The Epilogue : Part I - The Shadow Army

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The Astronomy Tower

    A frozen and strong wind blew over Hogwarts as January began, and the atmosphere in the castle was unbearably heavy in the corridors as everyone still had in mind the tragic event that happened before Christmas.

    Since the students came back to school, many things had radically changed: many Aurors were now standing at every corner of the castle, all Hogsmeade visits and even Quidditch games were indefinitely cancelled. All these dramatic changes didn't help to improve the students and teachers' mood.

    Among the five years students, James Potter had very good reasons not to feel well. In one hand, he felt like Andrew wouldn't ever recover from Rebecca's death, he had nightmares almost every night now. He had lost a lot of weight and had stopped attending Herbology classes. James felt really helpless to see him destroying himself and obstinately pretending he was fine. On the other hand, Cassiopeia felt as depressed as Andrew: she always bore an exhausted expression and seemed constantly on hinges, eager to break into tears or get excessively upset.

    The only positive side (if it could be called positive) was the fact that Mrs Hamilton, Georgiana's mother, created a duel club. Every Wednesday at eight, all first fifth year students came to assist the duel club which was the only rather entertaining thing happening in Hogwarts.

    During these last few weeks, Cassiopeia spent all her time on her own and barely talked to anyone. Consequently, James rather preferred to talk with Rose who seemed to understand him better.

    "I think you should talk to her James," she told him one Sunday night they were talking at night on the empty common room by the chimney. "I overheard Cassiopeia talking to her friend the other day in the bathroom, she thinks about you all the time... I think she's very sad for some reason."

    Very strong and confused feelings were confronting inside of him: a part of him was smiling at the idea that she was still thinking about him; but another part of him, a stronger part perhaps, felt angry: She was obviously still in shock for Rebecca's death, why wouldn't she turn to him? Why would she put this distance and complain about it? With these questions in mind, he fell asleep, closely covered with his heavy blanket.

    On Monday morning, it was very hard for him to leave the warmth of his blanket, so he stood out of his bed at the latest possible moment to head to the dungeon for his first class of the day. In potion lesson, James finished his Draught of Living-Death far earlier than all the class and turned to Cassiopeia to talk to her, but she remained cold and distant, like kind of ashamed.

    The more he thought about it, the more James couldn't put words on her attitude, and felt like their relationship was slowly fading, but whose fault was it? She was there, constantly sad, constantly distant, always unbelievably cold.

    The bell ringing interrupted him in his thoughts. As soon as the bell rang, Cassiopeia headed to Andrew and left the dungeon with him. Andrew, who refused to step foot anywhere near the Greenhouse n°3, went back to the Gryffindor tower, when James and Cassiopeia followed the flow of students to the Herbology class.

    The memory of the event remained extremely vivid in everyone's mind. For this reason, it wasn't rare than all along the day, group students (mainly first years) came by to see the place where «it happened», like muggles would excitedly visit a castle rumored to be haunted.

    James still had this same heartbreaking chill as he unwillingly looked at the exact place where, one month ago, Rebecca fell. During the lesson about the Chinese Chomping Cabbage, students had to file their teeth and change their pots. At the end of the class, many uniforms were ripped apart when students left the greenhouse.