Cassie had barely dragged herself into the Great Hall when Pansy swooped in like a particularly annoying bird of prey.

"You never came back to the dorm," she announced, arms crossed, like she was preparing for a full-blown interrogation.

Cassie, half-asleep and barely functional, reached for the nearest cup of coffee. "I told you. I fell asleep in the common room."

Pansy snorted. "No, you didn't."

Cassie frowned. "Yes, I—"

"You weren't there," Pansy cut in. "Daphne and I were the last to leave. No Cassie."

Cassie blinked. Damn. Caught.

She was about to formulate some kind of excuse when Blaise dropped into the seat across from her, a shit-eating grin already forming. "Weird. Because Theo didn't come back to the dorm either."

Cassie's spoon clattered against her plate.

Pansy, mid-sip of pumpkin juice, suddenly froze.

Then, at exactly the same time, they both turned to look at Theo.

Theo, who had clearly been enjoying his peaceful breakfast, stopped mid-chew. He slowly lowered his toast, blinking. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Blaise draped an arm over Theo's shoulder. "So. You and Cassie."

Cassie scoffed immediately. "Oh, shut up."

Blaise smirked. "We didn't even say anything."

"The look on your face says everything," Cassie snapped.

Pansy, now fully invested, leaned closer. "So. You two."

Theo barely looked up from his plate. "Me and Cassie?" He wrinkled his nose. "Please. No offense, but I'd rather kiss the giant squid."

Cassie made a face. "Yeah? Well, I'd rather hex myself into an early grave than touch you, Nott."

Pansy and Blaise exchanged a glance.

Then, in unison: "Right."

Cassie threw a piece of toast at them.

Just when she thought the worst of the morning was over, Theo unfolded his timetable, scanned it, and groaned.

"Oh, bloody hell. The professors aren't wasting any time this year."

Cassie, still sulking, grabbed her own timetable and winced.

Transfiguration. Charms. Herbology. Care of Magical Creatures. The whole day was packed, and it wasn't even a Friday.

Pansy peered over Cassie's shoulder. "Yeah, OWLs are definitely catching up."

Cassie groaned dramatically, slumping against the table. "Why do we even need exams? I could kill someone with magic right now. Isn't that proof enough I've mastered it?"

Theo smirked. "I don't think that's how it works."

Blaise chuckled. "It's how it would work if Cassie ran the world."

Cassie tossed a grape at him. "Damn right it would."

Theo leaned back, sipping his coffee. "Speaking of suffering, don't forget—you've got detention at five."

Cassie scowled, the memory of Umbridge's toad-like grin flashing in her mind. "Did you really have to remind me?"

Theo shrugged. "I like seeing you suffer."

Cassie narrowed her eyes. "I'm hexing you the moment breakfast is over."

Blaise leaned back, looking amused. "Merlin, the romantic tension between you two is off the charts."

Cassie kicked him under the table.

************************

The day should have been uneventful. It should have been a simple, boring routine of classes and assignments.

Except for Astoria Greengrass.

Astoria had apparently made it her life's personal mission to flirt with Theo at every possible opportunity.

And, to Cassie's growing irritation, Theo didn't seem to mind.

Not that she cared. Obviously. Why the hell would she? It's just that—

She frowned. Why was she so annoyed?

Because Theo was supposed to be miserable.

Last night, he'd suffered through her late-night runes, and refusal to sleep. And now? Now he was here, all smiley and charming and relaxed, while Astoria giggled and twirled her hair like some dainty little princess.

Cassie was gripping her wand before she even realized it.

In Herbology, she spent the entire period aggressively trimming her Fanged Geranium, so much so that Theo, sitting across from her, finally leaned forward.

"Uh, Cass? You've decapitated that thing."

Cassie blinked. Sure enough, her poor Geranium lay in ruins, its severed petals strewn across the table.

She huffed. "It deserved it."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "You're acting weird."

Cassie scowled. "You're acting weird."

Care of Magical Creatures was worse.

Professor Grubbly-Plank had them handling Bowtruckles—which was already testing Cassie's patience. But then Astoria bloody Greengrass had the audacity to giggle at something Theo said.

Cassie nearly choked her Bowtruckle in retaliation.

Theo noticed. "Uh—Cass? Maybe don't strangle the poor thing?"

Cassie, gripping the tiny creature in a death hold, turned to Theo. "I'm fine."

Theo stared. "You sure? You look like you're about to commit murder."

Cassie huffed, shoving the Bowtruckle back onto the tree with unnecessary force. "I always look like that."

"True."

Cassie almost threw the entire Bowtruckle at him.

********************************

Detention

Cassie sat in the wretchedly pink office, the lace curtains and decorative plates making her want to set the entire room on fire. Umbridge had been sickeningly sweet when she ushered her in, but Cassie wasn't fooled. She knew exactly what kind of woman she was dealing with.

The moment Umbridge handed over the quill, Cassie's lips curled in disgust.

She knew this quill.

The Black family had practically invented them. Blood Quills- She even had her own-

"Write 'I will respect the Ministry,'" Umbridge instructed, her voice sickeningly sweet.

Cassie stared at the parchment, then at the quill. The delicate silver tip gleamed ominously . No ink. It didn't need any. She'd seen this done before—on disobedient elves of Malfoy Family-

She was supposed to be horrified. But all she felt was a sick satisfaction=.

With deliberate care, she wrote:

I will And then she stopped.

A small gap. Just enough.

Then, after a deliberate pause, she finished it: respect the ministry

The words shimmered in deep, glistening red.

Cassie's mouth twisted as the searing pain carved into her skin. A slow, sharp, familiar kind of agony. But she didn't so much as flinch. She glanced up. Umbridge hadn't noticed the space, her beady little eyes focused on whatever insipid paperwork she was pretending to do.

Fine.

Cassie tilted her wrist slightly, adjusted the angle, and wrote it again. And again. Each time leaving that subtle gap—so minuscule that Umbridge, in her arrogance, wouldn't notice.

Because Cassie Black would never respect the Ministry. .

She was a Black. She had seen how obedience was carved into people—had heard the stories, the screams. The Black family didn't just believe in discipline; they perfected it.

But this from Umbitch?

This was almost impressive

She felt the sting every time the quill carved into her hand, but she simply exhaled, steady and slow, watching the letters bleed onto parchment. She was no stranger to pain.

Umbridge looked up eventually, smiling that horrible, syrupy smile.

"Yes?"

Cassie held up her hand just enough for the woman to see. "Nothing, Professor."

She had to fight the urge to smile. Because unlike Umbridge, she knew something very important.

Blood magic had power.

And Cassie had just turned Umbridge's punishment into something entirely her own.

The door creaked open.

Cassie didn't even turn to look. She just kept writing. The cut burned, raw and red, but Cassie barely registered it. If Umbridge wanted to carve something into her, she'd let her. But it would be her terms. Her message.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter."

Cassie didn't even pause, her hand moving in sharp strokes. But she felt his presence before she saw him—the way the air shifted, how he hesitated just inside the doorway.

"Evening," Potter said stiffly.

Cassie kept her eyes on the parchment. The quill sliced again. A drop of blood rolled down her wrist, soaking into her sleeve.

She didn't stop.

Out of the corner of her eye, Potter moved toward the table, stiff and reluctant.

A chair scraped against the floor. Then silence.

A long pause, and then—

"You haven't given me any ink," Potter said.

"Oh, you won't need ink," Umbridge replied, with that sickly little laugh.

Cassie smirked, dark and amused. Poor boy had no idea.

Potter hesitated, then finally pressed the quill to parchment.

Cassie heard his sharp inhale. The quill must have cut deep.

Good. Now he understood.

She kept writing. Quicker now. .Every stroke of the quill felt like a brand, like she was pressing the words into her skin hard enough that they might actually stay this time.

Potter shifted beside her, the chair creaking as he adjusted. And then—

A glance.

Cassie felt it before she saw it.

Potter was watching her.

His gaze flickered down to her hand, his brow furrowing ever so slightly. She could feel the moment he noticed. The blood. The speed. The fact that she wasn't even flinching.

His hand trembled slightly as he wrote his next line.

Cassie smirked. Weak.

She slowed her writing deliberately, letting the blood pool just a little longer before the skin stitched itself back together.

Potter was still watching.

His eyes snapped up to hers, questioning, almost unsettled.

Cassie tilted her head, smiled slightly, then dragged the quill across her skin again—deliberate, smooth, as if she was carving the words on purpose.

I will (gap) respect the Ministry.

Potter looked away.

***********************

Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window.

"Come here," Umbridge said.

Harry stood, his hand stinging painfully. When he looked down, the cut had healed, but the skin was still raw, red, and sore.

"Hand," she demanded.

He extended it reluctantly. Her thick, stubby fingers, adorned with grotesque rings, closed around his wrist. 

"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go."

"Miss Black?"

Cassie didn't move immediately. She took her time, shaking out her wrist before she finally stood, extending her hand toward Umbridge with an almost lazy sort of arrogance.

The professor grasped her wrist, peering down at the words carved into her skin—I will respect the Ministry.

Except Cassie could tell she hadn't noticed. Hadn't seen the gap. 

Blood had smeared over her palm, yet Umbridge's expression remained sickeningly sweet.

"My, my, Miss Black," she cooed. "Already sinking in so impressively. Perhaps we won't have to sit quite so long. I might even reduce your detentions—provided you keep this up for the rest of the week. Let the message sink in properly."

Cassie nodded stiffly, biting back a sharp retort.

She didn't trust herself to speak. Not yet.

She turned on her heel, stalking toward the door, her hand burning as she clenched it into a fist. Let the message sink in?

Oh, it already had.

And soon, Umbridge would know exactly what message she had left.

Cassie made her way to the common room, mind already racing.

*****************

Cassie pushed through the entrance, her cloak slipping off her shoulder as she walked in, her hand coated in blood. She had tied a cloth around it—a half-assed attempt at stopping the bleeding—but the fabric was already damp, crimson soaking through in a slow, sticky mess.

Draco, lounging on one of the  couches, raised an eyebrow. "Well, well, how was detention?"

Cassie didn't answer, didn't even look at him. She walked past the group, her boots clicking against the stone floor, straight to the fireplace. The warmth barely registered—her blood was still flowing stlightly

Draco watched her with mild interest. "What did she make you do?" A pause."Lines?"

"You could say that" Cassie exhaled sharply through her nose as she untied the cloth from her hand—then slammed it, palm down, onto the coffee table.

Silence.

Theo was on his feet before anyone could breathe. His chair scraped back so hard it nearly toppled, his wand half-raised, his face thunderous. "What the fuck?!" His voice cracked on the last syllable. "Cass—what the fuck is that?!"

Cassie, still expressionless, lifted her hand slightly, just enough for the firelight to catch the deep, raw red carved into her skin.

Pansy let out a horrified gasp.

"Holy shit." Blaise muttered looking green

Theo's breathing was ragged, eyes darting between her and the message carved into her flesh. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were bone-white. "I'll kill her. I'll fucking kill her."

Cassie just stared at him, unimpressed.

Draco leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "I'm writing to my father—tonight. He'll have that toad sacked before sunrise."

Cassie snorted. "No, idiot." She grabbed the bloodied cloth and wrapped her hand up again. "I'm not letting her have that satisfaction."

Theo let out a strangled laugh—sharp, humorless, furious. "Satisfaction? Cassie, she just carved words into your fucking skin! You're bleeding all over the place! What part of that doesn't warrant—"

Blaise's voice was a little unsteady as he read the words, "I will respect the Ministry." He winced. "Cassie, that's—"

"—That's not the message that's going to stay carved in my skin," she cut him off, her voice low, final.

Blaise frowned. "What does that mean—"

But Cassie was already turning, stalking toward the girls' dormitory, the conversation dead in the air.

Theo, still breathing unevenly, moved to follow her—

And then the stairs collapsed into a slide.

Theo yelped, lost his footing, and went crashing backward, landing flat on his back.

Cassie, halfway up the stairs, turned to smirk down at him. "Well, that's unfortunate."

Theo groaned, pushing himself up, his hair an absolute mess. "Cassie—don't do anything fucking stupid!"

Cassie tilted her head, her smirk sharpening. "I think we both know that's not going to happen."

And with that, she disappeared into the dormitory.

A pause-

Draco turned to Pansy finally panicky. "The fuck are you still doing here? Go up there and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid!"

Pansy, for once, didn't argue. She scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over the rug in her rush toward the girls' dormitory.

Theo got up, pacing restlessly near the staircase. His jaw was clenched, his hands fisting at his sides.

A minute later, Pansy reappeared at the top of the stairs, looking breathless and pissed. "She's locked it."

Draco's face darkened. "Use Alohomora, for god's sake—"

Pansy threw up her hands. "Of course I did, genius! It's not working!"

Theo swore under his breath, shoving a hand through his hair. This wasn't good.

*****************

The moment she was alone, Cassie flicked her wand at the door.

The lock clicked shut,

Her movements were fast as she dropped to her knees before her trunk. Past silk-lined heirlooms, past the scent of old parchment —her fingers found what she sought.

Smooth, dark metal. The Black family's blood quill.

A slow, satisfied smirk ghosted across her lips as she pulled it free. It was sleeker than Umbridge's crude excuse of a tool, This was refined and deadly. Walburga's treasures were never ordinary, and this one—this one had belonged to Orion himself. Crafted for binding contracts, oaths that could never be undone.

Cassie turned her hand over, her breath steady as she stared at the fresh, raw words carved into her skin.

"I will respect the Ministry."

A bitter laugh scraped her throat. As if.

She had followed orders. She had played along, just as that toad had wanted.

But Cassiopeia Black did not submit.

Her grip on the quill tightened as she dragged the tip against her finger, feeling the sharp, familiar bite of magic.

Then—with precision—she pressed it into the gap.

"Not."

The word burned as it sank into her skin, completing the message.

"I will not respect the Ministry."

Cassie exhaled, a shudder of something dark running through her.

This time, the pain was hers.

But it wasn't enough.

Her fingers curled around the hilt of a dagger—The one Reggie gave to her herself. Without hesitation, she pressed the blade to the letters and carved them deeper.

The pain was sharp, but her lips never so much as twitched.

This one, she wanted to last.

The blood pooled, warm against her skin, before she finally let out a slow breath and flicked her wand.

"Obscuro."

A shimmer spread over her skin, but  she was careful. The enchantment only masked one word.

"Not."

The Ministry's version remained intact. The false obedience, the submission. Umbridge would see what she wanted to see.

But beneath it-  the truth.

Cassiopeia Black did not obey.

And she never would .The Ministry could make her write their words.

But only she decided what stayed.

*************************

Theo barely paused to think before he rushed forward again, determined. If he just moved fast enough, if he jumped the right way, maybe—just maybe—he could—

But the instant his foot touched the top step, the damn thing vanished into a slide, sending him tumbling straight back down.

"FUCK!"

He hit the floor hard, cursing, his palms scraping against the stone.

And then—just to make things worse—Cassie appeared at the top of the staircase.

Her arms crossed, one brow raised, lips twitching as she surveyed the disaster below her.

"Oh, thank you, Theo," she drawled.

And before he could process that absolute mockery, she dropped down the slide herself, gliding effortlessly until she landed right beside him—boots clicking softly against the floor.

Theo's eyes immediately snapped to her hand.

Still bloodied. Still raw.

"The fuck did you do?" His voice came out sharper than intended.

Cassie didn't answer right away—she just held out her hand

Theo's stomach twisted as he saw the words. The extra word. The one she had cut into her own skin.

"This—this is NOT how you solve problems," he snapped, grabbing her wrist, his fingers hovering just over the wound, "You can't just carve more words into your skin. That's—that's just—" He exhaled sharply, jaw clenching. "That's not practical, Cassie."

Cassie tilted her head,

"I'm not going to let that hag tell me what to carve into my skin." Her lips curled into something almost like a smile. "If anything, it's going to be my words."

A beat of silence.

Then—

"Well," Blaise exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. "That was both inspirational and deeply fucking morbid at the same time."

Cassie smirked. "Why, thank you, Zabini."

Draco, still staring at her hand exhaled sharply. "Well, at the very least, you need to tell Mr Pierre about this. He'd want to know—"

"NO," Cassie cut in immediately.

Four sets of eyes snapped to her.

She rolled her own, already annoyed at the mere thought. "He'd run over and probably commit two—no, three murders. I'd rather not have that. I'd rather kill that toad myself."

A pause.

"What was that?" Blaise asked, narrowing his eyes.

Cassie looked directly at him. "I said, I'd rather kill her myself."

Silence.

Theo had a look on his face. His mind was racing.

Cassie saw it immediately.

"No," she said, voice sharp, as if she already knew where his thoughts were going. "You are NOT landing a detention with her."

Theo's jaw tightened. "Cassie—"

"NO." She stepped forward, fully serious now. "The fuck, Theo. I swear to Merlin—if you land yourself in detention with her, that's the end of our friendship."

A pause.

Theo stopped. Looked at her. Really looked at her.

No lies.

Cassiopeia Black didn't bluff. If she wanted, she could cut ties right here, right now.

And that, more than anything else, made him stop.

****************************

AHAHH-

SO- CASSIE BEING AWKWARD- THEN JEALOUS-

UMBRIDGE BEING A BITCH AS USUAL

AND THEN THEO ALL PROTECTIVEEE

AHHHHH

---FEELS TOO MUCH? IDK- CASSIE SHUD NOT HAVE SHIT CRAVED ON HER HAND LIKE- THAT- I FELT- IT JUST SHOWED- HOW MUCH CASSIE DIDNT CARE- IF IT WAS HER PAIN SHE CUD TAKE IT

ANYWAYS--- FEEDBACK

PS. MIGHT SEE ANOTHER CHAP TODAY. THESE 2 CHAPS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETEHR BUT IT JUST GOT TOO LONG. HENCE I SPLIT IT.  JUST FINISHING UP THAT DRAFT AND POSTING

TILL NEXT TIME

MXRIDDLE