6. Cassandra White
Harry walked away from the train door after the Head Boy (a young man from Hufflepuff that Harry didn't know) scolded him for being so close to the train door. Harry met up with Ron and Hermione in the middle of the train corridor and headed towards their compartment.
They opened the door and found, to their surprise, that another person had claimed the compartment. She was reading a muggle novel and she seemed to be extremely engrossed in the book because she didn't even acknowledge their presence as they walked into their compartment, giving the girl strange looks.
In fact, Harry had never recalled seeing her on the train his entire five years of traveling on the train. She must have been a first year but she seemed too old to be eleven. He noticed she had straight black hair that went past her shoulders and she seemed to be middle height. Harry didn't get a good look at her face before she cleared her throat and turned the page in her book.
Ron gave Harry a questioning look as if to ask 'who is this girl and what is she doing in our compartment?' Harry just shrugged his shoulders and he heard Pigwidgeon give out a rather obnoxious hoot. The three watched in wonder as the girl reading her book snapped her head up quickly and gave them an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone else was using this compartment. Bye," the girl said and with that she grabbed her trunk and moved out of the compartment leaving Ron, Hermione and Harry in a sort of dazed stupor.
"That was weird," Ron commented, "She didn't even have an English accent. And boy was she dressed like a muggle." And now that Harry thought about it, he realized Ron's words were true.
With the short conversation she had Harry could tell she didn't have a trace of an English accent. She didn't even look English and that was what seemed very interesting to Harry. She was expertly dressed like a muggle as if she had been one all her life. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a T- shirt with an intricate design on it. Harry recalled her startling blue eyes and her high cheekbones. Harry was extremely confused. What was going on?
After the Express had gotten underway Hermione and Ron hurried off to the prefect's compartment to talk about certain business they would be attaining to that year. When they returned to Harry's compartment they found they were visited by some of their fellow Gryffindor sixth years. Neville Longbottom came by with his toad Trevor firmly clutched in his hands. Trevor had an unusual nasty record of trying to run away from Neville and with Neville's poor memory, it almost seemed like he had misplaced his toad on accident on several occasions. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas also sat in their compartment a while talking about the attacks on Delilah Grant and her family.
"Mum was in a state of shock. Witch Weekly is like her bible," Dean Thomas explained as he and Seamus started to leave their compartment to go to their own compartment that they shared with Lavender Brown and Paravati Patil. As soon as Ron and Harry's roommates left the plump, kind witch who pushed the food trolley came by to offer them the assortment of wizard candies and sweets. Harry bought three of everything, and the three of them ate in peace, talking about their hopes for the start of term.
"I hope they don't give us too much homework this week," moaned Ron who had just pulled out a cauldron cake, "I've been cleaning that bloody Black house for two weeks and the only thing that could make it worse would be too much homework."
"But Ron, its expected of us! We're sixth year students and this is one of the final years where we learn some of the advanced magic before we go onto the really hard stuff. I heard we have to Transfigure elephants into peanuts! Of course I'm not worried about it of course. I've read countless books about it in the library at the Black house," Hermione explained as she offered a bit of her Chocolate Frog to Crookshanks who was lying down next to his owner.
"Well, well if it isn't Potty, Mudblood, and the Weasel," a cruel voice said from the front door of their compartment. Harry looked up and saw Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy at Hogwarts standing in the front door; arms crossed his two friends Crabbe and Goyle flanking his sides.
"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry asked shortly.
"Just to remind you that all of you are going to pay for what you did to my father."
"He deserved it Malfoy. I hope he rots there," Hermione blurted out, surprised at her own daring.
"Oh really you little mudblood? Well just you wait because when my father gets out of Azkaban I'm going to come after you personally." Malfoy spat out before he and his two cronies left as quickly as they had come.
"What a gimpy little prat! I hope they throw him in Azkaban too! I bet you he wouldn't survive a day there!" Ron said his ears turning pink.
"Just let it go Ron. He can't do anything to us. He wouldn't try anything right under Dumbledore's nose and you know it. We're perfectly fine." Hermione explained in a convincing voice. "I think we should get changed into our robes though. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Hermione ordered rather forcefully as she pulled out one of the long black robes that was the standard Hogwarts uniform.
Once they were in their robes the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. Hermione and Ron had left ahead of Harry to direct the rest of the school to the carriages that would take them to the school for the start of term feast. Harry finally stepped onto the platform when he heard a familiar voice.
"Firs' years over here! Firs' years this way please!" Harry looked up and saw a large bulk shading the light from the castle. Harry hurried over and gave a quick hello to Hagrid, the half giant who was the Ground and Game Keeper for Hogwarts as well as the professor for the Care of Magical Creatures class.
Harry then hurried along with the rest of the school to the carriages and shared one with Neville, Dean, Ginny, and Seamus. Once everyone was in their coach, they started off to the castle of Hogwarts, passing through the front gates that were guarded by large stone boars.
Harry quickly found Ron and Hermione who had saved him a seat near the front of the Great Hall. He sat down and gazed at the empty golden plates longingly. Even though he had eaten like a hippogriff on the trip, he was starving. He missed the Hogwarts meals so much it made his stomach hurt.
"Oi here they come!" Ron muttered to Harry and Hermione as the newest batch of first year students followed McGonagall into the Hall, every pair of eyes staring at the small and timid children as they made their way to the front of the Great Hall. All of them stared around in wonderment and anxiety as they stared at the bewitched ceiling and the candles that floated around in mid air.
Harry noticed the same girl that had occupied his compartment on the train ride to the school. Her black Hogwarts robes billowed around her as she walked down the middle of the hall. If anything she looked cool, clam and collected and Harry could hear her utter words of assurance to a particular nervous young girl with frizzy blonde hair and many freckles.
"Don't worry about a thing Georgia, I've been sorted before.it's nothing really," the girl explained with an air of carelessness as they stopped in front of Professor McGonagall in front of everyone in the school. Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks about what this girl had said. Somewhere around the table someone sighed longingly.
Everyone watched in anticipation as Professor McGonagall went into a room to the side of the Hall and brought forward a beat up, three legged stool with the infamous and raggedy wizard's hat that had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat ceremony was about to begin. The hat ripped open at the seam and it began one of its infamous songs.
centerI've been around for many years Or so it has been said Because four old wizards made it clear I was to help them out instead
In Gryffindor you'll find The brave and stoat at heart They're valiant and kind They find they can't wait to start
Or find yourself in Hufflepuff Where there dwell the sweet and kind The lot is made of sociable stuff Although they don't lack the mind
Or perhaps you'll call Ravenclaw Your long lasting residence They have the smarts and no flaws They're always striving for intelligence
But maybe you'll be in Slytherin Where there are good turnabouts Many great wizards and witches Have Slytherin spat out
So gather one and all You'll know just where I'm at I'll be placed upon your head For I am the Sorting Hat!/center
The hall burst out into mild applause as the hat became silent again, ready for the task at hand. Professor McGonagall pulled out a piece of parchment and instructed the new students of what to do once their name was called.
"Adams, Gregory." McGonagall called out after looking up from a long piece of parchment. Harry watched as a gangly boy with large teeth and blonde hair walked up to the stool, McGonagall placing the hat on his head.
"RAVENCLAW!" the sorting hat shouted loudly. There came resounding applause from the Ravenclaw table as Gregory Adams walked happily towards the Ravenclaw table, two third years making room for the young boy. McGonagall read off the names and many more first years were sorted. Harry still noticed that the one girl was still waiting for her name to be called. After McGonagall called out three more names ("Smith, Penelope! Turner, Andrew! Venning, Harold") Harry noticed that the tall girl was the last one standing.
"White, Cassandra," McGonagall shouted out to the silent Hall. Harry watched as the girl calmly walked up to the Sorting Hat and flashed the entire Hall a thumbs up as McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
The entire school waited in silence as the Sorting Hat made its decision. It was taking an unusual long time to sort this Cassandra White but she still had a happy grin on her face as she waiting patiently. The Hat took a bit more time in deciding and everyone was becoming bored and a few had even started to talk to their neighbors all hungry from the long day's traveling.
"Wish that hat would hurry up," Ron muttered to no one as he stared at his empty plate, "I could eat twenty house elves."
"Ron!" Hermione gasped quietly. Apparently Hermione was still on her S.P.E.W. stint. Everyone became quiet when the Hat took a sharp intake of breath.
"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted loudly for the school to hear. The Gryffindor students cheered as well as some of the other tables.
"About time really," Ron shouted to Harry above the cheers as he and Ginny scooted to make room for the newly named Gryffindor.
Harry noticed that Dumbledore had stood up while McGonagall took the Sorting Hat and the stool away. He held up his hands to silence the group of students, his sleeves from his bright purple robes fanning out grandly.
"Another year has come and I must say that we must all be wary of the events happening outside of our beloved school. At the end of term last year, the Ministry of Magic saw fit to announce the return of Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore paused as many of the students winced at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "Although you are perfectly safe on the Hogwart's grounds let it be known that the forest is strictly forbidden to all students and trips to Hogsmeade will be closely monitored by some of our professors. If any of you witness strange behavior in or around Hogsmeade please inform a professor or Head Boy or Girl immediately. Let it also be known that if any student takes advantage of this they will be severely punished. It is no laughing matter and it will not be taken lightly." Dumbledore explained his voice dangerously quiet. McGonagall cleared her throat and tilted her head towards the Gryffindor table.
"Oh yes.excuse me you see in my feeble old age I have forgotten to introduce one of our newest students. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to inform you that we have a new student who will be starting in the sixth year this term at Hogwarts. She is from the American Wizard Academy, WillowBoil Academy and I hope that you Gryffindor students will help her get accustomed to our ways here at Hogwarts. I am pleased to introduce Cassandra White, transfer student from WillowBoil Academy,"
Everyone clapped politely as Cassandra White stood up on her bench and waved to all the students a giant grin exposing her perfectly straight and white teeth. The students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff clapped politely while some of the Slytherins started to laugh. Ignoring them Cassandra took her seat and Dumbledore announced the beginning of the feast and the food magically appeared on the plates.
"Wow! That was cool.they didn't do that at WillowBoil!" an amazed voice cried. Harry looked down the row and saw the sixteen year old girl grab a few pieces of food from the serving plates and dumped it on her dish.
"Yeah, its brilliant Hogwarts is. The kitchen is directly below the Hall and there are dozens of house elves in the kitchen that make everything!" Ron explained to the girl as he helped himself to some Yorkshire pudding.
"I'm Ron Weasly," he said thickly a bunch of pudding in his mouth as he extending his hand out.
"Cassandra White, call me Cassie" she said as she shook his hand offering him another dazzling smile. "Who're your friends? I saw you talking to them earlier," Cassandra inquired as she looked over at Harry and Hermione.
"Oh.yea.erm.this is Hermione Granger, you're not going to find another clever witch than Hermione, but just don't let her bully you into joining spew."
"It isn't spew Ron! It's S.P.E.W.!" Hermione exclaimed as she threw Ron an angry look.
"Whatever.its still spew to me.and this is Harry Potter." Ron began but when Harry extended his hand it seemed as if Cassandra's cheerful demeanor had evaporated and she looked at Harry with a look of almost pure terror. Harry watched as the girl looked over his shoulder and stared at the head table. She seemed to have caught someone's eye because she nodded slightly and her smile appeared again.
"Hullo Harry! Nice meeting you! I've heard tons about you!" she said cheerfully as she shook his hand vigorously. Harry smiled at her before he looked over at Hermione who just shrugged her shoulders and took another sip of her pumpkin juice; Ron talking to Cassandra for the rest of dinner.
Once the plates had cleared themselves and all the leftovers were sent back to the kitchens below, Dumbledore stood up and announced once again that the Forbidden Forest was off limits to all students and Qudditch tryouts would be held in two weeks time. Everyone headed out of the Great Hall and towards their dormitories.
The group of sixth year Gryffindors walked elatedly to their common room each of them happy to be back at Hogwarts. All of them had a good laugh at Cassandra who thought it would be quite funny to bewitch a couple of sweets from dinner to follow Peeves around the castle. The poltergeist finally took off down the hallways screaming his revenge at the new student. They all watched fixedly as Cassandra gushed at everything that went on around the castle. When they finally stopped at the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione let out the password ("Tummy Twister") the door swung open and all of them hurried into the common room the fire burning brightly and offering the students a cheerful surrounding.
Many of the students started off to bed but Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed down in the common room unaware that Cassandra was sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs gazing into the fire longingly.
"Ruddy hell," Ron cursed loudly as he looked at his schedule. "We have double Potions tomorrow with Slytherin what a way to start off the new term. Why doesn't Snape just go and get himself killed by You-Know-Who?"
"Ron! You know you don't mean that!" Hermione exclaimed in a horrified voice.
"'Course I do! He's a big git and I just can't stand him, or his house!" Ron muttered "Oh well, at least we have Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow with Ravenclaw. We really haven't had the time to chat with Hagrid," Ron said quietly as he put his schedule back into his bag. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. Ron was right about that.
"That's true Ron." Harry began but Hermione put up a hand to silence him.
"Do you hear that?" she asked her voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" Harry asked he and Ron leaning in closer so they could hear Hermione better.
"Someone's crying," she said and pointed towards the fire. Hermione was right, someone was definitely crying although he or she was trying to disguise the cries. Hermione got up and walked over to one of the overstuffed arm chairs and looked down at the crying figure.
"What's the matter?" Harry and Ron heard her ask. The person in the chair let out a muffled answer and they watched Hermione give the person a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry; you won't be homesick for long. I'm sure you're going to love Hogwarts, just give it a chance. I'm sure you've had a long day what with traveling and getting used to a new school with new people.and believe me you have Potions tomorrow with Snape, you need your rest." Harry exchanged looks with Ron. They had never heard Hermione have that sort of kind and reassuring voice with a lot of people. Especially with new people she didn't really know. The two watched as the figure got to his feet and Harry could make out shoulder length black hair and a tall, elegant figure. Harry had a feeling as to who this person was and they were confirmed when he found himself staring at Cassandra White her eyes a bit red. She shook her head and her straight black hair moved around gracefully across her face and then back into place.
She gave them all a feeble wave and a smile of thanks to Hermione before she turned towards the stairs leading towards the dormitories. "Um." she said with a small laugh, "Which way to the girls' rooms?"
Hermione got to her feet and grabbed her bag, before she said goodnight to Ron and Harry. "Here let me show you.it's to the left and all of the sixth year girls share a room," Hermione said eagerly as they walked up the left flight of stairs.
"That was a bit weird," Ron commented as he and Harry packed up their things ready to head up to bed.
"Yea." Harry said looking up after Hermione and Cassandra, "weird."
The next day was sunny and clear and the enchanted ceiling didn't show a cloud in its bewitched sky. Harry and Ron were already at breakfast when Hermione came down into the Hall, Cassandra in tow.
"Morning all!" Hermione said cheerfully as she sat down at the Gryffindor table Cassandra taking the seat next to her. Harry and Ron talked animatedly about the new Quidditch season and how they were going to replace the Gryffindor Beaters since Fred and George had graduated the previous year. Hermione and Cassandra were talking about the headlines in the Daily Prophet and Hermione was explaining about each of their teachers.
"Of course you'll have Divination with Harry and Ron since I'm in Arithmancy. But don't believe a word Professor Trelawney says; she's an old fraud," Hermione elucidated. Cassandra nodded with a curious smile on her face. The bell rang out signaling the end of breakfast as the Gryffindor sixth years hurried down to the dungeons with the Slytherins, Draco Malfoy shooting dark looks at Harry and his friends.
They were the reason why Draco's father Lucius Malfoy was stuck in Azkaban. After the three of them and some of their friends had gone to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries to try to save Sirius, Harry's godfather, the Order of the Phoenix had come to their rescue and had caught some of the Death Eaters that served Lord Voldemort, one of them being Draco's father.
They soon reached Snape's dungeon and they rushed inside, Harry trying to find a seat near the back. He despised Snape ever since his first year and the feeling was mutual when Snape was concerned. Ron followed Harry to one of the farthest desk from the front of the room. He hated Snape almost as much has Harry. They both looked for Hermione but she had gone towards the middle of the room, Cassandra following her. They sat down next to Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan both of their fellow sixth years were looking at Cassandra with great interest.
Hermione and Cassandra were talking intently and they both laughed out loud at a funny joke one of them had just told. "Look at them," Ron explained as everyone else filed into the room, "Nutters both of them. You figure Hermione's going off to get a new best friend the way she carries on with Cassandra." Harry just shrugged his shoulders. He had never really seen Hermione with any other girls from their house. Sure she was friends with Ginny but she had always been with Ron and Harry. He thought she deserved a bit of a break from them.
"Silence all of you," a slippery voice snapped from the front of the room. Harry looked up and saw Professor Severus Snape slink into the dungeon classroom an extremely displeased look on his face. His greasy black hair was slicked back and his large hooked nose made him look all the more unattractive. The class fell into an uncomfortable silence as Snape sat behind his desk. He pointed his wand at the blackboard behind him and the potion the class would be brewing today appeared on the board.
"We're making the Silencing Potion today. And if you lot brew it right your partner should not be able to speak. When you are done brewing your potion, bring up your partner and if you've done it right I will give them the antidote. You may begin."
Harry and Ron began their potion both of them deciding that Ron would be the tester of their results. While Ron was cutting up the muted frog legs, Harry started to add his wolf bane spices. He looked over at Cassandra and Hermione, and Harry realized that the two of them had nearly half of the potion done. And despite Snape's sharp looks of disapproval, the two of them were talking and laughing about every little thing.
But poor Neville was having a horrible time seeing as potions was his worst subject. He had begun to add a pinch of powdered daisy roots but the entire lid of the bottle fell off, the lid falling into the potion with a splash followed by all of his daisy roots. Harry watched as all the sixth year Slytherins laughed as Neville put his ladle in his now smoking green potion, trying to fish out the daisy root jar lid.
"I believe you have done enough Mr. Longbottom. If you would kindly dispose of this atrocity of a potion. . .but no, not even you can get rid of a simple Silencing Potion, you can't even measure out your daisy roots.lest even remember that you only needed half a pinch." Snape began as he stood in front of Neville, the poor forgetful boy looking as if he were about to cry.
"Why don't you leave him alone?" a voice behind Snape growled out. The entire classroom was thrown into silence, even the Slytherins stopped jeering at Neville to see who would dare speak out against their professor. Professor Snape turned around quickly and the whole class could see Cassandra White standing before the tall and lanky potions master hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"Excuse me?" Snape whispered dangerously.
"I'm sorry, maybe you had an extra amount of ear wax in your ears or you probably didn't hear me the first time. I said, leave him alone," Cassandra said as she inched closer to her infuriated teacher. All the Gryffindors exchanged looks with one another. Sure all of them had insulted Professor Snape before, but not to his face.
"That will be fifty points from Gryffindor Miss White, now if you don't take your seat and stay quiet I will personally see that you are thrown out of this school for disrespect to your elders."
"You can't do anything to me Professor Snape. You're not the head of my house! And if you don't stop bullying poor students maybe I'll have a talk with the headmaster myself!
"Fifty points from Gryffindor, White and a detention and if you don't sit down right now it'll be one hundred fifty points from Gryffindor!" But Cassandra refused to move from her spot on the dungeon room floor. Harry looked at the back of Malfoy's head and saw him sniggering with Crabbe and Goyle. Snape was about to tell Cassandra off again but a shrill ringing noise stopped him from doing so. Everyone looked over at Neville's cauldron and saw that the smoke was rising faster, and the ringing noise was becoming louder. Snape dived away quickly as did Neville and Cassandra but Malfoy and his two cronies didn't notice in time and the entire potion exploded all over not only Neville's station but Draco, Crabbe and Goyle as well. All of the Gryffindors erupted with laughter as the reeking smell of rotten cabbage and eggs omitted from the three Slytherins.
Harry noticed that Snape's face had turned an awful crimson color and he stood up from behind his desk and looked at his class, hair in his face. "EVERYONE OUT THIS INSTANT! YOU ARE TO WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT THE SILENCING POTION AND ITS USES.TWO ROLES OF PARCHMENT DUE TO ME TOMORROW! LONGBOTTOM, STAY AND CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. . .WHITE, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU. . .IN. . .MY. . .OFFICE!" Snape bellowed his hair in disarray and his face turning back to its usual pale color. Harry, Ron, and Hermione and the rest of the class packed up their ingredients and their cauldrons and headed out of Snape's classroom, the smell of reeking cabbage following them.
Harry turned around and saw Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy slump out of the classroom, Malfoy still trying to hold what dignity he had left. "Just wait until I tell my father about that Yank! He'll be absolutely appalled that Dumbledore even suggested having a foreigner emitted into our school!"
"And what is your father going to do about it Malfoy? He's under lock and key in Azkaban. He has zero power to help you get through school now." Hermione pointed out. Malfoy gave her a filthy look before he said a few words that had Ron and Harry grasping their wands from inside their robes.
"Just let it go.his ego's a bit bruised," Hermione explained trying her hardest not to be taken aback by the names Malfoy had called her although Harry could see she was clearly shaken up by it.
"What shall we do now?" Harry asked, "Snape let us out half an hour earlier than he meant to."
"I say we wait for Cassie to get out of Snape's class.Fred and George would have loved her I'm telling you right now," Ron explained as he sat down on the stone steps staring at the classroom door, waiting for Cassandra to appear.
"Don't worry Professor Snape. . .it won't happen again. Maybe if you weren't too hard on your students. . .if you offered tutoring or something maybe some of the students wouldn't hate you so much," a voice explained very close to the entrance of Snape's classroom.
"GET OUT! DO NOT LECTURE ME ON HOW TO TEACH MY CLASSES YOUNG LADY!" Snape screamed from inside his classroom.
"See you in a few days Professor Snape.great class really," the voice replied before Cassandra walked out of the classroom a big smile on her face.
"That wasn't smart.you lost us one hundred points on the first day!" Hermione scolded Cassandra as she walked up to the three students sitting on the steps.
"One hundred thirty . . . I talked back to him and he took another thirty. I guess its some kind of record. Anyway, you guys didn't have to wait up for me; I was just going to go into the Hall and a snack or something. Any one of you up for it or have I been marked a disturber of the peace?" Cassandra asked a goofy smile still planted on her face.
"Sounds like a good idea actually. I didn't have a lot at breakfast," Ron started before he walked up the steps with Cassandra beside him, Harry and Hermione following closely.
"Look Longbottom, it's your Yankee girlfriend! Is she going to save you from the dinner plates from not serving you enough food? Because lord knows your ass isn't big enough" Malfoy jeered from across the hall. Neville looked as if someone had pulled his pants down in the middle of the hall, his face had gone a dark red from embarrassment and Cassandra offered him a reassuring smile.
By the time dinner had rolled around everyone had known about how the American transfer student had lost one hundred thirty points for her house because she had been brave enough to stand up to Snape. Many of the people who were terrified of Snape, Neville in particular, had held Cassandra up to some sort of higher light and all of the students from each of the houses (with the exception of Slytherin) had given her shouts of congratulations in the hallway.
The rest of the classes, however, had gone smoothly. Hagrid, even though he had to be fair to all students, had secretly pulled Harry and Ron aside during his Care of Magical Creatures Class to tell them that Cassandra was one of the most brave and brilliant people he had ever met. And not only that, but Cassandra shared his love with extremely dangerous creatures.
"Sure I saw a dragon once," she had told Hagrid that day after they had read about the magical beasts in their books, "one of the American Purple Short Snouts...but it was when I was just about three, they had one at the zoo before it escaped and had to be taken up to Antarctica."
"Hey Longbottom, maybe if you screw up in Transfiguration tomorrow and turn your toad into a brain, you could actually remember things!" Malfoy screamed across the hall once more. He continued to shout insults at Neville, who had never been so publicly humiliated in his life (second to when he had received a Howler letter from his grandmother about leaving the Gryffindor passwords out for Sirius Black, then a runaway from Azkaban, to find) and Harry noticed a small tear escape his left eye. Malfoy then moved his insults to include Neville's parents and that's when Harry knew he had gone too far.
"Maybe if your parents weren't as fat and as stupid as you Longbottom, they probably wouldn't be at St. Mungo's drooling and speaking gibberish because they stuck their noses into other people's businesses!" This sent the Slytherins into howls of laughter some even clapping Malfoy on the back. Harry looked up towards the teacher's head table and wondered why none of them were doing anything to stop Malfoy's insults.
Harry watched in awe as Cassandra whispered something into Neville's ear before she got up from her seat and walked over to where Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were and sat down on the table, looking directly at Malfoy. The whole hall went silent again, all eyes on the Slytherin table.
"Thank you Draco for thinking that Neville Longbottom was my boyfriend. I would be extremely honored to have someone as nice and as brave as Neville as a boyfriend. And I am absolutely shocked that a handsome young man like you doesn't have a girlfriend. Oh, wait, could it be because you still smell like rotten cabbage and rotten eggs?" Cassandra asked her face inches from Malfoy's. The entire hall erupted into laughter as Cassandra let out a little laugh of her own. "Oh but it seems as though your rancid smell has started to fade.here let me help you regain your special odor." And with a devilish grin on her face she picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice and dumped it all over his head.
The entire hall gasped in shock all of them watching as Malfoy jumped from his seat and he looked at Cassandra who was still sitting on the Slytherin table, grinning from ear to ear. "Please consider the next time you open your foul mouth to insult someone who has never done something to earn it Mr. Draco Malfoy, because I am a firm believer in karma and what goes around." Cassandra said in a deathly quiet voice that made it hard for everyone in the hall to hear, "Comes around." And with that, she hopped off of the Slytherin table curtsied to the head table and apologized for her rudeness at dinner before she walked to the doorways that lead to the large marble staircase.
"I like her," Ron said to Harry over the cheers, "Let's see Malfoy try to curse or insult anybody with Cassie around!"
Harry walked away from the train door after the Head Boy (a young man from Hufflepuff that Harry didn't know) scolded him for being so close to the train door. Harry met up with Ron and Hermione in the middle of the train corridor and headed towards their compartment.
They opened the door and found, to their surprise, that another person had claimed the compartment. She was reading a muggle novel and she seemed to be extremely engrossed in the book because she didn't even acknowledge their presence as they walked into their compartment, giving the girl strange looks.
In fact, Harry had never recalled seeing her on the train his entire five years of traveling on the train. She must have been a first year but she seemed too old to be eleven. He noticed she had straight black hair that went past her shoulders and she seemed to be middle height. Harry didn't get a good look at her face before she cleared her throat and turned the page in her book.
Ron gave Harry a questioning look as if to ask 'who is this girl and what is she doing in our compartment?' Harry just shrugged his shoulders and he heard Pigwidgeon give out a rather obnoxious hoot. The three watched in wonder as the girl reading her book snapped her head up quickly and gave them an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone else was using this compartment. Bye," the girl said and with that she grabbed her trunk and moved out of the compartment leaving Ron, Hermione and Harry in a sort of dazed stupor.
"That was weird," Ron commented, "She didn't even have an English accent. And boy was she dressed like a muggle." And now that Harry thought about it, he realized Ron's words were true.
With the short conversation she had Harry could tell she didn't have a trace of an English accent. She didn't even look English and that was what seemed very interesting to Harry. She was expertly dressed like a muggle as if she had been one all her life. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a T- shirt with an intricate design on it. Harry recalled her startling blue eyes and her high cheekbones. Harry was extremely confused. What was going on?
After the Express had gotten underway Hermione and Ron hurried off to the prefect's compartment to talk about certain business they would be attaining to that year. When they returned to Harry's compartment they found they were visited by some of their fellow Gryffindor sixth years. Neville Longbottom came by with his toad Trevor firmly clutched in his hands. Trevor had an unusual nasty record of trying to run away from Neville and with Neville's poor memory, it almost seemed like he had misplaced his toad on accident on several occasions. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas also sat in their compartment a while talking about the attacks on Delilah Grant and her family.
"Mum was in a state of shock. Witch Weekly is like her bible," Dean Thomas explained as he and Seamus started to leave their compartment to go to their own compartment that they shared with Lavender Brown and Paravati Patil. As soon as Ron and Harry's roommates left the plump, kind witch who pushed the food trolley came by to offer them the assortment of wizard candies and sweets. Harry bought three of everything, and the three of them ate in peace, talking about their hopes for the start of term.
"I hope they don't give us too much homework this week," moaned Ron who had just pulled out a cauldron cake, "I've been cleaning that bloody Black house for two weeks and the only thing that could make it worse would be too much homework."
"But Ron, its expected of us! We're sixth year students and this is one of the final years where we learn some of the advanced magic before we go onto the really hard stuff. I heard we have to Transfigure elephants into peanuts! Of course I'm not worried about it of course. I've read countless books about it in the library at the Black house," Hermione explained as she offered a bit of her Chocolate Frog to Crookshanks who was lying down next to his owner.
"Well, well if it isn't Potty, Mudblood, and the Weasel," a cruel voice said from the front door of their compartment. Harry looked up and saw Draco Malfoy, his worst enemy at Hogwarts standing in the front door; arms crossed his two friends Crabbe and Goyle flanking his sides.
"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry asked shortly.
"Just to remind you that all of you are going to pay for what you did to my father."
"He deserved it Malfoy. I hope he rots there," Hermione blurted out, surprised at her own daring.
"Oh really you little mudblood? Well just you wait because when my father gets out of Azkaban I'm going to come after you personally." Malfoy spat out before he and his two cronies left as quickly as they had come.
"What a gimpy little prat! I hope they throw him in Azkaban too! I bet you he wouldn't survive a day there!" Ron said his ears turning pink.
"Just let it go Ron. He can't do anything to us. He wouldn't try anything right under Dumbledore's nose and you know it. We're perfectly fine." Hermione explained in a convincing voice. "I think we should get changed into our robes though. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Hermione ordered rather forcefully as she pulled out one of the long black robes that was the standard Hogwarts uniform.
Once they were in their robes the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station. Hermione and Ron had left ahead of Harry to direct the rest of the school to the carriages that would take them to the school for the start of term feast. Harry finally stepped onto the platform when he heard a familiar voice.
"Firs' years over here! Firs' years this way please!" Harry looked up and saw a large bulk shading the light from the castle. Harry hurried over and gave a quick hello to Hagrid, the half giant who was the Ground and Game Keeper for Hogwarts as well as the professor for the Care of Magical Creatures class.
Harry then hurried along with the rest of the school to the carriages and shared one with Neville, Dean, Ginny, and Seamus. Once everyone was in their coach, they started off to the castle of Hogwarts, passing through the front gates that were guarded by large stone boars.
Harry quickly found Ron and Hermione who had saved him a seat near the front of the Great Hall. He sat down and gazed at the empty golden plates longingly. Even though he had eaten like a hippogriff on the trip, he was starving. He missed the Hogwarts meals so much it made his stomach hurt.
"Oi here they come!" Ron muttered to Harry and Hermione as the newest batch of first year students followed McGonagall into the Hall, every pair of eyes staring at the small and timid children as they made their way to the front of the Great Hall. All of them stared around in wonderment and anxiety as they stared at the bewitched ceiling and the candles that floated around in mid air.
Harry noticed the same girl that had occupied his compartment on the train ride to the school. Her black Hogwarts robes billowed around her as she walked down the middle of the hall. If anything she looked cool, clam and collected and Harry could hear her utter words of assurance to a particular nervous young girl with frizzy blonde hair and many freckles.
"Don't worry about a thing Georgia, I've been sorted before.it's nothing really," the girl explained with an air of carelessness as they stopped in front of Professor McGonagall in front of everyone in the school. Harry and Hermione exchanged confused looks about what this girl had said. Somewhere around the table someone sighed longingly.
Everyone watched in anticipation as Professor McGonagall went into a room to the side of the Hall and brought forward a beat up, three legged stool with the infamous and raggedy wizard's hat that had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat ceremony was about to begin. The hat ripped open at the seam and it began one of its infamous songs.
centerI've been around for many years Or so it has been said Because four old wizards made it clear I was to help them out instead
In Gryffindor you'll find The brave and stoat at heart They're valiant and kind They find they can't wait to start
Or find yourself in Hufflepuff Where there dwell the sweet and kind The lot is made of sociable stuff Although they don't lack the mind
Or perhaps you'll call Ravenclaw Your long lasting residence They have the smarts and no flaws They're always striving for intelligence
But maybe you'll be in Slytherin Where there are good turnabouts Many great wizards and witches Have Slytherin spat out
So gather one and all You'll know just where I'm at I'll be placed upon your head For I am the Sorting Hat!/center
The hall burst out into mild applause as the hat became silent again, ready for the task at hand. Professor McGonagall pulled out a piece of parchment and instructed the new students of what to do once their name was called.
"Adams, Gregory." McGonagall called out after looking up from a long piece of parchment. Harry watched as a gangly boy with large teeth and blonde hair walked up to the stool, McGonagall placing the hat on his head.
"RAVENCLAW!" the sorting hat shouted loudly. There came resounding applause from the Ravenclaw table as Gregory Adams walked happily towards the Ravenclaw table, two third years making room for the young boy. McGonagall read off the names and many more first years were sorted. Harry still noticed that the one girl was still waiting for her name to be called. After McGonagall called out three more names ("Smith, Penelope! Turner, Andrew! Venning, Harold") Harry noticed that the tall girl was the last one standing.
"White, Cassandra," McGonagall shouted out to the silent Hall. Harry watched as the girl calmly walked up to the Sorting Hat and flashed the entire Hall a thumbs up as McGonagall placed the hat on her head.
The entire school waited in silence as the Sorting Hat made its decision. It was taking an unusual long time to sort this Cassandra White but she still had a happy grin on her face as she waiting patiently. The Hat took a bit more time in deciding and everyone was becoming bored and a few had even started to talk to their neighbors all hungry from the long day's traveling.
"Wish that hat would hurry up," Ron muttered to no one as he stared at his empty plate, "I could eat twenty house elves."
"Ron!" Hermione gasped quietly. Apparently Hermione was still on her S.P.E.W. stint. Everyone became quiet when the Hat took a sharp intake of breath.
"GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted loudly for the school to hear. The Gryffindor students cheered as well as some of the other tables.
"About time really," Ron shouted to Harry above the cheers as he and Ginny scooted to make room for the newly named Gryffindor.
Harry noticed that Dumbledore had stood up while McGonagall took the Sorting Hat and the stool away. He held up his hands to silence the group of students, his sleeves from his bright purple robes fanning out grandly.
"Another year has come and I must say that we must all be wary of the events happening outside of our beloved school. At the end of term last year, the Ministry of Magic saw fit to announce the return of Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore paused as many of the students winced at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. "Although you are perfectly safe on the Hogwart's grounds let it be known that the forest is strictly forbidden to all students and trips to Hogsmeade will be closely monitored by some of our professors. If any of you witness strange behavior in or around Hogsmeade please inform a professor or Head Boy or Girl immediately. Let it also be known that if any student takes advantage of this they will be severely punished. It is no laughing matter and it will not be taken lightly." Dumbledore explained his voice dangerously quiet. McGonagall cleared her throat and tilted her head towards the Gryffindor table.
"Oh yes.excuse me you see in my feeble old age I have forgotten to introduce one of our newest students. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to inform you that we have a new student who will be starting in the sixth year this term at Hogwarts. She is from the American Wizard Academy, WillowBoil Academy and I hope that you Gryffindor students will help her get accustomed to our ways here at Hogwarts. I am pleased to introduce Cassandra White, transfer student from WillowBoil Academy,"
Everyone clapped politely as Cassandra White stood up on her bench and waved to all the students a giant grin exposing her perfectly straight and white teeth. The students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff clapped politely while some of the Slytherins started to laugh. Ignoring them Cassandra took her seat and Dumbledore announced the beginning of the feast and the food magically appeared on the plates.
"Wow! That was cool.they didn't do that at WillowBoil!" an amazed voice cried. Harry looked down the row and saw the sixteen year old girl grab a few pieces of food from the serving plates and dumped it on her dish.
"Yeah, its brilliant Hogwarts is. The kitchen is directly below the Hall and there are dozens of house elves in the kitchen that make everything!" Ron explained to the girl as he helped himself to some Yorkshire pudding.
"I'm Ron Weasly," he said thickly a bunch of pudding in his mouth as he extending his hand out.
"Cassandra White, call me Cassie" she said as she shook his hand offering him another dazzling smile. "Who're your friends? I saw you talking to them earlier," Cassandra inquired as she looked over at Harry and Hermione.
"Oh.yea.erm.this is Hermione Granger, you're not going to find another clever witch than Hermione, but just don't let her bully you into joining spew."
"It isn't spew Ron! It's S.P.E.W.!" Hermione exclaimed as she threw Ron an angry look.
"Whatever.its still spew to me.and this is Harry Potter." Ron began but when Harry extended his hand it seemed as if Cassandra's cheerful demeanor had evaporated and she looked at Harry with a look of almost pure terror. Harry watched as the girl looked over his shoulder and stared at the head table. She seemed to have caught someone's eye because she nodded slightly and her smile appeared again.
"Hullo Harry! Nice meeting you! I've heard tons about you!" she said cheerfully as she shook his hand vigorously. Harry smiled at her before he looked over at Hermione who just shrugged her shoulders and took another sip of her pumpkin juice; Ron talking to Cassandra for the rest of dinner.
Once the plates had cleared themselves and all the leftovers were sent back to the kitchens below, Dumbledore stood up and announced once again that the Forbidden Forest was off limits to all students and Qudditch tryouts would be held in two weeks time. Everyone headed out of the Great Hall and towards their dormitories.
The group of sixth year Gryffindors walked elatedly to their common room each of them happy to be back at Hogwarts. All of them had a good laugh at Cassandra who thought it would be quite funny to bewitch a couple of sweets from dinner to follow Peeves around the castle. The poltergeist finally took off down the hallways screaming his revenge at the new student. They all watched fixedly as Cassandra gushed at everything that went on around the castle. When they finally stopped at the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione let out the password ("Tummy Twister") the door swung open and all of them hurried into the common room the fire burning brightly and offering the students a cheerful surrounding.
Many of the students started off to bed but Harry, Ron, and Hermione stayed down in the common room unaware that Cassandra was sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs gazing into the fire longingly.
"Ruddy hell," Ron cursed loudly as he looked at his schedule. "We have double Potions tomorrow with Slytherin what a way to start off the new term. Why doesn't Snape just go and get himself killed by You-Know-Who?"
"Ron! You know you don't mean that!" Hermione exclaimed in a horrified voice.
"'Course I do! He's a big git and I just can't stand him, or his house!" Ron muttered "Oh well, at least we have Care of Magical Creatures tomorrow with Ravenclaw. We really haven't had the time to chat with Hagrid," Ron said quietly as he put his schedule back into his bag. Harry and Hermione exchanged looks. Ron was right about that.
"That's true Ron." Harry began but Hermione put up a hand to silence him.
"Do you hear that?" she asked her voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" Harry asked he and Ron leaning in closer so they could hear Hermione better.
"Someone's crying," she said and pointed towards the fire. Hermione was right, someone was definitely crying although he or she was trying to disguise the cries. Hermione got up and walked over to one of the overstuffed arm chairs and looked down at the crying figure.
"What's the matter?" Harry and Ron heard her ask. The person in the chair let out a muffled answer and they watched Hermione give the person a pat on the shoulder.
"Don't worry; you won't be homesick for long. I'm sure you're going to love Hogwarts, just give it a chance. I'm sure you've had a long day what with traveling and getting used to a new school with new people.and believe me you have Potions tomorrow with Snape, you need your rest." Harry exchanged looks with Ron. They had never heard Hermione have that sort of kind and reassuring voice with a lot of people. Especially with new people she didn't really know. The two watched as the figure got to his feet and Harry could make out shoulder length black hair and a tall, elegant figure. Harry had a feeling as to who this person was and they were confirmed when he found himself staring at Cassandra White her eyes a bit red. She shook her head and her straight black hair moved around gracefully across her face and then back into place.
She gave them all a feeble wave and a smile of thanks to Hermione before she turned towards the stairs leading towards the dormitories. "Um." she said with a small laugh, "Which way to the girls' rooms?"
Hermione got to her feet and grabbed her bag, before she said goodnight to Ron and Harry. "Here let me show you.it's to the left and all of the sixth year girls share a room," Hermione said eagerly as they walked up the left flight of stairs.
"That was a bit weird," Ron commented as he and Harry packed up their things ready to head up to bed.
"Yea." Harry said looking up after Hermione and Cassandra, "weird."
The next day was sunny and clear and the enchanted ceiling didn't show a cloud in its bewitched sky. Harry and Ron were already at breakfast when Hermione came down into the Hall, Cassandra in tow.
"Morning all!" Hermione said cheerfully as she sat down at the Gryffindor table Cassandra taking the seat next to her. Harry and Ron talked animatedly about the new Quidditch season and how they were going to replace the Gryffindor Beaters since Fred and George had graduated the previous year. Hermione and Cassandra were talking about the headlines in the Daily Prophet and Hermione was explaining about each of their teachers.
"Of course you'll have Divination with Harry and Ron since I'm in Arithmancy. But don't believe a word Professor Trelawney says; she's an old fraud," Hermione elucidated. Cassandra nodded with a curious smile on her face. The bell rang out signaling the end of breakfast as the Gryffindor sixth years hurried down to the dungeons with the Slytherins, Draco Malfoy shooting dark looks at Harry and his friends.
They were the reason why Draco's father Lucius Malfoy was stuck in Azkaban. After the three of them and some of their friends had gone to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries to try to save Sirius, Harry's godfather, the Order of the Phoenix had come to their rescue and had caught some of the Death Eaters that served Lord Voldemort, one of them being Draco's father.
They soon reached Snape's dungeon and they rushed inside, Harry trying to find a seat near the back. He despised Snape ever since his first year and the feeling was mutual when Snape was concerned. Ron followed Harry to one of the farthest desk from the front of the room. He hated Snape almost as much has Harry. They both looked for Hermione but she had gone towards the middle of the room, Cassandra following her. They sat down next to Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan both of their fellow sixth years were looking at Cassandra with great interest.
Hermione and Cassandra were talking intently and they both laughed out loud at a funny joke one of them had just told. "Look at them," Ron explained as everyone else filed into the room, "Nutters both of them. You figure Hermione's going off to get a new best friend the way she carries on with Cassandra." Harry just shrugged his shoulders. He had never really seen Hermione with any other girls from their house. Sure she was friends with Ginny but she had always been with Ron and Harry. He thought she deserved a bit of a break from them.
"Silence all of you," a slippery voice snapped from the front of the room. Harry looked up and saw Professor Severus Snape slink into the dungeon classroom an extremely displeased look on his face. His greasy black hair was slicked back and his large hooked nose made him look all the more unattractive. The class fell into an uncomfortable silence as Snape sat behind his desk. He pointed his wand at the blackboard behind him and the potion the class would be brewing today appeared on the board.
"We're making the Silencing Potion today. And if you lot brew it right your partner should not be able to speak. When you are done brewing your potion, bring up your partner and if you've done it right I will give them the antidote. You may begin."
Harry and Ron began their potion both of them deciding that Ron would be the tester of their results. While Ron was cutting up the muted frog legs, Harry started to add his wolf bane spices. He looked over at Cassandra and Hermione, and Harry realized that the two of them had nearly half of the potion done. And despite Snape's sharp looks of disapproval, the two of them were talking and laughing about every little thing.
But poor Neville was having a horrible time seeing as potions was his worst subject. He had begun to add a pinch of powdered daisy roots but the entire lid of the bottle fell off, the lid falling into the potion with a splash followed by all of his daisy roots. Harry watched as all the sixth year Slytherins laughed as Neville put his ladle in his now smoking green potion, trying to fish out the daisy root jar lid.
"I believe you have done enough Mr. Longbottom. If you would kindly dispose of this atrocity of a potion. . .but no, not even you can get rid of a simple Silencing Potion, you can't even measure out your daisy roots.lest even remember that you only needed half a pinch." Snape began as he stood in front of Neville, the poor forgetful boy looking as if he were about to cry.
"Why don't you leave him alone?" a voice behind Snape growled out. The entire classroom was thrown into silence, even the Slytherins stopped jeering at Neville to see who would dare speak out against their professor. Professor Snape turned around quickly and the whole class could see Cassandra White standing before the tall and lanky potions master hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.
"Excuse me?" Snape whispered dangerously.
"I'm sorry, maybe you had an extra amount of ear wax in your ears or you probably didn't hear me the first time. I said, leave him alone," Cassandra said as she inched closer to her infuriated teacher. All the Gryffindors exchanged looks with one another. Sure all of them had insulted Professor Snape before, but not to his face.
"That will be fifty points from Gryffindor Miss White, now if you don't take your seat and stay quiet I will personally see that you are thrown out of this school for disrespect to your elders."
"You can't do anything to me Professor Snape. You're not the head of my house! And if you don't stop bullying poor students maybe I'll have a talk with the headmaster myself!
"Fifty points from Gryffindor, White and a detention and if you don't sit down right now it'll be one hundred fifty points from Gryffindor!" But Cassandra refused to move from her spot on the dungeon room floor. Harry looked at the back of Malfoy's head and saw him sniggering with Crabbe and Goyle. Snape was about to tell Cassandra off again but a shrill ringing noise stopped him from doing so. Everyone looked over at Neville's cauldron and saw that the smoke was rising faster, and the ringing noise was becoming louder. Snape dived away quickly as did Neville and Cassandra but Malfoy and his two cronies didn't notice in time and the entire potion exploded all over not only Neville's station but Draco, Crabbe and Goyle as well. All of the Gryffindors erupted with laughter as the reeking smell of rotten cabbage and eggs omitted from the three Slytherins.
Harry noticed that Snape's face had turned an awful crimson color and he stood up from behind his desk and looked at his class, hair in his face. "EVERYONE OUT THIS INSTANT! YOU ARE TO WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT THE SILENCING POTION AND ITS USES.TWO ROLES OF PARCHMENT DUE TO ME TOMORROW! LONGBOTTOM, STAY AND CLEAN UP YOUR MESS. . .WHITE, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU. . .IN. . .MY. . .OFFICE!" Snape bellowed his hair in disarray and his face turning back to its usual pale color. Harry, Ron, and Hermione and the rest of the class packed up their ingredients and their cauldrons and headed out of Snape's classroom, the smell of reeking cabbage following them.
Harry turned around and saw Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy slump out of the classroom, Malfoy still trying to hold what dignity he had left. "Just wait until I tell my father about that Yank! He'll be absolutely appalled that Dumbledore even suggested having a foreigner emitted into our school!"
"And what is your father going to do about it Malfoy? He's under lock and key in Azkaban. He has zero power to help you get through school now." Hermione pointed out. Malfoy gave her a filthy look before he said a few words that had Ron and Harry grasping their wands from inside their robes.
"Just let it go.his ego's a bit bruised," Hermione explained trying her hardest not to be taken aback by the names Malfoy had called her although Harry could see she was clearly shaken up by it.
"What shall we do now?" Harry asked, "Snape let us out half an hour earlier than he meant to."
"I say we wait for Cassie to get out of Snape's class.Fred and George would have loved her I'm telling you right now," Ron explained as he sat down on the stone steps staring at the classroom door, waiting for Cassandra to appear.
"Don't worry Professor Snape. . .it won't happen again. Maybe if you weren't too hard on your students. . .if you offered tutoring or something maybe some of the students wouldn't hate you so much," a voice explained very close to the entrance of Snape's classroom.
"GET OUT! DO NOT LECTURE ME ON HOW TO TEACH MY CLASSES YOUNG LADY!" Snape screamed from inside his classroom.
"See you in a few days Professor Snape.great class really," the voice replied before Cassandra walked out of the classroom a big smile on her face.
"That wasn't smart.you lost us one hundred points on the first day!" Hermione scolded Cassandra as she walked up to the three students sitting on the steps.
"One hundred thirty . . . I talked back to him and he took another thirty. I guess its some kind of record. Anyway, you guys didn't have to wait up for me; I was just going to go into the Hall and a snack or something. Any one of you up for it or have I been marked a disturber of the peace?" Cassandra asked a goofy smile still planted on her face.
"Sounds like a good idea actually. I didn't have a lot at breakfast," Ron started before he walked up the steps with Cassandra beside him, Harry and Hermione following closely.
"Look Longbottom, it's your Yankee girlfriend! Is she going to save you from the dinner plates from not serving you enough food? Because lord knows your ass isn't big enough" Malfoy jeered from across the hall. Neville looked as if someone had pulled his pants down in the middle of the hall, his face had gone a dark red from embarrassment and Cassandra offered him a reassuring smile.
By the time dinner had rolled around everyone had known about how the American transfer student had lost one hundred thirty points for her house because she had been brave enough to stand up to Snape. Many of the people who were terrified of Snape, Neville in particular, had held Cassandra up to some sort of higher light and all of the students from each of the houses (with the exception of Slytherin) had given her shouts of congratulations in the hallway.
The rest of the classes, however, had gone smoothly. Hagrid, even though he had to be fair to all students, had secretly pulled Harry and Ron aside during his Care of Magical Creatures Class to tell them that Cassandra was one of the most brave and brilliant people he had ever met. And not only that, but Cassandra shared his love with extremely dangerous creatures.
"Sure I saw a dragon once," she had told Hagrid that day after they had read about the magical beasts in their books, "one of the American Purple Short Snouts...but it was when I was just about three, they had one at the zoo before it escaped and had to be taken up to Antarctica."
"Hey Longbottom, maybe if you screw up in Transfiguration tomorrow and turn your toad into a brain, you could actually remember things!" Malfoy screamed across the hall once more. He continued to shout insults at Neville, who had never been so publicly humiliated in his life (second to when he had received a Howler letter from his grandmother about leaving the Gryffindor passwords out for Sirius Black, then a runaway from Azkaban, to find) and Harry noticed a small tear escape his left eye. Malfoy then moved his insults to include Neville's parents and that's when Harry knew he had gone too far.
"Maybe if your parents weren't as fat and as stupid as you Longbottom, they probably wouldn't be at St. Mungo's drooling and speaking gibberish because they stuck their noses into other people's businesses!" This sent the Slytherins into howls of laughter some even clapping Malfoy on the back. Harry looked up towards the teacher's head table and wondered why none of them were doing anything to stop Malfoy's insults.
Harry watched in awe as Cassandra whispered something into Neville's ear before she got up from her seat and walked over to where Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins were and sat down on the table, looking directly at Malfoy. The whole hall went silent again, all eyes on the Slytherin table.
"Thank you Draco for thinking that Neville Longbottom was my boyfriend. I would be extremely honored to have someone as nice and as brave as Neville as a boyfriend. And I am absolutely shocked that a handsome young man like you doesn't have a girlfriend. Oh, wait, could it be because you still smell like rotten cabbage and rotten eggs?" Cassandra asked her face inches from Malfoy's. The entire hall erupted into laughter as Cassandra let out a little laugh of her own. "Oh but it seems as though your rancid smell has started to fade.here let me help you regain your special odor." And with a devilish grin on her face she picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice and dumped it all over his head.
The entire hall gasped in shock all of them watching as Malfoy jumped from his seat and he looked at Cassandra who was still sitting on the Slytherin table, grinning from ear to ear. "Please consider the next time you open your foul mouth to insult someone who has never done something to earn it Mr. Draco Malfoy, because I am a firm believer in karma and what goes around." Cassandra said in a deathly quiet voice that made it hard for everyone in the hall to hear, "Comes around." And with that, she hopped off of the Slytherin table curtsied to the head table and apologized for her rudeness at dinner before she walked to the doorways that lead to the large marble staircase.
"I like her," Ron said to Harry over the cheers, "Let's see Malfoy try to curse or insult anybody with Cassie around!"