Brontide

October flew by before we knew it and November rolled around, bringing cold winds and grey skies. The grounds became blanketed with snow and Hogwarts looked almost like a dream, as though it came right out of one of my childhood storybooks; it was beautiful. Free time was spent either near the common room fireplace for warmth or outside pitching snowballs at my friends.

The first Quidditch game of the season was coming up: Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and tensions were high. Ron looked more and more nervous each day, as he had made the team, but according to Fred and George he hadn't been doing well at practice. Harry looked more and more stressed every time I saw him, but I was in no position to question him about it, and I didn't need to. Between the new High Inquisitor, the war and concern about the Order, our whole circle was out of sorts.

Umbridge had continued to be her horrible self, enacting new school rules almost every day. Fred and George kept having their inventions confiscated, which was starting to bring even them down from their usual chipper moods. The only thing we had to look forward to was the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, which I always enjoyed.

Tonks’ response to my letter took longer than usual to arrive, and I figured she’d been so busy with the Order that she’d forgotten to reply. It came the morning we were supposed to go to Hogsmeade, tied to the leg of a small barn owl. I took the letter and snuck it into my rucksack, deciding to read it later and away from wandering eyes. I fed the owl a sausage link and some bread before it took off.

Fred noticed that I hadn’t opened my letter at the table. “Who's it ‘rum?” he asked through a mouthful of eggs.

“None of your business,” I mumbled, sticking my tongue out at him. He didn’t stop looking curious.

I was able to slip away to the girl’s bathroom before we went into Hogsmeade, wanting to read my letter in private. I went into a stall and sat on the toilet lid, propping my feet up against the door and unfolding the piece of parchment.

Tonks had written in a scrawling purple ink that shimmered:

Cassie,

I’m so happy that you wrote me, I was wondering whether or not I’d hear from you. I’m sorry this letter is a bit late; I’ve been running rampent with work and haven’t had time to respond. I have heard about this new “High Inquisitor” and I don’t like the sound of her one bit. She’s probably right awful, I’m sorry you have to deal with her. Props to you for standing up to her, though. Someone had to, right?

Everyone over here is alright, as alright as we can be right now. I’d love to see you all during Christmas break, but as for seeing The Weird Sisters, I can't promise anything. I’d love to go, of course, I’m just not sure how safe it’d be, you know? Though I have been dying to see Myron Wagtail again...

As for your situation, no, Rae hasn’t said a word to me about it. You and Fred, eh? I can see that happening, and let me tell you, the two of you as a couple looks adorable in my head."

My grip on the parchment tightened and my face began to burn scarlet at her words. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

You know, some people say that their best relationships have started out with being close friends. I’m not saying that’s what’s going to happen, but it’s not an entirely far-fetched idea. I think you two would be cute together, as a personal opinion. It’s honestly up to you. Would I go for it? I’d at least consider it as an option; I wouldn’t completely rule it out right away. If you two really have that connection and are able to have something as more than friends then I say it’s worth a try at least.

Also, Remus and I have started seeing each other as of late, and I honestly couldn’t be happier. He’s always trying to tell me that he’s too old for me or that it’s too dangerous to be with him, but you know I don’t care about any of that. I’m hoping the message will sink in soon.

Anyway, I hope things get better for you over there, and if you need me to come and kick someone’s arse for you I’ll gladly do it. I’d love an excuse to see the castle again. If not, then I’ll see you around Christmas. Take care!

Sincerely,
Tonks

I stuffed the note back in my bag, deciding that I’d respond at a later time. I knew Rae and the boys would be looking for me so I hopped out of the stall and wrapped a crimson scarf around my neck, making my way down to the courtyard. The heat still lingered on my cheeks. Some of the things Tonks had said hovered around in my mind and I decided then that she, too, must be mental. Any thoughts of furthering the boundaries of my friendship with Fred were erased from my mind. He was my best friend, and I would happily leave it at that.

I met up with everyone and we headed into Hogsmeade. The skies were cloudy and pale but no snow fell from them that day. However, there was still about a foot of it on the ground from the most recent snowfall. I pulled my scarf above my nose as a cold wind kicked up, tightening my earmuffs over my ears. It was my favorite type of weather, what with the holidays coming up and all.

As soon as the quaint little village came into view, with its snow-covered pointed roofs and strands of holly hanging over doorways, I wasted no time in starting my Christmas shopping. I had a vague idea of what I wanted to get everyone but I hadn’t had the time to sneak out of the castle to shop. Schoolwork had been piling up in preparation for the winter holidays and I hardly had time for much else, much to the twins’ dismay. They were always trying to get me to sneak off to Hogsmeade with them or raid the kitchens, and while I normally had no problem doing that, schoolwork had taken priority over everything else.

I split off from the group and a few hours later my hands were laden with paper bags, their contents wrapped in more paper. As per tradition, I met up with everyone in The Three Broomsticks after a long afternoon of shopping, butterbeer being the only thing on my mind. The pub was pretty full with students; however, a lot of the usual faces were missing, including a good portion of Gryffindor house. I found Lee, Fred, George, and Rae sitting around a table, ordering myself a Butterbeer before joining them.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, putting the bags under my chair and smacking Fred’s hand away as he tried to grab them.

“We’re not going to be in here for too long,” George said quietly, leaning his elbows on the table, “Harry’s having a meeting at The Hog’s Head and he wanted all of us to go.”

“A meeting? About what?” I asked, thanking Madam Rosmerta when she brought over my Butterbeer, rolling my eyes as the boys watched her leave with hungry stares. “Honestly, you both sicken me,” I muttered through a sip of my drink.

Rae looked like she couldn’t agree more. “He didn’t say what it was about, he just said it was urgent,” she replied, finishing George’s sentence for him as he was too busy salivating.

After we finished our drinks and dragged the boys out of The Three Broomsticks by their ears, we made our way over to the other side of Hogsmeade. The Hogs Head Inn was shabby looking, out of the way and nearly always empty, which seemed the perfect spot to house a meeting away from wandering eyes. The five of us pushed open the thick wooden door, dust filling my nostrils and eyelids the moment I walked in.

At the front of the room were Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who smiled and greeted us as we came in. On the opposite side of the room I saw many people I knew and some who I didn’t know; Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown with Padma and Parvati Patil, and two Ravenclaw girls who I didn’t recognize. There was Luna Lovegood, a dreamy-looking Ravenclaw girl who didn’t live too far from me; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Colin and Dennis Creevey, a group of Hufflepuffs whose names I didn’t know, a few more Ravenclaws whose faces I’d seen at some point, and Ginny Weasley, whose familiar face I was happy to see. We took seats near her, and as people started ordering Butterbeer from the old bartender Harry and Hermione were arguing over there being too many people.

It was a few minutes later when everyone was settled and the trio had come to an agreement that they finally addressed the crowd in front of them.

“Er,” Hermione began nervously, “Well-er-hi. Well…erm…well, you know why you’re here. Erm…well, Harry here had the idea-I mean-I had the idea- that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts-and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us -“ Hermione suddenly looked more confident, “- because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts -“ a few people whooped in agreement, the twins included, “well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands.” She looked over at Harry, continuing. “And by that, I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells.”

A discussion broke out about You-Know-Who, and some of them questioned whether not he was back and people were asking questions about the death of Cedric Diggory last year, and I thought Harry was going to explode. It was when Hermione said that Lord Voldemort was back that people started freaking out upon hearing his name, and this one Hufflepuff boy who, mind you, I would’ve loved to punch in the nose, kept asking questions about Cedric and exactly how he died and doubting Dumbledore’s story about it. It was all pretty chaotic, in truth. Harry’s voice got louder at one point, everyone shutting up.

“What makes me say You-Know-Who’s back?” he asked, directing his words at the Hufflepuff boy, “I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn’t believe him you don’t believe me, and I’m not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone.”

The boy kept prying about Cedric and Harry promptly told everyone he wasn’t there to talk about Cedric and if that’s what they were there for they could all leave. However, nobody moved, not even the Hufflepuff boy.

People began asking Harry questions about what he could do, whether or not he could actually produce a full-bodied Patronus, whether or not he’d saved the Sorcerer’s Stone in his First Year, and the questions went on and on. The Hufflepuff boy, whose name I found out was Zacharias Smith, was gradually getting more and more on my nerves, and the next time he opened his mouth to complain about Harry I pointed my wand straight at his face, causing him to shut right up.

It was finally decided, with much to do, that everyone would take lessons from Harry once a week, the location and time undecided. We agreed to keep everything in secret and Hermione passed around a piece of parchment, titled Dumbledore’s Army, so everyone could sign their names, Fred and George eagerly signing first. I took it from them and scribbled my name, an elated feeling in my chest. I was excited about what we were doing and I couldn’t wait to start, wanting more than anything to learn how to curse the hell out of our enemies…and Zacharias Smith.

***

I crawled into bed that night thoroughly exhausted and full of Honeydukes sweets, my hair in messy waves as I rested my head comfortably on my pillow. I fell asleep earlier than I normally did, but it was necessary. I was overdue on getting a good night’s rest, and for one night I didn’t want to think about the feet of essays I needed to write. So when I felt someone shaking me awake at one in the morning, I wasn’t too pleased.

“What the bloody fuck do you want?” I muttered, my eyes firmly closed as I turned over, trying to get away from the person.

“Cassie, I can’t sleep.” It was Rae. With a groan, I reluctantly turned over, opening my eyes enough to see my short best friend standing next to my bed in her pajamas, looking tired and thoroughly troubled. She’d do this a lot when we were younger, waking me up in the middle of the night to announce that sleeping was impossible, therefore dragging me into staying up with her until we were both so tired, we passed out. It hadn’t happened since our Fourth Year, though, so I knew something must’ve been bothering her.

I moved over and patted the spot next to me, completely forgetting I had chosen to sleep in only a bra and underwear. It’d been one of those nights where the blankets just felt too damn hot, despite the temperature outside. She crawled in next to me, the two of us staring up at the ceiling silently for a while.

“Are you in your underwear?” she asked quietly. I stifled a laugh as Angelina Johnson started to snore noisily two beds over.

“Maybe,” I said with hesitation.

“May I ask why?”

“I was hot,” I said casually.

She looked at me as though I’d grown an extra head. “You do realize it’s the middle of November, right?”

“No, I had no idea,” I said with a roll of my eyes.

She shrugged and went back to gazing at the ceiling, the two of us lying on my bed in silence. An owl hooted in the distance, somewhere far off over the Black Lake or perhaps in another world entirely. I had started to doze off again, my eyelids getting heavier and heavier until Rae finally spoke again.

“What do you think about this whole ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ thing?” she asked quietly.

“I dunno, I think it’ll be a good experience,” I said slowly, fighting to stay awake, “I think Harry’ll teach us some important things; he’s had a lot of experience fighting some intense stuff. If I ever came across a dementor, I’d probably piss myself.” Rae laughed quietly at this. I changed the subject, not wanting to think about dementors anymore. “Any progress with George yet?”

Her mouth set into a thin line, a thick sigh coming out through her nose. “Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’.

I shot her a sideways glance. “Are you sure you don’t want my help? I won’t be too forward about it, I promise.”

She shook her head. “Cass, he doesn’t like me. If he did he would’ve done something about it since that day at The Burrow but he hasn’t.” Her voice hinted on the edge of sadness, and I knew it was a touchy subject for her but she and I hadn’t talked about it for awhile. I rubbed my arm awkwardly.

“Rae, I know you can do it. I know you’re scared, but please don’t rule it out right away. If you two really have that connection and are able to have something as more than friends then I say it’s worth a try at least,” I said comfortingly, quoting Tonks’ letter without really meaning to. I didn’t take her advice, but I figured maybe Rae could get something out of it.

She was quiet for awhile, lost in thought, until she finally said, “Maybe. If he doesn’t do anything about it soon then perhaps I will, maybe around Christmastime…”

I smiled. “That’s the Rae I know.”

She hummed quietly to herself, and it was a little while before anything else was said. However, she finally whispered, “Cassie?”

“Hm?”

“What do you want to do once we’re out of here?”

I felt my heart slow down a little. Even though I'd spent the majority of my summer at Grimmauld Place, I never brought up the topic of joining the Order, not once. I knew Fred and George would protest it to no end, and I didn't want them to needlessly worry. However, Rae was a different story. I hadn’t told her because I didn't want to rope her into it, and the last thing I wanted was for her to get hurt. I wasn’t sure what kind of missions the Order would be sending us on but I could be certain they would be dangerous. In the same way that Fred and George didn’t want me to join up, I didn’t want her to join because I was terrified I’d lose her. I couldn’t even bear to think about it.

I shifted around, suddenly a bit uncomfortable. “I’m not too sure. I figured I might just help the boys once they get their joke shop set up or something. I’m not too keen on a Ministry job at the moment.”

She nodded in agreement. “You're going to join the Order, aren't you?” Her green eyes were filled with curiosity.

I let out a deep sigh, wishing I could lie to her. It wouldn’t have done much; she would’ve found out sooner or later. “Yes.”

Rae let out a sigh. “I figured as much.”

There was a moment of thick silence, one in which I thought perhaps she’d finally fallen asleep.

Her voice, small and quiet, came out of the darkness. “…I’ll go with you.”

I just stared at her. The girl I’d known for seven years, the girl who, on our first night at Hogwarts, when we were all tiny First Years, accidentally set my bed on fire, the girl who I’d been through nearly everything with, was willing to risk her life and join the Order of the Phoenix with me.

I felt my heart swell several sizes. “Please don’t do this,” I responded, “you’re insane, this is something bigger than Dumbledore’s Army, Rae, and it’s something very dangerous and could very well get you killed.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing,” she said with determination, “if you think I’d let you just run off into war without me then you’re the one who’s insane.”

I took a deep breath. “Are you sure? You do realize what you’d be getting into-“

“Of course I realize it, Cassie. I want to fight,” she said quietly. I knew I wasn't going to sway her decision, but I wasn't happy about it and had a feeling this would come up again.

Sleep was beginning to creep back, and I let out a yawn, turning over onto my side so my back was to Rae, my eyes half closed.

“…So you and Fred, eh?” I could practically hear her wiggling her eyebrows at me.

“Damn it, I swear you’re only pairing me up with him in the hopes that we’ll one day be future in-laws,” I grumbled, sticking the pillow over my head. It was a logical assumption.

“You know, you two would look really cute together, and your kids would be gorgeous,” she pondered, her voice finding its way through my pillow.

“Rae, I think you’re overtir-“

“I call being Godmother to at least one of them.”

“Rae-“

“I hope they’re all twins-“

“RAE!” I hissed.

“…Cassie?”

“Please go to sleep.”

And so she finally did, leaving me to ponder my wild thoughts before drifting off myself. My dream consisted of hundreds of ginger children running around The Burrow, setting furniture on fire and terrorizing the gnomes that resided in the garden, throwing pots around the kitchen and chasing after “Uncle Ronnie”.

It was bloody weird.