Blood Magic ✤ George Weasley ✓

16 - Castle Weasley

musical mood: magic spell - aoa

The rest of the trip went by in a spectacular blur, feeling so fast that if you blinked you would've missed it. Cass couldn't remember a time in her life where she had been so carefree, where she could just relax and enjoy quality time with her friends, without anything looming in the back of her mind.

She'd told them everything - the story of her brother, how he'd joined the Death Eaters as just a teenager, tortured a young couple to insanity (she didn't mention who, in case Neville wasn't comfortable with his part of the tale being told), been sentenced to Azkaban and died in his cell less than a year later. She'd cried, for the first time ever in front of her friends, as she explained how scared she was they'd find out and be wary of her and think of her like she was the same as Barty, and they'd cried too, hugging each other tight and promising to stay friends forever, no matter what secrets they harboured.

"Do the others know?" Padma had asked, rubbing Cass's back.

She shook her head, wiping her tears with the palm of her hand. "I don't think so. Bethany does, and the Nott's probably do, but that's it."

"Are you going to tell them?"

Cass shrugged, biting her lip. "I should, shouldn't I?"

"Only if you're ready."

The rest of the vacation after their emotional session was spent in pure bliss, visiting all the tourist attractions London had to offer. They did see Buckingham Palace, though the Queen was unfortunately absent, much to Lavender's disappointment. The Tower of London was every bit as eerie as Parvati had hoped, and Padma was elated over being able to ride on the massive red buses, instead of apparating everywhere.

Cass found Westminster Abbey to be her favourite destination by far. There was something so creepy, yet captivating, knowing the remains of some of the most influential people in the world were only feet away from her. People she had learned about and been fascinated with since primary school, who had become immortalised by history, were still, at the end of the day, human. They lived, and they died, as nature commanded.

When she was sure no one was looking, Cass took out her wand and conjured flowers to lay next to the urn of The Princes in the Tower, nearly moved to tears as she read about their cruel fate. Families ought to protect each other over anything else, but because of the power struggles of men with their own interests in mind, innocent children suffered. As Cass walked through the gravesites, reading the memorials, that became a theme. Families battling, and children suffering over their parents' sins.

Cass went back to Stromness on the 16th of August, feeling considerably happier than she had on the start of her trip. She only hoped it would last.

She returned back to an empty house, without her father or Winky anywhere in sight, and peering outside of her window and at the dark home across the street, the Moore's appeared to still be in Ireland. Cass frowned, holding a little pin of Edward the Confessor in her hand - something she had gotten for Connor at Westminster Abbey's gift shop. She'd hoped to give it to him in person, but if they didn't get back soon, she'd be off to Hogwarts again.

Oh well, she sighed as she placed it down on her bedside table, directing her attention toward a stack of envelopes on her windowsill.

The first one was nothing special, just a letter from Hogwarts with the list of items she'd need to purchase for her second year. The second one perked her attention, as she opened it with a delicate grip, and read the scrawny handwriting.