guys. how the fuck did this get 200 reads. im crying. never in my dreams i had thought my story would get more than 10?

thank. you. for those who actually took time to read this...do feel free to leave out criticism and suggestions in comments

The next two days were pretty uneventful as Cassie forced Regulus to leave with Narcissa...she went through all the goodies and cards she received from most of the Slytherin house.

Hagrid sent her a messy scrawl and a bunch of rock cakes too (which almost broke her teeth when she tried to eat).

Surprisingly, the Slytherin group's visits were rare...which made her quite lonely...Pansy told her it was because they had homework. Cassie didn't believe her one bit.

She was suspicious they were planning some horrendous surprise for her birthday, which was tomorrow.

Madam Pomfrey checked her for the last time and told her she was good to go.

Cassie walked through the halls towards the dungeons, ignoring the pointed stares and whispers she got.

Upon entering the common room, Cassie found the group huddled together, deep in conversation. Their intense discussion halted abruptly as Cassie pointedly cleared her throat, drawing their attention.

"Seems no one remembered I was being discharged?" Cassie remarked dryly. "What are y'all discussing anyway?"

Blaise glanced at the others before responding, "Transfiguration homework." His reply was a tad too prompt, and Cassie couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in skepticism.

"So you wouldn't mind me looking through this?" Cassie gestured towards a piece of parchment covered in messy scrawl that Draco quickly tried to conceal.

"Uh, it's incomplete," Draco interjected.

"Sure, sure," Cassie replied with a smirk, unconvinced by Draco's excuse. "Well then, I'll go and sleep now. I don't know what Poppy gave me, but I'm very sleepy."

"Good idea."

"You should."

Mutters of agreement followed her as she walked up towards the dorm...she hadn't lied...the blood replenishing potion Pomfrey gave her made her very drowsy.

Slipping into her bed, Cassie hoped whatever they were planning wasn't too bad.

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

The next morning, Cassie was roused by the enthusiastic screams of Pansy and Daphne, who burst into her room with two beautifully wrapped gifts in hand.

Mortem hooted continuously, as if wishing her too, as he clutched two more packages in his talons.

Cassie recognized the familiar packages—one in sleek black from Regulus, and the other elegantly wrapped in posh pink paper from Narcissa.

"Calm down, Pansy," Cassie chuckled, amused by her friend's eager antics. "I'll open them."

Daphne had presented her with two stunning emerald earrings, while Pansy gifted her a striking skull necklace and a book of pranks.

Narcissa's gift was a rare black daffodil plant, something which Cassie has been trying to buy for a long time.

And Regulus surprised her with a new leather jacket adorned with spikes and a hair dyeing kit? Weird.

After freshening up and changing, Cassie was ushered out by Pansy, only to stop abruptly halfway down the stairs.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she took in the sight of the common room, filled with younger Slytherins donning bright birthday hats and looking slightly bored.

"She's here!" Blaise's voice boomed.

"Is everyone ready?" Draco announced, the anticipation evident in his voice.

Then, to Cassie's surprise, she saw Theo positioned at a massive piano (how the fuck did they manage to bring it). As he began to play a slow rendition of "Happy Birthday," the room erupted into song, though not quite in tune. Draco and Blaise dramatically led the off-key chorus, and the young Slytherins joined in, each finishing the song at different timings, ending with Draco, Blaise, and Theo dramatically bowing.

Cassie broke into laughter at the amusing sight.

"Happy birthday, Cassie," Draco said, embracing her and presenting her with a sizable package.

As she unwrapped it, she was astonished to find a stunning portrait of herself, intricately detailed. "Wow, Draco, you can paint?" she exclaimed, genuinely impressed.

Draco nodded shyly as everyone took turns admiring the painting.

"Happy birthday, man," Blaise said, giving her a brief side hug before handing her a small package.

Inside was a book titled "100 Ways to Kill Your Enemy."

"Thanks, man, I was searching for this," Cassie said cheerfully.

"Anytime, Cassie," Blaise replied with a grin.

Lastly, Theo approached, looking incredibly nervous. Unsure what to do, he ended up giving her an awkward handshake, to which Draco and Blaise exchanged exasperated glances.

"Happy birthday, Cassie." He then handed her a beautifully engraved box.

Opening it, Cassie was touched to find a stunning emerald dagger, exactly like the one from her boggart.

Touched by the fact that he paid attention to the detail...and actually bought a similar one? She immediately pulled him into a hug. Theo, caught off guard, stumbled back, his face flushing crimson as he awkwardly patted her back in return.

Draco and Blaise gestured, hitting their heads in exasperation.

Their moment was interrupted by a young Slytherin tugging at Theo's shirt. "What about our payment?"

Draco, Blaise, and Theo looked embarrassed, but Cassie burst into laughter again. "Nice, so all that planning yesterday was for this?"

"Not only this," Blaise smirked, handing her a piece of paper which was an invite:

BLACK HEIRESS BIRTHDAY

ALL HOUSES YEAR 3-7

DANCE, MUSIC, AND DRINKS (ALCOHOLIC INCLUDED)

STARTS 9 PM

7TH FLOOR OPPOSITE THE TAPESTRY OF BARNABAS THE BARMY TO TEACH TROLLS BALLET.

Cassie looked around, incredulous. "A whole school party? Seriously?"

"Yes!" they all exclaimed excitedly.

Cassie shook her head, but a grin spread across her face. "Well, at least there will be drinks."

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

Cassie's birthday party buzzed through the school like wildfire, the first major unofficial event in Hogwarts history. Despite Cassie's suspicion that the teachers were aware, they remained strangely silent.

Meanwhile, even Gryffindor House couldn't resist the excitement.

"Are y'all going?" Fred asked the trio in the common room.

"No," Hermione and Harry replied in unison, while Ron looked slightly intrigued.

"Oh, come on, guys. Everyone is gonna be talking about it...and seriously, everyone is going," Ron pleaded.

"It is Black's birthday, Ron."

"So what? We can swing by for some food," he insisted.

"Pleaaase, Mione."

"Fine," she agreed, albeit doubtfully, glancing at Harry, who shrugged indifferently.

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

The evening felt like pure torture for Cassie.

"There are two more hours, Pansy," she said exasperatedly.

"ONLY. You can't show up to your party in a leather jacket."

"Why not?"

Pansy just shook her head and dragged her towards the dorm. "Come on, change," she insisted. "Then we need to fix up your hair," she added, poking at the frizzy bun Cassie had tied.

Cassie grumbled and pulled out a black dress she had stashed away. It was a knee-length figure-hugging dress with a long slit.

"Is this fine?" she asked, showing Pansy, who immediately squealed in approval.

"Okay, I'm done," Cassie announced, stepping out in the dress.

"Oh. My. God," Pansy squealed. "Theo is gonna die when he sees you."

"Theo?" Cassie questioned, pulling out the elastic that had secured her hair.

"Oh, come on, Cassie...it's obvious to everyone but you. He has a massive crush on you."

"No, he doesn't."

"Yes," Pansy stated as if it were final.

"Now, your hair," Pansy continued nervously, eyeing the unkempt, unruly curls. She started applying an alarming amount of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, curling her hair into lighter waves.

"There," Pansy said, exhausted after what felt like forever. "Done."

Cassie couldn't recognize her hair; it looked so nice and wavy and not at all frizzy.

"All right, Cassie, you finish up your makeup while I change," Pansy said.

"Okay," Cassie replied,

She decided to go for a black smokey eye look, a light base, and a nude lip.

"Okay, I'm ready," Pansy announced, arriving in a beautiful emerald green dress.

"What time is it?" Cassie asked.

"8:50," Pansy replied.

"What? Already?"

"Told you two hours was not going to be enough."'

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

Taking in the room, Cassie had to admit that the Slytherin boys had done a wonderful job. The room had taken the shape of a large hall, with tables on one end, which were filled with bottles of drinks and food. On the other end was a sitting area with multiple couches and armchairs, where a lot of people had already sat and were chatting animatedly between themselves. The lights were flickering on and off between different colors, giving the room an otherworldly appearance and filling everyone with an ecstatic feel.

As Cassie and Pansy made their way through the crowd, a wolf whistle pierced through the air, drawing their attention to Draco, Blaise, and Theo approaching them.

"Fucking hell, girls, you look good!" Blaise remarked.

"Right, Theo?" Blaise turned to Theo for confirmation but received no response.

"Theo?" Blaise nudged him, noticing Theo's wide-eyed stare directed at Cassie, who was animatedly talking with Pansy about the décor.

"Careful, man, you're staring," Blaise said, nudging him.

Theo snapped out of his reverie, quickly nodding in agreement with Blaise's comment.

"You all clean up well too," Pansy remarked, giving the boys a once-over as they approached.

BLAZE

                        THEO 

DRACO

"Can't believe so many people actually showed up," Cassie said, looking around to see the hall packed with people from different houses.

"It's only for the drinks," Draco snorted.

"Speaking of it. Where are the drinks?" Cassie asked eagerly.

"In the far end over there," Blaise pointed towards the left end of the table where many seniors had already gathered.

"Take it slow, Cassie," Pansy grinned. "After all, we are the hosts."

"Of course, I will," Cassie said, hurrying over to the drinks.

Blaise gave Theo a playful push. "Go on."

Theo followed Cassie, his eyes never leaving her as she poured them both shots.

"To Cassiopeia!" one of the seniors boomed, raising a glass in toast as Cassie gulped down her shot. The fire burned in her throat as she quickly gulped down another shot.

As the music turned up, Theo nervously asked, "Uh, Cassie? Wanna dance?"

"Sure!" Cassie exclaimed cheerfully.

They made their way onto the crowded dance floor. Cassie danced freely to the tunes of the Weird Sisters, her expression joyous and infectious. Her laughter rang out as she poorly sang along.

Theo couldn't help but be mesmerized by the way she moved so imperfectly yet gracefully, the way she tried to sing along but failed desperately, the way her bouncy hair moved up and down as she jumped, never for once losing the superior and graceful aura she had.

The lively song slowed to an end and shifted to a romantic couple's song. The crowd quickly divided into pairs for a slow dance.

A fourth-year Hufflepuff boy approached Cassie, "Heyy Black... care for a dance?"

Before Cassie could respond, Theo stepped in.

"Sorry mate, she's with me," Theo said firmly as he twirled Cassie gracefully, one hand placed gently on her waist.

Cassie felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach at Theo's touch but simply chuckled as they swayed along in a perfect slow dance, losing herself in the moment.

"Ahem. Looks like I'm interrupting something," Blaise said pointedly, walking towards the couple.

Theo immediately let go, not catching Cassie's slightly disappointed expression. "Uh, no you're not," he said flustered.

"Yep, definitely," Cassie said, her tone slightly upset.

"Good, 'cause you might wanna greet who have just arrived," Blaise informed with a smirk.

"Who?" Cassie asked, quickly walking over. "Ah," she said, stopping pointedly, looking at Potter and his gang who were surveying the decor with interest.

"Well, certainly didn't expect the Boy Who Lived, did we?" Cassie greeted with a smirk. "Or we would have sent some escorts for His Royal Highness."

The Slytherin group erupted into laughter.

"Happy birthday, Black," Granger said, nudging both the Gryffindor boys to wish as well.

"Yeah," Ron added. "Same," said Harry.

"Well, thank you," Cassie said. "Food and drinks are over there," she pointed at the long table, "and alcoholic on the left end."

"We aren't old enough to drink," Hermione said, pursing her lips disapprovingly.

Cassie raised her brows. "It's like you don't know me at all, Granger... Does it look like I care?" she remarked, walking off towards the dance floor, finding the Hufflepuff boy who had asked her earlier.

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

As Cassie walked away to join the Hufflepuff boy on the dance floor, Theo's gaze followed her, filled with longing and frustration. The sight of another boy dancing with Cassie stirred up a surge of jealousy within him, his expression turning dark and murderous.

"She's mad at you, mate," Blaise remarked, observing Theo's reaction with amusement.

"So?" Theo replied, trying to sound indifferent. "I don't care," he added with a casual shrug before striding off towards the dance floor, where he found a random Ravenclaw girl to dance with.

"Both of them are idiots," Pansy remarked as she joined Blaise.

"When do you think they will finally get together?" she asked.

"Probably next year," Blaise speculated, taking a sip of his drink.

"Nah... knowing Cassie, probably end of fifth or sixth year," Pansy remarked confidently, her eyes fixed on the wavy-haired girl who had now gone to drink more shots.

"Wanna bet?" Blaise said, smirking.

"You're on," Pansy accepted without hesitation. "Fifty galleons."

And that's how the night went: drinks, music, dance. The effects of the drinks began to take their toll. Conversations grew louder, laughter became more boisterous, and some even attempted to dance on the tables.

Towards the end, most of them found themselves sinking into the plush round armchairs, falling asleep. Some sprawled out, limbs akimbo, while others curled up.

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

"Fucking hell... Hey! All of you get up... we missed the first lesson," Adrian exclaimed alarmed.

Amidst the groans and complaints, everyone scrambled to get up, their heads throbbing.

"Please tell me y'all have kept hangover potions," one Slytherin senior groaned.

"In the cupboard," Blaise replied, yawning.

With mutters of approval, everyone rushed to the cupboard, grabbing the potions and hastily gulping them down, soothing their pounding heads and queasy stomachs.

After downing the potions, they hurried off to their respective common rooms to freshen up.

"What was our first lesson?" Pansy asked as they quickly headed to the dungeons.

"Transfiguration," Cassie informed.

"We are fucked."

Im so bad at writing party scenes wow. i was awake till midnight re writing this 5 times. 

mx riddle.