𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 | f. weasley

sixteen

Majority of the Aurors on duty had decided to return to their families to spend the holidays with them, along with almost the entire population of Hogwarts (like every other year). This fact however increases the prospect of lack of watchers on Cassie. Professor Dumbledore offered Cassie to shift in with Remus Lupin in his teacher's quarters. This usually would have been a joyous affair, but Remus and Cassie hadn't seen eye to eye from outside the classroom since he had accused her of helping her father. She may have cared when Snape was busy taunting him behind his back, but otherwise, she didn't show an inclination towards the professor being related to her in any way.

What surprised her to the greatest deal was the point both Fred and Harry pointed out to her: Sirius Black had been absent from Cassie's life since she was a little over a year old. He had practically abandoned her. Why on earth would she even want to help the man who left her to defend herself all alone without a single parental figure in her life?

Hermione's sigh of relief when Cassie was packing her bags to shift to Remus's quarters was etched in her mind. The sheer safety Hermione felt when Cassie wasn't around got her on her nerves. Hermione's words still echoed in her ears.

"Where are you running off to? Your father?" she had said venomously.

"I wish I could, but I'm stuck with judgemental backstabbers who can't even stick up to the people who have always been there for them," Cassie had spat back, tossing her robes into her bag in fury.

"So, you've been contacting him?" Hermione had asked carefully.

"Who?"

"Ha! Don't make me laugh, you know who I am talking about,"

"If I did, Granger," Cassie addressed her roommate with her last name in a bitter voice, "I wouldn't be asking you about who you are referring to,"

"I'm talking about Sirius Black," she replied impatiently.

"And why do you care?"

"BECAUSE HE WANTS TO KILL HARRY LIKE HE KILLED HIS PARENTS!" Hermione had yelled, stomping her foot angrily on the ground.

"MY FATHER DID NOT KILL HARRY'S PARENTS!" Cassie shrieked back, astounded by this accusation. "He would never dare to kill his best friend!"

"Well, he did, and now so are you!" she spat, making Cassie's blood boil. The amount of self-control Cassie had to control herself from slapping her roommate was unbelievable. She angrily latched her suitcase and dragged it out of the room, kicking the door shut with a loud bang.

Staying with Remus was no bed of roses either. She could never be left in the room alone for Remus would always come and peep inside, insistent that she was doing something wrong or attempting to contact her father.

Once, Fred owled her from home (he had decided to go back home for Christmas with George, Ginny and Percy while Ron stayed back with Harry as usual) asking how she was – something which no one else would ask her apart from Harry – and Remus was certain it was a secret letter from Sirius of some sort and tore the letter into shreds before Cassie could read any other word after,

Dear Cassie,
How are you?

Cassie cried, for the first time in seven years, that day. All the frustration and anger bottled up inside of her poured out in those tears. For a moment, Remus softened up, holding a guilty face but then he immediately regained his stone-cold appearance and went back not trusting her.

Cassie had had enough of this nonsense. If she could ever meet her father while he camped somewhere around Hogwarts, she'd firstly like to start with a punch for abandoning her, followed by another punch for making her suffer all the misery and judgement for no fault of hers.