CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR;

A Bugger's Holiday

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Why do girls move in packs?" Harry asked, watching as multiple gaggles of girls walked past the three of them and snickered to themselves upon seeing Harry. He turned to Cassie. "Why do you lot travel in packs?"

   "Maybe you can lasso one, Harry," Ron suggested. "Got any idea on who you're going to try?"

   Harry fell silent. Cassie glanced sideways at him, but he held no expression on his face. His lips were pressed in a thin line. Cassie only knew – he was thinking about Cho Chang.

   "You're not going to have any trouble with them – whoever you ask, I mean," continued Ron obliviously. "You're a champion. You've just beaten a bloody Hungarian Horntail! I bet they'll be queueing up to ask you."

   He was quite right; over the next few days, wherever Cassie went with him, Harry was being asked by a girl. First, it was a short third year Hufflepuff. Then, a second year Ravenclaw followed by a scary-looking fifth year who looked as though she might've knocked him out if he said no.

   The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumors about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere, such as the theory that Dumbledore had bought eight hundred barrels of mulled mead from Madam Rosmerta. Some teachers had even given up on trying to teach them when their minds were so clearly elsewhere.

   As for Cassie, her mantra for the week was "I don't know". When asked who she might want to attend the Yule Ball with – "I don't know." When asked to the Yule Ball by a sullen-faced fourth year Slytherin – "I don't know", (though she probably should have flat out said no, as he continuously asked her if she'd made up her mind).

   "So, you lot got dates for the ball yet?" George asked the evening before they were released for holiday.

   "No," said Ron, sighing lightly.

   "Well, you'd better hurry up, mate, or all the good ones will be gone," advised Fred.

   "Who're you going with, then?"

   "Angelina," said Fred promptly, without a trace of embarrassment.

  "You've already asked her?"

   "Good point... oi, Angelina!"

   Angelina looked over. "What?"

   "Want to come to the ball with me?"

   "All right, then!"

   "There you go!" said Fred to Ron, grinning. "Piece of cake."

   "How did you do that!?" sputtered Ron in disbelief. Fred and George grinned, stood, and walked off without another word. Ron turned back to his friends. "We should get a move on, Harry. He's right. We don't want to end up with a pair of trolls."

   Hermione and Cassie let out matching sputters of indignation.

   "A pair of what, excuse you?" said Hermione.

   "Trolls, I think he said," said Cassie lightly, raising her eyebrows. "I'll say, Hermione, do you think we are two trolls?"

   Hermione, who caught on quickly, acted as though she were pondering for a moment. "No, on the contrary. I believe we are two spectacular girls who don't need boys to validate our feelings."

   "I wholeheartedly agree," she said, placing a hand over her heart. "And also, I think Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley are foul gits."

   "Oh, I couldn't agree more," said Hermione earnestly. The two girls stood. "Shall we?"

   "We shall," said Cassie, linking her arm with Hermione's. They strode off to their dorm room arm-in-arm.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"...and Romilda Vane has been eyeing him for the past few days – though he's been completely oblivious to that – but it's only a matter of time before he says yes to someone!"

   "So ask him yourself."

   "Exactly! Wait – what?"

   "Ask him yourself," said Atticus, nonchalantly. "I'm sure he'll say yes."

   "How do you know?" Cassie asked, eyeing Atticus warily.

   "It's an intuition," he said sarcastically, giving her a flat stare. "We both see the way he looks at you."

   "He looks that way at Cho Chang, too," said Cassie bitterly, slumping down in her seat and scowling to herself. "You know, I bet he doesn't even like her. I bet he's just trying to make me jealous."

   "Yeah," Atticus, who had returned his attention to his Charms homework, said absently, "jealous."

   "Maybe I'll ask Ron, I know that'll really get under his skin," she said, biting her nail. "Anyway, has Cedric talked to you about who he wants to ask?"

   Atticus froze for a millisecond, then continued scribbling down in his notes. "Why should he talk to me about it?"

   "Maybe because you're his best friend–?"

   "Tosh," said Atticus. "That's you."

   "Yeah, right," she retorted sarcastically, raising her eyebrows. "Is something going on between you two again?"

   "No," he said flatly, avoiding her gaze. She leaned in. Atticus rolled his eyes. "I said no."

   "And I don't believe you," said Cassie. "What's the matter with you two?"

   "It's really none of your business," he said shortly.

   "But if it involves two of my best friends, one of which being my cousin–"

   "That has got nothing to do with this," Atticus said sharply, looking up. "We didn't even know we were cousins until last year. That barely makes us more than acquaintances, if you ask me..."

   Cassie, stunned at his sudden outburst, fell silent.

   He scoffed lightly and shook his head, returning to his books. "If all you wanted to talk about's Diggory, you may as well pack up and leave. Because I'm not talking about him."

   She furrowed her eyebrows and sat there for a moment more, before gathering her books and leaving the library promptly, storming her way back to Gryffindor tower.

Unfortunately, she didn't make it very far.

"Cassie!" Neville called from behind her, rushing forward. "I've got to–"

"Neville, I really am not in the mood to hear about your plants today," she said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Neville's smile deflated slightly, but he shook his head.

"No, that's not what I needed to talk to you about," he said, his grin returning. Cassie noticed it was wavering as though he were nervous.

"Can we talk another time? I've got a splitting headache," she said, giving him a reproachful look.

"It'll only take a second," he said. "I wanted to ask you–"

"Neville, really," pleaded Cassie, "I just– I need to go see Madam Pomfrey."

"But I only wanted to.."

Neville's words were drowned out by the pain in her head. It was customary to her by now, though the familiarity of it did not lessen the pain. She inhaled sharply and clutched her forehead as a particularly strong pang struck, and then–

The first thing Cassie noticed was a large grave, to which Harry was bound on. A hand dug into her neck and she collapsed to the floor, crying out. She rolled over to see Peter Pettigrew standing above her clutching something wrapped in robes in his arms, his wand pointed at her.

   "Crucio!"

But the vision ended as soon as it had began, and Cassie was back in the hallway with Neville, who was looking at her in concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. His hands were on her shoulders, thankfully, because she was sure she might've collapsed if he hadn't been holding her.

"Yes– I'm fine," she lied, however unconvincing. "I'm fine.. what were you asking me, Neville?"

He shook his head. "Unimportant," he promised, managing a smile. "You need to get to Madam Pomfrey."

"No, I'm fine, really," said Cassie. "Let's just get back to the common room."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Cassie arrived at dinner later that evening, she was unsurprised yet disappointed to find no Harry.

   "Where is he?" she asked Ron and Hermione as she took a seat next to his empty spot.

   Ron and Hermione shared a glance, then avoided meeting Cassie's eyes.

   "What?"

   "Well, he's..." Hermione began, then shook her head and grimaced. "I'm not sure how to say this."

   "How to say what?" urged Cassie.

   "He's off with Cho right now," Ron said quickly as though ripping off a bandaid. Both him and Hermione watched Cassie expectantly, but she only froze for a moment before picking up her goblet of pumpkin juice and taking a sip.

"Alright," she said.

Ron and Hermione shared a curious look, obviously taken aback at this reaction.

"That... that's it?"

"What's it?" said Cassie airily.

"We were expecting something bigger," said Hermione.

"Why would I be upset?"

"Because it's obvious you fancy him!" Ron blurted. Cassie snapped her head up, Ron's eyes widened, and Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Ron!" she hissed, whapping him on the arm. She gave Cassie an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Cassie, it's just... well, if Ron can realize it, you know it's bad."

Cassie sat in silence, letting the statements sink in. Hermione had a point; it wasn't as though Ron was the brightest, so if he had noticed.... Merlin, how obvious was it?

   "Good to know," Cassie mumbled, nodding her head. "Really.. really great, guys."

   "You're not upset?" Hermione said, astonished. "What've we done wrong?"

   "I'm not upset with you two," said Cassie quickly. "I'm just– Godric, why does everything have to be so confusing?"

   "I'm sorry," Hermione said again, pursing her lips. She looked to Ron for help, but he had conveniently stuffed his mouth. Hermione scowled at him.

   "Well, at least I'm not the only oblivious one," Cassie said under her breath.

   "What?" Hermione and Ron said in sync.

   "Nothing," Cassie said with an innocent smile.

   Once they finished their dinners, they made to exit the Great Hall, but Ron had gone an ashen shade of grey.

   "Alright there, Ron?" said Cassie, raising an eyebrow as she stood.

   "Yeah.. yeah," he said absently. "You go on without me."

   And so, they did.

   Hermione and Cassie were still sitting in the common room when Ron returned with Ginny; still ashen, though now he looked utterly miserable. They rushed to his side. Harry came in a moment later.

   "What is it?" Hermione asked Ginny,

   "He's just asked Fleur Delacour out," she replied. She seemed as though she were holding back a smile.

   "I don't know why I did it!" Ron sputtered. "There were people.. all around... I've gone mad! Everyone watching! And– and I just asked!" He groaned again and put his face in his hands.

   "She's part veela," said Harry. "Her grandmother–"

   "We already knew that," said Cassie. The coldness of her voice took everyone by surprise, including herself, and Harry blinked.

   "Anyway," said Ginny, looking curiously between Harry and Cassie, "how did asking Cho go, Harry?"

"Oh," Harry said, blinking, his brow furrowed. "I didn't ask Cho."

   Cassie was unsure of where the sudden swell of her heart came from, but it brought even the faintest of smiles to her lips; one the twins caught and nearly exposed her of. But she sent them matching glares, and they backed down.

   "This is mad," said Ron. "We're the only ones left who haven't got anyone!"

   "All the good-looking ones taken, I presume?" said Hermione loftily.

"Oi, Hermione," said Ron in a voice that suggested a great epiphany had just taken place in his mind, "you're a girl!"

"What a genius," said Cassie, rolling her eyes with Ginny.

"You can come with one of us!" said Ron, grinning.

"No, I can't!" said Hermione impatiently.

"And why not?"

"Just because it's taken you four years doesn't mean other people haven't noticed that I'm a girl!" Hermione stood quickly, gathering her books. "For your information—all of you—I've already got a date!"

And she stormed off to the dormitories.

"She's... lying," said Ron flatly. Cassie gaped at him.

"She's not!" she exclaimed, standing as well. "She's right, Ron; just because you lot haven't noticed that some of us are girls and would like to be taken to the ball, doesn't mean other people haven't! She can very well have another date, because she is not bind to you, contrary to what you seem to believe. And nor am I, so don't either of you go asking me. In fact, I've got a date as well!"

And she stalked up to her dorm room after Hermione.

Well, that settled it – she needed to find someone to go with, and fast.