Cassia's POV

Today was the first Hogsmeade weekend, and I was so excited. I was going to spend half the day with Ron and Hermione, and then Cedric and I would hang out afterward. Sadly, Uncle Vernon hadn't signed Harry's permission form, so now he was dragging me to McGonagall to see if she could sign it.

"Harry, she's a teacher. It won't work," I told him as we raced into the courtyard.

"It doesn't hurt to try," he insisted.

"Now, remember, these visits to Hogsmeade village are a privilege. Should your behavior reflect poorly on the school, that privilege shall not be extended again," McGonagall reminded us. We walked up to her, and she accepted my form, but she wouldn't take Harry's. "No permission forms signed, no visiting the village. That's the rule, Mr. Potter," she had said.

Harry frowned.

"All those with permission, follow me. Those without, stay put," Filch called out, taking the permission slips under one arm and beckoning us to follow him with his free hand.

"But, Professor, I thought if you signed it, then I could go," Harry persisted.

"I can't. Only a parent or a guardian can sign. Since I am neither, it would be inappropriate," McGonagall told us. She turned to go, but then faced us one last time. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. That's my final word."

"Forget it, guys. See you later," Harry said to Hermione and Ron. They looked back at us and sent him a sorry look.

"Come on," Hermione said, urging me to go with her and Ron.

Now I was kind of torn. I wanted to go, but I didn't want to leave Harry behind. And then I thought, Oh, it's fine. Missing one trip won't hurt. There's always next weekend. "Guys, I think I'm going to sit this one out," I called out to Ron and Hermione.

They looked confused at first, but then a look of understanding appeared on both of their faces, and they set off after Filch.

I had to really search the crowd to find Cedric. Hopefully, he'd understand me breaking our hangout date. Soon enough, I found him. I ran up to Cedric and whispered, "Do you mind if I stay with Harry? Uncle Vernon didn't sign his form."

Cedric immediately nodded."It's alright, Cass. I'll see you later. How 'bout you and I hang out later on?" he offered.

I nodded eagerly. "Thanks, Ceddy!" I kissed his cheek, making his cheeks turn bright red. Although, I could feel myself blushing as well. Okay, I'm starting to have a crush on Cedric. I shook it off and then rushed off to find Harry.

Harry was surprised when he saw me coming over to him. "You're not going?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I'm staying with you. Ron, Hermione, and Cedric understood."

"But you've been looking forward to this all week," he objected.

"Nothing is more important to me than my family. And you, my dear twin, are no exception," I said. I booped him on the nose, earning a chuckle from him.

We went for a walk around the school, but Harry stopped me when he caught sight of Professor Lupin on the bridge outside. He practically pulled me to him. "Professor, can I ask you something?" he asked.

Lupin seemed to immediately know what he was about to ask."You want to know why I stopped you facing that Boggarts, yes? I would have thought it would be obvious. I assumed it would take the shape of Lord Voldemort," he replied.

"I did think of Voldemort...at first. But then, I remembered that night on the train...and the Dementor," Harry explained.

"Well, I am very impressed. That suggests what you fear the most is fear itself. That is very wise," Lupin remarked.

"Before I fainted, I heard something. A woman...screaming," Harry said.

"I heard it as well," I added.

"Dementors force us to relive our very worst memories. Our pain becomes their power," Lupin told us.

"I think it was our mother. The night she was murdered," Harry guessed.

"You know, the very first time I saw you, Harry, Cassia, I recognized you both immediately. Not by your scars, by your eyes. They're your mother, Lily's," Lupin remarked, "Yes. Oh, yes, I knew her. Your mother was there for me at a time when no one else was. Not only was she a singularly gifted witch; she was also an uncommonly kind woman. She had a way of seeing the beauty in others, even -- and perhaps, most especially -- when they could not see it themselves. Your father, James, on the other hand...he had a certain, shall we say, talent for trouble. A talent, rumor has it, he passed on to you two. You're more like them than you know. In time, you'll realize just how much." He smiled at us.

I leaned my head on Harry's shoulder and we stared out at the clouds.

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A little while later, everyone else came back from Hogsmeade and after dinner, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and I headed up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"Honeydukes Sweet Shop is brilliant, but nothing beats Zonko's joke shop," Ron boasted, "We never did get to visit the Shrieking Shack. It's meant to be the most-"

"-the most haunted building in Britain, I know," Harry finished his sentence.

Looking ahead, I saw that everyone was crowded around the portrait. "What's the holdup?" I asked.

"Probably Neville's forgot the password again," Ron mumbled.

"Hey!" Neville protested, making us all turn around to see him standing behind us.

"Oh, you're here," Ron muttered.

Percy pushed his way past everyone else, continuously stating that he was Head Boy. "No one is to enter this dormitory until it has been fully searched," he warned everyone.

Ginny raced down the steps towards us. "The Fat Lady. She's gone!" she said.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Serves her right. She was a terrible singer," Ron grumbled.

"It's not funny, Ron!" Hermione scolded him.

"Make way for the headmaster. Move! You heard, move!" Percy snapped as Dumbledore came up to see what was going on. Everyone moved out of the way immediately, giving Harry and I a full view of the portrait. There were tears, like it had been clawed or something.

Dumbledore examined the portrait and then turned to Filch. "Mr. Filch, round up the ghosts. Have them search every painting in the castle to find the Fat Lady," he ordered.

"There's no need for ghosts, Professor. The Fat Lady's there," Filch objected, pointing to a nearby painting.

Despite Percy's protests of "You listen to me! I'm Head Boy!", we all rushed to the painting, which was of some kind of animal.

"Dear lady, who did this to you?" Dumbledore asked.

The Fat Lady peered out from behind the animal, whimpering. "Eyes like the devil, he's got. And a soul as dark as his name. It's him, Headmaster. The one they all talk about. He's here, somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!" She panicked and hid behind the animal again.
I held Ginny's hand tightly.

"Secure the castle, Mr. Filch. The rest of you, to the Great Hall!" Dumbledore ordered.

The castle doors were locked and all the Gryffindors were sent to the Great Hall, where a ton of sleeping bags were laid out on the floor, the long tables having been cleared away. I laid down in between Ginny and Harry. The other students fell asleep once the lights went out. Except Harry and I. There was no way either of us would be able to sleep with the knowledge that Sirius could have just broken into the school.

"I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery, sir. There's nothing there," I heard Filch report after a while.

"The third floor's clear, too, sir," Flitwick added.

"I've checked the dungeons. No sign of Black, nor anywhere else in the castle," Snape chimed in. He and Dumbledore started walking towards Harry and I. "Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter a Hogwarts castle on one's own, completely undetected," Snape remarked.

"Quite," Dumbledore conceded.

"Any theories on how he might have managed it?" Snape asked.

"Many. Each as unlikely as the next," Dumbledore replied.

"You may recall, prior to the start of term, I expressed concern about the appointment of Professor-" Snape trailed off.

"Not a single person inside this castle would help Sirius Black to enter it. No. I'm quite convinced the castle is safe, and I'm more than willing to sent the students back to their houses," Dumbledore assured him.

"What about the Potter twins? Should they be warned?" Snape asked. Both of them had stopped right in front of Harry and I.

"Perhaps. But for now, let them sleep," Dumbledore replied. Somehow I got the feeling that he knew my brother and I were awake, because he added, "For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean, or glide over the highest cloud." His words were enough to send Harry and I into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, with all thoughts of Sirius Black gone from our minds.