For yeats, continued

[babyofthegroup]

Recipient: yeats
Author: shaggydogstail
Pairing: Remus/Sirius

Though The Heavens May Fall, part 3

Dumbledore met Remus around the corner from the shop an hour later, after they'd both changed into Muggle clothing. Remus was accustomed feeling a little embarrassed that his clothes were worn and unfashionable, but on this occasion he was certain no-one was going to even notice what he was wearing. Dumbledore sported a crimson brocade suit with a frilly cream silk shirt and patent leather boots. The effect was striking, though rather better suited to a late Nineteenth Century Music Hall entertainer than a man trying to look inconspicuous in a run-down Muggle back street.

Remus told Dumbledore Cassie's story again as they walked towards the shop. Dumbledore smiled indulgently as Remus babbled excitedly, but Remus was too full of nervous excitement to care that he was twittering. He had something to look forward to at last.

They found Judith stacking Pot Noodles when they arrived in the shop, and Remus and Dumbledore loitered by the crisps while she finished, then sold two tins of tuna fish and a packet of prunes to an elderly woman in a knitted mauve hat before approaching her.

'Judith,' Remus began hesitantly.

She turned and looked at him, smiling. 'Oh, hello, it's…I'm sorry, I forget your name,' she said cheerfully.

'It's Remus.'

'Of course it is,' said Judith. 'Fancy forgetting a name like that. Anyway, what can I get you today, Remus?'

'I was hoping to have a word with you, actually,' said Remus carefully. 'About Cassie.'

'Cassie?' Judith's eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'What do you want to know about my Cassie? You're not from Social Services, are you? Because if you are, I can tell you there's nothing wrong with my daughter.'

'No, no, of course there isn't,' said Remus quickly. 'Perhaps we could discuss this somewhere more private?' Judith looked dubious, so he continued, 'we're really not here to cause any trouble.'

'I suppose you'd better come upstairs,' said Judith, still eyeing Remus and, more particularly Dumbledore, with faint suspicion. 'Give me a minute while I close up the shop.'

Remus waited until Judith had locked and led them both up the narrow staircase to the flat over the shop before speaking again. He couldn't help but think that Dumbledore looked more out of place than ever in the neat, but overcrowded living room. The woodchip wallpaper was peeling in places and the plethora of photographs of Cassie on the sideboard were in cheap, lovingly polished frames. Judith apologised for the boxes of stock lining the walls and switched on the two bar electric fire to warm the room. She might have well have turned on a hairdryer for all the warmth it gave.

'Perhaps I should introduce you to my companion,' said Remus politely as he accepted tea in a novelty mug. 'This is Professor Dumbledore: he's the Headmaster at my old school.'

'Very pleased to meet you,' said Dumbledore, extending a hand to Judith. She shook it warily.

'Likewise, I'm sure,' she said. 'Look, I don't mean to be rude, but do you mind telling me what you are doing here?'

'Of course, madam,' smiled Dumbledore. 'As Remus says, I have the privilege of serving as Headmaster at a school for children with…special gifts. I very much hope to welcome Cassie to my school one day.'

The suggestion the Cassie might have 'special gifts' seemed to mollify Judith slightly, as her tone was softer when she next spoke. 'Cassie's down for Parkfield Comp, but it's not the greatest school, to be honest. What's the name of your school?'

Remus held his breath as Dumbledore answered. 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.'

'Hogwarts School of what?' exclaimed Judith.

'Witchcraft and Wizardry,' repeated Dumbledore patiently. 'It's a school for magical children. Your daughter, Cassie, is a witch.'

Judith stared at him for a moment, open mouthed in amazement, and then burst out laughing. 'All right, this is some sort of a joke, isn't it? I'll admit you had me going for a minute then.' She glanced around the room quickly. 'Have you got a TV crew hiding here or something?'

'I can assure you, madam, that this is no joke,' Dumbledore told her. 'I would not presume to jest about such matters. Cassie is indeed a witch.'

'Do I look like I was born yesterday?' scoffed Judith. 'I'm a bit old for fairy tales, Mr Dumbledore, and I know perfectly well that witches aren't real.'

'I understand your reluctance, of course,' said Dumbledore. 'Surely you must have noticed things about Cassie which are rather, shall we say, unusual? That perhaps things happen around her when she is angry or upset, which you may find difficult to explain?'

'Right, the joke's over,' said Judith angrily, getting to her feet. 'I think you'd better leave.'

'Please, Judith, just hear us out,' said Remus in a placating tone. 'We really don't mean any harm. You told me yourself that there were things you didn't understand about Cassie, and if you know she's a witch it'll help explain-'

'How dare you!' hissed Judith. 'How dare you come into my home and lecture me about my daughter! I don't know what you're playing at and, frankly, I don't care, but I will not have you talking about my daughter like she's some sort of a freak!'

'I know, of course she's not a freak,' said Remus urgently. 'She's a-'

'She is not a witch!' shouted Judith.

'Who's not a witch, Mum?'

Cassie was standing in the doorway, twiddling one of her plaits between ink-smudged fingers.

'Go to your room, Cassie,' said Judith sternly. 'Grown-ups are talking.'

'But Muuum,' wheedled Cassie, 'I want to know what you're talking about. It's about me, isn't it?'

'I said, go to your room.'

Cassie huffed and wrinkled her nose in petulant annoyance, but didn't argue. She flounced out off across the hall, dragging her schoolbag across the floor as she went and slammed her bedroom door shut behind her.

Judith slumped down on the battered-looking sofa, looking defeated. The cushions seemed to sink around her. 'Well, I hope you're pleased with yourselves,' she said. 'How am I going to explain all this to Cassie?'

'I…it won't be easy,' said Remus gently. 'But it really is for the best in the long run. Cassie needs to learn about her magic, how to use it properly.'

'She hasn't got any magic,' said Judith, without any real conviction.

Remus smiled at her, trying to put her at some ease. Judith's face was pale with exhaustion and anxiety-she couldn't have been much older than thirty, but the dark circles under her eyes added years to her appearance. 'The first time I came to the shop,' he said, 'I saw Cassie perform magic. When those boys were picking on her, she knocked the shelves down on their heads.'

Judith sighed and stared down, twiddling her hands in her lap. 'It…things like that…happen sometimes. I've seen it before.'

'It's not bad,' Remus assured her. 'She just doesn't understand what she's doing. She can learn, though. At Hogwarts.'

'Can you teach her?' Judith asked, looking up sharply at Dumbledore. 'At that school of yours? Can you teach her to make it stop?'

Dumbledore set down his tea mug on the plastic crate which served as a coffee table, smiling at Judith with a hint of regret. 'Nothing can stop Cassie's magic, it's a part of her that will never go away. What we can teach her, is how to control it, to use it well.'

'I see,' answered Judith quietly, though Remus suspected she didn't, really. 'So are you both…magic?'

'We are wizards, yes,' confirmed Dumbledore, withdrawing his wand from his pocket. 'Orchideous!' he exclaimed with a flourish, before presenting a very startled Judith with a large bouquet of flowers.

'Thank you,' she said weakly, taking the blooms with shaking hands.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Judith twiddling with the petals on the flowers with an expression of blank bewilderment on her face. Eventually she took a deep breath and pulled herself upright, steeling her resolve. 'I need to talk to Cassie,' she said. 'Would you two mind hanging around for a bit? In case she has any questions?'

'Of course,' said Remus warmly. 'We'd be happy to help.'

Judith had barely been out of the room for five minutes before there was a crash and an excited squeal, immediately followed by Cassie bursting into the room.

'Is it true? Is it real? I'm really, really magic?' Cassie was bouncing on the spot, her face flushed, pigtails swinging as she moved.

'You're really, really magic,' Remus told her, smiling. 'You're a witch.'

'Wow!' said Cassie, clapping her hands together. 'A witch! Can I do spells, then? And ride a broomstick? Will I get a pointy hat, and a cauldron and a black cat? Ugh, I don't have to grow a wart on the end of my nose, do I?'

'Hey, settle down,' said Judith as she walked into the room behind Cassie and placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. 'One question at a time, eh?'

Cassie continued to wriggle on the spot, alive with childish glee. 'You can tell me though, can't you?' she asked Remus. 'I want to know everything.'

Remus laughed. 'I'm not sure I can tell you everything,' he said, 'but to answer your questions, yes, you can learn to do spells and ride a broomstick. You'll need a cauldron for potions and you can have a cat if you want as well. You needn't grow a wart on your nose, although we can teach you a spell to get one if you like.'

'Brilliant,' cooed Cassie, clasping her hands together excitedly.

Judith made more tea while Cassie bombarded Remus and Dumbledore with questions about magic, Hogwarts, and witches and wizards, pausing only occasionally to nibble on the plate of Jammy Dodgers her mother produced for their guests. Judith kept silent through most of the conversation, listening to Remus and Dumbledore's explanations with a look of resigned detachment, as though she were watching someone else's dream.

'So, are there other witches like me?' asked Cassie, licking biscuit crumbs off her fingers towards the end of a lengthy interrogation about magical lineage and Remus' own family. 'Ones who don't have a witch for a mum?'

'Not very many,' said Remus, 'but it isn't all that unusual.'

'Do you knew any?'

'Yes,' answered Remus slowly. 'My friend Lily-'

'Lily-and-James Lily?' asked Cassie, head cocked to one side. 'I'd been wondering about them. What happened to them?'

Remus paused, frowning. 'Yes, Lily-and-James Lily. I was friends with them at school-at Hogwarts. They…they're dead.'

'I'm sorry,' said Cassie sadly. 'You must be very upset. Is that why you kept coming to see the hole in the street?'

'Sort of,' admitted Remus.

'That's such a shame,' said Judith kindly. 'I wondered when you came in before, if maybe you hadn't lost someone…in the accident.'

'I keep telling you, Mum, it wasn't an accident,' exclaimed Cassie loudly, hair bobbles swinging as she spoke.

Judith opened her mouth to protest, but Remus interrupted her. 'Cassie's right, I'm afraid. The explosion wasn't an accident. The street was blown up…by a wizard.'

Judith shook her head firmly. 'Look here, I've listened to some pretty tall stories from you today, but this just about takes the biscuit. I was putting the papers out when the gas main blew up, I saw it all with my own eyes.'

'You didn't see what really happened,' said Remus cautiously. 'No-one did. Except Cassie. What you thought you saw, what all the Muggles-that's non-magical people-saw, that wasn't real.'

'So, what, we all just had collective hallucinations did we?' demanded Judith. 'Why would we all see what wasn't there, and only Cassie see it any different?'

Remus hesitated. He could hardly tell Judith the truth-informing her that her memory had been tampered with by the Ministry of Magic would only frighten her, and lose whatever trust she had in him. 'It's…magic,' he said vaguely, which was true as far as it went.

'This brings us to the other matter we wished to discuss with you,' said Dumbledore. Remus turned to look at the headmaster, grateful that he wouldn't have to explain. 'There is to be a trial to decide who caused the explosion. As the only witness, we were hoping that Cassie would give evidence. With your permission, of course.'

'You want me to tell them about that rat-man?' asked Cassie. 'So that he'll go to prison?'

'Partly,' said Remus. 'We also want you to help get someone out of prison. You see, everyone thought-at least, all the wizards did-that someone else blew up the street. The other man you saw, Sirius. He's in prison now, but if we can prove he didn't do it, he'll be let out.'

'I didn't see him do anything,' said Cassie with a shrug. 'I don't mind telling anyone.'

'I'm not so sure about this,' said Judith cautiously. 'Wizards, witches, people blowing things up, and now you want Cassie to go to court. I take it it's not the Old Bailey we're talking about here?'

'No, it's a wizard court, called the Wizengamot,' explained Remus. 'It…it probably won't be a very pleasant experience for Cassie, I'm afraid. We wouldn't ask, except…she's the only one who saw what really happened.'

Judith ran her fingers through her hair, brow furrowed with confusion. 'Can I have some time to think about it at least? When is this trial?'

'Tomorrow,' said Dumbledore. 'I received word from Alastor Moody shortly before we arrived,' he added, by way of explanation to Remus. Remus gaped in shock-of course, he shouldn't have really been surprised that Crouch wouldn't allow them time to prepare a proper defence for Sirius.

Cassie shot to her feet, staring at her mother with fierce intensity. 'Let me do it, Mum, I don't mind,' she said. 'You're always telling me that I should tell the truth.'

'I know, Cassie, but it's not that simple,' Judith replied weakly. She turned back to Dumbledore. 'Cassie's just a little girl,' she said. 'Why should she have to go through all this, going to court and everything?'

'Because,' said Dumbledore simply, 'this little girl might be the only one who can save an innocent man's life.'

Cassie continued to stare at Judith, bobbing on the spot, eyes imploring. Remus could hardly breath as he waited for her answer.

'I hardly feel like I know anything anymore,' said Judith sadly, her eyes brimming with tears. She seemed to have no fight left in her. 'If you're all so certain…yes, Cassie can give evidence.'