[Spitfire : Chapter Forty-Five]

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31 October, 1994

Isaac Deehan wasn't unfamiliar with lying. He did it on a daily basis. Whether it was stating 'I'm fine' when he really wasn't or saying 'I'm just tired' when he truly wished to drink himself into a state of euphoria, lying was a natural instinct of his. He never felt bad from it, not until he lied to Cassie with all her friends around.

     There wasn't a Durmstrang student he wanted to ask to the Yule Ball. Deep in his mind, he hoped Cassie connected that Durmstrang only came with boys—Isaac didn't like boys in that way. Or girls, for that matter. He wished Cassie figured that out, that she'd force the truth out of him. Instead, she encouraged him.

    At least his mum wouldn't question anything, hopefully his sister would mind her business when she doesn't see Isaac with Cassie at the Ball. Or doesn't see Isaac at the Ball at all.

     Rumors had been circulating around the Slytherin common room about a small group being formed. One that met late at night, learning things Hogwarts wasn't permitted to learn. In all truthfulness, Isaac was intruiged. Wouldn't anyone? Learning something you're not supposed to learn? He should've kept his mouth shut.

    One morning in early October, Isaac had the incredibly not bright idea to ask student Theodore Nott about the so-called 'club.' He was rumored to be in charge. Next thing Isaac knew, he'd be going to his first meeting on the night of the Yule Ball when everyone was preoccupied with the Triwizard event. He would be meeting with a dozen other Slytherins, all pureblooded and known for their past evil family relations. All people Isaac hoped to avoid after Thorfinn Rowle graduated from Hogwarts.

    He was in too deep now, if he could have run he would've. But once he found out what it all truly was, it was too late. Someone would've surely hexed him into oblivion if he tried to escape. So now he was something he hated, a stereotypical Slytherin indulging voluntarily in dark magic. He even had a pin to prove it, which he wore on the backside of his tie away from any eyes view.

    The Nutcracker hated the pin. Once Isaac hooked it on his tie, the Christmas toy jumped out of the hole situated inside as a home for it and returned to Cassie. Isaac hated the thing,  or, at least, he acted like he did. But now he missed it, he missed the distraction of its mischief. Now when he was alone, he was truly alone. Left in his regretful thoughts, once again enclosed by his so-called Slytherin destiny.

    Thorfinn would be proud. The one person Isaac didn't want to make proud, will be proud once one of his Slytherin cronies reports back to him. Isaac flopped belly-first onto his bed in his empty dorm and shoved his face into his pillow. Underneath his chest, he felt a sharp metal poking into his skin. He didn't move, the deserved the sting of the metal poking into his chest. A tear dropped out of the corner of his eye and absorbed into the pillow beneath him, finally, he shuddered out a sobbing breath.

ツ

November, 1994

Cassie skipped along Hogwarts corridors with a pep in her step, she had a date for the Yule Ball. A boy, a French boy, for that matter. Cassie was always fascinated with the French language. Now she could possibly start dating one! She stopped.

"You've known him for a week, Cas." She told herself. "Don't think too far ahead."

After scolding herself, she made her way to the Great Hall. Her belly growled once the delicious scents of elf-made food entered her nostrils. She spotted Kennedy talking to none other than Avonte, who was seated beside Rose and Fiona. Cassie skipped on over, Kennedy noticed her arrival first.

"Cas, why didn't you share him with us? He's a doll." Kennedy stated, pointing at Avonte who smiled with dimpled cheeks.

"You're only saying that because he took your side." Rose scoffed. She turned to Cassie. "Ken and Mauss think black toast is better than brown."

Cassie placed on an offended look. One of which that was completely true, she was offended. "You two prefer charcoal over delicious lightly toasted toast?! What the hell is wrong with you two? Were youse ever hugged as a child?!"

"Now I didn't say I liked black toast," Avonte quickly stated. "just that my maman makes nothing but black toast."

"You traitor!" Kennedy said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. Rose laughed mockingly at the Hufflepuff, Kennedy glared with a glare strong enough to shoot lasers.

"I prefer non-toasted." Fiona added in shyly. "With a little bit of butter, maybe some sugar."

"That sounds spectacular, Fi." Cassie said, sitting beside Avonte and Kennedy. "Did you hear about the Yule Ball, Ken?"

"Well, duh." Kennedy said, rolling her eyes. "Mum told me before Noah and I left. Haven't I talked about it?"

"No," Rose said with suprise, "not at all."

"Oops, must've forgot." Kennedy said, leaning over and grabbing a breadstick and shoving it into her mouth. "I don't think I'm going," she said through chews, "Hufflepuffs are planning a night in the greenhouse that night."

"Why water plants when you can dance to music?" Fiona asked incredulously. Kennedy snickered.

"We're not watering plants, you goon, unless you count vomit as H2O." She explained. "We're gonna get drunk! Some chick in seventh year dates a guy who works for a liquor joint in Scotland. Says she can get us all we need."

"That sounds amazing, who knew Hufflepuffs could be so rebellious?" Kennedy whacked Cassie on the shoulder and Cassie laughed. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!"

"Say that again and you'll wake up with mayo in your socks." Kennedy warned, gulping down some pumpkin juice. One of her housemates called her over and she abruptly stood up, stuffing more breadsticks in her pockets. "I think the house elves cook better for you guys. Well, gotta go. Ciao!"

"She's quite . . . odd." Avonte stated after she had gone, Cassie filled her plate with an assortment of meats that Fiona frowned at. "I was told Hufflepuffs were . . . small and, er, scared, a lot."

"Who said that?" Rose laughed, holding her hair back as she sniffed the soup in front of her. "Hufflepuffs can be scarier than Slytherins at times, incredibly spontaneous too."

"A white-haired boy in ze' snake house, Drake, I believe?" Avonte said, tilting his head. He pointing over ahead at the Slytherin table at Draco Malfoy. "Him."

"Er, don't talk to him." Cassie said, frowning. "He's one of the, uh, bad guys?"

"Excellently explained, Cas." Rose said. "Draco Malfoy comes from a long line of You-Know-Who and Grindelwald supporters. He's not the most trusting, or accepting, for that matter. He hates everyone who's not a pureblooded Slytherin. There's better company to keep than that boy, trust us on that."

"Right," He said, looking at the young Slytherin. "bad guy."

"See, you understand." Cassie said, patting his back.

The rest of dinner was spent talking, Kennedy popped in whenever her housemates let her go. By the end, Cassie was sad to leave as that also meant departing from Avonte. Whenever she was around him a funny feeling filled her chest, one that she would get in fourth year when she'd smoke 'magic-herbs' with Kennedy in the Forbidden Forest. It felt nice, euphoric.

"I shall see you tomorrow, oui?" Avonte asked, smiling down at her.

"Definitely," Cassie nodded. "first periods Care of Magical Creatures, if you'd like to stop by."

He nodded and they stood there, staring at each other. "Okay then," Cassie said. "Bye?"

"Au revoir!" He said.

Cassie waved and then hurriedly left. Automatically, the euphoric feeling that swirled in her chest was replaced with embarrassment. Her cheeks were red and her hair was following in suit, growing redder and redder the more she thought about their departure. Eventually, she laughed it off. "I'm an idiot."

Avonte stood in the Great Hall for a few moments, thinking over what she had said. Care of Magical Creatures? Women love creatures, especially cute ones. He wondered which creature would be presented during the class, he had to speak to the professor. Looking around, he found someone sitting at the Ravenclaw table reading an upside down book. "Ex-cuse me." He said, tapping her shoulder. The platinum-haired girl looked up, not at Avonte, but above him.

"Hello." She greeted, still not looking at him.

"Bonjour," He chuckled nervously. "do you know the Professor of ze' magical creatures class? I must ask them a question."

"Do you mean Hagrid?" She asked, her eyes finally meeting his.

     "Possibly?" He said, tilting his head.

    "Follow me." She said, standing up and walking towards a set of two enormous doors. Avonte sighed and ran after her, oh the things he went through to get a woman.

ツ

November, 1994

    Cassie was about to turn back into her pillow until she remembered that Avonte may meet her at first period. Quickly, she got ready and fixed her blue hair before running to the Great Hall to retrieve a leftover apple. The first bell already rung, she only had about five minutes to get outside before she wouldn't be allowed into class. Then again, Hagrid was one of the most carefree people she's ever met, he'd probably let her in if she was forty-five minutes late.

She ran up the hill with her textbook in hand, greatly wishing she hadn't worn her robes during the run. Eventually, she made it to the class which, thankfully, the professor was late to as well. In a distance, the second Hogwarts bell could be heard ringing.

"Good mernin, good mernin!" Hagrid yelled as he jogged from his gatekeepers hut. "Sorry for bein' late. Some'un left a bludga' in my hut. Almost took my head off, it did."

Behind Cassie, two redheads began snickering. She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and not paying them anymore attention. Hopefully Avonte would come soon, maybe then the presence of Fred Weasley behind her would be scraped from her mind.

"Too-day, we'll be workin' with mooncalves." Hagrid explained. "As toni'll be a full moon, I'm hopin' that our little guy will come on out to say hello."

    Cassie felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, but her scared expression morphed into a smile when she saw Avonte standing behind her. "Hi!"

    "Bonjour." He smiled. He looked over at the Professor, raising a hand as if to get his attention. "Bonjour, Professor 'Agrid!"

    "Oh, 'ello Avonte!" The man said in a quick fluster, seemingly nervous.

    "We're working with mooncalves today." Cassie said as he moved beside her, their shoulders touching. "I've heard of them, they're cute."

    "My maman works with mooncalves," He said, "re-hab-billy-tates them whenever they're attacked by verevolves. Happens a lot, sadly. Seeing as they both come out on ze' full moon."

    "Ah, fascinating." Cassie said, looking at the ground. Has Remus ever attacked a mooncalf? She'll ask hi—actually, she shouldn't.

     "If 'verybuddy follows me," Hagrid started, but abruptly stopped as he shoved his hands inside his enormous pockets. "wait, wait, I needa lock up. Can't 'ave anoter bludga' sneakin in."

    His hands shuffled inside his pockets for what felt like minutes. Towards the end, he even put two hands in the same pocket. Everyone heard a click before something small and gold-colored shot out of his pocket. Hagrid stumbled back dramatically, yelling out like he was in a broadway show. "Oh no, my golden snidget!"

    The 'golden snidget' hovered in one spot, Cassie furrowed a brow. The man could simply grab it if he wanted too. Instead, he seemed to shoo it away. "Oh no! It's flyin' away!"

"I'll get it pro—"

"No!" Hagrid dismissed, Cho Chang took a step back. "Cassie and Avonte, save my snidget, please. The fores' ain't no home for a golden snidget!"

"Wait, why me?" Cassie asked as Avonte grabbed her wrist and began running toward the direction the small snitch-like bird fled too.

"Oi, slow down, Mauss." Cassie said after stumbling over a twig. "I'm not meant for the forest dwelling life!"

"We need to zave ze' snidget, Cassidy." Avonte said, reluctantly releasing her and thus running farther ahead. Cassie really needed to exercise.

"It's Cassie!" She called after him as she lost view of the boy. "Great, what hero's we are." She looked around her, the trees blocked the sun and all around her she felt like she was being watched. She started forward, "Er, Avonte?"

Her hand grabbed a tree as she pulled herself across a small dwelling in the ground. "Avonte?" As something grabbed her hand back, she let out a monstrous shriek. Her hair whitening in fear.

    A little bowtruckle held onto her little finger, tugging like it was going to bring her somewhere. "Oh my, you little cutie!" Cassie gushed. It sent a raspberry at her and continued to tug, Cassie allowed it to direct her. Hopefully she'd find Avonte and they could gush over the creature together.

    "Ickle truckle, you are fulfilling a dream I never knew I had." Cassie said. "Now that I'm Snow White, I'll need seven little dwarves. You can be one, Mr. Nutcracker too. Fi is cute enough so her as well. That leaves four . . . Isaac, for sure. He would hate it. Kennedy would never bow to such a position, and she wouldn't let Rose do it either. So not them—"

    "Cassie!" Her head lifted as Avonte's voice filled her ears.

"Avonte?" Cassie called, straightening herself causing the bowtruckle to lift in the air with her pinky. It swung back and forth in a panic, eventually clutching to her tie for dear life. "Where are you?"

"Just ahead of you!" Cassie began walking in a faster pace, stepping between large stones and thick brown twigs. Finally, she caught sight of him and a little of something else. Though, her view was cut off when a bucket full of thick red rose-smelling goop fell onto her head.

"Holy shite!" Cassie yelled, clearing her eyes the best she could. "Avonte? What—"

He was down on his knee, the golden snidget in his hands. It held a tiny slip of paper in its beak. The bowtruckle on her tie sounded as if it was hissing at Avonte, she nearly wanted to as well. "What's going on, Avonte? What is this stuff?"

"Clover Tree sap, it's harmless." Avonte smiled. "Go on, take ze' paper."

"Did you do this?" Cassie asked angrily, still wiping goop that slid down her pale cheeks.

"Read the slip, Cas." Avonte urged, pushing the bird closer to her.

Cassie sniffed angrily and then grabbed the paper with two fingers, smearing it in red. At least she smelt good, if this goop didn't smell nice she would probably kill Avonte then and there. She unfolded it and squinted her eyes, she read it aloud;

'Go to the Yule Ball with me, Cassie Snow.'

Cassie looked down at him. "This was your extravagant plan to ask me to the Ball? Merlin, Mauss. I wanted a show not . . . a shower! Attention, Mauss. Attention." To prove her frustration, she flicked some goop onto his forehead.

He stood up, a grin still apparent on his dark-skinned face. "Well, when we arrive back at class you'll surely be looked at oddly. Maybe, even, if your arm-in-arm with me?"

Cassie placed a hand on her hip.

He chuckled, "Okay, I'm sorry. But my question is still true, will you go to ze' Ball with me? Pleaze?"

Against her own free will, her lips contorted into a smile. "God damn you, Avonte Mauss. Fine, yes, oui. I'll go to the damn Yule Ball with you."

"Oui!" He cheered, throwing a fist in the air. Cassie laughed and embraced him, smearing him in the red goop. "Répugnant, absolutely répugnant." He said, looking down at the goop on his chest.

    "You can say that again," Cassie chuckled, looking at her own goop-covered self. "smells nice, though."

    "Shall we return to class?" Avonte asked, holding out his elbow. "Arm in arm?"

    "Arm in arm." Cassie grin, hooking their arms together.

The walk back was much less scary than it was entering the forest. Now when Cassie looked around she was met by curious bowtruckles, it was fascinating seeing all the creatures in their natural habitat. She mainly saw them locked in cages or held in magically enchanted bins. Unfortunately, the mistreatment and entrapment of animals wasn't only a muggle habit, the wizarding world did it too.

"Snow, sneeze a little too hard?" Called a Ravenclaw upon their arrival. Cassie smiled sarcastically and held up her middle finger, receiving a few giggles from amused students.

"Did ye' catch my snidget?" Hagrid asked, a knowing smile on his bearded face.

"Oui, professor." Avonte stated, unhooking his arm from Cassie and pulling the calm snidget from his robe pocket. "Merci."

"No, mercy!" Hagrid stated, butchering the French accent he oh-so terribly attempted. He held up the snidget. "Now, next month we'll be workin' with the mooncalves. I gotta make sure Bernie here is alright after his trek in the forest. Class is dismissed!"

    "I'm starting to think Hagrid was in on the whole snidget-goes-missing thing." Cassie inquired, looking up beside her at Avonte. He simply grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. "You owe me a sugar quill after all this, I look like a murder scene."

     "Do I now?" Avonte asked. "I think you look gorgeous, red suits you."

     Cassie grinned, her cheeks tinting under the goop. Her grin morphed into a smirk as she grabbed a handful of the substance.  "I wonder, how do you look with red?"

     Avonte began stepping backward, away from her armed hand. "Oi, I've already got some on me. I-I don't look that good—"

    Cassie threw the goop at him and it splashed all over his front, his neck and chin included. He looked down at himself like she just threw a handful of dung on him. "You monster," He stated, pointing at her. "I'll get you back for this!"

    "Will you now?" Cassie asked, playfully reaching for another handful of goop.

"Oui," Avonte grinned, he reached down and grabbed a handful of grass. Cassie's eyes widened, he stepped forward and she launched her weapon before turning and running toward the castle. Several students had to move out of her way, including Fred Weasley who she nearly toppled if it weren't for George yanking him over. Behind her, Avonte chased her at a nearly impossible speed. She could hear his feet slamming against the ground behind her. With the momentum of running down the hill, she thankfully managed to have some distance on him.

Now she just had to make sure not to fall, that would most likely end in an injury Pomfrey would scold her for.

At the top of the hill, Fred Weasley watched with his arms crossed. His twin spoke behind him to Lee Jordan and Alicia Spinnet, not noticing his twins current focus. He watched the red blur of Cassie Snow pick up more and more momentum as she ran down the hill. He listened to her playful yells and loud laughing as she escaped the hands of the Beauxbatons visitor.

His ears tinted red and a mixture of anger and something else unreadable swirled through his chest. He cracked his knuckles until they wouldn't crack no more. That Mauss kid would probably end up hurting Cassie. He was right on her tail, if she abruptly stopped he'd fall right into her. Fred couldn't have that, no matter how angry she was at him and he was at her.

He had to move Mauss out of the way.

Fred pulled out his wand discreetly and pointed it towards the back figure of Mauss. In a low whisper, he stated the incantation of the trip jinx. "Ceciditque." As the invisible spell hit the French visitors feet, the boy crashed toward the grass in a mighty tumble. Fred's eyes widened as he watched Mauss's tumbling figure pick up speed toward the back legs of Cassie who had yet to notice the falling of her perpetrator.

Fred quickly pointed his wand at Cassie, "Sinistram!" As if a remote control had taken over her body, she dove toward the left, right out of the way of Mauss who continued rolling until the bottom. On impact, the echo of a cracking bone circulated around the area. Fred flinched, biting his lip as he hid his wand away. The leftover students from Hagrid's class began to crowd around the top of the hill.

     "Woah." Exclaimed George with wide eyes, Mauss had a visible break in his leg. One that left the boy wailing and swearing in his native language. Cassie was right beside him, calling for help to the students above.

     "Shite!" Fred cursed, he started down the hill to where Cassie coddled the boy who Fred had just attempted and succeeded in injuring.

Authors Note:

Sorta satisfied. How has quarantine been for you guys? Vote and comment if you liked, or if you just want to be nice, it'd be appreciated. (:

March 26, 2020
3,578 words