Brontide

The grandiose departure of Fred and George was retold so much that rumors had begun to circulate. A few days after they left, I'd overheard a conversation between Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who were debating whether or not Fred and George had unleashed a second Portable Swamp in Umbridge's office, complete with a ferocious colony of Grindylows. I wasn't sure where they got that idea, but instead of correcting them I decided to sit back and let the impending chaos ensue in front of me.

Those boys sure as hell made sure that no one would forget them anytime soon, and much of that was depicted by the fact that the Portable Swamp was still bubbling away in Gregory the Smarmy's corridor. Umbridge had no idea how to get rid of it, and while I was sure someone like Flitwick or McGonagall was more than capable of disposing of it, they, like the rest of the school, wanted to watch Umbridge struggle.

In all honesty, it was absolutely odd not having Fred and George around to terrorize the school anymore. It was as though a huge hole had opened up in the middle of the school and the Great Hall had been swallowed by it or something. Something just felt off, like a piece of Hogwarts' very foundation had gone missing. However, people were quick on the uptake and continued their fine work, setting off dung bombs in corridors almost regularly and eating products from the twins' Skiving Snackboxes to get out of class with Umbridge. Peeves was the quickest to get on the bring-down-Umbridge train, knocking over tables and throwing paintings, juggling burning torches over classrooms and shutting Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's cat, inside suits of armor. It'd become pretty chaotic, to say the least.

"I still can't believe they didn't tell us they'd found a place for their joke shop," Rae said to me during the last weekend of May as we headed down to the Quidditch pitch. It was the last game of the season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and they were one win away from taking the Quidditch cup.

"They probably wanted to make it a surprise," I smiled to myself, trying to maneuver through the crowd. We found seats near the back of the bleachers, which were filling up quickly.

"I suppose," Rae replied, pulling out her binoculars. "It was really nice of Harry to give them his Triwizard winnings, I'm not sure they'd be able to have a place already otherwise."

When the Gryffindor Quidditch team came out onto the pitch, we spotted Ron almost right away, screaming and yelling our support for him. We knew he was a horrible Keeper, but we tried to give him a bit of confidence over the Slytherin's horrible rendition of "Weasley is our King". And as we watched him play, he blocked one goal, and then another, and then another, to where Ron only let the quaffle in one time. We turned the song around to make it a boost of confidence, and in the end, Ginny, replacing Harry as Seeker, took the snitch right out from under Cho Chang's nose and Gryffindor had demolished Ravenclaw to win the Quidditch Cup.

June crept up on everyone and it was finally time for exams. Any moment not spent in class I spent with my nose in a textbook, skipping meals here and there. I'd never studied so hard for anything in my entire life, and I was almost sure information was pouring from my ears. Rae was concerned for my well-being but her words fell on deaf ears, as I was too focused on practicing wand movements.

Through the course of the next few weeks, I completed the N.E.W.T.s for Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. With Transfiguration I felt I'd surprised myself, having a much easier time than I thought I would. With the sloth they'd given us, I transformed it into a large, beautiful bird of paradise with violet and red plumes. Herbology and Charms I felt I'd done fairly well in. While I'd forgotten the wand movements for the Colour Change Charm, I was able to make a textbook flap around the test examiner's head while it sang opera. The Potions exam had been nothing short of a nightmare that I never wanted to relive again.

However, Umbridge could eat my Defense Against the Dark Arts exam for breakfast, because undoubtedly I knew I'd gotten an 'Outstanding'. It was all thanks to Harry's diligence. Speaking of Harry...

Near the very end of term, in a series of events that had to be explained to me by Ron and Hermione, as Harry was too grief-stricken to talk about it, Sirius Black was killed at the Ministry of Magic by Bellatrix Lestrange. The Daily Prophet was now publishing about Lord Voldemort's return being true, about how Harry and Dumbledore were right and it'd dubbed Harry "The Chosen One". Umbridge had been carried off into the Forbidden Forest by a wild herd of centaurs and was now lying in the hospital wing, completely traumatized, which was the best news I'd heard in my whole life. Dumbledore had been officially reinstated at Hogwarts, and all was right with the world.

Well, not quite.

When I heard the news about Sirius, it'd surprised me so much that I found myself in a mourning state. I'd grown to really like Sirius and I couldn't imagine the pain Harry must've been going through. He had been almost like a parent to Harry, who no longer had any living relatives to my knowledge. It is because of this, because I respected him and didn't want to approach him right away, that I waited until the last day of term, June twenty-first, to say anything to him.

It also happened to be my birthday, but I was certainly not in a celebrating mood.

I'd woken up pretty early on the last day of term, despite my wish to sleep in. I'd had trouble sleeping the previous night; I still hadn't come to terms with school ending for good, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever be. I was almost afraid of what would come after all of this because as much as I tried, I simply couldn't see it. The only thing I was certain of was that I was now eighteen years old and it would be impossible for me not to get sentimental about leaving Hogwarts. Or, as the twins would so lovingly put it, I wasn't sentimental; I was just mental.

Rae and I agreed that we weren't quite ready to pack our things, so we made our way out of the bustling common room, where people were making sure they hadn't forgotten any of their belongings. We headed down to the Great Hall instead to eat something before our departure, finding the vast room fairly empty. Some friends were hugging each other goodbye, crying on one another or saying they'd see each other next term. Rae and I ate our breakfasts in silence, looking up when Lee Jordan plopped himself across from us.

"It's really weird, isn't it?" he said wistfully, looking towards the large oak doors of the Great Hall, where Angelina Johnson was hugging Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell. "I never really thought about the day I'd be leaving this place. It's a shame Fred and George aren't here, you know they'd be over the moon about what happened to Umbridge."

I smiled. "It is pretty hilarious what happened to her. Some people keep making the sounds of horse hooves outside the infirmary and apparently, it really freaks her out."

"Serves her right," Rae mumbled.

We vowed to keep in touch with him as much as possible and gave him our hugs goodbye, watching as the tall, dark-haired boy put his arm around Angelina, the two of them exiting the Great Hall together. Rae and I finished our breakfasts, and when I got up I spotted Harry walking into the room. Before I could stop myself, I headed over to his direction, meeting him in the middle of the hall.

"Harry, could I talk to you for a minute?" I asked quietly. The expression on his face read that he'd talked to too many people in the past few days, but nevertheless, he nodded and the two of us sat across from each other at an empty part of the Gryffindor table.

I twiddled my thumbs nervously, not sure how to start. "I just wanted to say that...I know you don't want pity, but I'm sorry about what happened to your godfather. If there's anything I can do, anything at all, please let me know. You wouldn't be bothering me, I promise." I smiled a little. "Secondly, you better visit the twins and us during the summer, and that goes for darling Ronald too because both of you will never hear the end of it from me if you don't. It's gonna be bloody weird not seeing you all almost every single day. What I'm trying to say is...I'll miss you, even though, 'ya know, I'll still be at the Burrow a lot and will probably see everyone during the holidays and whatnot. I just – " I let out a sigh, glancing around at the familiar room. " – I don't like change."

Harry gave me a small smile. "I'll make sure to visit when I can, and I'm gonna miss seeing you guys, too. This place already feels strange without Fred and George bounding around it. And – change never really agreed with me, either," he added honestly, looking almost far off. A minute later he seemingly snapped back into reality. "Hey, isn't today the twenty-first? It's your birthday, isn't it?" I silently nodded. "Well, Happy Birthday, Cassie," he smiled.

"Thank you, I wasn't sure if anyone remembered. It sure as hell doesn't feel like my birthday, because I'm leav – " I suddenly had a lump in my throat, unable to say anymore.

I met back up with Rae and we begrudgingly made our way up to the Gryffindor common room to start packing our things. I made sure all of my textbooks were locked away, along with clothes, school robes, pairs of shoes, unused parchment and my rucksack that I hadn't emptied out, anything I'd gotten for Christmas, ink bottles and quills. My Remembrall was wrapped in layers of socks, nestled carefully in my rucksack. I made sure Nestor was tucked safely into his cage before sitting on my four-poster bed. Rae had finished packing, and already she was starting to sniffle, rubbing her eyes defiantly.

We made the decision, having some time before we had to get on the train, to go back to the rock by the Black Lake one final time. The sun shone bright and warm in the sky, our school robes soaking up the heat. We sat close to each other, my head resting on top of Rae's as we looked out across the lake, taking in the mountainous scenery reflecting into the water. I wasn't sure how to deal with what was happening. Hogwarts had become so important to me I couldn't really put it into words. It'd housed seven of the best years of my life, been the foundation for my three closest friendships and taught me how to be the best witch I could possibly be. I'd been so anxious to leave, to move onto the next stage of my life, that I didn't face the facts.

I really hadn't wanted to leave. I wasn't ready for what was next, because I didn't know what would be next. I felt very much like a baby bird that was on the brink of leaving the nest, not sure whether to try flying or to plummet down below.

"God, this is so weird," Rae finally said, her voice cracking. "Where the hell did the time go? I feel like just yesterday we were tiny First Years and now all of a sudden –" She stopped to motion between us, " – look at us, we're basically adults now."

"I know," I said quietly, "I didn't think I'd be this sad about going. I was so anxious to get out of here, to escape Umbridge, and now I..."

My voice trailed off, the lump in my throat reforming with a vengeance as I felt tears start to streak down my face. I felt Rae envelop me in her arms and we held each other, afraid that if we let go it'd be time to leave already. I'd been reduced to a fit of choked sobs in which Rae joined me at some point, the both of us complete emotional, sopping messes. I hadn't cried like that in a long time but it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

As it neared the time where we had to leave, we left our usual spot and headed back to the castle. I took one last fleeting look at the grounds, at the lake, at the Forbidden Forest, at Hagrid's hut, before going back inside. I dragged my trunk and Nestor's cage to the door of our dormitory, taking a minute to collect myself before glancing at my bed one final time and closing the door behind me.

While we sat in the carriages, with the thestrals pulling them toward the Hogwarts Express, the same skeletal horses that'd started it all for me, I watched as Hogwarts grew smaller and smaller in the distance, its many towers spiraling up to the sky. Rae and I found a compartment by ourselves on the train, and as the scarlet engine took off from the platform I saw my fairytale home became no smaller than a toy dollhouse, shrouded by trees and then no longer visible.

"Happy birthday, Cassie," Rae said as cheerily as she could muster, reaching into her bag and pulling out a present neatly wrapped in turquoise paper.

I felt myself smile a little, putting down the box of Pineapple Ice I'd gotten from the trolley. "Thank you," I said quietly, taking the present from her and peeling back the paper. I pulled out a red leather-bound book, and on the very front, written in gold lettering, were the words Cassie and Her Friends' Greatest Adventures. I looked back up at Rae, who was smiling sheepishly.

"Just open it."

I did, and what I found inside made my heart swell to near impossible size. It was a photo album of moving pictures, taken from our first year at school all the way to our last. I couldn't help but smile at the eleven-year-old versions of Fred, George, Rae and myself, our school robes swimming on us as we had our arms around each other, waving at the camera enthusiastically with our free hands.

I flipped through and found a picture of me sitting on Lee's shoulders while he stood on the rock by the lake during our Third Year. Another one I found was from our Fourth Year, right after I'd tried the twins' Nosebleed Nougat for the first time. I was covering my oozing nose with one hand and trying to smack the camera out of Fred's hand while chasing him. George could be seen laughing like mad in the background. There was one from our Sixth Year that caught my eye. Rae and I were dancing together at the Yule Ball, overdramatizing all our movements and spinning each other around like buffoons, having too much fun in our pretty ball gowns. So many of my memories were right there in that book, and along with the locket my parents had given me for Christmas it was the best present I'd ever gotten.

"Rae, this is fantastic," I said in awe, not looking up as I kept flipping through the photo album.

"I left you some room in the back too, so you could add more pictures to it," she said.

I grinned. "Thank you, this is honestly so wonderful."

The food trolley came through again and we ended up buying enough sweets to feed ten people. The two of us relaxed into the cushiony compartment seats, reminiscing on past things and wondering what the boys' shop would look like. It was steadily getting darker out and after a while we changed into normal clothing, tucking our school robes into our luggage. I fed Nestor before the train gradually started to slow down, signaling that we were almost back in London. Rae and I picked up our belongings and exited the compartment, and when we got to King's Cross we said goodbye to a few more people before getting on the platform.

The scarlet engine was emitting steam everywhere, and with the vast amount of people waiting on the platform, it was hard to see where anyone was. We were able to find Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who helped up push through the crowd to the group of people waiting with flaming red hair. Fred and George, taller than Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, stood out first, wearing matching magenta robes and grinning from ear to ear upon seeing us. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood in front of them, talking amongst themselves but smiling once they spotted everyone.

With them were Remus and Tonks, both looking tired and slightly older, but trying to look happy nonetheless. Tonks' hair was now a mousy brown color, and with a pang, I realized why. Sirius had been ones of Remus' best friends, and Tonks was Sirius' niece so without a doubt in my mind I knew they were both grief-stricken. Standing alongside them were Kingsley Shacklebolt, looming over almost everyone, and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Tonks' Auror mentor at the Ministry and famed dark wizard catcher. I'd met the real Moody only on a few occasions. He was in and out of Order meetings all the time and had a very paranoid nature, putting his trust in few people. He had seemed decent enough to me, but the large magical eye that swiveled around in his head, rumored to see through solid objects, made me feel a little uneasy.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeted Ron and Ginny with big hugs, and the twins stepped around them to scoop us up in a group hug. I instantly felt a little happier.

"Well would you look at that, Rae, they did miss us after all!" I said, feigning surprise. I felt Fred ruffle my hair.

"'Course we missed you, you numpties," he stated, "George and I've had to cook for ourselves since going on our own. You can imagine it's been interesting."

I smacked him lightly on the arm, breaking out of the hug. "Wait, what do you mean you're cooking for yourselves? You're not living at the Burrow anymore?"

They shook their heads. "We've got a flat over the shop now," George said, "its roomy enough for us and we don't have to worry about Mum complaining about the explosions anymore."

"Doesn't mean she didn't cry when we left, though," Fred muttered quietly.

"Will we get to see it?" Rae asked.

"Certainly," George said.

"But we're going back to the Burrow first," Fred added.

"For birthday festivities and whatnot," George said.

"Speaking of which, happy birthday, Cassie," they said at the same time, doing that weird twin thing they sometimes did. I smiled.

"Thank you, I –" I was unable to finish my sentence because Mrs. Weasley had come over and scooped Rae and me into big hugs. Mr. Weasley stood behind her, looking slightly apologetic.

"Oh, I'm so proud of both of you!" she cried happily. "I'm so relieved you decided to stay and finish your schooling." I could tell she was aiming her words at Fred and George, who were definitely not happy about that.

"Mum, if you had Umbridge in charge when you went to school, you would've left, too!" Fred protested.

"She was going to let Filch whip us!" George added.

Mrs. Weasley pulled away from the hug, glaring at her sons with her hands on her hips. "If you'd set off a swamp in my house I would've beaten the both of you too! Granted, she is a horrible woman," she added thoughtfully, "but that doesn't excuse the both of you for not finishing school!"

Mr. Weasley came over to his wife and put a hand on her shoulder. "Molly, perhaps at another time? They're waiting for us," he said quietly.

She took a deep breath and nodded, looking at me and giving me another hug. "Happy birthday, dear." She pulled away and turned to everyone. "Come on, everyone! Let's get a move on!"

Fred grabbed my trunk for me and I greeted the other Order members before we all apparated to the Burrow. We ended up landing in the yard a good distance away from the house, a few people ending up in the paddy. We trudged across the lawn and Fred moved closer to me, talking quietly.

"They've put up even more protective spells," he said. "Mum's taking no chances, especially now that the Order's been having their meetings here."

My brows furrowed. "Why're they doing it here?" He gave me a knowing look and a light went off in my head, signaling a small feeling of loss. Sirius. "Oh," was all I said.

We went inside and the familiar smells of the Burrow brought a smile to my face; warm cookies, cut grass, it smelled like home. Fred and George put our luggage and Nestor in the sitting room for the moment, and I would've followed them to help if I hadn't noticed two very familiar people sitting at the long kitchen table. My eyes went wide as my parents got up from their seats slowly, my mother looking at me rather nervously.

"W-what're you doing here?" I asked, thoroughly surprised. Everyone else must've known they'd be there because they watched off to the side with baited breath, not sure if I was going to explode again.

"Cassie, I'm sorry," my mother said quietly, taking a step toward me. I stayed where I was. "Your father and I – well, we talked to Molly, and even though she doesn't agree with your decision to join the Order, she understands that you're of age now and –" She reached out and took both of my hands in hers, her blue eyes meeting mine. "– I'm sorry it took so long for us – for me – to understand. You're old enough to make your own decisions now, and I trust your judgment. Whatever you decide for yourself in regards to the Order...we support you," she said, her voice breaking at the end.

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. I let her pull me into her arms and returned her hug, muttering, "I'm sorry, too...thank you for understanding. I'm so happy you're both here." I pulled away and smiled at her and my father, hugging him tightly as they both wished me a happy birthday.

Everyone on the other side of the room was able to relax, and once all the greetings had gone around we celebrated my birthday and the end of term. We had a late dinner comprised of lamb, mashed parsnips, dinner rolls, peas and carrots and my mother's homemade shepherd's pie. Conversation, for the most part, was kept light and on the positive side. My parents looked happy as they chatted away with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, their eyes more lively and my mother's laughter rang loud and clear. Remus, Kingsley and Mad-Eye were talking amongst themselves about Order business. Tonks was trying to look interested, but I knew from the look of discontent on her face that she had other things on her mind. I caught her attention by clearing my throat a little, raising an eyebrow when she met my gaze. She mouthed the words 'I'll tell you later' and I nodded.

I picked up my fork, about to dive back into my dinner, when it shot out of my hand and bopped me on the nose. Confused and a bit stunned, I looked over to the twins and Rae to see them laughing behind their hands. Glaring playfully, I pulled my wand out of my pocket and waved it under the table, grinning as Fred's mashed parsnip splattered across the side of his face. He smirked amusedly and waved his wand again, shooting one of my carrots up my nose. I let out a choked laugh and quickly pulled it out, throwing it at him. He deflected it and it landed on Ron's plate, causing half the table to turn into a fit of concealed laughter.

For dessert, Mrs. Weasley had whipped up a lovely white cake with fudge frosting and Happy Birthday, Cassie written in purple lettering. All different flavor tarts had been made, along with pumpkin pasties and chocolate biscuits. I'd eaten so much food that I lost track of what helping I was on. It was after dessert, after I'd opened up most of my presents that the four of us slipped away through the back door into the pitch black yard. We lit our wands to see the way and walked over to the apple orchard, collapsing under some of the trees.

"I've never felt so full in my entire life," Rae groaned, lying eagle spread on the grass. I sat up against a tree, creating a light that bobbed around over our heads and putting my wand away.

"So, what was Umbridge like after we left?" Fred asked, the light making his blazing hair stand out over everything else.

We told them how Peeves nearly tore the place apart, how dung bombs would go off in the corridors almost all the time and how people made good use of their Skiving Snackboxes. We made sure to especially tell them about Umbridge's experience with the centaurs and how she was deathly afraid of any sounds that sounded like hooves clicking.

They were both grinning from ear to ear. "That's quite possibly the best thing I've ever heard in my entire life," George chuckled, leaning back on his hands and looking over at Rae. She had her hands behind her head, looking up at the sky between the trees.

"I wish you both could've seen it, Hogwarts would've been something of a dream for you," I continued. I looked at the magenta robes they were wearing, scrunching up my nose. "What's with these?" I asked, picking up a corner of the material Fred was wearing.

"They're our work robes," he defended, snatching it from my hands.

"They clash horribly with your hair," I laughed.

"I'll have you know that was the whole point," he stated matter-of-factly. George nodded.

"Yeah, and if you two are coming to work for us you'll be wearing the same thing," he added.

I rolled my eyes. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, it's part of your uniform," Fred smirked.

I sighed. "Fine, fine, it'll probably look better on us, anyway."

"What're we doing about living arrangements?" Rae piped up.

I felt like I'd been hit over the head by a rock. That was one thing I hadn't considered; where I'd be living after I left Hogwarts. I initially thought I'd be going back to my house but then I remembered that my parents and Devon had left. I couldn't stay at the Burrow. While I was sure Mrs. Weasley would love to have me, I couldn't put that financial burden on her. I thought that maybe I'd be able to stay at Rae's place since her folks would likely be away, but then I remembered that she lived all the way up north near the border of Scotland. I wasn't sure if I felt comfortable apparating from there all the way to Diagon Alley every day.

Fred and George looked at each other for a moment, as though the answer were obvious. "You'll be staying with us, of course," Fred said.

I stared at him blankly. "What?"

"Why wouldn't you? It wouldn't be much different from living at Hogwarts," George shrugged. Rae sat up, looking around at all of us.

"Are you sure your flat could hold four people?" she asked skeptically.

Fred shrugged. "It could. If you both wanted to stay there while you look for a place of your own that'd be fine. We wouldn't care."

Rae looked at me. "What do you think?"

"I think that'd be fine," I said honestly, "we could look for a small place in London or something, nothing too far."

"It's settled, then," Fred smirked, clapping his hands together.

"Hello, flatmates," George grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Why do I feel like I'll regret this? Okay, rule number one: don't expect us to cook for you." They both groaned and started to protest, but I shut them up. "And rule number two: we deserve privacy, so no peeping, alright?"

"Fine," Fred agreed. George nodded, wrapping an arm around Rae's shoulders. "Before I forget, this is from George and me," Fred said, pulling a package out from behind his back and putting it in my lap. "Happy birthday, numpty," he grinned.

I smiled. "Charming," I muttered, opening the package. Inside of it was a muggle camera, and a pretty nice one at that, with a big lens and a cleaning kit. It was the type of camera that if you took a picture, it would come out instantly and develop a few minutes later. Instantly I knew they must've collaborated with Rae to get me coinciding presents.

"If you use your wand on it you can make them like the moving pictures in the wizarding world," George said with a smile.

I smiled back, putting the camera aside and hugging both of them to me tightly. "Thank you so much, it's perfect."

We spent the next hour talking amongst ourselves before we were called inside. Everyone had a glass of Firewhiskey before my parents decided to turn in for the night. Mrs. Weasley offered to let them stay the night there, but they kindly declined. I thanked them and said I'd come to visit soon, Mad-Eye and Kingsley leaving with them shortly after. Everyone had grown tired and started making their way upstairs for bed. Before Tonks had left with Remus I pulled her aside quickly.

"I'm really sorry about what happened," I said quietly, "I'll be around a lot more often now, so if you need anything don't hesitate to come find me. I'll be staying with Fred and George at the flat above their shop, it's in Diagon Alley."

She nodded and gave me a quick hug, looking away from Remus. "Thanks, Cass. It's just...it's been really hard. Remus is distancing himself from me again." She ran her fingers through her shoulder-length hair. "I know he's mourning too, but I need to get out a bit, to clear my head."

"We've got the show coming up soon," I said encouragingly. That seemed to brighten her spirits a bit. "We'll have loads of fun there, don't worry."

She said her goodbyes and the two of them were on their way. Rae and I collected our things from the sitting room. Nestor had been rattling his cage restlessly, wanting to stretch his wings so I let him outside.

"Come and find us when you're done," I told him, watching as he soon blended in with the pitch black night sky. We said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, thanking them again for everything. Mrs. Weasley waved to us as we walked across the lawn to where it was safe to apparate, and I was fairly sure I heard her crying. We stopped a few feet in front of the paddy, all joining hands.

"Are you ready?" Fred asked.

I nodded, but I wasn't sure if he could see it in the darkness, so I said, "Absolutely."

And then, as I closed my eyes, I felt that horrible feeling as though I were being squeezed through a tube, the feeling taking over my whole body. Just as I thought I'd suffocate to death, I heard a loud CRACK, and we were gone.