IT WAS THE NEW usual morning at the Lupin household. Cassandra Black was hogging the bathroom, Julianna Potter was fast asleep in her suitcase and Remus Lupin was busying himself in the kitchen to distract himself from urgently using the only loo in the house.
However, one thing wasn't usual. Three Ministry Workers were never apparating to the Lupin Manor early in the morning.
This just meant trouble.
"CASSIE!" Remus screamed, putting aside the scones and running to the bathroom.
"Not now Moony, I'm combing my hair," Cassie shouted back from inside the bathroom.
"Well, you can take your comb and shove it up your-"
"Language," Julianna croaked, dragging herself down the stairs.
"Three ministry officials are on their way here Cassie," Remus ushered, rolling his eyes at Julia's 'language'. "They're going to ask you about Sirius's whereabouts and interrogate you,"
The door to the loo whirled open to a distraught looking Cassie.
"Remember the plan?" she asked as she ran up the stairs to her room to grab her bag.
"Vividly," Remus nodded, running to grab a few pans. Julia was rushing around too, hurriedly trying to find something for her daughter.
A few moments later, Cassie ran downstairs, latching onto her backpack and adorning some jeans with Remus's oversized shirt she had been wearing previously.
"Are you sure you can do it, Cassie?" Remus asked unsurely.
"I guess we'll know for sure right now," the girl shrugged, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"Cherry!" Julia exclaimed, emerging out of her suitcase, "Here," she said, handing over a bundled cloth.
"What is it?" Cassie asked, feeling through the cloth as she made her way to the kitchen.
"Just call out my name when you open it, alright?" the Potter explained half-heartedly, pushing her puzzled daughter into the kitchen.
"I'll miss you," she sighed, kissing her child goodbye.
"You too," Cassie smiled sadly, about to hug her mother.
"Few feet away!" Remus's voice said warningly, alerting the mother and daughter of the incoming officials.
"Alright," Cassie nodded, rubbing her hands together while Remus positioned himself on the sofa and Julia held the pans.
"Three," Remus counted,
"Two," said Julia,
"One," Cassie mumbled.
Everything happened at once.
The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of the officials.
Julianna Potter dropped the pans on the floor causing a thunderous voice to echo through the house - very covertly covering the sound of apparation.
Remus jumped slightly at the noise before heading to the door to answer it.
"Abbot! A very good morning to you! Didn't expect to see you here!" Remus said cheerfully, greeting his friend with a handshake.
"What ever was that blasting noise?" Abbot said in return, pulling his hands away from his ears.
"We don't have visitors so Julia got a scare at the sound of the doorbell. She was cooking breakfast. Scones, actually. Would you like some?" Remus explained.
"Couldn't deny a chance to eat scones," Cole, another officer, laughed gleefully, inviting himself in.
"Julianna?" the third uttered in a soft voice, "Julianna Potter?"
"Heidi Cresswell," Julia announced, faking her kindest smile for her ex-friend, "With what displeasure do we owe you a visit?
"I am a Ministry Official, you have no right to talk to me that way," Heidi remarked in a flustered fashion, pulling out her permit stating she was allowed to question anyone present in the Lupin household over the whereabouts of Sirius Black.
"Maybe, but I do have the right to talk like that to a foolish, immature little girl who disregarded a fellow human's feelings by calling her ugly and despicable names," Julianna spat before turning to Victor Abbott with a genuine smile.
"Victor! Good to see you again. How's little Greta?" she asked, rekindling her friendship with her former classmate.
"Greta is brilliant actually. Just turned eight last month. I must say you had a lasting impression on her! She still remembers you," Victor told her excitedly as Julianna walked him into the house. Victor had met the Potter during a vacation with his family to Singapore where the woman had been residing for the year.
Just when Cresswell was about to walk into the house when Remus stepped in front of her.
"Move aside,"
"I'm afraid I cannot. This house strictly doesn't guest traitors and pathetic excuses to humanity," Remus smiled.
"I could have you arrested," Cresswell threatened, inching towards Remus.
"So be it," Remus said tauntingly, "Anything is better than having a woman who destroyed my best friend's childhood step into my house,"
"I know what you are Lupin, I could tell the whole world about your little secret," Cresswell said instead, wanting to bribe her way in, just like she had climbed up her ranks in the ministry.
"Tell them," he shrugged, "Most of the school students didn't seem to be bothered by it. I have letters of proof of them asking me to return as their DADA teacher. That doesn't change the fact that you, Cresswell, are not going to enter this house for as long as I live,"
"I have a permit,"
"And I know the law. As per Amendment 341 of Section B, subsection A:
'Any suspect or witness has the authority to ask an official to step away from the location of interrogation as long as there are two other armed officials present in the room.'
And if you knew how to count, Abbott and Cole count as two armed officials in the location of interrogation. So now, with as much politeness I can muster at this moment, I request you to go seat yourself at the very bench strategically placed from where you apparated,"
And with that, Remus swung the door shut on the lady's face and walked himself to the table where the rest feasted on the scones, a happy smile stretching across his face.
Meanwhile, Cassandra Black was puking her gut out in some shrubs near the low wall at Magnolia Crest. The girl had apparated for the first time in her life and was completely unaware of its side effects. Finally feeling a little better, she slung her backpack onto her shoulder, making her way to 4 Privet Drive in Little Whinging. Harry would be the last person with whom they'd expect Cassie to be residing, so here she was, walking down the winding path for Privet Drive at ten in the morning.
One thing Cassie hadn't factored into this master plan was how she would ever end up in Harry's room without being seen by the Dursely's. At this moment, she could only hope that the family and left Harry alone at home and gone away on some sort of day trip.
This was the first time the Black had ventured into the muggle world all by herself. She had heard a lot about it from Granger and Harry but never had she been to a completely muggle inhabited street. Anywhere she went, there was always a mix of wizards, witches and muggles, but Privet Drive, as per her research, was purely inhabited by muggles and squibs.
The sound of cars running and cyclists cycling by with either flowers or foods to deliver, people walking to work or rushing to the store to buy something, muggle children running to the park to play before lunch - all these sights warmed her heart. Watching this entirely different sect of people living their life so happily intrigued her, making her wonder how would they ever react to actual magic. Had the times really changed or would the witches and wizards still be burned to death?
Pushing aside those thoughts, Cassie looked around to scout for the house she had come to collect her brother from two years ago, dead at night with Fred, George and Ron in their father's flying car. The three-bedroom suburban cul-de-sac house was very easy to spot once Cassie made it to the right street. Since it was almost noon, the street was bustling with activity so no one noticed a girl in a backpack making her way to a house, supposedly locked and devoid of humans.
On seeing the car missing from the front yard, Cassie gleefully ran up to the locked door, ringing the bell and then proceeding to knock a very familiar pattern, soon followed by the sound of footsteps running down the stairs within moments.
After several clicks and clacks, the door slowly opened to reveal Harry peeking from behind it. His round spectacles lay on his face rather crookedly, as though he placed them on in a hurry. His hair was the same untamable mess, making Cassie smirk.
"Hello brother," she smiled, pulling the straps of her backpack as he gaped at her grinning sight, dumbstruck.