Chapter 12
Cassidy found herself in a small, dimly lit cottage. The smell of herbs and earth filled the air, and the faint crackle of a fire played in the background. A woman—her face partially hidden by shadow—sat at a wooden table, her hands deftly braiding a little girl's hair. The child giggled, her voice light and full of innocence, but the woman's hands trembled as she worked, her eyes darting toward the window every few moments.
Outside, the world was quiet, save for the faint rustle of leaves in the wind. The woman paused her braiding, her fingers brushing the necklace around her neck. It glowed faintly, casting a soft green light across the room. The child noticed and reached for it with curiosity.
"Is it magic, Mama?" the girl asked, her voice wide-eyed with wonder.
The woman hesitated, her face tightening for a moment. Then she forced a soft smile, pulling the necklace away from the child's reach.
"It's something we must protect," she murmured, her tone gentle but firm. "It's not for play, my love."
The girl pouted but quickly turned her attention back to her mother's hands. The woman continued braiding, her movements slower now, as if weighed down by the weight of her thoughts.
Cassidy's perspective shifted, and suddenly she was outside, standing in the shadow of a tree. She could see the cottage, warm light spilling from its windows, but there was a chill in the air. A figure lurked just out of sight, hidden in the darkness beyond the clearing. They didn't move, didn't make a sound, but Cassidy felt their presence—watchful, waiting.
The woman inside the cottage looked up abruptly, her eyes locking onto the same spot where Cassidy now stood. Her expression darkened, her hand flying to the necklace again.
The dream ended in a blur of whispers and the faint sound of a door creaking open....
Cassidy jolted awake, her heart pounding. She clutched her necklace tightly, its warmth familiar but unsettling.
"Who the bloody hell was that?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible in the stillness of the dormitory.
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New day, new Quidditch match. First of the season.
The sun shone brightly into Cassidy's eyes as she watched the Quidditch players zoom over the pitch, flying effortlessly. She cheered alongside everyone else, though she didn't feel the same enthusiasm as usual.
Neville Longbottom was next to her, waving a Gryffindor flag feebly. He saw Cassidy's expression.
"Cassidy, are you-"
"NOOO!" She screamed suddenly, looking on in dismay as a Slytherin player scored a goal. Neville was visibly shaken when she turned to look at him.
"Nev, you were saying something?" Cassidy asked innocently, as if she hadn't cussed out the entire house of Slytherin.
"Y-yeah," Neville nodded, trembling a bit. "I was just asking if you were alright, you seem a bit off."
Cassidy smiled at her friend's concern.
"I'm fine, Nev. Nothing to worry about." She said gently, while Neville nodded again, face pink. Cassidy turned to her other friends, Ron and Hermione, who seemed fixated on the game in front of them.
She'd told the group at the table about her dream, though essentially it was useless. The only way it had helped was by reinforcing the need to go and look through her ancestry. Cassidy had written to her dad, asking if she happened to have any magical grandmothers she should be worried about, and was awaiting a speedy reply.
"Another goal for Slytherin!" Lee Jordan, the commentator of today's match, yelled. "They leave Gryffindor ninety to thirty."
Cassidy groaned as her eyes followed Harry around the pitch. He seemed to be a bit out of it, she thought. Oliver, however, looked like he could kill.
Looking towards the teachers bleachers, she widened her eyes upon spotting Lucius Malfoy. Quickly, Cassidy elbowed Hermione.
"Psst. 'Mione!" She hissed.
"Ow, what are you-" she stopped when she saw who Cassidy was pointing at.
Lucius Malfoy and Snape sat together, smirking triumphantly as they saw how badly Gryffindor was losing.
"Ugh, him again," Hermione sighed. "Just ignore that man, Cass, he's not worth our time."
Cassidy nodded and narrowed her eyes at Lucius, turning her attention back to the game.
Draco seemed to be taunting Harry, and Cassidy could see the latter was trying his hardest to focus.
"Malfoy's such an arse- wait, what's that Bludger doing?" Cassidy squinted, and snatched Ron's binoculars.
"Oi!" He protested, ears pink.
"That bloody Bludger is following Harry!" Cassidy exclaimed, taking off the binoculars.
"He's got himself a rogue Bludger!" Hagrid exclaimed from behind the Gryffindor children, outraged. "That's been tampered with, that has!"
They all looked on in fear as Harry whizzed about, essentially just flying away from the Bludger. Cassidy didn't blame him. The last time her dad had played Quidditch, many years ago, he'd lost a tooth in the back of his mouth.
It was a Bludger that caused it.
The sight of Ron raising his Spellotaped wand snapped Cassidy back to the present.
"I'll stop it." He said, a heroic look on his face.
Cassidy smacked the wand out of his hand.
"Ow! What was that for?" Ron said, rubbing his hand softly.
"Thank you, Cassidy. Even with a proper one, that's too risky," Hermione explained, exasperated. "You could hit Harry."
Harry, in question, was still trying to (outrun? outfly?) the faulty Bludger, and it ripped through the Slytherin's seats cloth with ease.
"Oh, Merlin, please keep this boy safe." Cassidy whispered.
Clearly, Merlin did not hear her plea, for the Bludger kept chasing Harry relentlessly, bursting through bleachers in hot pursuit.
For a minute, Harry stopped, face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. He sneered, saying something, but Cassidy noticed the Snitch flying above his head. Malfoy did not, still laughing.
"He's such an idiot." Cassidy said, grinning as she saw Harry's eyes lock on to the Snitch, which flew away when the Bludger whooshed towards them once more.
Suddenly, Cassidy felt herself jolt, as if struck by electricity, and she wasn't watching the Quidditch match anymore.
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Cassidy Sweet blinked, finding herself in a dreamlike place once again. Though this time, it was an empty space, devoid of anything apart from herself. Looking to her right, she saw that woman from her dreams again.
She was crying.
Her sobs seemed to echo through the space, and Cassidy furrowed her eyebrows as she took a step closer to her.
Suddenly, she whipped around, eyes wide, looking in Cassidy's direction.
But not at Cassidy herself.
She was looking at someone, or something else, something beyond her that Cassidy couldn't see.
Then her eyes narrowed, full of fury.
"You."
She hissed, and she stood to approach someone, hazel eyes flashing.
But Cassidy didn't see who she was so angry at, for the vision ended.
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"Cassidy? Can you hear me?"
Cassidy startled, looking into Hermione's concerned face. The Gryffindors around her were focused on the pitch, though there was a look of concern on their faces as they watched Harry and Malfoy zoom around.
"W-what happened?" She asked groggily.
"You were just standing there, like you were in a trance." Ron said, confusion all over his face. "It was really weird, like your eyes were glazed over."
"What...?" Cassidy said, shocked. Then Hermione gasped.
"Cass, your nose! It's bleeding!"
Slowly, Cassidy raised her hand to her nose, feeling a steady but slow flow of blood.
"Bloody hell." Ron breathed, eyes wide with worry.
Before Cassidy could reply, the group caught sight of Harry's arm being hit by the cursed Bludger, and consequentially falling to the ground. The crowd gasped.
"Oh no." Cassidy whispered.
"Let's go." Hermione said, and the trio rushed down to the pitch, Hagrid included. As they thundered down the stairs, Cassidy overheard Lee Jordan's announcement.
"Harry Potter's caught The Snitch! Gryffindor wins!"
Despite everything, she allowed herself to grin as they made it to the pitch and rushed over to where Harry lay. The Bludger still seemed to be after Harry, who lay on the floor, clutching the Snitch. It kept trying to hit him, until Hermione whipped out her wand.
"Finite Incantartem!" She yelled, and the Bludger exploded, small, smoking pieces of it landing around Harry.
"One of the greatest witches ever, I'm telling you." Cassidy whispered, before running with the others to Harry.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, crouching next to him, Cassidy doing the same.
"Thank you, Hermione. And no, I think-" Harry caught sight of Cassidy's bloody nose, but before he could ask what happened, she shook her head.
"I'm fine, Harry, don't worry. Is everything okay with you?"
"No, Cass, My arm's broken." Harry admitted, holding his left arm gingerly. Gilderoy Lockhart suddenly appeared beside the group, crouching next to Harry.
"Not to worry, Harry, I will fix that arm of yours straight away." He said, self-important.
"N-not you." Harry blurted out, eyes wide. Gilderoy scoffed.
"He doesn't know what he's saying." He held Harry's arm gingerly.
"I'm pretty sure a broken arm doesn't affect the brain functioning, but okay." Cassidy hissed, rolling her eyes.
"Your sarcasm does not fit you, Miss Sweet," Gilderoy replied, inspecting Harry's broken arm. "Now, this..." he continued, drawing back Harry's sleeve slowly, causing him to hiss in pain. "Won't hurt a bit." Hermione squinted her eyes in worry, while Cassidy looked on silently.
Lockhart brought out his wand, concentrating on Harry's arm.
"Macciam Emendo!" He declared, the tip of his wand glowing.
Then Harry's arm flopped over, making a horrible squelching sound. The students around them exclaimed in disgust.
"Merlin, seriously, take Gilderoy Lockhart now." Cassidy sighed, shaking her head.
"Ah. Yes, well, that can sometimes happen," Gilderoy explained, while Harry's arm flopped another way and people started to retch.
"Woe to anybody who has to be healed by you, then." Cassidy scoffed, eyes softening when she looked at Harry.
"Don't worry Harry, you'll be alright. I think." Though the affirmation was uncertain, Harry still gave her a weak smile.
"Well, the point is, you can no longer feel any pain," said Gilderoy. "And, very clearly, the bones are not broken."
"Broken?!" Hagrid exclaimed, outraged. "There's no bones left!"
"I'll break something of yours-" Cassidy started, before Hermione held her back and Gilderoy scooted away.
Gilderoy flopped Harry's boneless arm again. "Much more flexible, though." He muttered.