Detention with the Slytherin girls was just as expected. Surly glares and scowls were tossed in Cassie's direction as she made them restock the rat parts, having to dissect the parts from the cadavers they had prepared. Multiple times she had to correct them, as they were splicing the rats carelessly and turning the spleens or brains into parts that could not be used in potions due to how ragged they were. Maybe the girls had been cracking jokes in the class because they could not handle as simple of a task as preparing potion materials. Only time would tell and after they had finished with the rats, she let them go and cleaned up the mess they had left.
While disposing of the remaining rat corpses, the door to the classroom opened and dark haired, Emery walked in, albeit taken aback that someone was still there. "Oh, hello," he greeted, placing a few books on one of the stone counters. "What are you still doing here?"
"I had a detention I was monitoring," Cassie explained, pushing a rat tail into the garbage with the end of her wand.
"Ah," Emery had a quiet sort of voice and pushed back his curls with a thin hand. "Slughorn mentioned that you have given a detention in your first class."
"Yes, I had them dissecting some rats, we were a bit low on spleens due to the Shrinking Solutions calling for them," Cassie said, nearly satisfied with her cleaning work. "How have your classes been going?"
"Today… not bad, but I mostly do clerical work. I'm not very strong as teacher," he admitted modestly with a soft chuckle. "I guess my demeanor is a bit too… somber."
"You're here to become a Potioneer, not be a teacher," Cassie reminded him lightly. "Have you come here to work on something?"
"Yes, I was planning on starting to brew Mopsus Potion. I want to study its effects in greater detail. There isn't much on it or if the powers are truly on parr with that of a true Seer."
"Interesting! I'll leave you to it then, best of luck," Cassie went to her desk and neatly collected her belongings before leaving the classroom behind. Due to the time of day, she decided to go back to her cabin rather then spend the rest of the evening in the library. She had just come round the bend when she heard a blood curdling scream. Her fingers immediately twitched to her wand and she hurried down to where the heard the sobbing.
Outside the closed doors of the Great Hall a girl was crumpled on the ground. Her friend was standing over her, but instead of being the one screaming, she turned to Cassie her face pale, gaunt, and her eyes inky black. Clutched in her hand was some sort of medallion, a jewelry box thrown askew on the floor beside the unconscious student.
"The dark mistress has returned," the girl told Cassie in a voice that was whispery and harsh, like nails grating against a chalkboard. Her abysmal eyes swept over to her friend and she raised her wand. "And I'll be-"
Before she could do anything, Cassie reacted. "Stupefy!" the bewitched girl was flung backward and rendered unconscious. The half-veela witch rushed forward to turn over the child who was in a heap, checking her pulse against her throat. A weak thrumming told her that there was still life there, but it was fading and Cassie had a feeling that she had been cursed or hexed. Before she could summon a girdy to bring her to the Hospital Wing she saw the bewitched student struggling back to their feet, still holding the pendant tight in her fingers.
Placing herself between both students, Cassie leveled her wand again. The dark mistress? The last Dark Wizard had been defeated more than 1o years ago and he had certainly not been a mistress. She heard the clatter of shoes behind her and threw out her free arm, not daring to look back. "Stay there!" she ordered, but her voice quavered as she did. Cassie was a healer, not a duelist.
"Something about you is familiar," the possessed girl cocked her head and twisted her wrist as she contemplated what spell she was going to use. "Ah, I know what it is. This girl says you're a Selwyn. Although, I don't recall them looking like you. Henry had darker hair."
Cassie felt her skin crawl at the mention of her grandfather's first name. She didn't ask how it knew him, she didn't want to know.
"Must have kept that promise he made. Was going to marry his son to a Veela when he had one, just for breeding purposes, and then get rid of her. You don't know your mother do you?" when Cassie didn't answer a smile unfolded on her lips. "Ah, I'm correct. Well, you're fighting me so I don't believe that you take after him. But there are ways of finding out."
Ways? But Cassie's eyes were glued to the pendant, they were the connection between the dark wizard and this girl. If the pendant was knocked from her hands then she might revert to herself. "Expelliarmus!" where healing spells and healing potions came to her mind without issue, she was having trouble recalling what spells were the best for duelling. She attempted disarming the girl, but she used the Shield Charm and shrugged the spell off.
"Come now, we can chat cordially or… I can force you," the girl reasoned.
Cassie aimed another disarming spell at her, but it was deflected.
"Fine then, if we can't do this civilly. Crucio," the wand was pointed at her and all at once an immense pain caused Cassie to fall to her knees.
Her jaw locked and she felt as if there was a wildfire beneath her skin, her eyes, and pounding in her head. Millions of tiny swords dug into her flesh and soon, Cassie was reduced to writhing on the ground in pain. There were few words to describe what the Cruciatus Curse felt like other than white, hot pain that caused the victim to rue every fiber of their being. Cassie could not hear, could not see, her mind only transfixed on the overbearing amount of pain.
The torturing felt like an eternity and even when it stopped, Cassie remained breathless on the floor, the aching of the pain not subsiding for a good amount of time. Her ears were ringing and she felt violently ill, her stomach churning as she blinked open her eyes, trying to focus on a point of the ceiling so that her entire world would stop spinning. Someone leaned over her, striking eyes gazing into hers. It took her a moment to realize who it was.
"Selwyn. Selwyn can you hear me?" Damian, the dark haired DADA major was crouched over her.
"The girl, the girl," Cassie rolled over, her fingers scrabbling for her wand as she glanced around wildly, trying to regain her composure. She saw the fallen student, the one she had first checked for a pulse. Cassie half-crawled, half pulled herself along the cold, stone floor until she was back at the child's side, checking her pulse with a quaking hand. "She needs help!" the words flew out of Cassie's mouth.
"And she will get it. Mr. Walker, can you please help Ms. Selwyn to the Hospital Wing?" but this voice did not belong to Damian.
Cassie's bleary eyes turned up to see McGonagall in her evening robes, drawing them in close as she surveyed the damage. More professors were there and Cassie felt a strong hand grip her bicep, pulling her to her feet. Weak and dazed, Cassie could barely focus on what was going on around her. She slouched against Damian as he helped her toward the infirmary, the world was whirling mess around her.
"What's happened?" Madam Pomfrey snapped, though Cassie could not see her.
"There was an incident. Dark magic," Damian told her briskly.
"And Cassiopeia?" the matron tittered like a mother hen.
"She was hit by a Cruciatus Curse," he said.
Cassie was sitting now and she felt hands softer than Damian's touch her shoulders, propping her upright. "Cassiopeia, can you hear me?"
"I can hear," Cassie managed weakly. "My eyes... and my head... I can't focus on anything."
"Just relax, keep your eyes closed. I'm going to fetch you some chocolate," Madam Pomfrey's shoes clattered away, but she paused, presumably by Damian. "How long?" she asked in a low voice.
"I don't know. A student had intercepted her and when they realized what was happening they went looking for someone. I arrived probably minutes into..." he dropped off, leaving the rest open for interpretation.
"Was anyone else..."
"Two students will be here soon. One was bewitched, I had to dispatch her. The other was in worse shape. Selwyn kept trying to help her, even in this state. I believe she might have been hexed or cursed," Damian elaborated.
Pomfrey did not answer, possibly nodding to Damian's words as she hurried off to her supply closet. Cassie strained to hear what was going on and heard the creaking of a chair beside her. She hoped that the students would be alright and wished she could have been helping Pomfrey treat them. Instead, I'm weak and stuck in this bed. Why can't I have been better?
An internal war raged within her and she brewed silently like a potion, her head pounding more as she contemplated what she could have done better. Pomfrey was back in an instance, placing a chunk of chocolate in Cassie's hand.
"Make certain you eat all of this. I'll have a sleeping draught drawn up for you," the matron clucked just as the door to the infirmary opened again. Pomfrey swept away and Cassie gingerly moved her arm up to nibble on the chocolate. The rich sweet worked well to replenish souls after being affected by dark magic, but to compare getting hit by a jinx to an Unforgivable Curse...
Pomfrey was fussing over her two new charges who were in much rougher shape than she was. Sleeping draught or not, Cassie didn't want the matron to devote anymore time on her. She tried to blink open her eyes and sit up.
"Relax Selwyn, you're not going anywhere fast," Walker warned her.
"I'm alright, I just need sleep. If I could just head back-"
"You were hit with a Cruciatus Curse for several minutes, you're staying in the Hospital Wing over night," Damian told her sternly. "I would have thought that someone in your major would know the effects on the body after being subject to that curse for that amount of time."
Cassie huffed, but settled down into the bed, continuing to work at the chocolate. The food did make her feel a bit better, but it could not erase the lingering ache her entire body had. She kept her eyes closed, not wishing to have either Pomfrey or Damian chastise her for not resting, but she worked hard at her ears to try and hear what was going on.
"Mr. Walker?" McGongall was also in the wing. Scraping the chair by her bed, Damian got up and approached the headmistress. "What did you observe when you arrived?"
"The girl was clearly being bewitched by the medallion she had in her hand. Someone, I don't know who, was speaking and acting through her. Ms. Selwyn was being tortured at that point, I believe she was trying to put an end to it and got caught in the middle. Jacob Mason found me as I was leaving for the evening," Damian recited his account of the events to McGonagall. Apparently, he had disarmed and surprised the dark sorcerer, carefully putting the necklace back into a box where it could be handled. Unlike when facing Cassie, the being had nothing to say to him.
Thus, McGonagall came to Cassie next. "Ms. Selwyn-" the headmistress began sternly.
"Yes, professor?" she tried to open her eyes, but the lights in the room made her head spin again.
"Try and stay relaxed, I have a few questions if you'll have them," McGonagall's voice was astoundingly kind and gentle.
"Shoot," Cassie muttered, fumbling the block of chocolate so that she could place it on the nightstand.
"Did the one bewitched student say anything?"
"Yes, she said 'The dark mistress has returned'."
The words seemed to puzzle McGonagall as much as they had Cassie. "Anything else?" she eased.
The stinging words that the witch or wizard had poised at her made her flinch. "They knew my grandfather, not surprising... Wanted more information out of me. When I would not give it... well, here I am," a harsh laugh escaped her lips, much harsher than she intended, especially seeing that she was speaking with the headmistress. "I'm sorry I just couldn't do more."
"You've done more than enough, get some rest," the witch said before leaving Cassie in the bed.
Madam Pomfrey came by later and gave her the sleeping potion that she had promised. Sleep came over her like a tidal wave and Cassie was plunged into a deep slumber.
Her dreams were filled with questions and it almost felt as if she were being tortured in another way. She was running in the dark after a form, the only light in the inky abyss. Her legs were short and she realized she was a child, running after some sort of angel, but just when she got close enough to see her face, she would turn and walk away.
"Mother! Mother!" she screamed, her voice that of a toddler as her mother's beautiful white gown billowed behind her, moved by a nonexistent wind. Cassie had no clear memory of her mother, but in her dream, she was the most striking and engaging creature that she had ever seen. Her hair was made of starlight and her face was so perfectly sculpted that Cassie felt inferior in almost every way.
"She was only needed for breeding purposes," a familiar voice echoed in the darkness.
"But I loved her," was that her father?
"She wasn't even human! You will find another, more suitable wife. You have a child, just as you needed!" this voice was her grandfather's.
"And you wonder why mother left you. You view women as nothing more than cattle," father snapped.
"You didn't love her. It was a Veela trick you stupid boy."
"And what purpose will you create for my daughter?"
"She will be raised as a Selwyn and continue our legacy. There is too much inbreeding between the Sacred Twenty-Eight, we needed a buffer."
"If you do anything to my daughter, I swear, I will kill you."
"What did I do to deserve a son like you? One child and I've been cursed with one who wants to undo all of my work," Henry snarled bitterly to himself.
Cassiopeia was taunted by her mother's figure, always out of reach. She had never known that her father had such a strained relationship with her grandfather. It must have been why he was always away in Manhattan. But why hadn't Cassie been allowed to go with him? Should she have said something? All those years... If she had only spoken up for herself, maybe her father would have taken her out of the care of her grandfather.
Morning came and Cassie had not slept well. She blinked groggily and turned over, staring at the empty seat beside her. Her eyes flicked up to the clock nearby and she nearly fell out of bed. I'm late for class!
On top of that, she hadn't had the chance to freshen up. Cassie fumbled her shoes, trying to put her hat on her head. The ruckus drew Madam Pomfrey out of her office and like a bee to honey, she zipped over to Cassie with a disapproving glare.
"And where do you think you're going?" Pomfrey asked moodily.
"Class, I'm already late-"
"Oh no you aren't! Professor McGonagall has excused you from classes today, you need to rest. And from what I've gathered, if I let you return to your cabin, you'll be studying or working your head too much considering what's happened to you," she scowled. "Perhaps I'll let you go back to your dorm at noon, but you're staying for now."
Cassie frowned, but when she gazed into Pomfrey's light eyes, she knew that this woman was stronger than any brick wall; she was a fortress and she would not be moved. "Very well..." Cassie drawled, slipping her shoes off and laying back in bed. "Perhaps if I could just-" she reached tentatively toward her leather backpack, but one reprimanding look from Pomfrey was all she needed to lift her hand and settle back into bed.
Pomfrey had breakfast delivered to her bedside and assessed Cassie's health afterward. Once noon hit, Pomfrey was content on letting Cassie go back to her dorm where she could relax for the rest of the day. Her legs were still uncertain beneath her and she was a bit slow, but she made it back to the dorm where she changed into her pajamas and made a cup of coffee. With a wave of her wand, the hearth roared with flames and she curled up in a blanket, a leisurely book propped open on her lap.
As much as she tried to enjoy her day off, her mind wandered and she dwelled upon who might the 'dark mistress' be. On top of that, it was so early in the school year that she was disappointed that she was missing her 3rd day. Sure, she had been hit by an Unforgivable Curse, but it would have been a testament to her character to show right back up in class. With a sigh, she settled into her spot and let the time slip through her fingers as she daydreamed.
Knock, knock!
Lifting her head, Cassie had barely watched the day skip by her, quicker than a stone over the surface of a lake. Slowly, she stood up and headed for the door, realizing how hungry she was as she moved. Cracking the front door, she glanced out to see that Damian was standing on the porch, in his Quidditch attire, with a broom in his hand. He must have just come from practice.
"Yes?" she leaned against the frame, using it to support her weight, drawing the blanket close around her shoulders.
"How are you feeling?" his vibrant eyes made her feel unnerved.
"A bit lethargic still, but I should be fine for tomorrow," she said, waving a hand dismissively.
"Have you eaten anything today?" he inquired.
"I had breakfast at the infirmary, I'll probably make something-"
"Put some proper robes on, I'll take you to get some food," he told her gruffly.
"What? No, don't bother yourself."
"Go," he said sternly, giving her a look with his bright eyes that made Cassie turn right around. She left the door ajar so that he could step in.
Ferreting herself to her room, Cassie struggled into some jeans and a sweater, nearly falling over as her legs gave out. Her hair was an absolute rat's nest and she hurriedly brushed it, putting it in a simple braid before slouching back out to the den where she could slip on some boots. By then, another person had join them.
Nataly was scowling, her dark brows pulled together in a deep fury, her brown eyes pinning to Cassie. She thought that Nataly was going to comment on Damian being in the cabin without any notice. "Where were you last night? And what's this I'm hearing about... some Unforgivable Curse?"
"It's a long story," Cassie started weakly, shrinking away from Nataly.
"And then this slouch is in our cabin. What's going on?" Nataly's voice hitched up as she jerked a thumb as Damian.
Damian didn't seem to be bothered by her gesture.
"Some girls got their hands on a cursed necklace. Some dark sorcerer was able to possess one of them," Cassie told her quickly.
"And I'm guessing you bumped into them?" Nataly folded her arms.
"Somewhat..."
"Selwyn was hit with a Cruciatus Curse, that's why she did not return last night," Damian told Nataly shortly.
"B-But I'm ok!" Cassie stammered.
Nataly's arms dropped and the prissy expression dissolved from her face. In fact, she looked worried. "You were what? None of us have heard a bit about what happened. McGonagall has been rather tight lipped about it all. How long were you..." her voice had grown softer and she trailed off.
"Several minutes," Damian said.
Nataly's eyes grew round like saucers.
"She'll tell you more later," Damian interrupted before Nataly could continue. "She needs to eat something."
Cassie slid by her roommate and followed Damian out the door. With how weak her legs were, she doubted she'd be able to walk the full distance to Hogsmeade or the castle. However, that did not seem to be Damian's intention. He grabbed his broom he had leaned against the porch and glanced back at her.
"Get on... Unless you want to walk," he instructed, having mounted the broom himself.
Cassie siddled onto the broom behind him and pursed her lips, ginger and uncertain of what to do. She wasn't much of a flier.
"Grab on," Damian was beginning to sound irritated.
Cassie finally reached forward and held onto Damian. Before she was confident of her grip he took off, her braid whipping behind her. Startled, she fastened her arms around his torso much more tightly, her head against his back.
The fresh air in her face, the surge of adrenaline, she might not been one for flying, but it certainly refreshed her. Before she knew it, the ride was over and they hovered down to the ground in front of the Three Broomsticks. Damian waited for her to dismount first, but due to the height difference, when she swung her leg over her jelly-like legs crumpled and she felt into the dirt road like an oaf.
Damian dismounted swiftly and shook his head at her, causing a rise of rosy pink to crawl up from her neck. But when she glanced up, there was a small smirk on his face. "Clumsy, aren't you?" he offered her a hand.
"One of my more redeeming qualities," Cassie muttered glumly as she accepted the help up. She dusted her knees off and headed into the pub with Damian.
It was still early and that evening the pub was rather quiet. They were able to get a table in the corner away from most other patrons. Suddenly, it became blatantly clear that Cassie was alone in the pub with a rather handsome wizard.
Oh dear, she thought, just as the publican, Madam Rosmerta came by to collect their orders. One look from the curvy blonde witch gave Cassie all she needed to know. This looks like a date, doesn't it?
"What do you have for food tonight, Rose?" Damian asked her casually, leaning back into his chair.
Rosmerta smiled broadly at him. "Tonight we've got some pumpkin soup, black bread, and roasted duck."
Damian shot a look over at Cassie.
"Uhm, pumpkin soup sounds nice," Cassie told her awkwardly, fidgeting with her hands beneath the table.
"Alright, and for you dear?" he turned back to Damian.
"I'll do the duck. And do you have any of that warm, mulled cider?"
"You'll be wanting a round?" Rosmerta questioned, lifting a brow at him.
"Please," he nodded, the witch flouncing off and leaving them alone once again. Damian propped his elbows on the table and interlaced his fingers, leveling his brilliant gaze at her.
Cassie could only hold his eyes for a few moments at a time, averting her eyes. "Thank you for helping me last night," she said finally, breaking the silence between them. She wiped her palms off on her jeans, feeling a bit clammy. He's one of the Quidditch players that Tracy warned me about. I can't get too comfortable.
Damian waved her away nonchalantly. "Of course," he muttered, before going back into deep thought. He only spoke again after their warm ciders had been delivered. "You don't use your Veela charm often, do you?" he asked.
Cassie choked on the cider, scrambling for a napkin. She dabbed her lips and gave him a dubious stare. "Well, no. I have no reason to."
"It could work to your advantage, as a distraction if you find yourself in a situation like that again," he pointed out.
"I don't want to use it to my advantage," Cassie hissed, glaring into her mug, fingers tightening around the wood. "I've had enough issues with my appearance growing up, I don't need to actually use it and exacerbate the problems I've had."
"Jealous peers back in America?" he gleaned, taking a deep sip of the drink.
"You aren't exactly taught how to turn it on and off when you're a teenager. I have a leash on it now, but that doesn't help 13 year old me," Cassie grumbled.
"Turn it on right now, I want to see," Damian requested.
"Are you crazy?" Cassie gave him a wild look.
"Might be, I hear that quite often," Damian shrugged. "It's purely for research purposes. I want to see how I am affected."
"I don't know if it will work well on you," Cassie started, trying to come up with an excuse, but Damian was so stoic that she did doubt it would have a true affect.
"Try," he challenged.
After a short glance around the room to make certain that there were no other males in close proximity, she cleared her throat. The magic referred to as 'The Veela's Charm' was an innate skill worked into her every fiber. If she had an inclination toward manipulating men, she could have turned it on like a switch and wooed them if she chose. Cassie had suffered immensely when she was younger and hadn't known how to turn it off.
Cassie wondered what she looked like when she used her charm, but it almost always made her feel uncomfortable and self conscious. She hadn't used it in ages. Damian immediately lifted his elbows from the table, his gaze fastened to hers. She had no idea whether it was working or not and became blatantly aware that a passersby might also be affected. After a solid minute she turned it off.
Damian blinked apprehensively and exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Astounding," he muttered.
"What?" she shifted in her chair.
"I... I don't know how to explain it. Somewhat like all reason escaped me when you did that."
"Really? You didn't seem any different."
"Because I'm good at hiding it," he chuckled, sitting back and placing one hand on his face.
Before he could continue Rosmerta came by with their food. The sweet smell of spiced pumpkin lured her away from the conversation, a wedge of black bread on the side of the trencher.
"Thank you," Cassie bid before she departed.
The soup was wonderfully spiced and Cassie became fixated on it. Her breakfast had not been bad, but she had been rather picky and hadn't eaten all of it. Now, she was beginning to feel a lot better compared to the morning. She was enjoying her food so much that she'd nearly forgotten that she wasn't the only one at the table.
"You know, despite how new you are here, both Slughorn and Pomfrey only have good things to say about you," Damian told her, picking at his duck.
"I'm glad I left good first impressions on them, but it's truly too early for them to have such high opinions of me," Cassie said, her cheeks and ears burning at his words.
"But," Damian clipped his words clearly and sharply. "I'm a bit puzzled by you. Your family doesn't have the cleanest reputation."
The good mood that Cassie had been in began to retract out like the waves in low tide. She frowned and set her spoon down. "My grandfather is not a good person. I'm blatantly aware of that."
"And you just happened to be at the same place as two students being affected by a cursed amulet," Damian continued curtly.
"What are you-" she cut herself off, thinking her words over. Abruptly, she slammed her spoon down, causing the other things on the table to clatter. "Believe what you want. I'm not going to spend my time trying to justify myself or make you think that I don't follow in his footsteps. The darkness in the Selwyn line ended with my grandfather, my father is a good man and I'm here to become a Medwitch."
Cassie grabbed her purse and pulled out enough money to cover the table before she stood up, incredibly vexed. "But you must realize how it looks," Damian reasoned as if he hadn't said anything wrong.
Cassie, already on her way to the door, shot him an acrid glare. "It looks like I was tortured for trying to help students. Continue to read into it if you'd like, but those assumptions will get you nowhere other than on my bad side," she retorted before flinging the door open and storming out of the tavern like a dervish. She puffed her way across the street and into Honeydukes, buying herself a bundle of snacks to feed her anger, and then began sauntering back to the Hogwarts grounds.
The nerves, invites me out for dinner and then accuses me of having a hand in all of that, Cassie thought, shoving a sugared butterfly wing into her face.
Her torment did not end at the Three Broomsticks. Instead, Nataly had been waiting for her like a spider in a web. Cassie wasn't in the mood to entertain her, but she didn't have much of a choice.
"So?" Nataly prompted sharply.
"Awful, I shouldn't have gone out with him," she growled, plopping down on the couch beside her, shoving more candy in her mouth.
"He's an ass, isn't he? Good looking, but..."
"He accused me of having something to do with it all! He found me being tortured and still had the nerve to think I may have brought the cursed amulet in!"
"Cursed amulet?" Nataly's brows furrowed.
Cassie recounted the evening's events in full detail to Nataly now that she was feeling better. She made no mention of her nightmare, seeing that it had nothing to do with the encounter, though Cassie suspected it had been dredged up due to the curse.
"So you're twitching on the ground in pain and he has the nerve to think you had something to do with it?" Nataly snarled in disbelief.
"I know! And all under the guise of trying to make me feel better on top of that," Cassie shook her head.
"I swear he's made of something else. Him specifically. His friends aren't as... strange as he is."
"I just hope he doesn't keep bothering me about it," Cassie sighed, tucking her hands in her sleeves.
"Knowing him, he'll keep his distance... I think," but Nataly was uncertain too. "Just focus on your work Cass, don't worry about him."
That was the first time Nataly had called her something other than 'new girl'. Cassie noticed it, but Nataly didn't so much as blink in thought regarding it. "Brooding over him will just attract him. I've seen it happen before."
"I want nothing to do with someone who judges me based on the actions of my family from two generations ago," Cassie muttered begrudgingly.
"Just... stay away from him," Nataly said, but the edge of her voice sounded nervous instead of the typically brisque and harsh.
