I don't own anything except my OC's
"Fine I'll drop it." He grumbled, "For now."
As soon as Harry had finished his sentenced a familiar hooting was heard and Hedwig came flying into the Great Hall.
She dropped a big package when she flew over Harry and then flew back out.
Harry held it in his hands, a disbelieving look on his face.
"A bit early for mail, isn't it?" Hermione said and looked at Harry.
"But I….I never get mail." He said and shook his head.
"Let's open it." Ron said and the three of them started untying the knots that held the paper to it.
Cassie sat back and watched as they did so, a small smile playing at the edge of her mouth.
The paper came off and Harry couldn't believe his eyes, "It's a broomstick." He said with amazement.
"That's not just a broomstick, Harry, it's a Nimbus 2000!" Ron exclaimed.
"But who-" Harry started and Cassie pointed to the Head table where McGonagall sat, petting Hedwig.
Harry sent her a grateful smile before standing up.
They walked out of the Great Hall and Cassie grabbed his arm, "Good luck, Harry." She said and smiled at him.
"Thanks, Cass." He said and then walked off towards the Quidditch pitch.
….
Cassie sat next to Hermione and Ron, who was explaining to her how Quidditch worked, waiting for the game to begin, "So, if I've understood you right, there are seven players." She started and he nodded, "One keeper, two Beaters, three Chasers and a Seeker, right?" He nodded again and she continued, "Okay, the Beaters make sure that the Bludgers don't hit the other players. The Chasers try to throw the….. what's it called again?" She asked him.
"Quaffle." He said and she nodded.
"Right, Quaffle. The Chasers try to throw that through the hoops that the Keeper is guarding. And the Seeker try to catch that small golden thingy." She said and Ron laughed.
"It's called the Golden Snitch." He said and Cassie blushed.
"The Golden Snitch, right, got it."
He smiled again and then turned to watch the teams entering.
The Slytherins were the first to enter the pitch and quickly mounted their brooms and flew up.
Cassie watched in awe as they maneuvered around the pitch on their brooms but soon got a big smile on her face as she saw the Gryffindors enter.
She saw Harry fly upwards and gave him a thumbs up when he spotted her.
She heard the speakers come to life and a boy's voice blared out of them;
"HELLO, AND WELCOME TO HOGWARTS FIRST QUIDDITCH GAME OF THE SEASON! TODAYS GAME, SLYTHERIN VERSUS GRYFFINDOR!" The crowd cheered and the players stopped in, what looked to Cassie, random spots.
"THE PLAYERS TAKE THEIR POSITIONS AS MADAM HOOCH STEPS OUT ONTO THE FIELD TO BEGIN THE GAME!"
"Now, I want a nice, clean game from all of you!" Cassie heard her say before she kicked the box below her so that the lid opened.
"THE BLUDGERS ARE UP, FOLLOWED BY THE GOLDEN SNITCH. REMEMBER, THE SNITCH IS WORTH 150 POINTS. THE SEEKER WHO CATCHES THE SNITCH ENDS THE GAME."
Madam Hooch bent down and grabbed the Quaffle, looking around one last time before throwing it up into the air.
"THE QUAFFLE IS RELEASED AND THE GAME BEGINS!"
Cassie watched in awe as the players skillfully flew around the pitch, the Chasers from Gryffindor throwing the Quaffle between each other and soon enough Gryffindor scored their first points.
"ANGELINA JOHNSON SCORES! TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!"
Cassie noticed that, as Gryffindors points increased, the Slytherin players got more and more aggressive.
"SLYTHERIN TAKES POSESSION OF THE QUAFFLE. BLETCHLEY PASSES TO CAPTAIN MARCUS FLINT."
Cassie saw a big, troll like Slytherin fly towards Gryffindors Keeper and she watched with anger as he tackled and kicked any Gryffindor player that went near him.
She turned to Ron, "Is he allowed to do that?" She asked.
He shrugged his shoulders, "Probably not but, it's Quidditch. There aren't that many players who follow all of the rules." He said and turned back to the game.
She let out a big breath when she saw their keeper block the Quaffle from entering the hoops.
The Gryffindor Chasers were flying around the stands that the students were in, trying to get rid of the Slytherins following them.
They skillfully moved around them and soon enough scored again.
"ANOTHER TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!"
And, sure enough, the Slytherins got even more aggressive as she could only watch in horror as one of the Slytherin Chasers, (their captain was it?) took one of the Beaters bats and fired a Bludger straight towards Gryffindors keeper.
It hit him and he crashed into the hoop, falling quickly towards the ground.
The Gryffindors began booing and the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs that were watching the game soon joined.
"That's vile!" Hermione shouted next to her and she quickly agreed.
And now, because they didn't have a keeper anymore, Slytherin soon had more points than Gryffindor and at this rate they would lose big-time.
Suddenly Cassie saw Harry start to wobble around on his broom.
"What's going on with Harry's broomstick?" She heard Hagrid ask behind her and Hermione turned to her and Ron.
"It's Snape." She whispered, "He's jinxing the broom!"
"Jinxing the broom?" Ron repeated, "What do we do?"
"Leave that to me." She said and ran off.
"What do you reckon she's gonna do?" Ron asked Cassie.
"I haven't a clue." She said and shook her head.
She watched as the broomstick threw him around and jerked so badly that he was now hanging under it by his arms.
"Come on Hermione." She said, anxiously rubbing her hands together.
And as sudden as it began it stopped and Harry swung himself back up onto the broom and flew off.
"Well, that's a relief." She heard Ron say and could only nod.
She watched as Harry flew towards Slytherin's seeker and rammed into him once he was next to him.
They pushed each other back and forth, making a sharp dive towards the ground.
Cassie held her breath as they got closer and closer to it and let it out sharply as Harry made a sharp turn barely a feet from the ground.
He flew along, not high off it, and started reaching for the Snitch.
Cassie saw him slowly stand up, not even wobbling, and just as it looked like he would catch it his broom gave another jerk and he fell forwards, landing on the ground with a 'thump'.
She, and the rest of the Gryffindors, held their breath as he stood up and held his stomach.
"Looks like he's gonna be sick." She heard Hagrid say and just as he'd finished the sentence Harry spit out a small golden thing.
'He caught the Snitch in his MOUTH?' Cassie thought, shaking her head in amusement.
"HE'S GOT THE SNITCH! HARRY POTTER RECEIVES 150 POINTS FOR CATCHING THE SNITCH!"
Madam Hooch blew her whistle just as the announcer finished his sentence and called out; "Gryffindor wins!"
The crowd immediately started cheering and clapping their hands rapidly, as well as chanting Harry's name.
Harry held up the Snitch and looked towards Cassie who gave him a warm smile.
…
They were walking back to the Castle with Hagrid when Hermione brought up the Snape issue.
"Nonsense!" Hagrid said, "Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" He questioned.
"Who knows? Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry retailed.
Hagrid looked taken aback, "Who told you about Fluffy?" He said.
'Fluffy, really?' Cassie thought.
"Fluffy?" Ron questioned.
That thing has a name?" Hermione asked.
"Of course he's got a name." Hagrid said, "He's mine. I bought him off an Irishman fellow I met at the pub last year. I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-" He cut himself off.
"Yes?" Harry prompted.
Hagrid shook his head, "I shouldn't have said that. No more questions! Don't ask no more questions! That's top-secret, that is." He said, trying to sound stern.
"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape's trying to steal it." Harry said.
Hagrid stopped in front of the, "Codswallop. Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher." He said looking down at them.
"Hogwarts teacher or not, I know a spell when I see them. I've read all about them." Hermione said and continued, "You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking."
"Exactly." Harry said.
"Now, you listen to me, all three of you, because it doesn't look like Cassie's in on this, you're meddling in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel. " Hagrid said.
"Nicholas Flamel?" Harry question and Hagrid paled slightly.
"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that." He said and started walking away.
"Nicholas Flamel. Who's Nicholas Flamel?" Cassie heard Harry whisper and she turned to him.
"Harry, please. Just drop it." She pleaded. "Hagrid said that it was dangerous, please listen to him! Just leave it be." She said and walked away.
…..
The months passed by quickly and soon it was almost Christmas. Cassie had been getting closer with Hermione but had also began to spend some time with Ron's older brothers Fred and George.
Cassie sat in the Great Hall, thinking to herself whilst writing on her Potions essay when she felt someone sit down next to her.
"Hi Fred, hi George." She said without looking up.
"How did you know it was us?" They said at the same time making Cassie giggle.
"Because I know you, and Harry, Ron and Hermione are in the library researching Nicholas Flamel," She said. "Again." She sighed.
"Forget about them, Cassie." George said.
"Yeah, if they want to get into trouble that's their problem." Fred said and threw an arm around her shoulders, "So, what's your plan for the holidays?" He asked.
Cassie sighed, "Me and Harry are staying here. There's not a chance in the world that we're going back to the Dursley's." She said, a small bit of hatred leaking into her voice, "What about you guys? Going home?" She asked them.
George nodded, "Mom would kill us if we didn't." He said and Cassie laughed.
"She has to be a pretty good mum if she can keep you two in line." She said and laughed as the twins put on innocent faces.
"You don't believe that we would do anything bad, do you Cassie?" Fred pouted at her.
"We haven't done a bad thing in our life!" George said with an identical pout and Cassie's laughter grew.
"Oh no, what was I thinking? You two are innocence personified." She laughed and squeaked when Fred poked her stomach.
"You think that's funny, do you?" He said and continued tickling her.
She giggled and slipped out under his arm, running towards the exit quickly. Letting out another laugh when she saw them stand up and run after her.
…..
Cassie and Harry stood in front of the entrance, waving goodbye to Hermione as she walked towards the Hogwarts Express.
They turned to walk back inside when they couldn't see them anymore, "So…." Harry began.
"So…." Cassie mimicked before grinning, "You're it!" She shouted and poked him before running off. She heard Harry's laugh join her before he ran after.
She ran through the grounds, down towards Hagrid's hut where she knocked on the door and slipped inside when he opened it.
"Cassie?" He questioned, "What are you doing here?"
She held a finger up to her lips and whispered, "Hiding from Harry."
Hagrid looked confused, "And why are you hiding from Harry?"
"We're playing tag." Cassie giggled out and Hagrid shook his head before a knock on the door was heard.
He went to open it and Cassie slinked down under the table.
She heard Hagrid talking to Harry, trying to convince him that she wasn't there and failing miserably.
"Why would Cassie be here, Harry?" She heard Hagrid say before she saw two feet in front of her and then let out a loud squeal as two hands grabbed her and drew her out.
Harry smiled down at her, "You're it!" He shouted and poked her before running off.
She scrambled to her feet and heard Hagrid let out a hearty laugh as she sprinted after Harry.
…
The days leading up to Christmas Day were slow. Not many students had stayed behind and Cassie found herself missing her friends even though Harry and Ron were there with her.
She was currently sitting in her dorm room, which was empty save for her, making the finishing touches on Harry's gift.
She had made it a tradition, seeing as the Dursley's wouldn't give them any money, to make something for Harry anyways and this year she'd made a drawing of him playing Quidditch.
She'd been to all of the games and practices he'd had so far and she felt an odd sort of longing when she watched him, almost as if her body subconsciously wanted to join.
She shook her head to clear it from the thought before looking back at the drawing, all the while singing quietly to herself, "Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."
A shout of 'CASSIE!' snapped her out of it and she quieted her singing to a soft humming as she listened to the person shout, "IT'S DINNERTIME!" The unmistakable voice of Ron shouted and she quickly got of the bed before walking down the staircase to the common room.
Harry and Ron smiled at her before they walked out of the portrait-hole, heading towards the Great Hall.
When they entered Cassie marveled at the sight, the ceiling was charmed so it appeared to be snowing but the snow never touched them, small pieces of enchanted mistletoes flew around and a great, big tree stood in the corner, decked out in all kinds of decorations.
They took a seat at the Gryffindor table, which was being used as the shared dinner-table for the holidays. The food was already on the table so they just started loading their plates with it.
Cassie found herself sitting next to Professor Snape and across from Professor McGonagall with Harry on her other side, Ron on his other. She silently watched the teachers as they ate and suddenly found a light pressure on her…..mind?' No, that couldn't be it; you can't have pressure on your mind, can you?' She thought and just shook her head slightly, becoming quite surprised when it went away.
She heard Snape whisper something to McGonagall that sounded oddly like, "It's already in place, I can't get through."
'Already in place? What's he talking about?' She thought but then just shook her head again, 'It isn't any of my business anyway.' She added in her head.
"So…..Cassie…." She heard Harry say next to her and she turned her head to him, a lock of dark hair falling out of the bun she had it in.
"Hm….?" She said as she took a bite of her food.
"I was just wondering….." He trailed off.
Cassie let out a small laugh, "Yes, Harry. I do it every year, of course it's not going to end just because we're here." She gave him a warm smile which he returned, making a confused look cross Ron's face.
Cassie took a deep breath and turned to Snape, "Professor? I was wondering something about the essay you gave us." She said nervously, clasping her hands together in her lap.
He looked mildly annoyed at her question but answered anyway, "And what would that be, Miss Vergo?"
"I was wondering isn't there another recipe for the potion you assigned us? I was going through some old notes in a secondhand book I bought and there was the same potion, well the same Antidote because it was for the same Poisons, but a completely different ingredients list." She began and took a deep breath before continuing, "Instead of the Bezoar, Standard Ingredient, Unicorn Hair and Mistletoe Berries there were Honeywater, Mint Sprigs, Mandrake and Lavender essence. And I was wondering if they really do make the same thing or if it was someone who was completely rubbish at potions who had the book before me?"
Snape looked taken-aback at the question and thought for a moment before answering, "It seems that you've found a very good book," He began, "It is just as the book says, they really do make for the same Antidote but the second list you mentioned makes for a longer brewing and a bigger chance for failure." He said and Cassie nodded.
"Right, but why would a first-year have written that down then? I mean, if it is more difficult to make it that way shouldn't it be more appropriate for an older student to have that particular recipe?"
He looked thoughtful, "It might have belonged to an older student, but then again there are students, such as yourself, whom already are at that level in their potion-making. Good luck on your essay, Miss Vergo." He said before he stood up and walked out of the Great Hall.
McGonagall turned to her, "I think you're the only student he is polite to who isn't a Slytherin, Miss Vergo." She said to her before she too walked out of the Great Hall.
….
Harry, Ron and Cassie were making their way back to the tower when he suddenly turned to her, "How do you do it?" He demanded.
She looked at him with a confused face, "Do what, exactly?"
"You know what I mean!" He ranted, "How did you get Professor Snape to like you? Because, Merlin help me, he doesn't seem like a person who gets along with everybody."
Ron made an agreeing noise but didn't say anything.
Realization dawned on her face, "I don't know really…. Hermione asked me the same thing a month ago and I didn't know then either….. But I have to agree, Snape's had it out for you since we started here." Cassie said, shaking her head softly.
They walked in silence until they got to the Fat Lady, "Password?" She asked.
"Beware of Gred and Forge." Cassie said and the portrait swung open, "Why do we have that password again?" She asked Harry as they entered.
He sighed, "Because the Slytherins somehow found out what our last password was."
"Well….." Cassie began, "I'll see you tomorrow then, Harry. You too Ron." She said, smiling at them.
He smiled back, "Goodnight, Cassie." He said and hugged her tightly, Ron following suit but with a slightly lighter hug.
She let go of him and walked up to her dorm room, where she finished wrapping Harry's gift and then picked up the guitar she had transfigured, with the help of Professor McGonagall, a couple months ago.
She sat down on her bed with it in her lap and began strumming it softly, her voice soon joining in with the soft melody, "I remember tears streaming down your face when I said, I'll never let you go. When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said, don't leave me here alone. But all that's dead and gone and past….."
…
Cassie woke the next morning to someone shouting her name. She groaned and put her pillow over her head, but the person, or persons, shouting weren't giving up.
"CASSIE! CASSIE!" She heard Harry shout.
"WAKE UP!" Ron shout followed his and Cassie sighed before stepping out of her bed and began walking towards the stairs.
Once she had reached the bottom she ran up to Harry and threw her arms around him.
"Merry Christmas, Harry." She said softly, "You too, Ron." She smiled at him which he returned.
"Merry Christmas, Cass." They echoed before Harry handed her a small box.
She gingerly took it, and at the same time handed Harry and Ron their boxes, and shook it softly before starting to un-wrap the paper from it.
She heard Harry gasp next to her but she paid it no mind as she slid the lid of the box to reveal a small, dried purple rose. Well, it wasn't really dried, probably just restored with magic but the idea was the same.
She smiled brightly at Harry when she saw him studying the picture before throwing his arms around her, squeezing tightly.
They let go of each other and walked over to the two small piles of packages addressed to them.
She saw Harry pick up his pile and walk over to a corner and she followed his lead, picking up the small boxes and walking over to an armchair in the corner of the room.
The first one she opens is from Hermione, it's a book on advanced potions along with a small bag of muggle candy and a card that says; "Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays, Cassie. Love Mione."
She sets it down on the table in front of her before picking up the next one. It's a bag of chocolate from Honeydukes with a messy 'Happy Holidays, Cassie. -Ron' scrawled on it.
Taking a small piece of chocolate she gingerly picks up the next gift. The note on it makes her smile fondly as she holds it up to read the, surprisingly neat, scrawl on it, "To our little Violet Cassis, don't do anything fun while we are away! Lots of hugs and kisses Gred & Forge."
Shaking her head at the odd nicknames she carefully unwrapped the, rather large, box.
Inside it there were all kinds of things, a new Quill, which she had mentioned needing, a bottle of dark purple ink and a roll of parchment along with some various candies like, Chocolate Frogs, Sugar Quills and Treacle Fudge.
There was also another small package with a note attached to it inside the box that she picked up and looked suspiciously at.
Taking the note from the box she read it, an even bigger smile gracing her lips which made Ron look at her suspiciously.
"What's that?" He asked and she handed him the note.
He began reading out-loud; "Have a Very Merry Christmas, Cass. XOXO Alicia, Angelina, Katie, Fred, George & Lee. PS. We didn't write this!" He looked perplexed, "Since when do you hang-out with them? And what the bloody hell does that last part mean?" He asked before handing the card back to her.
"Uhm…. Sometime during Halloween. And that means that the girls wrote the note." She said before opening the small box.
Inside it, resting on a small violet pillow, laid a small charm bracelet.
The bracelet had all of their first letters and some random items that in some way meant something to them.
She put it on before Ron handed her something, "It's from mum." He said and pointed to his sweater.
Cassie nodded before picking the nicely purple colored sweater, bearing a large silver C, out of the box.
She looked it over and smiled before pulling it on, the warmth closing in around her making her sigh happily.
She turned to the boys, "So… what did you guys get?" She asked them curiously, tucking her legs underneath her.
They pointed to their sweaters before Ron continued, "I got some candy and that drawing you made me." He said and pointed to the drawing of him playing Wizard's Chess.
Cassie nodded before turning to Harry, "Well, the sweater, the drawing and this." He said and picked up a worn looking cloak that made Cassie's eyes grow wide.
"Harry….. do you know what that is?" She asked him and answered her own question when he shook his head, "It's an invisibility cloak." She said and his jaw dropped.
"Are you sure?" He questioned and she nodded, "Bloody hell."
"They're really rare." Ron said to him and looked at it closely.
"Was there a note with it?" Cassie asked Harry who handed her a small note with elegant handwriting on it.
'Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well." She read quietly to herself, "No signature?" She questioned as she handed the note back to him.
He shook his head, "Weird….." Cassie mused before they headed to the Great Hall to eat breakfast.
….
The holidays passed by in a blur, Ron and Harry spent almost all their time together, either playing Wizard's Chess or researching in the library, and Cassie spent hours upon hours reading her Potions book and finishing up that essay.
People had started to return to the school today and Cassie was sitting in the Great Hall, reading quietly.
A pair of arms suddenly dropped around her shoulders and she felt herself being lifted into somebody's lap.
She turned her head slightly and came face-to-chest with someone.
She looked up and saw a pair of sparkling eyes filled with mischief looking back at her, "Hi, Fred." She said before returning to her book.
"How is it that you can tell us apart when not even our own mother can?" He asked, his arms tightening around her mid-section.
She smiled faintly, "I have my ways." She mumbled.
She heard someone shout her name and looked up towards the entrance where she saw Hermione standing.
She quickly untangled herself from Fred's arms before running towards Hermione, throwing her arms around her.
They released each other before they started to walk back towards the Gryffindor common room.
"So, how was your holidays?" She asked her, linking her arm with hers.
"Boring, Ron and Harry actually spent most of their time looking for Nicholas Flamel in the library so I haven't done that much. I finished the potions essay early so I haven't really had anything to do." Cassie trailed off, "How was your holidays then?" She asked and turned to Hermione.
"Ok, I guess. We went to my grandma's house on Christmas and then I spent the rest of the holidays reading." She said.
Cassie nodded and gave the Fat Lady their password before entering the common room.
…..
Cassie, Ron and Harry were sitting in the library, Cassie studying and the boys mainly just sitting there when they heard a voice from behind them.
"I had you looking in the wrong section." Hermione's voice floated over to them, "How could I be so stupid." She said and sat down, slamming a thick book down on the table, "I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading." She continued and Ron looked disbelieving.
"This is light reading?" He asked, his eyes slightly wide.
"If your name's Hermione it is." Cassie said before returning to her book.
Hermione opened the book and began searching for something.
"Of course! Here it is." She said and started reading from the book, "Nicholas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone."
"The what?" Harry and Ron repeated and Cassie could almost hear Hermione roll her eyes.
"Honestly, don't you two read? The Philosopher's Stone is a legendary substance with astonishing powers. It'll transform any metal into pure gold and produce the Elixir of Life which will make the drinker immortal." Hermione read.
"Immortal?" Ron asked.
"It means you'll never die." Hermione answered.
"I know what it means!" Ron said, sounding aggravated.
"I'm gonna go back to the common room, guys." Cassie said and stood, "I'll see you later."
She took her bag and started walking out of the library, with a small frown on her face.
'Their gonna get themselves into trouble.' She thought as she made her way up one of the stairs.
"CASSIE!" She heard a voice behind her.
"Oi! Wait up!" Another joined and she spun around to see who it was.
Fred and George were hurrying towards her, wearing matching grins on their faces.
"Hi, guys. What have you done now?" She asked them, crossing her arms.
"What makes you think we have done anything?" George asked.
"Because you two are looking way to innocent right now." She said and Fred slung an arm over her shoulders.
"Aww, look Georgie! She cares about us!" Fred said in a high-pitched voice.
"Group hug!" George said in his own and Cassie's suspicions went higher.
She untangled herself from them, "Okay, now I know you've done something." She said and started her walk towards the common room again.
The twins grinned and suddenly there was a loud 'BOOM!' followed by the screeching sound of Alicia and Angelina yelling, "YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
The twins glanced at Cassie before breaking into a run, hurrying down the corridor.
A green haired Angelina and an equally blue haired Alicia came running out through the portrait hole.
They looked at her, "Where are they?" Angelina demanded.
Cassie pointed down the hall and they sent her a grateful smile before running down the corridor.
She shook her head and looked at the Fat Lady.
"Those two are going to blow this place up one day." The lady said and Cassie nodded.
"Probably, but at least we'll go out with a bang." She said and walked inside.
Okay, another chapter done then.
Please R&R!