chosen - harry potter

Chapter 4 - Root of Asphodel

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

When Cassia's eyes opened on the first day of classes, she found herself disoriented by the scarlet curtains hanging around her bed. It wasn't her comfortable, usual bedroom that she had woken up in for most of her life. But as she blinked the sleep out of her eyes, she remembered. She was at Hogwarts.

She threw herself out of bed at once, noticing that Lavender and Parvati had already left, but Hermione was pulling her robes over her shoulders with a small smile on her face.

"You've overslept," Hermione said pleasantly.

"It runs in my family," Cassia smiled.

She got ready quickly, tucking her short, wavy hair behind her ears and pulling on her robes. The two girls met at the door of their dormitory, both beaming with nerves and excitement. 

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Cassia and Hermione walked to each of their classes together, sitting near Ron and Harry. Everyone who passed Harry in the corridor looked at him with wide eyes, whispering something to the person next to them.

The classes were everything that Cassia had hoped for. They had Astronomy on Wednesdays at midnight, where they studied the night sky and learned the movement of the cosmos. Three times a week, they went behind the castle to the greenhouses to study Herbology. Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts were all wonderfully captivating to Cassia. She found Professor McGonagall to be a woman whom she had no intention of ever upsetting, but she also found her inspiring in an intimidating way. Quirrell was a nervous, stuttering man who seemed to teach nothing at all, despite Defense Against the Dark Arts being such a loaded subject. History of Magic was easily the most boring class. Hermione had to shake Cassia and Ron awake more times than any of them could count.

Days passed of classes and meeting oddball new teachers, and Friday came sooner than Cassia expected.

She sat with Harry and Ron at breakfast, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked.

"Double Potions with the Slytherins," Ron replied, pouring sugar on his porridge. "Snape's Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them."

"Wish McGonagall favored us," Harry said. 

"Yeah, but the pile of Transfiguration homework says otherwise," Cassia smiled.

Hermione approached the table and sat down, smiling cheerfully.

"You know," Hermione said, looking at Ron. "You really ought to remember your tie."

"What?" Ron said, embarrassedly, looking down and then back at her, angrily. "You really ought to mind your business!"

"Fine," Hermione scoffed, standing up and pulling her bag onto her shoulder, storming away.

"That was rude, Ronald," Cassia said tiredly. "She was just trying to help."

"I don't need her help. And I don't understand why you're hanging around with her."

The mail owls fluttered into the Great Hall. Harry's owl, a great white owl named Hedwig, swooped down and dropped a letter onto his plate.

After Harry scribbled down a response for Hedwig to return to the sender, Cassia spoke.

"What was it?"

"A note from Hagrid, he invited me to tea at three. You two should come with me."

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