Another Hogwarts Mystery

Chapter 15 - In the Forbidden Forest

"Cassy, stop! Calm down!" shouted Beverly. She stood up, too, grabbing Casandra by the shoulders. "Think before you act!" "No, Bev! We don't have time to calm down. You know what my parents are capable of!" barked Casandra. She wrested herself free from Beverly's grip, shouting "Accio Cloak!". Immediately, her dark black cloak flew towards her. Casandra grabbed it with her right hand, whilst her left hand took her wand. "If you don't want to come with me, fine!" she barked. "Casandra Elisabeth Clark!" screamed Beverly, stamping on the ground. "Listen to me!"

Casandra stopped dead, forcing herself to stay put. "What if your parents made you see this? What if they just wanted you to see this and it's not real. Just like your vision of Benjamin?" "Are you saying that I am mental?" "NO! Are you listening to me at all? Casandra, you know how dangerous your parents are! If Sabrina is actually missing, we have to ask for help and tell a teacher!" snapped Beverly. Casandra thought about it. Beverly was right. They had to make sure that Sabrina was actually missing before jumping at conclusions. "Alright," hissed Casandra, waving Beverly to her. "Then let's go! We'll go to Professor Handerson's office first. If Sabrina is still there, fine. If she isn't, well, we'll see!"

Beverly cried for her cloak and followed Casandra through the door. They were running so fast, making their way to Professor Handerson's office, which was located on the floor where the library was. Actually, it wasn't far away from Casandra's hiding place. Although her mind was racing and overfloating with the worries about Sabrina, she pondered whether Professor Handerson had maybe heard Casandra and Snape or saw them entering the room.

"Over there!" shouted Casandra breathlessly. She knocked on the door, waiting for a voice to call her in, but nothing happened. Thus, she pushed the door open and looked around. Beverly and Casandra found themselves in an empty room. "Professor Handerson? Sabrina?" shouted Casandra but nobody answered. "Where are they?" "Dunno, do you think that Professor Handerson was abducted, too?" asked Beverly completely out of breath. "This could be the only possible explanation, right? I mean, where should she be?" retorted Casandra. "Did you see her?" "Handerson?" asked Casandra in confusion "Where?" "In your vision!" cried Beverly. Casandra thought about it and tried to review the scene. She wasn't quite sure, but she couldn't remember seeing Professor Handerson next to Sabrina. "No, I don't think so" "That doesn't make sense, Cassy. If Sabrina was abducted by your parents but Handerson wasn't, why would Handerson leave her office just like that?" asked Beverly, looking around as if she was expecting Professor Handerson to jump out of a corner.

"We have to ask for help, we have to tell Dumbledore!" shouted Beverly. "Dumbledore? Are you mental? Do you know the password to his office? I don't!" bellowed Casandra. "Then we have to ask Flitwick or someone else!" shouted Beverly. "BEVERLY, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! I'll go to the Forbidden Forest, if you don't want to join me, I don't care. I'll go and save Sabrina." "Cassy, that's not a clever idea, believe me. It's actually stupid. This is exactly what your parents want. You don't even know whether they've actually got her..." But Casandra wasn't listening anymore. She turned on her heel and ran towards the door. Looking back one last time, she said "If I'm not back in an hour, seek help!" and thereby left the room. She was gone so fast, Beverly couldn't stop her.

"In an hour?! Is she mental? As if I'd be seeking help when it's too late!" exclaimed Beverly. Whether Casandra likes it or not, I have to tell Snape. He's the only one I can tell about Casandra's vision and who would take this seriously, Beverly thought. She ran out of the classroom and made her way to the dungeons, stopping dead at each corner to see whether Filch was patrolling the floor. As Beverly reached the dungeons, her heart was pounding like mad. She stopped in front of Snape's door, taking a deep breath. Blimey, Casandra. What the hell are you doing, she thought to herself. With a loud bang, she hammered on the door. After a few moments, the door opened abruptly. Snape stood there in his greyish nightshirt, his eyes were narrowed. He looked down at Beverly with his lips pressed tightly together. "Miss Brooks? What is it that you're getting me out of bed for at this late hour? I'm not your head of house." he barked. Beverly was utterly nervous. She did not only dislike Snape but was also extremely scared of him. Snape had always made it obvious that he thought that she was a dunderhead. Speaking to him during class was hard for her but speaking with him outside of class took her a lot of effort. "P-professor. It- it—" she took a deep breath, whilst Snape raised an eyebrow. "—Miss Brooks, I don't have all night. I would love to go back to sleep." he snapped. "—it's Casandra!" she shouted "She had a vision again. She believes that her parents have abducted Sabrina. She is off to the Forbidden Forest to save her!"

Snape's eyes went wide in surprise and shock. "She did what?! Miss Brooks, are you absolutely sure?" he asked extremely worried. "Sir, I am. This is why I went straight to you when she ran away. I – I," she paused for a second "—I know about you two." Snape's mouth fell open. He looked slightly embarrassed. It was obviously not his favourite topic to talk about with a student. Beverly felt the urge to react as quickly as possible and added "But Casandra only told me about it a few days ago. At the Winter Ball, because she was so devasted to see you and Professor Handerson –" she shook her head "— never mind that now. Sir, you are the only person who knows everything about Casandra and her vision. She trusts you more than anyone. You are the only one who can help now!" Beverly exclaimed in despair. Without saying a word, Snape turned on his heel and closed the door. "Wow. What was that? Very helpful. Thanks for nothi—" At that very moment, Snape opened the door again and Beverly went as red as a lobster. Fuck, she thought. She simply had the talent to drop a clanger. Snape had changed and wore a long black cloak, carrying his wand in his right hand. "You'll stay here" he commanded very tensed. "But sir, they're my friends and—" You will stay here!" he barked "Go to Professor McGonagall immediately and tell her what happened. She will inform the headmaster. Did Casandra – Did Miss Clark tell you where exactly in the Forbidden Forest she saw Miss Kettleburn?" "She said something about a clearing. I think she said that it was the same clearing where she saw whatsoever of Benjamin." uttered Beverly with a shaking voice. She simply wasn't the girl for adventures.

Without another word, Snape ran off. His cloak floating behind him, making him look like a gigantic scared up bat. He ran so fast that he could feel his lungs almost exploding. Gasping heavily for air, Snape reached the great front door. The chilly December air touched his face and entered his lungs, making every breath ache even more. As he entered the Forbidden Forest, he slowed down and lit his wand by shaking it slightly. Oh Casandra, what have you done, he thought. His mind was racing. Was Casandra alright? Would they hurt her? She wasn't aware of so many things that were going on and he deeply regretted not telling her about it. But he thought that it would be the best way to keep her safe. Apparently, he was wrong and disabused.

Casandra felt her heart pounding so fast, it almost jumped out of her chest. Suddenly, she heard the cracking of branches and stopped dead. Her eyes were nervously darting around. She had her wand at the ready, scanning the area for potential attackers. The cracking continued. Casandra felt her blood pulsing, making her ears buzz. "Who's there?" she whispered, turning around with her uplifted wand. "Casandra?" she heard a voice whisper. Then, slowly a person emerged from behind a tree, lifting her arms in surrender. Casandra cringed, pointing her wand at the person. "It's alright. It's me, Professor Handerson! Please, put your wand down and stay calm!" she insisted. "We are here for the same reason: we want to save Sabrina, right?" "Why weren't you at your office? Did you witness the abduction?" asked Casandra in doubt. The forest was so dark, she could hardly identify Professor Handerson. "I did. Your parents stunned me. When I regained consciousness, I searched the castle immediately. I didn't find her, though, so I went to the Forbidden Forest." "But how did you know that my parents would take her to the Forbidden Forest? I mean, there are plenty of places where they could have brought her to?" asked Casandra doubtfully. "I thought that it would only make sense to bring her here. If they really want you, it would be the best way to get you, and I mean the clearing near the little pond is a good place to hide in the Forbidden Forest, isn't it?" Casandra stopped breathing. "P—professor, how do you know that they have taken her to the clearing?" "Oh, you've just said it, dear" Professor Handerson answered with her faked friendly voice. Casandra felt her pulse increase again. Something was really odd. "Erm, Professor...no, I haven't. I just mentioned the Forbidden Forest" she said with an extremely shaking voice. She raised her wand again. With a swift move, Professor Handerson moved forward and stepped into a bit of moonlight, revealing her honest and evil smile. "Oh dear. You are such an irritating girl. Gwendolyn was right: you question too much." Then, with an unexpected flick of her wand, Professor Handerson shouted "Stupefy!" and Casandra felt herself flying through the air. She hit her head so hard on a tree's root that everything went pitch-black again.