musical mood: outta my head - somi

It was hard to be excited about the Triwizard tournament, when Bartemius was at the school. While Cass was glad to see him alive, and seemingly unhurt, she didn't think she could handle a school year with him wandering the halls, even if it would only be on occasion.

"That man is creepy." Naia leaned over and whispered into Cass's ear about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor - apparently Lupin had quit, though she wasn't sure of the reason. She couldn't blame him, working at Hogwarts was hell. But he had been decent, and she'd miss him, especially because the new Professor was none other than Alastor Moody.

"Wonder how he got all those missing limbs." Terry commented.

"He's an ex auror. So probably battles and stuff."

"Auror?" Ana blinked.

"Dark wizard catcher."

"I don't like him very much...he gives me bad vibes." Padma said, but no one paid any mind to her. She was always nervous, was she not?

"I think I know him." Henry eyed Moody up and down, as Bartemius went on about the Triwizard rules, how they could only compete when they were seventeen. This seemed to upset people, but Cass couldn't imagine why. Who would want to compete in such a dangerous tournament? "He killed Evan Rosier, didn't he?"

Cass made eye contact with Bethany at the mention of Rosier, who had been Barty's close friend. She was surprised that with Barty on the loose, he hadn't tried to track down and kill Moody. Then again, Moody was perhaps the best wizard alive, besides maybe Dumbledore, and surely couldn't be taken down by a malnourished thirty year old.

"He didn't kill him." Bethany rolled her eyes. "Rosier was under arrest, and he attacked them. It was self defence."

"Potato potato."

"I can't believe I'm going to be your sister-in-law. You're insufferable." She crossed her arms, glaring at Henry.

"So you and Theodore are still engaged?" Luna raised her eyebrows. She hadn't spoken a word since they'd been on the train, too entranced in a new book she'd got, in a language Cass couldn't detect. It looked like gibberish.

"Unfortunately." Bethany groaned, her eyes drifting over to the Slytherin table, where Theodore and Malfoy were arm wrestling like children. Bloody boys. "But I'd throw myself off the Astronomy Tower before I go through with it."

By the look on Henry's face at the mention of his brother, the two clearly were still rocky when it came to their relationship.

"And what about Colin?" Padma asked.

"What about him?"

"I mean, are you two still together?"

"Since when do you lot care about my love life?" Her nose scrunched up. "It's none of your business."

"Sorry, sorry, I was just making conversation." Padma raised her hands to her shoulders in mock surrender.

"Yeah, well don't."

*

"Did you hear?"

Cass had just entered potions, and was approached by the Weasley twins, each with wide eyes and a bright grin.

"Hear what?" She pushed past them, placing her stuff down at her usual spot. The class would be different this year, they were NEWT level students now, which intimidated Cass to no end. Not only did she have to worry about her father and brother, and still mend her broken heart over Connor, but now had to not fail a two year advanced class with a hand injury that refused to heal. Wasn't life just brilliant?

"Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret the other day!" George exclaimed.

"What?!"

"Yes! He was bullying Harry, as usual, so he turned him into a bloody ferret! McGonagall eventually came and stopped him, unfortunately, but it was golden."

She'd been being sarcastic about the whole 'the life being brilliant' thing, but that certainly made her day, assuming the twins weren't pulling her leg.

The three sat down at a table together - Snape hadn't banned the twins from sitting next to each other yet, which in hindsight was probably a bad oversight. One Weasley twin was enough trouble, combining them was never a good idea.

"Is Pucey taking this class?" Cass asked, and Fred shook his head.

"Nope, he's probably the only Slytherin to drop out of NEWT potions."

"Thank Merlin. He's insufferable."

"Who's insufferable?"

The three looked up to see Cedric waltzing over to their table, his chin held high. He wore an aura of confidence, even more radiant than usual, like he had just won some massive award. Cass gulped.

"Pucey." She said.

"True. He isn't taking this class, is he?" Cedric asked as he sat down in the seat next to Cass, and her heart did a backflip. There was a table full of Hufflepuffs near them with an empty spot, and yet he chose to sit next to her! Did that mean anything?

"No, you already missed our discussion on that, Pretty Boy." George was glaring at Cedric, and Cass couldn't tell if he was being playful or not. "He's too stupid to be in this class."

"Oi, if it weren't for me, you two wouldn't be here either!"

"Cassie, you certainly have an ego. We could be potions experts for all you know."

"Why do I doubt that?" Cedric snorted. "I was here all of last year, or are you forgetting? Even with her broken hand, she was better than the two of you combined. Speaking of which, Cass, how is your hand?"

Cass shrugged. She hadn't been wanting to think about it, how it still ached with every basic movement, how she wasn't sure she'd be able to function in such a high effort class with it not working, how it was acquired in the first place...

"It's alright."

"Brilliant."

"You seem awfully chipper today, Pretty Boy. Did you perhaps enjoy our lesson with Moody too much?" George eyed Cedric up and down, as if sizing him up.

"Lesson with Moody?" Cass raised her eyebrows. "What happened?"

"He's brilliant, that's what happened!" Fred said, and for Fred to call a Professor brilliant, he must've really done something to knock them out of their seats, perhaps literally.

"He was alright, I guess. A bit creepy for my liking, if we're being honest." Cedric shrugged. "I'm in a good mood because I've decided to put my name in the Goblet of Fire, once they allow us to enter."

"What?!" She gaped at him. "But you're not old enough! You're sixteen!"

"I turn seventeen next week."

"It's dangerous!"

"Please, how bad can it be? They're allowing it at Hogwarts, it can't be that bad."

"They allowed Quirrell at Hogwarts, and he tried to kill me." Cass pointed out.

"And they let Lupin in, and he was a werewolf! Not that he was all that dangerous." Fred said, earning wide eyed stares from Cass and Cedric.

"He was a what?!" She coughed.

"A werewolf." Fred repeated, confused. "Did you really not know that? That's why he quit, because it got out. The pureblood parents wouldn't have it - I heard Lucy Malfoy put up quite a fuss especially."

"Poor bloke." Cedric pursed his lips, staring down at the table. "I wish he had stayed. Moody gives me bad vibes."

"Padma said the same thing at the feast the other day." Cass frowned. "But he can't be that bad, if he turned Malfoy into a ferret."

"Which is very dangerous." Cedric pointed out.

"No more dangerous than you entering the Triwizard tournament!"

"Don't worry so much, I'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Er, I remember reading about a bloke in the 1800s, who got flayed alive in a task. So perhaps that?"

"That was the 1800s, they've adjusted the rules." Cedric's hazel eyes met Cass's brown, a silent, reassuring stare. "Trust me, Cass, I'll be okay."

She bit down on her lip. "If you say so..."

Cedric turned to the twins. "Are you two going to enter? I can't remember your birthday, are you eligible?"

"We aren't eligible, but we're going to enter."

Cass whipped around to glare at them. "Don't you even think about it!"

"Aw, come on, Cassie, you have to help us with our plan anyways. It requires potions!" Fred gave her a pleading stare.

"I am not going to aid you two in a suicide mission!"

"Please, like we could ever die. Right Georgie?"

"Exactly. We're immortal!"

She rolled her eyes. "Can you believe what I have to put up with, Cedric?"

"I mean, he is your boyfriend."

Right. She often forgot about the fake dating, yet somehow everyone was convinced. Or, she assumed they were.

"Unfortunately."

"Oi, I'm right here!"

Cedric snorted, covering it with a cough as Snape entered the room and began his lesson, writing the instructions for a love potion on the chalkboard, and taking five points away from a Gryffindor girl for her shirt having an undone button. Cedric, ever valiant, wanted to protest this oh so terrible injustice, but Cass elbowed him before he could, getting him to shut up.

"I'll get the ingredients." Fred stood up, leaving just the three of them. Cass wasn't sure she trusted Fred to get them all, but she decided to stay behind, given the glare that George was sending at Cedric. For Merlin knows what reason, he'd always liked to antagonise poor Cedric, but this glare was...different. Was he playing the part of jealous boyfriend? No, this was too real.

"So," Cass leaned in, resting her good hand's elbow on the table, her cheek in her palm, desperate to distract George before he did something stupid. "What was so special about Moody's class? I have him later today, and I want to be prepared."

George's expression shifted, from one of anger to one of discomfort. "I don't think you'll like it."

She frowned. "Er, what?"

"Why wouldn't she like it?" Cedric blinked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I like it?"

"It's an upsetting subject matter." George said, perhaps the most uptight and precise thing she'd ever heard from the twin.

"I'm back!" Fred greeted them with an armful of potions ingredients, and they got to work.

Cass used her left hand to do most of the chopping, which wasn't as hard as it had initially been, given she'd had an entire summer to practise. She now used her left hand for everything, be it using her wand, writing, or brewing potions. Of course, this potion was especially easy for her, because she'd brewed a love potion before. A smile slipped onto her lips when she thought about that, how the twins had made Malfoy fall for her instead of Terry, which had been the plan. So much had changed since then.

Whatever had been on her mind, any anxieties about her brother, or whatever was happening with George about Moody, flew to the back of her head, as she got into her groove. Potions was a therapy, that she hadn't realised she'd missed dearly over the summer.

"You should consider being a chef."

Cass raised her eyebrows, staring at George with a bemused stare. "I should be a chef? Why's that?"

"Well...you're good at chopping stuff."

"I'm good at chopping stuff?"

"Yes."

Cedric snorted.

"I think if I were to be anything when I'm old enough to work, I'd like to work in an apothecary. That would certainly be a better use of my potion skills than a chef." She shook her head, laughing to herself. George was truly something else.

Their love potion, while nowhere near done yet, was flawless, likely due to Cass's involvement. Even Snape had to praise its progress (in Snape language), calling it "adequate", while the rest of the class got various insults. They'd be working on it for the next month, and Cass found herself in high spirits as they exited the Potions classroom. She was perhaps the only Hogwarts student who could say she ended the class in a better mood than it began.

"You have Moody after this, correct?" George asked her as they made their way down the hall. They'd split from Cedric, and Fred had ditched them to talk to Angelina, so it was once again just the two of them.

"Mhm. I'm excited to see what this mysterious lesson you've been so evasive about is."

"Cassie, I really don't think you should go to this class. Do you want to skip? We can go down to the lake. Do you fancy a swim? I sure as hell do." He was rambling, why the hell was he rambling? Since when did George Weasley ramble?! Since when did he get in any way nervous?!

"George, seriously, what are you on about?"

"Just trust me, okay?"

"I'm not going to skip a class over a 'trust me'!"

"Bloody Ravenclaws...listen, okay, he talks about unforgivable curses. In detail. He shows them. I just figured, given your history, you wouldn't want to see that."

"My history?" For a moment, Cass was completely puzzled as to what he was talking about. Unforgivable curses? What did those have to do with her?

Then she remembered.

Oh.

OH!

"You know." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. He knew. George knew.

This set a panic in Cass she had never felt before, perhaps just as bad as when she found out Barty was alive. He knew, and if he found out more, he'd hate her forever. Did he only hang out with her out of pity? Out of morbid curiosity? It was in that moment she realised just what George meant to her, just as she felt like she was losing him.

His brow furrowed together, like it hadn't occurred to him that he wouldn't know. That he was surprised she would be upset by this knowledge. "You mean about your brother? I've known since I met you. Is it not common knowledge?"

"Keep your voice down!" She hissed, whipping around to make sure no one was listening. Luckily, they were in a remotely empty hallway, with only a few passing students. Cass had stopped in her steps, leaving them in the middle of the hallway, trying to keep her hushed voice from echoing down the walls. "Is it not common knowledge?! Of course it isn't!"

"Oh. Well, sorry? I just don't want you to get upset."

"It's a bit late for that." She folded her arms over her chest, averting her gaze from him as she felt heat fill her cheeks. She was being unreasonable, she knew that deep down. But the idea of George knowing the most intimate part of her life, of him possibly judging her over it, that was unbearable. Anyone else would be better than him, Cedric knowing and judging her would be better than him.

Another thing hit her in that moment, as her thoughts began to settle

Since when did she put George over Cedric?

Gentle waves brushed against Cass's feet, the scent of the sea calming her nerves. She had opted not to go to Moody's class, not simply because of the content, but because she had no desire to be around her peers. If George knew, who else did? She'd been too liberal with her assumptions that her secret was just that, a secret. No, she needed to mentally prepare herself to go back into the school with complete strangers knowing her family history.

Oh what she wouldn't give to be a muggle, to be with Connor...

No, she won't cry. She won't cry over this again. What's done is done, Connor hates her and will never speak to her again, and chances are, she'll never return to Stromness, never have the opportunity to speak to him again either.

Connor hated her for what she held back from him, but George, whom she'd also kept everything a secret from, harboured no hatred for her. Yet she'd always regarded Connor in higher standards than George, when he'd been the one to, in the end, prove himself as a loyal friend. Maybe it was time she started taking him seriously, him and Fred.

Friend. That was an odd word to use when describing George Weasley, and she found it didn't fit right. It was fine for Fred, sure, but George, she held in a different regard, though she couldn't quite depict what it was.

Oh Merlin, no. No no no no no.

She did not fancy him. She did not fancy George Weasley. Did she?!

She thought about it. Lately, he'd wink at her and her stomach would do backflips, he'd touch her and she'd secretly wish he wouldn't let go. She enjoyed spending time with him, more than any of her other friends, even though he drove her crazy at the same time.

Was that a crush?

She was supposed to fancy Cedric! She was fine with fancying him, because she knew it would never work! It was a simple, silly crush that she allowed herself to dabble in because she was sure nothing would come of it, and that was fine. But with George, it was different. They were friends, even worse, they were fake dating! You couldn't really like the person you were fake dating! That went against all the rules.

She knew it had been a bad idea, and mentally kicked herself for giving in to the fake dating idea so easily. Though it had been her fault in the first place. She'd need to break it off, and fast.

"Cass?"

Cass looked up, relieved to have an interruption to her thoughts. Even though she had initially wanted to be alone, that was now not a possibility. She didn't want to wait and see what other emotional revelations she might have while left to her own devices.

"Hey, Saoirse." She greeted the redhead girl who was approaching her. Not the company she would've wanted the most, but it'll do. Saoirse was a bit rough around the edges, but she reminded her of simplicity, and as she grew closer, Cass could tell just by the look on her face that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" She asked when Saoirse sat down next to her on the sand, stretching out her legs.

She shrugged. "Peachy."

"Did something happen?"

"Snape is a dick, that's what."

Cass snorted. "You can say that again."

"He has it out for me specifically, I swear. The moment I walked into his classroom, he's had a target on me. Sure, he's mean to the other students as well, but nothing compared to me. I don't know what I did."

Be muggleborn? Cass wanted to offer, but didn't. If Saoirse didn't know about blood prejudice yet, perhaps that was a good thing. Besides, while it was known that Snape had Death Eater connections back in the war, there was no way Dumbledore would have hired an actual blood prejudiced person. Then again, he did hire Quirrell, who had You-Know-Who on the back of his head...

No, whatever Snape had against Saoirse must've been different. Maybe he just had something against redheads, since he sure did seem to hate the Weasley's enough...

"I'm sorry." Cass said after several moments of silence. A rogue wave splashed against their feet. "I'm sure this is not what you were expecting when they told you that you were a witch."

"Truthfully, when they showed up at my house and told me, I thought it was some big joke. I mean, come on, McG looks like something out of a comic book."

"McG?"

"My nickname for McGonagall."

"Don't let her hear that. She doesn't take kindly to insolence."

"Don't worry. McG loves me. She gave that Burke girl detention for calling me a mudblood, whatever that means."

"Bethany?" Cass gaped, goosebumps forming at such a casual use of the M word. Her suspicions were correct, Saoirse likely didn't know about blood prejudice. And no way Bethany would call someone that, but if not Bethany, than...

"No, Adelaide. She's a year above me. A nasty piece of work, too."

"Adelaide Burke called you that?!"

"Yeah, what a bitch, right?" Saoirse rolled her eyes, though Cass could tell she was more bothered by it than she let on. "What does it mean?"

"Er, it's just a nasty word. Don't pay any mind to it."

Saoirse's jaw shifted, her harsh gaze meeting Cass. "Don't lie to me."

Cass bit down on the side of her cheek, contemplating how to phrase it. "It's an awful name for muggleborns." She said after several moments of silence.

Saoirse pursed her lips. "So like fenian? Except for muggleborns, not Catholics?"

She nodded. "Yeah, essentially. Just...don't pay any mind to it, okay? It's just a mean word. Don't let it get to you."

Saoirse looked at Cass, like the idea of being offended by the word amused her. "Don't worry, Cass. It'll take a lot more than a stupid word to upset me. I did grow up in Stromness, after all."