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

51. Breaking Free

Dumbledore showed up at Grimmauld Place that night, once the children were in bed, and he told the Black siblings that they were forbidden from accompanying Harry to King's Cross the following day.
The moment he left, Cassiopeia and Sirius locked eyes with each other, and a silent conversation happened between the two of them, during which they both agreed to completely ignore Dumbledore's instructions.

In the morning, Harry thought his godparents were avoiding him because they didn't want to say goodbye to him.
But as he headed for the front door he was suddenly met by an old lady with a dog at her feet.
"Ready to go then, young man?" Asked the lady, as the dog barked excitedly.
Harry frowned for a moment, before his eyes widened, "Cass?".
"In this form I'm Ceecee remember. The Squib woman with her pet dog Snuffles, who watched you growing up" reminded Cassiopeia.

"Is this the person you were during the Triwizard Tournament?" Questioned Harry.
"Well, it's as close as I'm going to get to that woman. Dumbledore transfigured me last time, and since he refused to do the same today, Moody had to disguise me following the instructions I gave him. I thought it was safer to pretend to be someone I've been before, instead of being a stranger" answered Cassiopeia.
"Dumbledore didn't want you coming with me today?" Quizzed Harry.
"No, he wants me and Sirius locked away for the foreseeable future. But me and my brother have other ideas".

"Come on everyone, we've got to go!" Announced Molly, as she pushed past them and headed out the door, with her children close behind her.
"Is this safe?" Harry asked Cassiopeia as he followed the Weasleys out.
"We've got half of the Order acting as body guards for you, so I'd say me and Snuffles are pretty safe" reassured Cassiopeia.
"I'm suprised Moody agreed to this" admitted Harry.
"Moody always liked me during the first war, so he didn't take much convincing. Besides, the more people willing to sacrifice themselves for you, the better. So, Moody was happy to transfigure me to be one of your body guards".

"I still think it's very risky for you to be out here" whispered Harry, as the group began the walk to King's Cross.
"You sound like Molly" groaned Cassiopeia.
"Didn't she want you leaving either?" Questioned Harry.
"Molly is a big supporter of Dumbledore. She doesn't want us doing anything that he doesn't agree with. But she's not the boss of us. Me and Snuffles have been stuck in that hell hole all summer, we deserve at least a few hours to breathe fresh air, since I don't know when we are going to get the chance to do it again"
"I don't want you to be locked in Grimmauld Place forever, but I do worry about you being out in public".

Cassiopeia smiled and ruffled Harry's hair, "You worry too much little one".
"Yep, that's me, chief worrier" mumbled Harry.
"Cheer up. You'll be back at Hogwarts soon with all of your friends, eating lavish feasts every night, and having parties in your common room" reminded Cassiopeia.
"I know. But I'm going to miss you. You're going to me just as much right?" Asked Harry.
"I'm a Squib Harry, I've spent my whole life watching those I love, go off to Hogwarts without me. So this experience isn't exactly new for me".

"But it is new for me... I've always been desperate to get back to Hogwarts as soon as possible. But this is the first year that I'm hesitant about going back. I do obviously want to go back to school, but a part of me wishes I could stay with you guys instead. We've only just been reunited, and I hate that we have to be ripped apart once more" sighed Harry.
"All children feel the same way as you do, on the 1st of September. They have to leave their homes and their loving families for months at a time, and many get home sick. You've never had to experience that before, since you didn't have a real home to miss. But now that me and Snuffles are acting as your surrogate parents, you finally have someone to miss when you go back to school" replied Cassiopeia.

"So it is easier to not care at all? If you don't have loving parents, you don't have to have your heart ripped out when the holidays end" commented Harry.
"But then you have to grow up without love, and I think we can both agree that living without love, is not truely living at all. To live without loving another human being, is not really living. And I pity those who live without love" admitted Cassiopeia.
"Yes, of course. And I'm so glad that I have you in my life. I didn't know what I was missing, until you and Snuffles came back into my life. But it's just really hard to say goodbye to you both... I know it's not the same as having real parents to say goodbye to, but you are the next best thing" replied Harry.

Cassiopeia smiled, "I'm glad you think of me as a parent Harry, because I think of you as a son. I will never get to raise children of my own, so I view you as my child. Lily and James may hate me for saying that, but since they aren't here, I will gladly pick up the slack and watch over. I love you as much as any mother loves her son, and I know that Sirius thinks of you as his son too... I know it hurts to be apart, but it's not forever, it's only during term time. And you have to be at school, as it's the best place for you right now".
Harry's eyes welled up with tears, but he didn't allow himself to cry. Instead he looked away and quickly rubbed his face, getting rid of any tears that had dared to form in his eyes.

****

Once the group got to King's Cross they all ran through the barrier and onto Platform 9 and ¾.
Harry knelt onto the ground and Sirius put his paws on his shoulders, so they could hug each other farewell.
"For Merlin's sake Sirius, act more like a dog" hissed Molly.
"Calm down Molly, no one is watching us. Everyone is too busy saying their own goodbyes" reassured Cassiopeia.
Molly rolled her eyes, before moving to the side to say goodbye to her own children.

Harry ruffled the fur on Sirius's head before standing back up.
"Are you going to say goodbye to Draco?" Questioned Harry, as he looked across the platform at where the Malfoys were standing.
"No, I'm not. I told Draco at the end of last term that I couldn't see him again while the war was going on, unless he decided to join our side" replied Cassiopeia.
"That is never going to happen. Draco is evil just like his father" Harry said coldly.
"No, he's not. And I beg you not to judge him, for you don't know what he's going through. It's not easy being raised in such a strict pure-blood family. I watched my brother Regulus go through the same thing as Draco, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I just hope that in the end, Draco has the strength to do the right thing".

"I suppose that since he's also your godson, you don't want me to fight him this year" sighed Harry.
"You two have been enemies since day one, and I can't see that changing any time soon. I don't want you trying to like him, just for my sake. In fact, I think it would be best if you just ignored him this year. You can't risk getting into a verbal confrontation with him, in case my name comes out, because we can't have anyone knowing that I've been in contact with you both" reminded Cassiopeia.
"Don't worry, I know that. I'm not stupid enough to use your name while I'm at Hogwarts" reassured Harry.

"Come on you two, you need to wrap this up. Harry needs to get on the train" instructed Molly, as she rejoined the group.
Cassiopeia took a deep breath and placed her arms around Harry, holding him tight.
She wanted to cry, but she knew that Harry needed her to be strong, so she did everything in her power to keep her emotions in check.
"Goodbye little one" whispered Cassiopeia.
"Keep yourself safe" begged Harry.
"You too" replied Cassiopeia, as she reluctantly extracted herself from his embrace.

Cassiopeia gently kissed the top of Harry's head, before gesturing towards the train.
"Go on. You'd better get going" she encouraged.
"I'll see you again soon" insisted Harry.
"Yes, you will" replied Cassiopeia, forcing a smile.
Harry nodded his head at her, before jumping onto the train moments before it began making its way out of the station.

Once the train was gone, Cassiopeia finally allowed tears to slide down her face.
"Well done Cass, that can't have been easy" Molly said quietly.
Cassiopeia wiped the tears from her face and turned away.
"Lets go" she mumbled.
"He'll be back for Christmas, you'll see him again soon" reminded Molly.
"No I won't. He won't come back for Christmas. He'll want to stay at Hogwarts with the rest of his friends, just like Sirius used to do. He might think that he'll return during the holidays, at first, but once he's back in his familiar place, he won't want to leave, until he's kicked out for the summer holidays... I'm not going to see my boy again until next year. And that's just how it goes".