Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
chapter eight / good tidings
THE FIRST THING CASSIE REGISTERED on Christmas morning was the faint, bothersome droning of the first years' high-pitched voices bustling 'round in the common room, comparing gifts and gushing over candies. Still in bed and quite unable to peel the covers off of herself, Cassie flipped over to her right—and, upon seeing that Lavender was still sound asleep in her bed, turned to her left to see Hermione's bed made up nicely. Hermione was nowhere to be found.
Cassie let out a light groan as she sat up, casting the covers off herself and allowing the cold air in, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms. Lavender stirred in her sleep, and Cassie was afraid she'd awoken her, but altogether only rolled back over and let out a small snore.
The voices of the first years' drowned out, presumedly as they made their way down to the Great Hall for a joyful Christmas breakfast. Cassie inched to the edge of her bed to slide on her slippers and follow them down, but, upon sight of her trunk, she paused, her head cocked to the side in curiosity.
Sitting atop her trunk, that sat at the foot of the bed, was a medium-sized parcel wrapped haphazardly in dirty newspaper clippings. Cassie peered at it curiously. She reached out to unwrap it, chalking its mysteriousness to Hermione's absence—it must've been a gift from her.
Beneath the newspaper clippings was a shard of a mirror, about the size of a regular handheld compact, but rigid on the edges, as though broken from a larger host. Cassie gazed into it for a moment, her own grey eyes returning the curious look, before setting it to the side. If it truly was from Hermione, as Cassie believed it to be, she was slowly starting to wonder what could have gone through her friend's mind to think a broken mirror was anything near a good gift?
She was torn from her thoughts as Hermione herself burst through the door. When her eyes landed on Cassie, she broke into a grin, shutting the door behind her. "Happy Christmas, Cassie! I've just been up to the Owlrey to pick up your gift—"
Cassie frowned, cutting Hermione off as she picked up the mirror shard once more. "I've already got it, though."
Hermione's eyebrows rose high on her forehead. She hesitated, and it was then Cassie realized she was holding a package behind her back. She sheepishly held it out. "Er.. no, I've got it right here. What on earth is that?"
"Dunno," Cassie admitted, once more gazing into her reflection. "I'd thought it was from you, honestly. It's not?"
"No, Cassie, I.." Hermione shook her head. She opened the package in her hands and held up a maroon jumper with brown buttons down its middle. "I got you this. It's from a nice little shop back home—a Muggle-run place. I just knew you'd like it, so I had Mum send it to me, and it only just came in this morning."
