The Grim - PoA

Chapter Six

Over the next three weeks, the third year students began to buzz with excitement about their first trip to Hogsmeade, and the beginning of the Quidditch season. Cassie was among the very few who's mood soured at the mention of either.

"That's it, " Neville said, slamming his book shut. The two had spent the last few weeks continuing Cassie's search for, well, anything about her family, and had once again come up short. Neville, though he really tried, had been right; he wasn't very good at it. He was too easily distracted. But, truthfully, Cassie didn't mind at all. She rather enjoyed his company. "I'm not going to Hogsmeade. We'll stay here, together, and keep looking for... for something."

Cassie looks up from her book in shock, stammering slightly, "I— Neville, I'm not asking you to do that!"

"I'm offering! I feel bad that you can't go, Cas, and I'm sure it's more fuss than it's worth, anyways..." Neville tried his best to sound optimistic, but Cassie saw the way his mood dropped every time he offers to stay, huddled away in the library, instead of going on his first Hogsmeade trip. That was another problem; Neville wanted to help, but his heart wasn't in it. Cassie supposed it would help if either of them knew what to look for in particular.

"We'll stay here, and we can keep searching, or do... I-I don't know, something else. And then we'll go to the Halloween feast at the end of the day. Maybe you could even get away wi-with sitting at the Gr—"

"Neville, Neville," Cassie interrupts him, laughing lightly, "That's really sweet of you, but... I really don't mind being by myself. Go to Hogsmeade! Have fun, for me! And then you can tell me all about it after. Besides, I'm sure we won't find anything important."

"Aw, don't think like that. We'll find something eventually, Cassie. There's bound to be something!" He tries to cheer her up. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

Neville looks at her pitifully, reminding Cassie of a puppy, "Of course, Neville. You go! I'll see you after, I'm sure."

He smiled at her, reluctantly going back to flipping through his book about plant remedies. Cassie really doubts he'd find anything there, nor did she feel she'd have much luck with hers, but she didn't have the heart to quit just yet.

At dinner that night, Pansy and Millicent were in an exceptionally good mood... or bad, depending on how you saw it. The two sat across from Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, cackling over their dinner at something Cassie was, as usual, unaware of. She sat next to an attractive, dark-skinned boy she had never talked to before (who seemed just as uninterested in her as she was in him), and across from her was Daphne Greengrass. The two were the only thing separating Cassie from the group at the end of the Slytherin table. Daphne, who was involved in their conversation but not nearly as invested, nodded along at the right moments, and even let out a laugh here or there. Cassie always wondered why Daphne hung around with her other two dorm mates. Daphne was no saint, that was clear, but she always seemed much more reserved than the other two girls, who were malicious.

"— it's getting rather annoying, actually. Happens all the time, right Millicent?" The other girl nods in agreement, "I bet she's still having nightmares about the dementors. Or maybe," Pansy gasped, "Looking into a mirror! Oh, the horror!"

The group erupted into laughter again. Cassie stopped, setting her fork back down and looking over towards them, slightly, as to be unnoticed. Daphne met her gaze, her pale colored eyes holding what seemed to be sympathy. If it was, she didn't act on it. She never did.

"Did you see her, the other day? In Transfiguration," Millicent asked, once they had calmed down. "She couldn't even come close to performing the spell. It was so easy, too! I perfected it, like, last year!"