Discovering You

Cassandra hummed happily as she tucked her head under Harry’s chin, stretching her legs out so that her bare toes were warmed by the fire. Around her, the air was thick with chatter, the common room full to bursting as the house gathered inside, rather than face the icy winds and hint of snows that filled the cold, frost-laden grounds. There was the soft whispering on Hermione’s quill on parchment, Ron’s loud, contented yawns and the feel of Harry running his fingers through her hair. Cassandra was so warm and comfortable she did not want to move, perhaps ever again. Just stay here, listening to the fire crackle and the familiar sound of Yolanda hissing as the small kitten tried to turf Ron out of his seat.

The flames leaped, and she stared into them. Red and gold…Gryffindor colours. There were Gryffindor colours hung up in the Room of Requirement, where she and Rachel worked so much. Gryffindor tapestries, and Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin’s too. All hung up together…

All around the memories, the cauldron-like machine. The memories were thick, so thick. Like deluxe whipped cream, only they seemed to push against their glass containers. Aged, probably. Rachel said her father had had them for some time. Her father hadn’t been able to do it. He had died. He’d broken the Unbreakable Vow.

Grimstone had first made Cassandra realise how horrible the Unbreakable Vow was. It was in a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson last year, and she remembered the way the torches had made the sweat on his bald head glisten, and the greedy, predatory look in his eyes. Dumbledore could choose the teachers well…the flames in the fireplace flickered, then burned more strongly than ever.

Grimstone was now a known Death Eater, one of the ones hardly mentioned in the Prophet, yet he caused worry throughout the country. He was clever and unpredictable and dangerous. And Cassandra would bet he wasn’t hiding away quietly, would bet that he was plotting, planning…he would want power…That was what made him different to Bellatrix.

Bellatrix did not want power. She wanted revenge, and nothing seemed able to stop her. The Ministry was at a loss. They could not find Grimstone, nor could they find her. Bellatrix was killing, murdering…Cassandra unconsciously pressed herself closer to Harry’s warm body, and he wrapped an arm around her stomach.

It was so warm here by the fire…

“Cass.”

Cassandra sighed, considered the benefits of sticking up her finger at the speaker, or setting Yolanda on them to rip them to shreds, but turned her head and raised her eyebrows. “What?” she muttered grumpily.

Neville shuffled his feet nervously on the floor. Cassandra’s glare at him didn’t weaken. “Umm, the new Ravenclaw girl says she wants to see you, she’s by the Fat Lady, I think her name’s Rachel Leroy…”

She sighed again, letting her head fall back onto Harry’s chest.

“Don’t bother about Rachel,” Harry whispered into her ear. “You spend all your time with her, tell her to go away.”

It was very tempting. But it was Rachel, and that meant something to do with their plan.

“Sorry,” Cassandra said, getting up and shaking her head – her brain felt as if it was full of fog.”See you later.”

Harry rolled his eyes, but cupped her chin in his hand and pulled her down for a kiss. “Bye.” He tunred to Ron, who was drawing up Quidditch tactics, and eagerly joined in.

Cassandra crossed the room, and banged open the Fat Lady.

“You know what you are?” she said the Rachel, who stood there in her robes and knee-length skirt, her hair neatly tied back off her face and her freckles showing up more than ever.

“A genius?”

“No, an annoying bitch.” Cassandra raised her eyebrows and put a hand on her hip, popping her left leg out. “What? And seriously, who even wears their skirt that long nowadays?”

Rachel shrugged. “At least I look like I’m wearing one.”

“I said you were an annoying bitch, okay, that means I win.”

“And why am I an annoying bitch?”

“Because you dragged me out here.”

“Not literally.”

“Neville doesn’t count. He has big ears.”

Rachel waved her hand. “Anyway.” She was grinning from ear to ear, and it suddenly occurred to Cassandra how unusual that was. She hardly ever saw Rachel smile, let alone grin.

“What…?” she repeated, only her voice was wary and a smile was creeping across her face.
“Do you want a surprise or me to tell you now.”

“Er…I really couldn’t actually care, but you can tell me now.”

Rachel, however seemed to ignore this. “Come with me.” She grabbed Cassandra’s wrist and pulled her forwards, so that she stumbled ungracefully, before running after her.
And Cassandra was running faster and faster, as she knew, she knew what Rachel wanted to tell her, and she knew that it had worked and she was scared, but so, so excited.
Rachel stopped at the Room of Requirement, opened the door, and pulled Cassandra inside.

“It’s finished! We’ve done it!”

It looked exactly the same; the cabinet of memories, the metallic cauldron, the heavy bookshelves. But there was a new noise, a humming, a throbbing, emanating from the cauldron, making the floor vibrate.

“Oh my God,” Cassandra said in a hushed voice. Then, louder, “Oh my God!”

She turned round. “Rach, you were right! You are a genius!” She swore loudly, shaking her head, her eyes big and grinning widely.

“I finished just now, I thought I’d better come and tell you…”

“Rach, you are amazing!”

Cassandra would have hugged her, but as soon as she thought of the idea it felt awkward, so she settled for patting Rachel on the back. The smaller girl looked pleased.

“Do you want to do it?”

“Now?” Cassandra had never thought of this. The goal had been to finish building the machine, and of course she knew that the whole point of it was the resurrect the founders, but it seemed different now. “Are you sure?”

“We have to,” Rachel nodded. “We just add in the memories, and then it’s done.”

“I…”

“Oh, come on, Cassandra!”

Cassandra shrugged, twisting a piece of her long gold hair uncertainly round her fingers. “Well…you’re the wise old Ravenclaw I guess.”

Rachel smiled, and handed Cassandra phials full of memories. The tops had been taken off. Rachel reached for more phials, until both girl’s hands were full of them.

“Ready?” Rachel said, her eyes bright.

“Ready.”

And they both tipped the memories into the cauldron.

Many years later, Cassandra would realise how drastically this would change things, and wish desperately that she had never done it.