"Stop it, Harry. We won't take it and neither will (Y/n)," Freyja insisted after a meeting with Harry.
"But I don't want it!" Harry cried.
"Find someone else. We are not taking it," Merula said firmly. "(Y/n), before we get going, I thought you'd want these," she said, holding out a Slytherin letterman jacket with Cassius' number and the matching ring Cassius gave to (Y/n) six months ago. (Y/n) stared down at the ring. "Yes, I know it's a family ring, but they really can't pass it on without a kid anymore, can they?" Merula said rather coldly, referring to Cassius' parents. "Keep it. It's yours."
Harry and (Y/n) sat in silence as Merula and Freyja were soon leaving with Rowan. (Y/n)'s eyes turned onto Hary and then she curled up into his side.
"So you don't need to hear it from the others: Cassius left me with a protection of sorts. All I know right now is I can hear everything happening in the castle right now. I don't know what'll happen after we leave Hogwarts, though," (Y/n) said quietly.
It had been the first full sentences she had spoken in days. Her words were usually rather short: just as how things had been before (Y/n)'s fourth year. She had retreated back into her shell that took two full years to get her out of. Harry could only hope (Y/n) would snap back.
"Really? How're you still sane?"
"I can hear things at my command, not all the time... There are a few other things I noticed, but I still want to test how far this 'protection' goes." Harry smiled shortly at her.
"You reckon we'll be left alone?" (Y/n) shrugged in reply. "Can only hope, I suppose..."
For the next week, (Y/n) essentially had a protection squad: a lot of her friends would hex any reporter (or student) that bothered (Y/n), though she could never pinpoint who was hexing them due to often finding herself alone outside of meals. (Y/n) was genuinely conflicted with what was going on: she didn't like being alone, but she did like being left alone: something both Luna and Neville gave her. (Y/n) enjoyed being around as Luna only acknowledged what had happened just a week ago with a simple sentence. Neville, on the other hand, took more to quality time: he and (Y/n) were often in the greenhouse together, away from school and away from responsibilities. Other than Neville and Luna, Harry would always be attached to (Y/n)'s side, and with Harry often came Hermione and Ron, though they seemed to understand that the both of them needed space and gave them as much as they could.
A bad habit (Y/n) now had as a result of her pit of depression during her grievance was loss of appetite. She would eat, but the heavy foods made it rather hard for her to actually hold the food down, resulting in either losing her meal or simply avoiding eating at all. The house-elves, ever the saints, were there to provide lighter food and snacks for her, taking very good care of her indeed.
"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at all the people in the Great Hall, "of another year."
He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Slytherin table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the most scared and palest faces in the Hall.
"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Slytherins, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cassius Warrington."
They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cassius Warrington."
Those who looked towards the Ravenclaw table would find (Y/n) stuck in between Chija and Fleur, both of whom were side-hugging (Y/n), whispering reassuringly to her. Across the table, Padma held the hand that (Y/n) wasn't holding her goblet with and Marietta sent pitiful looks towards (Y/n). Silent tears poured down (Y/n)'s face, though she seemed to not want to acknowledge them as she tilted her head down.
