"Where's Harry ?" Cassie asked the next morning at breakfast, noticing his usual seat beside Ron was absent.
"Quidditch" Ron grunted, spearing sausages with his fork "Left with Wood early this morning"
"Well he must be nearly finished now" said Hermione, gathering up some toast in a napkin "Let's go down to the pitch and we can go to Hagrid's after"
The other two agreed and Cassie made sure to spread her piece of toast liberally with pumpkin jam before following Hermione out of the hall.
They had just taken their seats on the wooden stands surrounding the Quidditch pitch when Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team walked out onto the pitch, looking bleary eyed and yawning.
"Aren't you finished yet?"called Ron incredulously.
"Haven't even started,"said Harry, shouting so they could hear him "Wood"s been teaching us new moves."
They all watched as Harry kicked off and soared into the sky, Cassie noting with amusement that Colin Creevy was also watching and taking many pictures with his camera. However, her mood turned sour when she spotted another team sporting green and silver striding across the pitch.
"Slytherins" Cassie told the other two in a dark tone
"We better go and see what is going on" replied Hermione, sounding worried.
"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry, once they had reached the Gryffindor team. "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?"
Cassie spotted who Ron was talking about, taking in Malfoy his Slytherin Quidditch robes.
"I"m the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley," said Malfoy, smugly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."
Ron gaped, open-mouthed, at the seven superb broomsticks in front of him.
"Good, aren't they?"said Malfoy smoothly. "But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms, too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives, I expect a museum would bid for them."
The Slytherin team howled with laughter.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in,"said Hermione sharply. "They got in on pure talent."
The smug look on Malfoy"s face flickered.
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood," he spat.
Cassie's mind filled with rage at Malfoy's words and she wasn't the only one. Flint had to dive in front of Malfoy to stop Fred and George jumping on him, Alicia shrieked, "How dare you!" and Ron plunged his hand into his robes, pulled out his wand, yelling,
"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" and pointed it furiously under Flint"s arm at Malfoy's face.
A loud bang echoed around the stadium and a jet of green light shot out of the wrong end of Ron"s wand, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backwards onto the grass.
"Ron! Ron! Are you all right?" squealed Hermione.
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead he gave an almighty belch and several slugs dribbled out of his mouth onto his lap.
The Slytherin team were paralysed with laughter. Flint was doubled up, hanging on to his new broomstick for support. Malfoy was on all fours, banging the ground with his fist. That was enough for Cassie who was still bristling with rage, she strode across the pitch towards Malfoy who looked up at her approach.
"Hey Black, come to have a better look at the-"
Malfoy didn't get to finish his sentence before Cassie pulled back her arm and punched him square in the face, exactly how her dad taught her to deal with bullies.
Leaving the Slytherins in stunned silence as Malfoy collapsed onto the grass moaning, she marched back across to where Ron was coughing up large, glistening slugs.
"Nice one Cass" Ron managed to garble before a fresh wave of slugs exited his mouth
"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest," said Harry to the two girls and the three of them managed to pull Ron up by the arms.
"You didn't need to do that Cassie" said Hermione quietly as they dragged Ron off the pitch "You could get in so much trouble"
"I don't care" replied Cassie furiously "He deserved it, he shouldn't have called you that stupid name"
"He really did deserve it" Harry said, grinning "You've got a great punch Cassie"
"It was still a very stupid thing to do" said Hermione, but her mouth was twitching up in the corner.
They were within twenty feet of Hagrid"s house when the front door opened, but it wasn't Hagrid who emerged. Gilderoy Lockhart, wearing robes of palest mauve today, came striding out.
"Quick, behind here," Harry hissed, as he and Cassie dragged Ron behind a nearby bush. Hermione followed, somewhat reluctantly.
"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid.
"If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book – I"m surprised you haven"t already got one. I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, goodbye!"
And he strode away towards the castle.
They waited until Lockhart was out of sight, then pulled Ron out of the bush and up to Hagrid's front door. The three of them knocked urgently. Hagrid appeared at once, looking very grumpy, but his expression brightened when he saw who it was.
"Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me, come in, come in – thought you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again."
Harry, Cassie and Hermione supported Ron over the threshold, into the one-roomed cabin, which had an enormous bed in one corner, a fire crackling merrily in another. Hagrid didn't seem perturbed by Ron's slug problem, which Harry hastily explained as he lowered Ron into a chair.
"Better out than in," he said cheerfully, plonking a large copper basin in front of him. "Get 'em all up, Ron."
"I don"t think there"s anything to do except wait for it to stop," said Hermione anxiously, watching Ron bend over the basin. "That"s a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand ..."
Hagrid was bustling around, making them tea. His boarhound, Fang, was slobbering over Cassie's skirt.
"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Cassie asked, scratching Fang's ears.
"Givin' me advice on gettin' kelpies out of a well," growled Hagrid, moving a half-plucked rooster off his scrubbed table and setting down the teapot. "Like I don' know. An' bangin' on about some Banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."
Hermione, said in a voice somewhat higher than usual, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job –"
"He was the on'y man for the job,"said Hagrid, offering them a plate of treacle toffee, while Ron coughed squelchily into his basin. "An' I mean the on'y one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren"t too keen ter take it on, see. They"re startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one"s lasted long fer a while now. So tell me," said Hagrid, jerking his head at Ron, "who was he tryin' ter curse?"
"Malfoy called her "Mudblood", Hagrid –" said Ron hoarsely, emerging over the tabletop, looking pale and sweaty.
Ron dived out of sight again as a fresh wave of slugs made their appearance. Hagrid looked outraged.
"He didn' !" he growled at Hermione.
"He did," she said. "But then Cassie punched him, right in the face"
"Good on yer Cassie" said Hagrid, clapping a massive hand onto her shoulder "Shouldn' really be encouraging violence agains' a student but yer did wha' yer had to do an' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can't do," said Hagrid proudly, making Hermione go a brilliant shade of magenta.
"It's a disgusting thing to call someone,"said Ron, wiping his sweaty brow with a shaking hand. "Dirty blood, see. Common blood. It's mad. Most wizards these days are half-blood anyway. If we hadn't married Muggles we'd've died out."
He retched and ducked out of sight again.
"Well, I don' blame yeh fer tryin' ter curse him too, Ron," said Hagrid loudly over the thuds of more slugs hitting the basin.
"Harry,"said Hagrid suddenly, as though struck by a sudden thought, "gotta bone ter pick with yeh. I've heard you've bin given' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"
"I have not been giving out signed photos," Harry said hotly. "If Lockhart"s still putting that about'
"I'm on'y jokin'," he said, patting Harry genially on the back and sending him, face first, into the table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'."
"Bet he didn't like that,"said Cassie, picturing Lockhart's crestfallen face with glee
"Don' think he did,"said Hagrid, his eyes twinkling. "An' hen I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle toffee, Ron?" he added, as Ron re-appeared.
"No thanks,"said Ron weakly. "Better not risk it."
"Come an' see what I've bin growin"," said Hagrid, as the three of them finished the last of their tea.
In the small vegetable patch behind Hagrid's house were a dozen of the largest pumpkins Cassie had ever seen. Each was the size of a large boulder.
"Gettin' on well, aren't they?"said Hagrid happily. "Fer the Hallowe'en feast, should be big enough by then."
"What've you been feeding them?" said Harry.
Hagrid looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone. "Well, I"ve bin givin' them, you know – a bit o' help."
"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" said Hermione, halfway between disapproval and amusement. "Well, you've done a good job on them."
"That's what yer little sister said,"said Hagrid, nodding at Ron.
"Met her jus' yesterday." Hagrid looked sideways at Harry, his beard twitching. "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run in ter someone else at my house." He winked at Harry. "If yeh ask me, she wouldn' say no ter a signed –"
"Oh, shut up,"said Harry. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs.
"Watch it!" Hagrid roared, pulling Ron away from his precious pumpkins.
It was nearly lunchtime so they said goodbye to Hagrid and walked back up to the castle, Ron hiccoughing occasionally, but only bringing up two, very small slugs.
They had barely set foot in the cool Entrance Hall when a voice rang out. "There you are, Potter, Weasley."
Professor McGonagall was walking towards them, looking stern. "You will both do your detentions this evening."
"What are we doing, Professor?" said Ron, nervously suppressing a burp.
"You will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr Filch," said Professor McGonagall. "And no magic, Weasley – elbow grease."
"And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail," said Professor McGonagall.
"Oh no – can"t I go and do the trophy room, too?"said Harry desperately as Cassie smothered her laugh with her hand.
"Certainly not,"said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "Professor Lockhart requested you particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you."
Harry and Ron slouched into the Great Hall in states of deepest gloom, Cassie and Hermione behind them, Hermione wearing a well-you-did-break- school-rules sort of expression.
"Filch'll have me there all night," said Ron heavily. "No magic! There must be about a hundred cups in that room. I'm no good at Muggle cleaning."
"I'd swap any time," said Harry hollowly. "I've had loads of practice with the Dursleys. Answering Lockhart's fan mail, he"ll be a nightmare ..."
Later that evening, Cassie and Hermione were sitting on the floor in their dormitory, Hermione's head on Cassie's lap as she detangled Hermione's long curls. Cassie had always been the braiding expert in her old school and was more than happy to help Hermione out with her hair, often finding it quite relaxing.
"I bet you wish you could spend a couple hours with Lockhart answering fan mail" Cassie said, looking slyly down at Hermione
"Oh shut up Cass" replied Hermione, although she was most definitely blushing.
The silence closed around them once more and Cassie was lost in thought as she sectioned off Hermione's hair.
"Cassie?" asked Hermione, "Can you teach me how to punch ?"
"Thinking about beating up Malfoy?" murmured Cassie as she began to deftly braid a front section
"Maybe" admitted Hermione, with a guilty smile.
The two exchanged a look and their laughter echoed off the walls of the room for a while later.