Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

48. Unhappily Together

As the summer stretched on, Cassiopeia and Sirius's mental health began to decline.
There were days when even the Weasley twins couldn't get a smile out of either of the Black siblings.
At her lowest moments Cassiopeia even considered walking out of the house and getting herself arrested, just to escape being trapped inside Grimmauld Place.
Thinking about Sirius being all alone, was the only thing that stopped her from taking such drastic actions.

Cassiopeia hadn't seen Harry all summer, but every time Dumbledore saw her he insisted that Harry was completely safe at the Dursleys, so she continued keeping her distance.
Dumbledore's promises were apparently false, as one evening Harry was attacked by a Dementor, and then expelled from Hogwarts for defending himself.
Cassiopeia was desperate to be a part of the team sent to collect Harry, but Dumbledore had forbidden both her and Sirius from going. So they were stuck in a boring Order meeting while other members of the Order went to fetch Harry from Privet Drive.

While Snape bragged about how he was risking his life getting secret information from Voldemort, Cassiopeia was tuning him out, choosing to stare at the clock on the wall, eagerly awaiting Harry's return.
When she finally heard the front door slam shut and her mother's hiddeous screams echo through the halls, Cassiopeia jumped to her feet and headed for the kitchen door.
"Hey, I'm not finished yet" said Snape.
"Well, I'm done listening to you. Sirius can fill me in later if you say anything important once I'm gone" Cassiopeia shouted over her shoulder as she fled the kitchen.

Cassiopeia saw Harry stood at the end of the corridor, but before she approached him, she yelled at her mother's portrait and yanked the curtains closed, so she didn't have to look at her face.
She then pelted off down the corridor and threw herself into Harry's arms.
"I've missed you" whispered Cassiopeia.
"You too" mumbled Harry, as he pushed her back.
Cassiopeia could see anger and sorrow in his eyes, which hadn't been there before. And she assumed this was because neither her or Sirius had seen him all summer, so the boy was probably feeling rather neglected.

"I'm so sorry Auntie Cass, I didn't mean to wake up your mother. I tripped over the coat stand" apologised Nymphadora.
"Don't worry about it Dora" sighed Cassiopeia.
"Has the meeting finished already?" Remus asked quietly.
"Not yet. I just didn't want to listen to Snape talk anymore" revealed Cassiopeia.
"Cass" scolded Remus.
"What? There's no point in me being in there, since I'm not allowed to leave the house anyway, so it's not like I'm going to be sent on any of the missions that get dished out".

"We'd better join the others then" announced Alastor Moody, as he pushed past Cassiopeia and headed towards the kitchen, with the rest of the Order following behind him.
"Shouldn't you go with them?" Asked Harry.
"Probably. But right now, I want to talk to you, before you go off and join your friends" informed Cassiopeia.
"O.K" muttered Harry.
"But we can't talk here, because if we make too much noise my mother's portrait will wake up again... Follow me" encouraged Cassiopeia, as she lead the way into the drawing room.

"If your mother has a portrait here, I assume this is your childhood home then?" Questioned Harry.
"Yes, this is where Sirius and I grew up" answered Cassiopeia.
"I thought you said you would rather die than come back here" replied Harry.
"I did once say that, but Voldemort's return has changed things. This is also now the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, so me and Sirius need to be here so we are up to date with what is going on in the world".

"Oh, I see... That girl outside, Tonks, she called you her aunt. Is she Sirius's daughter?" Quizzed Harry.
"No, definitely not. Dora's mother is my cousin; Andromeda. So technically Dora is like my second cousin, or first cousin once removed. Something like that. Anyway, Dora calls me Auntie, just like Draco does, since their mothers don't talk to each other, as the sisters don't get on. And there was a time when all of the Black kids got along like siblings. I always viewed Narcissa and Andromeda as sisters back then" explained Cassiopeia.