Chapter 7
Clearing his throat, Ron made for Cassidy, who was still watching the empty sky and waiting for Harry to come back. When he had eventually sidled up to her, he just stood there, awkwardly.
Cassidy finally turned and saw him there.
"Ron?"
Ron snapped his head up, looking very much like he'd been caught staring.
Cassidy frowned. "What's with you?"
Ron hesitated, then muttered, "Nothin'."
Cassidy narrowed her eyes. "Liar."
Ron rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away. "Just—you shouldn't listen to Malfoy, alright? He's just—he's a bloody git, and—" He faltered, scowling. "Just ignore him."
Cassidy tilted her head.
That was... sweet. Weirdly awkward, but sweet.
"Didn't know you cared so much, Weasley," she teased, nudging him.
Ron huffed, looking away. "Shut up."
Before Cassidy could reply, Harry had returned with Buckbeak, relatively unharmed and safe. Students erupted into applause as Hagrid took him and put him down, and Hermione went up to Cassidy, nudging her softly.
When she turned, she found Hermione watching her closely, like she was trying to figure something out.
Cassidy raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Hermione hesitated before saying, "You know that's not true, right?"
Cassidy blinked. "What's not?"
Hermione's lips pressed together, looking frustrated. "What Malfoy said. You know it's rubbish, don't you?"
Cassidy let out a scoff. "Obviously."
Hermione still looked uncertain, like she wasn't sure if she believed her, but clapped with the others as Harry collected himself.
Suddenly, Cassidy felt someone shove her to the side, striding towards the hippogriff pompously.
It was Draco.
"Yeah, you're not dangerous at all, are you?" Draco sneered as he got closer to the hippogriff. "Great ugly brute."
Buckbeak rose on his hind legs in anger, hitting Draco with one of his hooves. Malfoy fell to the ground, whimpering in pain.
The students around Cassidy started to scream as Buckbeak became aggressive, and even though Cassidy hated Draco with her whole heart, she yelped in fear and grabbed someone's hand. That person put her behind them when she did so, and it was only when she caught sight of their pale freckled skin did she realize it was Ron.
Cassidy's face warmed up, and her chest did something funny.
Before she could say anything, however, Hagrid had given Buckbeak a treat, distracting him from Malfoy, who clutched his wrist on the ground, shutting his eyes tightly.
"Ah, it's killed me! It's killed me!"
"Oi, Malfoy, no need to be a wimp." Cassidy called out, stepping away from Ron before anyone noticed how close they were. Other Gryffindors laughed, although the laughter was uncertain.
"Cassie, none of that lip. And calm down, Malfoy, it's just a scratch—"
"Hagrid!" Hermione said, running up to the situation with worry. "He has to be taken to the hospital."
Hagrid nodded, looking down at Malfoy while Cassidy scoffed. "I'm the teacher, I'll take him." Lifting Draco up, (who was still whimpering), he went off into the forest.
"Class dismissed!" He called back. Cassidy shook her head, but stopped when she caught sight of what was draped around Hermione's neck. She grabbed her arm, drawing her in closer. Hermione's face grew pink.
"'Mione, is that a—"
Hermione took her arm away from Cassidy's, shaking her head in a silent plea. Cassidy pursed her lips, stepping away from Hermione and watching Buckbeak nuzzle Harry.
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Cassidy Sweet sighed as she tried to ignore Draco overplaying his injuries, and started to sketch on a piece of parchment absentmindedly. Miraculously, Neville's Bubotuber pus had worked, and her skin was smooth and flawless. She cringed when she saw Pansy Parkinson latch onto Draco's arm and bat her eyelashes.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she muttered, as a ghost on a horse ran past the Gryffindor table. They were all in the Great Hall, studying.
"Listen to the idiot," Ron said beside Cassidy. "He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?"
"Yeah, but at least Hagrid didn't get fired." Harry replied, motioning to Cassidy to pass him a quill.
"Yeah, but I hear Draco's father's furious." Hermione said.
"He's always running to his dad about something, and his dad always gets angry at everybody else apart from his son. He probably won't even actually do anything." Cassidy stretched, yawning. "I beat Draco up before we even came to Hogwarts and got away with it."
"True, but maybe that's because your family's a bit influential, Cass," Hermione said worriedly. "Hagrid's isn't ."
Cassidy furrowed her brow. "Good point."
Hermione stared at the table. "We haven't heard the end of this."
Before anyone could say anything else, Seamus Finnigan ran into the Great Hall.
"He's been sighted, he's been sighted!" He yelled.
"Who?!" Ron said, eyes wide.
"Sirius Black!"
Everyone immediately rose from their seats, crowding around Seamus and Bem as the latter read out from the Daily Prophet, a wizarding newspaper. Cassidy stood opposite Harry and Hermione, who leaned over Bem to read the newspaper. The twins looked over her, each hand on one of her shoulders to steady themselves.
"Dufftown?!" Hermione said out loud. "That's not far from here."
"I thought somebody might've caught him by now." Cassidy murmured.
"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts... do you?!" Neville said, looking around at everyone worriedly.
"With the way things are going..."
"Cassidy, stop."
"Alright."
"Plus, there are Dementors at every entrance!" A male student piped up.
"Dementors?" Seamus scoffed. "He's already slipped past them once, hasn't he? Who's to say he won't do it again?"
"Black could be anywhere." Bem said solemnly. "It's like trying to catch smoke. It's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."
A silence fell over the table as everyone watched Sirius screaming in his mugshot.
"He really does look like a raving, murderous lunatic, doesn't he?" She muttered.
"Cassidy, shut up."
"Sorry."
The excitement over Sirius Black still lingered in the air as the Gryffindors spilled out of the Great Hall and into the corridors, making their way toward their first lesson with Professor Lupin.
Cassidy fell into step with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, tucking her hands into the pockets of her robes. The castle was bustling around them—students whispering about Sirius Black, third years complaining about their workload, Peeves singing something rude from above.
Halfway down the corridor, Cassidy glanced at the others. "Did I ever tell you guys my middle name?"
Harry frowned. "No. Why?"
She hesitated, then shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing. Never mind."
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances.
"That was random," Ron said.
Cassidy just smiled and kept walking.
They turned a corner, passing a row of arched windows that let in the bright afternoon light. As Cassidy glanced outside, her breath hitched.
The black bear was there.
It stood just beyond the tree line, massive and unmoving, its dark fur shimmering in the daylight. It wasn't pacing, wasn't growling—just watching.
A chill ran down her spine.
She blinked, and it was gone.
Cassidy stopped in her tracks, staring at the empty spot where it had been.
"Cass?" Hermione called. "What is it?"
Cassidy tore her gaze from the window and hurried to catch up. "Nothing," she said quickly. "Just thought I saw something."
Hermione gave her a suspicious look, but didn't press.
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