Chapter 21
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A graveyard.
Cassidy is sitting in a graveyard, and she's alone.
"Hello?"
She calls.
Then a voice whispers in her ear.
"The first is chosen, the second is taken."
A rushing sound.
She whirled around, only to be met with—
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The light of Madam Pomfrey's infirmary stabs Cassidy's eyes, and she groaned, sitting up slowly. Silently, she looked around, spotting Hermione sitting next to Harry's bed, looking at his sleeping face with worry. She decided not to say anything, looking to the side.
Cassidy startled. Ron was wide awake, his leg propped onto a pillow and heavily bandaged. Sirius Black and her father, Joshua Sweet, were nowhere to be found.
Seeing her wand on the bedside table, she got up and grabbed it, casting a quick "Muffliato!" before drawing the curtains around the two beds and going over to Ron. He looked up at her.
"What'd you do that for?" He mumbled softly.
"If Hermione sees me awake, she's going to ask me a hundred and one questions," she laughed softly. "And she looks really worried about Harry. I wanted to give them a moment alone."
Ron nodded, his eyes traveling to the bandage on Cassidy's cheek.
"Cass, that gash was really bad—"
"How many times do I have tell you? I'm fine, Ronald. Your leg almost got bitten off by a dog."
They both laughed despite themselves.
Ron looked at Cassidy playing with a loose thread of her hoodie, and swallowed before talking.
"I'm bloody useless, you know." He muttered. Cassidy stopped playing with the loose thread, looking at Ron.
"What?"
"The shack, Sirius Black, everything... everyone was doing something, and I was just the one who got us in there in the first place. Harry was facing off with someone he thought betrayed his parents—"
"Ron."
"—and I was just sitting there, whimpering like a wet sock—"
"Ron."
"—and everyone was so brave, and I saw you and Harry running off, and I wanted to help, but I couldn't, because I got my stupid leg broken—"
"Ron!"
Ron startled at Cassidy's raised voice, looking up at her, seeing her. She had a pained look on her face.
"Don't you ever speak down on yourself like that, ever. Your leg was injured, and you couldn't stand, but you still tried to fight off a convicted mass-murderer. If that's being useless, then I don't know what being useful could mean."
Ron scoffed. "You're just saying that because we're mates."
"Yes, Ron, I am saying that because we're mates, but I'm also saying it because it's true. You might not realize it, but you're bloody brilliant, and kind, and loyal. And I don't regret meeting you on the Hogwarts Express and eating Chocolate Frogs with you, because you're one of my best mates, Ron Weasley. And remember, we made a pinky promise. To stay that way forever."
Cassidy smiled, and Ron saw that smile, the one that undid him every time without knowing why. His ears slowly turned pink, and he looked away.
"Blimey, you sound like those books Ginny's always reading." He mumbled.
"Shut up, Ronniekins." Cassidy said, rolling her eyes. "And don't let me catch you talking like that again."
He smiled up at her, and Cassidy felt that odd warmth in her cheeks. She brushed it off, opening the curtains around them with a flick of her wand.
It seemed Harry and Hermione had been speaking, and they looked up at Cassidy and Ron just as the doors to the infirmary burst open.
It was Dumbledore, quickly followed by Joshua Sweet, Cassidy's father. Cassidy jumped up, running towards him and giving him a tight hug.
"I thought I lost you," she whispered shakily as he hugged her back.
"You never could lose me, Noelle." He replied gently, watching as Cassidy drew back. "But we have more pressing issues to attend to."
Hermione walked up to Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, you've got to stop them! They've got the wrong man!"
"It's true, sir," Harry added, getting up from his bed. "Sirius is innocent, Mr. Sweet can tell you."
Joshua and Dumbledore simply shared a knowing look.
"It was Scabbers who did it!" Ron blurted out from his bed. Cassidy nodded.
"Scabbers?" Dumbledore said slowly.
"He's my rat, sir. He's not really a rat. Well, he was a rat. He was my brother Percy's rat, but then they gave him an owl and—"
"Ron. Details." Cassidy said.
"Point is, we know the truth." Hermione said, looking between the two men. "Mr. Sweet was there, he can testify. Please believe us."
"I do, Miss Granger, Joshua has told me everything. But I'm sorry to say the word of four thirteen-year-old wizards and a man known for being Sirius's friend in his school days will convince few others."
Joshua looked to his daughter. "I'll be taking my leave now. Albus." Joshua turned to Dumbledore, giving a curt bow before going.
"W-what?" Cassidy spluttered, but Dumbledore gave her a look that said, trust me.
And so she did.
He walked up to Ron's bed slowly. "A child's voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen." He tapped Ron's leg as he said this, making the latter yelp in pain. Cassidy winced.
The Clock Tower suddenly chimed, and Dumbledore passed Cassidy, giving her a meaningful look before passing Hermione. He strode back towards the entrance. "Mysterious thing, time. Powerful."
Hermione looked at Dumbledore then, a silent question in her eyes, and Cassidy knew her suspicions had been correct all along.
"—and when meddled with, dangerous. Sirius Black is in the topmost cell of the Dark Tower."
He suddenly turned to Hermione.
"You know the law, Miss Granger. You must not be seen, and you would do well, I feel, to return before this last chime. If not, the consequences are too ghastly to discuss." He got closer to Hermione.
"If you succeed tonight, more than one innocent life may be spared. Three turns should do it, I think."
Dumbledore got to the doorway, but stopped, seeming to remember something, and turned back.
"Miss Sweet, it seems you're destined to play a role in the most curious of moments. Never underestimate the power of being exactly where you need to be." Cassidy swallowed, looking at Dumbledore as he stared back at her, eyes trailing slowly to her necklace before looking back up at her face.
"Noted, Professor." She said simply, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he started closing the door.
"Oh, by the way: When in doubt, I found retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin. Good luck."
And then he shut the door. Cassidy turned to Hermione.
"You gonna show us the Time-Turner now?" She asked.
"How long have you known?"
"Since the beginning of lessons."
Hermione tutted. "Touché."
"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Ron said, bewildered.
"Sorry, Ron, but seeing as you can't walk..." and then Hermione pulled out a necklace. Cassidy inspected it closely, intrigued.
"Never seen one up close..." she muttered.
Hermione put the necklace around their necks, and Cassidy stuffed her own necklace into her pocket. On the end of it was an hourglass. Harry reached up to examine it, but Hermione smacked his hand away. Cassidy snorted.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Harry asked Cassidy.
"Wait and see, Potter." Cassidy said knowingly.
Hermione spun the hourglass three times, and it began to whir. A ticking sound begun, and everything around Harry, Cassidy and Hermione rushed backwards. Cassidy saw people throughout the daytime, though nobody seemed to see them.
"This is so amazing!" Cassidy yelled, grinning.
"Cassidy, be quiet!" Hermione yelled back.
Suddenly, they stopped, standing in a deserted hospital wing during the daytime.
"What just happened?" Harry asked, alarmed. "Where's Ron?"
Cassidy stretched absentmindedly, looking around at the wing, while Hermione looked at a clock.
"Seven thirty." Hermione said, looking at Cassidy and Harry. "Where were we at seven-thirty?"
Cassidy snapped her fingers.
"We were going to Hagrid's." Hermione nodded slowly, and then grabbed both of their hands.
"Come on, and we can't be seen!"
Hermione started running and Cassidy went after her, Harry in their wake.
"Hermione! Cass!" He yelled after them.
They ignored him, and they all ran down the Clock Tower and across the courtyard to the Covered Bridge.
"Hermione! Cassidy, wait!" Harry yelled after them.
"Potter, keep your voice down! We could be seen!" Cassidy said as they ran.
"Well, maybe I could do with some information then!" Harry hissed back. Cassidy rolled her eyes as they reached the end of the Covered Bridge.
"Hermione, Cassidy, will you please tell me what it is we're doing?!"
They didn't reply, looking down at what seemed to be... themselves? Cassidy frowned as she looked at her past self from afar.
"Am I really that tall?" She whispered. "Blimey, I'm competing with Ron."
"Ah, come to see the show?" Draco sneered. Cassidy from earlier seemed to be egging on Hermione from afar.
"You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" Cassidy whistled lowly, giggling as Harry looked on in confusion.
"That's us." He said.
"Hermione, no!" Ron yelled. "He's not worth it."
"'Mione, swing." Past Cassidy said. Present Cassidy smirked.
"This is not normal." Harry said shakily.
Suddenly, Hermione pushed him out of sight, and when Cassidy didn't follow them, she pulled her as well. She held up the hourglass to Harry.
"This is a Time Turner, Harry. McGonagall gave it to me first term. This is how I've been getting to my lessons all year."
"It was very obvious." Cassidy remarked. Hermione turned to her.
"How do you even know what this is?"
Cassidy shrugged. "I read a lot of books on Magical Artifacts. I don't just hang out with you lot in my free time, you know."
Hermione pursed her lips, but said nothing.
"You mean we've gone back in time?"
"Yes." Hermione put the Time Turner away. "Dumbledore obviously wanted us to return to this moment." Hermione went to look back out at the scene, Cassidy and Harry following.
"Clearly something happened he wants us to change."
The earlier Hermione punched Draco, followed by the earlier Cassidy kneeing him in the crotch. Cassidy smirked.
"I hope it's not that." She said, causing Hermione to laugh.
"Good punch, Hermione. That's a good kick from you too, Cass."
"Thanks." The two girls said in unison. Cassidy held up her fist to Crabbe and Pike, causing them to start running off with Draco.
"Let's go! Quick!" Crabbe said, running to where the three stood.
"Malfoy's coming." Hermione whispered, and they all jumped onto the ground beside the bridge before they could be seen by Draco and his friends.
"Not a word to anyone. Understood?" Draco said to the other two as they ran. "I'm gonna get that jumped-up Mudblood, and that foul-mouthed blood-traitor! Mark my words!"
Cassidy scoffed. "He won't do shit."
They moved closer to watch the scene.
"That felt good." Hermione from earlier said.
"Not good." Ron replied. "Brilliant."
"Come on, we should be at Hagrid's." Earlier Harry said.
The earlier group of four went down the hill, while the time-traveling trio followed at a distance.