Cassi lay on her bed in the dorm room she shared with Hermione and another girl, staring at the ceiling. It was late, but she couldn't sleep. She was too excited.
How did I end up in Gryffindor? she thought to herself. Why would the Hat put me here? What was it the Hat had said about her - "The resolve is unyielding, but pure". What's that supposed to mean? She rolled to her side and stared at the blank stone wall of the Gryffindor girls' dormitories. Maybe it just means I'm too young to be corrupted yet? No, that can't be it. I've seen enough corruption to last me a good fifty years or so. She blinked back sudden tears. She rolled to her other side, impatient with herself for being weak.
She decided not to question why she was there, at Hogwarts, ready to start learning to use her magic. Instead, Cassi decided to marvel at everything she'd seen and try to imprint it in her memory so she could remember this day in the years to come. She remembered the expressions on Fred and George's faces when she was Sorted into Gryffindor. She remembered her astonishment when the magic food appeared at Professor Dumbledore's command up and down every table. She remembered the first time she saw Dumbledore himself, with his long silver beard and funny hat. Cassi had looked down the long table of teachers during the feast and silently observed each one, sometimes asking Fred or George their names. A few of the professors in particular had caught her eye.
Cassi had taken an instant liking to Professor McGonagall. The twins didn't seem to fancy her much, but that was probably because they pulled pranks so often. She was the House Head for Gryffindor, and she also taught Transfiguration, which was one of the classes Cassi was most looking forward to. Another witch she liked was Madame Pomfrey. She was the nurse at Hogwarts, fixing broken bones and cuts and concussions with the help of magic. There was one other magician who had caught Cassi's eye. He was a wizard, sitting to one side of Professor McGonagall, casting a disapproving stare over the students. The twins said his name was Snape. He was the House Head of Slytherin.
Cassi had overheard a bit of conversation between Harry and Percy, who were both sitting close. She heard Percy say, "Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to - everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." Cassi had quickly located Quirrell - a frightened-looking man with a purple turban on his head - and decided he must be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. That's who I want to meet, she had thought. Someone who can teach me to use my magic to defend myself. Then she had glanced from Quirrell to Snape. Maybe, though, Snape would be better. If he was so passionate about wanting to teach DADA, maybe he'd be more willing to help her outside of class.
Cassi was snapped back to real time by one of her roommates' yawns. She suddenly realized she was exhausted.
I'll see how the next few weeks of DADA go, she thought sleepily. If I need something more before I have to go back for the summer, I'll talk to Professor Snape.
The last thing she remembered as she fell asleep was the way Professor Snape's dark eyes had carelessly combed the room full of students, eventually coming to rest on her.