arcane | j.potter

chapter seven

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*seven*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Cassiopeia sat in her favourite armchair in the Slytherin common room, bathed in the moonlight that shone its way through the murky waters of the Black Lake as her fingers absently twirled a strand of her hair that was now back to its rich raven black colour. Her eyes were narrowed in thought, darkened by the simmering anger she still felt from the morning's debacle.

Regulus was stretched out in the sofa he had kicked two third years off, his legs hanging over the arm, his jaw set and expression steely. He stared into the fire, the anger in his usually cool demeanour palpable. Barty and Evan were on the floor in front of them, their clothed feet touching as they lay opposite each other, resting on their bent elbows.

Evan was the first to break the silence, his eyes gleaming with malice, "We can't let them get away with it. For five years we've put up with their shit. I'm fucking done."

"Fear not, my little prince. We now have the greatest mind of our generation with us. I'm sure between us all we can concoct something deliciously evil." Barty smirked as he winked at Cassiopeia.

Cassiopeia leaned forward in her chair, eyes narrowing as she listened to her friends. She was already forming a plan in her mind, but figured four minds work better than one and was eager to see how she could incorporate them into her scheme.

"What do you have in mind?" she asked quietly, her voice edged with steel.

Barty cast his gaze away from Evan, looking to the ceiling as he lay flat back on the floor. "We need to hit them where it hurts. Their pride. Gryffindors are fucking full of it, none worse than Sirius and his friends. We have to make them doubt themselves - tear them down from the inside out." 

Regulus nodded slowly, his expression darkening. "Sirius is always the loudest, always looking for attention. We should take that away from him. Make him invisible to everyone - like he doesn't exist." Regulus trailed off as his mind wandered to his first year at Hogwarts, painfully reminded of how his older brother had made him feel the second he was sorted into Slytherin.

"Invisible?" Cassiopeia hummed, before her lips curled into a viscous smile. "Perfectly possible. All we'd have to do is cast a series of disillusionment charms on him. We wouldn't even need to make him truly invisible, we could just distort him. He'll become blurred, unrecognisable to everyone around him. Everyone will see him differently - like a ghost, not solid and not quite as clear as the ones that roam these halls. It'll drive him mad. He thrives on being seen."

Evan leaned in, a grin tugging at his lips. "And what if we combine that with an isolation charm on their dorm. Nobody will be able to interact with them without feeling nauseated or dizzy? They'll be completely cut off from the rest of the school. They'll think the castle has turned against them."

Barty's smile grew wider still. "Brilliant, my little prince. But we need something more. Something that will affect all of them on a personal level."

Cassiopeia felt her smirk darken, watching as the boys turned their attention to her, her mind was racing with possibilities. "We can hit them with different enchantments. Each tailored to their insecurities - their weaknesses. But nothing obvious, they'll feel like they're going mad. If it's obvious they'll just go along with it straight away. We need subtlety with maximum effectiveness."

"Subtle but effective." Regulus agreed.

Cassiopeia sat back, her eyes flickering with thought. She was good at this - piecing together different elements to form one seamless whole. A true strategist, using all pieces to her advantage. She would not be made a fool of. Cassiopeia thrived on strategy, on manipulating situations to her advantage. And this one was no different.