Mischief Managed ~ Part 2

Chapter 4

Cassie couldn't believe this. She's never gotten a detention before, yet here she is, in a bright pink room, ready to serve it. She sighed heavily when Umbridge gave her a quill to write with. The same type of quill was given to Harry, who was sitting right next to her. 

"You are both to write 'I must not tell lies'," they were instructed. "How many times?" Cassie asked in a tone like she didn't care. Umbridge told her, "Let's just say...until it sinks in." That was a ridiculous answer, but Cassie rolled her eyes and started to write. 

The moment she wrote down the first letter, her left hand started burning. She didn't think anything of it and kept writing. After she wrote down the first sentence, she hissed at the stinging on her hand. 

When she looked at it, the back of her hand was engraved with the scar, I shall not tell lies in her own writing. She quickly looked up to Harry, who was experiencing the same thing. They both looked to Umbridge who gave them a smile. 

After detention ended, Cassie and Harry both walked out with their left hands in grave pain. "This can't be legal," Cassie said with a pained face as she poked at the bleeding words. "I'm sure it's not," Harry told her. 

As they walked down the hall, Cassie could spot Ben sitting on a bench, looking at his books. "Ben?" She called. He looked up and smiled when he saw her. "Hey, darling," he said, as he packed up his things. 

He walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Thought I'd wait for you both and do some homework," he told her. "How was it?" Cassie subtly covered the top of her left hand and told him, "Fine, I guess. Just had to write some sentences."

"Sounds easy enough," he said. "It's almost dinner time, did you want to head down?" She thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No," she told him, "I'm not that hungry. I think I'll just get to bed early." He looked at her oddly, then said, "Darling, you need to eat something."

"Honestly," she said, "I'm fine. I'm sure Harry will join you. I'll see you later." She then walked away, leaving him slightly stunned. "What...what was that?" He asked Harry, who was surprised as well. "No idea," he told him. 

He had an inkling as to what was happening with her because it was happening to him, too. 

Harry ended up going down to dinner alone because Ben wanted to see what was up with Cassie. He's had enough of her hiding her emotions from him because not only was it effecting her, but their relationship as well. He refused to let it any longer. 

"Cassie," he called when he got to the girl's dormitory door. "Cassie, open up." It took a few minutes, but the door eventually opened and Cassie peeked her head out. "We need to talk," he told her. "This is getting ridiculous, I can't stand not knowing what is going on with you!" 

She looked as if she didn't know what to say. "Look," he said, "I'll be downstairs, on that couch in ten minutes. If you decide to come down there, you can tell me anything and I will listen. I won't say a damn word, just listen. If you decide not to come down there...well, then I'll assume you don't trust me enough and I think it would be wise if we...took a break. Maybe until you can trust me. If you can't come to do that, then maybe we just aren't meant to be."

Cassie was shocked. He was talking about breaking up with her. Him breaking up with her. They can't do that. They're Ben and Cassie. They're forever.

Before she could say anything, he turned and walked into the boys dormitory, where he got into more comfortable clothes. He was shaking as he was putting them on because he really didn't want to break up with her. It was the last thing he ever wanted to do. 

As he nervously waited on the couch, he kept checking his watch. One minute to go, then thirty seconds to go, and then suddenly...he heard a door opening. He quickly looked up and saw Cassie slowly making her way downstairs and he had never felt so much relief. 

He let out a huge breath, then watched as she timidly sat on the couch. "I'm listening," is all Ben told her. For a moment, she looked like she was thinking about what she could say. Eventually, she just took a deep breath, rolled up her long sleeved t-shirt, then put out her left hand to him. 

The moment he saw how red a swollen her hand was, he nearly flipped out. He quickly, but gently took it and leaned closer to get a better look. "My God...who did this to you?" She let out a strangled sigh and said, "Umbridge." 

His jaw clenched and he took a deep breath to calm himself. "She's not the worst part about all of this," Cassie told him. "I am the worst part. Ben, I'm...I'm battling something in myself. I don't know what it is, but it's exhausting and I can't do it anymore."

She started crying and he immediately pulled her to him. He gently shushed her and kissed her head. "He's got me," she cried. "He's inside me, I can't get him out. I feel so angry, so...so alone." Be closed his eyes and held her tighter. How could she think that. 

"Don't let me push you away," she begged. "Please, you're all I have. I've pushed away everyone else, don't let me do it to you." He let out a ragged breath and let a few tears fall. "I won't," was all he told her. He was still focused on listening and not talking. 

After a few moments of pulling herself together, she sat up straight and looked at him. "I trust you, Ben," she told him. "The reason I don't tell you things is because I think you're going to leave me if you hear them. I don't want that to happen. And if something is going on with Voldemort and him knowing everything by being in me, then the last thing I want is for you to get hurt. I can't let that happen."

She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. He held her close and rubbed her back. "May I say something?" He asked. She nodded, but still held on to him. "First off, I believe you. I believe all of what you're feeling is true. I don't know why you would feel alone, but I'm determined to make you not feel that anymore. If you're angry, take it out on me, I don't care. Hit me, yell at me, tell me I'm stupid, just don't take it out on yourself like you've been doing."

He gently pulled her back from the hug so he could look at her. "I'm so glad you trust me," he said. "I was afraid I was doing something wrong. Cass, you can tell me anything. No matter what you say, it won't make me feel any different about you. I love you, kid. You don't need to protect me because there is nothing in the world that could keep me from you, not even death. I'm here till the very end. No matter what happens, I am with you. Understand?"

She nodded and wiped her tears. "I love you," she told him. He smirked, then brought her down for a kiss. "You and I," he said against her lips, "we're forever." She nodded, then gave him another kiss. After he pulled away, he took her left hand and looked at it. 

"We need to get you to Madam Pomfrey," he told her. She shook her head and told him, "No! If Umbridge finds out I told someone..." Ben gave her a pointed look and said, "Then who gives a damn? She can't give you another detention. If she does, we go to Dumbledore if Madam Pomfrey doesn't."

Eventually, she let him lead her down to the hospital wing, where Madam Pomfrey looked over her hand. "My word, dear, what happened?" She asked. Cassie nervously brushed her hair back behind her ear and said, "I had detention with Umbridge...this was my punishment."

Madam Pomfrey immediately went to Professor McGonagall, who immediately spoke to Cassie about it. "And Potter received the same treatment?" She asked. Cassie nodded and told her, "Yeah. Same hand." 

After they bandaged it up, Ben walked Cassie back to the dormitory, where everyone was back from dinner. He continued to walk her up to the women's dormitory with people staring at her. "Get some sleep, love," he softly told her. "I'll wait downstairs for you in the morning."

She nodded, then gave him a hug. "Thank you," she told him. His response was rubbing her back and kissing her head. After she pulled away, she told him goodnight, then went inside the room.