AN: Chapter 9 is also in two parts, so sorry about the late update for the first part, but the second should be out either Thursday or Friday.

Jolene (Jo) Zocchi

Chapter 9.1

"So where's my Christmas present?" That's how Cas greets me. George hears her and takes her seriously. He starts to bother me, thinking I am hiding a gift that I didn't actually get him. I'm not sure whether or not Cas actually thinks I got her a gift. I didn't.

She acts very offended, until I make her admit that she didn't get me anything either. Then she tries to continue acting offended but I laugh at her until she quits. That's when the twins tell us they have a big surprise and pull out a big, chunky looking sack. We're sitting in an almost empty study room, so the twins don't feel the need to be inconspicuous or quiet. Instead, George proudly proclaims that the bag is full of presents stolen from Filtch's office. Fred and George look incredibly pleased with themselves. I'm impressed. Cas is not amused- her eyes go wide and she's shushing the twins and looking wildly around as if Filtch was lurking just out of sight.

"So when'd you get it?" I ask. Cas and I aren't ready to open the gift. Cas actually looks very much against the idea. I'm just trying to prolong Christmas. I'm not ready to go back to classes or stop receiving gifts. I like gifts.

"I guess it's actually all thanks to Cas, really," Fred says at the same time George explains it was his "mad skills and awesomeness." I look to Cas as the tiebreaker. She once again looks very annoyed, so I realize Fred is telling the truth. I raise my eyebrows at her and she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah," Fred continues, "She distracted Filtch for us while were raiding his office."

"That's why part of the library is closed now- she broke a room," George pipes in.

"I did not! I knocked over one little bookshelf- that's all!" Cas is clearly done with the conversation, so I grab the bag of presents from George and dump it on the table in the middle of us. It's an absolute mess.

"Nothing's wrapped."

"If you don't like it you don't get any." I stick my tongue out at Fred and pick up the closest thing on the table. It takes me a few seconds to realize it's the remains of a quaffle. It looks like it was attacked by a dog. I throw it back on the table and pick up a shoe. It's a red high top with a worn sole and frayed laces. It's also about five sizes too big for me. I turn it upside down and some dirt comes out. I put the shoe back.

Fred has a rubber bouncy ball and a rock. He's trying to juggle them but it's not really working. George found an old quill. I look back into the mess and see something shining- George sees it too and we both lunge to get it. I get there first and find myself in possession of a pocket knife. I'm smile, knowing I just won Christmas.

Cas, on the other hand, clearly lost Christmas. She got a piece of parchment. A blank, weirdly folded piece of paper. I laugh at her and she threatens to give me a paper cut. I show her my knife and she glares. Winning is fun.

We throw all the junk back in the sack and pocket what we want to keep. Fred decides to keep his rock and bouncy ball, George keeps his quill and grabs the quaffle- "In case we find a placement chaser, since Cassidy, you know, can't." She glares at him. I realize I forgot to tell them about my little agreement with Wood, and I tell them a...modified...story of what happened.

"He got on the train late so he ended up in my car, and he started talking and I brought up Quidditch and he offered to give me lessons and you too, George." George beams but Fred looks a little hurt. Cas is staring in a strangely interested way

"You're lying," she says. I hate how she can tell.

"No I'm-"

"Yes. You're using your lying voice. And you're turning red. You always do that, but I know it's because you lied this time."

I don't know how to respond, and I look to the twins for back up, but they're looking at me for an explanation now. Cas smirks.

"So what really happened, Jo?" She's enjoying this too much. But I'm in a corner. I sigh.

"He may have seen us steal the equipment and followed us and watched us play Quidditch," I mutter. Cas's eyes go wide, obviously scared that we're in trouble. Fred and George look surprised, but not worried so much. More curious.

"And?" Cas demands.

"And he said you're bad at flying and that we shouldn't let you try Quidditch again." She turns bright red and starts stammering that it wasn't her choice the first time and that she's fine at flying but not dodging bludgers and she shouldn't have to be and that it isn't her fault. For some reason it's never Cas's fault in her mind.

George cuts off her rambling- "Actually though, Jo- what happened?"

"Wood said we were all talented but Cas and he asked why we didn't just rent the equipment-" Cas cuts in at this point to try and say she told us so, but there's an unspoken consensus to ignore her, so I keep going- " and we made a deal that he'd give me and George lessons if we promise not to practice in secret anymore." George is excited, Fred is satisfied with the answer but I can tell he feels left out, and Cas is brooding in her seat mumbling about how Quidditch isn't that great anyway.

We get up to go, George taking the sack of rejected presents to do I don't really care what with it. Cas, still in a mood, gets up and folds her arms all in a huff, waiting for Fred so they can go to their dorm together. He gets up and goes to pull the bouncy ball out of his pocket and play with it, not realizing he actually has the rock. He throws it to the floor before any of us can stop him- and they next thing we know, everything is black.

The air is actually black- the kind you can't see your hand in. I spend about it minute waving my hand back and forth before I realize this. Cas yelps, Fred hollers a confused apology, and George is laughing. I try to step forward but decide against it, not knowing where anyone or anything is.

"Fred, what did you do?" I hear Cas from not too far off. "Guys, you've gotta see this!"

"See what? Eternal blackness? I already see it, Cas. That's all I can see." Fred is clearly not amused.

"That's not my fault. Actually, though- I can see it. It's like a wall, but it's not. It's air." She's not making sense at this point, so I follow her voice through the black. And then it's not black. I'm back in the room, staring at Cas. I turn around and realize she was right- it is a wall of black air. We just look at each other, and then at the wall. After a minute or two of silence, the black starts receding- fading into like a grey mist. I can start to see the twins- Fred sitting on the ground looking up towards the ceiling, and George spinning around waving his arms trying to...I don't know what he's trying to do.

When the black is completely gone we all just stand there for a second. And then Cas speaks up.

"We're getting another rock from Filtch. Right now." She's completely serious. So serious that she pulls her wand and does some spell I don't know that makes water come out of her wand. She's flooding the room. The twins and I stare at each other in amazement.

"Well- go get Filtch! The room is flooding you idiots!" She's serious. Fred snaps out of amazement and runs into the hall. Cas calmly follows but splits off and heads defiantly to Filtch's office. I run after her, leaving George ankle deep in magic water.

AN: so Jo got a knife...What do you think? Let us know overall thoughts and thanks for reading!