After a quick trip to visit Hagrid, the Gryffindor quartet made their way back to Gryffindor tower. Neville and Harry trailing slightly behind Cassie and Hermione who walked arm-in-arm like usual.
"What does Nicolas Flamel have to do with anything going on at Hogwarts?" Harry pondered out loud.
"Well Harry," Hermione said over her shoulder and with a bright smile on her face.
"Don't say research," Cassie grumbled to herself.
"I guess we'll have to do research," Hermione exclaimed excitedly, practically skipping as she walked.
Cassie rolled her eyes, "We won't need to," she said, interrupting Hermione's internal happy dance. Her eyes narrowed and stopped walking as she racked her brain for any and all information she could pull on Nicolas Flamel.
"What is it Cassie? What do you know?" Harry questioned.
"What are you thinking about," Hermione continued.
"Do you know who Nicolas Flamel is?" Harry finished.
"Do you guys realize how creepy it is when you guys talk in sync like that?" Cassie pointed out, changing the topic.
"Cassie!" Harry and Hermione yelled together.
Neville just shook his head at his friends.
"Oh fine," Cassie rolled her eyes,"Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's stone. The stone, in which, turns any metal into pure gold, and…"
Hermione's eyes widened and she jumped to interrupt Cassie, "It also produces the elixir of life."
Cassie nodded.
Harry and Neville just looked at each other in confusion.
Cassie shook her head slightly at Hermione, who was literally bouncing on her heels in excitement.
"It makes the drinker immortal," both girls explained at once.
"So you think someone might be trying to steal it for…," Neville trailed off, unable to say the name one of the monsters responsible for his parents' mental state.
"Voldemort," Cassie confirmed causing both Neville and Hermione to flinch. "Guys, you can't be flinching like that. When you do, you put fear into the name. It's just a name, a terrible name at that."
"I guess," Hermione said with a shrug as she snuggled into Cassie's shoulder and tightened her grip on the younger girl's arm.
-HP-
By the time Christmas morning rolled around, Harry; Cassie; Hermione, who had written her parents for permission to stay a few weeks ago; and four members of the Weasley clan were all that was left in Gryffindor tower.
Up in the girls' dormitory, Hermione was practically jumping on a sleeping Cassie as she yelled, "wake up, wake up" over and over.
"Hermione what time is it?" Cassie grumbled out as she pulled her scarlet colour blanket over her head.
"Um, six I think," Hermione answered.
Cassie groaned loudly, and burrowed further into her bed, "Go away, and wake me up in another four hours." she said.
Hermione laughed as she pulled the blanket out of Cassie's tight grip and off the other girl's head. "Come on Cass, it's Christmas. Don't you want to see if you got any presents?"
Cassie threw her arm over her eyes to block the little light that was coming from the candles around the room. "No thank you. I'd rather sleep, besides I doubt I got anything."
Hermione shook her head and moved Cassie's arm from her face so that she could meet the girl's eyes, "why would you say that?" She asked.
Cassie sighed and moved the random strands of her messy dark hair from her eyes. "I just know," she said with a shrug.
"For me?"
"Ugh, fine, you're lucky you're my best friend," Cassie said with an over-dramatic groan when she lifted her blanket off her.
"Thank you," Hermione said with a smile.
"Come on!" Cassie said right before she took off in a dead sprint down to the common room.
"Cassie wait up!" Hermione yelled after her.
Harry looked up from his book when he seen the girls race down the stairs. He was sitting on one of the plushy red chairs by the fire as he waited for his friends.
Cassie came to a skidding stop in front of Harry with a smile on her face, and Hermione came heaving shortly after.
"Why?" Hermione gasped for breath, "Did. You. Do. That?"
Cassie shrugged casually, "'Cause it's fun, Mione," she said.
"Hey Cassie, Hermione," Harry greeted them, only for them to ignore him and continue bantering. He closed his book and placed it on the table beside him so he could watch the girls.
"You've called me Mione a few times now, why?" Hermione asked, she was leaning into Cassie still trying to catch her breath.
Cassie thought for a moment, "I don't know, I can stop if you don't like it," she offered, snaking her arm over Hermione's shoulders.
Hermione shook her head, "I kind of like it," she said with a blush.
Harry fake-gagged, drawing their attention.
"You okay Harry?" Hermione asked.
Cassie just raised an eyebrow at the boy, when he waved them off. Cassie sat down, leaning against the arm of the chair Harry was in while Hermione practically crawled over to the beautifully decorated tree.
"How'd you sleep last night?" Harry whispered to Cassie.
Cassie shrugged, "It's been better, but it's also been worse," she said. She closed her mouth abruptly when Hermione turned towards them.
"What are you guys talking about?" Hermione asked as she pushed a small pile of gifts over to where her friends were sitting.
"Oh nothing, love," Cassie said with a small smile and the hope that Hermione believed her; she did not.
Hermione scanned Cassie's face for a moment, but decided to drop it and continue what she was doing. "Here Harry," she handed the boy a neatly wrapped box; the wrapping paper was silver with blue snowflakes and a small blue bow. She also handed one, wrapped similarly, to Cassie. "I know you weren't expecting anything Cass, but that doesn't mean that you don't deserve anything. I know we're all still getting to know each other, but my mom thought you'd like these." Hermione explained.
Cassie was memorized with the small package that fit in the palm of her hand, "I, uh, I don't know what to say. Um, thank you."
Hermione's smile got even wider at her friend's reaction, "open them!" She exclaimed with a clap. She settled beside Cassie, but remained on her knees so she could easily move for more presents.
Cassie and Harry began to carefully open the beautifully wrapped parcels; Cassie managed to get hers open first.
Cassie's eyes widened as she looked at a small charm that sat in the velvet bed of a small jewelry box, "Oh my, Hermione," she practically whispered in shock, "it's beautiful." Cassie smiled softly as she traced her fingers over the small details of the silver, sapphire-eyed wolf pendant.
"You can put it on a charm bracelet or get a chain to make it a necklace," Hermione explained, excitedly bouncing on her knees.
"Thank you," Cassie said. She side hugged Hermione but her eyes remained on the pendant in her hand.
Hermione just smiled and laid her head on Cassie's shoulder.
"Hurry up Harry, I want to see what you got," Cassie said. She closed the lid on the jewelry box, and placed it beside her.
"I'm trying," Harry whined as he accidentally tore the wrapping paper slightly, "I don't want to wreck the paper."
Hermione shook her head with a laugh, "Don't worry Harry, it's meant to be torn. That's half the fun of opening presents."
Both Cassie and Harry let out a quiet, "oh."
Harry went back to opening the gift; not as careful as before, but Harry still didn't just tare the paper off. Inside the box was a little crystal statue of deer. One buck and one doe had their necks wrapped around one another, like they were hugging. When the light hit the clear crystal, an array of blues and pinks appeared.
"Do you like it?" Hermione timidly asked.
"Gosh, Hermione, this is amazing," Harry answered, "I love it."
"Can I see it?" Cassie asked.
"Can I see yours?" Harry countered.
Cassie nodded and handed Harry the little jewelry box that held her pendant in exchange for the little crystal statue.
Hermione smiled at her friend's interaction before going to retrieve more presents.
"These are truly amazing Hermione, you should write your mother to ask where she got these from," Cassie said, handing Harry back his gift.
"Yeah, I'll ask in my next letter," Hermione agreed. She pushed a small pile of presents to Harry, and pushed her own beside Cassie. Cassie however didn't get another gift. "I'm sorry, Cass…."
Cassie waved her off with a click of her tongue. She positioned herself so that Hermione could sit in front of her and lean into her. Cassie just gave Hermione a small reassuring smile, and patted the, now, empty spot.
Hermione shifted to lean against Cassie's chest, and began to open the presents from her parents.
Cassie wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist, placed her head on the older girl's shoulder, and justed her friends quietly as they opened their gifts.
Hermione got an array of books, both wizarding and muggle, and Harry got a pence from his uncle and a package from the Weasleys.
Just as Hermione was opening her last gift, the Weasley twins bounced their way down the boys' dorm stairs.
"Hey guys!" Cassie greeted the duo with a bright smile. She only removed her head from Hermione's shoulder for a moment before it returned to its position.
"Hey little sister," Both Fred and George exclaimed together as Fred ruffled Cassie's hair from his position behind the chair. The twins had cast Ron out the moment he laid his hands on Cassie, and decided Cassie was their sister instead.
"Hey it looks like mom made you a Weasley jumper too Harry," Fred pointed out.
Harry nervously nodded as he looked over the 'H' knitted into the sweater.
George handed Cassie a small package, "A gift from us, use it wisely," he said with a playful smirk.
Hermione whipped her head to look at the twins, "you did not just give Cassie a prank to use," she said with a glare.
The twins shrugged, "Maybe," they chorused, walking around to sit on the floor not far from Cassie and Hermione.
"Quick question boys: Why are you wearing each other's jumpers?" Cassie asked with an eyebrow raised, "Or are you Gred and Forge today?"
The twins stared at the girl, gobsmacked for a moment, before Fred spoke up, "How is it that you can tell the difference between us?"
"Not even our own mother can do that," George continued.
"Fred, you have a slight scar below your right earlobe; and Georgie Boy, your hair is like half a shade lighter in the top," Cassie explained with a smirk before snuggling further into Hermione.
Harry shook his head, his shaggy hair going into his eyes. "I still don't see it, and you just pointed it out," he said.
"Neither do we," George started.
"And we're the twins," Fred continued.
"Well, anyways," George said, "We're off the breakfast."
"Bye!" They both exclaimed as they launched off the ground and raced each other to the portrait hole.
"By the way, there's still two gifts under the tree!" Fred threw over his shoulder before they both disappeared.
The three first years turn their heads to see there was indeed two ruffley wrapped parcels under the tree that weren't there moments before.
Harry looked at his two friends comfortably sitting in each other's arms, "I'll get them," he said. He quickly got up, grabbed the parcels and handed one to Cassie. "I don't know who it's from, but it has your name on it."
This time Cassie and Harry tore open the ruff wrapping paper without a second thought.
Cassie opened hers to reveal a necklace with a quarter moon charm. The moon was filled in with a sapphire gem that matched both Cassie's eyes, and they eyes of her new wolf charm.
Harry opened his to reveal what they quickly discovered to be a cloak of invisibility. "My tag says that it was my father's," he said as he folded the magical fabric neatly and placed it on the arm of the chair above Cassie's head.
Cassie handed the necklace to Hermione as she read the tag that came on it, "This was your mother's, wear it with pride." She put the tag in the growing pile of wrapping paper before saying, "That's a little concerning, I've never gotten anything from my mother like this. I don't even this my mother owns anything like this."
"Maybe we should get a teacher to look it over for curses?" Hermione suggested handing Cassie back the chain, "If it really was Bellatrix's it might have something bad on it."
"I doubt it is cursed," Cassie said, "Dumbledore wrote the tags. The handwriting matches a letter I got from him that summoned me to his office last week."
"Why would he summon you to his office?" Hermione asked, "And why would her have something of James Potter and Bellatrix Lestrange?"
"I don't know to both questions, but what I do know is that the headmaster wouldn't give a cursed necklace to an eleven year old student that is in his care," Cassie pointed out.
"I guess that's true," Hermione nodded in agreement.
"I could put the charm you gave me on it," Cassie suggested, "The charms do match, a wolf and the moon. I guess I have a wolf theme now."
Hermione agreed and grabbed both Cassie's necklace and charm to slide the loose charm on the chain.
"I still don't get why Dumbledore would give us this on Christmas," Harry brought up again, "He has had plenty of time to see both of us before this; you even said he summoned you to his office."
"Mostly to lecture me about 'tormenting' his precious Weasley," Cassie explained, "Maybe the old fool is up to something."
Hermione twisted herself so her upper body was facing Cassie, she instructed the younger girl to move her hair, and fastened the latch of the chain once it was in its rightful place. "How do you feel? No curses?" She pressed.
Cassie shook her head, "No, I'm good," she said with a reassuring smile. "Thank you."
"No problem," Hermione said as she turned back around and snuggled back into Cassie. "Now back to Professor Dumbledore, he's a professor Cassie, what could he be doing?"
"Well, first, we know about the stone, the third floor corridor, and fluffy. But there's something I noticed the night Ron pushed me in the Great Hall. When Snape left, he was walking with a limp. I think he might have been trying to get past fluffy to get to the stone," Cassie explained.
"I don't know what this has to do with Dumbledore?" Hermione asked, twisting herself once again to meet Cassie's eyes.
"I was getting there," Cassie took a deep breath and began her explanation, "Just before school started this year, I snuck out of my room at Malfoy Manor to see a gathering of people in black cloaks."
"Get to the point Cassie," Hermione almost growled.
Cassie sighed and hung her head low, "It was a death eater meeting, and Snape was there," she explained, hiding her eyes. The feeling and shame as if she betrayed her 'family' spread through her.
"What?!" Harry exclaimed, "Did they see you?"
Cassie shook her head.
"I still don't get what this has to do with the Headmaster," Hermione huffed.
"Well, Dumbledore may not have been at the meeting but Snape is a known death eater. He was ten years ago and he still is now. So either Dumbledore is a senile old fool, or he willingly hired a known death eater to teach children. Who could truly tell what his intentions are," Cassie said sadly, "I don't want this to be true, Mione, but for all we know Dumbledore could have hired more than one death eater. For all we know Quirrell could be a death eater."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows, "You don't think…?" He trailed off.
Cassie shrugged, "You never know."
Hermione stood and backed away from Cassie, "That's insane!" She hissed.
A hurt expression spread across Cassie's face, and she hung her head again.
"These are our professors! Our mentors!" Hermione yelled. She threw her hands up and began pacing the floor in front of the fire.
Cassie stood up; she flattened out her ice blue, moon speckled pyjamas, and said, "You know what, I'm hungry. I'm not changing, I'll see you guys down in the Great Hall," before she headed out.
Hermione stopped in her tracks, "What just happened?" she asked, gobsmacked.
-HP-
By the time Harry and Hermione joined Cassie at Gryffindor table, the girl pyjama clad girl was already halfway through her breakfast of pancakes and blueberries.
"Took you long enough, Fred and George already left," Cassie teased her friends as if she didn't just run out on them minutes before. She took a sip of her tea to hide the flash of hurt that spread across her face when Hermione sat beside Harry across the table from her.
"We got dressed first, unlike you," Harry pointed out as he motioned the weird combination of oversized jeans and Weasley he was wearing. He immediately began digging into the array of breakfast foods, choosing to pile his plate with eggs, bacon, sausages, and berries.
"And I don't plan on getting dressed today," Cassie said with a shrug, "There was no Christmas pyjama wearing at the Malfoy Manor, so I'm taking full advantage of it."
Just as Cassie went to take another bite of her buttered pancake, she was practically shoved into the table by a devious redhead clad in green and silver.
"Watch it Weasel," Cassie hissed, picking off the piece of pancake that fell onto her pyjama top.
Ron sneered, "It not only seems that the stupid Gryffindor is unwanted at home, but apparently you can't even dress yourself," he hissed.
Cassie slowly turned to face Ron with her eyes narrowed and her jaw tightened. "Why if it isn't the Slytherin Weasel. I'll have you know, this was a style choice. Also if I'm so unwanted," She stood up so that she was standing only inches from Ron's face, "What does that make you?"
Ron when to shove Cassie, but the girl was expecting it, and side-stepped quickly.
"Your own brothers don't even want to spend Christmas with and ignorant, little prick such as yourself," Cassie hissed back, "Your own parents went on a trip without you, and didn't even ask you to come. So what does that make you, hmm?"
Ron looked like he was about to cry.
"Cassie," Hermione tried to stop the girl.
Cassie advanced on Ron, but stopped only inches from him, "You have no friends to spend Christmas with because no one wants to be friends with a childish, greedy, ass-hat like you." she growled
"Cassie stop," Hermione tried again.
"You're crazy just like your death eater mother," Ron shouted.
Cassie tilted her head, "That may be, but at least people like me," she said with a wide devilish smile. "If you ever come near me or my friends ever again, you'll see how much I can be like my mother. Now shoo, you pesky little fly," she threateningly shoved Ron, however lightly, with two of her fingers.
"Cassie enough!" Hermione cried out when Ron went running from the Great Hall.
Cassie whipped her head towards her friends only to see fear in their eyes, this caused Cassie to also run from the hall.
-HP-