Chapter 11: Lessons from life's loom
The Friday of Halloween, Cassie had released her second years already and started to grade the parchment papers on "A Day in the Life of a Muggle," when she glanced up as a shadow crossed the doorway. Absent his usual swagger, Draco Malfoy approached her desk, not quite able to meet her eyes.
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" already on guard, Cassie dropped her pen and sat back. "What do you need?"
"I wanted to er...a-pologize for the other day," he finished in a rush. "I shouldn't have used magic against you." He lifted his chin at that, as if expecting her to challenge him to apologize for the whole outburst. To Cassie's thinking though he had just had a real growth moment.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, actually. I wouldn't have had you find out like that...but it can't be helped now. Do you want to sit, we--"
"No." He swallowed. "I just wanted to let you know... that. I'll see you in classes." And turning abruptly, he strode back out of the room. Smiling and shaking her head, Cassie thought, "well, Draco you might make a man one day."
No sooner had Cassie begun reading again in the same place as before, that she looked up to find none other than Harry, Hermione, and Ron standing in the doorway whispering to each other. Resigned to not get any work done at all, Cassie waved them in and sat expectantly. Ron shifted uncomfortably as Hermione started to speak, but it was Harry who cut in quickly, "I've been having lessons with Dumbledore. And I had some questions for you since he told me that you know the things he's seen in these memories as well. Is that true?"
"Harry!" Hermione protested. "She's a professor!"
"Yes, in fact I am. But you do have a history of unwarranted rudeness for your professors, though don't you Potter?"
Harry flushed, but stood his ground. What a punk, she thought.
"Yes, Dumbledore wouldn't lie to you about something like that, Harry. I am a Muggle, and given where I'm from and what I've read I do actually know more about you and your story than even Hermione does." Hermione looked slightly abashed as Cassie rose and closed the door. "Now if you'd really like to have a conversation about it, I would suggest the muffliato, so we don't have to worry about anyone's prying ears."
"But how do you--"
"Just do it, Potter, then we can talk." She strode over and pulled a chair in front of the fireplace, gesturing for the trio to follow suit.
He waved his wand at that, casting the spell and filling the room with a weird sort of background hum.
"Now how far have you gotten in the memories?"
"I've seen his parents, his grandfather. And I've seen how Dumbledore first met him at the orphanage, and...well all of them really. Right up to Slughorn's funny one."
"Oh, he really pulled them all out already then. Well then you know all this involves horcruxes and Voldemort's penchant for trophies. I don't suppose he mentioned what horcruxes were?"
"He did, yes," Hermione piped up. "They sound positively awful! And for him to have made seven, that makes it extremely problematic."
"No kidding. Fortunately we know what they are already--and where they are. That's where I came in. I had the knowledge from having read the stories to know approximately where you would need to look and just as importantly, to confirm Dumbledore's suspicions. Now you don't have to waste time securing Slughorn's real memory because we already know."
"But, Professor, he didn't really say, that is...what's being done now? And how can we help?" Harry asked impatiently.
"The best thing you can possibly do--all of you--is prepare yourselves to do battle. Literally. Ultimately, Harry," she leaned forward, "you will have to face him and fight him for the last time. According to the story it is you who walk away, but story or no, ultimately as I said, that depends on you. My suggestion, and you may just bounce this idea off Dumbledore first if you like, is to get the DA back into practice and give it almighty hell."
"And, Professor, what about Snape--" Harry began before Cassie cut him off.
"Professor Snape?" she replied archly. "What about him? I trust him implicitly, if that's what you're worried about."
"Well, yes, why would you when... I mean, he was a Death Eater and all," put in Ron. "How do you know he still isn't? He fancies the dark arts a little too much if you ask me."
Well I didn't, Cassie said silently to herself. "Dark past or no, Severus did see the extreme error of his ways. In fact, loathing your dad as he did and carrying that same prejudice over to you does not necessarily make him an evil person. Your dad did some pretty unforgivable things to Severus, and one in particular probably sent him running to the Death Eaters. But I want you to hear me on this and I want you to take care that you try to see him as objectively as you can: he did fully reform and he has had more of the dark arts than even he can stomach. The only reason he wanted the Defense job is because it was cursed and he figured he'd only be here a year. That and he knows more about them, and as a result, how to fight them. However, there is one ironclad reason for him defecting from the Death Eaters and he still holds on to that to this day, but it is neither my right to tell you, nor your business really what that is. Suffice to say it is a strong enough force to keep him working as hard as he has for so many years. For that, Potter, he deserves your respect if not your complete trust. I will say one thing more and that's all I'll say about him: he may have hated your dad's guts so badly it could make him spit, but he had not one single thing against your mother."
At this pronouncement, Harry could do nothing but stare. Well that shut him up, she thought. Good. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I'd like to accomplish something today." She rose, and as she turned, noted the raised voices in the hall. Now what?
Hurrying out the door with the kids trailing behind, she broke through a group of students standing in the hall to see Draco and Theodore Nott staring each other down, wands raised.
"Say it again, you slimy git and I'll hex you til next Christmas!" shouted Nott already fired up over god knew what.
"Let's see it then Teddy--" spat Draco.
"Oh no you two absolutely will not!" Cassie countered, stepping in between them just as a flash of red light erupted from Nott's wand. A powerful blast sent her sprawling into Draco, who tried to catch her as she hit the ground unconscious. Almost gleeful at the idea of hitting a Muggle as opposed to his pure-blooded target, Nott's expression of mirth died quickly as he glanced up to see his own head of house bearing down on him with a look of utmost contempt.
"Are you bleeding ignorant?!" he bellowed, his features a mask of fury. "Attacking a teacher? You could have killed her had she hit her head hard enough! Get to my office and stay there, the both of you! NOW!" And without a backward glance, he picked up Cassie's body deftly and walked as swiftly as possible over to the hospital wing. Of all the students standing in the hall, none seemed more shocked than the three who had just accompanied her out of the classroom.
Cassie woke half an hour later with a splitting headache and, as she sat up gingerly, any number of cards, candy and much to her surprise, a bouquet of flowers with a card that read simply, "Looking forward to doing our rounds together again soon. For now, rest. S." Wonders never cease, she thought as Madame Pomfrey came bustling forward clutching a bottle of green potion that looked vile.
"Up you get a little bit more so you can take this," she said, urging the whole bottle into Cassie's hand. "See that you take all of that. You have just a bit of concussion and it could have been worse, so I hear if Malfoy hadn't broken your fall. Honestly! A student stunning a teacher, what next?"
"Well, I did do the stupid thing and step between them," said Cassie, gagging a bit as she chugged the potion. The concoction was every bit as nasty as it looked.
"That's a harsh lesson you had then, now back to sleep you go."
"What exactly did I just drink?"
"Equal parts restorative draught and coagulating agent. Best to take them at once as they're both a bit rough going down. Sleep tight now." There was no need to say the last, however, as the potion had kicked in already and Cassie was out again.