chosen - harry potter

Chapter 6 - The Hog's Head

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

Cassia battled with a blurry figure, her breath ragged and short. Her wand shot from her hand, and she staggered backward, falling painfully onto her back. She braced for a spell to be shot her way, but, opening her eyes, the figure had dropped to the ground. A second figure, dressed in draping, black robes, and an ornate silver mask — a Death Eater — approached her. She held her breath, watching the figure take sweeping, slow steps toward her. They stuck out their hand to her, seemingly offering to help her up. She swallowed, shaking as she took the hand in front of her. She was pulled to her feet gently, the Death Eater stabilizing her and reaching up, their gloved hand pulling on the bottom of the mask. They pulled it up, revealing their face...

She shook awake, breathing heavily. Her eyebrows pressed together, dropping her face into her hands. A dream painting a Death Eater in a positive light? Was that how she felt about them, deep down? She couldn't even seem to tell anymore.

Later that day, she entered Snape's office, looking for insight into these dreams.

"Have you been practicing your Occlumency, Miss Bright?" he asked annoyedly.

"Yes!" Cassia called exasperatedly. "I feel like I've been doing everything! Occluding, taking the Draught of Peace, shutting my brain off...I don't know what else I can do!"

"What about your relationships?"

"...What?"

"Have you cut off the people around you?" Snape asked, a bored tone lacing his voice.

"I mean...I guess I have. I haven't meant to. It just sort of happened, I suppose."

"There's your problem. You've lost sight of what's important to you. Occluding is important, but completely shutting yourself off is making you more susceptible to these images and messages being sent to you by the Dark Lord."

Cassia simply looked at him with a shocked expression. Her eyebrows knitted together, thinking about her friends. She had grown distant from them.

"Go fix it. You are dismissed, Miss Bright."

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

The morning of the first Hogsmeade trip of the year came sooner than Cassia expected, but she planned to use it as an opportunity to reconnect with her friends, to force herself to be present. 

She met with her friends, and the quartet left the castle, heading into the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

"Where are we going?" Cassia asked, smiling. "The Three Broomsticks?"

"Oh, er, no Cass," Hermione said timidly. "We're heading to the Hog's Head. I told everyone who wanted to meet for Defense Against the Dark Arts help to meet us there. I thought we'd have less of a chance of being overheard."

"Oh!" Cassia said, looking between her three friends. "We're going forward with the plan, then? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You haven't exactly been up to talk, there, Cass," Ron joked, smiling.

"That's...fair," Cassia nodded, before breaking into a smile. "I'm sorry for that, by the way. I'm good now."

"You said that before," Harry said flatly.

"I'm really, completely good now."

The four continued down the main street until Hermione stopped at a small inn. A small wooden sign hung over the door, showing a boar's severed head.

"Well, come on," Hermione said nervously. Harry led them inside.

The small room was dingy and extremely dirty, with the windows only allowing a small amount of sunlight in. Years of grime were caked onto the floor, making the stone concealed at first glance.