Remember Me

“You know what, Harry?” asked Cassandra as she lounged on his bed, her bright gold hair spewing out across his blankets leaving only a small space for him to perch on the end, constantly terrified he would fall off. “Imagine if…you know, when we were at the Riddle House, when the chandelier fell, Voldemort got cut right above his eyes, on his forehead.”

Her finger traced the imagined spot, her eyes looking faraway into the distance. The
Christmas holidays had ended, which meant the school was once more full of crowds of chattering students, and lessons had started up once more, more demanding and challenging than any Cassandra had experienced before.

“Mmm,” said Harry distractedly, his attention more focused on the old photo album he had in his lap, not really listening to her at all.

Cassandra, however, seemed unaware of this, and laughed as a new thought occurred to her. “Ha! Imagine if it was shaped like a lightning bolt, like yours. Everyone could call him Harry then, oh, he’d hate it, it’d be so funny…” She trailed off, fiddling with her hair as she so often did.

“And think about it! I mean, all else Voldemort would need was some hair, a nose and that’s it! He’d look just like you!”

Harry slammed the book shut, and turned to look at her. “Are you saying me and Voldemort look alike?”

“Well…”

“Thanks, Cass.”

He turned his back on her, smiling despite himself, and she craned her neck over his shoulder.

“Hey, just kidding.”

She swung her legs over the bed so she was sitting on the edge, like Harry, who shuffled back a few centimetres so he was sitting firmly on the bed. He still held the album in his hands and felt her eyes on it, burning with curiosity.

“What’s that?”

Harry showed it to her. “It’s a photo album. Hagrid got it for me. It’s got photos of my parents in.”

Cassandra nodded sympathetically, and shuffled her feet uncomfortably on the floor. She wished Hermione would say something, but Hermione was sitting on Ron’s empty bed, immersed in a thick book with a black cover.

“Can I see?”

Harry opened the album to the first page. Two people smiled up at Cassandra from the photo; a man with messy black hair, glasses askew on his nose, and a confident, cocky expression. His arms were round a pretty red-headed girl who was laughing as the man whirled her round in a circle. Cassandra smiled, though truthfully she found it a little creepy to see Harry’s parents, looking so full of life, knowing that they lay under the earth.

“I’m sorry about your dad...I mean John,” said Harry.

Cassandra looked up and saw his bright green eyes full of pity. At the sound of John’s name, it felt like something jolted in her stomach, and was falling down, down, down and she had to tilt back her head to stop the tears that seemed to come so easily to her nowadays.

Harry watched her. Since he had woken up after seeing Voldemort, Cassandra had seemed so much more fragile, easily breakable. Her toughness had dissolved. It was easy to see why though. So many things had gone wrong for her, in such a short space of time.

“Any more?” Cassandra asked, determined to change the subject.

Harry nodded, flipping the pages over. “Look,” he said, pointing to a picture of Lily and James on their wedding day. “Next to my dad. That’s Sirius.”

Cassandra nodded sympathetically.

“And right at the end…” Harry went on, skimming through the photos. “That’s Sirius and me.”

He looked down at the picture and experienced such a wave of pain and loss it took him over. He could not think of anything else except that it was his fault. It felt as if he had just seen Sirius fall through the veil, such was the pain he felt. And the pain was growing, not slipping away…

The crimson colours of the dormitory flickered before his eyes and Harry was being held in darkness, thick, black, impenetrable. A giant black snake was slithering though the blackness, reaching Harry and coiling itself around him tightly. Harry struggled, grunting with the effort, but the snake only squeezed him tighter.

Give me the prophecy, Harry…

Harry struggled silently in the dark, held prisoner by the snake, trying desperately to stop hearing Voldemort’s voice in his head, trying to wake up, anything.
The prophecy, Harry…

“I won’t! I won’t give it to you!”

And the darkness flickered and died and other images came to Harry; three people lying on the floor. He stepped closer, and experienced a cold, freezing sensation in his body.

They were Ron, Hermione and Cassandra.

They were dead.

Give me the prophecy, Harry, or I swear I will…

“Harry, wake up you idiot!”

I will destroy everyone, everything Harry…

“Harry? Can you hear me, Harry?”

Just give me that prophecy…

“Okay, he’s just being annoying now, wake up idiot!”

Harry’s eyes flew open. He was lying on his bed and Cassandra and Hermione were gathered around him, expressions of concern plastered on their faces. He guessed Cassandra had been the one insulting him.

Harry sat up, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He had always known Voldemort would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, but seeing them dead…it had made it so much more real.

“Harry…”

He jerked his head so fast his neck cricked unpleasantly. Cassandra was looking at him, raising her eyebrows.

“Was that Voldemort possessing you?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you see?”

“I…” He couldn’t tell her. “Nothing.”

Her eyebrows climbed up a few more centimetres. “Oh yeah, that totally explains why you were rolling around like you were being tortured or something.”

Harry glared at her. “So would you if Voldemort was possessing you.”

A loud, irritated sigh came from the corner. “For the last time, Harry, Voldemort isn’t actually possessing you. There’s just a link between your minds.”

“Oh, I’m sure that comforts him,” began Cassandra sarcastically, but Harry held up a hand to silence her. He was quite surprised when it worked.

“Are you alright, Hermione?”

She was sitting with her back pressed against Ron’s bed, her head bent. Cassandra put an arm around her.

“I just…I’m so worried about Ron,” Hermione muttered.

“We’re going to keep looking for him, Hermione,” said Harry. “We haven’t given up.”

“But how?” asked Cassandra, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. “We think we’ve checked all over Hogwarts, but we still don’t know! Ron could just be hiding out in a broom cupboard or something!”

Her words gave Harry an idea, something he should have thought of long before…

“Thank, Cass!” he grinned as he pulled out his trunk as started rummaging eagerly through it, sending a pair of Uncle Vernon’s socks flying.

“What, you think Ron’s been hiding in a broom cupboard?”

But Harry ignored her and triumphantly pulled out a raggedy sheet of parchment and showed it to them. Hermione gasped.

“Of course! The Marauders Map!”

“Exactly.”

Cassandra looked puzzled, and then grinned as he pressed his wand to the parchment and whispered, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”

Black lines appeared all over the parchment until Harry as holding a perfect map of Hogwarts in his hands. Hermione and Cassandra joined him, and together they poured over the map, searching for Ron’s name. Harry watched Draco Malfoy, who was surrounded (as always) with a crowd of Slytherins, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, Professor Sprout, who was in the greenhouses and Dean and Seamus in the common room before Hermione said, “He’s there!”

Harry looked at where her finger was pointing and, sure enough, a little label was there that said, “Ronald Weasley.”

“Yes!”

Harry jumped to his feet, ready to go when Hermione said, “Why’s he in Professor Grimstone’s office?”

“Maybe…maybe that’s still the catchment area for all Portkeys and Ron’s just taken a Portkey back here?” suggested Cassandra.

Harry and Hermione nodded slowly, though Harry knew she was thinking the same thing as him ; the chances that Ron had actually made a portkey was about as high as Hermione getting a question wrong in Herbology.

“And look…”

Cassandra was bent over the map, her eyebrows furrowed into a line.

“Why’s Malfoy and a whole crowd going over to Grimstone’s office?”

Harry sighed impatiently. “I don’t know, let’s just go, okay!”

“But they’re all the people he Imperiused!” Cassandra looked at the pair of them. “He hasn’t stopped, he’s just Imperiused more people!”

“Harry!”

Hermione’s squeak made Harry hurry over and scrutinise the map again. It was as if a cold stone had dropped into his stomach.

Lucius Malfoy…Bellatrix Lestrange…Fenrir Greyback…Thorfinn Rowle…

The list of Death Eater went on and on. Harry watched as they moved up the grounds, and into the castle.

“Now what do we do?”

Harry was still watching the map. “They’re going to Grimstone’s office,” he muttered. “Ron!”

Cassandra followed him, but Hermione got to her feet and held out her hands to stop them.
“Have you seen how many Death Eaters there are? We’ll get killed in the first two seconds if we run in there now.”

“Well, what do we do?” Cassandra yelled as the door opened and Dean and Seamus walked in, their cheerful expressions fading at the sight of Harry, Hermione and Cassandra’s worried faces.

“What’s happened?” asked Dean immediately, going to stand by Cassandra. “Cass, tell me!”

She took a deep breath, and straightened up. Harry saw a flash of leadership in her fiery grey eyes.

“We’ve found out where Ron is. He’s still at Hogwarts, but he and Professor Grimstone are being attacked my Death Eaters. We need to warn the teachers and contact the Order of the Phoenix.”

“I’ll do that,” said Dean.

“Right, you can contact Debbie, and she’ll tell the rest of the Order,” said Cassandra, rummaging in her pocket and finding a small package. “This is Floo Powder. Just say 91, Aquila Close.”

Dean nodded and left the room.

“I’ll tell the teachers,” said Seamus. “And I’ll get as many people as I can to help.” He followed Dean.

“Right,” said Harry. “Thanks.”

*

It was the longest wait Harry had ever experienced. His stomach was a mass of nerves, fear and desperation, and the long wait was making it worse. He was itching to go, itching to get Ron out of there. Every few seconds he checked the Marauders Map. The gang of Death Eaters and students had reached the office and were inside with Professor Grimstone. Harry supposed his teacher must be putting up a good fight.

Beside him, Hermione was twisting her hands together and Cassandra was jumping up and down the corridor.

The tension is the air was thick and heavy.

The Fat Lady’s portrait bust open and a crowd of people tumbled out. Harry recognised Tonks, Lupin and Mad-Eye, Fred and George, Ginny, Colin Creevey. Up the corridor ran a small bunch of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, with teachers jogging along next to them.
“Where are they, Potter?” squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick.

“In Professor Grimstone’s office, I-“

But his words were broken off as the large crowd ran as one towards the office. Cassandra grabbed his hand, and Harry ran with them, right behind Hermione. They flew round the corner, running ahead of everyone else, coming to a halt outside Professor Grimstone’s office door.

Cassandra turned to Harry and Hermione, a wild fire in her eyes. She raised her eyebrows, grinning.

“Let’s say hello to a whole lot of Death Eaters!” she grinned. “Let’s go!”

Hermione pointed her wand at the door and it burst open with a loud crash. Immediately, people behind Harry raised their wands and shot Stunning Spells everywhere. Some Death Eaters toppled backwards; others whirled round in surprise and drew their wands.

Jets of bright light were flying everywhere, in every direction and the small office was crammed with duellers. Tables and chairs were smashed, and people fell down on the floor as jinxes hit them. The battle flowed out into the corridor beyond.

“Professor Grimstone!” yelled Harry. “Are you alright?”

Malik Grimstone turned round and saw Harry Potter standing next to him. Without thinking, he stretched out a hand and slammed Harry against the wall, one hand round his throat, and wand pointing at Harry’s chest.

“Professor Grimstone!”

“How very pleased the Dark Lord will be with me. When I am the one to bring him Potter.”

Harry was choking, his face turning red. “The Dark Lord…?”

His gaze slipped to Professor Grimstone’s sleeve, which was rolled up. A black Dark Mark lay there, repulsive and wrong.

“You’re a Death Eater?” he choked, struggling to free himself.

“Impedimenta!” screamed Cassandra, causing Professor Grimstone to release Harry, who grabbed Hermione and ran away nearer to Ron, ducking low to avoid the spells that soared over their heads. He could hear Cassandra and Grimstone duelling, and thought how stupid he was to have trusted Grimstone for so long.

Harry and Hermione stumbled over to where the door was, the door which Ron was behind. Harry reached it first and tugged at the handle.

It did not open.

Now he came to think about it, it was strange that Ron hadn’t come out to help when he heard noises of the battle, which was raging behind them. And it was strange that the door was locked.

“Oh, move over!” snapped Hermione. She pointed her wand at the door and said, “Alohomora!” The door sprung open with a click, and Harry raced inside.

“Ron!” It was as he had feared. Ron was tied up to a chair, wandless. He bore signs of blood and cuts on his face and he looked white and weak.

“Harry!” Ron yelled. “Grimstone, Professor Grimstone! He’s a Death Eater!”

Harry ran over to Ron, muttered “Diffindo,” and the bonds tying Ron to the chair fell away. Harry pulled Ron to his feet and hugged him.

“Ron, mate, what have they been-“

But he was knocked to one side by a cloud of bushy brown hair as Hermione charged into the room and flung her arms around Ron, who stood, swaying slightly.

“Ron! Oh, I was so scared; I thought…I thought…”

“It’s all right, Hermione,” said Ron, patting her on the back. “’M fine.”

But the more Harry looked at Ron, the more he was sure Ron wasn’t fine. Ron looked very weak and shaky, and blood was trickling down from his cheek.

“You need to go to Madam Pomfrey,” he said. “C’mon.”

He helped Ron out of the small room. He had forgotten how large the battle was. People were running everywhere, screaming curses and jabbing their wands. Poisonous looking red and green lights lit up the room.

“Ron!” yelled Cassandra delightedly, as she saw him, and she rushed over and hugged him. She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, blood soaking into her hair, but she looked happier than she had done for days, laughing and grinning at the sight of Ron. Harry had never seen her look more beautiful.

“C’mon, I’ll clear the way,” she said. “We need to get away from the battle, then I’m coming back to help.”

“I’m not weak, I can fight!” said Ron indignantly, but they all ignored him and helped him out, Cassandra, Harry and Hermione shooting Stunners at Death Eaters to clear their path.
The door to the office opened once more.

“Dumbledore!”

Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway, looking angrier than Harry had ever seen him. A sharp wave of relief flooded through Harry. If Dumbledore was here, everything would be alright.

It certainly seemed so. As Dumbledore swept in, holding his wand aloft, the Death Eaters began to fall defenceless onto the ground.

Only a few were left fighting.

“Nice one, Dean,” said Cassandra appreciatively, as Dean hit Greyback with a Body-Bind jinx. She held her hand up for a high-five.

And then Bellatrix Lestrange’s voice screamed, “Obliviate!” and the world seemed to have smashed, to have broken…the spell was so powerful that Harry felt himself flying through the air, gripping on tightly to his wand and Ron’s arm…

They landed on a pile of rubble. The room had gone eerily silent. Harry and Ron exchanged worried looks, and stood up slowly, walking over to where they had been moments before, a mounting feeling of dread rising up inside them. Harry had never been this frightened before, never in his life…

Cassandra was sitting down behind an overturned table. Dean, Hermione and Lupin were around her, and Ron and Harry joined the group quickly.

“Cass! Are you okay?”

Cassandra turned her head to look at him. “Uh?”

“Are you alright? What happened? Who did the spell hit?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Cass?”

“What?”

“Cass?”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Harry,” said Lupin in a slow, gentle voice. “I’m sorry-“

“No.”

“I’m sorry Harry. Cassandra got hit by the memory curse-“

“No!”

“-It was a very powerful one. It’s wiped out all her memories…she’s lost who she is.”

Lupin’s voice broke. It sounded as if he was holding back tears.

And numb, raw pain filled Harry from head to foot, and suddenly he did not want to look at Cassandra; he turned away and ran, ran as far as he could. He was dimly aware of footsteps coming after him and Lupin shouting him name, but he did not stop.

Not Cassandra.

Please God, no.

But there was no way out. Cassandra had lost her memory for good.