Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

74. Unjust Acquittals

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.