Him - A Harry Potter Love Story

Chapter Twenty-One

A/N I've only had three days of school and I already want to die

Also I went back and changed something and to anyone who is reading these few chapters as they're being published might be confused about, but you'll see next chapter

Harry's POV

"Sirius? Can I talk to you?"

Sirius turned to me, having been staring at the wall, where a mural-type painting resided. It was a family tree, I assumed.

"Of course, Harry," he said, smiling.

"I know that Cassie doesn't know her real parents," I explained. His smile fell, his eyes widening slightly.

"What? How?" he asked, his voice hushing.

"It's a long story, but she all she has is a picture of them," I said, frowning. "We agreed on not worrying about it until we got to Hogwarts so we could ask Dumbledore, but I could tell when you were talking about her fake mother that you knew."

Sirius hesitated, tentatively asking me if I wanted to know everything.

"Yes."

"I'm assume you know that Cassandra has a birthday close to yours," he said. I nodded. "Well, your parents met at a doctor's visit one day, when both your mom and hers were pregnant. Her parents had been thinking about moving to Godric's Hollow..."

"And they did?" I guessed, knowing where it was heading. I could feel my stomach start to turn.

"Yes. Well, they moved, and Cassandra was born. You were born around a month later, and your parents kept in touch with that family." He seemed to be avoiding my eyes as he continued. "Well, on Halloween, when Voldemort attacked your parents...her parents heard and came over to try and help them."

"No," I muttered.

"No, they weren't killed," he said quickly. "But Voldemort cast the imperius curse upon them. He could sense that they had a baby, and ordered them to leave her out in the graveyard, as a punishment for defying him."

My memory flashed back to fourth year, when the fake Moody called on her to tell him one of the unforgivable curses. He had thought she would know the imperius curse.

"Sarah and Peter, the people who raised her, found her there the next morning, sick," he continued. "They brought her to their home, finding a necklace wrapped in the blankets around her. It said her name, Cassandra Winters. I assume that one of her real parents fought through the spell enough to conjure it, or happened to have it with them when they left her."

"What about her last name? Did she grow up with a different name than them?"

"No. They both hid the fact that it was only her last name from her," he responded, a thoughtful look on his face. "They cared so deeply for her. I was sad to hear that the family had fallen apart like that."

"But what about her real parents? Where are they?" I asked, feeling worse and worse for Cassie. There was so much she never knew...

"No one knows where the Winters went. After realizing what they had done, they moved, and cut off all contact from everyone else."

"Is there any way to find them?" I asked helplessly, wanting now more than ever to help her. How would I tell her all of this?

"Not that I know of. It would be incredibly hard." Sirius sighed a little. "It could take years."

••••••••••

Cassie's POV

I was sitting in my room and reading a book when Harry walked in, a sad expression on his face. As soon as I looked up, I closed the book and swung my legs around on the bed so I was facing him.