Wolfsbane // Neville Longbottom

Chapter 3: Full Moon

CW: Cassie has some sad/depressed thoughts about herself in this chapter, nothing too rough but just a heads up :)

She woke up with a terrible headache but that was nothing new. Cassie hated the few days and nights before and after a full moon with passion. They weren't as bad, but they were rather tough too. She sat up and took the potion Madam Pomfrey had given her against the pain before getting ready for another day of teaching.

It would be dreadful to get through six classes today but she had no choice. She had to keep quiet for as long as she could that she was a werewolf. It still wasn't something people were exactly excited about. So far no one had figured it out, not as Hermione had with Professor Lupin during their third year. Then again, no one was as clever as Hermione.

She was bent over her plate with a moody face, hoping the others would leave her alone. They did, except for Neville. He couldn't take the memo apparently.

She liked having Neville at Hogwarts. Finally, she had someone the same age as her teaching there. He was sweet, sort of funny in his own quirky way, a good listener and very passionate about Herbology. Neville was very enthusiastic towards her, which she liked about him, but not today.

"Morning Cassie!" he greeted her. She hummed in response, stuffing another bite of egg in her mouth. She was eating eggs but the wolf was mainly craving sausages and bacon as usual. Five years of eating vegetarian down the drain. "Sleep alright?" he asked her gently. He was sweet, she appreciated that about him, but again, not today.

"Yeah," she huffed, taking another sausage off the plate. She was not looking forward to tonight at all. Her bones were already aching and it would only get worse.

"Got any fun classes planned for today?" he asked, preparing some breakfast for himself. They got along well. They always chatted during mealtimes and had even hung out a few times over the weekend but right now, she wished he would just leave her alone.

"Merlin's beard. Just piss off, will you?" she muttered, putting down her fork and standing up. He looked at her in shock, not having expected that reaction from her. On any other day, she would have felt guilty but then again, on any other day it wouldn't have happened at all. But today was the day of the full moon and she could not control her temper.

"Cassie-" he tried but she had already walked off. She balled her hands into fists and tried to smile as politely as possible at the students that greeted her while digging her nails into the palms of her hands. She hated the wolf inside her and how it was begging to come out even before the moon had risen to the sky.

She walked back to her office and leaned her hands on the desk, bending her head down. She took a few deep breaths until she felt herself calm down again and then sat down, burying her face into her hands.

It was days like these where she wondered why McGonagall had gone out of her way to save her life.

She stayed in her office until her first class would almost begin and she had to walk over to the Potions classroom in the dungeons. She was slower than usual today. Her bones ached and she lacked energy but she was getting used to it.

The first two classes were doable. A double class with the Fifth-Year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. She had been smart enough to never pair up Slytherin with Gryffindor this year. Though the war was over and the Wizarding Community seemed to be living more peacefully again, the age-old rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin still stood. The students that were now attending Hogwarts probably didn't even know what it was about in the first place. Still, she found it easier to teach them separately.

The third class was harder simply because it was the hardest one to teach; Seventh-Year N.E.W.T.'s. On her return to Hogwarts after the war, she didn't do her Potions N.E.W.T. She had been allowed to do her Seventh-Year Potions N.E.W.T. in her sixth year, which was very impressive. She still followed Potions during her second seventh year, but only to figure out how to make the Wolfsbane potion and because she liked it so much.