Chapter 1
The steam coming from the engine of the Hogwarts Express wafted into the air, momentarily blurring Cassidy Sweet's vision. The buzz of other eager, first-year students surrounded her, almost deafening. On top of that, her beautiful silver owl Moony wouldn't stop fidgeting in her cage and rattling it.
To put a long story short, a lot was going on. But even that wouldn't dampen Cassidy's spirit. Her parents, Joshua and Amira Sweet, stood in front of her, worried and fiddling with her clothes and hair. The latter of which had been left out naturally, her coils reaching her waist.
"Now remember those charmed hair ties I got you. They'll keep your hair in check, and save you a world of trouble—" Amira Sweet babbled on almost incoherently, while Cassidy's father, Joshua, chimed in, "And remember, no getting distracted or skipping classes. That's absolutely unacceptable. You already know how you are expected to behave, young lady. You're representing the Sweet family, after all."
Cassidy nodded absentmindedly, already distracted by a nearby family of flaming red hair.
There seemed to be a set of twins in the family, who looked to be teasing their brother. Cassidy felt sorry for him.
Joshua Sweet's stern eyes looked down at his daughter, his bushy black eyebrows furrowed. His black hair was cropped close to his scalp, and he had a thick, curly mustache. He looked scary, intimidating to most that didn't know him. But there was no malice behind his eyes, only fear. Fear for his daughter, what sending her off to Hogwarts might mean. Amira put her hand on his shoulder, reassuring her husband silently.
"Yeah, yeah, Dad, can I go now? I heard that Harry Potter's coming to Hogwarts this year, same time as me!" Cassidy grinned enthusiastically up at her father, who tried to ignore the pang he felt in his chest at the mention of the name 'Potter'. He smiled back down at his daughter, love filling his heart, and drew her into a tight hug, Amira joining shortly after.
"Oh, Cassidy. Please do be careful." Joshua Sweet mumbled into his daughter's navy jumper. Cassidy simply smiled and hugged her father and mother back, trying to remember how they smelt, and felt; she'd be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays as well. Her parents had to travel, so they wouldn't be seeing each other until next year.
Finally drawing back from the hug (much to her father's despair), Cassidy Sweet smiled widely at the both of them.
"Don't worry about me, Mum. Don't worry about me, Dad. I'll be alright. I'll see you next summer." Cassidy assured them.
"We're trusting you, Cassidy. And remember. Never, ever—"
"—take the necklace off. Yes, Mum, I know. Can I go now, or should I invite you two onto the train with me?" Cassidy joked playfully, and her parents smiled, though there was an undertone of something else when it came to the necklace, something you'd miss if you weren't there when it was mentioned.
"I wish we could, darling, but it's time to get back to the shop. Don't forget to write us. And don't spend all your money on sweets." Joshua chided, already feeling like Cassidy wouldn't listen.
"Yes, Dad."
"Always remember, we love you, alright?"
"Yes, Dad and Mum. I love you as well." Cassidy replied. Her parents lingered for a moment, watching their daughter.
Then, with a final shared smile and a swish of their clothes, Mr. and Mrs. Sweet were gone.
Cassidy walked along the long halls of the train, looking for a cabin to sit in. Boys and girls alike ran on either side of her, peeking into each cabin to talk to their friends. It was because of this Cassidy felt utterly alone, and she silently wished to find a cabin she could sit in soon.
Having a good feeling about the next one, Cassidy slowly slid open the door to another cabin. She was met face to face with two boys who were already sitting there. A large pile of sweets dominated the table between them, and a lot of it had been eaten. The smell of the remaining sweets wafted into her nose. One of the boys, she could tell, was from the family of flaming hair she'd seen earlier. His face had a smattering of freckles, and he also had blue eyes. The other boy had messy black hair and round glasses, and looked rather skinny to Cassidy, though she was far too polite to point out something like that.
"Well, hello there. Can I sit with you two? All the other cabins are full, and my legs are awfully tired." She noticed that the boy with freckles kept looking at her hair and face, though when she made eye contact with him, he looked out the window.
The boy with glasses hesitated a bit, but then smiled at Cassidy. "Of course you can. Feel free." He said kindly. Cassidy plopped down right next to the red-headed boy, making his ears go a slight tinge of pink. She didn't notice this, and only smiled at the both of them. The boy wished he could say something smart, but found his words getting stuck in his throat. The gentle sound of the train chugging outside filled the momentary silence. Then Cassidy spoke again.
"My name's Cassidy Sweet. Nice to meet you two." She nodded to each of them.
"My name's Ron Weasley," the boy with the vibrant hair said. Cassidy then remembered the family of the Weasleys, one that her father spoke fondly of. They were known for their kindness and humor, but she didn't expect to meet one so soon. She smiled a bit wider at Ron, making him avoid her eyes. The boy with glasses spoke up.
"I'm Harry Potter."
Cassidy's eyes widened. "You're...you're Harry Potter?" She squeaked in surprise. Cassidy longed to ask about his scar, but Harry seemed to read her mind. He nervously lifted the fringe of his hair to reveal a small lightning bolt scar. Cassidy bounced in her seat, a bit excited.
"That's wicked!" She whispered.
"That's what Ron over here said as well when he saw it." Harry chuckled, letting his hair back down. Ron looked a bit embarrassed, but said nothing. Cassidy looked to the sweets eagerly.
"Can I..." she started.
"Of course you can, Cassidy." Harry said in reply, motioning to the sweets. She smiled at Harry gratefully, and took a handful of Chocolate Frog boxes. Her father's sweet shop was the one who made them, and eating them made Cassidy feel closer to home. She began to open one, when Ron stopped her.
"Be careful, they jump." He warned. Cassidy scoffed.
"Trust me, Ron, I'm a professional at these. My dad did create them, after all." Ron's eyes widened.
"You're...you're from that Sweet family? The one that owns The Sweet Spell on Diagon Alley?" Ron widened his eyes in admiration.
Cassidy nodded, her brown eyes sparkling. Harry looked at her with curiosity.
"Fred and George love your jellybeans! I and Harry have been eating them this whole ride!" Ron gushed. "Is it true there's a bogey-flavored one?"
Before Cassidy could answer, Harry opened his Chocolate Frog box, and the frog leapt onto her hair.
("Watch it!" Ron said.) Then the frog jumped out the window.
"Oh, rotten luck," Ron said sympathetically. Cassidy nodded.
Harry had gotten the Dumbledore card.
"I've got about six of them." Ron replied.
Before he could show them a spell, the cabin door opened—and a girl with messy brown hair appeared, looking exasperated. Cassidy made eye contact with her immediately (she was facing the door, after all) and had the distinct feeling they were going to be great friends. The girl looked at her for a moment longer, then started to speak.