Chương 14: The Mirror
It was Saturday morning, and not just any old Saturday morning. It was the day that Gryffindor and Slytherin would be facing off in a Quidditch match. Cassie had gotten to her dorm late the night before but had slept in her bed for once. Her dormmates were chatting excitedly about the upcoming game, anticipating an afternoon of entertainment. Much of the school had been buzzing in the previous week and not just because the rival houses were finally going to have a go at each other. Harry Potter was going to be playing in his first match as Seeker.
Cassie considered going, but tutoring hours needed to be offered and watching the sport never been a top priority for her, except for when she had been dating Charlie. So she volunteered to be in the library for most of the afternoon. Her fellow tutors were grateful, as even the ones that usually didn't care to go to were excited to see Potter play.
"So you're just going to sit in the library with Madam Pince all day?" Laanstra asked Cassie, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "I mean, it's not like any of the students are going to be inside doing their homework, they're all going to be at the game, too!" She leaned towards her mirror, getting a better look at herself so she could use her wand to apply eyeliner.
Cassie shrugged, then started to gather her long locks into a ponytail. "Maybe not. Even if one kid needs help, someone has to be there. And if it's slow, I'll just work on my homework."
"Well, you probably need the extra time," Danika piped up from across the room, giggling.
"What do you mean by that?" Cassie pulled on some robes over her uniform, but she knew where this conversation was headed.
"You're gone all hours of the night. Can't imagine you're off studying into the wee hours of the morning!" the Slytherin seventh-year continued, and the other girls in the dorm started to cackle along with her. Cassie rolled her eyes.
"No wonder she doesn't want to watch Quidditch," Laanstra said slyly, now applying a thick layer of bright red lipstick. "Reminds her too much of the previous Gryffindor seeker?"
"No, no," Danika guffawed, "with as busy as she's been, I reckon she's completely forgotten about Weasley!" More laughing. Cassie sighed, grabbed her bag laden with textbooks and headed towards the common room.
Laanstra, who had hastily finished putting on her full face of makeup so she could chase after her, pressed on. "Seriously now Black, who is the new boy-toy? Because we've been wracking our brains, and we can't figure it out! You didn't exactly keep Weasley a secret last year, so why sneak around with this one? Is it a Mudblood? Or a Hufflepuff?"
"Oh, just thought I'd give your fabulous minds a little exercise," Cassie said dryly, and the Slytherin prefect scoffed.
"You know Black, you really ought to be nicer to me, because I could just turn you over to Professor Snape for being gone all the time. Then your little romance will be over," the girl sneered at her.
Babbs, who had been sitting over by the fireplace with a few of his mates, suddenly got up and jumped over the couch to join the conversation. "Yeah, Black, and then you'd be free to fuck me. On second thought, maybe Laanstra and I should do our duty as prefects and turn you in!" he said, winking at her.
"Not in a million years, Babbs," Cassie replied coolly.
"What, can't get enough of blood traitor meat?" He grinned as he took a few steps towards her and ran his fingers through her hair. Everyone in the common room was watching the scene unfold now, and Cassie was ready to curse the lot of them.
"No, Babbs," Cassie said, reaching up to place a hand on the prefect's cheek, using the movement as a distraction as she slowly moved her free hand to her pocket. "I just don't date boys with itchy crotches."
Harrison looked taken aback, removing his hand from her hair. "What are you - " he started to question, and then her hex must have taken effect, because he started to wail, his hands going to grip his groin. The bystanders started to whoop and holler, as Slytherins typically found pleasure in each other's discomfort in times like these.
"Black, you bitch!" Babbs shrieked as Laanstra rushed to his side, but the girl also seemed apprehensive about touching him, and Cassie let out a snort of laughter.
"Better go see Madam Pomfrey, that doesn't seem good," Cassie said as she headed out, "after you rat me out to Professor Snape, of course." She was satisfied, even though she knew she'd be serving some detentions. Happy to be away from her housemates, she grimaced when she heard footsteps behind her only seconds later.
"Wait up, cousin!" She heard the out-of-breath voice of Draco, and her contentedness as quickly squashed.
"Good morning," she said, trying to hardest to be polite because most of their interactions quickly turned sour.
"Babbs is an idiot," Draco matched her stride as they walked through the dungeons. "But that was brilliant, what you did!"
"Saw that, did you?"
"I think the whole house saw that," he answered her. "You'd think they'd learn not to mess with you by now."
Cassie was wary, instantly suspicious that her first-year cousin was trying to butter her up for something. But she reminded herself that he was family, that this was his first year at the school, and that he would benefit from her influence. She tried to be patient.
"You'd think," she replied. "Not that I condone hexing other students, Draco."
Draco scoffed. "You have to teach me that one!"
Cassie sighed wearily. Maybe she wasn't such a good influence on him, after all. "Are you going to the match?"
"Well, yeah! Wouldn't want to miss Potter making a complete ass of himself, now would I?"
"You sound quite sure of yourself," Cassie replied as they ascended the staircase.
"He's never even been on a broom before coming here, there's no way he won't!" Draco exclaimed.
"Well, there must be a reason for picking him in his first year, don't you think?"
"Because he's Saint Potter," Draco snarled. "And Father agrees, no one would have given him a second thought if he wasn't the Boy Who Lived! Did you hear? Someone's given him a Nimbus 2000!" he kept going, and once her cousin had mentioned Lucius, Cassie started to tune him out. He kept complaining as they walked through the entrance hall and into breakfast, and she even had the pleasure of having him sit by her as she tried to eat, which was a rare occasion.
She glanced over at the Gryffindor table as Draco continued to drone on about the unfairness that was Potter being on the Gryffindor team. Harry looked like he was going to be sick, but it looked like the others around him were doing their best to comfort him. At least the boy had a support system.
Cassie knew that Snape was going to the game, as it would be odd for him not to attend when his own house was playing. But between the two of them, they were planning to keep an eye on Quirrell's whereabouts. Cassie still didn't know if the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was going to the game, so she waited for Snape in the entrance hall to find out.
He pulled her aside as soon as he came out of the Great Hall. "He's going to the match," he murmured.
"Good," Cassie replied. "So he's not going to go after the Stone."
"Apparently not," Snape said, "Even so, I want you to go up to the third floor once or twice, just to make sure nothing is amiss. Can you do that?"
"Of course," Cassie said, a bit surprised, "But won't Dumbledore be in the castle?"
"Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on Quirrell, and you by extension," Snape reminded her. "He might have his own matters to attend to."
"I expect part of your teacher's salary for this," Cassie smirked. She saw something glimmering in the professor's eyes, perhaps a snarky retort, but he kept it to himself. A group of students walked past them. Just as they were about to part ways for the day, she added, "Oh, and by the way, you'll probably need to put me in detention for the next week or so."
He raised an eyebrow. "Now what?" Harrison Babbs burst into the entrance hall from the dungeons stairwell, sweating profusely and still holding his loins in his hands, followed by a gaggle of Slytherins. As soon as they saw Snape and Cassie standing together, they started to rush over, Babbs looking like he was holding back tears.
"He deserved it!" Cassie said quickly, before stifling a laugh. The Slytherin prefect hobbled over towards the Head of House with his junk in his grasp.
"Just go!" Snape snapped, not looking thrilled with having to deal with the situation, and off Cassie went to the library.
As she had predicted, with the majority of the staff and students at the Quidditch pitch, the library was nearly empty. Cassie was able to get a good start on her homework that had been piling up since her evenings had been preoccupied. Twice, she mumbled something to the strict librarian about needing to stretch her legs and use the bathroom and ventured to the third floor to make sure nothing seemed out the ordinary. The second time she went, she even pressed her ear up the door and could hear the three-headed dog snoring away. So that meant Quirrell hadn't gotten brave enough to venture back to the castle while everyone was distracted at the game, at least not yet. Cassie figured the day was just a rather uneventful one and continued to work on memorizing advanced potion recipes.
The game ended, and she could hear students in the hallways speaking excitedly to one another. She expected a few to wander in for some homework help, but none did before her hours were up. She left the library to head back down to the dungeons. Only when she was back in the common room did she catch wind of Gryffindor winning the match, and what had happened.
"I told you all he'd make a complete fool of himself, nearly falling off his broom!" Draco was saying to Crabbe, Goyle, and a bunch of other first-years. "The arse barely knows how to fly!"
"And yet he still caught the Snitch, didn't he?" one of the older students groaned. "Doesn't matter that his broom went haywire, does it? Slytherin still lost!"
"Went haywire?" Cassie asked, interrupting. "What do you mean?"
Draco shrugged. "I guess a Nimbus 2000 is too much broom for the likes of Potter. It looked like it was trying to buck him off, nearly plummeted to his death. Rotten luck that he didn't."
Cassie immediately went to Snape's office. The students didn't seem to think Harry's broom acting up was a big deal, but it was. The charms cast on them prevented anything from interfering with them except for powerful Dark magic, which meant something malicious was done to it on purpose.
He was pacing his office when she entered, looking flustered. "Did someone see you inside the castle today?" he asked her, and she nodded.
"Madam Pince," she said. "What happened?"
"Quirrell jinxed the broom," Snape explained readily, his teeth bared, looking like he was ready to tear someone apart.
"It was him for sure?"
He ignored her question, continuing to pace. "I need to speak with Dumbledore. I followed Potter to Hagrid's, go there and make sure he gets back to the Gryffindor common room for the evening."
"You don't think Quirrell would try something again - "
"Just do it!" he snapped, and for a moment, Cassie was ready to tell him off for speaking to her in that manner. But she knew he was upset, having just watched someone try to murder his childhood friend's son in front of the whole school.
She took a split second to grab his hand and give it a quick squeeze. Then she was off at a run, because she didn't know what Quirrell was capable of at this point. Hopefully, once Snape and Dumbledore spoke, Quirrell would be arrested and taken from the castle, and then he would be out of their lives.
Hagrid's hut looked so cozy and unassuming from a distance. Cassie debated if she should just go inside, knowing Hagrid probably had some tea on. He would welcome her with open arms. But something in the air felt malevolent just then, and Cassie felt the need to be on alert. So she stayed a couple of hundred feet away from the hut, watching. The sun was starting to go down, and the trees in the Forbidden Forest were looked darker and taller, their branches looking like gnarled arms, adding to the ominous feeling she couldn't shake.
Cassie was slowly pacing, making sure she was seeing all angles of Hagrid's home. She was wondering how much longer Harry was going to stay when she turned towards the Forest again. She startled, as a figure was suddenly in her view. Quirrell, purple turban and all, was suddenly there, a few hundred feet in front of the tree line. How he had managed to appear there without making any noise, she didn't know.
He wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was there. Rather, he was looking right at her, a small, crooked smile on his face. Cassie was rooted to her spot, standing between the wizard and the hut that contained Harry, and she wasn't about to move.
"Professor," Cassie said politely, giving him a small nod.
"M-miss Black," he said, walking towards her. "W-what b-b-brings you out h-here?"
"Oh," she said nonchalantly, and she put her hand into her robes, pulling out her wand and leaving it poised at her side, "just out for an evening stroll."
He stopped walking immediately, eyeing her wand with apprehension. "I-I n-noticed y-you w-weren't a-at the match t-t-today," he replied. She noticed his right hand was clenching and releasing over and over, and she knew he was wondering if he should go for his wand. "S-stuck i-inside at the l-library?"
"What a funny thing to notice, considering how busy you were."
"I-I a-also n-notice," he said, and the small grin on his face grew ever so slightly, "Th-that y-you're out h-here, w-where Potter is, w-where th-there is n-no one around."
Cassie's stomach turned over. So that was his threat, to possibly kill Potter out here when no other witnesses were around besides Hagrid, and then blame her for it. Her wand was almost starting to vibrate in her hand as she anticipated its use. She didn't want to start something with the demented professor, but she wouldn't hesitate if need be. All she needed was a sign that he was going to go through with his plan.
Just then, she heard the creak of a door opening, and Hagrid's booming voice.
"Ah, Professor Quirrell!" he greeted warmly, "An' Cassie! What brings you two here?"
Cassie used Quirrell's stuttering to her advantage, quickly speaking over him. "Professor Quirrell was just telling me how much he was craving one of your rock cakes, Hagrid! But Professor McGonagall sent me to fetch Harry and bring him to the festivities in the common room." She glanced at Harry, who looked very tired as he squeezed past Hagrid. Ron and Hermione were also there. "And the other two, of course. Can't have a proper celebration without them."
"My rock cakes, o' course!" Hagrid said happily, gesturing for Quirrell to join him. Cassie hurried the trio of Gryffindors along as the disheartened-looking professor walked past them and into Hagrid's hut. She felt bad leaving Hagrid alone with the man but assumed he had no reason to harm the gentle half-giant without Harry there.
"Let's go," Cassie said, trying to keep a calm demeanor as they walked towards the castle. She kept casting glances back behind them, making sure there wasn't a suspicious-looking figure suddenly appearing along the treeline again. She half-listened to them talk about the game and Ron mentioning something about keeping an eye on Snape, but she was so focused on making sure that Quirrell didn't suddenly appear again that she didn't hear a lot of what they were saying.
She got them back to the Gryffindor common room, and once she knew they were climbing through the portrait, she went to Snape's quarters. She only had to wait for him for a few minutes before he joined her there, and he looked just as livid as when she had left him.
"Is Quirrell getting sacked?" Cassie asked ardently, standing up from the loveseat when he stormed in. "Can we watch?"
"No," he growled, his black cloak billowing behind him as he went straight for his small collection of liquor.
"Why not? Is it not proper etiquette to watch him get his ass dragged out of here?"
"No, he's not getting sacked!" he snarled, pouring himself a rather large drink, and taking a swig.
"What?" Cassie was dumbfounded. "How is that even possible?"
"Because the Headmaster said he's not, that's how it's possible!" Snape spat, and then he stormed into the bedroom, starting to pull off his cloak and robes.
"Is he off his rocker?"
"I think we've established long ago that he is," Snape replied curtly. "But for the time being, Quirrell needs to be closely observed."
"Did Dumbledore say why?"
"Albus Dumbledore has his reasons," Snape growled dangerously, "And for the time being, the likes of you and I are not privy to them."
"But he tried to kill Harry - "
"DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW THAT?" he roared. Cassie, who had walked up to him, intending to rub his shoulders to calm him, suddenly jumped back in surprise.
"Severus Snape!" she snapped, pointing a finger in his face, "Get yourself under control - "
He suddenly turned on her, grabbing the wrist of the hand that was pointing at him, roughly yanking it to her side. "I don't need some little girl in my quarters, telling me what to do!" he snarled, his face inches from hers. "Get out!"
"You really are an asshole sometimes, you know, that Severus?" she said, yanking her wrist from his grasp. "I'm not the enemy, here! I went to Hagrid's like you asked, and got Harry back to his common room - "
"Such an inconvenience, I'm sure!" he sneered, and she fought back the urge to punch him in the balls right then.
"And Quirrell showed up!" she exclaimed. "Appeared out of nowhere by the Dark Forest, commenting that there was no one around!" She stormed towards the living room. "Maybe next time, I'll leave you to do it, that way I won't get framed for murdering Harry freaking Potter - "
He had followed her grabbed her again, this time to stop her. "Wait, Cassie!"
"Oh, what?" she said, exasperated. "Now I get to stay? Will you make up your fucking mind?"
"I'm sorry, Cassie," he said.
"Good!" She pulled her arm from his iron-clad grip yet again. As she looked at him and his defeated stance, she debated if she should just leave for the night. But she decided against it, because even though she was sick of the frequent mood swings, all she wanted was his touch. She sighed, feeling a bit demoralized by her desire to want him near her even though he had just screamed at her. She gently grabbed his hand, leading him to the bedroom and pulling him into her arms.
Cassie knew they would be stepping up surveillance on Quirrell, but she had no idea the level that Snape had in mind until she witnessed his new obsession. She was certain that he was no longer sleeping. He patrolled the corridors at all hours of the night, even when other staff were on duty. Reminding him numerous times that his colleagues were capable of making sure nothing was amiss even without knowing everything they did, he would grow temperamental, shouting at her all over again. She was starting to spend more time in her dormitory. She wanted to help keep Harry and the Stone safe, but she needed to rest and keep concentrating on her studies as much as she could.
Her relationship with Snape continued but was strained, as he seemed to lose the ability to relax as he grew more and more sleep-deprived. Finally, a few days before Christmas break started, she decided she had enough of watching him bumble about, exhausted and miserable.
"I will patrol all night," she told him firmly as they were seated in his office, "and you are going to sleep all damn night, Sev!"
"You will do no such thing," he growled irritably. "What if you get caught, or Quirrell is up to something and frames you for it?"
"I'll be careful."
"I won't allow it!" he declared, propping his head in his hand, looking like he could barely keep himself awake. But his argument was futile, as she had already slipped a sleeping draught into the tea he had been sipping. As soon as she noticed him actually start to drift off, she went to his side, using a charm to keep him upright and floating off the ground a few inches, and she guided him to his bed.
Once she had him undressed and all tucked in for the night, she set off for her secret patrol. She could have gone without walking around the castle all night and nothing would have happened, as professors Flitwick and Trelawney were on duty, but she couldn't bring herself to breach Snape's trust any more than she already had. So off she went to make sure Quirrell wasn't somehow going to sneak into Gryffindor tower or the third floor corridor, hoping to not get caught while doing it.
For the first few hours, she didn't see either policing professors, and only had to sidestep into empty classrooms to avoid Peeves a couple of times. Her only concern was going back and forth between the Gryffindor common room and the third-floor corridor that housed the cerberus, as she assumed Potter wouldn't be aimlessly wandering the corridors that night. She was caught off guard then when around two in the morning, she rounded the corner and walked almost head-first into Dumbledore.
"Oh," she said in surprise, clutching at her heart. "Headmaster, I didn't expect to see you there!"
"Good evening, Miss Black," he said calmly, adorned in a deep purple sleeping robe, looking like he had just been taking a casual stroll. "Or shall I say, good morning? It's hard to judge at this time, isn't it?"
"Yes, I suppose," Cassie said, trying to muster a sincere smile, thinking she was in deep trouble now. "Headmaster, I was just - "
"Out patrolling at Professor Snape's request, I presume?" he asked casually. He pulled a caramel from his pocket, starting to unwrap it. At the blunt mention of Snape's fixation, Cassie let out an audible sigh of relief.
"Not really at his request," she confessed, looking around a bit, hoping that no one else was listening. "He needed to sleep, so I slipped him a sleeping draught. He didn't want me out doing this, in case someone caught me."
"Well, no harm done," Dumbledore said, placing the caramel in his mouth, the sticky candy muffling his speech some. He started to walk, and Cassie matched his easygoing stride, not sure what direction they were headed in. "As you are cognizant of sensitive information that most of the Hogwarts staff are not."
"Thank you, Headmaster," she said. "But I have to ask. Why am I?"
Dumbledore chewed on his candy for a moment, looking as if he were deep in thought, taking time before responding. "Severus is, as you know by now, one of my most trusted allies. I thought it important that he has someone that he can trust with the same burdens I bestow upon him."
Cassie nodded, feeling somewhat satisfied with the answer he gave her. "But, Headmaster - "
"You are wondering about Professor Quirrell," Dumbledore finished for her, "and why I have allowed him to stay."
"Yes, exactly that."
"Only time will reveal his true intentions. I must ask that you, like Severus, have patience and trust me for the time being."
Cassie stayed silent, wanting to argue with him, but knowing that it was best to keep her mouth shut. Not having paid attention to where they had been walking, Cassie noticed that they were outside of a classroom, and Dumbledore held out his arm, gesturing for her to go inside ahead of him.
"There is something that I must ask of you, Miss Black," he said. "It will only take a few minutes, and then I will allow you to head to your bed and get some much-needed rest."
Cassie went in, finding a dark, abandoned-looking classroom with desks and chairs piled high to the ceiling. In the center of it, was a magnificent mirror with a golden frame that stood to the ceiling.
"What is it?" she asked, her heart starting to pound in her chest, although she couldn't pinpoint the reason as to why. It looked pure and unassuming as it sat undisturbed in the middle of the room.
"I want you to go up to it," Dumbledore said quietly, not answering her question. "Look into it. Nothing more."
Cassie took a deep breath, taking a moment to look at the Headmaster. He was standing between her and the door, his long arms folded over his chest. He looked calm but defiant at the same time. She didn't know why she had the urge to flee, but she knew that there was no way he was going to allow her to do so right then.
She slowly moved towards the mirror and looked inside. At first, all she saw was herself standing timidly in front of it in her school robes, but then a background started to take shape. There was a toppled-over building behind her, and she started to move around the classroom to get a better look. When she recognized it, she gasped, as it looked like the ruined remains of the Ministry of Magic. Bits of smoking rubble were all around her and golden statues in pieces were strewn about, looking like it had been demolished.
Then she noticed two figures standing on either side of her, and when she recognized them, she screamed. To her left was her father, his serpent-like features unchanged since the last day she had seen him. His face was smug and proud, and he had his long-fingered, pale hand on her shoulder. To her right was Bellatrix, her wild dark curls over her shoulders, her beautiful face in a manic grin. Her arm was wrapped around Cassie's waist. Had they been anyone else, they might have looked like a happy little family of three. Cassie, however, wanted to puke.
"What is it?" she repeated, her voice shaking now. She wanted to pull her eyes away from the image, but she couldn't. Now, Lord Voldemort was bending down, picking up the head of a statue, throwing it towards a pile of rubble, and laughing heartily as it bounced around. Cassie was just glad that it wasn't a real person's head.
"What do you see?" Dumbledore asked. Had she looked at him, she would have seen the obvious concern etched on his features.
"Does it show the future?" she whispered.
"No," he said, and Cassie doubled over, trying to catch her breath. Dumbledore came to her side, helping her move away from the reflection. He took out his wand, magically pulling two chairs from one of the stacks so they could sit across from one another. "Cassie, what did you see?"
Cassie looked up at him, wondering if it was against her better judgment to tell him. But she figured there was no way around it at this point. "I saw the Ministry, fallen. Completely in ruins."
She could tell that Dumbledore felt apprehensive at her answer, but was trying to hide it. "I see. And you were standing in front of it?"
"Yes."
"Alone?"
She was shaking now, trying to fight back the tears forming in her eyes. "No."
"Who was there with you?"
"My parents." Dumbledore was not able to hide his shock now, and Cassie wanted to flee. "Headmaster, what does it mean?"
He looked at her silently for a few moments before answering, drawing out her agony. Then, he said, "The Mirror of Erised shows us the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts."
Dumbledore allowed her to leave the classroom alone then, not questioning whether she was going back to the Slytherin common room or not. Cassie, who left at a dead run with tears streaming down her face, didn't even know where she was heading, just knowing she had to get away.
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