chapter two / the ravenclaw and the hufflepuff

                              COMPARED TO THE DEMENTOR ATTACK, the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts was quite uneventful. The only thing that really caused a commotion was when Hermione's cat chased Ron's rat around the floor of the carriage and Harry ended up with a long claw mark going up his leg.

     When they arrived at the school, Cassie was immediately overwhelmed with awe. The first years broke off into a section of nervous eleven year olds at the docks. Ron squeezed into a spot next to Cassie in the crowd of older students, a smirk on his lips as he watched the amazed girl.

     "You should go with them," he mused, and Cassie rolled her eyes. "It is your first year."

     "But it's not, really–"

     "Oh, but it is," Harry added, as he slid into a spot next to Cassie. He wore a devious smirk that matched Ron's. "It's only fair. Hagrid!"

     The unnaturally large man that had been directing the first years into boats turned at the sound of Harry's voice. Hagrid grinned widely at the sight of Harry, and Cassie could only assume they were friends.

     "You're missing a first year!" Harry shouted over the heads of the eleven year olds. Cassie's face turned red and she frantically shook her head.

   "No, no! You've got everyone!" she yelled, and Hagrid furrowed his eyebrows.

     He shook his hairy head. "Nah, if yer a firs' year, you gotta come with me!"

     Cassie hit Ron and Harry on the arms as she moved over to join the younger students, squeezing her way into a spot between two children. They didn't even notice her. She did suppose she wasn't nearly as interesting as the train station and boating dock.

     The boat ride was exceptionally beautiful, Cassie had to admit. The stars twinkled over the Black Lake and the water reflected them right back, until the boats rippled the water's surface. Cassie caught herself staring at the water until a thunk signified they had arrived at their destination.

     She walked with the first years, an awkward head above the sea of four-feet-tall students, until they had reached the top of a tall, grand staircase and stood before a closed pair of wooden doors.

     A stern-looking woman wearing emerald green robes with a greying knot of hair at the base of her head entered the hall and cleared her throat for the students' attention, and the hushed chattering fell silent.

     "My name is Professor Mcgonagall," she began, and Cassie quickly recognized her name to be the deputy headmistress. "Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you must be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.

     "The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose your House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours."

     When Professor Mcgonagall finished, applause scattered from the timid first years, Cassie amongst the ones clapping. Professor Mcgonagall informed them that the Sorting would begin in a few minutes, before turning sharply on her heel and entering the doors behind her that Cassie could only assume led to the Great Hall.

     A few moments after Mcgonagall had gone, a pair of boys came around the corner at the end of the hall. They set their eyes on the first years and shared a questionable smirk before opening their mouths and shouting "Peeves!" in sync.

     A silvery figure appeared over the first years. Cassie's eyes widened. It wasn't as though she had never seen a ghost before; there were plenty of pictures in the books she'd read. This ghost, however, seemed strange. He looked like a small man with wicked eyes, dressed in loud and outlandish clothes, complete with a bell-covered hat that jingled every time he turned his head to study the crowd. He tapped his fingers together and hummed to himself for a moment as though deliberating the children, before it became obvious what his true intentions with them were.

     He smirked down at the first years before pelting them with water balloons that seemed to appear from nowhere. They drenched the small first years and sputters of surprise left their mouths. Cassie squeezed her eyes shut and held her hands over her head, preparing to be soaked—but for some reason, not a drop of water reached her. She hesitantly looked up, only to see faint magical ripples in the air above her head. It didn't take a genius to recognize a shielding charm, but it sure took one to produce it as a first year.

     "Oi!"

     Cassie turned her head to the sound of a hushed voice and raised her eyebrows to see the boys from before, gesturing for her to come towards them. She looked back up at Peeves before skidding between the panicked first years and hiding behind the pillar with the boys.

     "Peeves get you?" one asked, and Cassie's eyes fell to the blue crest on his robes. From the minimal research she'd done, she at least knew the House colors: Blue meant Ravenclaw. Her gaze moved to the second boy, who was wearing yellow, adorned with a badger on his breast. Hufflepuff.

     "I'm dry, thanks to your shielding charm," she said gratefully, watching with an amused expression as Peeves tormented the children. "How do you know how to do that?"

     "Ah, lots of practice, dear Cassidy," the Hufflepuff replied. She turned back to face him, her eyebrows scrunched in confusion, opening her mouth to ask, when the Hufflepuff cut her off again. "Oh, everybody knows who you are, love. A new student in third year is bound to draw some attention."

     "Well, who are you two, then?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking between the two boys. "It's only fair I know your names if you already know mine."

     The Hufflepuff grinned at her. "You're right. I'm Cedric Diggory, third year."

   The Ravenclaw gave a mock bow. "And I'm Florian Forbes, but most just call me Atticus. It's my middle name."

     "Cedric and Atticus," Cassie repeated. The two boys extended their hands and Cassie reached out, shaking both at the same time. "Lovely to meet you. Thanks for saving me from.. Peeves?"

     "Peeves the Poltergeist," Atticus confirmed, nodding his head solemnly. He and Cedric watched with amused expressions as Peeves was told off by Professor Mcgonagall, who had just returned to her students, all blinking up at her through drenched lashes.

     "Guess the Sorting's about to begin," Cedric said. "You'd better go before Mcgonagall catches you."

     "It was utterly amazing to meet you, dear Cassidy!" Atticus shouted over his shoulder as he and Cedric ran off down the hall. She laughed and waved as they turned the corner. Godric knew where they were going – wasn't every student required to attend the banquet?

     Cassie ran a hand through her (thankfully dry) hair and slipped into the crowd of grumbly first years at the back, watching in wonder as Mcgonagall pushed the doors to the Great Hall open. A small gasp left Cassie's lips as the crowd entered. She couldn't help it – it was absolutely beautiful. Everything was just so... magical. Growing up in a house with Remus, who barely so much as used his wand to teach Cassie magic, she had rarely been exposed to the Wizarding world besides the small bits and pieces Remus had taught her.

     At the front of the hall, Mcgonagall repeated a slightly altered version of her speech from before to the full crowd of students and soon, the ceremony began. Cassie made eye contact with her father, who winked an eye and mouthed 'good luck'. She smiled back.

     Mcgonagall began to read names off of the scroll before her, every name corresponding to a first year. After fourteen students were sorted (Cassie not listening to a single one), Mcgonagall called her name.

     "Cassidy Lupin," her stern voice echoed around the Hall and Cassie stepped to the stool on the platform, promptly turning to face the students and sitting with a determined look on her face.

     The old hat was placed upon her head. At once, an unfamiliar voice chimed through her head, and she almost jumped at the shock of it.

     "Ah, the new student.."

     Hesitantly, she though back in reply: "You.. know me?"

     "Everybody does, dear. That's what it's like to be the new student. I'm surprised your nerves are ever so calm."

     "Yeah, well.. I'm not a naturally nervous person.

     "No, no, I can see that. You have quite the courage. Charisma, yes, plenty of that. Brains... well, I'm sorry to say you've inherited your father's intelligence over your mother's."

     "My father is plenty smart!"

     "Not that father. Anyways, I notice you are quite cunning, but I don't see you fitting in with the Slytherins. Not quite yet. Maybe Ravenclaw, but again, the smarts.. Hufflepuff? Or are you prejudiced against them, like everybody else? I say, Hufflepuff is my favorite House, yet everybody groans or mutters under their breath when I put them there..."

     "Hello? You're supposed to be sorting me."

     "Jeez, jeez. Snobby. Close-minded. Loud, not to mention. And the very obvious hero complex.. nowhere else to put you than.."

     "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted from above Cassie's head. Mcgonagall reached to remove the hat as the table wearing red exploded into cheers, but the hat protested. "Now wait, Minerva, I'm not finished.." and then he continued speaking in Cassie's head.

     "You know, I could have put you in Slytherin. You're just the right amount of cunning and snake-like. And there is that boy you fancy, over in Hufflepuff—"

     "Fancy? Who?"

     "Diggory! You know, the one you've been thinking of the entire time I've been on your head."

     "I do not fancy him. He's just.. he's not bad on the eyes. Besides, I would have been horrid in Hufflepuff. My Dad was a Gryffindor, you know."

     "I know. Your mum was a Slytherin, and quite a smart one at that."

     "You knew my mum?"

     "Sorted her myself. I was on the fence about Slytherin or Ravenclaw, cunningness over intelligence... but then she smart-mouthed me and I knew exactly where to put her. How is she, by the way, with Black getting out?"

     Cassie was fiddling with her fingers. Her eyes were shut, but she could still feel the entire hall staring at her. She swallowed. "My mum died when I was born."

     "Ah, that's what they've told you." The hat almost chuckled.

     "What's that supposed to mean?"

     The hat was ripped off her head by Mcgonagall before he could reply. Cassie staggered off the stool and looked over to Remus. He seemed concerned, but she just gave him a minuscule head shake before walking to the table dawned in red. She noticed an empty seat next to Harry and across from Ron and Hermione, who were bickering (unsurprisingly – Cassie'd only known them for a few hours, but their arguments seemed to be endless).

     "Hey, Cassie," Harry greeted warmly, a smile on his face. "Welcome to Gryffindor."

     She grinned at him and swung her legs over the bench, before craning her neck to get a look at the people sitting around them.

     Two people that sat on Ron's left seemed to bear the same exact face. They were both redheads, so Cassie could only assume they were the elder twin brothers of Ron that she'd heard briefly about on the train. Next to them was a boy with dreadlocks, locked in a furious and very animated conversation with one of the twins. Across from them was Neville, and Cassie gave him a friendly wave. The worried expression dropped from his face and he waved back to her, grinning. And next to Neville was the girl that had stopped by the compartment she'd shared with Harry, Ron and Hermione on the train – Ginny. Ron's younger sister. Merlin, how big was this boy's family?

     "I can't believe it. Our little Cassie has grown up," a voice said from behind the Gryffindors. Cassie and Harry turned at the same time to face Cedric and Atticus. "Look, she's even gotten herself some... some... FRIENDS!" wailed Atticus, flinging himself onto Cedric's shoulder. Cedric wiped a fake tear from his eye.

     "Don't be so dramatic. It's not my fault the sorting hat didn't think I was smart enough to be Ravenclaw. And he thought I was prejudiced against Hufflepuffs," she scoffed. "Don't you think Gryffindor's a good fit for me, though?"

     Atticus wailed even louder.

     "Oh, come off it, it's not like I'm gone forever!"

     Atticus hung his head. "You might as well be."

     "Oh, whatever. Go on and eat," she rolled her eyes, catching a glimpse of Atticus's bright smile as she turned back to the Gryffindors.

     "You know them, Cassie?" Ron asked incredulously. "Y—you're friends with them?"

     "Uh.. yeah? Why?" she asked, picking up a roll and ripping it into small pieces. "Is there a problem?"

     "Only that they're the best bloody Seekers in the whole school!"

     Hermione whacked Ron over the back of the head. Ron rubbed the spot she'd hit, sending Hermione a glare, then Harry an apologetic look. Sorry, Harry. I just mean.. well, they're the best players I've ever seen!" Hermione hit him again. "OW! This was a loaded question!"

     "Thanks for the confidence boosters, Ron," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

     "Whatever. What Ronald means is.. they're practically celebrities around here, Cassie, they don't go making friends with random people," Hermione provided as Ron went back to eating his creamed corn. "It's just a shock to see them being so friendly to you, is all."

     "They seem nice enough," Cassie added, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. She caught Harry's eyes and was instantly bewildered as to how she hadn't noticed them before – the violent green color contrasting with his jet black hair really stuck out. Altogether, something seemed familiar about this boy, but Cassie just brushed it aside as she'd probably seen his picture in the paper somewhere.

     The feast was finished soon thereafter, and Dumbledore slowly made his way to the podium. His eyes, Cassie had noticed, had been avoiding the Gryffindor table during the entire banquet. But as he wistfully gazed upon his pupils, his eyes cascaded over the table of red and caught on Cassie's. He seemed to pause on her for a fraction of a second before moving on.

     "Now that we are all fed and watered," he began, and the rest of the people that were still talking fell silent, "Firstly, welcome! Welcome to our first years, and welcome back to our returning students! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it is best to get it out of the way. Now, as I am sure you are all aware, after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

     Dumbledore paused. He seemed upset with the thought of the dementors tormenting his school. Cassie decided she would have been too, had it been her school being agonized.

     "They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds. And while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not easily fooled by tricks or disguises – or even invisibility cloaks," Harry and Ron shared a look at this, and Cassie made a mental note to ask if one of them owned an invisibility cloak. "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul the dementors."

     Another boy with red hair – this one seemed to be the eldest of the Weasleys – puffed out his chest proudly and stared around as though waiting for a compliment. Nobody gave him one.

     "On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

     There was scattered and unenthusiastic applause. Cassie clapped her hands together and cheered until Dumbledore began speaking again.

     "As to our second new appointment.. well, I'm sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am more than delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take this job in addition to his game keeping duties."

     Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at each other for a moment in shock, before exploding into a cheerful fit of clapping and woohooing. Cassie looked up to the large man to see him wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.

     Once the applause for Hagrid died down, Dumbledore closed up his speech. "Well, I think that's everything of importance," he said promptly. "Let us return to our dorms and get a good night's sleep; for tomorrow, class begins!"

oh my god ew
i can't even read it guys
i know this was supposed to be a rewrite
but i cringe at every other word 🥲
i promise the writing gets better as the chapters go on