She hadn't spoken to her boyfriend in three days.

If she could even still call him that.

She hadn't really spoken to Poppy, either. Just small exchanges in class. She hadn't even really encountered Ron and Hermione, since she'd been eating meals at wrong times cause of all the extra studying she was doing.

Draco still hadn't spoken to her. But that was a good thing.

However, today was different. Today wasn't a day with classes or a weekend with nothing on, it was a day of a quidditch match, Gryffindor against Slytherin.

Meaning Cassia would have to communicate with the chasers, Ginny and Demelza (she'd been put in as a sub for Katie, Cassia's shattered heart had learned), and the captain, Harry.

Great.

She was up bright and early, dressed in her crimson and gold quidditch robes. She wasn't ready for this, but she knew she would never be.

Breakfast was awkward. There was no other way to put it. Cassia sat down at the Gryffindor table, praying no one would try and sit near her.

She was wrong. Poppy did. She sat down next to her, smiling and trying to talk. Unlike Harry, Cassia had never been outwardly mean to her. She'd just tried to avoid everyone.

And then, just because of her amazing luck, Harry and Hermione sat down opposite them, leaving a gap for Ron beside Poppy.

Well, shit.

Harry had been trying to talk to her for three days now, and reconcile, but she wasn't having it. She wanted to, she really did, but the only way to make him stay away from her was to hurt him. And prove yet further why she didn't deserve him.

Then Ron walked in.

Cassia sighed, turning to look at him, in the doorway.

He was all kitted out, with the quidditch robes, the keeper's hat, the shin and knee pads and the very, very nervous expression.

Like, too nervous.

And Cassia knew it was his first game and all, but he really needed to get his head in the game.

Ron sat down, looking at his plate and not touching it, frowning slightly. Poppy sighed, resuming eating her food, not attempting to fix the awkwardness at the table. With Harry and Cassia's tension and Ron's nervousness.

Hermione, to ease everything, said. "I was talking to Slughorn yesterday, after potions. He's having a Christmas party, and we're supposed to bring someone."

Cassia almost choked on her own spit.

Harry flushed slightly and looked down.

Both knew it wasn't possible.

But before either could say anything, Ron snapped to Hermione. "I expect you'll be bringing McLaggen. He's in the Slug Club, isn't he?"

Hermione stared at him. "Actually, I was going to ask you."

As she went back to her paper Ron leaned forward. "Really?" He asked sarcastically.

As the conversation eased off, Cassia went back to devouring her eggs and bacon, trying not to think about how many girls would want Harry to take them to that party, and how he'd probably accept one of them given how she was treating him at the moment.

"Good luck today, Ron!" A happy, giddy voice said, and Cassia looked up to see Lavender Brown, touching Ron's shoulder and standing above him. "I know you'll be brilliant."

As she walked off, Ron turned back to the others with a strange expression, then he leaned over and hissed to Harry. "I'm resigning. After today's match, McLaggen can have my spot."

"Oh, fuck no," Cassia spoke her first words that morning, and all of them, including Harry, turned to face her. She quailed with their eyes on her and added. "There is no way in hell I am playing quidditch with that per-"

"What did you do to that?"

All of them looked to Hermione then.

And Harry, who was slipping a small vial of golden potion into his pocket, a small smirk on his face.

"Have some water," was all he said, sliding a goblet across the table towards Ron.

Instantly, Cassia saw red.

"That's Felix Felicis," she said, voice quivering, unbelieving. "Y- you just- Ron, don't drink it!"

Harry was just sat there, fucking smirking, as Ron looked confusedly between Harry and Cassia.

Then he raised the cup to his lips and drank.

"That's illegal," Cassia snapped forcefully at Harry. "That's- you're going to get fucking expelled!"

"It's true," Hermione added dangerously. "It's one of the main rules to liquid luck, it can't be used to win at sport events."

Harry shrugged. "Oh well, the-"

But Ron had now drank his water, and was putting the goblet down on the table, getting up with a huge smile on his face.

"Come on Harry," he said. "We've got a game to win."

Cassia scoffed, looking from Harry to Ron.

"You two're insane," she told them, getting up and leaving. "See you on the pitch, if you even make it there before McGonagall catches you."

❦︎❦︎❦︎

But to Cassia's surprise, both Harry and Ron were down at the pitch for the proposed time.

She didn't look at Harry. Not even when he gave the chasers their good luck, telling them what formations to use and when. She nodded, eyes levelled at the ground.

She watched from above as he shook hands with the Slytherin captain, her hands clenching her broom handle so hard her knuckles turned white.

It was a tough game, played in the blistering fog and harsh winds. Cassia wasn't in good form. She was missing a lot and kept getting angry when the quaffle was stolen off her.

She was just distracted. She couldn't stop thinking about how Katie would've been playing in this match if she'd not been on death's door as a result of her actions, and how much she'd ruined things with Harry. It was winding her up and affecting how she was playing.

However, whilst she was having a bad game, Ron was having the game of his life.

He was saving everything. No matter what the Slytherins were chucking at him, he was keeping them out. And because of his saving ability and Ginny and Demelza's shooting, Gryffindor were winning by sixty at the moment.

Cassia was choosing to ignore all of this. If her brother got the snitch over Harry, it was still over.

"Cassia!"

Ginny yelling her name got the girl's attention and her head snapped round to see the quaffle flying at her. She quickly caught it, holding onto it with one hand and her broom with her other one. Her hands were so cold and so was her body, as she raced up to the Slytherin end of the pitch on her firebolt, just begging this shot would go in-

It didn't.

In fact, it didn't even go near. Her throw wasn't powerful enough, and the quaffle didn't even make the hoop. The Slytherin keeper didn't even have to try.

"Fuck!" Cassia cursed under her breath, absolutely beside herself by now. She was doing so badly, and it wasn't fair. She was being consumed by her mind, and no one was going in there to save her, because she wasn't letting anyone in.

She flew back down to the Gryffindor end, not making eye contact with Ginny when she said. "You have to use your whole body when you throw, otherwise it won't have enough power in it!"

"I think I know how to throw," Cassia snapped back, instantly regretting it as she peeked a look at the redhead's face to see her looking hurt and confused.

"Okay, then!" Ginny shot back, and Cassia didn't reply. Because she knew she deserved it. She knew.

But that only made her feel worse.

"Right, let's just try to block them this time, and stop them from scoring," Demelza said. "If we can get the quaffle before they get to Ron, it puts us in good stead for scoring again."

"Yeah," Ginny said, shooting a look at Cassia. "If we even can score."

Unnecessary, but true.

And piercing another shard through Cassia's heart.

And to make things worse, as they flew off, Harry shouted down at them from where he was sitting, waiting for the snitch to show.

"Keep it together, you three! Accurate shots!"

Direct dig at me, Cassia thought bitterly. Then: and I completely deserve it.

And the rage was building up inside her, filling her whole body, her entire entity. She was absolutely overcome.

"Cassia!" Ginny's voice cut deep into her. "Pay attention! The bludgers are flying around here now, and the beaters going for the chasers!"

Cassia grit her teeth, sighing as she watched Ginny and Demelza work seamlessly together to score another goal.

Just another representation of how she was falling behind.

She couldn't help but look up at Harry, sitting on his broom up above them, surveying the scene. He looked so disappointed, even though they were winning, and most of that was probably down to her.

Cassia felt worse than ever. Not only had she made herself feel this low, she'd also made her boyfriend. Harry was feeling like this because of her, because of how terrible a person she was, because of how she'd almost killed somo-

THUMP!

"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!"

"CASSIA!"

Cassia wasn't really aware of much of what happened next.

The first thing she felt was a searing pain shooting through her arm, which the bludger had clearly hit, then a sickening CRACK that signified it was broken.

But that wasn't what she was focusing on right now.

Because next thing she knew, she was being knocked clean off her broom, hurtling through the air, Harry Potter's shout echoing in her ears.

She wasn't aware of the crowd's collective gasp. Or of the screams emitted from Poppy and Hermione and many more's mouths.

"CASSIA!"

Harry seemed closer now, she observed in her brain... wow, she was getting mad deja vu in this moment, from when he saved her in third year after the dementors-

"CASSIA! Cass!"

Then, next thing she knew, she was being swooped under, and lifted into Harry Potter's strong, warm arms. She was freezing and her arm was broken and her whole body had just dropped about twenty feet, but all she was aware of was the butterflies in her stomach.

"I've got you," she was dimly aware of Harry saying through her ringing ears as he held one of her hands, squeezing gently. "I'm right here, Cass, I'm right here. I've got you."

Her whole body was shaking, but she wasn't really aware of it as the butterflies calmed down. All she felt now was a dull ache, and the raw pain of her broken arm.

"Harry..." she murmured.

"Yes, I'm here, Cass, I'm right here," Harry told her, flying slowly down to the ground. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

He flew slowly down to the ground, getting to the grassy pitch and not hesitating in gently easing Cassia off his broom, collapsing in a heap with her still in his arms on the ground.

"Harry..." Cassia repeated again. "It... it hurts..."

"I know," Harry murmured. "There's- Dumbledore and McGonagall are coming down, and they'll get you to Madam Pomfrey, I promise."

"And I... I was mean to you," Cassia added, eyes going in and out of focus, head lolling about. Tears filled her eges. "I-I was so mean to you. And... you still saved me."

Harry cradled her tighter.

"Of course I did," he murmured to her. "Of course. You mean everything to me, Cass. I wasn't not going to save you. You can try to push me away however many times you like, but it won't work. I'm not going anywhere, Cass, never."

And Cassia didn't know how she would've responded to this had she been sane. She didn't know how she would've told him that he had to stay away, for his own good. Didn't know how she would've broken his heart all over again.

But she didn't have to.

Because next second, the teachers came running over, their friends came running over, and Cassia was blacking out finally, the pain in her arm and the distance she just fell being her final thoughts.