Tragic News (( Liam, friends))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass wept over the letter for what seemed like the thousandth time, still not believing the news. Of course, half of Hogwarts already knew. News of tragedy always spread fast, and this was something that most people had been waiting on for a while now. People had been by to see Cass today. They were being bothersome as she sat in one of the overstuffed arm chairs in front of the common room fire. Not that they were trying to be bothersome, but Cass didn't want any company. She just didn't want all of these peoples trumped up sympathies. Didn't they realize that her life was about to get unduly complicated? She was going to have to live with Pyro's family for god sakes. Another owl flew threw the window and dropped a letter at Cass' feet. It was probably some other witch or wizard she didn't know telling her how sorry they were for her loss.

Cass bit her lip. She wanted to see Liam. She tugged the little chain that held the Angelus family crest out from underneath her shirt and rubbed the cursive 'A'. Rubbing the necklace was starting to become a nervous habit. For some reason, it brought calm to her sometimes jumbled thoughts. Getting up, she made the bold steps up the steps to the dormitory. Instead of heading left like she normally would of done to the girl's dorms she veered to the right towards the boys. Finally finding the room labeled ' Fourth Years', she knocked on the door timidly. Through her sobs, she said, " Liam, are you there? I really need you."

[Liam Angelus G5]

Liam sat on the edge of his bed thinking about everything he was hearing about what happened to Cass' family. He didn't want to believe all the different rumors that were floating around the castle over the exact details. He would rather hear the news from Cass than by all the rumors that filled the castle halls. He had become close to her and trusted her, and because of this he had to hear the truth from her.

Standing, Liam walked around the foot of his bed and stood looking out the window across the grounds. No matter how long he looked out the window or how much he wished, he could not change the fact that Cass' entire family was now gone and he hoped that she was there with him right then. As Liam looked at the sky and the stars, Liam remember the first night the two spent together. When he heard Cass calling his name, Liam replied, "I'm in here Cass, by the window."

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass pushed the door open, uncertain about what she would find inside. It looked shockingly like the girl's dorm room, but a bit messier. The guys didn't seem to mind a few books on the floor, or to hang their dress shirts from the top of their four poster beds. She was relieved to see Liam standing in front of the window. He looked so handsome, so strong. How could she be so lucky? Cass then realized that she looked horrible. Not only was her white school shirt untucked underneath her grey vest sweater, but her face was streaked with tears. She ran toward Liam, and grasped him around his midsection in a large embrace.

" Oh Liam, I don't know what to do," she thrust the letter in his hand. She could already feel his shirt becoming wet with tears. " It can't possibly be....The ministry says that there was a horrible fire and everything. They said that some man was having tea with them, but I've never heard them mention him." She was beginning to make less and less sense as she began to sob more. She held onto Liam for dear life, not wanting to let go. "....and the ministry said I'm going to have to live with Pyro's family. Oh god, Liam, they are the worst sort of Slytherins."

[Liam Angelus G5]

Liam turned to face the door as Cass pushed it open. When Cass wrapped her arms around his midsection, Liam held her tightly, wanting to protect her from anything else that may happen. When Cass pushed a letter into his hands, Liam allowed one hand to move from her back as he raised the letter to read. Liam read through the letter twice before he said anything. Liam rested his head on top of hers as he spoke, "Is there no other evidence, witnesses? There has to be something more." Liam read through the letter again before he continued.

"Isn't there any other choice? Isn't there someplace else you could go?" Liam could not stand the thought of Cass going to live with Pyro Blackfire and his family. He did not want her living with anybody like him, could not stand the thought of the boy either. "I wish you didn't have to go live with them. I wish there was some other choice."

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass lifted her head and looked at Liam with her teary green eyes. " No, Liam, there are no other choices. I do have friends that would take me in, but I wouldn't dare be a burden to them. My uncle is the closest family I have. I've never even met him." It was so comforting being in here with Liam. She was away from all the stares, all the mutterings, and all the prying eyes that had gone with her day. " I swear, everyone has been looking at me today like I'm some damn circus attractions. If I have someone else come up to and try to offer condolences, or... Oh god...." Cass started shaking as another owl flew through the window and landed on what she thought was Liam's bed. It held an envelope in its beak, addressed to Cassandra Blackfire.

" I can't even escape from the damn owls! Why won't they leave me the hell alone?" She was in a desperate, angry rage now. She wanted this to go away, but she knew it wouldn't. Facts were facts. Craig and her mother were dead, and they died rather tragically. It was getting hard to breath, and Cass began to gasp for air. She broke away from Liam, even though she desperately wanted to hold on to him. " No, no other witnesses, but you can't tell me that this a fight between the two of them. My brother and mother didn't fight like that. You met my mother, she wouldn't hurt a fly if she didn't have too, and Craig talks a good game but nothing ever comes out of it." Her sobbing was subsiding as her mind began to sharpen. She paced around the room a bit and fiddled with the necklace that had become a permanent fixture around her neck.

[Liam Angelus G5]

Liam wished that there was something else that could be done. He could not stand to see Cass in pain, and wanted so badly to be able to take that pain away. He didn't even know what to say to her, it was true he lost both his parents, but he was to young to remember them or fell any pain over it. Liam felt Cass shake in his arms as he noticed an owl fly into the room and land on his bed. Liam had no idea what to do to help Cass get through the pain, and he had no idea what to say.

Liam let Cass pull away from him, even though he wanted to keep her in his arms forever, block the pain that was being inflicted on her. "I didn't get the impression that she would hurt anything," Liam finally replied as he sat down on his bed. "And I couldn't see your brother doing anything to harm her either. Did they tell you the name of the witness at least? Maybe that would give some clues as to what really happened." Liam watched as Cass paced the room, fiddling with the necklace he had given her.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

" Liam, you know about as much as I do at this moment." Cass continued to pace around the room even though the emotional fatigue was draining on her. She could of literally of flopped down on one the many beds in the room and taken a well deserved rest. However, the many permutations of how the murders of her family had occurred were causing a rush of adrenaline that could not be unrivaled. She knew that her family had been murdered, and at this point it was only a matter of finding out who it was. " Liam, I know they were killed by someone, but by whom?." Cass had a stray thought. " You know, we could go to the auror office. Most criminal offense are public record, and it would be easy to get a report to see who they talked to that night."

Suddenly, weariness seeped into her bones, and she collapsed beside Liam on the bed. Putting her head in her hands, she began to sob. " Oh god, they are never going to let me know everything. They probably will just push me off as another orphan caused by Voldemort. They won't possibly take me seriously." She was starting to feel sick. The stress of the last few days was beginning to wave heavily on her, and she honestly did not know how much of it she could take. Her stomach lurched as she begin to talk of her brother in the past tense. " Craig was always so protective of us after father died. I don't see how he would of let any of this happen. Plus, there were so many detectors for trespassers. They would of needed to be invited in to get into the house. Oh god...," Cass gasped for air as she stopped crying. " You don't think it was someone they knew? I mean, you don't think it could of been this witness the owl was talking about?"