CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR;

UNJUST ACQUITTALS

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Miraculously, when the night of December twentieth came – and with it, Slughorn's Slug Club Christmas party –, Cassie found herself in the hospital wing with a cold.

   She apologized profusely to Harry and Hermione and told them to pass along a message to Professor Slughorn explaining her absence, but on the inside, she had never felt more invigorated with herself. Despite her slight sickness, she felt great – she'd managed to get out of attending the Christmas party! The excuse was practically handed to her on a silver platter, and she graciously took it without a second thought.

   Cassie refused to take any of the Pepper-up Potions Madam Pomfrey shoved into her hands until the following morning so she could safely skive off Potions and not have to face Professor Slughorn until the next day. Even so, Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping her in the wing until classes were completed for term, so Cassie slept in the hospital wing under the Medi-witch's care for the rest of the week (which was a bit much, if you asked Cassie – she had only had a small cold...)

   As Mrs. Weasley had informed her before the Hogwarts Express had departed from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Cassie was to be staying with the Weasleys at the burrow for Christmas – along with Harry. Hermione would be going home to her parents, which was probably for the best, as she could barely stand to be in the same room as Ron.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to have the same amount of leniency as Madam Pomfrey when it came to Cassie's recent cold; the second she set foot in the Burrow, Cassie was forced to eat an entire bowl of Mrs. Weasley's hot soup (not that she was complaining), put on an extra layer of clothes, and Mrs. Weasley was continuously taking Cassie's temperature with her wand. Cassie would have appreciated the gestures much more if she wasn't sweating beneath the two jumpers and double-layered pants.

On the bright side, Mrs. Weasley insisted that Cassie sit out on all chores in fear of working herself back into the cold. Cassie had been planning on telling Mrs. Weasley that her fever had dissipated completely nearly a week earlier, but after this bit of instructions, Cassie decided her news could wait. She watched with a pleased smile as Harry and Ron skinned sprouts for Mrs. Weasley's Christmas day lunch.

Harry was explaining quietly to Cassie and Ron what he had witnessed at Slughorn's party. "...that he'd made an Unbreakable Vow, or something–"

"Unbreakable Vow?" said Ron, freezing halfway through peeling one of his sprouts. "Nah, he can't have. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," said Harry, nodding. "What does it mean?"

"You can't break an Unbreakable Vow," said Ron stupidly. Cassie snorted from her spot on the counter next to them.

"Gee, really, Ron? I'd've figured they called it 'Unbreakable' just for piss and giggles," she said, smirking. Though her eyes were on her Charms homework, she could practically feel Ron's glower. Harry asked what happened if one were to break an Unbreakable Vow as Cassie twisted her lips to the side, marking down a random scribble on her homework to seem as if she were really completing it.

"You die," Ron replied simply. "Fred and George tried to get me to make an Unbreakable Vow when I was about six. Nearly did it, too, I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad found us. He went mental. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since."

"Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttocks–"

"I beg your pardon?" said Fred, as the twins entered the kitchen. George wordlessly took Cassie's essay from her clutches and looked over it wistfully. He handed it back after a moment, shaking his head and muttering something about "Having to do work... during the holidays..," but he was smirking. She thumped him and took back her work.

"Look at this," said Fred reminiscently. "They're using knives and everything. Bless them."

"I'll be seventeen in almost two months," said Ron grumpily. "I'll be able to do it by magic then."

"You're lucky," sighed Cassie theatrically. "Harry and I've got to wait longer."

"Shoulda been born earlier," said Fred, snickering, earning himself a shove on the shoulder as Cassie passed by him to climb the stairs. "Oi, where're you going, Black?"

"Somewhere secluded and private where I won't be bothered by one of you redheads."

"Good luck with that." George grinned. "We're everywhere."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Cassie awoke the following morning to a multitude of haphazardly wrapped presents at the foot of her bed. She yawned and stretched to see Ginny, already sitting up and snacking on a pack of licorice wands. When she noticed Cassie was awake, she grinned. "Happy Christmas, Cassie!"

   "Yeah, happy Chris'mas," she slurred tiredly, rubbing her eyes. "What've you got?"

   Ginny sifted through her gifts, then shrugged. "Socks, sweater, candy, new posters." Cassie was unsure what Ginny was planning on doing with said posters, as every inch of her walls were already covered in Quidditch merchandise. She decided not to ask.

   She sat up with a bit of effort and stretched before examining the pile of gifts on her own bed. Same as Ginny, it seemed – socks, candy, books, and her very own Molly-Weasley-patented Christmas sweater; it was navy blue and the large, bolded C in the middle was yellow. Looking at its Ravenclaw colors, she could not help but think of Luna.

   Everybody wore new sweaters when Cassie sat down for lunch, everyone except Fleur, which Cassie internally frowned at but decided not to comment on over Christmas brunch. Harry had a maggot on his neck, which Cassie snickered at but also decided not to comment on. Just to see how long it took for him to notice.

   Remus had joined them for lunch, surprising Cassie, and handed out chocolate frogs to everyone. Nobody frowned at the apparent lack of effort he seemed to put forward into his gifts; it was an unspoken agreement not to complain, as everyone sitting around the table had grown up on the poorer side.

   "Tonks's Patronus has changed its form," said Mrs. Weasley conversationally, a pleased yet tight smile on her lips. It was no secret to anyone that she was still attempting to set Tonks up with Bill, despite her son's prior engagement and upcoming wedding. "Interesting, isn't it?"

   "Oh, I saw it," said Harry, nodding in agreement to Mrs. Weasley's statement. "I didn't know Patronuses could change form."

   "Sometimes.. a great shock... an.. emotional upheaval," said Moony slowly after swallowing very thickly and clearing his throat. Cassie pursed her lips. An emotional upheaval was an understatement; as Cassie had been informed, Tonks blamed herself for Sirius's death.

  Instead of voicing her pity and concern for Tonks, Cassie bit the inside of her cheek before saying, "I think it's cool that–"

   "Arthur!" said Mrs. Weasley suddenly. She had risen from her chair and was clutching her chest as though her heart may burst through it, staring through the kitchen window. "Arthur, it's Percy!"

   Everyone looked quickly through the window. Cassie and Ginny stood for a better look. Sure enough, trudging through the snowy yard was Percy Weasley, his red curly hair glowing like a hellish halo in the morning sunlight. He was not, however, alone.

   "It's the Minister!" said Mrs. Weasley; at the same time, Cassie muttered, "Is that my mother?"

   Before anyone could do anything but exchange shocked looks, the back door opened and Percy entered. There was a stiff silence, before he said, "Merry Christmas, Mother."

"Oh, Percy!" cried Mrs. Weasley, and she threw herself onto him in an hug that he reciprocated much too awkwardly to be genuine.

"You must forgive this intrusion," said the Minister. Cassie eyed him; the replacement for Cornelius Fudge. He seemed abundantly more professional than the bowler-hat wearing jovial man Cassie used to know as Minister. "Percy and I were in the vicinity, and he couldn't resist dropping in and seeing you all for Christmas."

Percy showed no sign of wanting to greet his family. He stared ahead with a poker face, not even making eye contact with his brothers and sister, who were all watching him, stony-faced. A moment after the Minister entered, Cassie's least favorite person in the world followed.

Adelaide shook out her hair, sprinkling stray snowflakes onto the ground and exhaling a short sigh. "Wow, how snowy," she said into the abysmal silence. Cassie inwardly grimaced, but only dropped her head onto the table with a barely audible whimper.

   "Ah, looks Cassiopeia's finished. Why doesn't she come with me?" Percy pulled her chair out and she, pulled with it, stumbled off before she could fall. Ron stood instantly, his eyes narrowing to slits as he sidestepped Cassie to intimidate Percy wordlessly. Cassie placed a hand on Ron's arm and, when he looked to her for confirmation, she nodded. He shot Percy one more glower and his fingers brushed his wand threateningly.

"We'll be just outside," Percy promised his family without meeting any of their eyes, before placing a hand on Cassie's shoulder and steering her toward the back door. Adelaide gave her a thin-lipped smile in greeting but, and Cassie stifled a smirk when she noticed, did not meet her daughter's eyes. Once the trio was safe distance from the open windows of the Burrow, Cassie spun on them.

"Good morning, Percy," she said with forced politeness, her arms crossing in front of her chest. "Any particular reason you've come to greet me first, and not your mother?"

"Mr. Weasley is here to make a request," said Cassie's mum, and it took the girl a moment to realize that she was talking about Percy and not Arthur. Adelaide nodded to Percy. "Go ahead."

"I just need your statement, Cassiopeia." Percy withdrew a formal-looking scroll from his coat and cleared his throat as he unrolled it. He tapped his wand in the air and held it out between the three of them as if it were a microphone. "Miss and Mrs. Black," he began properly, eyes only flashing up from the parchment, "I, Percy Ignatius Weasley," –Cassie desperately held herself back from simpering– "Ministry official and climbing rank, hereby declare the Ministry's formal and solemn apologies for the wrongful imprisonment of one Sirius Black. We–"

"You're joking."

Adelaide and Percy looked to her in annoyance. Cassie simply gaped at the redhead, slack-jawed and slightly gobsmacked. She looked helplessly to her mother. "Tell me you're joking."

"This is no laughing matter, Cassiopeia," said Adelaide firmly. "The Ministry needs our formal forgiveness for putting your father in–"

   "What the hell?" spat Cassie, taking a few steps backward to separate herself from the both of them, fearing that she might not have been able to stop herself if she were too close. "They want us to forgive them? For putting Dad through hell for twelve years?"

   Percy's eyes flashed in contempt. "Yes."

   "No, I don't forgive you," said Cassie, still slightly astonished yet also completely furious. "No, no, and no. I do not forgive your fucking Ministry, I do not forgive the Minister, I do not forgive the people who put an innocent man in prison without a trial, and I certainly"–she spun on her mother, jabbing a finger at her face angrily–"do not forgive you!"

   "F-forgive me?" stammered Adelaide, looking to Percy for help. He had paled, yet his eyes nearly popped from his head in outrage. "Whatever would I need your forgiveness for–?"

   "For leaving me!" Cassie couldn't lie – the way her mother's face flashed with pain brought her cruel satisfaction. "For leaving Moony with your child because you were too broken to deal with me! Guess what? You weren't the only one! While you ran off to paradise for twelve years, Moony was grieving the loss of three of his best friends, and Dad was stuck wrongfully in jail for a crime he didn't fucking commit! You may have been sad, Adelaide, but it was nothing compared to what Dad felt, I can promise you that. Where were you? Where were you when I needed you? When I had my first dance, when I got my wand, when I got accepted to Hogwarts. You weren't there. You were – you are a coward, Adelaide Hawthorne." She reeled around to face Percy again, her hands curling to fists. "Yeah, you can have my fucking statement: you're all arrogant prats. Get your heads out of your arses. And the Prophet can quote me on that."

She stormed inside the Burrow, her shoulder painfully shoving into the Minister of Magic's, but she didn't even meet his eyes. He stared after her, absolutely appalled at her inappropriate behavior, when his eyes landed on the two who has stepped in the path she had just stomped off in. They glared at Rufus Scrimgeour with so much contempt that he actually faltered, spun on his heel, and quickly exited the premises.

The Burrow fell into complete silence until Fred leaned over to his twin and muttered, "D'you think now's a bad time to ask Cassie if she's gonna finish her turkey?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

a.n.
i'm currently working on a george weasley fanfiction :-) i was wondering if you guys would prefer me to begin publishing chapters now, while i'm still working on / updating potter's girl, or if you think it better for me to wait until potter's girl is completed to release the other one ? any & all criticism is appreciated , i love you all<33