Cassia's POV

For the next few days, Harry and I were getting dirty looks from all the other students. Except for Ron and Hermione, of course. But Cedric? I had no clue about him, given that I barely saw him anymore.

One day, we were all working on homework in one of the classrooms, with McGonagall watching us. I could feel people's eyes on me. Harry must've felt it, too, because every time he turned around, the people glaring at us just turned back to their work.

After a while, Harry got sick of it, so he put his things back into his bag and stood up. "See you back in the common room," he said to Hermione and Ron. He looked over at me. "Come on, Cass. Let's go."

I packed my stuff up and followed him out of the room.

"So anyway," a stout boy was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potters 1 and 2 have marked him down as their next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to them he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told them he'd been down for Egon. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heirs on the loose, is it?"

"You definitely think it's one of them? Or both?" a girl with blonde pigtails said anxiously.

"Hannah," the stout boy said solemnly, "He's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-Tongue," the boy said. Hannah? There was only one girl I knew with that name- Hannah Abbott, a Hufflepuff about the same age as Harry and I.

"But Harry and Cassia always seemed so nice, though, Ernie. And after all, they are the ones who made You-Know-Who disappear. Cassia even took a hit for him up on the third floor last year," Hannah objected.

"Well, maybe that's why You-Know-Who wanted to kill 'em in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord or Lady competing with him," Ernie assumed.

"Ernie, that makes no sense. Harry and Cassia are Gryffindors, and they're both way too nice to attack fellow students," someone chimed in. To my surprise, it was Cedric. He thinks we're innocent? I breathed a small sigh of relief.

Harry held my hand as we started walking back to the common room. But soon, a familiar hissing noise made us stop again. It was the monster, no doubt. The sound grew louder and louder, and then it just...stopped. As we rounded a corner, I gasped. Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been Petrified.

"Caught in the act," someone snarled. Both of us turned to see Filch. "I'll have you and your sister out this time, Potter. Mark my words," he warned, before staggering off.

"No. Mr. Filch, y-you don't understand --" Harry tried to tell him, but he was gone.

Moments later, Professor McGonagall came towards us. She gasped when she saw Nick and Justin's condition. And then her gaze fell on us.

"Professor, I...I swear, we didn't. We literally just saw them like this when we came around a corner," I pleaded, shaking my head.

"This is out of my hands, Miss Potter," she told us. She led us to a statue of a stone gargoyle. "Professor Dumbledore will be waiting for the both of you," she said.

Harry and I stood by the gargoyle. For a few measly moments, nothing happened. Where was Dumbledore?

"Sherbet lemon," McGonagall suddenly said. She thrust both her hands out and then stairs formed, leading straight up.

I hurried up the stairs, Harry following close behind me. We came up to a set of highly-decorated double doors. Looks like this is Dumbledore's office. I pushed them open and we walked inside. Numerous portraits of what I guessed were former headmasters of Hogwarts lined the walls, but the people in them were asleep.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry called out. No one answered. That's weird.

We advanced further into the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Sorting Hat on the top of one of the shelves. It came to life and seemed to glare at us. "Bee in your bonnet, Potter?" it asked.

"I-I was just wondering if you put me in the right house," Harry stuttered.

"Yes. You were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said last year. You would have done well in Slytherin," the hat told him.

Harry shook his head slightly. "You're wrong..."

The hat glared at us once more before returning to its original inanimate position.

We made our way to Dumbledore's desk and we saw an aging red bird sitting on a wooden perch, with what looked like a round metal tray sitting right under it. The bird looked at us for a moment and seemed to smile. But then it burst into flames, the ashes falling onto the metal tray.

The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.

"P-Professor, sir...y-your bird. There was nothing we could do. He just caught fire!" Harry told him. I nodded in agreement, confirming his words.

"Ah, and about time, too. He's been looking dreadful for days. Pity you had to see him on a burning day," Dumbledore remarked. What?

"Burning day?" I repeated, confused.

Dumbledore came down the stairs to the balcony, and walked towards the perch where the bird once was. "Fawkes is a phoenix, Cassia. They burst into flame when it is time for them to die, and then they are reborn from the ashes," he explained.

Harry and I looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.

"Ah...fascinating creatures, phoenixes," Dumbledore remarked. They can carry immensely heavy loads, and their...their tears have healing powers. And as I understand it, those tears are precisely what your wand's core is composed of, along with unicorn hair, my dear Cassia."

I nodded. "Yes. My wand has a hybrid core..." I said quietly.

All of a sudden, Hagrid burst in, holding a dead rooster by its feet. "Professor Dumbledore, sir, it wasn't Harry and Cass!" he said.

"Hagrid-" Dumbledore tried to stop him.

"In fact, I'd be prepared ter say it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic!" Hagrid said, not even listening.

"Hagrid, relax. I do not believe that Harry or Cassia attacked anyone," Dumbledore assured him.

"Oh course yeh don't. I-" Hagrid stopped. "Well, then, I'll, uh..." He cleared his throat. "I'll just wait outside, then." He left the room. Once he was out of earshot, we both looked at Dumbledore.

"You don't think it was us, Professor?" I asked.

"No, Cassia. I do not think it was either of you. But I must ask you, is there something you wish to tell me?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry and I shared a look. I couldn't speak, I was so surprised that he didn't think we caused these attacks.

"No, sir. Nothing," my brother answered for me.

"Very well, then. Off you go," Dumbledore said, dismissing us. Harry and I shared a sigh of relief once we were out the door. At least one of the teachers actually believes we're innocent.

<><><><><>

About two or three weeks later, the Christmas holidays were upon us. Most of the students were going home. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and myself were among the few who'd chosen to stay. We still had yet to execute our plan to question Malfoy and find out if he's the reason Muggle-horns are being Petrified.

Hermione came over to where Ron, Harry, and I were sitting together at the Gryffindor table. "Everything's set. We just need a bit of who we're changing into," she informed us.

"Crabbe and Goyle," Harry said.

She nodded. "But we also have to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating Malfoy," she added.

"I'm guessing you've got that covered," I assumed.

Hermione nodded again. She placed two cakes on the table. "I made these with a simple Sleeping Draught. Simple, but powerful. Now, once they're asleep, hide them in the broomstick cupboard and pull out a few of their hairs. And put on their uniforms," she instructed us.

Ron looked puzzled. "Whose hair are you ripping out, then?" he asked.

"I've already got mine," Hermione replied, holding up a small vial. "Millicent Bulstrode. Slytherin. I got this off her robes."

"Wait a minute, who's Cassia going as?" Harry asked, suddenly very confused.

I smirked. "Nobody -- I'll be under Dad's old cloak."

"Smart," Ron commented.

Hermione stood up. "I'm going to go check on the Polyjuice Potion. Make sure that Crabbe and Goyle find these," she said, holding up the cakes for emphasis. She set them back down in front of us and practically speed-walked out of the Great Hall.