Cassidy decided to dedicate her afternoon to reading. She pulled open a book of hers, and began to read.
Suddenly, a ripple in her mind. It was suspicious that Karli's father had not been very active in her mind. Suddenly, Cassidy got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her muscles grew tense
"Andrew..." she gasped, and darted out of the castle.
***
Andrew was looking after Berii as she left, when a man clobbered him from behind. The blow was enough to knock him foward, but certainly not enough to knock him out. He rolled over to look at his attacker. He brandished a knife. Andrew immediately put himself between Karli's father and Berii. He drew his numchaku from his belt, and stood at the ready.
The man advanced towards him, favoring his leg, which, Andrew guessed, had been injured in a previous fight. Andrew stood his ground, waiting for him to attack.
Karli's father, came after him, the jagged knife clutched in his withering hands. Andrew caught the knife between his two numchaku, and twisted it out of the man's grip. Andrew now held the knife, and looked at the man threateningly.
"What do you want?" Andrew demanded hotly, glancing back at Berii.
"To kill you," the man told him, stepping towards Andrew menacingly.
Andrew grimaced, more in confusiion than anything else. The man before him was hideous, looking more like a corpse than a person.
"Stay back!" Andrew told him, as the man drew his wand.
Just then, Cassidy arrived on the scene, recognizing the man at once.
"Ha! I knew you'd come!" the man sneered, and lumbered past Andrew and Berii to Cassidy, who stood frozen in her tracks. She drew her wand, eyes narrowed, and stood her ground.
"Get away from me," she growled at him, feeling anger rising within her. She refused to put the anger somewhere else. She was tired of her body being used as a vessel for evil. And she was going to kill him
Shouting the incantation for her wand to become a swrod, she stabbed the unsuspecting man square in the gut, twisting her sword violently, and pulling it out, spilling blood all over the snow, turing it to vile mud. She scowled at the man who now knelt before her. Andrew stood back in shock, unable to believe what his sister had done.
"Die," she growled, spitting on his face, as the man keeled over, dead.
Something happened then. A great darkness rose in Cassidy, knocking her body to the ground, into the crimson mud she had just created. She writhed on the snow for a short while, screaming, and shaking.
Andrew ran to her side to stop her convusions, but it was no use.
When she rose again, Cassidy was no longer herself.
Her face was stone-set, menacing and angry. She looked at Andrew, and pushed him aside roughly. Picking up her blood-stained sword, she admired it keenly, and then returned it to her wand.
"Perfect," came the man's voice from within Cassidy's body. Her unheard voice screamed in defeat from within. "I know I had picked the right person."
Cassidy turned to Andrew.
"Stay out of my way."
With that, Cassidy sprinted towards the castle, throwing the doors open in a rage, and looking around the castle. Karli was in here. She had to be.
Inside her body, deep within the recesses of her heart, Cassidy screamed once more, trying to catch Karli's father's attention, something, anything to delay him at least.
Light...the opposite of darkness, she said to herself, withdrawing into silence as she began to focus her energies. [/I]Think of something, the deepest thing, the deepest love I have ever felt...
Andrew came to mind, how they had reconciled their differences this year at Hogwarts, how even before the thing happened, he had stood behind her, supporting her. And her father, who had always pushed her to do her best. He loved her more than anything. She was his everything.
A single tear rolled out of Cassidy's eye.
And what about her friends? Berii, the first person she had met, always so kind, always willing to help. She had stood with Cassidy since day one, making her feel better after every downfall. Karli, who was a dear friend. She would always be there, no matter what. Terra, her fellow Quiddich teammate. They had grown so close over the year.
Johann...even though he was gruff towards her, she knew that he was loyal. He would have pulled her out of a jam if she needed it. Cassidy knew that. She could feel her strength building.
Dumbledore, who had always helped her, especially convincing her mother to let her stay.
Draw strength...draw strength from this! she urged herself. The feeling of love was like momentum, propelling herself foward...pushing Karli's father back.
Tim, who had given her her first kiss, who had taught her to play Quiddich, who had taken an interest in her. He had promised he wouldn't let those Slytherins pick on her again.
Her mother...despite her outer shell, Cassidy knew that she loved her. She knew her mother wanted what was best for her.
With that remaining memory, Cassidy pushed herself back into control. She pushed Karli's father away, to the recesses of her mind.
I know what has to happen now... she said briskly, walking to Dumbledore's office, and knocking on his door. He called for her to enter, and she stood before him, her face determined.
"I'm ready...to banish him," she told Dumbledore. "But I need someone here...just in case."
A nod was all she recieved, and so, Cassidy sat on the floor of Dumbledore's office, and sank deep into meditation.
