The Harper household has always been a strict one, one with firm words and sharp eyes. Yet like every other story, there's always one person who can burn it down with a single flick of their wrist. In this fanfic of Harry Potter, that person is Cass...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Cassandras eyes stung, her throat burned, her body slumped, dried tears stained the pale skin on her cheeks and her mouth was slightly parted. She was exhausted, her chest rose up and down in a slow but steady pattern. Fred's arms were still wrapped around her, just as tight as ever.
He had bloodshot eyes, his head was buried into Cassies hair, as he rocked them side to side, still leaning against the stall door. He had put all his questions on hold, as she was obviously in no state to answer.
After a while, Fred decided that he had to speak up, he felt an urge to know what was going on, to help her, but didn't want to pressure her. It felt as if, if he were to ask the wrong question, she would break. So he gently whispered out to her, not lifting his head from her hair.
"I'm here," he paused, "you can talk to me, or not talk to me, but I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
Cassie lifted her arms up, struggling a bit, and placed them on his, she tilted her head to her right a bit, closer to Fred. She opened her mouth more to say something, then shut it slowly. She inhaled a shaky breath and held it for a moment or two.
Then she spilled everything. Everything from her mothers shame in her, from when she was younger, to what happened over the Summer, and to the night mares that haunt her, in her sleep.
Fred listened to every word, absorbing every little detail. Sometimes, he shook with anger, other times, his eyes pricked with tears. He held her, all the way through, still rocking side to side. At times, Cassie would have to pause to take a deep breath, Fred would kiss the side of her head and whisper soothing words in her ear, waiting patiently, for her to resume.
When she finished, Fred was speechless. Cassie stared at the ground beside her in shame, not being able to look him in the face, scared of what she might find. The longer the silence went on, the more tears built up in Cassies eyes, her fingers began fidgeting with nerves. She pursed her lips together tightly.
"I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have told you that, I-I'm sorry." She shifted around, attempting to get out of his strong grip, she felt embarrassed that she had told him everything, she felt stupid.
Fred only tightened his hold around her and spoke softly. "No, no, no it's just a lot to take in. Don't be sorry, I'm glad you shared this ok? I told you before, I'm not going anywhere."
Cassie paused and gazed back at him, his features a bit fuzzy, through the tears, but she could make out his desperate expression. She slowly relaxed back into his arms, as he sighed with relief.
"Pinky promise?"
She held out her shaky hand towards him. He smiled gently at the girl and intertwined his pinky with her own, steadying her hand as he did.
"Pinky promise."
***
Dumbledore studied the faces of his students, looking for one in particular. When he didn't spot her, his eyebrows furrowed in concern, he had heard rumours of her rushing out at the end of her class, and worried about where she could be and scared about her not being able to control her emotions.
