The Clockwork Locket || SIRIUS BLACK

The Mudblood

The castle was dark and devoid of life as Cassie slowly made her way back to Gryffindor Tower, the torchlight offering only a dull orange glow for her to see where she was going. Not that she needed it, really; after all her late-night adventures with the Marauders, she reckoned she could find her way around the castle blindfolded at that point.

The light was a small comfort to her, though. A permanent chill had settled over her bones ever since she had found Mary Macdonald at the bottom of that staircase, and it had persisted throughout the day as she was pushed around between meeting after meeting; first with Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, then Professor Dumbledore, then Professor McGonagall again.

Despite knowing that she had been the cause of Mary's predicament, Cassie had been reluctant to get involved, even though she had been called as a witness for being one of the first to find Mary. She hadn't told anyone that Mary had sought her out before the Quidditch match, or what they had talked about, and she didn't dare tell any of the professors. If word got to the Slytherins that Cassie had told Dumbledore everything, then what could stop them from telling their Death Eater allies? The involvement of Death Eaters meant that Will would be killed, and her, and probably Mary, as well.

Cassie shuddered as she remembered Mary's blood, bright red and cooling on the marble tiles. She'd thought the other witch was dead until she saw the faint rise and fall of her chest, and began screaming for someone to get Madam Pomfrey. Everything was a blur after that. The hospital matron had arrived and taken Mary away, and that was when Professor McGonagall had ordered Cassie to follow her, her lips white and her face pinched in worry. She remembered asking Professor Dumbledore after their meeting if Mary would be all right, and she had never seen the Headmaster look so grim when he'd said "Miss Macdonald will recover from her physical injuries just fine."

She'd been able to read between the lines of Dumbledore's statement herself.

It was nearly three in the morning by the time Cassie emerged onto the seventh floor. Fatigue dragged her every limb, slowing her walk to a shuffle as she continued toward Gryffindor Tower. It seemed that everyone was getting hurt lately because of her: Will, Sirius, Mary... She was such a stupid little girl, pretending like she was brave enough to stand up to Voldemort, to Carlisle, to the Death Eaters. Her stupidity was dangerous—she was dangerous.

Carlisle was right, she thought bitterly. I'm nothing more than a meddling fool who's going to get everyone killed because I thought I was clever, that I was a true Gryffindor.

"Rough day, Alderfair?"

Her exhaustion must have muddled her brain, for she didn't even bother to raise her wand as Regulus Black melted out of the shadows, his stormy eyes black in the gloom. She only watched, disinterested, as he stopped before her in the corridor, his expression as inscrutable as ever.

"You look terrible," he said when she didn't speak, his eyes raking over her appearance judgmentally. "Have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

His haughty voice was what sparked some sense back into her. "Piss off, Black," she hissed. "You're lucky I haven't jinxed you into a bloody puddle yet."

He seemed amused by her threat. "And why would you do that?"

"I know you're involved in Mary's attack somehow," she said, "and I know you're aware of what your housemates plan on doing with me if they get their hands on me."

"They're idiots," he said dismissively. "And I wasn't involved in that Ravenclaw's attack in any way."

"They delayed the match because a Slytherin player was missing," Cassie said, wrapping her fingers around the hilt of her wand. "You're the team's Seeker. You're in on Carlisle's plans. You know far too much of my own plans. Why should I take you at your word when all the evidence stacks up against you?"