Heretic • C. Diggory

"Thanks, Lin!"

The instant Leo and Ruya Apparated home, Castiel ran towards them. "Mother! Dad! I got my Hogwarts letter!"

"What!" Ruya shrieked. "Congrats, Cas!" she cheered, tightly hugging Castiel.

Castiel handed the equipment list over to Leo and Ruya, who skimmed over it about ten times for reasons unknown to Castiel. Suddenly, Leo jumped about two feet in the air and did some sort of victory dance.

"We are so proud of you, Cas!" Leo congratulated with tears in his eyes, much to Castiel's confusion. He couldn't fathom why his parents were overflowing with pride for him for getting accepted at a school just for the way he was born.

"But wait," Castiel confusedly recalled, "how do I tell Dean and Wayne I'm going to a school where I'm going to learn magic? Can I even see them again?"

"You can't tell them. Statue of Secrecy and all that," said Ruya. "Just say you're going to St. Remy."

"And just because you're going to Hogwarts doesn't mean you can't be friends with them. You can always visit them in the summer. But I have to ask, are you absolutely certain you want to go to Hogwarts?" Leo asked nervously.

Castiel, blissfully unaware of how apprehensive Leo and Ruya were of him attending Hogwarts, looked at Leo as if he had asked the most foolish question in history. "Dad, you're really asking me to choose between learning maths and learning magic?"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

Suddenly, the younger trio came out of hiding. "Uncle Leo, Aunt Ruya. Why didn't you tell Cas about Hogwarts?" Draco asked in confusion. "He didn't ask," Leo hastily replied, attempting to avoid having to reveal the actual reason they never told him.

"At least Cedric was here to tell him about the houses," Pansy said. "Was he?" Leo and Ruya drawled with smirks on their faces. Castiel to rolled his eyes, "Yes, he was. All he did was deliver the gifts he got me, ate breakfast with us and then left."

Leo chuckled. "Sure, sure. Anyway, it's good someone told you about the houses, that means your mother and I don't need to tell you their 'noble history'."

Ruya hummed in agreement. "But just remember, Cas, your father and I will be proud of you. No matter which house you're Sorted into. Although if you get into Slytherin..."

Leo sprang up. "Don't listen to her! Go for Hufflepuff. The common room is next to the kitchens," he said.

"Leo, of all the things you could've said about Hufflepuff, you tell him about the common room being next to the kitchens!"

"But that's the best part about Hufflepuff!"

Pansy looked intrigued as Leo raved about the benefits of this fact. "Draco, Theo, maybe we should try getting into Hufflepuff when we go to Hogwarts."

Draco and Theo looked at her with bewilderment on their faces. "Do you want our fathers to kill us, Pansy!" Theo snapped. "Plus you're not friendly enough to be a Hufflepuff, Pans," Draco shot.

Pansy glared daggers at Draco and mumbled about how she couldn't smack him for insulting her because she knew full well what he said was true.

Castiel was getting sick of Leo and Ruya bickering over common rooms and kitchens. "SO...when do we go shopping?"

Leo and Ruya stopped bickering and turned to him. "Now," they chorused and gestured for everyone to follow them to the fireplace.

"Pansy, you're up first," Leo said while holding out a bowl containing a glittery green powder.

Pansy grabbed a handful of the powder and stepped inside the fireplace. "Parkinson Manor!" Pansy cried out and was promptly engulfed by a spout of viridescent fire. "Right! Theo, you next."