Classes had barely started a few days ago, and Cassiope already knew that the year was going to be long. So far, they had only started by going over the basics of what they had learned in previous years, a lot of theory, very little practice. Even though the level of the most renowned magical school in the world was certainly higher than that of Durmstrang, Cassiope, who had hoped for a bit more of a challenge than at her former school, felt it was a lost cause. The professors seemed generally quite good, but aside from a few rare students who stood out, the majority of them were objectively mediocre, and there was little chance the classes would reach a level that was… interesting.
This, despite the teachers' constant insistence that, in this N.E.W.T. year, they would have to work harder and be more rigorous than in previous years.
Cassiope had decided not to draw attention to herself in the first few days, preferring instead to observe and analyze the people around her.
Cassiope was waiting for her first Defense Against the Dark Arts class in a third-floor hallway with Snape, Mulciber, Avery, Rosier, and Nott (Travers and Parkinson had decided not to continue with the subject for their N.E.W.T.s). A good number of students from the other houses were also waiting, chatting cheerfully among themselves.
She had quickly noticed the clear divide between her house and the other three. Several altercations had already taken place.
The Slytherins regularly picked on students from the other houses (usually younger ones, as the snakes weren't exactly known for their bravery), and it wasn't uncommon to see a young Hufflepuff in tears, looking terrified at Mulciber or Avery. So far, Cassiope hadn't witnessed these attacks directly, but it didn't take a genius like Merlin to figure it out.
Only the Gryffindors seemed unafraid of them. The younger ones were wary but held their heads high in the corridors, and the older ones apparently didn't hesitate to draw their wands to defend the Slytherins' victims.
Avery had ended up in the hospital wing by the second day after having"accidentally tripped", but the rage and dirty looks directed at the red and gold table fooled no one.
The new professor hadn't been able to attend the first feast, and the seventh years were eagerly waiting to find out who would be teaching them this year (Cassiope had learned from her classmates about the"curse"on the position).
- I hope this year we don't get some old Ministry guy who thinks practical work is pointless. Honestly, after last year's joke, I nearly gave up and didn't take Defense for the N.E.W.T.s. We barely even drew our wands three times, Avery complained.
- My father assured me the Minister himself insisted on sending someone competent this year, Mulciber replied. Apparently, we need to know how to defend ourselves these days… he snickered knowingly.
Cassiope looked up at them, having been more absorbed in her book than in the conversation until now. Nott giggled stupidly while Mulciber and Avery exchanged smug looks. Snape, for his part, observed them with disdain, glancing toward the other house students, seeming to linger on certain individuals in particular. Before she could follow his gaze, she noticed Rosier watching her again, he seemed to be trying to guess her thoughts on the matter. "Good luck with that", she thought, giving him an enigmatic smile before returning to her book.
The Slytherins' exchange hadn't escaped the Marauders' ears nearby. Sirius looked ready to intervene, but Remus held him back by the sleeve and whispered for him to stay quiet, the professor was arriving. Sirius was about to retort that he couldn't care less when the classroom door opened and a voice invited them inside.
Most of the students had already entered the room, leaving only the Marauders and the Slytherins outside. Cassiope was putting away her book when a voice echoed through the corridor.
- Mulciber, we all know what your dear Daddy must've told you about the Dark Arts, and we all know it's not your ability to defend against them that he's worried about.
She looked up at the idiot daring to provoke her housemates and found herself face to face with a tall Gryffindor with glasses. She recognized James Potter, who had entertained the Great Hall so much during the Sorting. He and his group had already drawn attention several times since the start of term. To be honest, Cassiope hadn't paid them much attention so far, her apparent indifference wasn't just an act, and it was very easy for her to ignore what was going on around her to focus on what actually interested her. And those boys, who just seemed childish and vain, didn't interest her in the slightest. For now, at least.
- Why don't you go back to your little Mudblood, Potter, and mind your own business, Mulciber hissed.
Cassiope, who had chosen to ignore the childishness and enter the classroom, felt the atmosphere around her grow tense, the air thickened with magic. Potter had drawn his wand and was pointing it at Mulciber's face, and despite his smug smile, Mulciber wasn't looking so confident anymore.
Rosier, Snape, and Avery had their wands out and aimed at the Gryffindors, who were equally ready to fight.
They all glared at each other, and Potter looked ready to cast the first spell when a cheerful voice broke in:
- Well, gentlemen, I must say I admire your motivation. I wasn't expecting to find students practicing before even the first lesson of the year, though I must remind you that duels are forbidden in the corridors.
Everyone quickly composed themselves and turned to face their new professor. Reactions, however, were drastically different between the two groups when they saw who it was. Or rather,who they were, as a second head, nearly identical to the first, popped around the doorway.
- Is this a joke? Rosier muttered through gritted teeth.
Cassiope looked at her housemates, who were seething as they stared at the duo: twins, by all appearances. They looked barely older than the students, were extremely tall and slim, and had the same mocking smile and fiery red hair. When she turned to look at the Gryffindors, the reactions were completely opposite. Surprise quickly gave way to huge grins of recognition, one of them even bursting into laughter, if that barking noise could be called laughter.
- Oh, Prongs! I told you this year was going to be special!
- The best one yet, no doubt! Fab', Gid', you could've warned us you were the new professors!
- It's Professors Prewett now! the twins replied in unison. Come on, everyone, inside.
The Slytherins shot dark looks at the twins before entering the classroom.
Once seated, Cassiope felt Nott's breath near her ear as he whispered:
- Fabian and Gideon Prewett. They were at Hogwarts four or five years ago. A well known blood-traitor family. Aside from the four idiots in our year, I don't think I've ever seen worse Gryffindors in Hogwarts than those two. I don't know what got into the old senile fool to make him dumpthemon us as teachers, they had no respect whatsoever for the rules or any kind of authority. Which explains, of course, why Potter and his gang worship them.
Cassiope didn't have time to turn around and respond before one of the Prewetts' voices rose:
- Thank you, Miss, for that presentation. Although, I must admit, it was hardly flattering...
- For those in the class who didn't hear properly or no longer remembered who we were...
- A real shame, we thought we had made a lasting impression on everyone...
- We are Fabian and...
- Gideon Prewett. We are both Aurors now, and this year we are going to try and teach you a thing or two...
- Useful things to defend yourselves...
- Since that is the subject of this class, really.
The two brothers spoke as one, finishing each other's sentences. The Slytherins' exasperation had reached its peak. Cassiope had to admit to herself she was both amused and intrigued, though her face didn't show a trace of it. She could already tell these lessons would be unlike the others.
- Like Miss… Hmm, sorry, no, really, I tried but I can't recall your name.
Eleanor grumbled her name in response. She was fuming and barely managed to hide any of it.
- Thank you! So, as Miss Nott so aptly pointed out...
- It is true we don't have a reputation for blindly following instructions that we deem unjustified...
- That's why this year, we aren't really going to follow the official syllabus...
- And we will focus on practice and learning things that could actually be useful to you...
- Once you are outside the walls of the school.
A hand shot up so high that Cassiope wondered if the poor girl was going to dislocate her shoulder. she recognized her, Lily Evans, one of the rare students who seemed worth paying attention to. Admittedly a bit of a Miss Know-It-All, but without a doubt a smart and powerful witch.
- Yes, Miss Evans? one of the twins asked, whichever one.
- And what about the N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year?
- The N.E.W.T.s aren't real life, Lily...
- And believe us when we say that once you leave Hogwarts, the results you got in those silly little exams will be the last of your concerns.
Evans looked scandalized by the answer, though she didn't challenge the professors. Another voice jumped in without even bothering to ask for permission:
— Hmm… Far be it from me to contradict you, misters professors, but if I may, some people in this class really don't need to learn how to defend themselves against dark wizards, you know.
It was the boy who had laughed like a dog. Cassiope stared at him and wondered how she hadn't noticed him before. Then again, he was part of Potter's gang, one she had deliberately chosen to completely ignore. But there was something... different about him. His manners and way of speaking felt strangely noble for a Gryffindor clown. One could believe his laid-back look was natural, but watching him closely, she felt it was all carefully calculated, his expressions, his body language. He clearly wanted everyone to know he didn't care about conventions. If one word could describe the carefully constructed image he gave off, it would be : rebellion.
He wore the required uniform, but his perfectly ironed shirt was unbuttoned, his tie hung loose on either side of his neck, one leg was casually thrown over the chair, and Merlin, what were those shoes? They looked like boots, but bulkier, and the sole was much thicker. Cassiope had never seen anything like them, definitely some Muggle thing.
When she looked back up into his eyes, she realized he was staring back, looking satisfied, a smirk playing on his lips. If she had been any other girl, Cassiope might have blushed and looked away, embarrassed to be caught staring. But instead, she held his gaze and smirked right back. Normally, it would've been child's play for her to keep up such a game. But something deep inside twisted. An odd sensation that, maybe for the first time in her life, made her look away in front of those deep gray eyes.
- What do you mean, Sirius? Believe me, all of you here need training. You won't be facing polite, rule-abiding duels out there.
- Oh, I know that, Gid'...
- Mister Prewett!
- Mister Prewett, sorry, the little bow he gave while apologizing made a few Gryffindors snort with laughter. No, what I meant was, for some of us...
His gaze drifted directly to the Slytherins, to one Slytherin girl in particular, and his smile became almost wicked.
- For some here, there will be no need to defend themselves. After all, Death Eaters have nothing to fear from Voldemort.
Some Gryffindors, along with most Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, gasped and looked at him in shock. The Dark Lord's name was apparently more taboo than she'd thought. Cassiope was even more intrigued by this Sirius who spoke it without flinching. Among the Slytherins, a few shivered at the name, but none of them seemed to feel it was worth pretending to be outraged by the clear accusation, they just glared back at him.
Cassiope was determined not to back down this time in front of that piercing gaze which, after a raised eyebrow and another smirk, finally returned to the Prewett brothers, much to her relief. She truly didn't understand what was happening to her in front of that Gryffindor. Was he using some form of Legilimency she hadn't mastered yet? No, impossible... She concluded she needed to research spells that could cause that strange tugging feeling starting in her chest.
- Sirius, you'll learn that slander isn't tolerated at Hogwarts nor in this classroom. We ask you to keep your inter-house quarrels to yourselves.
- Oh, but it wasn't slander, just ask Rosier and his gang to roll up their sleeves and we'll see what this is all about.
This time, the tension began to rise on the Slytherin side too, and Cassiope saw Rosier holding Mulciber back from drawing his wand.
- Ten points from Gryffindor, the teacher's tone hardened considerably, and if you continue, Mister Black, you'll be joining us in detention tonight.
Cassiope couldn't help but frown. Black. Sirius Black. Now that she knew his name, the resemblance with Regulus was obvious. They looked alike as much as they clashed. She saw he was ready to retort, but one of his friends held him back. Cassiope vaguely remembered categorizing that one on her list of "not completely mediocre students." Rupin or something. Anyway, the poor guy looked like he had had an awful night judging by the bags under his eyes and the exhaustion written all over his face.
- Right, let's get back to it, we've wasted enough time. Up! one of the Aurors called out.
With a flick of his wand, the tables and chairs were pushed to the sides of the room.
- We are going to start the first sessions with some duels to evaluate everyone's general level, and adapt future sessions accordingly. Given the time we'd lost, not everyone will get a turn today, but not to worry, we will pick it up next time.
The rest of the lesson continued with duels, under the watchful eye of the professors and the rest of the class. Lily Evans began by utterly humiliating Nott, who returned to the Slytherins fuming and cursing that "bloody Mudblood." Emmeline Vance from Ravenclaw dueled with Mulciber, who won but got reprimanded for not strictly following the rules. Remus Lupin (the tired Gryffindor) won his duel against Alice Brown (Hufflepuff) but looked like he was about to pass out afterwards. Rosier destroyed a certain Frank Longbottom from Gryffindor to the cheers of his housemates. And so on.
The Prewett brothers seemed to be punishing Black by not letting him duel for the time being. The same went for Potter, who had clearly expressed his desire to "go up against a Death Eater." As for Cassiope, she decided to stay as far out of the way as possible. She knew she would have to participate eventually, but the later, the better. No drawing attention. No drawinghisattention. Not yet.