to ask further.

When they burst into the main hall with the many marble staircases, their pace slowed. It was no longer a run, but a rapid, purposeful stride that had people grumbling and fleeing from their path without so much as a demand for movement.

'We need to inform the Order!' said Hermione behind them.

'We've got no time for that,' said Harry. 'We can leave Snape a note of something if anyone has some parchment on them. Give it to a passing student to take or something.'

Hermione pursed her lips, but did not protest, well aware that neither Cassy nor Harry were about to wait for her.

'How're we going to get there?' asked Ron again.

'You're not all going!' said Harry, scandalised.

'Yes, we are,' snapped Ginny.

'You're certainly not!' barked Ron.

'I've known Sirius longer than you. I care for him as much as anyone else and I'm three-years-older than Harry was when he first faced Voldemort. I will not be left behind,' snarled Ginny back defiantly.

'Well, I'm not staying behind,' stated Neville, while Hermione did not even feel the need to justify her own involvement.

'While it is wonderful that you all wish to rescue my father,' said Cassy as they drew to a halt just outside the castle, 'we still need a way to get to London and quickly. The Floo is unobtainable without being traced, or duelling with Umbridge to get to it.'

Luna hummed. 'We could fly.'

Ron rounded on her and huffed, 'I'm the only one who has a broom.'

'I have one,' interjected Ginny.

'You're not going!' insisted Ron.

'We just need some meat,' said Luna easily.

Everyone turned towards her with varying degrees of perplexity. She looked between them expectantly and smiled when Cassy's eyes widened a fraction. Luna was brilliant, she realised. She was absolutely right. All they needed was some meat.

'Fantastic idea, Luna,' said Cassy. 'We will use the Thestrals.'

They all let out a collective noise of understanding. Without further delay, they headed back inside towards the kitchens. None of the students bothered to look at their quick walk, none but Malfoy and his friends. Pansy Parkinson openly sneered, her mouth was open ready to heckle, but Malfoy pulled her back. A gentle smirk played upon his lips, one that made Cassy feel instantly wary. She watched them retreat, never looking directly at them, never allowing them the satisfaction of the attention. They must hurry, the small voice in her head told her. Malfoy would be back.

The kitchen door was thrown open and Ron rushed to the large refrigerator unit at the far end. The house-elves squealed in delight at the human company, particularly so many at once. Luna chatted idly to Dobby, who had attached himself to Harry's leg. Loud, squeaking voices echoed through the huge room. Steam billowed from the many ovens, colourful shredded vegetables laid in perfect rows across the many island tables. Preparation for dinner was clearly already underway.

Cassy fiddled with the mirror. There was no response.

'Dobby, do you have any parchment?' asked Neville.

'Not in the kitchen, Sir,' said Dobby, blinking owlishly with his over-sized eyes.

Neville looked around before grabbing a piece of kitchen roll from a nearby roll. 'Anything to write with?'

Dobby fumbled through the draws and withdrew a piece of chalk. He asked, 'Will this do?'

'Perfect,' said Neville. The piece of kitchen roll was quickly transfigured and he scrawled out a messy message on the back. 'Dobby, can you give this to my Gran? Only to her. Don't let anyone else see it, okay?'

Dobby nodded his head eagerly, his floppy ears waving madly with the rigorous motion.

'Got the meat!' called Ron. He held up a bag of bloody chunks.

No one paid any mind to the small squeak of protest of one of the elves that they had stolen the lamb for dinner as they rushed from the room and back up the narrow staircase. In front of them was a waiting figure. Bulstrode was in the Entrance Hall, not far from the Dungeon entrance. Malfoy was by the stairs. Crabbe was stooped behind the railing a floor above. With sharp eyes, Cassy watched them slither from their places. Like prowling cats, the Slytherins descended upon them. They slipped out of the massive double doors that led to the grounds without a word; they simply watched and smirked.

Cassy bit her lip. 'I think we need to stop.' They could not march to the Thestrals with so many prying eyes.

Harry turned on his heel suddenly, forcing everyone else to skid to a halt around them. He stared, his eyes wide and his brow furrowed, lips slightly parted as though fighting for words that would just not exit his mouth, or rather, he was trying to ensure did not exit to make the situation worse.

Before he could blurt out the oncoming revolt, Cassy hissed, 'They followed us from the time we first returned inside.'

He opened his mouth wider, yet he did not respond again. His eyebrows flashed upwards, his horror transforming into a different sort, but one none the less intense. She knew then that Umbridge was behind her. Slowly, she turned with resignation. Clad in pink as always and with a deliriously satisfied grin across her face, Umbridge approached down the steps of the grassy hillside, where they had only managed to descend half-way. Behind her were Parkinson, Crabbe, Goyle, and some distance behind, Malfoy.

'In a rush, are we?' called Umbridge sweetly.

No one replied. Cassy tried to catch Malfoy's eye, to try and convey the seriousness of what he had done by fetching Umbridge. They were sure to be expelled, if not interrogated and whipped. Without even Professor McGonagall to buffer the punishments and be the voice of reason, there seemed like no hope for getting out of the situation unscathed now.

The Inquisitorial Squad had spread out, circling them.

Thinking fast, Cassy concocted a lie. Confidently, she said, 'We saw Hagrid being evicted last night. We realised the Hippogriffs need tending to or they will become violent and agitated. He loved them, so we were going to care for them until someone replaces him. They are high maintenance animals, but they trust us.'

Umbridge looked between them. 'Really? Seize them.'

Cassy did not fight. Parkinson pulled her hands behind her back and giggled, but Cassy knew better than to protest. It only brought satisfaction to them and to Umbridge. There were scuffles amongst the others until everyone was held tightly in the grip of a Slytherin.

'Draco,' purred Umbridge. 'Search their bags.'

There were only two bags to be searched. None of the fifth-years could take bags to their exams. This did not stop Malfoy emptying the entire contents of both onto the floor, including the sagging bag of meat.

'See?' snapped Hermione.

Umbridge frowned down at the meat, then back at them with narrowed eyes. She hummed, 'How do I know this isn't for some creature in the forest? That half-giant has always had something terribly wrong with him.'

Harry sneered and strained against Crabbe's superior strength.

'This is no longer about breaching school boundaries, but of safety,' said Umbridge tartly.

'We were never out of the boundaries, you – ' objected Ron hotly.

Cassy could not help but think it was fortunate that Goyle pressed his arm tighter around his throat. If Ron had been able to continue his protest then he very well might have said something he could not take back. As it was, Umbridge showed no sign of having heard him.

'Has that half-giant left you something to care for?' she questioned, smiling. 'A weapon, perhaps? If you don't wish to tell me here, I'm sure we can go back to my office and loosen your tongues the old fashioned way.'

The Inquisitorial Squad all laughed, each one loud and forced. Parkinson's fist dug into Cassy's back. She forced her a step forward and Cassy dug her heels into the ground stubbornly. Pansy would have to drag her.

'Wait!' cried Hermione suddenly. 'Just wait.'

Umbridge beamed.

'I can show you it – the weapon. Dumbledore ordered us to create it while he was gone. We don't really understand it, you see. We've just been following his plans and we have to have it done by the end of exams, but it is so complex…'

Brown-eyes darted across the ground feverishly. She looked nervous and whilst Cassy knew what part was real, it was the completely competent lying expression that Hermione wore that truly shocked her. Her nervousness was real; the stumbling unforced because of her fear of discovery, her darting eyes and the light lick of her lips as she spoke. Cassy knew her well enough to recognise they were Hermione's lying signs, but Umbridge certainly did not.

'Show me,' said Umbridge softly.

Hermione looked up, false tears in her eyes, and Cassy had to resist smirking.

'I'm not showing them!' declared Hermione forcefully.

'You will do as I say,' sneered Umbridge, but Hermione shook her head.

'I wouldn't trust this with anyone! Certainly not students. If Dumbledore wanted it made then it must be powerful. I don't know what it does yet, but I won't let them see where it's hidden,' she said.

The threat of others being able to use the machine played over in Umbridge's mind. The slow realisation that widened knowledge only meant more danger for the Ministry was evident on her face when she slowly began to nod. She pulled Hermione from the grasp of her Slytherin captor and then turned to Harry, eyeing him critically.

'Come too, Potter,' she commanded. 'As Dumbledore's favourite, I assume you have a better understanding than the friends you've roped in to help. As for the rest of you, take them to my office.'

Harry snarled, but did not argue. He and Hermione began to stumble down the sloping grounds towards the Forbidden Forest. It was impossible to know the plan Hermione had so quickly devised, though Cassy thought she had a good idea of what it might be. There were only four dangerous things that could serve as a large enough distraction to buy them the time they needed to escape the grounds: the Acromantula, the Cerberus, the Centaurs, and Grawp.

The three forms soon vanished from sight, Parkinson kicked the back of Cassy's legs, urging her to move. With her heels still stubbornly dug into the ground, Cassy pushed all of her weight backwards, swung her chin to meet her chest and then threw her head backwards suddenly and sharply. A loud crack and a sharp cry resonated behind her. She tugged her arms from Parkinson's grip and spun to thrust her knee into the other girl's stomach, sending her tumbling to the ground.

Instantly, her wand was drawn. The ruffling of clothing and the skidding of feet was behind her. She turned. Blood spurted from Ron's nose and Ginny's lip was split, but she was still smirking, having blindly scratched Bulstrode's face first in her effort to escape. Luna turned and kneed Crabbe in the crotch. Malfoy moved forward, his hand in his pocket for his wand. Cassy brought hers higher, ready to curse though she did not have the chance. Neville pivoted on the spot, his fist raised and with the propulsion of his feet powering it, he planted a hard hit to the centre of Malfoy's face. He collapsed to the floor and Ron let out a loud cackle and slapped Neville on the shoulder, grinning as though he had just won the House cup.

Swiftly, Cassy stunned the Inquisitorial Squad where they lay, all except for Malfoy. She stood above him as he squirmed on the floor.

'You were about to let me be expelled. In fact, you almost instigated it,' she stated icily. He said nothing. He did not have the chance to before his legs were locked together. Ron suddenly grabbed her arm.

'Can I try a spell?' he asked, brimming with excitement.

With a single raised eyebrow, she nodded.

'Eat slugs!' called Ron. There was no flash of light or even a real incantation, but the effect was immediate. Malfoy rolled onto his stomach like an ungraceful seal, a deep, guttural noise erupted from his throat and was accompanied by a large, slick slug.

'I've always wanted to do that spell,' admitted Ron, gleefully.

Luna stooped to pick up the meat from the ground and she and Ginny stuffed their belongings back in their bags. Cassy took the opportunity to check the mirror again, but all she saw was her own reflection. Her father was still not answering. They had wasted enough time as it was.

No one had been on the grounds to witness the scuffle between them and the Inquisitorial Squad. They strode towards the forest uninhibited though they would only have been met with cheers if anyone were to have seen it. The castle was surely settling down for dinner, although the June summer sun was high in the sky. The Thestrals were only a few feet within the boundary of the forest. The light shade of the leaves left smattered pockets of light brightening their dark skin. A handful of the little herd looked up as they approached. There were three foals that jumped and wobbled on their bandy legs, each shied from the humans.

Carefully, Cassy stepped over the deep roots of the ancient trees. Her hands moved towards the mussel of a particularly large Thestral, who huffed as she petted his leathery skin.

'So, what do we do?' asked Ron.

No one replied. There seemed to be a silent agreement amongst four of the five that they should wait for Harry and Hermione to return, but Cassy was unsure. It made more sense in her mind that she go to London by herself, or at least without Harry. It would both be quicker and it would protect him from any potential trap. Even if his vision was not forced and Sirius was really being kept in the Department of Mysteries, by going to his aid Harry was still being put at risk. Voldemort still wanted to kill him, they all knew that, so it seemed so foolish to take Harry to a place where the Dark Lord would inevitably be, whether rescue or trap. She would be better going without him.

Whatever happened, even if she lived, she expected if she did that she would find herself single at the end of it. Harry would certainly break up with her if she left him behind today no matter what he reason, but it seemed worth it to know he would be safe. Yet, Cassy did not know where in the Department of Mysteries Sirius was and she was not conceited enough to think she could handle a group of Death Eaters alone. She would have to take some of her friends with her and that still put them all in danger.

'We wait for Harry and Hermione,' she said after a moment.

'We should go and find them, hex Umbridge and go,' suggested Ginny.

'Mum's going to kill us when she finds out we've been expelled,' mumbled Ron. 'At least we can join the Order early this way, I guess.'

Cassy ignored them and continued to pet the Thestral. Beside her, Luna coaxed the other adults closer with the bloody chunks of meat. She rolled them in her hands, smiling.

'Can you help us find our friends? They went into the forest just now. We need your help to get them, so we can go to London to help my father,' whispered Cassy. She gazed into the black, lifeless eyes of the creature in front of her. Slowly, he nodded back and trudged past her back along the tree line towards Hagrid's hut.

'Where's he going?' asked Neville.

'Where's what going?' questioned Ron. He and Ginny looked around them blankly.

With a slight wave her hand for the others to follow, Cassy trailed after the Thestral. She remained some distance behind, stopping when he stopped and only moving as he did. He moved through the undergrowth and into the denser shrubbery. Wild and thick roots spread across the ground, down the sides of ditches and intertwining into a flooring so uneven it required thought and constant supervision to navigate. The ground beneath shuddered. The trees shivered as though alive, the wind murmured through the leaves lowly. There was a thud when Neville slipped. A rush of birds flurried from the treetops, squawking, their wings beating in a deafening chorus overhead.

Cassy stopped.

'Merlin, Neville, look what you did,' laughed Ron as he and Ginny hoisted him up again.

The Thestral in front had stopped too. It stared ahead blankly.

Cassy eyed the distance warily. She said, 'I do not believe what was anything to do with Neville.' Ahead of her there was only stillness. Yet, a faint rumbling rang through her ears. It was barely audible for a time before it began to grow louder. The rumbling grew into thundering, louder and louder until it was no longer a mere mass of sound, but clearly the collective clamour of beating hooves. A scream ripped through the air. Then slowly, like it had begun, the noise died away into the distance.

She had not seen the Centaurs pass. The herd must have been somewhere in the distance still, huge and angry if their footfalls were anything to go by. For a moment, no one spoke. Each one looked around carefully. Cracks and crackles of delicate sticks and leaves crumbling beneath a moving weight sounded, not nearly as powerful as that of a Centaur, but hurried none the less. They raised their wands. With words on their lips, spells ready to be fired, they watched two forms sprint into sight. With only two legs each, they were distinctly human.

'Oh, there you are,' said Luna airily. It was as though she failed to notice the blood that splattered across Harry and Hermione's faces, or the dirt that further marred their knees and hands.

Cassy lowered her wand.

'Are you all right?' demanded Neville, stumbling over the roots to get to them.

'We're fine,' said Hermione briskly. 'It's Grawp's blood, not ours. The Centaurs found us first. They tried to force us from the forest and, well, Umbridge doesn't like anything not strictly human, so you can imagine how that went. Grawp wasn't too far away, we were leading her to him as a distraction. He heard us and chased the Centaurs and they attacked. It was all a mess.'

'Are you all okay?' asked Harry. When he was satisfied they were, he began to trek back to the clearing where the herd usually resided. 'Now, I think Ginny, Ron, and Luna should head back up to the castle, if anyone wants to join you then fine. I don't mind going on my own.'

'We've been through this. We're all going,' stated Neville.

'It's too dangerous,' protested Harry.

'Oh yes, because it's so dangerous we're going to let you go on your own,' drawled Ginny sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

'The Thestrals have come,' interjected Cassy calmly. 'We need to leave.'

Several of the creatures appeared to have followed them deeper into the forest. The large male who she had asked for assistance from nudged Luna's hand where she still held the bag of shredded meat. There were only four in total, but Cassy was already busy devising the best ways to partner them up.

'Hermione, come with me. Luna, you can help Ginny. Ron ask Neville, he's short enough that your combined need for leg space will not affect the flight. Harry, you can have your own,' she reeled off whilst she stared expectantly at Hermione to come and join her. 'Any complaints and I will leave all of you here, understood?'

No one said a word.

We are finally off to the Ministry!

Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They keep me going more often than not because sometimes my motivation runs a little bit slowly, particularly when I have had a busy week like I did last week.

I hope you enjoy this one too, although it's a bit of a connection chapter.

Thanks!