𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 7

"Think you're clever, don't you?" Cassie snarled, her wand digging into the second-year Ravenclaw's chest as she pinned him to the wall. The boy's eyes were wide with fear, his breath coming in quick, shallow gasps.

"Please... I didn't mean..." he stammered, his voice trembling.

"Didn't mean what? To be a worthless little prat?" Cassie spat,

"Let him go, Black!" Cedric's voice rang out sharply, echoing through the dimly lit corridor.

Cassie tilted her head, surveying the narrow passage lined with ancient stone walls adorned with flickering torches casting long shadows. The occasional tapestry hung between the torches, adding a touch of color to the otherwise cold, grey stones.

Cedric Diggory—Prefect and Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team—stood tall and broad-shouldered, his Hufflepuff badge gleaming on his chest. He stopped a few feet away, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.

"Oh, look who it is," Cassie sneered, not removing her wand. "Little Mr. Perfect Diggory." She met his gaze with a defiant smirk, her grip on her wand steady and unwavering.

"I said, let him go," Cedric repeated, his voice like steel.

"Fuck off, Diggory. This has nothing to do with you," Cassie snapped, her wand still pressing against the terrified Ravenclaw's chest.

"It has everything to do with me when I see someone being bullied," Cedric retorted, 

Cassie raised an eyebrow "Always the hero, aren't you? But this isn't one of your little Quidditch matches, Cedric."

"You don't fancy a detention on your first day, do you, Black?" Cedric said firmly, his eyes not leaving hers.

Cassie snorted, her grip on her wand tightening. "And It's like you badgers don't know me at all."

Cedric whipped out his own wand, pointing it steadily at Cassie. "I'm not going to say it again—let him go, Black."

"Gonna fight me Badger?"

Cedric didn't retort just kept his wand raised

Cassie eyed him, calculating. She could take him on in a duel, but she didn't fancy fighting someone on the first day, she relented, turning to the terrified Ravenclaw.

"This isn't over. If I ever catch you and your little Raven friends talking smack about Slytherin again... remember, Cassiopeia Black is a Slytherin."

She stepped back, finally releasing the boy. The Ravenclaw nodded, terrified, before fleeing down the corridor.

Cedric's eyed her with utmost disdain. "Stop bullying the younger kids. Next time, I'll report straight to the Head of House."

Cassie's scoff echoed harshly through the corridor. "Oh, please," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "You think you're so noble, don't you? It's always the same with you lot—Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws—with your perfect little worlds, always ready to play the hero."

She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. "You have no idea what it's like for us. You don't hear the sneers behind closed doors. That Ravenclaw boy? He was spewing vile nonsense about a Slytherin first year—belittling, mocking, as if we're just dark shadows lurking, waiting to pounce. But of course, you wouldn't understand that. To you, we're just the 'evil' house, the 'wicked' ones."

Cedric was momentarily taken aback by Cassie's intensity, but he quickly recovered. "I don't—" he began, but Cassie cut him off, her voice icy

 "You all do. From the moment we're sorted into Slytherin, it's as if the world has decided our fate. We're cast aside, shoved into the corner, labeled as the next supervillains. The professors? They're biased, blaming everything on us. And let's not even talk about Dumbledore—dishing out last-minute points to save Gryffindor from defeat. It's as if he's scared of what might happen if Slytherin actually wins for once."