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

50. Frightening Fears

Harry smiled, "My dad wasn't a Prefect, was he".
"No, he wasn't. He spent too much time in detention with my brother, from what I've heard, so he wouldn't have made a good Prefect. Dumbledore didn't pick the smartest, or the most popular boy back then either, he picked Remus instead. And it seems like he is doing a similar thing this time" admitted Cassiopeia.
"I guess you've got a point... I was just worried that Dumbledore thought I wasn't good enough anymore. He didn't say a word to me at my trial, and he hasn't spoken to me once since I arrived at Grimmauld Place. It feels like he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore" revealed Harry.

"Listen to me Harry, you are good enough, and I don't want anyone telling you otherwise. Dumbledore might not be as friendly with you at the moment, but that's only because he has a lot on his plate. He is the only one Voldemort has ever feared, so the pressure is all on him to come up with a solution to stop Voldemort. We are in a war Harry, so things cannot be the same as they were before. You understand that right?" Asked Cassiopeia.
"Yeah, I guess so" sighed Harry.
"Good. Now, finish packing and I will see you downstairs shortly" instructed Cassiopeia, as she headed towards the door.
"Alright".

As Cassiopeia entered the hallway outside Harry's room, she suddenly heard the sound of someone crying.
She followed the sound towards the study, and gently pushed open the door.
Inside she found Molly on the floor, with tears falling down her face, beside Ron's dead body.
Cassiopeia's mouth fell open in shock, as she had seen Ron a few minutes earlier and he had been absolutely fine.

"Riddikulus" trembled Molly, as she pointed her wand at Ron's body.
There was a loud pop and Ron's body transformed into Harry, causing Molly to cry out once more.
Cassiopeia quickly put the pieces together, realising that the thing in front of her was a Boggart and not really Ron or Harry's dead body.
"Molly it's OK, everyone's alright, this isn't real" insisted Cassiopeia.
"I can't stop seeing their bodies" cried Molly.

Cassiopeia placed herself in front of Molly, blocking her from the Boggart.
"Why don't you pick on someone you're own size" snapped Cassiopeia.
She hoped that if she distracted the Boggart for long enough, Molly would be able to come to her senses and destroy it using magic.
With a new target in front of it, the Boggart transformed from Harry's dead body, into a cruel looking woman who glared down at Cassiopeia.
"My mother? Nice try, but you can't scare me like that. I may have been afraid of her when she was alive. But I killed her myself, so I know she cannot hurt me ever again. Which means you can't frighten me in her form" announced Cassiopeia.

Walburga looked her up and down, before transforming once again. This time she grew long blonde hair, and changed back into a male.
"Lucius Malfoy? Nope, still not scared. He haunted my dreams for years, it's true. But ever since I faced him a couple of years back, I put that fear behind me. He's just a cowardly, awful man, who I absolutely despise. But I am not scared of him anymore" continued Cassiopeia.

The Boggart Lucius smiled, before transforming once more.
His smart suit disappeared, replaced by long dark hooded robes.
The face that peered out from under the hood had pale white skin, and blood red eyes.
"Voldemort" trembled Cassiopeia, as she took a step back towards the door.
The Boggart grinned triumphantly and began advancing on her.
Cassiopeia couldn't help herself, and a piercing scream erupted from her mouth.

Sirius desperately called out her name, but she was too scared to reply.
Footsteps began getting closer, and within moments half of the Order pushed their way into the room to see what was going on.
Sirius headed for Cassiopeia and placed his body protectively in front of hers as Remus stood at the front of the group with his wand out stretched.
Boggart Voldemort changed into a full moon when it saw Remus, and everyone in the room relaxed when they realised what was going on.
"Riddikulus!" Shouted Remus, waving his wand, causing the Boggart to fade away into nothing.

"Is everyone alright?" Asked Remus as he turned back around.
Molly stood to her feet, her face still wet with tears, "I'm fine. I think I just need a sit down".
Sirius turned around to face Cassiopeia, "What about you? Are you OK?".
Unable to speak, Cassiopeia just nodded.
"It was only a Boggart, Cass. It wasn't really Voldemort" continued Sirius.
Cassiopeia nodded again as Remus escorted Molly out of the room so that she could rejoin her family. The rest of the Order followed them out, except for Sirius and Harry, who stayed put beside Cassiopeia.

"Why was he your worst fear?" Harry asked quietly.
"I think he's a lot of people's worst fears" admitted Sirius.
"Yeah, but why is he Cassie's? Out of all the bad things you've been through, why is he the scariest experience you've had?" Harry asked again.
"Because the worst day of my life was the day your parents died" revealed Cassiopeia, her voice no more than a whisper.
"Really?" Questioned Harry, not quite believing it.
"Every day in this place was a living hell, but it was a hell that I was used to. Some days were worse than others, but none of them were good... Godric's Hollow was the one place I felt safe, until he came. Seeing him for the first time, was terrifying" answered Cassiopeia.

"Hadn't you seen him before?" Quizzed Harry.
Cassiopeia shook her head, "I didn't go on missions like the boys. I just patched them up when they got back. I was a Healer, not a fighter. I never got anywhere near Voldemort, not until that night... He was just as horrifying as everyone had told me. He had an aura of power surrounding him and a coldness in his voice that made him seem so unhuman. His dark red eyes and pale skin made him look like some kind of demon... I felt so powerless that night. When me and Lily ran upstairs, there was nothing I could do to save James. We heard him die as we sat trembling in the nursery. And there was nothing I could do when Voldemort made his was upstairs searching for you. He pushed me up against the wall using magic, and just held me there. I couldn't move or make a sound. I just had to watch as he killed Lily before turning his wand on you. The Potters had always been kind to me, and when it came down to it, I could do nothing to protect them" informed Cassiopeia.

"There was nothing you could have done to save them, since you have no magic of your own. I'm just grateful that he didn't kill you as well that night, because I don't think I could have lived with myself if he had" admitted Sirius.
"He would have killed me, if I hadn't been a woman capable of bringing more pure-blood children into the world" replied Cassiopeia.
"Is that really why he didn't kill you?" Asked Harry.
"That's the reason he gave me. He also said that a loyal servant of his asked him to spare me. To this day I don't know if it was Peter or Bella. But I suppose it doesn't matter, since they are both traitors who chose the wrong side" answered Cassiopeia.

"You've been through so much trauma. How do you live with all of that inside your head?" Quizzed Harry.
"I honestly don't know" confessed Cassiopeia.
"And to think, a few minutes ago I was worrying about a stupid Prefect badge" mumbled Harry.
"You're allowed to worry about normal teenage things you know. And the more you focus on the small things, the less time you will spend worrying about darker things, like the state of the wizarding world. Try staying a kid for as long as you can"
"I've not been a kid for years"
"Hmm, I guess you've got a point".

"Come on you two, stop wallowing in self-pity. This is our last night together and I want us to enjoy it, since we won't be back as a three for quite some time" said Sirius.
"Whatever you say big brother" replied Cassiopeia.
"Let's rejoin the others downstairs and try to have a normal evening" encouraged Sirius, as he placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, and gently pushed him out of the room.
Cassiopeia looked over her shoulder at where the Boggart Voldemort had been, moments before.
"Yeah... Normal" she muttered, before following the boys downstairs, all the while knowing exactly what figure she was going to see in her nightmares that evening.