It was mid-October and the magical castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was unusually quiet. It was a particularly sunny day, maybe one of the last to come this year, and most of the student body had gone outside to enjoy the last drops of sunlight before the winter. However, there was still some movement inside the castle.
A dark haired girl, by the name Cassandra Harlaw, was walking down the tapestry corridor on the second floor. The torches were casting contorted shadows against the wall as her robes were dangling behind her when she walked. Her long hair was bouncing off her back, in rhythm with her pace. Every couple of minutes she looked behind her, checking that no one was there. It was clear that she did not want anyone to see her.
As if on cue, there was a laugh coming from the corridor corner, and Cassandra quickly hid behind a large, heavy tapestry, going all the way to the floor, showing a witch laughing at the stake while surrounded by fire. Cassie peered out and saw a couple emerge at the end of the corridor.
"Oh, Elend," the girl giggled, holding on to a boy's arm. "Stop it! Someone might see us!" Cassie snorted internally. Damn right, someone might see you! Someone might be lurking behind the tapestry. The boy, who Cassie presumed was named Elend, stopped only a couple of feet from Cassie. He swooped the girl in his arms, twirled her around and lowered her to the ground, holding her firmly. "Stop what?" Elend teased. When the girl didn't answer, Cassie saw him lean in and kiss her.
Seriously? Cassie thought. That was too icky and way too cliché for her taste. The girl, on the other hand, seemed to like it, and kissed Elend back. Cassie hoped this wouldn't turn into a snogging session. She did not have that kind of patience today. That is to say she was going to be late, and she hated being late. Her narrow hiding space felt cramped and the tapestry, which were only inches from her nose, smelled like her grandmother's old moth ball closet. Briefly, she looked down and saw that her fingernails had turned blue from her stress.
Cursing herself, Cassie took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down. Of course, she still had thirty minutes, so she could afford to hide a little longer. Come to think about it, she would much rather prefer to stay behind the tapestry all evening. She dreaded going to detention. Never, in her five years and one month at Hogwarts, had she ever gotten a detention. Except that one time in second grade, but no one knew about that. That was exactly how Cassie preferred it. How could she scold her fellow Slytherins for getting detention when she herself had one this very evening?
Cassie knew for a fact that Evan Rosier also had detention today. She had heard him complain about it all week. Cassie had no idea why though, that much he wouldn't say. Dessa and the other girls had been just as confused as to why he wouldn't tell them, but Snape and Mulciber had been awfully quiet. Strangely, she was kind of disappointed at Evan for not telling her. She thought they were close, but apparently he did not feel the same. He had probably just been out late, snogging that girl in Ravenclaw. Surely, it was no big deal, but Cassie wanted to know. Why didn't he tell her?
Cassie had to remind herself that she wasn't planning on telling Evan about her detention either. She hoped she would come early, finish quickly, and then leave before Evan arrived. Bloody Black, she thought. It was all his fault anyway.
Cassie had been one of the last to leave Potions class yesterday. She had just left the classroom when she bumped into Potter, Black and their rat faced sidekick. The corridor had been dark and empty, except for the boys. Down in the dungeons, the air was always cold and moldy at this time of year, and Cassie had instantly felt a shiver. Bantering with the Gryffindors was a common occurrence as Cassie sometimes went looking for Black and his friends when she was bored, just so she could curse them and have some fun. Usually, she would have Evan or Dessa with her, but yesterday she had been all alone.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite Slytherin," Black had said, shaking his head. His dark hair almost falling into his eyes. Cassie had remained silent, staring at him. He had really beautiful grey eyes. She had noticed so on the train ride back to Hogwarts this year. How come she had never seen that before?
"Silence suits you, Harlaw." Black had complimented while taking out his wand. "Maybe we should make it permanent, what do you say, Prongs?" Potter had agreed and taken out his own wand too.
In Cassie's opinion, Prongs was a really stupid nickname for Potter, seeing as it made no sense what so ever. But then again, the Gryffindors didn't have much sense, so maybe it was fitting after all. When the boys had drawn their wands, Cassie had taken a firm grip around her wand as well, scanning her brain for something that could help her. Just the other day they had started learning silent spells in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but even so, Cassie was sure that the boys had already mastered the art. She had been so screwed until...
"What's going on here?" Cassie had been saved by the bell, literally. Professor Bell, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had turned the corner just in time, the clicking of her high heels echoing loudly in the hollow corridor. However, the boys had done nothing. Oh, how Cassie had longed for them to get punished for something. Suddenly, an idea come to her.
"Furnunculus," she had whispered, aiming her wand at herself. With small pops, an army of boils had erupted on her face. Cassie had screamed, yelling profanities at Black and Potter, who had just been standing there, with a mixture of horror and confusion on their faces.
"Professor!" Cassie had cried. "They hexed me, professor!"
When she thought about this incident in retrospect, she had to admit that maybe she had gone a tad far with all her wailing and crying. Nevertheless, it had worked. All three boys had gotten separate detentions, and Cassie had been very smug for about two minutes. Two minutes, that was the time it took for the Gryffindors to leave, muttering under their breaths and scowling at Cassie, who had just been smirking.
Unfortunately, Bell had seen right through her little act, and had given her detention as well. At least she hadn't done it while the boys were still there. That would have been mortifying, to say the least. And speaking of mortified, Cassie was still scolding herself for using the pimple jinx on herself in the presence of Black. It had made her face ugly.
"Are you all well, Miss Harlaw?" the young professor had asked, as they were leaving the dungeons. Concern and confusion had been imminent in her voice. "Your eyes seem a bit pinky."
Instinctively, Cassie had shielded her eyes. In the future, she had to be more careful when getting riled up. "Must have been the jinx, but I'm fine, thank you professor," she had dismissed the matter politely. Looking down at her hands now, she was pleased to discover that her fingernails were back to normal.
Cassie noticed that Elend and his girl had left, and the corridor was now free for her to use again. As she walked down to the greenhouses, she wondered why Bell had given the boys detention when she knew they hadn't done anything. Probably because she liked Cassie. She and Cassie had really hit it off, and Bell was one of Cassie's favorite teachers. Also, the Gryffindor boys did make a lot of commotion in her classes, especially Black and Potter. Maybe she was still mad about the dung bomb prank they had pulled in her office last week. It had never been proven, but everyone knew Black and Potter were behind it.
As Cassie reached greenhouse one, she saw professor Sprout at a desk in the corner, scribbling on some parchment. Cassie scanned the room and wished on Merlin's mighty magic that Evan was late, or better yet, had forgotten about the whole detention. The latter was highly unlikely, as she had been reminding him of it all week, teasing him. Cassie cleared her throat when she neared Sprout's desk.
"Ah, miss Harlaw, early as always." Professor Sprout was a young plump woman, with a kind face. Today she was wearing a yellow pointy wizard hat and a pair of turquoise, uneven glasses. "You are going to be repotting mandrakes today." Cassie looked around perplexed, she couldn't see any mandrakes. "They are in greenhouse three," the professor explained. "Gloves and earmuffs are at the entrance. You will need to repot ten of them, after that just tap the pots with your wand, and you can leave. Remember to keep the earmuffs on all the time, eh? Need I remind you that their cry will knock you out?" Cassie remembered perfectly well their class in second grade, when poor Ariadne Rover had fainted. She had tried to wipe sweat from her forehead, accidentally moving her earmuffs. Cassie wasn't surprised. Rover was, after all, a useless mudblood.
Cassie pulled on her gloves and checked that her earmuffs were tightly secured. She was not going to be like Rover and faint because of some bloody plants, at detention nonetheless. The table was filled with sleeping mandrakes in pots, all with a bigger pot next to them. In addition, there were huge bags with soil under the table. Cassie knew that when she started, the first she would wake was going to wake all the others with it's screams and then she would be stuck in a bloody mandrake choir.
Taking a deep breath, Cassie took a firm grip around the stems of the first mandrake, and pulled it out with all her strength. It looked like an overgrown baby and she needed a couple of pulls before she managed to free it from its pot. She was grateful for the earmuffs. Quickly, she lifted it over to the biggest pot, sprinkled some sleeping powder over the plant, and started filling the pot with soil. It was hard and tiresome work. No wonder Rover had sweated like a dirty pig. Cassie understood perfectly well why this was detention work. In second grade, they had just potted one or two mandrakes each, to learn. This was labor.
In the corner of her eye, Cassie saw someone approaching the greenhouse. She could almost hear the laughter at the Slytherin table tomorrow when Evan told them about their detention together. Drops of water were racing down the windows of the moist greenhouse, reflecting her mood. She should never have been so overconfident towards him, because now it was coming back to bite her.
At that exact moment, Cassandra Harlaw wished she was someone else. It wasn't often she wished that, because her life was damn fine, but she was dreading the teasing to come. If only there was a way she could make herself invisible and serve her detention in peace.
A thought hit Cassie like lightning and she almost slapped her temple with her dirty, gloved hand. Sometimes she could be really short-sighted. She was glad Black wasn't in her head at that moment. She was mortified at her own stupidity. Why Black was the first person she didn't want to see her when she was acting dumb, she did not know. Or... she knew, but preferred not to think about it. She and Black would never happen. He hated her, and she, presumably, hated him to. Cassie wasn't even sure if she wanted them to happen. It was just physical attraction. Just physical. Yes. She had to remind herself of that. She briefly wondered what detention Black had gotten before she pulled herself together to face her more imminent problem. She now knew how to escape being mocked by Evan and all his followers, or rather the whole Slytherin house.
Cassie had a gift. A gift she seldom spoke of, and seldom used. She had been born a metamorphmagus. No one knew of her powers except a couple of her family members. They had told her to keep it a secret when she was young. Her father had said that it was a powerful gift, but even more powerful when kept a secret. That way no one would know that she could change appearance at will and therefore she could hide in plain sight and take her enemies by surprise. Sometimes, her father really sounded like a man getting ready for war. Cassie knew there was something going on with a dark lord, but she doubted it would go that far.
Through the foggy windows of the greenhouse, she saw the door handle move. A few seconds later, a silhouette was moving inside the narrow entry room. It was now or never. She saw him, or her, put on earmuffs and gloves. Her heart started to race. She was actually going to use her metamorphpowers in school! Cassie was both excited and scared, but she knew she had to do it before the person entered.
"One," she breathed through the heavy smell of black soil.
"Two"
Here we go.
"Three"
Her hair turned blonde, her nose narrowed, her lips swelled slightly and freckles popped out on her nose. For good measure she also enlarged her breasts. Why not look hot when she could?
Not a moment too soon, Evan entered the greenhouse. He noticed her at once, and when he did, he did something so unexpected, so unlike the Evan she knew. He winked at her.
Startled, Cassie wished she had a mirror so she could se her disguise. She was fearing that she looked like a complete and utter bimbo, without an ounce of intelligence. She should've made herself a redhead instead. However, then she would look like a Weasley, and she did not want to look like that disgusting Tessie Weasley with her smelly dress robes. No, she would have to be a blonde. Anyway, there wasn't much she could do now, seeing as Evan had seen her and was now seated on the far end of the table, eyeing her curiously.
It was weird to pretend not to know Evan, but she went on with her work, and finished repotting her first mandrake in peace. When she started on the next, she couldn't endure any longer. She had to shrink her breasts. They were too big and every time she leaned over to get dirt, her hands kept pushing against them. Also, her bra was way too small and her shoulders hurt. Merlin, it was tiresome to be blessed with big breasts.
While she was shoving soil into the pots, three more students arrived. The first was a slender looking Slytherin. Cassie guessed a second year. Through the damp air of the greenhouse, she saw her sit down next to Evan, who paid her no attention at all, as he was still shooting glances at Cassie. The next person was the sixth year Ravenclaw, Damian Hastings. They had potions together. She rarely took the time to learn unimportant people's names, but Damian was in her year and very good at Potions. Needless to say, his name had stuck.
At the sight of the third person, Cassie's heart skipped a beat. His dark hair was falling naturally into his eyes and his grey eyes were overlooking the room. For the first time in her life, Cassie allowed herself to properly check him out.
He was wearing a tight t-shirt with a picture of a wolf howling to the moon, his biceps almost too large to fit, and dark jeans. His uniform sweater was hanging lazily over his shoulder. He was even more fit than she remembered from the time she had seen him swimming in the lake before summer. Even tough he had an arrogant demeanor and was totally not the guy for her, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to run her hands trough his hair. To have him touching her waist, pulling her closer. To feel his kisses on her neck...
Cassie quickly pulled herself back to reality. She should not be thinking like that. He did not want her. He hated her. On second thought, she was not Cassie right now. She was blonde Cassie. Sirius Black didn't hate blonde Cassie. She could have some fun. A mischievous smirk appeared on her lips. Of course, she wasn't planning on doing anything, but it would be fun to escape her inhibitions, if only for a little while.
It seemed like Black had noticed her checking him out, because he had seated himself on the other side of the table, facing her. She didn't dare look at him, and kept on working with her soil. She felt like a coward. What was she afraid of? She was blond Cassie, the flirty bimbo now. She could do anything she wanted and her reputation wouldn't be compromised.
She slowly lifted her gaze and was met by a pair of twinkling grey eyes. This was going to be great for flirting practice, she reassured herself. If she were to ruin it, she would never disguise herself again and the problem would be solved. She kept eye contact for about three seconds before she looked away.
Black went back to being busy potting his mandrakes, and Cassie stole a glance at him. She kept it there until he noticed her. Cassie was glad she had the earmuffs. The total silence gave her an eerie feeling, as it felt like she had a bubble over her head. She had no idea what she would say if he could hear her. Again, Cassie kept the stare for three seconds before she looked down. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She really was blond Cassie now. Regular, dark haired Cassie would never flirt so openly. She wanted to laugh out loud at her daring self.
Soon she felt Black's eyes on her. She kept him waiting for a couple of seconds before she looked at him as well. One... two... three. She counted silently. Instead of looking away, she now pulled the corners of her mouth upwards, trying to make a flirty smile. To her astonishment, Black winked back at her. She couldn't help herself, she grinned widely. There goes her mysterious, flirty posture.
Cassie had to admit, flirting with Black was a lot of fun. Their staring game continued on for the next seven pottings. Her tummy was warm and she felt more giddy than ever. Sirius Black was sitting right opposite her, having no idea who she actually was. She had a good laugh when one of Black's mandrakes did resistance and fought very hard not to be put in the new pot. However, she was quickly silenced when Black threw a lump of dirt her way. Cassie tried to time her last mandrake repotting with Black, so that they would finish at the same time.
It seemed like Evan had finished, as he had risen from his seat, and was currently walking towards them. He had short, brown hair, and a mouth that was naturally turned in a scowl. When he reached Cassie and Black, it seemed like he slowed his pace, facing an internal struggle. Then he just shot Black a mean look, and marched out of the greenhouse. Perplexed, Cassie pondered on how different her friends behaved when she was not around. Evan was usually a very confident boy, but he had definitely not acted that way now.
When Black finished his last pot, her heart sunk. Now they wouldn't be able to leave together. She still had to fill half of her last pot with soil. She wanted to curse the mandrake's whining face for being so unruly and throwing away all the new soil she applied. She watched Black stand up and head for the door. It had been fun while it lasted, she thought, but to her amazement, Black didn't leave. He was coming to her!
Blonde Cassie smiled thankfully at Black when he came up next to her. He reached out and grabbed the mandrake so that it couldn't move. Cassie quickly filled the pot and soon they were both standing outside the greenhouse, breathing fresh air. It seemed like the sun had just set, because the sky had a pinkish deep color and the air was much colder. That poor Slytherin girl was still inside, but Cassie didn't care. It was every man for himself. Being in Slytherin had really taught her that.
Now that they had both their hearing back, Cassie suddenly got nervous. What was she going to say? The only things she had ever said to Black were profanities and curses.
"You're awfully slow at potting mandrakes," Black finally broke the silence.
Regular Cassie would have blushed at this statement. Actually, she would have blushed at any statement that said she was not the best. Sometimes she would get angry too, and maybe shoot some hexes just to calm down. But blonde Cassie did no such thing. She just looked right back at Black and said "And you're awfully bad at giving compliments."
Unexpectedly, Black started laughing. This was the last thing he would have done if regular Cassie had said the same thing. He would've hexed her into oblivion. Blonde Cassie just smiled sweetly, playing the part.
"So you want compliments, huh?"
"Yes, please."
"I like your honesty," he teased. When Cassie put her hands on her hips, trying to look displeased, Black just laughed even more. His laugh was pitched and ringing, almost like a bark, but Cassie loved it. Blonde Cassie loved it, that is, make no mistake.
"Come on," Black said, taking her hand. She wanted to giggle. Oh, what the hell, she went all in. Cassie giggled. For the first time in forever, Cassandra giggled because she was holding the hand of a boy, just like that Elend's girl earlier. It felt exhilarating.
Black led her up a flight of stairs, making sure she skipped a trick step, trough a corridor with old engravings on the walls, and into another corridor. Cassie wondered where he was taking her, seeing as he did not know to which common room she was headed. Finally, Black led her into an empty corridor with a patterned wall to wall carpet which muffled the sound of their footsteps.
He turned towards Cassie and tucked a strain of hair behind her ear.
"You have beautiful eyes," he complimented, sincerely, all humor gone from his voice.
Cassie smiled. Her eyes were the only part she hadn't changed. Mostly because she had just forgotten them in the rush. Black placed his hands on her shoulders and stepped closer. Slowly he trailed them down her arms until he held her hands.
Cassie couldn't speak. She couldn't think. She could just be. In the moment. Black lowered his head slightly, looking at her, and all Cassie could do, was look back at him, mesmerized. His forehead touched hers, and she could feel the warmth of his skin. In anticipation, her heart skipped several beats. Then his nose were against hers and she could feel his breathing as his mouth was just inches from hers.
Suddenly their moment was interrupted by some voices down the corridor, which sounded an awful lot like Elend and his Giggle Girl. Cassie quickly pulled away, sobering up in an instant.
"I better get back to my common room," she said, feeling a bit disappointed and wanting to curse Elend. "It was nice meeting you."
"Wait," Black said, grabbing her hand. "I don't even know your name."
"I know."
She had started a dangerous game.
