Potter's Girl / Butterfly Effect.

51. Oh, Blimey

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE;

OH, BLIMEY

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Harry seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood at breakfast the next morning. He sauntered over to the Gryffindor table with a wide grin in his face that even Cassie couldn't miss.

   "What are you so pleased about?" said Ron warily, eyeing Harry in surprise.

   "Er.. Quidditch later," said Harry happily as he pulled a large plate of bacon and eggs toward him. Cassie averted her gaze to the entrance of the Hall and watched Cho Chang enter; Harry must have seen her as well, as his cheeks glowed red and the pair of them made eye contact.

   Cassie suddenly became very interested in her cinnamon oatmeal.

   "Ooh, the post's here," said Hermione, watching as the Daily Prophet soared toward her in the beak of a screen owl. Hermione pushed a Knut into its pouch and untied the newspaper before the owl soared off again.

   "Anything interesting?" said Ron.

   "No," Hermione sighed, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married.." She disappeared behind the paper again as Cassie unenthusiastically picked at her half-cooked toast. A moment later, Hermione suddenly sat up, looking quite panicked. "It's Sirius!" she hissed.

   "What's happened?" Harry asked quickly. He ripped the paper from Hermione; Cassie watched his green eyes skim the article.

   "'The Ministry has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer.. blah blah blah... is currently hiding in London!'" Hermione read in an anguished whisper.

   "What did you do?" Harry hissed, rounding on Cassie. She looked up from her oatmeal, speechless. "Did you snitch on Sirius because we wrote to him?"

   Finally, after she swallowed down her breakfast very heavily and squeezed her eyes shut to be sure she was not having a nightmare, Cassie said, "What?"

   "Because if you're upset I wrote to him, take it out on me, not him!"

   "I didn't tell the Ministry where he is," she said slowly, her brow furrowing and eyes narrowing as the absurdity of the statement set in. "Harry, you selfish prick, I would never turn on my own father! And not everything is about you!"

   "Maybe we shouldn't do this here," Hermione urged in a hushed whisper, glancing at Dean and Seamus, who were looking between Harry and Cassie as though trying to connect the dots.

"I can't believe the nerve of you, Potter," said Cassie bitterly, standing and gathering her things. "If you don't trust me, just say it!"

And she left, before he really could say it.

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"Everything has gone to shit."

"Agreed."

"Nobody trusts me anymore."

"Oi!" Atticus protested, sitting up. "I trust you!"

"That's different," said Cassie in a toneless voice. "You're my family, you have to trust me."

"Shove off," said Atticus, though he was smirking amusedly as he pushed her shoulder. "How're you liking the new Defense professor?"