Right away, Cassia knew this game was doomed to fail.

First of all, the weather was fucking rubbish. Rain that froze your face, battering down hard, thunder and possibly lightning, and wind that made flying fast seriously hard.

And on top of all that, the fog made it impossible to see your team, let alone the other team and the hoops.

The last time she had checked, Gryffindor were leading Hufflepuff by twenty, but that was around half an hour ago and Cassia knew things would've changed drastically by then.

Right now, she was mainly focusing on staying on her broom, and trying to get the quaffle from the Hufflepuff chasers. There were some gaps in the fog the lower down you went, so that was how she was trying to do it. Catch the quaffle in the gaps, fly up to the hoops, and shoot it.

In a flash, the snitch flew past her, a speck of gold amongst the fog.

"You better fucking catch that, Potter," Cassia muttered to herself, swallowing at least five raindrops in the process.

"CASSIA!" Angelina Johnson, a fellow chaser, yelled, passing Cassia the quaffle.

The girl caught it and flew into the fog, trying to catch sight of something. The gleaming gold of the posts, the keeper's broom, just something.

And she did. But it wasn't necessarily something she wanted to see.

Harry Potter was in front of her, furiously chasing the snitch, hand outstretched.

"Come on, Potter, fucking catch it-"

But at that point, even Cassia's hatred for Potter disappeared.

It was replaced with a dread, right in the bottom of her stomach, and a feeling as though she would never be cheerful again. She looked down to see the rain on her broom turn to ice, and suddenly, everything felt colder.

Oh fuck, oh fuck fuck fuck-

She knew this feeling. She'd had it once before.

No, not during the match, no-

The fog turning from light grey to dark was the last indication she needed before she saw them.

Dementors.

Three of them.

Flying right towards her and Harry, who, she saw up ahead, had also frozen.

Had she not been absolutely fearstruck, she would've screamed when a dementor flew right up to her, in her face.

"BRAT!"

"YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THIS FAMILY-"

"A mistake..."

"Gryffindor. Of all the houses, you got put into Gryffindor."

"I can assure you, we sorted it-"

And Cassia was feeling faint, and her heart was pounding and her head was spinning and her whole body felt like jelly and she was sliding off her broom-

"CASSIA!"

The last thing she heard was Harry Potter's voice, ringing in her head as she passed out.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"She looks a bit peaky, doesn't she?"

"Peaky?!"

"What do you expect? She fell over a hundred feet!"

"Let's walk you off the astronomy tower, Ron, see what you look like."

"Probably a shit-tonne better than he usually does."

Cassia awoke to the sight of Poppy, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, the rest of the quidditch team and a few more Gryffindors gathered above her. Draco was not present. Clearly he didn't care about his sister almost dying.

"Thank god you're awake," Poppy said, squeezing Cassia's hand.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione added.

"Oh, great," Cassia rolled her eyes. How did she think?

"You gave us a right good scare there, Cass," Fred said.

"What happened?" Cassia frowned.

"Well, you fell off your broom," Ron shrugged.

Cassia rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock."

"Yeah, but guess what?" Poppy said, a small smirk on her face. "Guess who saved you."

Cassia put a hand to her forehead. "It was Potter, wasn't it?"

No one answered her, but she knew it had been. She had heard him scream as she went down.

Finally, Hermione nodded and said. "He flew down to catch you as you fell, and he managed it."

Cassia sighed. She hated to admit it but... this was the first, and only, time she was glad Potter had been there.

"So what happened with the match?" She changed the subject quickly.

Awkward silence.

Well, that answers my question...

"No one blames you, Cass," Poppy squeezed her hand again. "The dementors aren't meant to come inside the grounds and Dumbledore was fucking furious when he found out. Almost more than I was."

Cassia gave her a slight smile.

"There's, uh... something else you should know too, Cassia," Hermione said unsurely. "Your broom it- it kind of flew into the Whomping Willow. And... you know how much it doesn't like being hit."

Ron chuckled slightly at her choice of words as Hermione unfolded a piece of fabric they had been hiding.

In it lay the broken parts of Cassia's broom.

She sighed, muttering. "Well, shit."

She didn't want to cry. Didn't want to let everyone know how much this was destroying her.

That broom was her first broom.

Draco had been gifted a broom on his ninth birthday, and Cassia had been jealous, because all she had gotten was sweets.

So, unbeknownst to her father, she had started to save up her money, knowing that if she bought a broom herself, he couldn't turn it away.

She had saved up for a year and a half to afford that broom, and when she'd eventually managed to get one, her mother and father had been so gobsmacked at the fact their daughter had done it that they hadn't punished her at all.

And now, looking at it, smashed to pieces before her, she almost couldn't handle it.

Her father would never get her another one. He would blow money on the whole Slytherin team, but his daughter would never get one.

She would have to manage with school brooms, then. For another year and a half until she got enough money for a new one.

"Are you okay, girl?" Poppy asked, squeezing her hand again.

Cassia swallowed. "I'm fine."

She knew she wouldn't convince Poppy.

But thankfully, she convinced the people around her.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Cassia was let out the hospital the next morning, and was escorted to the common room rather enthusiastically by Poppy.

Cassia knew the girl was just trying to help her get over her grief at losing her broom, and she was happy she was doing it, but it didn't make the loss any easier.

As it was a weekend, there were no classes, and Cassia had planned to just chill that morning, not do much. She was currently sitting with Hermione, watching Poppy try to beat Ron at Wizard's Chess.

But a thought swirled in her head.

I have to thank Potter.

She didn't want to. She really, really, really fucking didn't. But she didn't really have a choice. The boy had saved her from a hundred foot drop, despite hating her.

It was the second time Potter had saved her life.

She sighed, looking around, seeing if he was in the common room. He wasn't. She was half relieved, half annoyed.

"Hey," she murmured to Hermione. "Do you know where Potter is?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows, surprised that the girl who hated her best friend wanted to know his whereabouts.

"Um, he's with Professor Lupin in the grounds, I think," she said. "Why?"

"Nothing," Cassia said.

She didn't want to think about what the girl was thinking as she got up and headed for the Fat Lady's portrait.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Harry was alone in the grounds when she got there. Lupin must've already left.

Oh fuck me, Cassia thought, shaking her head as she tried to fathom what she was about to do.

But, as per usual, her mouth started to say stuff without checking it with her brain first.

"Hey, Potter?"

Harry turned, seeing her and rolling his eyes. "Here we go."

Cassia walked up to him, staring into his piercing green eyes.

"This isn't what you think," she announced. "I just... I wanted to say thank you. You know, for saving my life and all."

Harry stared at her in shock for a couple of seconds.

"Don't look at me like that or I will take it back," Cassia warned.

Harry was smirking slightly."No, it's just- Cassia Malfoy is thanking me for something-?"

"Shut up, Potter-"

Yet Cassia found herself smiling too, despite desperately trying not to.

"Well, it's not the first time," Harry shrugged, causing Cassia to laugh slightly along with him.

Then she caught herself. She couldn't be hanging around, laughing and having fun with Potter.

"Anyways, that's all I wanted to say," she said. "Just... don't let it inflate your ego, Potter."

As she walked off, he smirked, shouting to her. "Wouldn't dream of it!"

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Oooh, where have you been?" Poppy asked with a smirk as Cassia strolled back into the common room, sitting down in a huge armchair next to her.

Cassia rolled her eyes. "You've been speaking to Hermione, haven't you?"

"Yeah, well, after Ron crushed me at chess - I will beat him one day - I couldn't find you, so I asked Hermione what you'd been talking about and she told me you'd asked where Harry was-"

"Yeah, but that wasn't anything!" Cassia snapped.

"Come on, spill!" Poppy giggled. "Why did you want to speak to Potter?"

Cassia sighed, sitting back into the chair. "I just... I went to thank him. For... for saving my life."

Poppy smirked.

"I'm about two seconds away from smashing this cushion into your face," Cassia warned. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just-" Poppy was incapable of not smiling. "A year ago, you would've rather died than say thank you to Potter. You're growing up, Cass."

Cassia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and also," Poppy smiled. "So is Potter. So, you know, if you want to admit something to me, I'm here- ouch!"

This time, the cushion did get smashed into her face.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"This is fucking ridiculous," Poppy muttered into Cassia's ear as she hugged her best friend, just about to go off to Hogsmeade without her.

"It's fine," Cassia said as they pulled back, trying to muster her best happy expression. "You go have fun, Poppy."

Poppy smiled gently, saying. "You too," before she left.

Cassia sighed, turning as the courtyard emptied. It looked rather beautiful. A few weeks had passed since she had apologised to Potter, and in that time, November had come, and with it the snow that had started to fill the grounds, including some deep stuff in the courtyard, where she was stood now.

But that also meant that she could see things she wouldn't have seen before.

Including a pair of footsteps, belonging to a seemingly non-existent body.

Cassia was extremely confused. Of course, growing up in a magical family, she knew all about disillusionment charms and invisibility cloaks. She never thought she would encounter such things at school, though.

She sighed, slowly starting to creep towards the invisible stranger, ready to pounce.

She was almost there now, three... two... one...

"Argh!"

"Gotcha!"

She had toppled both her and the stranger over in one jump, both of them landing in the cold and wet snow.

"Argh! What the hell are you doing-?"

"Potter?"

And yes, it was Harry Potter that she saw as he peeled the invisibility cloak off him.

"The fuck? You've got an invisibility cloak?" Cassia demanded, hastily getting off him and brushing the snow off her body as she stood up.

"Yeah, and I was trying to get to Hogsmeade with it until you did that!" Harry snapped, getting up too and brushing himself off.

"Pssst!"

Both of them looked to each other, frowning.

"Pssst!"

This time, Cassia turned in the direction of the noise, to see the Weasley twins, smirking, gesturing them to come over.

What the-?

Cassia and Harry slowly walked over to them, both confused.

"If you can't tell me a way to get to Hogsmeade, you're of no use to me," Cassia announced as soon as she got there.

"Ah, well, Cassia Malfoy, it just so happens that we can," Fred said to her with a wink.

"If you pipe down, of course," George smirked.

"Oh, and if you two both agree to share this valuable information," Fred added, handing Harry-

A bit of parchment.

"What's this rubbish?" Harry asked at the same time Cassia demanded. "What the fuck is this?"

Fred chuckled. "Look at what they're saying! That there is the secret to our success!"

"It's a real wrench giving it to you, believe me-"

"But we've decided your need is greater than ours."

"You two are full of shit," Cassia told them. "What in the hell are we supposed to do with this?"

Fred grinned. "George, if you will."

George drew his wand, taking it and tapping the parchment before saying. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

That made Cassia falter.

Because on the parchment, which was plain a second ago, ink had started to form. It crawled across the parchment and formed lines, pictures, words.

What was this strange parchment?

Then, finally, the ink was formed enough so she could read it.

𝕸𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖗𝖘 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖓𝖞, 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖒𝖙𝖆𝖎𝖑, 𝕻𝖆𝖉𝖋𝖔𝖔𝖙, 𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖌𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖆𝖗𝖊 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖙

𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔐𝔞𝔲𝔯𝔞𝔲𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔐𝔞𝔭

"What the hell...?" Cassia murmured, as Harry read the words aloud.

"We owe them so much," George just shrugged, Fred nodding along.

"Give me that," Cassia said, snatching the parchment off Harry before unfolding it, revealing a- a-

A map of Hogwarts.

"Hang on," she said, shaking her head. "This is Hogwarts."

"Yeah, no shit," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Shut it, Potter-"

But she fell silent as she looked back down at the map.

Because it wasn't just a map.

There were- there were little dots on it, moving dots, that were all labelled...

"Wait that's-" Harry started. "No, is it really-"

"Dumbledore," nodded Fred.

"In his office, pacing-"

"He does that a lot!"

"Oh my god," Cassia shook her head. "You mean this map shows-"

"Everyone."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone."

"Where they are-"

"What they're doing-"

"Every second-"

"Of everyday!"

"Holy shit," Cassia said, a laugh erupting from her throat. "Where'd you get it?"

"Nicked it from Filch's office of course, first year," shrugged Fred.

"Now listen, you two, there are seven secret passageways in and out the castle, we'd recommend this one," both twins pointed to it.

"The one eyed witch passageway - leads you straight to Honeyduke's cellar!"

"You'd best hurry, Filch is heading this way," Fred pointed to the map.

"Oh, and don't forget, when you're done, just tap it and say-"

" 'Mischief managed'-"

"Otherwise anyone can read it."

Cassia was still dumbfounded as she watched the ink disappear off the parchment.

However, she couldn't help but feel a little thrilled.

She was going to Hogsmeade.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Potter, you're stepping on my foot-"

"Well, you've been breathing really loudly in my ear for the past few minutes-"

"No I have not-"

"And your breath really st-"

"Finish that sentence, I dare you-"

"Fine-"

"I didn't actually want you to-"

"Sssshhhh!"

Harry's cry was so urgent that Cassia did actually shut up.

"We're here," he hissed, after a look at the map with his lit wand. "Honeyduke's cellar is above us."

Cassia looked up. The tunnel they were in right now wasn't that small, and it did go on for a bit longer, but as she looked up, she saw that there was a tile above her.

She smirked, reaching above her and pushing up the tile, stepping up on her tiptoes to look into what was above.

It was Honeyduke's cellar, all right. The room was only semi-lit, but around her, Cassia could see boxes upon boxes of gum, chocolate frogs, every flavour beans, and more.

"What is it? Are we here?" Harry asked.

"Yup," Cassia hissed back as she slid the tile to the side, hastily clambering up and out the tunnel and into Honeyduke's cellar.

As Harry climbed out, he said quietly. "We're gonna have to use the cloak to get out of here."

"Oh great, being trapped under a warm cloth with a sweaty Harry Potter, my favourite," Cassia rolled her eyes.

"Shut up if you don't wanna get caught," Harry rolled his eyes, opening the cloak, which he had brought with him, up and throwing it over him and Cassia.

Being under it was a weird sensation, Cassia decided. You could see everyone and everything, and knowing that they couldn't see you was strange.

She would never know how they managed to get out of Honeyduke's and into the snowy, cold streets of Hogsmeade, but somehow, they did.

They went round the side of Honeyduke's to get the cloak off.

"Right," Cassia said, raising her eyebrows at Harry. "I guess this is where we part ways?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

"I'm telling Poppy about the map," Cassia said. "And you can tell Ron and Hermione, just... don't tell anyone else, okay?"

Harry looked at her. "As if I would."

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Fine, have it that way. See you round, Potter."

As she stalked off, he yelled after her.

"Not if I see you first!"

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Two minutes later, and Cassia had spotted Poppy, walking with Parvati, Padma and Lavender.

Fuck. Of course, she was glad her friend was hanging out with them, but she could hardly go and talk to Poppy without all of them knowing she had broke the rules.

Eventually, she just decided to go with what you would call the 'Weasley twin' way.

"Pssssst!" She hissed, creeping closer to Poppy until she was about ten metres away. "Psssst! Poppy!"

Her best friend almost fainted with shock when she saw her.

Cassia saw her mutter something to Parvati before running to her, absolutely bewildered.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" She demanded as she got to where Cassia was hiding; round the edge of the Three Broomsticks pub.

Poppy was absolutely shocked as Cassia told her the story, gasping and gaping in all the right places.

"You came here with Potter? No way!" She finally gasped, laughing like crazy.

"Shut up! I wanted to come and the only way I could was if he came!" Cassia hissed. "Anyway, that's not important. What matters is I know how to get here and I know about the map."

"Yeah, true, you're here!" Poppy hugged Cassia excitedly. "I have to show you everything! Come on, let's go to Zonko's, and Honeyduke's, and then we can get a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks!"

So Cassia had the best afternoon ever. Poppy dragged her round all the shops, buying dung bombs, sugar quills, trick sweets and more in Zonko's, and mounds upon mounds of actual sweets in Honeyduke's.

Finally, they went for a good old butterbeer and had a nice gossip in the Three Broomsticks, surrounded by the warmth of the fire and the heartiness of others' conversations.

By the time she was heading back to Honeyduke's, Cassia was feeling amazing.

I wonder if Potter had a good time, she found herself thinking as she walked back along the tunnel.

Little did she know that was a loaded quest