Chapter 9
On Wednesday night, Theo and Cassie walked up to the quidditch pitch from the school to find Cassius waiting for them at the changing rooms.
"So you two think you're good huh? What position do you play Nott?" He asked, folding his arms.
Having grown up along side Cassie, her cousin knew that she was an avid chaser.
"Keeper." He said confidently. Her cousin raised his eyebrow.
"You think you're better than Bletchley?"
Theo shrugged. "I think I won't know until I try."
"I admire your confidence Nott, but Bletchley is a superb keeper who saves a goal at least 8/10 tries," Cassius explained.
"Now, this is mainly going to challenge you, Nott, as I've seen Cassie play a number of times growing up."
They ran through a few drills, before the quaffel was released into the air for Cassie to chase. It was convenient for them as Cassie took shots against Theo who blocked them one after another with his hands, diving left and right to protect the goal posts.
Eventually, after beginning to grow frustrated with the lack of goals she was scoring, she pulled a double dodge and scored into the left hoop.
She was awarded with a round of clapping from her cousin, who looked on impressed. "Cassiopeia's shots are as hard as they make them, I know from personal experience Nott, so well done,"
He shook his head, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "I might have introduce the two of you to Marcus,"
_____
"They're training you," Potter spat as they gleefully told him why they were walking out of the quidditch pitch a week later.
They had met with Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Captain who was also very impressed with Theo's and Cassie's potential.
"I love how you're stating the obvious with such a sense of discovery," Cassie marvelled.
"Jealous Potter? That we're being trained by the best?" Theo asked him, a sly smirk tugging on the corner of his lips.
"But- but that's breaking the rules!" He exclaimed.
"You care about rules now?" Cassie asked him innocently.
"Because our little saint potter never breaks rules does he?" Theo taunted.
"At least I got into the team and aren't stuck training with them." He sneered at them.
"Hey! Are you alright Harry?" Hermione Granger appeared by his side, swiftly followed by none other than Ronald Weasley.
"Nott? Peverell? What are you doing here? Why don't you slither off to your dirty common room and leave us in peace?" Weasley said.
Cassie sighed. "Are you so incapable of defending yourself on your own Potter? Do you need moral support that badly?"
Then she turned her head to find someone walking towards them and laughed. "How ironic," she muttered to herself.
"What?" Theo asked, before turning around to find two more redheads joining the group.
"Ronald I didn't realise there were more you." She sighed.
"There's another one who's a prefect as well," Theo whispered in her ear, "he told me and Draco off for hexing Longbottom last week," he scowled.
She glanced up at the two lanky redheads and found them to have almost identical faces.
"You are?" She asked, bored.
"I'm Fred," one of them said,
"And I'm George,"
"We're twins," one of them added.
Yeah no shit, Cassie thought.
"I recognise your face," the other one stretched out a finger to her face.
"What's your name?"
Cassie smiled. The other twin suddenly recognised who she was as realisation dawned on his face.
"George that's-"
"Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia Peverell." She smirked slyly.
His eyes widened in disbelief, and his confidence shrunk back.
"Oh,"
"What's all this about then?" Fred asked, breaking some of the tension.
"Nott and and Peverell are being trained by the Slytherin quidditch team!" Potter exclaimed, glaring daggers at them both.
"There's no need to get over excited Potter," Theo rolled his eyes.
"What?" The twins both spluttered.
"Why would you-"
"You're not allowed to-"
"Such hypocrites Gryffindors," Cassie muttered to Theo who sniggered.
"I don't know why your so bothered. If Potters better than us, then you have nothing to worry about. Because if you were, you'd be admitting that we're a threat. Which we're not, as you've made clear." Theo said, and they watched the the acceptance sink into their faces.
"Well lovely chatting with you, but I think it's past your bedtime, so you better hurry off." Cassie said, and her and Theo turned around and began to walk towards the Slytherin common room, laughs fighting their way out of themselves.
"Imagine the panic attacks they'll have when we actually get in the team!" Theo grinned at her.
_____
Soon enough, the whole school knew about Cassiopeia Peverell and Theodore Nott being groomed by the Slytherin quidditch team.
"It's not even a big deal!" Cassie complained to her friends. "I don't know why everyone's getting so heated over it!"
One evening, Professor Dumbledore called a feast. As the students had just dived into the food, he stood up.
"I expect that you all would like to know why I am calling this feast," he paused as students muttered in agreement.
"It has come to my attention that some first years..." he gave a pointed look towards Theo and Cassie at the Slytherin table through his half moon spectacles and continued.
"-have been training with their house quidditch team. May I remind all students that first years aren't allowed to play for or associate with their house quidditch team, in sporting terms. Furthermore, I must ban any students being trained by a house team."
"There's nothing in the rules saying you can't train with a house team," whispered Pansy.
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Cassie stood up and shouted across the hall.
Dumbledore sighed and turned his head back to the other students. Ignoring her, he spoke again. "The rules-"
Cassie laughed. "Rules? The one Potter broke?"
"Miss Peverell-" Dumbledore began. Students were whispering louder now, and Cassie knew Dumbledore could tell he was losing them.
"If it's unfair for the other houses let them do it too!"
"Miss Peverell I ask yourself to remain calm. I will not permit you to speak to me this way." His blue eyes twinkled, but something cold flashed behind them.
"Prefects, please lead your houses back to your dormitories."
Cassie stormed into the common room, fists clenched. She let out a grunt of frustration.
"I hate all this prejudice! We all know Dumbledore only did that because we're Slytherins! If it was any other house they'd be allowed to!"
"Why is it that every Slytherin has a target on their back for simply being told by a hat that they belong here?"
"Because they hate us. We can't change that Cas." Theo said, a defeated look on his face.
"Don't give up Theo. We'll talk to Marcus in the morning," Draco reassured him.
"That's not true! Some Gryffindors gave me a box of chocolate last week! And I didn't even ask for it!" Laurie grinned.
"So you were taken to the hospital wing out of pure coincidence afterwards then?" Mattheo asked, raising his eyebrows.
"I hate to break it you but I think they knew what would happen." Blaise added.
"No! They were being nice is all. They said I deserved them, and that I should bring them to share in the common room with everyone else, but they were so good that I ate them all. I must have just had an allergic reaction."
Cassie snorted. "And the wrapper that said 'warning: will cause who ever digests to break into spots' didn't give anything away?"
Laurie stared at her. "You think they knew? So that's why they laughed as they walked away!" he realised.
"It's never happened to me," said Draco, frowning.
"Well I may have threatened people not to mess with you on the first day or they'd deal with me," she admitted, "but that isn't the point!"
"What is?" Said Blaise, folding his arms.
"The point," Cassie said, slamming her hand down again, "is that people think they can walk all over us because of our house's reputation!"
Mattheo sat quietly thinking. "Look I'm sorry if what my father did-"
Cassie let out a dramatic sigh. "This is what I mean! Get your heads out of your arses, children! Remember what house you're in! If they want us to act like Slytherins then we will."
She stormed up the girls staircase, and didn't hear when Theo muttered, "No wonder no one messes with her,"