Blood Magic ✤ George Weasley ✓

31 - Dead Man Running

musical mood: dead man runnin'- seulgi

Sirius Black had been found in the castle that night, which was absolutely terrifying. The nutter attacked the Fat Lady portrait and everything. Cass couldn't help the pang of sympathy she felt for Potter, having the lunatic who wanted to kill him so close to you ought to shake you up a bit.

They had to sleep in the Great Hall on mattresses, because apparently crowding all the students together in a massive room is a good idea.

"Cass! Come sleep with us!" Naia waved at her, calling over a group of people as she had made her way to Henry.

She shifted her weight. They'd been apologising for weeks - Padma had told them all why she was upset, and while it could've been easy to forgive them, and it was tempting, she wasn't sure she knew how. But she couldn't shut them out forever, right? She had to share a room with them, after all.

With a heavy sigh, she walked over to them, and Naia's lips morphed into a beam of triumph. Other than, Bethany who was already in her mattress reading a book, everyone else also seemed to be overjoyed that she'd returned. Even Luna was grinning from behind her weird glasses.

"Sup." Parvati greeted, leaning away from Lavender.

"Hey." She gulped, sitting down on the spare mattress.

"How are you doing?" Lavender piped, looking uncertain.

"Exhausted." She said honestly. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster for her, between Cedric and Cho, her discussions about Connor, what George said about an unhealthy attachment...since when did George have emotional insight? She'd be angry at him for daring to suggest something like that, if she didn't know deep down that it was true. "All I really want is to sleep."

"Same." Ana yawned. "It has been a long day."

"Yeah, Merlin, we did so much walking at Hogsmeade." Padma nodded. "What did you get up to? Theodore said he saw you with Henry and those twins."

"Just hung out. Nothing special, really." Cass shrugged, pulling the blankets of the mattress up to her chest, ignoring thinking about her last conversation with George. Hopefully, closing her eyes would push the anxieties out of her life. Just for a while.

*

After a very...odd lesson, where Snape taught Defence Against the Dark Arts while Lupin was out ill, Cass made her way down to the kitchens, where George and Fred wanted to meet for another prank. Of course, she should've been wary, considering what happened last time...but she needed a laugh, and what was life without a little risk?

Tickling the pear caused her to lose a bit of pride once again, but she pushed past it and sat down at their usual table, where house elves surrounded her.

"Is Mistress Cassie hungry? Can we get Mistress Cassie anything?" One of them - Apple, she thought, squeaked.

"No thanks." She shook her head, before turning to the twins. "So, what's the plan this time?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Cassie." George winked. "We've devised a way to get back at pretty boy Diggory for breaking your heart."

"He did not break my heart!" She exclaimed, her cheeks burning scarlet.

"You don't have to lie to us, Cassie." Fred patted her on the shoulder condescendingly, and she shrugged him off.

"I'm not lying." She insisted, nostrils flaring. "Nobody breaks my heart, least of all Cedric Diggory."