Little Miss Marauder

Chapter 29 - Obvious Choice

Hi, I am so sorry that this has been months in the making. I have had so much go on in the last few months, as we all have, and hopefully now things are starting to settle I will be able to update more. Thank you all for sticking with me and this story, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 29 – Obvious Choice

Remus was wary. He knew Cassadee believed Sirius was innocent, that Peter was alive, but yet he still wasn't sure. Even Dumbledore didn't seem to believe Sirius' innocence, or he never would have allowed the dementors to guard the castle. Cassadee had always thought that Dumbledore didn't believe in Sirius, was against him for bearing the name Black. She knew that he respected the boy but, cared for him, the Potter girl never saw that indication. He had always seemed to offer help too late. But Remus always seemed to believe that Dumbledore knew best that everything he did was for their safety or best interests. His belief in this was so strong that he was concerned for the safety of both Harry and Cassadee now that Black had escaped from Azkaban.

This concern was shown through his continuous presence near Cassadee as well as his endless patrols around the castle. Due to the chance of a threat from Black breaking in, the teachers were taking more patrols, covering the later ones that the prefects would typically take. He had tried to make sure that Cassadee was never alone on these patrols, of course he knew that she was capable of powerful magic, but he wasn't sure that she could ever subdue Sirius, she still believed that he would never hurt her, that even though he had escaped Azkaban in search of Harry he would still leave her unharmed. Either himself or McGonagall accompanied Cassadee on all her patrols, using the guise of catching up with her to try and leave her unaware of his plan.

Cassadee ambled along the corridor outside the great hall. She was waiting for Minnie so that they could begin their hour of patrolling the ground floor. Minerva had always been her favourite teacher. She always knew what the 'Marauders' were up to but never mentioned it, only told them off when they were too obvious or caught by other teachers. Cassadee was almost certain that McGonagall was the one who gave Peeves many of the ideas that he came to them with, but she had no proof, nor did she want the woman to stop.

Clearly her thoughts kept her too occupied as she didn't notice the sound of Minerva walking towards her, at least until she was hit by a low-grade stinging hex. "You could have just spoke to me you know?"

"Now that wouldn't be as fun would it?" And with the smirk on the older professors face, they began their rounds of the floor.

About ten minutes into their conversation Cass asked the question that was weighing on her mind for 12 years. "Do you think he did it?" Minerva didn't need to ask for clarification. "Honestly?" Cassadee nodded, "I was too shocked to not believe it was him at the start." At this Cassadee drew in a breath, she was tired of being the only one who thought Sirius was innocent. "But remembering that young boy coming to my office after being forced out of his home, the relief on his face when he realised he was free of his parents, I could never imagine that boy hurting James." This caused a smile to take over Potter's face. Although she had not stated that she thought Sirius was innocent in such words, the subtext spoke enough between them. "You always had faith in us. Even when we didn't deserve it."

"All of you deserved to have someone be proud of you." A tear appeared in Cassadee's eye. "I know that Remus thought it was me." Cassadee hadn't ever voiced this before. "He thought James and Lily chose me as a secret keeper, they did." This revelation caused McGonagall to start. Her mind was running wild, she knew that Cassadee would never have anything to do with her family's demise but hearing this from her was a shock.

Cassadee was taking a breath before her next sentence, but she realised from the audible gasp where she had left off. "No, No, not like that. It wasn't me." A breath was released. "They asked me, two days before they went into hiding. I... I told them no. It was too obvious for me. I would be everyone's first guess. I would never tell but I thought it was safer that they got someone else to do it." Describing the scene to McGonagall got the remaining Potter twin to relive the moment over again in her mind.

She sat in her apartments living room, cradling her nephew in her arms, sitting opposite her brother and sister-in-law. She knew that this was one of the last times she would see James and Lily before they went into full lock down so she was truly cherishing this moment. "Dee, you know we need someone to be the secret keeper. There's no one that both of us trust as much as you..." Before James could explicitly ask, his sister was passing her nephew back to Lily and pacing the room shaking her head. " I would say that I'm honoured you would pick me, but frankly I'm shocked that either of you would be so stupid to come up with the idea of it being me." This was not fully the reaction that Lily and James had been expecting, "Cassadee Potter, we know you would never tell anyone, we couldn't pick a safer choice."

"That's the point. Everyone would think it was me, they would know that you told me. I would never give you away, but...." She continued, choking through a sob "what if they found a way. If somehow they managed to force it out of me. I'm happy to be the obvious choice, but I'm not the one that you should pick." Cassadee knew this to be true. She would be one of the first choices to be the keeper, which is exactly why it could never be her. Her family would be much safer if they went with someone else.

Returning to the present, she blinked back the tears in her eyes, years of practice ensuring that they didn't fall. " Sirius couldn't have done it." Minerva looked towards her at this, both forgetting they should be patrolling and just stood in the corridors darkness. "He was family. You... You don't do that to family."

"Neither you nor I would my dear, but others, others do." These words were the last that the two spoke that night.