musical mood: forever stuck in our youth - set it off

Dear Mr. Mulpepper,

I hope you are well. I don't know if you remember me, but this is Cassiopeia Crouch. We spoke briefly over the summer, I was the customer inquiring about the bezoar. If you have any updates on that, I would very much appreciate it.

Included on the back of this letter is a list of potions ingredients I need for an extra credit project. It is due soon, so please send them at your earliest convenience.

I trust that the money enclosed will be enough for everything. If there is any extra, keep the change as a token of my appreciation. If it is somehow not enough, let me know and I'll owl what is still needed immediately.

Thanks again.

-Cassiopeia Crouch

Cass sent the letter out the next day, a generous sack of galleons attached to the owl's foot. If there were any bonuses to being a Crouch, it was the seemingly endless supply of wealth, that Bartemius let her spend without concern. He'd always been rather frugal, which was likely why the two lived in dingy old Stromness, when they could afford a East Lothian mansion if they so desired, but for some reason, he had never once objected to Cass's frivolous spending habits.

It was perhaps his one redeeming quality as a father, in Cass's eye. Maybe it was because of his childhood upbringing - from the little she knew about his estranged parents in France, they'd also been extraordinarily rich, but never allowed him to touch so much as a sickle of it. When he was disowned for impregnating, and then marrying, a Scottish muggleborn, he'd been practically penniless. Luckily, his high paying job at the Ministry ended his poverty. Lucky for Cass, at least, since she could buy potions ingredients for a reckless prank, without Bartemius batting an eye.

She figured, if anyone were to have the ingredients for the potion the twins wanted, it would be Mr. Mulpepper, who's shop had been extensive. Plus, he had been kind to her, and wouldn't ask too many questions. He hadn't inquired about her reasoning for wanting the bezoar, at least, and that must've been very odd.

It was an early Saturday morning, and the first Quidditch match of the year - Ravenclaw vs Hufflepuff. Usually, Cass wouldn't have cared, but Naia was playing, so she made her way out of the owlery and into the stands of the Quidditch pitch as fast as she could. Her and Naia's relationship, while for the most part was mended from their conversation a few weeks prior, still felt awkward at times, and not showing up to her first game would certainly do no good in fully fixing their bond.

Cass plopped down next to Padma, who was mid-conversation with a solemn Terry. He'd tried out for the Quidditch team as well, as a beater, but unfortunately hadn't made the cut. Terry had been moping around all week, while most of the Ravenclaws around him didn't understand why it was such a big deal. He and Naia were the only ones in their year who actually cared about the stupid game, it seemed.

The Nott's were sat with the Slytherins, and Cass could see Theodore's exasperated expression from nearby, as Malfoy talked his ear off about Merlin knows what. Crabbe was speaking to Henry, who looked uncomfortable, and kept trying to scoot away. Cass didn't blame him; she'd be just as upset sitting next to a pyromaniac. Lavender and Parvati were sat with the Gryffindors, and Luna hadn't attended the match at all, citing a need to feed the lonely Thestrals in the forest, whatever that meant.

"Anyways, my bet is on Ravenclaw. I have a really good feeling they'll win." Padma was saying, messing around with her long black hair.

"You don't know anything about Quidditch, how can you be so sure?" Terry asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Dunno. Just am." She shrugged, brown eyes staring off into the empty pitch. The match would start soon, but neither of the teams had entered yet. Cass eyed Padma up and down, silently agreeing with Terry. He was right, she knew nothing about Quidditch - none of them did, except him, so how would Padma know? Maybe she was lying to support Naia, but she seemed so sure of herself...

"Who else is on the Ravenclaw team, anyways?" Ana asked Cass, her voice low so no one else could hear, likely worried of offending any Quidditch fanatics near them. Cass snapped out of her thoughts, and forced a smile. "Anyone I would know of?"

"Cho Chang is Seeker, I believe." Cass told her, remembering her brief conversation with her on the first day, where she'd asked her if she would want to try out. "And Roger Davies is Captain and Chaser, if you know him."

Ana nodded, and Bethany, who was reading a book next to the redhead, looked up like she was about to speak, though whatever it was she had to say, was interrupted by the two Quidditch teams flying out onto the pitch.

The match began in a whirl of actions Cass failed to understand. She knew the basics of Quidditch, sure, but it was still confusing, especially when it all happened so fast, it was nearly impossible to keep track of. But she knew one thing for sure - Naia was absolutely killing in. She made nearly every hoop she shot at, easily weaving through her much older, and likely much more experienced Hufflepuff opponents, and dodging bludgers at the same time.

Though her attention was quickly diverted, as her eyes drifted from her friend and to the Hufflepuff seeker, Cedric. He was hovering far above the game, eyes methodically scanning the area for the snitch. The wind blew his thick brown hair around, flopping in front of his face, though it didn't seem to distract him. Cass should've been watching Naia, she knew that, or at least be watching her house's team, but for some reason, her eyes were glued to a bloke she hardly knew, and who was doing next to nothing.

The announcer, Lee Jordan, was saying something, though Cass didn't register what, as Cedric suddenly swooped down, racing towards a shiny gold ball with his arm outstretched. She bit down on her lip, heart rate going up exponentially, and right when it looked like Cedric was about to win, in swept Cho Chang, seemingly out of nowhere, snatching the snitch right out from under him.

While the Ravenclaw stands burst into applause, Cass' eyes were still somehow locked on the Hufflepuff seeker, despite how hard she tried to look away. Cedric looked a bit disappointed, though somehow kept a kind smile on his face as he shook hands with a victorious Cho Chang.

"Cass, you alright?" Padma put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her slightly.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm brilliant. Thanks." Cass blinked rapidly, removing herself from her Cedric-induced daze, and began to clap with the rest of the Ravenclaws. Her mind was elsewhere, though, as she absentmindedly watched the two teams exit the pitch, the Ravenclaws all smiles, and the Hufflepuffs surprisingly cheery, despite their loss.

The game was over, but Cass' heart was still racing, though she couldn't figure out why.

*

There was a victory party in the common room, in which Naia and Cho were the centre of praise. While Cass didn't know much about Quidditch, it was obvious that they were the best players by far, and the game wouldn't have been won without them.

Cass gave Naia a tight hug and a congratulations, though chose to leave her to her swarm of adoring fans afterwards. Many members of the Gryffindor team had joined their celebration, likely by Angelina's doing, to gather as much support as she could for her little sister. Some Slytherins even attended - mostly friends of Henry Nott, who despite his lack of intelligence, seemed to be a social butterfly among all the houses. George and Fred were passing out Butterbeer, while Henry was going around trying to get people to sample his new potion, something he called Vial of Visions. Luckily, no one was stupid enough to take him up on his offer, though Cass had a few bottles of Antidote to Common Poisons in the pocket of her robe, just in case.

Bethany was notably absent, though Luna had returned, sipping on butterbeer on a chair in the corner, a passive smile on her pale face as she scanned the crowd.

"Fancy a try?" Henry approached Cass, wiggling a small bottle in front of her face. The liquid was orange, and spinning around rapidly. "It'll show you things beyond your wildest dreams."

"I'll pass, thanks. If I ever want to commit suicide via malfunctioning psychedelics, though, I'll let you know."

"Rude. Oi, Loony Lovegood! Fancy some?" Henry ran over to Luna, and Cass sighed. She ought to keep an eye on him, and make sure he didn't kill anyone, but truthfully, she couldn't be bothered. It was hard enough as it was, maintaining her sanity in such a small area with so many people, she didn't need to babysit the only dumb Ravenclaw in existance on top of it all. Going back to her dorm, away from the massive crowd, would be so much easier. If only that wouldn't be incredibly rude - she had to stay to support Naia, after all.

"Alright, Crouch?"

Cass turned around to face the person who had spoke, eyebrows raised, and a sense of dread filling her. Was it too late to avoid all social manners and hide in her dorms?

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy? Shouldn't you be with your Slytherin creeps?"

"Lovely to see you too. Merlin, you're so brusque. Makes me wonder how people can stand you." Malfoy folded his arms over his chest, leaning back on the head of a cushy chair.

"You're one to talk. I heard what you called Hermione Granger the other day, you bloody prat. Say that to the wrong person, and you're begging to get your arse beat."

"Whatever. She had it coming, bloody bitch." He rolled his eyes, and Cass fought the urge to punch him. She'd never so much as spoken to Hermione Granger, but she knew she didn't deserve Malfoy's disgusting treatment. "The Nott's invited me, and since Theodore hangs out with you Ravenclaws so damn much, I assumed your friends must be half decent. Apparently, I was mistaken. The poor lad clearly lacks taste - if his father only knew of the likes he associated with..."

"What, are you and Nott Sr. afraid we'll contaminate you with our dirty blood?" Cass cocked an eyebrow, and Malfoy glared at her, his icy grey eyes piercing into her dark brown.

"Great Salazar, you're all so bloody annoying. Lovegood can't keep her creepy eyes off me for some reason, and that weird Boot kid talked my ear off for ten minutes straight about the match, as if I give a damn about Hufflepuff's pretty boy seeker. He's bloody useless - when we play Hufflepuff, I'll catch the snitch with my eyes closed."

"Oi, lay off Cedric." Cass snapped, harsher than she meant to.

"Wow, someone's defensive. What is he, your boyfriend? If you ask me, I think Diggory's gay. No normal bloke wears that much hair products."

"Have you ever looked into a mirror?!" Cass shook her head in disbelief. Malfoy was so bloody thick, why did she even bother? She should've walked away the moment he started speaking to her. What did he know about Cedric, anyways? He didn't know him at all - and Cedric really had been amazing at the match, even if the Hufflepuffs lost. Malfoy just enjoyed talking shit about everyone who didn't subscribe to the same prejudiced beliefs as him.

She bit on her cheek, deep in thought as she reminisced on the match, on how her eyes had been glued on Cedric the entire time, when she should've been watching Naia and the rest of the Ravenclaw team. How, even now, with the match out of the way, thinking of Cedric's brown hair flying in front of his eyes, and the way he so gracefully flew around, made her heart beat faster.

"Cassie, just the lass we were looking for!" An arm swung around her neck, and she jumped up, and out of her strange thoughts.

"What do you need now, George?" She said, hoping the tremble in her voice wasn't obvious. Malfoy had left, surely going to annoy someone else, and Cass tried her best to push any remaining images of Cedric aside.

"Do I have to need anything? Can't I just check up on my favourite second year, because I care?"

"What about Ron? Shouldn't your brother rank above me?" She stared at him with raised eyebrows, as he removed his arm from around her, probably sensing how tense her muscles were.

"Like I said, you're my favourite second year. And my favourite Ravenclaw. You're two favourites in one! Feel special?"

"Not particularly, no." Cass rolled her eyes, though she was smiling.

"Fancy a butterbeer? Fred's still passing them around, but I got bored."

"I'll pass." She didn't accept drinks from anyone, not even her closest friends. Not anymore. Even though she kept her antidotes in her robe pocket at all times, and would hopefully have a bezoar soon, she couldn't be too safe, could she?

George raised his eyebrows at the severity in her answer, though said nothing on the subject. "Anywho, how's the Ass Tonic process going?"

"I ordered the ingredients from Mr. Mulpepper today. I imagine they'll arrive soon." She said, and George grinned. He seemed so happy, it almost instantly made up for the irritation his request had initially caused her.

"Brilliant! Thanks a lot, Cassie. We really appreciate it. And the Slytherin's sure will." He winked at her, and she felt her face burn. She glanced over at Malfoy, who was mid-conversation with some older bloke she didn't recognize, certainly annoying the daylights out of him like he did her. Stupid bloody Malfoy. He'd been so rude all his life, and he showed no remorse, not then and not ever. Payback sure would be sweet.

*

Mr. Mulpepper wrote back to Cass the next day, with a rolled up bit of parchment and a massive sack of ingredients tied to his owl's leg. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to get in contact with his friend with the bezoar, though his store had all the potions ingredients she had requested for the prank.

She got to work quick - beginning to brew the potion inside her dorm room that night. Luckily, it was odourless, so her dormmates didn't mind, though Bethany had a few choice words about it.

"If this thing blows up in the middle of the night and kills us all, so help me God I will kill you Crouch!"

Cass glanced up with raised eyebrows, from where she sat on the rug, just as she finished chopping up rat tongue, but said nothing.

"How can you kill her if she's already dead?" Naia asked as she plopped onto her bed, already in her pyjamas.

"I'll find a way."

"I don't doubt that." Padma laughed.

"What is it you're making, Cass?" Luna asked, not looking up from her upside down History of Magic textbook. She was also on the floor, where she apparently preferred to do all her homework.

"Just an extra credit thing for Snape." She brushed it off. Sure, she could've told them what it really was, but part of her felt like talking about the prank beforehand with people would somehow jinx it.

"Well, do your best to keep an eye on it. Gnomes often tamper with potions left unattended."

Ana glanced over at Bethany, who shook her head. This was a common occurrence now that Luna had joined them - Luna speaking gibberish, and Ana being unsure if it was a language barrier, a muggleborn thing she didn't understand, or complete nonsense. More times than not, it was the latter.

"Let us know if you need any help." Padma added after several moments of silence, leaning off of her bed to watch Cass.

"Will do. Thanks."

"Don't stay up too late, Crouch. You're a real bitch when you're overtired." Bethany said, before flinging the curtains shut around her bed.

*

Halloween fell on a Saturday that year, meaning Cass and the twins had all day to run through the plan one last time. The potion was done, brewed to perfection, and just in time. It had taken nearly the entire month of October, but Cass couldn't have been more proud of the final product.

They were crammed in the same alcove they had first properly met in, an entire year ago to the date. Cass and George were both sitting in the tiny space, Cass in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest, while Fred stood, giving instructions like he was teaching a class. George was messing around with a blank piece of parchment, his elbows occasionally rubbing against her.

"Anyway, our Slytherin confidant should be here soon. We can get into proper details when they do." Fred glanced at the tapestry that concealed them, annoyed. "I'm not sure what's taking them so long."

"You sure this person didn't just bail?" Cass raised her eyebrows. Personally, she'd been suspicious about their so-called Slytherin ally since the moment they'd brought them up to her. Surely no Slytherin would honestly support the Weasley twins and their antics, especially when it was a prank against their own house.

"We're sure." George's shoulder brushed against Cass as he spoke, eyeing her with a smirk. "Are you sure your potion will work?"

"Of course I am!"

"Because we're trying to prank the Slytherins, not poison them." George continued, then muttered, "Not that they wouldn't deserve it..."

"It works." Cass insisted, defensive. After everything that had happened last year, did they seriously think she'd take the risk of accidentally poisoning someone? She wasn't that reckless.

"Sorry I'm late! Snape cornered me about some missing essay, Merlin is he annoying or what?" A flustered voice interrupted the silence, bursting through the tapestry.

Cass's eyes widened, as the girl settled down next to Fred, tossing her choppy black hair over her shoulder and straightening her grey skirt with her hands. Her Slytherin uniform was slightly askew, though her dark makeup had been meticulously done. Cass hadn't known what to expect, when it came to the twin's Slytherin friend, but Dahlia Burke was certainly the last on her list.

Dahlia leaned in expectantly, an eager smile on her dark red lips. "So, what did I miss?"

"Not much. We were just confirming the functionality of our dear Cassie's potion. She's truly the MVP of this operation." George patted Cass on the shoulder, and she rolled her eyes, though she felt a burning sensation in her cheeks.

Dahlia turned to Cass. "Oh, you're the famous Cassiopeia Crouch! You're Beth's friend, right? She's talked about you quite often. So does George. Truly, the two of them are insufferable about you."

"Er...yeah. Hi." Cass shrugged, forcing a smile, and ignoring the comment about George, who was suddenly picking at his nails. Truthfully, Bethany had been so distant this year, she'd hardly seen her, and wasn't sure if they were friends. Were they ever friends to begin with? All Bethany seemed to do was antagonise Cass - though that seemed to be a thing she did to everyone.

"Well, it's lovely to finally meet you!" Dahlia smiled brightly at her, showing off pearly white teeth, and once again Cass was taken aback. She'd never met a Slytherin that was so...nice. Nor had she expected the sister of Bethany to be her complete opposite. She wondered if the youngest Burke sister, Adelaide, was a middle ground of the two.

"You too."

Fred clapped his hands together, clearly growing impatient. "Now that you two are properly acquainted, let's go over the plan. George and I are going to distract everyone with our fireworks, to get them out of the common room and into the halls. Burke, you're going to take the potion, hop into the Slytherin common room, and sprinkle it over the candies - there are a lot of bowls, so it'll take a while. Be sure to get them all. Cassie, you'll keep watch outside the portrait hole, and distract people if they try to go back in."

"Got it." Dahlia nodded.

"You're going to set off fireworks in the dungeon?!" Cass stared at Fred in disbelief. "That's beyond dangerous, and Snape will have your heads! Assuming you don't get blown up beforehand..."

"Aww, you're worried about us. I'm touched." George winked at her, pushing himself up from the ground. "Don't worry, Fred and I plan on living very long lives."

*

Fifteen minutes later, the plan was in motion. The twins had separated from Cass and Dahlia, who were lingering behind a corner of the hallway, near a portrait of a serpent which was apparently the entrance to the Slytherin common room. They were waiting in anticipation for the sounds of fireworks, which would cause the Slytherins to exit the common rooms to see what the commotion was.

The setup seemed to be taking a while, though. Perhaps the twins had run into a Professor, and were talking their way out of something. Cass wanted to go over and see what the hold up was, but Dahlia insisted she didn't.

"Don't worry so much, Cassie. They can take care of themselves."

"Alright." She sighed, not entirely convinced, leaning against the stone wall. Part of her wanted to correct Dahlia on her name, but she decided against it. It was highly unlikely she'd have to deal with her very often in the future.

Dahlia mimicked her, running a hand through her hair. "So, how'd you become pals with Fred and George? You don't seem like the type that would run in the same crowd as them. No offence."

"None taken." She let out a gentle laugh, hoping her confusion didn't show. Was she friends with the twins? Sure, they spent a fair amount of time together, and she did visit them over the summer, but... "It's a long story, though. How did you meet them?"

"I...er...well I fancied one of their friends for a while, early last year, so I'd end up spending a lot of time with them. Turns out, once I got to know them, they weren't as insufferable as I thought they would be."

Cass grinned. She certainly could relate to that. "Which friend did you fancy? Lee Jordan?"

"Oh, Merlin, no! Don't get me wrong, Jordan's nice, but he's a bit..."

"Loud?" Cass suggested, and Dahlia snorted, cheeks going red.

"Exactly! And that's coming from someone who used to be friends with Pansy Parkinson."

"And you somehow managed to maintain your sanity? Please, teach me how." Cass said, thinking of Malfoy, and how much he drove her crazy. Though they certainly were not friends, like Dahlia and Pansy had been, despite how much time the two reluctantly spent together.

"The trick is to tune them out. Think of things you enjoy, to distract yourself. Friends, people you fancy, you get the drill." Dahlia winked, tapping her temple with a slim finger, her nails cut short, unlike Bethany's. Once again, a difference between the two sisters, who Cass had only recently assumed were carbon copies of each other. No, Dahlia was the polar opposite, and though they'd only known each other for less than an hour, Cass already felt somewhat connected to her.

"So, who is it that you fancy?" She looked at Dahlia with raised eyebrows and a smirk. They certainly weren't close enough for her to ask that unprompted, but she had brought up the concept of fancying someone twice now, and Cass couldn't quell her curiosity any longer.

Dahlia opened her mouth to respond, but before any words came out, a massive boom echoed through the hallway, followed by the shouts of people nearby. The twins had finally succeeded - at the most annoyingly inconvenient time, though.

Just as they'd planned, shortly after the explosion, the portrait that led into the Slytherin common room flew open, and a flurry of students rushed out to see what had happened, until no one was left inside.

With Cass at the entrance of the portrait, keeping watch, Dahlia snuck in, clutching the Ass Tonic tight in her hands, and a mischievous smirk on her face. When the portrait was shut, and Cass was left alone once again, she took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall.

She'd never participated in a practical joke before, outside of her and Connor messing around with his siblings. Between the racing in her heart, and the grin she couldn't seem to shake, she realised she'd truly been missing out. No wonder the twins were always up to no good. If this was the rush that they got from their pranks, she'd be dumping water on first years as well. Well, maybe not that...

Several minutes went by without anything interesting happening, the Slytherins were still distracted trying to find the source of the explosion. Cass could hear Snape's voice echoing from down the hall, swearing to find the culprit, and threatening all the students with expulsion, which she rolled her eyes at. Yeah, right.

For Merlin knows what reason, as Cass zoned out while waiting for Dahlia to return, her thoughts drifted to Quirrell. Maybe it was because of the similarities of the current prank, to the only other major rule she'd broken at this school - stealing that book.

She hadn't given him too much thought since she'd returned to Hogwarts - she'd been so preoccupied with school, and spent her time pushing those awful thoughts away, instead of dealing with them like a normal person should. Which was probably why the emotions surrounding him hit her like a tidal wave. The guilt about his death flooded her once more, next to the confusion, the anger, and of course, his connection to her family.

Cass had assumed that Bartemius's erratic behaviour had something to do with Quirrell, but he'd been just as odd over the summer. Was there something else going on, or was it the Professor's memory still haunting him like it did her? Why would it haunt him, when there wasn't much of a connection between the two? Quirrell was friends with Barty back in the day, sure, but why would that affect Bartemius in any way? While Cass wanted so badly to assume it was Quirrell that had her father so distressed, deep down she knew it was an entirely different issue, that she'd have to solve.

Even worse, she knew that Blood Magic must've held at least some of the answers. As badly as she wanted to pretend that stupid book didn't exist, the more she stalled, the more she'd be mentally tortured with the unknown.

Cass rubbed her scar, squeezing her eyes shut, and trying to shift her thoughts into something less stressful, and it worked. Somehow, her mind found the most peacefully distracting thing it could think of to be Cedric Diggory, as images of Quirrell, her father and brother melted into memories of him at the Quidditch match, him helping her on the first day last year, the flowers he left her at the hospital wing...

"Crouch?"

Her eyes shot open, startled, as she was met with the confused face of Draco Malfoy.

"What the hell are you doing here?" His pale nose scrunched up, as he eyed her with disdain. Crabbe and Goyle were behind him, engrossed in a conversation that Cass had no interest eavesdropping on.

"Er...well...I'm just..." Cass fumbled for a response, though her brain seemed to have gone to mush. Hurry the hell up, Dahlia.

"Whatever. I don't actually care." Malfoy pushed past her, making his way inside the portrait. Cass lunged to stop him, but Goyle stepped in front of her before she could do anything, still mid conversation with Crabbe about how he thought the moon was made of cheese.

"Greg, I really don't think the aliens live on an all dairy diet." Crabbe shook his head.

"Maybe it's made of vegan cheese. I can't imagine that tastes very good, though."

Cass sighed, peering past the three boys and into the common room. Dahlia was nowhere to be seen - maybe she had gone into her dorm, when she heard people coming. After contemplating it for a few moments, she decided it would be in the best interest of the prank to leave the dungeons, before she drew any more attention to herself. Dahlia could handle herself, it seemed.

Just as she was about to turn a corner, the door to a cupboard she was just passing flew open, and an arm reached out and pulled her inside before she had time to react.

"Bloody-George! What the hell?!" She looked up at the redhead with a fierce glare, as he shut the door behind them. "Why would you do that? You scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Snape is just around the corner." He whispered, pressing a finger to her lips, signalling her to be quiet. "Unless you want to get us all caught."

Glancing between the exit, and George, with only a little light from the cracks in the door illuminating the two, she frowned. "How do you know Snape's there? Can you see through walls or something?"

"Something like that." George winked at her, and she rolled her eyes. "You know, my mum says if you do that too much, your eyes will get stuck in the back of your head."

Cass responded to that with yet another eye roll. "Merlin, you sound like Connor."

"Who's Connor?"

She blinked, mentally kicking herself. Sometimes she forgot no one else at Hogwarts knew about Connor. He was so integral to her life, like a piece of her, it was hard to imagine others didn't know him at all. "Someone you'll never meet."

"Why not?"

"You'd corrupt him! The last thing Connor needs is you and Fred getting him in trouble with your pranks and jokes and annoyingness." Cass's cheeks burned bright red as she spoke. Annoyingness? What did that even mean? Merlin, if anything was being corrupted by the twins, it was her intelligence.

"Annoyingness. That's a new one." He wiggled his eyebrows, stifling back a laugh as she went even more red. "What is he, your boyfriend?"

"No, oh God, no. Never." She shook her head rapidly, glancing towards the door again. "Is Snape gone yet?"

George shrugged, messing with a piece of parchment in his pocket.

"We're going to miss the feast." She continued, folding her arms across her chest. Truthfully, she didn't give two shits about the feast, but missing the Halloween feast the year prior had nearly gotten her mauled by a troll, so she thought it best to attend.

"Oh no, not the feast!" George whined mockingly. "Since when do you care? Last year you were hiding behind the wall carpet reading a book."

"Oh, shut up, you dimwit."

"You're tearing me apart, Cassie!" He clutched his heart dramatically, falling against the wall.

Once again, she rolled her eyes, though she was smiling all the same.

*

By the time George deemed it safe to leave the cupboard, the feast had been over, and it was nearing curfew. Usually, Cass would've been more than annoyed by being held up, but for some reason, she hadn't minded spending her night chatting away with George Weasley, even if it was in a room not even two yards in diameter. Part of her found their close proximity to be even more enjoyable...but Cass quickly expelled that thought from her mind, before she could dissect its meaning.

He insisted on walking her back to the Ravenclaw common room, as he had many times before, going on about some other idea he had for a prank. Now that she was, in his eyes, a certified pranking ally, he wanted her in on the next one, which from what she gathered, involved glitter, an alarm clock, and Elton John.

"How is it you know who Elton John is?" She raised her eyebrows as they approached the eagle entrance.

"Cassie, please. I may be a pureblood, but I'm not completely uncultured."

The two said their goodbyes, and Cass felt significantly elated as she answered the eagle's riddle, and entered the common room. As quick as her mood lifted, it fell, as she looked upon the sight before her.

While most of the Ravenclaw students seemed to be in their dorms, Cass's friends were not, and instead spread across the common room, all near the fireplace. Ana was sobbing on a chair, as a pale Bethany ran a hand over her back from behind her. Naia and Luna were holding hands on the couch, and Padma was on the floor, hugging her knees tight to her chest and staring into the fireplace. Terry was frantically flipping through a book, nearly tearing the pages out in the process, and Henry was pacing back and forth, nervously wringing his hands together.

"Where the hell have you been?" Padma shot up as Cass walked towards them.

"I was with George...what happened? Ana, are you alright?"

"Clearly, she's all fine and dandy." Bethany snapped.

"That poor cat..." Was all Ana could say between sobs.

"Cat? What cat?"

Padma and Bethany, the only two who seemed capable of talking, took turns explaining to Cass what had transpired after the feast. The writing on the wall, in blood. The warning about the Chamber of Secrets, the Heir of Slytherin returning. Worst of all, poor Mrs. Norris was petrified, and hanging off the wall by her tail. They had no idea who had done it, and if it would happen next.

"The Heir of Slytherin." Cass repeated, sitting down on the couch next to Luna, who's hand was still firmly entwined with Naia's. Her mind was swarmed with thoughts, and she kicked herself for having allowed herself to miss the feast. Maybe if she had been there, she could've seen something. "Who the hell could that be? Who would do that?"

"If we knew, we wouldn't be having this conversation, Crouch." Bethany snapped, still behind Ana, and Cass recoiled. Why the hell was Bethany being so defensive?