𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥

Chapter 8

Cassie entered the Care of Magical Creatures class with Draco, Theodore, Pansy, and Blaise, their footsteps synchronized as they approached the gathering of students. The scent of something foul wafted through the air, causing Pansy to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

"What's that dreadful smell?" she muttered, eyeing the crates on the ground warily.

"It's Hagrid," Draco replied, his tone dripping with disdain. "What do you expect?"

Cassie, her eyes scanning the scene, caught sight of the Gryffindors ahead. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already there, mingling near the open crates where Hagrid stood proudly with his enormous black boarhound, Fang.

"Morning, everyone!" Hagrid called out cheerfully, his voice booming across the field. "Gather 'round, we've got somethin' special today."

Astoria Greengrass, who had been lingering nearby, quickly joined the group, sidling up next to Theodore. "Hi, Theo," she said, her voice honeyed. "Did you hear what Hagrid has planned for us?"

Theodore gave her a polite smile. "Not yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough."

Cassie felt a twinge of irritation as she watched Astoria inch closer to Theodore. She took a deep breath, trying to focus on the weirdly suspicious crates

"You won' want ter miss this — Blast-Ended Skrewts!" Hagrid announced proudly.

"Come again?" said Blaise

Hagrid pointed down into the crates.

 "Eurgh!" squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward.

"Eurgh" just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Cassie's opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches.

"On'y jus' hatched," said Hagrid proudly, "so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!" 

"And why would we want to raise them?" Draco drawled

The Slytherin group nodded in agreement. Cassie could see his point; the creatures seemed useless and dangerous.

"I mean, what do they do?" asked Draco "What is the point of them?"

Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard. After a few seconds' pause, he said roughly, "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things — I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer — I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake — just try 'em out with a bit of each."

Cassie rolled her eyes but went along with Blaise, reaching out to pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lowering them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Her eyes, however, kept drifting to the interaction going on in the back.

Astoria leaned closer to Theodore, her arm brushing against his. "These creatures look dreadful," she whispered, feigning a shiver.

Cassie felt a strange twist in her stomach as she watched the interaction. Why wouldn't she? Astoria was what purebloods would call the perfect spouse: blonde, dainty, pretty, and ladylike. A stark opposite to Cassie.

"Do you see that?" Pansy whispered, nudging Cassie. "She's practically throwing herself at Theo."

Cassie's jaw tightened, her hand slightly edging towards her dagger. "She can try all she wants, not like I care," she muttered under her breath, her eyes never leaving Astoria.