Hateful Love

Chapter Sixty-Two

NOTE: I do not own any of the ideas or characters expressed in this story (except Cassie Jackson). All of these belong to J.K. Rowling.

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Cassie P.O.V.

          There’s only two weeks left in the school year when everything comes crashing down.

          It all starts around one in the morning; I’m still trying to fall asleep when I suddenly hear loud, muffled noises coming from below. I sit up cautiously, blinking sleepily and rubbing my face. Looking over at the rest of the room, I see Cho and Julie are still sleeping peacefully—Luna and Katherine’s beds are empty. I’m just wondering if that first year is out sleep walking again when there’s loud bang from the common room below.

          I jump out of bed immediately, completely forgetting how tired I am. I look over to see Cho and Julie sitting up and looking around sleepily in confusion, Cho mumbling, “Hmm? What was it?”

          “I dunno,” I say, hastily slipping on my sneakers and stuffing my wand into my pocket as the sounds of multiple footsteps rise up around us—the other Ravenclaws must have heard it too. “Sounded like a Stunning spell to me, come on.”

          The three of us stumble down with the rest of our House, no one else having any ideas as to what’s going on. We reach the common room and someone towards the front pushes open the door, letting everyone quickly flood inside. A few people gasp, and I have to push through three fifth years just to get close enough to see what they’re all staring at. I finally get to the front, and my heart stops.

          Alecto Carrow is lying at our feet in a crumpled heap.

          Everyone keeps a safe distance back, as though they’re afraid she’s going to jump up and give our entire House a detention. I swallow hard, my mind spinning as I try to figure out what could have possibly happened. I’m just about to ask who Stunned her when a first year standing next to me darts forward and jabs Alecto’s unconscious body cautiously, then exclaims with glee, “I think she’s dead!”

          Hastily, I grab his arm and pull him back, snapping, “Don’t touch her, you moron—“

          There’s a loud knock on the entrance door before I can say anything else. Everyone immediately freezes, and all the whispering cuts off abruptly. There’s a brief moment of silence, and we all hold our breath in fear.

          “Alecto? Alecto! Open the damn door—“

          My heart stops inside my chest, and it’s clear everyone recognizes the voice of Amycus Carrow.

          “—do you hear me? If he comes and we haven’t got Potter—do you want to end up just like the Malfoys?”

          I feel a flash of anger at Amycus’s words, my blood boiling. The Malfoys’ are ten times better than he’ll ever be—

          “—Alecto! Answer me!”

          A few students are backing away from Alecto’s body as the banging at the door ceases suddenly, and Amycus begins to argue with someone outside. Realizing how awful this is going to look when Amycus finally does manage to get inside, I turn and start to push the first years around me back up to the dormitories, hissing, “Get out of here, quick—“

          The other seventh years start to help me, pushing people towards the stairs as quickly as we can. About half of us have made it out of the common room when the entrance door suddenly flies open, and I turn to see Amycus bursting inside, brandishing his wand in fury. We freeze as he sees us standing beside Alecto, the group of third years closest to the dormitories turning and sprinting out of sight. There’s nothing we can do as Amycus hurries over to bend down beside his sister, moaning, “How could this have happened, she’s gone and sent for the Dark Lord and Potter isn’t even here—“