.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     CRESSIDA'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL finally began. It feels like she's been waiting for this moment since the 30th of June. Hogwarts has always been, strangely enough, Cressida's safe place. She never had the pressure of expectations or responsibility within the school walls. Even though she was faking an act, it was never truly a painful day at school.

     Evenlyn Zabini, one of her roommates, decided to wake up the entire dorm room with a loud cry of exhaustion. To say Cressida's roommates were not morning people would be an understatement. They hated mornings, just like she did. Perhaps that's why they all ended up sharing a room.

     "Turn it off!" Evenlyn cried, referring to the charmed alarm clock. But that was physically impossible. Aurelia, another roommate, had spelled the clock so it was unable to shut off until all girls were out of their beds. A rather clever idea to make sure no one slept in. "I swear, I will bloody murder someone-"

     But Cressida was the first one out of her bed. "Oh shut it, Ev." She was actually excited to start the day, unlike normal. She wanted to take advantage of every day until she dropped dead of weariness. Her years at Hogwarts were eventually coming to a close, yet she hasn't used the most of her potential.

     "I despise you Aure," Evelyn groaned, her hair being messed up from the long nights sleep. She finally leaned up against the bed's headboard and rubbed her face. "I hope you choke on Dumbledore's dick."

     Aurelia rolled her eyes, "Likewise."

     Cressida made her way to the bathroom and got herself ready for the day. She still could not believe she was back in her comfortable Slytherin robes, purposely a size bigger than her normal size for it to fit like a blanket. She loved wrapping herself with it, feeling like a giant hug.

     She messily completed the look with an untidy green and silver tie. By the time she exited the bathroom, Evelyn hadn't even been out of bed yet. The girl with darker skin was simply sitting upright with her eyes closed, obviously trying to fall back asleep.

     Since the alarm was still ringing, being a bother to everyone in the room, Cressida grabbed Evelyn's arm and tugged her off the bed. Evelyn muttered protests but that hadn't stopped Cressida. At long last, the irritating noise stopped. "About bloody time," the Thorne girl sighed.

     "That was rude," Evelyn grimaced, "Screw you, Thorne."

     "I know you'd love to, but not right now. I've got somewhere to be." Cressida grabbed her wand and bag filled with books and walked out the door. She didn't not want to spend any more wasted time in that room when she could be doing something more worthwhile.

     "Accio timetable," she said out loud while holding her wand, and soon enough her daily schedule appeared in hand. "Care of Magical Creatures first, potions, lunch break, Transfiguration, and finally DADA. Not bad," Cressida spoke to herself, not caring is people nearby overheard. Now she was overjoyed; her two favorite subjects were today: Care of Magical Creatures and Defense against Dark Arts.

     She made it to the Grand Hall just in time for breakfast. As she made her way to her usual spot at the Slytherin table, Aurelia caught up just behind her. The blonde-haired girl took a seat next to Cressida, which was unexpected. Normally, Aurelia would sit with two Gryffindor girls (much to Cressida's distaste) but today she wasn't, why?

     Aurelia always chose those two Gryffindor girls over her own roommates, so the brunette had to ask, "Are McKinnon and Macdonald not here today?"

     Already putting food on her plate, the blonde replied, "No, they are. I just felt like sitting here today."

     Cressida eyed her suspiciously. There was definitely more than what Aurelia admitted, but she ignored it. It was none of her business. Soon enough, Regulus and his Ravenclaw friend, Barty Crouch Jr, joined them for breakfast.

     Cressida hasn't seen much of Barty these past few years, and when she does its a very brief interaction. She wondered if Regulus had finally grown closer friends with him, enough to the point where they can eat within five meters of each other. In all honesty, the two of them barely interact.

     Next to Barty sat Evan Rosier, Barty's best friend. Those two were inseparable, never being able to spend more than an hour apart from each other. Cressida wondered if now Regulus was a part of their duo -- making it a trio.

     Cressida noticed Aurelia's downtrodden expression, and she sighed heavily. She was not good at all at making people open up, or dealing with their feelings. However, Aurelia's appearance was worsening the mood around the table. Wanting to get it over with, Cressida asked, "So what happened?"

     Aurelia began playing with her food, taken aback at Cressida's question. In all the years they've known each other, they've rarely talked. This sudden interest from Cressida scared Aurelia, but she still answered, "Mary and I had an argument over the summer. Marlene took her side..."

     Cressida rolled her eyes, glad Regulus and her never had these problems. But still, she continued the conversation. "Was it a right or wrong argument?"

    "Whatever do you mean?"

    "Was there an obvious right or wrong to the argument or was it solely opinion based?"

    "Solely opinion based," the blonde replied, "Why?"

     Cressida shook her head, "Then they're bloody fucking idiots to stop being friends with you over a different opinion. Look, I won't ask what the argument was about, but if there was no clear right or wrong then they have no reason to stop talking to you. And if they do, they're not worth it."

     Aurelia remained silent. She turned her head towards the Gryffindor table and caught sight of her closest friends. Cressida was right; they'd been friends for five years and one little argument could not get in the way of that. She turned her attention back to Cressida. "You're completely right. I apologize, that was foolish of me to complain over."

     And there it was; the same flip that probably most every Slytherin student has. They open up and become vulnerable, only to close off again in merely seconds. That's why making friends was hard in this particular house; no one wanted to be real with each other. Cressida focused on her breakfast with the roll of her eyes, "No problem."

     Was it too much for Cressida to ask for someone genuine? Even if they were an arse or the complete opposite of her, at least she'd know they were being real. Cressida was tired of all these pretend personalities, which she herself was a culprit of doing, too.

     The Slytherin girl finished her breakfast early, wanting to get to her first class as soon as possible. She was curious to see what they'd be learning about in Care of Magical Creatures today.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

     They were summoned to the fields just outside of Hogwarts. It was rather chilly with a slight breeze, making Cressida glad she didn't leave her warm robe back in her common room. While the students began flooding the area, she noticed that the Slytherins would be sharing the class with Ravenclaws. Cressida rarely had classes with Ravenclaws, but when she did, they were not always fun.

     Some Ravenclaw students steal the class for themselves, deciding to teach it if they believe the teacher is unfit. They always knew the correct answer (which Cressida supposed wasn't terrible, but annoying) and they were the definition of a teacher's pet. Hopefully, this class won't be like that.

     Evelyn Zabini was also in the class, thinking it would be better than Arithmancy. That was the main reason students selected Care of Magical Creatures; they simply did not want to take Arithmancy. Cressida even admitted that was one of the reasons for picking this subject, but it wasn't the main one.

    In truth, she had stolen Thomas' copy of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' over the summer and found it very interesting. She had no idea that so many magical creatures could exist. Cressida thought it was very enlightening. No wonder Thomas loves that book so much.

     Professor Kettleburn entered the premises with a pep in his step. At first glance, the man looked rather dangerous and rude, but he was far from it. Kettleburn had grey hair and a large bandage wrapped around his head, covering his left eye. "Alright, class. Today we will be working with the infamous Nifflers!"

     Cressida's only seen a Niffler once in her life, and it was by accident. She had been in her third year and handing in an assignment for Professor Kettleburn, and he just happened to have his own Niffler. The small creature was rummaging through the Professor's desk, searching for anything valuable. Cressida, of course, had to leave in a hurry because she was wearing jewelry. Her assignment ended up being turned in a day late, but Kettleburn understood once she told him why.

     The students around Cressida had mixed feelings. Since most of them haven't read 'Fantastic Beasts', they barely knew anything about the mischievous creature. However, those who have read the book were cautiously optimistic about the class.

    "There are twelve Nifflers scattered throughout these grounds, no doubt swimming in the transfigured gold I left for them. You will be put into groups of two, and your main goal is to find a Niffler, convince it to leave the gold alone, and bring it back here as soon as possible. Though need I remind you that no harm will come to them."

     Evelyn shifted uncomfortably next to Cressida. In a whisper, she said, "If those things touch my bracelet then I'll be sure to harm them."

    "Then why'd you bring it to Care of Magical Creatures of all places?" Cressida furrowed her eyebrows. Even she had been smart enough not to wear anything valuable to the class.

     Evelyn looked shocked at the question. Obviously, she had to look her best at all times, not just select classes. Her bracelet was worth a lot of money, and what better way to show it off than on a Hogwarts school day? "To make those....dirty less fortunate jealous."

     "Well then I hope those Nifflers do take it from you," Cressida rolled her eyes.

     "I'd sue Professor Kettleburn then," Evelyn replied with a cocky tone.

     "Nifflers are known for their obsession with gold. Kettleburn said it himself. If you brought your gold bracelet to class while we were handling Nifflers.....that's entirely your fault. Sueing would not help you."

     Evelyn grumbled, knowing Cressida was right.

     "Alrighty, let's get you all into your groups. When I call you and your partner's names, you may venture off the find the little creatures immediately. First off, Trelawney and Aferlto. Bones and Crouch. Rosier and Thorne..."

     As soon as Cressida heard her last name, her attention tuned away from Kettleburn as he continued pairing names. She looked around for Evan Rosier, but then remembered he was in Arithmacy instead. If there was another Rosier, she knew nothing about them or what they looked like. Did Evan Rosier have a sibling?

     Suddenly, a blonde woman appeared in front of Cressida. With the softest of voices, she said, "Hello!"

     The Slytherin was startled by the calm voice, finding it unsettling. She looked the girl up and down; the blonde was wearing Ravenclaw robes and a woven light pink necklace layer on her neck. She looked the complete opposite as Cressida. The brunette eyebrows furrowed. "And you must be...."

     The Ravenclaw girl extended her hand for the introductions. "Pandora Rosier."

     "Oh," Cressida said. It appears that Evan Rosier did in fact have a sibling. But by the looks of it, they might even be twins.  "I'm-"

     "Cressida Thorne, everybody knows that."

     Cressida didn't like her tone; it was hinting toward an implication that bothered her. (At least she thought it was). "What's that supposed to mean?"

     "Oh no, I didn't mean to offend you," Pandora quickly apologized. "You're just very well known as a Slytherin. Your parents too; they were famous during their term at Hogwarts. Also my brother knows you."

     Lucile and Anthony were both the perfect example of a Slytherin student. Anthony, like Noah, was captain of the Quidditch team and a seeker. Lucile had been the Defense Against the Darks Arts professor for about a year before resigning. She had believed the position to be too much to handle while having kids.

     The current generation of Thornes also had a reputation for themselves, so it wasn't surprising how Pandora knew so much about her. However, the thought still unnerved Cressida. "Yes well, shall we get going?"

     "Mhm!" the bubbly girl began walking away from the rest of the class. Cressida trailed behind her, watching as Pandora happily trod across the field. She shook her head, wondering how she got paired with such a girl. Cressida simply hoped this next hour would go by quickly and she could move onto her next class. Hopefully the Rosier girl didn't bother her too badly.

     Pandora stopped suddenly, taking the time to prick a flower from the ground. It was a dandelion. She muttered something about harming the plants before turning to Cressida. "Dandelions are gorgeous, aren't they?"

     "I suppose," Cressida shrugged, annoyed, "I've never really payed attention to them. But we should really be focusing on finding a Niffler, Rosier."

     Pandora collected another dandelion. "Oh but I am," she softly said, "Nifflers like to eat these flowers. If we lay a trail, surely one will follow."

     Cressida immediately remembered the chapter on Nifflers in her summer reading. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Glittering items aren't the only thing those tricky little creatures like. Cressida crouched to the ground, picking up a weed of her own.

     After a few minutes, the two girls had gathered enough dandelions to feed an army of Nifflers. They sat at the end of the trail, waiting for any movement in the grass. Surely enough, there was quite a lot.

     About three Nifflers came running, eating the weeds as they followed the path. They were all covered in jewels, to the point of beads falling out of their pouches. Once the trail of dandelions was finished, the three of them sat in front of Pandora.

     "How are we supposed to get the jewels back nicely? Can't we just grab it from them without causing any harm?" Cressida tried not to make any sudden moves, not wanting to scare away the animals. She couldn't recall any particular method from Newt Scamander's book on how to take back jewelry.

     "We ask, of course."

     Rolling her eyes, Cressida sighed, "Of course." She couldn't understand Pandora's level of patience. If it were up to Cressida, she'd just hang the Niffler upside down and shake it, making it drop all the valuables it consumed. Although, that might end up hurting the animal....

     "Hello there, would you be so kind as to return the jewels back to us? I promise we'll give you more dandelions," she blonde spoke convincingly. She outstretched a palm so one of them could hop on comfortably. Using her other hand, she pet the creature's fur carefully.

     Little by little, the black fluffed niffler began dropping all the jewels until it was completely empty. Pandora grabbed another weed and gave it to the beaked face beast. "There you go."

     She placed it on the ground and repeated the same process with the remaining two nifflers. Cressida watched, astonished at the Ravenclaw's ability to handle animals to easily. In no time, both girls had their hands full with glittering golden coated items. Two of the creatures hopped on Pandora's shoulders, wanting to go for a ride back to Kettleburn.

     The last niffler stared at Cressida with longing.

     "Absolutely not," the Slytherin shook her head, crossing her arms. She was not good around beasts at all, she repelled them all.

      But still, the niffler gave Cressida it's best begging eyes.

     Her eye twitched before finally giving in. "Alright, whatever. Get on before I change my mind." The mischievous fur-ball climbed up her arm and settled itself on Cressida's shoulder.

     "I think it likes you," Pandora smiled warmly. "Nifflers are great judges of character, you know."

     "Oh wonderful," Cressida muttered. She stood up from the ground with her hands holding the valuable items, and began strutting back to the Professor. She looked around at the surrounding field. No other student had yet returned with a niffler and its gold. Maybe Pandora's tactics weren't so abstract after all; they had provided positive results.

     "Nicely done! Five points to both Slytherin and Ravenclaw!" Professor Kettleburn applauded the two girls. "Seems like Nickel has found you once more, Thorne."

     Cressida furrowed her eyebrows, "Whatever do you mean, sir?"

     "Nickel was the same reason you handed your assignment late back in third year," he paused, finding the sight in front of him amusing. "It looks as though he recognized you instantly. Good memory, nifflers have."

     Cressida turned her head to glare at the creature. She lowered her voice with a sneer, "I almost had points taken off because of you."

     Kettleburn called over the rest of the class, announcing the two winners of the challenge. The students applauded them as well, and Cressida's ego inflated immensely. She loved when people cheered for her.

     Evelyn wandered up to Cressida and scoffed, "Become best mates with that beast did you? One of them bit me. I swear I was so close to snapping it's neck."

     "I wouldn't blame it for biting you," Cressida replied, "although you don't look tasteful. Poor fellow; I feel bad for it."

     "Oh shut up, Thorne."

     Zabini stormed away, not liking Cressida's minor insult at all.

     The brunette's face contorted. Evelyn usually never behaved like she was now, but maybe she was growing into her personality more; even if it was a bad one. What Zabini needed was to be humbled.

     Cressida turned to face Nickel on her shoulder once more. She lowered her voice again , "If you want to make it up to me for what happened two years ago, you can...."

     Her voice trailed off into an even deeper whisper. The creature on her shoulder reacted with a strong nod, and jumped off the girl. The niffler ran to where Evelyn Zabini was and climbed up her cloak. The Zabini girl was too focused on the conversation she was having with another Slytherin student, that she failed to realize the black furred beast on her.

     Nickel jumped onto her wrist and snatched the golden bracelet off swiftly. It was only then that Evelyn noticed what was happening. She jumped in a fright, letting out a small scream.

     Evelyn stumbled onto the Slytherin boy standing next to her, causing her to fall to the ground. While she was distracted, Nickel took that opportunity and ran back to Cressida, holding the golden bracelet in his mouth.

     Before anyone could see, Cressida picked up the niffler and put him into her robe's large pocket. She smirked, satisfied to have humbled Evelyn even if it was just for a moment.

     Since she can't have fun at home, the Slytherin girl tends to have.... messed up ways to entertain herself at Hogwarts. Cressida's reign of disastrous terror has only just begun, and the stolen bracelet was the least of it.