Status: Complete
Remember Me
Found
Harry, Ron and Hermione walked down to Hogsmede, buried in coats and scarves to ward of the chilly winds. Cassandra had gone with Dean. It was a few days before the Christmas holidays. Cassandra had signed up to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays, as she couldn’t now go back to her home as the Fidelius Charm had been broken. Harry had signed up with her, and they had been surprised but pleased when Ron and Hermione did the same.
The wind was so fierce as they went into Hogsmede that they could hardly hear each other. All around them Hogwarts students looked similarly cold, their bright red noses peeping above their scarves. The streets were full of the mist that came when Dementors were around, even though none were to be seen. Harry thought that as they were breeding so much, their mist was cast around the entire country, spreading fear and despair everywhere.
Ron pointed towards The Three Broomsticks and they followed him, gratefully entering the warm, cosy pub.
“I never want to go out there again,” sighed Ron with relief as he wiped snow off his boots. “Let’s stay here for the rest of our lives.”
Hermione went up to the bar and ordered three Butterbeers while Ron and Harry found a table. Harry caught sight of Dean and Cassandra laughing near them. He caught her eye and she raised her eyebrows, grinning.
“Well,” said Hermione, handing a tankard to Harry. “Look over there.”
Harry followed her gaze and saw Malfoy with Cho Chang. The two of them were deep in discussion.
“I thought she was going out with Roger Davies,” said Harry coolly, taking a gulp of his drink.
“Apparently not,” Hermione said.
“Git,” said Ron.
As they drank their Butterbeers, the pub slowly filled up around them with many students and other people doing their Christmas shopping, swathed in long dark cloaks. The air became hot, filled with steam, and the pub was so full it was hard to move. People were crammed in against each other.
“Let’s get out of here,” Harry said to the others when the pub was full to bursting.
They agreed and squeezed past the crowds of people by the door. It was when the three of them had reached Cassandra and Dean’s table that Harry began to think something was wrong.
The pub was crammed with people. It had never been this busy before. And it was mostly full of Hogwarts students, but today there seemed to be a large amount of people in long, dark, hooded cloaks.
Harry froze and peered over heads to look at the door.
It was blocked by big, burly men.
Moving slowly, as if he would draw attention to himself by jerky movements, he seized Ron and Hermione and pulled them so they were sitting down by Cassandra and Dean.
“Hey, guys,” Cassandra grinned. Beside her, Dean looked rather grumpy.
“I thought we were going?” asked Ron, puzzled.
Harry shook his head and leant forwards.
“Look at the men in cloaks,” he whispered.
They all peered around, staring at them.
“Do you recognise any of them?” Harry breathed.
Hermione’s eyes widened and she gasped.
“Harry! That’s Dolohov…and Rowle…Death Eaters!”
Cassandra gasped and Dean and Ron exchanged scared looks.
“Harry,” Cassandra breathed. “You’ve got to get out of here!”
“They’re blocking the door.”
He could practically hear Hermione’s brain whirring, but he couldn’t see how she could think of a plan. There seemed to be no way out.
“Hide,” Cassandra said.
“I-“
But as he opened his mouth to speak, a explosion came from inside the pub. Tables, chairs, bricks were flying down upon his, littering the ground with rubble, and he could hear screaming and yelling, and he was half covered in the rubble and could not see a thing.
He could hear jinxes and hexes being cast and when he raised his head saw streaks of red and green light flying around the ruined pub. People were screaming, running for the exit.
“Harry!” Cassandra ran to him and pulled him to his feet. “GO!”
But Harry could not leave, would not leave while people were in danger from the Death Eaters, who were surely after him. He felt in his jeans pocket for his wand and held it out in front of him, stunning a Death Eater.
“Harry, please, go!”
He caught hold of Cassandra’s hand and pulled her along with him, over the bricks and tables. Jets of brightly coloured light were flying everywhere. A tall, hooded Death Eater saw them and raised his wand.
“He’s here! POTTER’S HERE!”
“Petrificus Totalus!” screamed Cassandra, but the damage was done, other Death Eaters were turned towards him, shooting Stunning Spells from their wands.
Harry dived behind the bar, pulling Cassandra with him and sat there, panting, listening to the sounds of the battle. His scar burnt on his forehead and he grunted from the pain, clinging onto his wand desperately as a fierce wave of triumph swept through him.
“Cass,” he said, taking deep breaths. “He’s coming, Voldemort’s coming!”
She shook her head. “You’ve got to go! Remember what Dumbledore said to me.” And her eyes were close to his as they sat, huddled close together, sheltered from the battle but still with screams and curses ringing in their ears. Her grey eyes were filled with a burning fire.
“He said I’ve got to heal the rift between Slytherin and Gryffindor and I can only do that with Voldemort, and I know I said I didn’t care about it then, but that was a lie, it was all a lie! I swear, I am going to try and heal the rift and stop this all, and if that means I’ve got to see Voldemort than I will!”
She was clinging on to his shoulders, a fierce, desperate expression on her face.
“I’m not going anywhere, Harry,” she said. “I am not leaving you.”
Without any conscious thought or decision, Harry kissed her. And they seemed at that moment to be the only two people in the world, and nothing else was real, nothing apart from Cassandra, her waist-length hair and her lips, pressed against his. The battle, the danger, the desperation might all have been a dream. Everything had faded away so there was just Cassandra.
They broke apart and Harry’s eyes searched her face, but her eyes were closed and her expression unreadable.
“We’ve got to-“
But her sentence was broken as a streak of purple light flew past them, so close to Harry he instinctively dived away, retreating further into the shadows.
“Cass?” he yelled. “Cass?!”
A horrible slashing sound, and high-pitched scream…
“CASS!”
“Come out, Potter!” a rough, brutal voice yelled. “Come out or your pretty little friend dies!”
The wind was so fierce as they went into Hogsmede that they could hardly hear each other. All around them Hogwarts students looked similarly cold, their bright red noses peeping above their scarves. The streets were full of the mist that came when Dementors were around, even though none were to be seen. Harry thought that as they were breeding so much, their mist was cast around the entire country, spreading fear and despair everywhere.
Ron pointed towards The Three Broomsticks and they followed him, gratefully entering the warm, cosy pub.
“I never want to go out there again,” sighed Ron with relief as he wiped snow off his boots. “Let’s stay here for the rest of our lives.”
Hermione went up to the bar and ordered three Butterbeers while Ron and Harry found a table. Harry caught sight of Dean and Cassandra laughing near them. He caught her eye and she raised her eyebrows, grinning.
“Well,” said Hermione, handing a tankard to Harry. “Look over there.”
Harry followed her gaze and saw Malfoy with Cho Chang. The two of them were deep in discussion.
“I thought she was going out with Roger Davies,” said Harry coolly, taking a gulp of his drink.
“Apparently not,” Hermione said.
“Git,” said Ron.
As they drank their Butterbeers, the pub slowly filled up around them with many students and other people doing their Christmas shopping, swathed in long dark cloaks. The air became hot, filled with steam, and the pub was so full it was hard to move. People were crammed in against each other.
“Let’s get out of here,” Harry said to the others when the pub was full to bursting.
They agreed and squeezed past the crowds of people by the door. It was when the three of them had reached Cassandra and Dean’s table that Harry began to think something was wrong.
The pub was crammed with people. It had never been this busy before. And it was mostly full of Hogwarts students, but today there seemed to be a large amount of people in long, dark, hooded cloaks.
Harry froze and peered over heads to look at the door.
It was blocked by big, burly men.
Moving slowly, as if he would draw attention to himself by jerky movements, he seized Ron and Hermione and pulled them so they were sitting down by Cassandra and Dean.
“Hey, guys,” Cassandra grinned. Beside her, Dean looked rather grumpy.
“I thought we were going?” asked Ron, puzzled.
Harry shook his head and leant forwards.
“Look at the men in cloaks,” he whispered.
They all peered around, staring at them.
“Do you recognise any of them?” Harry breathed.
Hermione’s eyes widened and she gasped.
“Harry! That’s Dolohov…and Rowle…Death Eaters!”
Cassandra gasped and Dean and Ron exchanged scared looks.
“Harry,” Cassandra breathed. “You’ve got to get out of here!”
“They’re blocking the door.”
He could practically hear Hermione’s brain whirring, but he couldn’t see how she could think of a plan. There seemed to be no way out.
“Hide,” Cassandra said.
“I-“
But as he opened his mouth to speak, a explosion came from inside the pub. Tables, chairs, bricks were flying down upon his, littering the ground with rubble, and he could hear screaming and yelling, and he was half covered in the rubble and could not see a thing.
He could hear jinxes and hexes being cast and when he raised his head saw streaks of red and green light flying around the ruined pub. People were screaming, running for the exit.
“Harry!” Cassandra ran to him and pulled him to his feet. “GO!”
But Harry could not leave, would not leave while people were in danger from the Death Eaters, who were surely after him. He felt in his jeans pocket for his wand and held it out in front of him, stunning a Death Eater.
“Harry, please, go!”
He caught hold of Cassandra’s hand and pulled her along with him, over the bricks and tables. Jets of brightly coloured light were flying everywhere. A tall, hooded Death Eater saw them and raised his wand.
“He’s here! POTTER’S HERE!”
“Petrificus Totalus!” screamed Cassandra, but the damage was done, other Death Eaters were turned towards him, shooting Stunning Spells from their wands.
Harry dived behind the bar, pulling Cassandra with him and sat there, panting, listening to the sounds of the battle. His scar burnt on his forehead and he grunted from the pain, clinging onto his wand desperately as a fierce wave of triumph swept through him.
“Cass,” he said, taking deep breaths. “He’s coming, Voldemort’s coming!”
She shook her head. “You’ve got to go! Remember what Dumbledore said to me.” And her eyes were close to his as they sat, huddled close together, sheltered from the battle but still with screams and curses ringing in their ears. Her grey eyes were filled with a burning fire.
“He said I’ve got to heal the rift between Slytherin and Gryffindor and I can only do that with Voldemort, and I know I said I didn’t care about it then, but that was a lie, it was all a lie! I swear, I am going to try and heal the rift and stop this all, and if that means I’ve got to see Voldemort than I will!”
She was clinging on to his shoulders, a fierce, desperate expression on her face.
“I’m not going anywhere, Harry,” she said. “I am not leaving you.”
Without any conscious thought or decision, Harry kissed her. And they seemed at that moment to be the only two people in the world, and nothing else was real, nothing apart from Cassandra, her waist-length hair and her lips, pressed against his. The battle, the danger, the desperation might all have been a dream. Everything had faded away so there was just Cassandra.
They broke apart and Harry’s eyes searched her face, but her eyes were closed and her expression unreadable.
“We’ve got to-“
But her sentence was broken as a streak of purple light flew past them, so close to Harry he instinctively dived away, retreating further into the shadows.
“Cass?” he yelled. “Cass?!”
A horrible slashing sound, and high-pitched scream…
“CASS!”
“Come out, Potter!” a rough, brutal voice yelled. “Come out or your pretty little friend dies!”