Chapter 4
As the cheers from Gryffindor finally died down after Cassidy's Sorting, the stern witch tapped her glass with a spoon, calling everyone's attention.
"Your attention, please," she said, her voice calm but firm. Cassidy glanced toward the Headmaster, a twinkly-eyed man who looked as if he always knew a funny secret. With a small nod, he stood and opened his arms.
"Let the feast begin."
In an instant, the tables groaned under the weight of platters piled high with golden roast chicken, fluffy mashed potatoes, puddings, and pies. Cassidy's mouth fell open as she stared at the magical display. Around her, students gasped and cheered, and she eagerly reached for a turkey leg.
Her delight, however, was interrupted when she noticed Ron Weasley violently chomping on two chicken drumsticks at once. She couldn't hold back a giggle.
"Oi, what's so funny, Cass?" he grumbled through a mouthful of chicken.
"Nothing, Ron, nothing." Cassidy bit her lip, trying to stifle her laughter, but her shaking shoulders betrayed her. Across the table, Fred and George exchanged glances, their identical smirks promising trouble.
"Blimey, Ron, you work fast," Fred joked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Be careful Cass, he's a messy one." George chimed in, snickering.
Ron glared at them, his ears turning red, but Cassidy's attention was already elsewhere. She overheard Harry talking to Percy about one of the teachers but was distracted by Neville Longbottom waving shyly from a few seats away. Cassidy found this endearing and gave a small wave back.
"We've not even been here a day, and you've already got a boyfriend," Ron teased, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"I do not!" Cassidy squeaked, her cheeks flaming.
"Honestly, Ron, grow up," Hermione said primly, cutting into her roast beef. Cassidy shot her a grateful look and decided to strike up a conversation.
"So, are you from a wizarding family, Hermione?" Cassidy asked. Hermione shook her head.
"I'm a Muggle-born. Both my parents are non-magical, you see." She replied, taking another bite of her food. Cassidy's eyes lit up.
"My mum's a Muggle-born as well! Though she never talks about my Nan or my Grandad. She gets this funny look on her face every time I ask about them," Cassidy said, sinking her teeth into some turkey."My dad's from a long line of pure bloods, though." She continued, mouth full of food. Hermione chose to ignore the lack of manners.
Cassidy was about to say more when the head of a ghost popped through the table in front of her. She yelped and covered her face with her hands, trembling. Ron froze mid-bite, staring wide-eyed at the ghost.
"Hello! How are you? Welcome to Gryffindor! Ooh, and who's this little lass?" the ghost asked, peering at Cassidy's cowering figure.
"P-please don't eat me," Cassidy stammered, voice muffled by her palms. The ghost chuckled, amused, but before he could reply, several other ghosts floated through the walls, gliding effortlessly around and causing mild chaos.
The other first-years giggled or watched in fascination, but Cassidy kept her hands over her eyes.
Ron nudged her arm. "Really, Cass, you've got to stop being scared of everything."
She peeked through her fingers at the ghost, who was now chatting with Percy. "Hello, Sir Nicholas! Have a nice summer?" Percy chirped, unfazed.
"Dismal! Once again, my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied!" Sir Nicholas floated away, visibly upset.
Cassidy uncovered her face fully, watching the ghost with interest now that the initial shock had passed. Ron suddenly perked up.
"I know you! You're Nearly Headless Nick!"
"Oh, Ron, don't make him come back—" Cassidy pleaded, but it was too late. Sir Nicholas had already turned around, looking haughty.
"I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind," he said.
Cassidy, eager for him to leave, jumped in. "Don't worry, Sir Nicholas, we'll call you whatever you—"
"How can you be nearly headless?" Hermione interrupted, tilting her head curiously.
Cassidy groaned. "Oh, Hermione, don't—"
"Like this!" Sir Nicholas exclaimed, pulling most of his head off. The sight made Cassidy and Ron recoil in disgust.
"Eugh!" they cried in unison as Cassidy slapped her hands over her face again. Hermione flinched, and Harry looked thoroughly disturbed.
With a flick of his head, Sir Nicholas reattached it and glided away, mumbling about ungrateful first-years.
"Told you not to make him come back," Cassidy whispered to Ron. He shrugged and went back to eating, clearly unbothered.
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Later on, when their bellies were full and their eyes droopy, the first-year Gryffindors were guided to their tower by Percy Weasley.
"Gryffindors, follow me, please." He called. Cassidy chose to stay close to Hermione this time, and they chatted about things that eleven year old girls usually chat about.
Well, if those eleven year old girls were magical, anyway.
"My mum and dad were positively shocked when I received my letter to Hogwarts. But they were really supportive, being Muggles and all." Hermione said.
"Really? My dad was scared they wouldn't send me a letter, you know. Since someone from the board threatened to stop me from coming." Cassidy huffed, remembering Lucius Malfoy yelling at her father for Cassidy's outburst towards Draco.
They were led up some stairs to a room with even more complicated stairs, and Cassidy pushed gently through the crowd with Hermione to get a look at it all. Ron and Harry were next to her, and the four stared in astonishment.
"This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases. They like to change." Percy explained. Cassidy didn't want to find out what that meant, but it didn't look like she had much choice. The stairs miles above them were moving around at s rapid pace, and the mere sight of that made Cassidy queasy. Percy started off, calling back to the first-years.
"Keep up, please."
The four followed along with the crowd, pointing and whispering at all the different paintings. Cassidy, Harry and Ron made a habit of comparing each other to the ugly paintings, while Hermione looked on in disapproval.
"Really, you three, you ought to be more mature." She said, shaking her head.
"C'mon, Hermione, it's funny." Cassidy said, grinning. Hermione simply huffed and kept walking.
The paintings who were being laughed at, however, made some very rude gestures to the three, making them shut up.
Finally, they all walked down a hallway towards a painting of a fat lady. She looked at Percy.
"Password?" The lady in the painting asked. Cassidy didn't hear what the password was, because she thought she'd seen a rat.
To her dismay, she had missed it, and meekly followed the rest into the open painting. She got a funny look from the lady in the painting for lagging behind.
"What was the password?" She whispered to Harry.
"Uh, I think it was stop comparing Harry Potter to a painting of a sickly boy." Harry replied.
"I said I'm sorry!" Cassidy replied, frustrated and trying to keep up with him.
"Alright then, it was Caput Draconis." He replied, giggling. Cassidy smiled at Harry gratefully as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room.
The place was cozy, with a crackling fireplace that reminded Cassidy of home. There were plush, red sofas that she already envisioned herself relaxing in, and warm, intricately designed lanterns on the walls.
"Gather round here. Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. Boys' dormitories upstairs and down to your left, Girls, the same to your right. You'll find all your belongings brought up." Percy Weasley instructed.
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Cassidy stood in the doorway of the first-year girls' dormitory, her wide eyes taking in the cozy circular room. The four-poster beds were draped with crimson and gold hangings, and each bed had a matching patchwork quilt. A soft, warm glow came from the lanterns on the walls, casting dancing shadows across the wooden beams of the ceiling. Trunks were already placed at the foot of each bed, and Cassidy could see her own, with its slightly dented corners, waiting for her.
"Wow," she whispered, stepping in. Lavender Brown twirled around in the middle of the room, her blonde curls bouncing.
"This is so posh!" Lavender squealed. "It's like living in a castle!"
"Probably because we are living in a castle," Parvati Patil said with a grin, flopping onto the bed next to hers. She patted the mattress. "Comfy, too."
Hermione had already started unpacking her trunk. She pulled out a neatly folded stack of robes and placed them on her bed. Cassidy watched her for a moment before plopping onto her own bed, sinking into the soft mattress with a happy sigh.
"I can't believe we're actually here," Cassidy said, staring at the red-and-gold canopy above her. "It still doesn't feel real."
Parvati leaned over, smiling. "You'll get used to it. My sister, Padma, told me it all starts feeling normal after a week or so. She's in Ravenclaw, by the way," she added, in case anyone asked.
"Did you all see the ghosts earlier?" Lavender piped up, sitting cross-legged on her bed. "They were so creepy. I mean, Nearly Headless Nick? Nearly? How does that even work?"
Hermione opened her mouth, probably to launch into a detailed explanation, but Cassidy cut in, her face still buried in her hands. "I don't care how it works—I just don't want to see it again. I nearly fainted when his head came off!"
Parvati giggled. "You're going to have to get used to ghosts. They're everywhere in Hogwarts."
Cassidy groaned, sitting up and hugging a pillow to her chest. "Why didn't anyone tell me that before I got here?"
"Because it's fun for them to watch first-years scream," Lavender said simply, smiling.
Cassidy rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept onto her face. "Well, you lot better protect me if any of them try to pull that head-popping thing again."
"We'll protect you," Parvati said with mock seriousness, raising her wand like a sword. "No ghost will dare mess with Cassidy Sweet!"
Lavender laughed and flopped backward on her bed. "So, who do you think is the cutest boy in Gryffindor?"
Cassidy raised an eyebrow. "We just got here. You've already picked a favorite?"
"Well..." Lavender said with a sly grin. "Ron Weasley is kind of funny. And Harry Potter's famous, so there's that."
Cassidy's hand froze mid-reach for her bonnet. "Ron?" she repeated, trying to sound casual. "Funny?"
"Well, yeah," Lavender said. "Didn't you see him at dinner? He's a riot!"
Cassidy forced a laugh. "I suppose he's... alright." She shifted slightly, clutching a pillow she'd grabbed a bit tighter. Her cheeks felt warm, but she ignored it.
Parvati leaned in conspiratorially. "I think Dean Thomas is handsome. Did you see his smile?"
Cassidy nodded quickly, eager to change the subject. "Yeah, Dean seems nice. And Harry... well, I guess being famous counts for something."
Lavender giggled. "Oh, come on, Cassidy. You've spent half the night with Ron, haven't you? What do you think?"
Cassidy blinked. "What do I think about what?"
"About Ron," Lavender said, smirking.
"I think he's loud and eats too much," Cassidy blurted out, a bit sharper than she intended. Lavender raised an eyebrow, and Cassidy quickly added, "But... yeah, I suppose he's funny."
Hermione, who had been quietly arranging her books on the small bedside table, finally turned to the group. "Honestly, you're all focusing on completely unimportant things. Shouldn't we be talking about classes or—"
Lavender groaned dramatically. "Don't start, Hermione. We've got all year for homework talk!"
"I agree with Hermione," Cassidy said, surprising the others. "But also, I'm too tired to think about boys or homework right now."
"Fair enough," Parvati said, stifling a yawn. "We'll have loads of time to gossip later."
The girls all settled into their beds, the chatter gradually fading into sleepy murmurs. As Cassidy pulled the quilt up to her chin, she tried to brush off the odd pang she'd felt when Lavender mentioned Ron.
"It's nothing," she muttered to herself. But as she drifted off to sleep, she couldn't quite shake the thought of Ron's hand holding hers from her mind.