TRUST ME, harry potter

FIFTEEN - FLOPPY!

CASSIE WATCHED AS THE HUFFLEPUFF'S, SLYTHERIN'S, AND RAVENCLAW'S ALL entered the Great Hall, looking extremely confused. Cassie began to play with the edges of her blonde hair, twirling it and untwirling it.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened. Cassie was trying to hide her shaking hands, she needed her teddy. It was a small bunny with pink floppy ears, and a yellow body. She's had it ever since she was a baby, and she's slept with it everyday since.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

Cassie, very hesitantly, stood up and made her way to Percy, ignoring Callie's, Rowan's, Aurora's and their friends' eyes of curiosity. Cassie had never spoken to Percy before, but she had spoken to Penelope a few times.

"Uh, Penelope?" Cassie mumbled, making the Head Girl look at her with the most calming eyes ever. "I wasn't in my common room when they all had to leave, and I need something in there to help me sleep, otherwise I'll be up until sunrise."

"I can take you to get it, or if you feel more comfortable, Professor Lupin is available to take you?" Penelope offered.

Remus listened, expecting Cassie to say no to him and yes to Penelope. However he was shocked when he heard Cassie say for Professor Lupin to take her. His eyes had widened, and he approached the two of them.

His palms were sweating, he was feeling sore as tomorrow was the full moon. He couldn't imagine how Rowan felt.

The walk to the Hufflepuff common room was incredibly awkward, however the walk back to the Great Hall wasn't as awkward.

"So, uh, how do you like your new job?" Cassie asked, keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

"Well, I get to see my kids again, so it's good," Remus was awkward replying.

Cassie glared at the floor, "Well, you'd be able to see us all the time if you didn't leave!"

Remus looked at his daughter, regret deep within his eyes. "I'm sorry, I wr--"

"Doesn't matter," Cassie interrupted. Seeing they were outside the Great Hall, she shoved a box of chocolates in his direction. "I picked them up in Hogsmeade, I know it's your favourite thing to eat around the time of the full moon, which is next week."

Cassie entered the Great Hall, grabbing a sleeping bag, and dragging it into the same corner as Callie, Ron, Harry and Hermione. There was a gap in between Harry and Callie, which is where Cassie placed her sleeping bag.

"Did you grab Floppy?" Callie whispered, smiling softly at Cassie, who sent her a nod.

"Does anyone know how he got in?" Ron asked, trying to be quiet, but being so loud that people all over the hall began to speak up.

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away. "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year.

"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.

"Or entered ninja style by climbing up a wall and in through a window?" suggested Rowan, smiling in amusement at his own reply.

"That's just as stupid as him digging a hole underground and making a tunnel that takes him inside the castle," Aurora muttered, throwing a piece of chocolate at Rowan, who eagerly ate it. He looked sickly pale, and he was sweating quite a bit.

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" said Hermione crossly to Harry, Cassie, Callie and Ron.

"Probably," said Ron and Callie. "Why?"

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. It would took forever to dig a hole underground so somebody would've spotted him by the time he actually got a shovel and started digging. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too, and they'd have seen him climb up the wall and in through a window. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, Cassie found it peaceful, and she soon felt her eyes close as she drifted off to sleep.

Around four in the morning, it was just Harry awake. He couldn't sleep, he was too focussed on Sirius Black actually being in the castle. He could've killed someone, and it would've been Harry's fault. He was after Harry, and if a person spotted him when he was looking for Harry, Black could've easily killed them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Cassie start to toss and turn. He had heard all about how she gets nightmares, from Callie. Callie wanted to stay awake and make sure Cassie was okay, but Harry insisted he'd do it because he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep.

This time, her nightmare wasn't about Cedric dying, it was about Sirius Black killing her family in front of her. Harry quietly zipped open his sleeping bag, reached out, and grabbed ahold of Cassie's arm. He gave her a little shake, "Cassie," he whispered.

Cassie's eyes shot open, and the upper half of her body shot up in panic. She looked around the Great Hall. Her eyes found Aurora, Rowan, Azalea and Callie... they were okay. She was okay. Her eyes went to Harry, who was watching her worriedly.

He held his sleeping bag open, letting Cassie slowly climb into it. She turned on her side and felt Harry's arm wrap around her waist. She pulled Floppy into her chest. Cassie could feel her eyes start to close.

Harry held her tighter, "Trust me, you're safe, don't worry."

A/N: cassie and harry are already so cute and they're not even together, in fact they're barely friends, just wait until they become best friends, and then lovers.
QOTD: what is your favourite animal?
AOTD: i have 3: squirrel, sloth and hedgehog!