Thank you guys so much for the feedback and the favorites over this last month! I'm really proud of this story and I'm happy you guys are enjoying it too!

Disclaimer: Once again, I am not English so please forgive my ignorance. Also I only own Cressida and the characterization of her family. JK owns everything else (but she can pry my headcanons from my cold, dead, hands)


The Chariot

upright: direction, control, willpower

reversed: lack of direction, lack of control, aggression

Cressida leaned against the back of the stiff seat she'd been sat in for almost half an hour. Her parents always had to make sure she got there early so that there was no chance of her ever missing the train. Not that they'd ever had to worry. If she hadn't learned punctuality from her parents, Ted had practically beaten in into her, always making sure she was up an hour before they needed to get anywhere so they had plenty of time in case something happened. He'd even done it at school, sending his owl flying through her bedroom window to peck her awake.

How he'd managed to memorize her schedule when his was so packed was beyond her. At least she wouldn't miss the Prefect meeting. She'd jumped for joy when she'd received the letter, the shiny pin matching Ted's old Hufflepuff one with one crucial difference. Blue and bronze decorated the badge, the metal "P" gleaming whenever she held it in the sunlight.

This was going to be her year. She'd finally managed to come up with a system of notes that didn't leave her scrambling for loose parchment at the last second, she was a Prefect and she'd maybe earn her spot on the Quidditch team back. But there was something more important she had to tackle this year. Because this was the year she was finally going to ask Remus Lupin out.

Cressida gulped at the thought, her stomach twisting. Her friends had been badgering her about it since he'd bought her that damn butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks two years ago and they'd spent the rest of the day discussing their favorite books. Dorcas and Emmeline hadn't let her forget it, spending the rest of the year wiggling their eyebrows and teasing her anytime she and Remus were in the same room.

Cressida was just happy the two of them hadn't found out about her study sessions with the Gryffindor or she was sure she'd never hear the end of it.

Voices rose up from the platform as more families crowded the station, tiny first years dragging their large trunks and owl cages over the stairs and through the tiny corridors of the Hogwarts express, parents anxiously hugging them and cleaning them up before they loaded onto the train.

Cressida smiled at the thought. Her parents never spent any more time than they had to in the Wizarding world. Her father was fascinated with everything, but her mother was always wary of it, like something would attack them from the shadows. Ted had always dismissed it with a wave of his hand, claiming that she was always worried about them. Cressida wasn't sure.

The door of her compartment slammed open and Dorcas flopped down in the seat across from her, blowing a stray curl from her face as she extended her legs across the booth. "You won't believe who I ran into on the way here," Her lips were turned up in a trademark smirk, eyes twinkling. Cressida sighed and closed her book, setting it on her lap as she raised her eyebrow at her friend.

"Are you going to tell me or is this the part where you leave me in suspense?" She asked, a bit of humor in her tone while Dorcas rolled her eyes and pushed her leg.

"I'm not that bad!" She protested, although the smile breaking through her lips told Cressida that she didn't believe a single word she was saying, "I was just trying to have some fun."

Cressida chuckled and shook her head, the two sharing a mischievous look, "Alright, who was it?"

Dorcas' thick heeled boots slammed against the floor of the train, her smile growing wider as she leaned in, "Long legs."

She shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face, "I told you not to call him that."

Dorcas scoffed, "Oh like the name his friends picked is any better?" The girl leaned against the back of her seat again, "What the hell kind of nickname is Moony anyway?"

Cressida shrugged. She didn't understand half the nicknames Remus' friends gave themselves anyway. It was bad enough they'd started referring to themselves as the 'Marauders' last year, but this past summer they'd taken it further.

She didn't even know them that well, but when Remus had written her, apparently the other boys had caught on, teasing her and signing their names with ridiculous nicknames like 'Padfoot' and 'Prongs', leaving Cressida to try and figure out who was who.

"It doesn't even fit his personality," Dorcas continued to complain, arm dangling over her knee as she moved her feet back off the floor, "Remus is the most level-headed of the four of them. Potter should have that name if anything."

Cressida chuckled again, recalling the curly-haired boy's numerous attempts to get Lily to go out with him the past year. The whole school knew about it at this point, James disrupting every class in order to commit some over-the-top romantic gesture to gain the attention of Lily Evans, one of the few girls from Gryffindor Cressida actually enjoyed talking with.

"He needs to learn to take a hint," Cressida jumped in, the girls' laughter carrying through the corridors of the train, "If she keeps rejecting your advances, perhaps she's just not that into you,"

"Speaking from personal experience Tonks?"

A shot of irritation flew through her veins as she recognized the voice outside her compartment. Cressida plastered a smile on her face as she faced the kid who'd called her out, his two friends flanking him.

James Potter wore an easy smile on his face, his wild curls falling just above his eyebrows. Sirius Black leaned against the compartment with a smirk, his hair longer than she remembered. Cressida's attention, however, flew to the tall kid behind them. Remus had his head down and his hands stuffed in his pockets, like he was avoiding the conversation. Cressida's heart tugged. Remus always looked so uncomfortable at the start of the year, especially on the train. Her gaze lingered on the tall boy for a moment more before turning toward his friend.

"That's funny coming from you Black," She shot back, "Considering half the female population of Hogwarts wants nothing to do with you in the first place."

Sirius bit his lip in irritation, Potter slapping his friend's shoulder as the compartment erupted into laughter. Even Remus let out a little chuckle and Cressida's chest danced in pride.

"Damn Moony," Potter spoke up, a twinkle in his hazel eyes, "You said she was smart but you forgot to tell us how funny she was,"

Cressida simply shrugged, a smile on her face as Remus went red. Out of the corner of her eye, Dorcas was smirking at the interaction, wiggling her eyebrows. Cressida rolled her eyes. There wasn't anything there.

Remus didn't even really interact with her outside of classes and when he was with his friends he almost never acknowledged her. She supposed it wasn't his fault though, James and Sirius were actual children. Cressida would have her hands full if she was in that friend group too.

"I told you plenty of times James, you just weren't listening," Remus chimed in, a soft smile on his face as his eyes met Cressida's. Her pulse raced and she forced herself to sit up straighter, stomach flip-flopping as she held his stare for a brief second before Remus turned away again.

Her shoulders deflated.

"Careful Moony," Potter teased, a playful smile on his face, "I'm starting to think you prefer her company to ours,"
Remus shrugged nonchalantly, but something lay behind his face, body tensing at James' words.

"And why shouldn't he?" Dorcas chimed in, staring down the three boys, "Cress is a lot more fun than the lot of you."
James pressed a hand to his chest, a look of mock hurt written across his face at her words, "Oooh, that hurts Meadowes. Here I thought we were friends,"

Dorcas smirked and Cressida chuckled, a brief silence settling over the two groups of friends before more footsteps were heard. The shortest kid of their little group popped up behind them, sandy hair and watery blue eyes looking on eagerly.

"Hey, guys!" Peter chimed in, a wide smile on his face as he surveyed the scene, "What'd I miss?"

"James is giving Remus a hard time again," Cressida explained, arching an eyebrow at the Potter boy. He lifted his hands up in surrender, and more footsteps were heard behind them, a small cough parting the group that was crowding the doorway of the compartment.

"Oh party time's over boys," Sirius chimed in with a smirk on his face, flipping some of his hair out of the way, "The fun police is here."

Emmeline shook her head as she dragged her trunk into the compartment, ignoring the large group of boys she had to wade through. She smiled when she caught Dorcas' gaze, the smaller girl helping Emmeline place her trunk in the above compartment, setting her owl down on the seat beside her.

When the last of Cressida's friends had finished settling in, she turned around, her ponytail whipping around as she crossed her arms. "The train's going to be leaving soon," was all Emmeline said, always trying to keep people in line, "So I suggest you get to your compartments."

Sirius widened his eyes and stuck out his lower lip, like he was a dog begging for more scraps, "Oh come on Vance, Peter's only just got here," He pressed closer, a smirk crawling across his face as he closed some of the space between them, "You wouldn't deny the poor lad a little fun would you?"

Emmeline sent him a sarcastic smile, the expression dipping into a frown as she stared at the foursome, "Yes I would. Now get to your compartments. Now."

A series of 'yes ma'am's' left the boys' mouths, although Remus stayed quiet. Probably because he knew what it was like to keep all of them in check. Emmeline finally turned her gaze to Remus, a stern look in her eye, "And Remus? Don't forget about the prefect meeting."

He nodded, and while his friend group dispersed, the tall boy lingered there a little while longer, leaning against the compartment door on Cressida's side.

"Congrats, by the way," He smiled, and when she sent him a look of confusion, he simply pointed to the prefect badge in her hand.

"Oh," She shook the stupidity from her head, trying to act like a functional human being around him. "Thank you, you too." She reciprocated, trying to come up with another conversation topic to keep him here a little while longer. An awkward silence hung between the two of them, and Dorcas nudged her leg with her foot.

"So uh, how was your summer?" She asked, cringing inwardly at the small talk she'd forced herself into. Ted was always the one who'd helped her with these types of conversations. Cressida could never start them on her own, that's why she had Dorcas and Emmeline to help her out.

"It was good," Remus answered quickly, twiddling with his thumbs and looking back at the compartment his friends had claimed, "Yours?"

Cressida nodded, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing, "Good, I uh, I got to see my brother and my niece so that was really nice."

Remus perked up at the news, like she had said something interesting, "Oh that's great, how are they?"

"They're good," Cressida rushed out, unaware why her palms were starting to get sweaty. She ignored her racing pulse and continued to press forward, the knot of nerves in her stomach tightening as the conversation continued forward. "I'm eager to get back to Hogwarts though. Be around friends again,"

Remus nodded in agreement, scratching the back of his neck with his hand, a shy smile on his face, "Yeah, I uh, I know the feeling."

The awkwardness between them was palpable, and Cressida gulped as silence stood between them, waiting to be broken by either one of them. It was her that shattered it.

"It must be nice for you to hang out with James and Sirius again,"

She wiped her palms discreetly against her jeans, smiling tightly to try and hide the blush that was crossing her cheeks.

Remus sighed into his posture, leaning against the compartment door where Sirius had once been. His maroon sweater hung off his shoulders nicely, sleeves ending just a few inches above his wrists, but he tried to tug on them regardless. "Yeah, I got to see them a bit over the summer, but it's nice to be back here after...everything."

It was the first time Cressida noticed how tired Remus looked. His face was pale and she saw sunken eyes encircled by large purple bags, the color dulled. The only bright spot was his smile. Soft and sweet like the chocolate he always carried with him, it seemed to hold his last bit of energy. She foolishly wondered if he had been saving it for her.

Cressida smiled, hoping to cheer him up a little bit more, "How's your family? Did they have a good summer?"
Remus tensed at her question and Cress mentally slapped herself. "Yeah," His voice was tight, like it was hard to say the words, "They're, uh, they're great. What about yours?"
He shifted his gaze away from her, and Cressida bit her lip. Goddammit. She knew she'd mess something up eventually. Always putting her foot in her mouth.

"They're good," She rushed out the words, briefly looking away to regain some of her dignity. "Uh, did you get the chance to read the book I recommended?"

Remus' eyes lit up, "Yeah, yeah, I did! I'm right in the middle of it actually," He explained, some of the color coming back into his face, "I'm really enjoying the characters, and if you get the chance I'd like to-"

"Oi Moony!" Black called, his voice carrying over to the other compartment, "Stop flirting with Tonks and get over here."

Red flushed Remus' face and Cressida found herself avoiding his gaze, trying not to think too hard about Sirius' words.

"I'm on my way you lazy git," Remus called back with a smirk, earning a laugh from Cressida.

She tried to stifle it so Black didn't hear, but the sight of Remus's returning smile stopped her efforts. She let her laughter flow freely, the nervous knot in her stomach unraveling as she observed the quiet pride on Remus's face, the boy running a hand through his sandy locks before turning back to her.

"Looks like your friends are waiting," She choked out, trying to seem collected when all she wanted to do was talk to him a little bit more.

Remus nodded, his smile falling slightly, "I suppose I should-"

"Yeah," Cressida finished for him, concealing her disappointment of seeing him go. His fingers drummed the compartment door as he left. Her brain cried out in relief as she watched his retreating figure and all she could think was how badly she had fucked up with that single question about his family.

When Remus had disappeared out of earshot, Cressida let out a strangled groan, sliding down the seat until she was almost on the floor.

"Hey, you did better that time," Emmeline chimed in, trying to sound supportive. Cressida stared at her friend through her fingers, one eyebrow raised skeptically. She was a trainwreck when it came to small talk, and it was even worse with Remus.

When they were studying it was no big deal and she could talk his ear off about any of the subjects they were learning about. Even with stuff they had in common, it wasn't that difficult. But regular conversation was a nightmare, and she couldn't just sass him like she did with the others.

Dorcas moved to say something next, "Em's right, you weren't that big of a trainwreck this time. I mean, he actually answered when you asked about his family, that's huge."

"Oh please," Cressida moved over to their side of the compartment and sat between them, slumping in her seat, "I was an absolute mess and we all know it."
Her two friends shared a sympathetic look and snuggled closer, Emmeline wrapping an arm around her while Dorcas laid her head on Cressida's shoulder.

"You'll do better next time," Emmeline promised, playing with one of her curls, "I mean, you can talk to Lovegood and Diggory with almost no issue at all." Cressida knew exactly what she was referring to.

In fourth year, Diggory held an end-of-the-year party in the Hufflepuff common room, supplying them with enough booze to make anyone spill their secrets without veritaserum. Cress had been one of the only fourth years invited, although she knew the only reason was because she'd finally grown a rack that year. He'd flirted with her most of the night and she'd had no issue with it. She actually enjoyed the positive attention for once. Lovegood had done the same thing after the winter holidays that year, and Emmeline and Dorcas were still convinced that her efforts to shut him down had only made him fall more in love with her.

Even after she'd told them about the cute boy in Gryffindor he was now dating.

"That's different!" Cress protested, hanging her head in her hands and hunching her shoulders, "Lovegood and Diggory don't have brains. Remus does which makes it so much harder," She whinged, voice muffled as Emmeline pulled her closer. "It's not like I fancy Diggory or Lovegood, they're just friends. Remus…" She trailed off, trying to find the right words, "...isn't."

She let out another frustrated sigh and hung her head.

Dorcas stroked her arm, a sympathetic smile on her face. Silence hung over the three of them, each one trying to find something to say.

Cressida let out a deep breath but stayed slumped in her seat, placing her hands back in her lap. "And now I have to go to the prefect meeting and act like I didn't just embarrass myself knowing he's in the compartment right across from ours..."

A few small chuckles left her friend's mouths and Dorcas intertwined her fingers with Cressida's, a sly smirk working across her face.

"Yeah that's not fun," She paused, like she was getting ready to say something else, "Maybe you should've thought of that before you agreed to be one."

Laughter erupted from the carriage and Cressida slapped her friend in the shoulder, shaking her head. This, she realized, this was what she missed. At home it felt like walking on eggshells, trying not to bring up magic or Hogwarts around her mom in case she got angry. But here it was freeing, to laugh and joke and poke fun at the stupid decisions they'd all made. Cress chuckled at an incident in third year that flashed across her memory. A charms class with the Gryffindors that left Dorcas with no eyebrows and Emmeline with half her hair burnt off, forcing her to get a really bad haircut that year. Poor Flitwick was putting out that fire for hours.

Her head split in pain, and Cressida lifted a hand to her temple, cursing silently. She really wished her magic would figure itself out soon. Seers were rare, she knew, but there had to be some sort of research into knowing which headaches were visions coming on and which were just common side effects. She tried to ask her mother over the summer and came up empty, Mum refusing to say anything other than "ask your grandmother".

She wouldn't even let her touch the tarot cards unless she asked. It was quite ridiculous really. Her visions were so uncontrollable that it wouldn't matter. Thankfully, she always let her pack them for Hogwarts.

"Hey," Dorcas chimed in, brows scrunching together in worry, "Are you okay? It was just a joke, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's not that at all," Cressida waved her concerns away, "It's these stupid headaches, I swear they've only gotten worse over the summer." She complained, moving back over to her seat, a soft meow coming from beside her. Gaia climbed out of her carrier, stretching out before walking over Cressida's thighs and curling up into a ball of grey fur. She smiled at her pet, the lazy thing rarely wanting to move on the best days. She dug her hands into her soft fur and tried to shake the pain away.

"Have you taken your meds today?" Emmeline asked, always making sure that Cressida was on top of things. She nodded, remembering how she'd almost forgotten that morning. It had taken her mother mentioning the six month supply she'd ordered for school to get her to remember. To be fair, Cress wasn't sure how much the medication actually helped. It stopped the humming for a bit and helped her focus, but provided little relief in terms of the headaches. The sleeping pills did more for her than anything else she'd taken.

"I just, I need to figure out how to get a handle on this, or I'm going to have a repeat of History of Magic last year," Cressida bemoaned, running a hand through her curls. She hadn't failed the class, but it was the first year she'd come close and it had been the reason Professor Dumbledore decided to give her private lessons. No one had been more disappointed than Cressida. She'd worked so hard to do her best and always be at the top of her class, so to fail at a basic class because of her own magical power was frustrating.

"You're going to figure it out," Emmeline chimed in, a soft smile on her face, "I mean, you managed to improve Flitwick's cleaning spell within a day, if anyone can do this, it's you."

Cressida blushed at the compliment, smiling at the memory. When she'd finally shown her findings to the Charms Professor, he'd been so giddy he'd given her twenty house points and offered her a biscuit for her hard work. It was the first time she'd felt intelligent enough for her house. Like the sorting hat hadn't made a mistake her first day here.

Dorcas and Emmeline shared a look before leaning in closer, "That being said," The former began, a wry smile on her face, "Do you think maybe…?"

Cressida let out an overexaggerated sigh, chuckling as she pulled the tarot cards out of her bag, "Fine, I guess I can give you one fortune each," She smiled before checking her watch, "As long as we're not late for the meeting."

Cress launched a look toward Emmeline, who gave her a thumbs up. When in doubt, Emmeline always kept them on track. With a nod of approval, Cressida began shuffling the decades-old deck, careful not to accidentally rip the thin cards as she did.

"Alright you two, what do you want?"

Dorcas leaned in first with an eager smile on her face, "A love reading for me please."

Cressida shook her head, an involuntary smile on her face, "Of course, you do. Always trying to find the perfect partner."

"Hey, I love love, what can I say?"

She placed the cards in a towering order, a few falling out as Dorcas asked if she was going to meet her partner soon. When Cressida had all five cards, she moved them around until three were in the middle with one on top and one on the bottom. The backs of the cards looked up at her, and Cressida gulped before closing her eyes and turning the first card over. Small things like this were easy, each vision clear as the world melted into matte black, the Hogwarts Express disappearing. It was replaced by the Ravenclaw common room, the humming surrounding Dorcas warbling into actual words. They were quick flashes, flipping through her brain like she was speed-reading them, feeling much longer than they actually were.

"I just want someone to cuddle with you know? Like maybe a full-time thing eventually, but right now I just want like...affection."

Cressida moved her hands to the next three cards, the vision shifting once again, only this time she was only given the voice. She smiled at the familiar tone, recognizing who it was as more images flashed across her brain, laughter and happiness lacing each one. Her cheeks hurt from smiling at the picture for too long, and when she brought her hand to the last card she was jolted into darkness, an anguished scream echoing through the mindspace. It pushed Cressida back into the present and she snatched her hand away from the card, eyes wide as she locked them with Dorcas'.

"What?" Her friend's smile dropped, "What is it, what did you see?"

Cressida cleared her throat, trying to plaster a happy smile on her face for her friend's sake. "Uh, nothing important." She stared down at the spread, reading each card carefully before making her own prediction. "So uh, you're not that ready for a relationship at the moment," Cress explained, trying to shove the cold feeling out of her mind, "You want affection but no commitment, and the person you're looking for needs that next step." She continued onto the next three cards, smiling as she recalled the happiness in the deck. She could feel every bit of it, calling out to her like a tendril of energy wrapping around her. It made her giddy and for a moment she wondered if any of her future spreads would look like this again.

"But the important thing is," Cressida continued, seeing the crestfallen look on Dorcas' face disappear, "You've already met this person, and when you enter a relationship with them, it'll be perfectly happy."

Dorcas giggled, something that Cressida had never heard from her before. "Really?"

Cressida nodded, her smile matching the wide one on her friend's face as she cleared the table. The girl leaned against the window, staring out into the countryside like she had just been told the best news of her life, Emmeline and Cressida sharing a knowing look before their watch alarms went off.

"Shit," Emmeline whispered under her breath, "You can do mine later, right now we're late for the Prefect meeting."

Cressida straightened up, smile dropping into an expression of concern, "Wait, are you serious?"

Emmeline nodded, pulling open the compartment door with speed as she attached the prefect badge to her sweater, tossing Cressida's her way, "Come on, Diggle's going to kill us."

Cressida gulped and attached the badge to her shirt, plopping Gaia in Dorcas' lap as she moved to follow Emmeline out the door.

"Oh come on, don't leave me with her," Dorcas complained, a pleading look on her face, "You know she hates me."

Cressida stuck her head back into the compartment, hanging onto the door as Emmeline tried to usher her away, "I can't just let her roam the compartment. And she hates everybody, don't take it personally."

Cressida then disappeared down the corridor with rushed steps, Dorcas' voice calling after her, "Fine! I'll just eat all the chocolate frogs in retribution!"

"Don't you dare!" Cressida yelled back, laughing as they crossed into the Prefect car, looking for the compartment marked with the Ravenclaw banner. Emmeline had already run ahead, leaving Cressida to try and find it without her help. Her body collided with someone else's and when she looked up, her grey eyes collided with the bright green ones of Remus Lupin. She was struck with the realization that she'd never known his eye color until now.

She liked it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," She quickly apologized, trying to keep the blush from spreading across her chest. Stupid, she chastised herself, goddammit now he's going to think you're weirder than you actually are. "I didn't...see you."

Obviously.

Remus chuckled, waving the issue away, "That's perfectly alright," his smile made Cressida's stomach flip over and she found herself chuckling nervously along with him, "You late for the meeting too?"

Cressida nodded, a strained expression on her face, "Yeah, I was doing-I mean I-My friends wanted me to read their cards and I lost track of time."

Remus nodded, "That's right, you told me the summer before first year" He smiled softly, an expression she didn't recognize flashing behind his eyes, "Do you- that is, are you still any good?"

Cress stumbled back at his question, surprised that he remembered that conversation in Flourish and Blotts all those years ago. Surprised that he'd even asked about it in the first place. Usually, it was only Ravenclaws that wanted her to read them. The rest of the school just dismissed her or doubted the validity of divination in the first place.

"I mean…" Her words caught in her throat, and she tried to ignore her brain nagging her to hurry up to the meeting, "Everything I've read has come true so far," She tried to downplay her abilities, repeating what she'd said all those years ago. While it was well known that she was excellent at divination, she wasn't sure she wanted the entire school knowing she actually saw events before they happened.

Remus' eyes went wide and he almost looked impressed. "Wow, that's uh, that's really cool." He complimented, bringing a blush to her cheeks again, "Maybe one day you could give me a reading. Me and the boys I mean," He chuckled again, this time a tinge of nervousness accompanied it and Cressida joined in.

"Yeah," She found herself saying, unsure where it had come from while her brain was screaming at her to do the opposite, "I'd love to, if you want me to."

"I want you to," Remus quickly assured her, like he was worried, "I mean, I'm sure James and Sirius would be interested as well."

Cressida suddenly realized what this was. Somehow the so-called Marauders had found out about her doing readings and wanted some of their own. Goddammit, it was probably Lovegood, the blabbermouth. Her chest deflated as she realized that's why Remus had asked about it. He didn't really remember anything she'd said, he wasn't even that interested, he was just a conduit for his friends. She nodded curtly, glancing back down the corridor, "Well, I should probably-"

"Oh right,"

Cress tightened her lips, sending him a small wave as she ducked into the Ravenclaw compartment, sneaking in next to Emmeline as Diggle continued his speech about setting an example for the other students.

Her chest squeezed itself tightly and she tried not to think about the conversation she had just had. Her lips screwed themselves into a frown, teeth chewing on her lower one as she stared out into space, not even registering anything the Head Boy was saying.

"Hey," Emmeline whispered beside her, a worried expression on her face, "Is everything okay?"

Cressida shook her head slightly, mouthing 'later' as Diggle handed the floor over to Trelawney. She had no idea what she was doing, obviously. Trelawney and Cress had never seen eye to eye, especially after Cressida had stepped in during a study session and solved a particularly difficult Divination question with little problem. Sybil had gone mental, claiming that she didn't know what she was talking about. The next day Trelawney had ignored her after finding out that Cressida had been correct.

She'd held a grudge against her ever since.

How she managed to become Head Girl was an absolute mystery to Cressida, but she supposed Dumbledore and Flitwick knew best when it came to that sort of thing. The rest of the meeting went by in a blur, all the information going in one ear and out the other. Cressida was sure Emmeline would give her the rundown when they got back in their compartment, especially since she missed the first couple minutes of the meeting.

When they left the compartment, Emmeline came to a stop in the hallway with an expectant look on her face, "Spill, right now."

Cressida sighed, watching several other prefects make their way toward the student cars, trying to keep her voice low, "It was just a run-in with Remus, I'll tell you about it when we get back,"

Emmeline didn't relent though, and she grasped her arm and pulled her back, "Oh my god, did it go okay? Like with the-"

"I managed to have a conversation with him, yes," Cressida sighed before continuing along the corridor, practically dragging Emmeline behind her. Her friend sped up her steps until she was walking side by side with her, "Well, how did it go? What'd he say? What'd you do?"

Cressida scoffed at her friend's behavior. Em could pretend all she liked that she was above the drama and too busy with school to care, but she and Dorcas knew better. Emmeline loved to be involved, she wanted to be a part of the big stuff, and unfortunately, that included Cressida's conversations with Remus.

By the time they reached the car, Emmeline looked like she was ready to burst and Dorcas stared up at the two of them, confusion written across her face. The trolley had come and gone, evidenced by the dozens of chocolate frog wrappers and empty Bertie Botts boxes on the seats and Cressida wished it would come by again. She needed some candy to help her calm down.

"What the bloody hell is she so excited about?"

Emmeline only turned toward their friend, eyes wide with excitement as Cressida settled back into her seat, Gaia letting out a soft meow before curling up on her lap again.

"Looks like you managed to not kill her," She observed with a teasing smile, causing Dorcas to roll her eyes.

"Just barely," Dorcas protested, "The mongrel survives this time."

Cressida chuckled as she scratched Gaia's grey fur, but when she caught Emmeline's harsh gaze she stopped.

"It wasn't a big deal Em," She dismissed, trying not to seem as upset as she was, "He just asked me to read his friend's fortunes."

Emmeline deflated and crashed back in her seat, "That's all?"

Cressida shrugged, "I told you, not that big a deal."

The girl shook her head as silence fell over the group once more, the constant chugging of the train against the tracks the only sound other than the occasional purr.

Dorcas slipped another jellybean into her mouth, grimacing at the taste before spitting it out in a napkin. "Barf," was all she said. When she'd finally gotten her bearings, the girl let out an exasperated sigh. "You guys were lucky you weren't here when Snape was looking for Evans."

Both girls snapped their gazes up at the news, well-aware of the Slytherin's friendship with the studious muggleborn. Cressida had nothing against Snape except his superiority complex and the way he lorded over his potions grade over everyone else, but over the last year he'd gotten increasingly more difficult and snobbish. Not to mention he willingly hung out with Mulciber. Emma Vanity had given her all the details in potions last year, always willing to dish on the long-haired boy and his endless attempts to woo Lily Evans.

"What did he do this time?" Cress asked, leaning forward, "Pick a fight with Potter again?"

"I wish," Dorcas sighed, picking nervously at her nails, pulling at the skin around them. The air changed. What was once playful was now serious, and an unsettling feeling washed over her as Cressida watched Dorcas deep in thought. "He came in looking for Evans, said some rude things, and left."

Emmeline lowered her voice, "What kind of things?"

Dorcas shifted in her seat uncomfortably, "It doesn't matter. He found Evans not that long after it anyway."

Cressida's chest tugged. She knew what was being said, how more anti-muggleborn rhetoric was being spread now than it had before. She'd even heard whispers from some of her friends of a man amassing a following of purebloods. She wasn't sure how much of it she believed, but clearly, it was making an appearance at Hogwarts.

"Dor," She spoke carefully, anger bubbling underneath her calm demeanor, "What did he say?"

Her friend went silent and stared dead ahead, tone void of any emotion but anger, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Clearly you do if you brought it up."

"Cressida-" Dorcas silenced her off with one of her death glares, letting her know that the conversation was over with, "I'm done talking about it."

Cressida nodded, an uncomfortable silence hanging over the three of them. Dorcas went back to staring out of the window, lips pursed. Emmeline had cracked open a book on her lap but she was still sending looks of concern over to the other girl. Cressida let it go and leaned her head against the back of the seat, closing her eyes as she let the tiredness wash over her, trying to ignore the pounding in the back of her head. It still persisted despite her efforts, and she was tired of it. It had been going on for ages and she still had no idea how to handle it. Baba Esme, try as she might, still had no understanding of the wizarding world and Mum refused to even try and learn about it, so Cressida was on her own. There was very little anyone knew about seers, let alone how they worked. She could only hope Pince had more books on Divination than she did last year.

Cressida smiled as her thoughts drifted to Hogwarts, dreaming of Halloween feasts and snuggling in her four-poster-bed, Emmeline and Dorcas staying up with her until it was too late, watching the stars from the Astronomy tower and trying to sneak back before the Prefects found them. It was a sweet memory, and Cressida leaned into it as the countryside passed by, her thoughts drifting away.