Cassandra White

Stone Hut

Next morning, all the students had assembled in the Great Hall for breakfast and also to get their timetables for classes beginning the new academic term. Since Cassandra hadn't written her OWLs yet she would be attending classes with the fifth year students.
Cassandra came down early and saw Rose already seated at the table reading a book and drinking her morning tea. She looked up to see Cassandra walking towards her, "Good Morning" she chimed, "Quidditch try-outs are this Friday at five o'clock." She added.
Cassandra sat down and grabbed her plate. She began spreading jam on her toast and said, "What do you suggest I should try out for?" Rose glanced up and thought for a moment and then replied, "I think you could try out for chaser or beater. Either it's James who will decide. He is the seeker. I will be trying out for keeper for sure."
Cassandra nodded her head. Quidditch did seem interesting and she was eager to try it out but she was not yet sure if she was an athletic person at all. While deep in her thought she looked up saw the brother-sister duo entering the great hall. James Potter looked a little drowsy but Lily on the other hand was bright and happy, ready to start a new day.
James and Lily sat opposite to each other with Lily seated beside Cassandra. "Good morning" chimed Lily and James just gave a tired smile, "morning: he said to both Cassandra and Rose. "Did you sleep well Cassandra?" asked Lily trying to start a conversation. "Yes and please Lily call me Cassie." Lily gave a lovely smile that made her cheeks turn rosy. "Sure" she chirped, pleased to have made another friend. A little later both Albus and Scorpious entered the hall. Cassandra looked over to their table and excused herself from the group. Rose did not look very pleased but Cassandra did not think much of it maybe she did not like the tea. Cassandra walked over to the Slytherin table and sat beside Albus. "Hello!" She said. "Remember me I am Cassie." Albus chuckled at this sarcastic remark. "Are we supposed to call you Cassie now?" He asked groggily. "Good morning Cassie." Scorpious said excitedly. "I heard that Slytherins and Gryffindor may have potions together this year since many won't be taking it. I do hope you will be there." He added.
"Are you even taking potions this year?" Albus asked taking a bite of his scrambled eggs.
"Actually I haven't appeared for my OWLs yet. I will be attending classes with the fifth years." She said.
Scorpius looked up from his bowl of porridge, "But Professor Mcgonagall said you will be joining from the sixth year?!" He said clearly confused. "Yes, but first I will only attend classes with the fifth years only for a month. I will probably just sit at the back of the class and solve the previous year's papers." She replied and took another bite of her jammed toast.
"Another month. So you will be writing the exam in almost a months time?" Scorpius asked flabbergasted.
"Yes. Professor McGonagall made special arrangements with the Ministry. I was in fact supposed to write it in January of next year but Professor said I was well prepared to score enough OWLs to become a healer so she preponed it for me." Cassandra said all this calmly as if it was perfectly ordinary and almost anyone could do it. Scorpius sat with his mouth open and his spoon halfway into his mouth. Albus looked at Scorpius and said, "Your mouths' open." and then turned to look at Cassandra, "Are you human? You can't possibly be serious about this."
Cassandra continued chewing her toast and after swallowing finally said, "No, I am and is anyone of you taking Care for Magical Creatures this year?" She asked the two boys who almost choked when they heard about the subject. "You are taking Care for Magical Creatures?" Albus asked, "You are mental."
Cassandra looked at the boy sitting beside her and said sternly, "Just because you are scared of nifflers doesn't mean everyone is." She turned defensive because Care for Magical Creatures was her favourite subject and Hagrid was her favourite teacher. She felt he truly understood them. "Look Cassie, we all love Hagrid but I don't think he is suited for teaching," added Scorpious hesitantly afraid he might annoy the fierce raven-haired girl. "Well, I think otherwise." She replied haughtily and took another bite off her toast. Scorpius dared not argue. "I think Lily might take it next year." Albus added calmy, oblivious to the fuming Gryffindor beside him, "She really likes Hagrid and I think she even prefers his classes to anybody else's, reckons there are simply intriguing."
"Well, they are." Huffed Cassandra.
Albus shrugged and took a last bite of his scrambled eggs.
After a moment a hoot of owls rushed into the Great Hall dropping letters and packages on their owner's tables. Letters and gifts from family. Cassandra knew better than to expect a letter from her mum. I never told her about the owls, she thought but a faint part of her hoped that she received a letter but who would write to her except her mum and her brother. She felt a little sad but to her surprise, she saw Edmon carrying a letter in his beak and flew up to her. He perched on the table and hooted loudly, nibbling Cassandra's finger. Cassandra gave him a piece of her toast and a little water for his hard work. She opened the letter and read it.

Dear Cassie,
I hope yer pleased on yer firs day at Hogwarts. I told ya it's gonna be amazin. I heard from Professor Mcgonagall that ya met Albus on the train. Reckon ya two are great friends already, Albus is a great kid. I would like to invite ya to my hut for tea in the evening. Bring along Albus and Scorpious too.

Hagrid.

Cassandra smiled as she finished reading the letter. It seemed that from the time she came to Hogwarts earlier in the year Hagrid had been looking out for her making sure she didn't feel left out. It was as if he knew her long before she came to Hogwarts. Even Professor Longbottom gifted her a few hard found books on herbology for reading. He knew she liked Herbology after Care for Magical Creatures. Somehow it filled her heart to know that the people at Hogwarts were looking out for her. Suddenly when Scorpious asked, "Are you okay Cassie?" was when she snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah, yeah I am fine. Hagrid just invited me for tea this evening." She smiled. "Oh well me too," added Albus who was also holding a parchment in his hand that was written in the same untidy handwritting that belonged undoubtedly to Hagrid.
"So are you free this evening Albus?" Cassandra asked. Albus nodded his head. "I just was kind of looking forward to meeting Hagrid" he added, "He may not be that good a teacher compared to Professor Longbottom but dad once said Hargid is a great guy and I know that for sure without a doubt."
Cassandra smiled and she saw warmth in Albus' eye as he spoke of Hagrid. To her, Albus was very different from Lily and James but she liked it. She liked knowing that Albus was her friend. "Yes, he is." She said and smiled at Albus warmly. Albus looked at her a little taken aback, in his head he was not sure if Cassandra looked...well it was nothing. He shook his head ever so slightly and continued talking to his friends who were already rambling about something. Somewhere deep in his heart, Albus knew he had felt this before; when he first met Scorpious on the train.