way to go, tiger | Lorenzo Berkshire

࣪𖤐 Y5 | 16 . What now?

IT'S TIME TO GO — TAYLOR SWIFT
'That old familiar body ache, the snaps from the same little breaks in your soul. You know when it's time to go.'

Cassie wakes up in the comfort of her bedroom at Grimmauld Place the next morning. Remus lies across the small sofa in her bedroom, his legs too long for the furniture. She rubs her eyes and sighs. Neither of them could be left by themselves last night. Sirius is dead and they're both grieving immensely.

Cassie stands up and creeps past her father, not wanting to wake him up. He needs his rest more than ever. Cassie's heart palpates as she hears voices in the kitchen downstairs. She feels numb this morning. She feels worthless, very similarly to how she felt after Cedric died. However, it's different this time. When Cedric died, it took Enzo physically pulling her out of bed and forcing her to eat got her to actually do those things. She can do them by herself this time. When Sirius once told her "Grief only makes you stronger," Cassie didn't think he actually meant it.

Pretty much everyone is already awake. Relieved, Cassie continues her route downstairs. As soon as she reaches the bottom step, she is brought into a hug from Victoria. "How'd you sleep, pickle?" she frowns, pulling away and looking Cassie in the eye. Honestly, Cassie has never slept so well in her life. They didn't get home until two-thirty in the morning.

Cassie thinks back to last night with dread.

Once the Ministry arrived, so did the papers. Photos were taken and the Order had rushed all of them out of the Department.

Cassie's head pounded as Christopher's hand guided her out of the room. She turned around to make sure Harry and Remus were okay. Remus walked solemnly with his head down, whilst Harry walked beside Dumbledore with his face deadpan.

Photographs were taken left-right-centre and Cassie could already smell the newspaper articles being written. There was no way Fudge could pin it on Sirius this time. He saw Voldemort with his own eyes. Sirius is dead, anyway.

Once they had safely left the building, everyone except Neville and Luna were all taken to Grimmauld place, despite Cassie and Remus' hesitation to do so. They had to go to ensure their safety. Voldemort was unpredictable— especially after the events of that night.

"Brilliantly, actually." Cassie almost laughs but she doesn't think she has it in her. Victoria sighs and guides Cassie into the kitchen to get some breakfast.

Instead of sitting down, the first thing Cassie does is hug Harry. He doesn't say anything, he just simply hugs her back. They both suffered a great loss last night, and they need each other this morning.

Cassie thinks the worst part about it is how Sirius won't be able to have a proper funeral. There's no body. He's gone. When Cedric died, his funeral gave Cassie the chance to speak about him and find comfort in talking to his grave. What is she going to do now?

"What's the plan, then? What's Dumbledore doing about all of this?" Cassie asks, sitting at the dining table. Nobody dares to ask her if she's okay, or if Remus is, afraid of upsetting her. Cassie prefers it that way. The less people mention it, the less she thinks about it.

"He's busy tackling the press. He's been speaking to Fudge almost all night. We think Fudge has finally come to his senses, now that he saw him." Chris explains.

"What about Sirius?" Cassie questions.

"What about him?" Elizabeth replies.

"Will there be some sort of a funeral? It's the least we deserve after everything."

"I'm afraid not as there's no body to bury, honey."

"I need this though— Harry needs this too. Dad needs this. When Ced died, I got so much closure by having a funeral for him, I just want the same for my dad."