Chapter 5
Cassidy woke up in a forest.
The air was thick with mist, cold and damp against her skin. Shadows twisted around her, the gnarled trees looming like figures frozen in silent screams. The ground beneath her was damp and uneven, and as she turned, she realized the trees weren't just trees—they had faces. Hollow, anguished faces.
She clutched the charm on her necklace, her fingers trembling. Faint whispers floated through the air, too quiet to understand but loud enough to send chills down her spine.
"Hello?" Cassidy's voice wavered as she called out.
The whispers stopped instantly, as though the entire forest was holding its breath. The sudden silence made her chest tighten. The temperature dropped further, her breath now visible in the freezing air.
And then, a voice—deep, cold, and dripping with malice—answered her.
"Hello, Sweet."
Cassidy's heart slammed against her ribs. Her fingers tightened around her necklace, the charm now warm in her grip.
"W-what do you want?!" she shouted into the void, her voice cracking with fear.
The voice chuckled, low and sinister. It echoed through the forest, coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once.
"You... you have something I want," it hissed. "The key... the key to power."
"What key?" Cassidy demanded, stumbling back. Her voice was small, her courage slipping away with every word. "I-I don't have anything!"
"Oh, but you do..." The voice slithered closer. Cassidy whipped her head around, searching for its source, but the mist was too thick. "Not yet... not yet. First, the boy... Potter."
Cassidy froze, her blood running cold.
"And then you..." the voice whispered, low and triumphant.
Suddenly, her necklace burned against her skin, searing hot. She cried out, clutching at it, and the forest began to shake violently around her. The trees screamed, their hollow faces twisting in agony—
"Cassidy! Wake up!"
Cassidy's eyes flew open, her body drenched in sweat. She was back in her bed, the Gryffindor dormitory dimly lit by the glow of the lanterns. Hermione Granger was leaning over her, her hands on Cassidy's shoulders, shaking her awake.
"Are you all right?" Hermione asked again, though it was obvious from her expression that Cassidy wasn't.
"I..." Cassidy hesitated, debating whether to tell Hermione what had happened. But something held her back—maybe it was the strangeness of it all, or the fact that she couldn't make sense of it herself.
"I'm all right, Hermione. Don't worry." Cassidy forced a yawn, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere. "What time is it?"
"It's early," Hermione replied, glancing at her bedside clock. "I was about to get ready for class. Are you sure you're okay, though?"
"Yeah, I promise," Cassidy said quickly, waving her off. "It was just a silly dream about Nearly Headless Nick." The lie tumbled out before she could stop it, but it was enough to prompt a small, albeit worried, smile from Hermione.
"All right then," Hermione said, her tone shifting back to its usual bossy warmth. "Let's get ready for school."
Cassidy nodded, grateful for the normalcy. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and followed Hermione, both of them padding quietly past the sleeping figures of Lavender and Parvati.
But as they left the dormitory, Cassidy couldn't shake the icy feeling in her chest—the lingering dread that something was wrong. Her hand brushed against the charm around her neck, and for a fleeting moment, she thought it felt warm again.
***
Cassidy and Hermione sat side by side in their first class of the day, Transfiguration. A cat stood on the front desk, who was actually Professor McGonagall (the stern witch), in disguise.
The classroom was silent, apart from the sound of Draco Malfoy throwing balls of paper into Cassidy's hair whenever he thought the professor wasn't looking. Because of its texture, they kept getting stuck.
Draco thought it was the funniest thing in the world, but Cassidy's mind was preoccupied with the dream she'd had this morning. What was it about? Should she tell Harry? And most importantly, was it...
He Who Must Not Be Named?
Cassidy shuddered at the thought, but Draco thought she was shuddering at his antics, which earned him a high five from Crabbe and Goyle.
"Where's Ron and Harry? Why aren't they here yet? They're gonna be late for their first lesson!" Cassidy whispered to Hermione, who was writing on a scroll silently. The cat on the teacher's desk looked towards her promptly, shutting her up. The cat then looked away, and Hermione sighed, her quill scratching against her scroll. "Knowing them? Probably still wolfing down breakfast or getting lost on the stairs. Honestly, it's not like they don't know how to follow a schedule."
Cassidy knitted her brows in frustration, prodding Hermione.
"But don't you care? Not even a little bit?" She whispered, her exasperation furthered by what she'd heard in her dream.
Hermione was about to reply when the back door burst open. Ron Weasley and Harry Potter rushed in, disheveled and pink-faced. Hermione rolled her eyes and Cassidy motioned for them to hurry up. Draco and his cronies looked mighty pleased.
"We made it!" Ron said proudly. Cassidy rapidly shook her head at the two boys, signaling for them to shut up, but they didn't notice.
"Can you imagine the look on McGonagall's face if we were late?" Ron continued, oblivious. Cassidy facepalmed, having a vague idea of what was to come.
Gracefully, the cat leaped from McGonagall's desk and transformed into....well, Professor McGonagall. She strode towards the two boys, whose mouths were open in shock.
"That was bloody brilliant." Ron said in awe. Harry elbowed Ron to keep him quiet, and Cassidy shook her head and returned to writing in her scroll. Professor McGonagall chided Harry and Ron, and the pair hurried off to their seats.
***
"Well that was certainly a lesson," Ron huffed as the four of them filed out of class, Cassidy picking pieces of parchment out of her hair and glaring back at Draco Malfoy, who was still sniggering. She rolled her eyes and looked forward.
"I mean, did you see her? One moment she was a cat, and the next, BOOM!" Ron clapped his hands together, getting a laugh from Harry and a small frown from Hermione.
I'll admit, that was impressive," Cassidy said, tucking her scroll into her bag. "But maybe next time, try not to tempt fate by saying her name right in front of her."
"Oh, come on," Ron replied, his ears pink. "How was I supposed to know she was the cat? She could've been anywhere!"
"She was literally sitting on the desk, Ron," Hermione chimed in, her tone exasperated. "Honestly, you've got to start paying attention to details."
"I was paying attention," Ron argued, his voice indignant. "I was just... distracted by breakfast, all right? Priorities!"
Cassidy rolled her eyes but smiled. "Well, next time, try not to prioritize toast over not getting yelled at."
"Speaking of priorities," Harry said, changing the subject as they rounded a corner, "What's next? I hope it's something that doesn't involve getting turned into a teapot."
Hermione reached into her bag and pulled out her timetable. "Potions with Professor Snape."
"Brilliant," Ron muttered, his face falling. "First McGonagall, now Snape. I bet he's already planning to make my life miserable."
"You've only been here a day," Cassidy teased. "And you barely know him. What could you have possibly done to make him hate you already?"
"It's not what I've done," Ron said darkly. "It's what I'm going to do. Existing."
Cassidy giggled despite herself. Even as Ron grumbled about their impending doom, she couldn't help but feel a strange warmth in her chest. She shook the thought away, blaming the fact that she hadn't eaten enough at breakfast.
"Let's just hope he doesn't start throwing ingredients at us," Harry said, trying to lighten the mood as they descended a set of stairs.
Cassidy hesitated, her fingers brushing the necklace beneath her robes. The chill from her dream had returned for just a moment, but she forced herself to keep up with the others, not wanting to fall behind.
***
The dungeon classroom was cold and damp, with stone walls that seemed to seep an unshakable chill into the air. Rows of wooden desks were arranged neatly, though many bore scratches and scorch marks from years of clumsy wandwork. Shelves lined the walls, crammed with glass jars filled with strange, pickled ingredients that seemed to glare back at the students. A cauldron bubbled ominously in the corner, sending faint wisps of steam into the air. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Cassidy all settled into their seats, Harry sitting next to Ron and Cassidy sitting in between Ron and Hermione.
Cassidy wrinkled her nose at the musty smell of mildew and something sharply metallic, while Ron muttered beside her, "Brilliant, just the place to make us feel welcome."
Before anyone could respond, a figure swept into the room, his long black robes billowing like smoke. The atmosphere shifted immediately, every student straightening in their seats as if pulled by an invisible string.
Cassidy didn't need an introduction to know who this was. Professor Snape, the same professor she decided was bad news yesterday evening, had arrived.
"There will be no foolish wand waving, or silly incantations in this class. As such, I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science and exact art of this potion making; however, for those.....select few," Professor Snape glanced at Malfoy, who smiled smugly. Cassidy wanted to smack that smile off his face.
"-who possess.....the predisposition... I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even..." Cassidy was distracted by the sudden warmth she felt from her necklace. She shuddered, and clutched it, earning a concerned look from Ron. Harry on the other hand, was busily scribbling down everything Snape was saying.
Snape, unfortunately, noticed.
"And then again, maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable you feel confident enough.." Cassidy nudged Ron, trying to tell him to warn Harry, but it was too late.
"...to not pay attention!" Cassidy, giving up on Ron, pinched Harry's leg under the table. Harry reacted with a small 'ow!', and Cassidy flicked her head towards the professor, who was glaring at them.
Snape bore down on Harry, his dark eyes narrowing.
"Oh, fiddlesticks." Cassidy muttered.
"Mr. Potter... our new celebrity," Snape drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tell me, What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
Hermione's hand shot up, clearly not reading the room. Harry shook his head slowly.
"You don't know? Well, let's try again, where, Mr Potter, would you look if I asked you to find me a Beazle?"
Yet again, Hermione's eager hand flew into the air. Cassidy silently wished she would stop doing that.
"I don't know, sir." Harry replied, causing Cassidy and Ron to exchange a worried look.
Snape's eyes narrowed even further, a smug look on his face as he took in Harry's response.
"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?" Snape asked yet again.
"I...I don't know." Harry said flatly.
"Pity," Snape sneered. "The great Harry Potter, unable to answer such a simple question. Clearly, fame isn't everything."
Cassidy could feel her temper flaring, but she held herself back, knowing that any outburst would just make Snape's smugness worse. She flicked her eyes to Ron, who was looking uncomfortably at his shoes, and then to Harry, who looked like he was bracing himself for another cruel remark. But he surprised her, shooting back a response.
"Clearly, Hermione knows. Seems a pity not to ask her." Harry said. True to his word, Hermione's hand was still up, her face eager.
The class burst into laughter, and Snape looked furious.
"Silence. And put your hand down, you silly girl. Anyone else care to answer?" Snape asked, his voice dripping with mock politeness. He swept his gaze over the class, daring anyone to speak up.
Cassidy could hardly stand it anymore. "Sir, are we supposed to be learning, or are we just being judged on our knowledge of obscure potion ingredients?" she said, her voice louder than she intended. The class burst into laughter yet again.
Snape's eyes snapped to her, his expression growing colder. "Miss Sweet, am I correct? Joshua Sweet's daughter?"
Cassidy's eyes narrowed slightly, but she stood her ground. "Yes, sir."
Snape narrowed his eyes. "That explains it. The apple doesn't seem to fall far from the tree." He said, visible dislike in his eyes.
Draco and his cronies chuckled. Snape continued to stare at Cassidy, his dark eyes gleaming.
"Miss Sweet, your opinion is duly noted. Perhaps you would prefer to teach the class?"
Cassidy's heartbeat quickened, and her face grew warm from embarrassment. However, she was determined not to show it.
"No, but if we're supposed to be learning, maybe a little more patience would help." She replied, her voice firm.
Ron let out a quiet laugh, though he quickly stifled it when Snape turned his glare in his direction. Harry gave Cassidy a small, grateful smile.
Snape, however, wasn't done, striding towards the group's table and sitting down in front of them.
"For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draft of the Living Dead. A Bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and would save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also go by the name of aconite."
The class looked on, still and silent.
"Well, why aren't you all copying this down?" Snape asked.
All the students immediately got to writing on their scrolls, including Cassidy. Before Snape left, however, he stepped to her desk and spoke to her in a low voice, so low no one apart from her could hear.
"The patience of a teacher is something earned, Miss Sweet. You would do well to remember that."
"Noted, sir," she muttered as she wrote, a hint of sarcasm slipping through.
"To help keep this fact noted, I will be taking five points from Gryffindor's house." Snape announced, walking to his desk and taking out a quill.
"For your classmates' cheek." He continued, glaring at Harry. Draco Malfoy looked back at the group, snickering with glee.
Cassidy's eyes widened in anger, but she kept her mouth shut.
She was wrong earlier. She didn't dislike Snape.
She hated him.