Status: Complete
Remember Me
Gone
The Gryffindor common room was as warm and cosy as ever, though not as full. Instead, only two girls were sitting together by the fire. Books, parchment and screwed up drawings lay scattered around them, filling up the table next to them and creating a second layer to the carpet. One of the girls was snoring.
“Come on, Hermione,” yawned Cassandra, lying back in her armchair and struggling to keep her eyes open.
Hermione didn’t stir. Her face was resting on an open book on the table, and her mouth was open as she slept.
They had been up all night, trying to see a way to find out where Ron was. Hermione had read practically every book in the library, and had been beyond disappointed when it had let her down. She had grown increasingly desperate to find Ron, convinced that something horrible was happening to him.
“Hermione, wake up,” Cassandra shook her shoulder but Hermione just grunted and carried on sleeping. “I’ll tell Ron that you didn’t care about finding him, you just went to sleep?”
No response.
Cassandra sighed deeply. “Fine, I will go and look for Ron myself then, shall I? Just leave me to do all the work…”
She clambered out of the portrait hole without any idea of where she was going to go.
It was strange, seeing Hogwarts so empty. Most students had been hurried home to their parents for the Christmas holidays, so hardly any people had stayed. She had never seen the corridors so empty and devoid of noise, and had never walked through them on her own like this.
Funny, really. At Hogwarts everything seemed so closed off from the real world. She read the Daily Prophet every day but didn’t really register what it was saying. She had never had experience, real awareness of the dangers of fighting Voldemort before.
It wasn’t as if anyone had even said well done! She had got away from Voldemort, complete with Harry Potter, who was alive and all they’d said was…nothing.
Cassandra started walking quickly along the corridors. And Harry still hadn’t woken up. No one seemed to know how to help him. She knew Snape had tried Occulmency but to no avail. Hermione had also been reading books to try and help Harry. Cassandra wondered whether Hermione had got any sleep during the last week at all.
She knew Hermione’s fears about Ron.
“Cass, what if he’s been caught by the Death Eaters? If they’re trying to get information out of him about Harry? How are we ever going to know? How are we going to see him again?”
Having Hermione voice the worries that had been bouncing around in Cassandra’s head for days made it worse, somehow.
Her feet were carrying her, but she wasn’t aware of walking. Things suddenly seemed to have been thrown in stark relief for her, and her thoughts were cold, black and dark.
John gone, John who was just like a father to her, John had been Imperiused and was now on the side of ‘the enemy’. Ron was gone, and so was John, and Harry seemed to be going the same way…
Cassandra suddenly realised where her feet had taken her. She was standing outside the hospital wing.
Outside the windows the world was filled with thick black darkness, with fog pressed like fingers against the glass. It was night time, so Madam Pomfrey would be asleep.
She opened the door slowly and went inside. All the beds were unoccupied. The people who had been injured in the Three Broomsticks had all been sent home, or were asleep in their dormitories. Cassandra tiptoed across the room the Harry’s bed. It still had the curtains drawn across it, and she now knew that a Silencing Charm had been placed on them so when people were in the hospital wing they weren’t disturbed by Harry. She slipped inside them and sat by Harry’s bed.
He had not changed; he was still stirring fretfully; he still had a light sheen on sweat covering his face and was still muttering and moaning as if terrified. Cassandra took his hand in hers and smoothed his hair off his face.
“Shh, shh now…it’s alright, everything’s alright, I swear…shh now, its okay…”
A waterfall of false words was falling from her lips.
“Please, Harry…just wake up…it’s alright, it’s alright!”
Tears, which nowadays seemed to come so easily to her, were burning her eyes.
“Why won’t you wake up?” she half-yelled, half-sobbed. “Please! Why won’t you wake up!”
Some tears spilled over, but a desperate anger was coming over her now.
“Wake up!” Cassandra yelled. “Damn you, Potter, wake up!”
She swung her hand back and hit him, hard, on the cheek. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated around the room and a large red patch was forming on his face. Harry’s eyelids fluttered and he moved his head as if to get away from her. Cassandra watched with bated breath.
“Harry?”
She hit him again, and this time she was sure of it; he began to stir.
“Harry!”
He blinked and opened his eyes, and suddenly Cassandra couldn’t stop grinning.
“You idiot” she yelled and hit him again.
“Ow…Cass?”
She sank down onto her seat again and held his hand. “Are you okay?”
Looking at him closely, she could see him looking as if he was struggling with something. His eyes were wet.
“What?” When he didn’t reply she asked, “Was it something you saw?”
Harry took a deep shuddering breath, and suddenly the words were spilling out of him as if he had no control over them.
“It’s Voldemort, Cass. It’s always him. He’s killing people, killing them just because they’re in the way, or murdering them for fun. It’s Cedric all over again…and I saw that happen too, I saw him kill Cedric…and Sirius…and…and my parents.”
Cassandra’s eyes widened, shocked.
“Oh, Harry…”
He was trying to suppress the tears but some spilled over. Cassandra drew him into a hug, holding him tightly, feeling his body shake with emotion, her shoulder becoming damp as his tears leaked through her shirt. She stroked his hair, trying to soothe him, and gradually, he stopped, and broke away from her, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
“So what happened?” Harry asked her, changing the subject. He looked embarrassed. “What happened with Voldemort?”
She explained about the Riddle House, how Voldemort had seemingly possessed him and the Killing Curses he sent everywhere. She explained about the Portkey she made, which took the pair of them back to Hogwarts and where she had seen Ron. Then she stopped, unsure how to continue.
“Is everyone alright?” asked Harry, sitting up. “Is Ron? Hermione?”
“Hermione’s fine,” Cassandra said. “She’s sleeping right now, but I’ll tell her to come along sometime.”
“And Ron?”
Cassandra bit her lip.
“Cass, what’s happened to Ron?”
No answer.
“What’s happened?”
“Harry…Ron’s gone.”
She saw his eyes widen and fear spread across his face.
“Gone?”
“We don’t know where he is! He’s just disappeared.” She paused, then carried on. “Hermione thinks he’s been caught by the Death Eaters as…as hostage for you, or to get information out of him about you. I mean, everyone knows he’s your best friend. What are you doing?” she said as Harry swung his legs out of bed.
“I’m going to find Ron,” he said. “It’s my fault. I need to find him.”
“But-“
“Do you want to find Ron or not?!”
Cassandra raised her eyebrows. “Come on, then,” she said, grabbing his hand, and they both raced out of the hospital wing.
“Come on, Hermione,” yawned Cassandra, lying back in her armchair and struggling to keep her eyes open.
Hermione didn’t stir. Her face was resting on an open book on the table, and her mouth was open as she slept.
They had been up all night, trying to see a way to find out where Ron was. Hermione had read practically every book in the library, and had been beyond disappointed when it had let her down. She had grown increasingly desperate to find Ron, convinced that something horrible was happening to him.
“Hermione, wake up,” Cassandra shook her shoulder but Hermione just grunted and carried on sleeping. “I’ll tell Ron that you didn’t care about finding him, you just went to sleep?”
No response.
Cassandra sighed deeply. “Fine, I will go and look for Ron myself then, shall I? Just leave me to do all the work…”
She clambered out of the portrait hole without any idea of where she was going to go.
It was strange, seeing Hogwarts so empty. Most students had been hurried home to their parents for the Christmas holidays, so hardly any people had stayed. She had never seen the corridors so empty and devoid of noise, and had never walked through them on her own like this.
Funny, really. At Hogwarts everything seemed so closed off from the real world. She read the Daily Prophet every day but didn’t really register what it was saying. She had never had experience, real awareness of the dangers of fighting Voldemort before.
It wasn’t as if anyone had even said well done! She had got away from Voldemort, complete with Harry Potter, who was alive and all they’d said was…nothing.
Cassandra started walking quickly along the corridors. And Harry still hadn’t woken up. No one seemed to know how to help him. She knew Snape had tried Occulmency but to no avail. Hermione had also been reading books to try and help Harry. Cassandra wondered whether Hermione had got any sleep during the last week at all.
She knew Hermione’s fears about Ron.
“Cass, what if he’s been caught by the Death Eaters? If they’re trying to get information out of him about Harry? How are we ever going to know? How are we going to see him again?”
Having Hermione voice the worries that had been bouncing around in Cassandra’s head for days made it worse, somehow.
Her feet were carrying her, but she wasn’t aware of walking. Things suddenly seemed to have been thrown in stark relief for her, and her thoughts were cold, black and dark.
John gone, John who was just like a father to her, John had been Imperiused and was now on the side of ‘the enemy’. Ron was gone, and so was John, and Harry seemed to be going the same way…
Cassandra suddenly realised where her feet had taken her. She was standing outside the hospital wing.
Outside the windows the world was filled with thick black darkness, with fog pressed like fingers against the glass. It was night time, so Madam Pomfrey would be asleep.
She opened the door slowly and went inside. All the beds were unoccupied. The people who had been injured in the Three Broomsticks had all been sent home, or were asleep in their dormitories. Cassandra tiptoed across the room the Harry’s bed. It still had the curtains drawn across it, and she now knew that a Silencing Charm had been placed on them so when people were in the hospital wing they weren’t disturbed by Harry. She slipped inside them and sat by Harry’s bed.
He had not changed; he was still stirring fretfully; he still had a light sheen on sweat covering his face and was still muttering and moaning as if terrified. Cassandra took his hand in hers and smoothed his hair off his face.
“Shh, shh now…it’s alright, everything’s alright, I swear…shh now, its okay…”
A waterfall of false words was falling from her lips.
“Please, Harry…just wake up…it’s alright, it’s alright!”
Tears, which nowadays seemed to come so easily to her, were burning her eyes.
“Why won’t you wake up?” she half-yelled, half-sobbed. “Please! Why won’t you wake up!”
Some tears spilled over, but a desperate anger was coming over her now.
“Wake up!” Cassandra yelled. “Damn you, Potter, wake up!”
She swung her hand back and hit him, hard, on the cheek. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reverberated around the room and a large red patch was forming on his face. Harry’s eyelids fluttered and he moved his head as if to get away from her. Cassandra watched with bated breath.
“Harry?”
She hit him again, and this time she was sure of it; he began to stir.
“Harry!”
He blinked and opened his eyes, and suddenly Cassandra couldn’t stop grinning.
“You idiot” she yelled and hit him again.
“Ow…Cass?”
She sank down onto her seat again and held his hand. “Are you okay?”
Looking at him closely, she could see him looking as if he was struggling with something. His eyes were wet.
“What?” When he didn’t reply she asked, “Was it something you saw?”
Harry took a deep shuddering breath, and suddenly the words were spilling out of him as if he had no control over them.
“It’s Voldemort, Cass. It’s always him. He’s killing people, killing them just because they’re in the way, or murdering them for fun. It’s Cedric all over again…and I saw that happen too, I saw him kill Cedric…and Sirius…and…and my parents.”
Cassandra’s eyes widened, shocked.
“Oh, Harry…”
He was trying to suppress the tears but some spilled over. Cassandra drew him into a hug, holding him tightly, feeling his body shake with emotion, her shoulder becoming damp as his tears leaked through her shirt. She stroked his hair, trying to soothe him, and gradually, he stopped, and broke away from her, wiping his nose on his sleeve.
“So what happened?” Harry asked her, changing the subject. He looked embarrassed. “What happened with Voldemort?”
She explained about the Riddle House, how Voldemort had seemingly possessed him and the Killing Curses he sent everywhere. She explained about the Portkey she made, which took the pair of them back to Hogwarts and where she had seen Ron. Then she stopped, unsure how to continue.
“Is everyone alright?” asked Harry, sitting up. “Is Ron? Hermione?”
“Hermione’s fine,” Cassandra said. “She’s sleeping right now, but I’ll tell her to come along sometime.”
“And Ron?”
Cassandra bit her lip.
“Cass, what’s happened to Ron?”
No answer.
“What’s happened?”
“Harry…Ron’s gone.”
She saw his eyes widen and fear spread across his face.
“Gone?”
“We don’t know where he is! He’s just disappeared.” She paused, then carried on. “Hermione thinks he’s been caught by the Death Eaters as…as hostage for you, or to get information out of him about you. I mean, everyone knows he’s your best friend. What are you doing?” she said as Harry swung his legs out of bed.
“I’m going to find Ron,” he said. “It’s my fault. I need to find him.”
“But-“
“Do you want to find Ron or not?!”
Cassandra raised her eyebrows. “Come on, then,” she said, grabbing his hand, and they both raced out of the hospital wing.