chosen - harry potter

Chapter 6 - Gryffin-Losers

After the absence of the Fat Lady, Dumbledore sent all four houses to the Great Hall, waving the tables away and filling the floor with purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," Professor Dumbledore said casually, stepping away and closing the door behind him.

The hall buzzed, the Gryffindors telling the other students of what happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Percy shouted. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

The quartet sat on four sleeping bags next to each other, Cassia sitting up and holding her knees. She wasn't quite afraid, for some reason, but she surely didn't feel anywhere near sleep. 

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore must think it's possible," Cassia said, annoyed. "Otherwise I'd be in my wonderfully comfortable bed right now."

The students shared theories on how Sirius Black could've gotten into the castle, ultimately culminating in a Hogwarts lesson from Hermione. Sirius Black couldn't have apparated into the castle, so how did he get in without being seen?

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out, leaving them in near darkness. Cassia grumbled, taking a sleeping bag between Harry and Hermione. Whispering filled the hall, between prefects and ghosts and students themselves. The enchanted ceiling was filled with stars, Cassia watched the light twinkling and felt herself finally growing tired. Her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep quickly.

Hours later, Cassia's eyes drifted open, finding darkness still around. She was lying on her side, facing Harry. He was lying on his back, looking at the ceiling, still awake. She watched as he slowly blinked, seemingly deep in thought. The soft light, along with her eyes having adjusted from the darkness, illuminated his features. She figured she must not be fully awake yet, for she could not seem to look away from the boy. His glasses sat next to him, and Cassia realized how infrequently she saw him without them. She looked at his deep green eyes and the way his eyelashes slowly blinked down tiredly. She felt unable to look anywhere else. He turned slowly to face her, meeting her eyes, and suddenly she felt completely awake. Her face burned red; she hoped that the darkness obscured.

"How long have you been awake?" Harry whispered to her. She noticed that the hall was now nearly silent.

"Just a few minutes," Cassia replied quietly. The eye contact between them felt stifling; she must've been really tired. "Have you slept?"

"No."

"Are you alright?" Cassia asked, concerned. "I know the Sirius Black stuff must be really scary for you."

"I'm okay, Cassie," Harry smiled tiredly at her. "As long as I've got you I'll be alright. Er, and Ron and Hermione, of course. We've all survived worse together."

"That is true," Cassia said, yawning. Her eyes felt heavy again, so she slowly let them close. "And we'll always be here for you, y'know? I'm really glad you came to Hogwarts and... every day I'm glad we're friends."

"I'm glad we're friends, too," Harry said. "Goodnight, Cassia."

"Mhm."

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Hogwarts was full of talk of Sirius Black for the following weeks. Everyone had different theories on how exactly he got into the castle, some incredibly outlandish and improbable. In Cassia's mind, it didn't quite matter how he got into the castle and more so that he was now out of the castle.