CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX;

MAKING QUESTIONABLE AMENDS

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Cassie woke much too early the following day to the now familiar sounds of Walburga Black's shrieking echoing throughout the small and nearly empty household. "FOUL, ABOMINABLE, WRETCHED HALF-BREEDS AND MUDBLOODS, MUCKING UP MY ANCESTRAL HOME–!" she screeched, though her hangings must have been drawn shut again because she fell silent and no further shouts were heard throughout the morning. Cassie could safely say the daily screaming of her grandmother's portrait would not be missed.

"Where're we going, again?" asked Cassie groggily after clambering as quietly as she could down the stairs, attempting to pull her arm through her twisted jacket sleeve.

"The Burrow," replied Remus, tapping his wand to the top of a trunk, which then began to pack itself of all his essentials. "Since it belongs to no particular owner currently, Grimmauld's been declared unfit for the safety of the Order–"

"Unfit for the safety of me, you mean," said Cassie pointedly, raising an eyebrow. Remus fell short of a response and made a show of tying his shoe, turning away from her. They both knew it was true – she was the main thing Voldemort was after, and if he got hold of her... She shuddered to think what would happen. To relieve the room of its tension, Cassie cleared her throat quietly and leaned against the doorway. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible," said Remus, lifting his trunk magically and trailing it around the kitchen and to the main entrance hall. He spared a glance at Cassie before turning to the staircase and shouting, "Tonks, Snouts – nearly ready?"

Tonks must have been the first to the top of the stairs, as she began to reply with, "Just about!" but she tripped and stumbled down the stairs and her words ended up garbled as she landed in a heap on the floor. Cassie looked down to her – Tonks only smiled in response.

"Addie left earlier, Remus," said Tonks as she stood and dusted herself off. "She didn't say goodbye?"

   Remus frowned for a moment, then wordlessly turned his back on the two witches. Cassie lowered her gaze. It was obvious Moony was no fan of sending Adelaide off alone, whether she was capable of handling herself or not. Cassie couldn't blame him. He'd first lost James and Lily, then, Peter, in a way, and now Sirius.... If he lost Cassie's mum, Cassie was afraid the poor man would just break.

"Well, let's get going, then," said Tonks, clapping her hands together and magicking her small suitcase to herself. "To the Burrow!"

"You aren't staying, right?" said Cassie, now following a peppy witch with bubblegum pink hair into Muggle London. "At the Burrow, I mean."

"Tonks and I have our own safehouse," supplied Remus. "It isn't yet Unplottable, so I can't tell you where it is, but I'll let you know the moment I can."

"Okay. And.. how are we supposed to get to the Burrow?"

"You and Tonks are flying," said Remus promptly. As if on cue, Tonks turned a corner into a dark alley, where two levitating brooms sat waiting for riders. Cassie turned back to Remus, intending to ask why only two, but he cut her off, "I'm not much of a flyer, myself." Cassie knew Moony didn't fly – he'd never much been interested in Quidditch during her childhood and rarely ever allowed her to fly higher than his head, but she expected him to at least put his hatred aside and escort her to her home for the next undetermined amount of time.

"I'll see you at Christmas, Cass," said Remus softly, smiling down and pulling her into a hug.

   "If I make it that long," she mumbled into his chest, though hugged him back with just as much enthusiasm. "I'll miss you."

   "Not as much as I will," he said with a sad smile, pulling away from the embrace and taking a few steps back. "Now take off, or you'll be late."

   Cassie gave him one last wave before turning on her heel and cautiously boarding the broomstick next to Tonks's. Cassie wavered for a moment, then found her footing (or lack thereof) after a moment. She looked over to Tonks to find the witch grinning at her.

   "All aboard the Tonks-o-train," she said seriously, tipping her head. "If you don't mind, please keep all hands, legs, and heads inside the broom. If you do happen to fall off, please try to aim for the nearest body of water. If there is no water nearby, alert the closest flight attendant and pray for the best."

   Cassie stifled a laugh and aimed the handle of her broomstick toward the twilight sky, glancing over to Tonks for only a moment before kicking off and soaring up. The air whipped through her hair and the cold wind stung her eyes to tears, but she wasn't focused on the biting chill nor the fact that she was now nearing fifty feet in the air; all she could think about was how much she missed being on a broom.

   The flight to the Burrow went by much quicker than Cassie would have wanted it to. It felt as though she had only been weaving in and out of the clouds with Tonks at her side for barely two minutes when suddenly, the rickety old house was peeking over a hill and a blob of redheads stood before it.

"You ready?" shouted Tonks from somewhere next to Cassie, her voice just barely picking up over the rushing wind pounding in Cassie's ears.

"Is it too late to turn around?" yelled Cassie in reply, but she angled the handle of her broomstick down and slowed into a descent with Tonks at her side. They reached the ground, Cassie only stumbling in the slightest as she swung from her broom. The Weasleys surrounded her and Tonks quickly.

   Arthur was the first to raise his wand. "What is Nymphadora Tonks's natural hair colour?" he asked menacingly, his wand pointed straight at the elder witch's face. Though Cassie was completely freaked, Tonks calmed and replied, "No idea. I like to think it's brown."

   Arthur, satisfied, dropped his wand and smiled amicably down to Tonks and Cassie. Ginny was the first to push past him, embracing Cassie in a rough hug. Ron came in just behind her, waiting anxiously for Ginny to peel away before tackling Cassie with his own tight squeeze. She fought for breath, her face buried into his (now very muscular) chest.

   "Ron–" she protested in a muffled voice, beating his back to get him to pull away. Once he did, she coughed for air. "Merlin, Ronald! D'you always choke your houseguests?"

"Sorry," said Ron, scratching the back of his neck. "I just missed you, is all."

Cassie smiled. It may have been her first genuine one since the end of term.

"No use waiting around out here," said Mrs. Weasley, shooing her children back inside the Burrow with her hands. "Harry's not due until very late tonight. We should get some dinner."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

If there was one thing Cassie missed more than her friends, it was Molly Weasley's cooking.

As a welcome, the mother had made afeast that spread across the entire table. The dinner went quite well – nothing too awkward, except for when Cassie tried to pull up a chair and Ron stopped her, saying that she could sit in Percy's old spot. She hadn't necessarily forgotten about Percy's departure, just figured he would have come crawling back by now – especially since Dumbledore was proven to have been right all along.

"Been getting in your practice, Ron?" said Cassie once everyone had settled up in their rooms after dinner – Cassie and Ron had stayed in the kitchen, as Ron managed to sniff out a stash of Ginny's sweets. The tall boy now turned to her with his mouth full of taffy and she stifled a laugh. "For Quidditch, I mean."

He chewed very hard and swallowed down the sweet before replying, "Ginny and I've been out nearly every day. Fred and George left their old brooms for us."

"That's good," said Cassie brightly, popping a piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Y'know, I'm still thinking of trying out."

   "You'd do great!" said Ron encouragingly, his eyes wide and earnest. "Really, you would. I can just see it: Cassie, the greatest Gryffindor Chaser since Angelina Johnson!"

   "Thanks, Ron," she said with a laugh, shaking her head. "I really hope–" Cassie faltered, because a light in the outhouse across the field had just flickered on and she found her attention to be drawn to it. She peered at the small light in the window, tilting her head to the side, and said, "Why's someone in your outhouse? Isn't it– what, midnight, by now?"

   Ron frowned and squinted toward the light as well. "Dunno," he admitted, his voice low. "Should we get Mum? I doubt that's Dad, coming home from work, he'd come right inside..."

   No sooner had the words left Ron's mouth than two silhouettes emerged from the outhouse; A man with long, billowing robes and hair that blew round in the wind, and a shorter boy next to him with messy hair and the outline of wiry glasses. Cassie looked to Ron, her brow furrowed. "What're they doing here so early? Weren't we expecting them sometime after two?"

   "D'you think it's really them?" Ron whispered warily, his hand moving cautiously to his wand. "Maybe we should make sure before we let them in."

   Cassie sauntered over to the door and swung it open, leaning casually against the doorframe. Ron followed, his wand protectively pointed to the two others, now arriving at the front stoop. Cassie cleared her throat. "Alright, Professor Dumbledore: what was your password the first time I entered your office at Hogwarts?"

   "Fizzing Whizbees," replied the headmaster without missing a beat. He smiled, the gesture lifting his white beard in the slightest. "And Harry's question?"

   "Oh right," said Cassie, glancing to Ron before turning back to Harry. "Okay, yeah – what scar does Harry Potter have on his forehead?"

   Harry had just begun to answer when Ron whacked Cassie on the arm. "Everyone knows the answer to that! Do another!" he hissed.

   "Okay, okay," said Cassie, rubbing her arm and rolling her eyes. She thought for a moment. "Erm – what tunnel were Harry and I in the night we first saw my dad? In Animagus form!" she added quickly.

   "The one under the one-eyed-witch," said Harry.

"Brilliant, well," said Cassie, clapping her hands together and raising her eyebrows. "Sounds about right."

"Harry!" said Ron in a tone that suggested that he only now realized that his best friend had arrived. His eyes were wide and he opened and closed his mouth for a moment. "We weren't expecting you until much later! Everyone's in bed!"

"Our business took much less time than we anticipated," replied Dumbledore, nodding. He peered inside the Burrow. "Well, Mr. Weasley has a point. It is quite late. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, Miss Black, I shall see you all once term begins on the first. Tell Miss Granger that O.W.L. results will be sent tomorrow, as I'm sure she is beyond anxious to find that she has received all of the available O.W.L.s." He winked. The headmaster spun, walked to a specific spot in the field surrounding the Burrow, and Apparated out with a crack.

   The three teenagers turned to face each other wordlessly.

   "Well.. Hermione's coming tomorrow," said Ron, probably to break the silence. "She'll be thrilled to know about owl results."

Harry nodded in agreement, though his eyes flickered to Cassie every few moments as though he were itching to speak to her alone. She furrowed her brow and tilted her head to the side slightly. He only turned back to Ron. "Is it... er, alright if I talk to Cassie? ...Alone?" he added, as Ron had only stepped back slightly.

   Ron looked between Harry and Cassie, his eyes switching back and forth rather quickly and a hesitant expression on his face. Finally, he nodded. With a protective jab of his wand toward Harry and aggressive eyebrow raise that basically said "try anything, and I'll hex you," Ron walked back up the stairs and presumably to bed.

   Cassie and Harry stood in the doorway for a moment, awkwardly shifting their weight between their feet and clearing their throats. Finally, both of them began to speak at the same time:

   "D'you wanna sit down?" said Cassie.

   "I was meaning to–" began Harry, but he paused as he realized Cassie had started speaking. He swallowed and nodded, following her inside the Burrow, both taking seats on the couch. They were an awkward distance apart.

"How was your summer?" Cassie supplied, her fingers tapping her knees rhythmically.

"Alright," replied Harry, nodding. Cassie pursed her lips in a tight smile and averted her gaze to glance around the room; landing anywhere but Harry. After a moment, he exhaled softly and cleared his throat. "Cassie–" he began, though broke off as his voice wavered. He halted before trying again. "I.. I don't know what to say."

He paused, probably expecting Cassie to say something in reply, but she, too, fell short of response.

   "I'm sorry," said Harry quietly, his gaze fixated on the floor and voice tight. "I– I am. I should've been there for you when Sirius d–" He broke off again. "I mean.. I've got nothing else to say but I'm sorry–"

"Harry," interjected Cassie softly, her head tilted to the side as she studied her friend. "It's alright. I know you're grieving too."

He pursed his lips and she noticed for the first time that his eyes were glossy. Cassie swallowed a thick lump of tears and her hand instinctively went to finger the butterfly charms of the necklace that sat around her neck – the necklace that Harry had gotten her, so long ago. Cassie bit her lip. "Is that all you wanted to say?" she asked after a moment.

   "No," Harry admitted, sucking in his cheeks. "I'm just– I'm so sorry for everything. All of it."

   "You don't have much to apologize for," she said, lowering her head and using the sleeve of her sweater to wipe a stray tear from her under-eye. She was not going to cry during this conversation. "Are–are you okay?"

   "Don't turn this around," said Harry in a sotto voice, shaking his head. "You were his daughter. You were Atticus's cousin – it's you I'm worried about."

   She nearly sobbed at the past tense.

   "You're sweet," said Cassie with a bitter and quiet laugh. Her mouth went sour and she crinkled her nose slightly. "I've learned not to dwell on my feelings for too long. Nobody likes a crybaby, right?"

"Bloody hell– a crybaby?" Harry repeated, suddenly angry, looking to Cassie in alarm. He shook his head fervently. "No, no way. After all you've been through, you're allowed to be upset, alright? If anyone's giving you a hard time–"

"Harry, it's alright," Cassie was quick to say. The last thing she wanted to talk about right then was her mother, of all people. "It's alright," she repeated, much quieter. "How about we get to bed? I'm sure we've got a long day ahead of us."

Harry seemed reluctant, but he nodded and stood from the couch. Cassie did the same, though she was caught completely off-guard as Harry took her into a gentle hug. It wasn't rushed, or rough, or anything that held any ulterior motives; it was simply a hug between two people who desperately needed one.