Midnight Rain - L.B.

S E V E N

I said "I would rather die than feel this pain"
You said, "I know, I feel very much the same
But I'm afraid that I don't know,
knowing is not my thing"
But I'm sure I want to be with you

Hogwarts Library
September 17th, 1997
9:00 pm | Tatum Vaughneton

"C'mon Cass, I know you don't want to be doing this and neither do I but I've gotten you top grades since you were eleven, so just pull it together and take your notes." I tapped her paper and slid my notes over to her. "I told you that you're welcome to copy off of mine, you just have to study these. I dumbed them down for you, it's a paragraph per subject. Just read it a bit."

Cassidy Kain, or Cass, was Cyrus's younger sister. She's half the reason I even know he exists. I've been tutoring her since she was in her first year. Now in the third year, she's got more of an attitude than ever.

She started copying down the notes. "I just don't see why I have to learn this stuff. I'm not going to be a fucking scientist."

I scratched down more notes from the books set out in front of us. "I don't know why you have to learn it either. It's completely useless unless you plan to go into certain fields of work. But you can't just fail out of school because you don't want to deal with independent and dependent variables. Also, watch your language."

"Speaking of dependent variables, how are you and hot stuff." She smirked, still looking down at her paper. "I heard you broke up with my brother so how are you and you know who."

I flicked her arm with a smile, making her laugh and mess up her writing. "Okay, one, that has nothing to do with dependent variables. Two, you brother and I aren't, never did, and never will date so don't worry about it. Three, who's hot stuff? And four, you're thirteen, you shouldn't be calling anyone hot stuff."

"You should know who hot stuff is. Just take a simple guess and you should know. And just because I'm thirteen doesn't mean I don't have good taste."

"Are you on about Draco again?" I asked, unimpressed and slightly disgusted. "Because if you are, you don't qualify for having good taste in men."

"No, dingbat. I'm trying to get you to tell me the drama between you and Lorenzo Berkshire and sound cool about it. Geez, you may be smart with this school shit- stuff but you're not too smart with context clues." She shook her head and pushed her glasses further up her nose before skimming the page.

"Well, that sucks for you because there isn't any drama. And don't call him hot stuff, it's weird."

We both looked up at the unmistakable sound of a laugh a few feet away in the next aisle.

"Theodore." I blanked, rolling my eyes as Theodore Nott pulled an invisibility cloak off of him and sat down at our table. "Since when are you back?"

"Oh, you know. Italy gets boring when you've been there a million times. I'm sure you feel the same with France. I just got back last night. Had to catch up on a fuck ton of homework. I wasn't eavesdropping, by the way. I asked Berkshire where you were and he had no idea so I figured I'd just sneak around until I found you." He grinned, and even smiling his eyes were grey and dead. He extended his hand to Cass. "Theodore Nott."

She shook his hand. "Cassidy Kain. I like your hair."

"Oh, thanks." He laughed before looking back at me. "Riddle and Parkinson are back too. We're going to the common room party tonight, you going?"

"I'll be there." Cass smiled jokingly, still writing down notes.

"Sorry kid, sixth and seventh years only. Maybe in a few years." Theo patted her shoulder. "So, Val, you going?"