Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Web of Redemption COMPLETE	By : FemmeBono Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 3455 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Chapter 11: Lessons from life's loom
    The Friday of Halloween, Cassie had released her second
years already and started to grade the parchment papers on "A Day in the
Life of a Muggle," when she glanced up as a shadow crossed the doorway.
Absent his usual swagger, Draco Malfoy approached her desk, not quite able to
meet her eyes.
    "Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" already on guard, Cassie
dropped her pen and sat back. "What do you need?"
    "I wanted to er...a-pologize for the other day,"
he finished in a rush. "I shouldn't have used magic against you." He
lifted his chin at that, as if expecting her to challenge him to apologize for
the whole outburst. To Cassie's thinking though he had just had a real growth
moment.
    "I'm sorry you had to see that, actually. I wouldn't
have had you find out like that...but it can't be helped now. Do you want to
sit, we--"
    "No." He swallowed. "I just wanted to let
you know... that. I'll see you in classes." And turning abruptly, he strode
back out of the room. Smiling and shaking her head, Cassie thought, "well,
Draco you might make a man one day."
    No sooner had Cassie begun reading again in the same place
as before, that she looked up to find none other than Harry, Hermione, and Ron
standing in the doorway whispering to each other. Resigned to not get any work
done at all, Cassie waved them in and sat expectantly. Ron shifted uncomfortably
as Hermione started to speak, but it was Harry who cut in quickly, "I've
been having lessons with Dumbledore. And I had some questions for you since he
told me that you know the things he's seen in these memories as well. Is that
true?"
    "Harry!" Hermione protested. "She's a
professor!"
    "Yes, in fact I am. But you do have a history of
unwarranted rudeness for your professors, though don't you Potter?"
    Harry flushed, but stood his ground. What a punk, she
thought.
    "Yes, Dumbledore wouldn't lie to you about something
like that, Harry. I am a Muggle, and given where I'm from and what I've read I
do actually know more about you and your story than even Hermione does."
Hermione looked slightly abashed as Cassie rose and closed the door. "Now
if you'd really like to have a conversation about it, I would suggest the muffliato,
so we don't have to worry about anyone's prying ears."
    "But how do you--"
    "Just do it, Potter, then we can talk." She
strode over and pulled a chair in front of the fireplace, gesturing for the trio
to follow suit.
    He waved his wand at that, casting the spell and filling
the room with a weird sort of background hum.
    "Now how far have you gotten in the memories?"
    "I've seen his parents, his grandfather. And I've
seen how Dumbledore first met him at the orphanage, and...well all of them
really. Right up to Slughorn's funny one."
    "Oh, he really pulled them all out already then. Well
then you know all this involves horcruxes and Voldemort's penchant for trophies.
I don't suppose he mentioned what horcruxes were?"
    "He did, yes," Hermione piped up. "They
sound positively awful! And for him to have made seven, that makes it extremely
problematic."
    "No kidding. Fortunately we know what they are
already--and where they are. That's where I came in. I had the knowledge from
having read the stories to know approximately where you would need to look and
just as importantly, to confirm Dumbledore's suspicions. Now you don't have to
waste time securing Slughorn's real memory because we already know."
    "But, Professor, he didn't really say, that
is...what's being done now? And how can we help?" Harry asked impatiently.
    "The best thing you can possibly do--all of you--is
prepare yourselves to do battle. Literally. Ultimately, Harry," she leaned
forward, "you will have to face him and fight him for the last time.
According to the story it is you who walk away, but story or no, ultimately as I
said, that depends on you. My suggestion, and you may just bounce this idea off
Dumbledore first if you like, is to get the DA back into practice and give it almighty
hell."
   "And, Professor, what about Snape--" Harry began
before Cassie cut him off.
    "Professor Snape?" she replied archly.
"What about him? I trust him implicitly, if that's what you're worried
about."
    "Well, yes, why would you when... I mean, he was a
Death Eater and all," put in Ron. "How do you know he still isn't? He
fancies the dark arts a little too much if you ask me."
    Well I didn't, Cassie said silently to herself. "Dark
past or no, Severus did see the extreme error of his ways. In fact, loathing
your dad as he did and carrying that same prejudice over to you does not
necessarily make him an evil person. Your dad did some pretty unforgivable
things to Severus, and one in particular probably sent him running to the Death
Eaters. But I want you to hear me on this and I want you to take care that you
try to see him as objectively as you can: he did fully reform and he has had
more of the dark arts than even he can stomach. The only reason he wanted the
Defense job is because it was cursed and he figured he'd only be here a year.
That and he knows more about them, and as a result, how to fight them. However,
there is one ironclad reason for him defecting from the Death Eaters and he
still holds on to that to this day, but it is neither my right to tell you, nor
your business really what that is. Suffice to say it is a strong enough force to
keep him working as hard as he has for so many years. For that, Potter, he
deserves your respect if not your complete trust. I will say one thing more and
that's all I'll say about him: he may have hated your dad's guts so badly it
could make him spit, but he had not one single thing against your mother."
    At this pronouncement, Harry could do nothing but stare.
Well that shut him up, she thought. Good. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I'd
like to accomplish something today." She rose, and as she turned, noted the
raised voices in the hall. Now what?
    Hurrying out the door with the kids trailing behind, she
broke through a group of students standing in the hall to see Draco and Theodore
Nott staring each other down, wands raised.
    "Say it again, you slimy git and I'll hex you til
next Christmas!" shouted Nott already fired up over god knew what.
    "Let's see it then Teddy--" spat Draco.
    "Oh no you two absolutely will not!" Cassie
countered, stepping in between them just as a flash of red light erupted from
Nott's wand. A powerful blast sent her sprawling into Draco, who tried to catch
her as she hit the ground unconscious. Almost gleeful at the idea of hitting a
Muggle as opposed to his pure-blooded target, Nott's expression of mirth died
quickly as he glanced up to see his own head of house bearing down on him with a
look of utmost contempt.
    "Are you bleeding ignorant?!" he bellowed, his
features a mask of fury. "Attacking a teacher? You could have killed her
had she hit her head hard enough! Get to my office and stay there, the both of
you! NOW!" And without a backward glance, he picked up Cassie's body deftly
and walked as swiftly as possible over to the hospital wing. Of all the students
standing in the hall, none seemed more shocked than the three who had just
accompanied her out of the classroom.
    Cassie woke half an hour later with a splitting headache
and, as she sat up gingerly, any number of cards, candy and much to her
surprise, a bouquet of flowers with a card that read simply, "Looking
forward to doing our rounds together again soon. For now, rest. S." Wonders
never cease, she thought as Madame Pomfrey came bustling forward clutching a
bottle of green potion that looked vile.
    "Up you get a little bit more so you can take
this," she said, urging the whole bottle into Cassie's hand. "See that
you take all of that. You have just a bit of concussion and it could have been
worse, so I hear if Malfoy hadn't broken your fall. Honestly! A student stunning
a teacher, what next?"
    "Well, I did do the stupid thing and step between
them," said Cassie, gagging a bit as she chugged the potion. The concoction
was every bit as nasty as it looked.
    "That's a harsh lesson you had then, now back to
sleep you go."
    "What exactly did I just drink?"
    "Equal parts restorative draught and anti-coagulating
agent. Best to take them at once as they're both a bit rough going down. Sleep
tight now." There was no need to say the last, however, as the potion had
kicked in already and Cassie was out again.
- 10
- 11
- 12
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Web of Redemption *COMPLETE*

Web of Redemption COMPLETE