Remember Me

Harry, Ron and Hermione were round the back of St Mungo’s again. They were hidden behind the trees that lay around a small concrete garden, hoping that the tress would give them enough shelter as the Invisibility Cloak just wasn’t big enough to cover them all now.

Harry and Hermione were frantically whispering instructions to Ron, who was getting more than a little annoyed.

“I know, I know, I’ve been told all this ever since you saw her, Harry!”

“Be really quick, okay?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay…go.”

Ron shuffled forwards slowly, glanced cautiously around, then crept up to the building. He turned around and gave a quick thumbs-up to wherever he supposed Harry and Hermione to be. The darkness was so thick he couldn’t tell.

They had decided it would be best not to use magic after they had done last time, but Ron reckoned as they were by a magical hospital and he didn’t have the Trace on him anymore, they would be safe.

He pointed his wand at the window and whispered, “Ascendo.” Ron shot up into the air like a bullet and gripped the window frame tightly. His legs swung wildly below him and she struggled for a secure foothold, cautiously raising his wand arm and trying to aim it at the window. It was very difficult however, as he was now only holding on with one hand. He tried not to think how high up in the air he was.

Ron gritted his teeth and tried again. On the second attempt, his spell hit the window and it cracked. He closed his eyes and grimaced, hurriedly bending his head down as a shower of broken glass fell down upon him. He could feel little cuts appearing in his skin, and shuddered from the memory of what he had endured in Grimstone’s office.

He suddenly thought of his family. Would they be caught and tortured like he was, for information on him and Harry? The whole Wizarding world knew he was on the run with the most wanted wizard alive, and he himself had a one hundred galleon price on his head…

Grunting a little with the effort, Ron managed to swing his legs up and clumsily climb through the window. He fell onto the polished floor with surprisingly little noise, and got up slowly, rubbing his knees where he had landed.

Curtains were drawn around all the beds. Ron picked his way through the ward carefully, hesitant to draw any of them back or to call Cassandra’s name in case they weren’t sleeping. A new fear shot through him. What if Cassandra wasn’t here? What if she had been moved…or worse, as the Death Eaters now knew she was friends with Harry…

Ron moved through the ward with a new fervour. He twitched aside curtains, hurriedly dropping them when they revealed a strangers face. He checked his watch impatiently. Ten minutes left…

“Bloody hell,” whispered Ron. “Where are you, Cass?”

He moved through the beds, his shoes tapping softly on the floor. A curtain at the end of the ward moved, and he quickly dived behind a bed before anyone could see him.

“Ron?”

Ron froze.

Someone sighed, an impatient sigh that seemed to rip out of their throat.

“Stupid Archie Walter, always leaving stupid stuff around…why can’t he just get his act together and clear up his bloody bed for once…”

Ron grinned, and stood up.

“Hey, Cass!”

She poked her head out from behind the curtains surrounding her bed again, and her heart-shaped face screwed up into a wide grin.

“Ron! I thought you were a cat Archie Walter dropped!”

“Shh!”

He went over to her and threw an arm around her shoulders.

“We’ve come to get you out of here,” Ron whispered in Cassandra’s ear. “Me and Harry and Hermione.”

She folded her arms and raised her eyebrows. “You mean that skinny little guy who came in here, made me get my memory back and then ran away again?”

“Yeah.”

She grinned again. “Okay then.”

Ron stood up, holding her hand. “C’mon, quickly. Get your stuff.”

Cassandra raised her eyebrows again. “What stuff? Everything’s been left at Hogwarts.”

“You haven’t got anything?” Ron lanced at the thin hospital pyjamas she was wearing. “Okay.”

“Well, I’ve got my wand.”

“Brilliant.”

“Let’s go!”

They crept across the room and to the open window.

“I’ll do it,” hissed Ron. “You’ve still got the Trace on you.”

Cassandra nodded and he slowly levitated her out of the window and down. He had to guess where she was on the ground, as it was so dark he couldn’t see, but a sot “Ow!” told him he’d done his job.

“That hurt!” Cassandra called up.

“Sorry!” Ron yelled down. “But I’m trying my best here!”

“I know, I was simply stating the obvious,” she shouted back. “Where are Harry and Hermione?”

“Wait a sec!”

Ron jumped down from the window, breaking his fall using a Cushioning Charm. He landed right next to Cassandra, and she pulled him up.

“Thank God!” she grinned. “I’m out of St Mungo’s!”

She cheered in celebration, and he joined in. Cassandra was free; Cassandra had her memory back…

They clattered across the concrete garden, unaware of the noises they were making.

“Harry! Hermione!”

The other two joined them, and the four friends walked slowly out of the hospital, laughing and chattering.

“Stupefy!”

A hot jet of red light flew over Cassandra’s head, burning a few of her golden hairs. They all stared at it in shock, then turned their heads behind them.

A crowd of wizards were running towards them, wands held aloft.

“No!” screamed Hermione. “Harry, Cass, don’t do magic or the ministry will get you! No, Harry!”

She forced his wand down and, gripping his wrist pulled him along.

The four friends sprinted as fast as they could, faster than they would have thought possible. Ron and Hermione shot jinxes at their pursuers as they ran as fast as possible. Faster. Faster. The wizards were pelting after them. They could not be caught.

They flew out from the trees, emerging in a Muggle street that, despite the lateness of the hour, was bustling with Muggles.

“Run!” panted Hermione. “Come on!”

They flew down a street and turned a corner. By the bright lights flashing past them, they knew that the wizards were still chasing them.

“They’re hurting the Muggles!” screamed Cassandra, turning round to see one middle-aged woman crumple to the ground after a Stunning Spell hit her full in the face.

“Get a move on!” yelled Ron, who shot an Enervate spell to the woman, and she got up, blinking slowly.

“How obvious is this?” gasped Harry as they turned left, right and right again, their feet slapping the pavement loudly.

“I know, I know, we just need to shake them off!” replied Hermione. “Just pretend we’re joggers or something!”

“Joggers?” screamed Cassandra. “In hospital pyjamas?”

“Here!”

Hermione grabbed their sleeves and pulled them into a dark, rancid-smelling street. They back away until they were swallowed up by the shadows. Only when the wizards dashed past did they all let out long, deep breaths.

“Thank Merlin,” gasped Ron. “How did we get out of that one?”

Cassandra and Harry had fallen to the ground and were sitting there, massaging the stitches in their chests.

“Is this what…it’s like with you guys…on the run?” panted Cassandra, looking at them.

Harry grinned shiftily. “Looks like it.”

Cassandra laughed her infectious laugh. “Brilliant!”