Cassie's P.O.V
The summer had been... interesting. The Quidditch World Cup had turned into a free-for-all with the muggles, the dark mark had been shot into the sky, and, most importantly... Cassandra had had a glow up. It could be argued that this was a minor detail compared to the other frightening events, but to Cassie, it was very exciting. She'd never been particularly pretty. With plain features, she had the kind of face that people forgot about as soon as she wasn't in front of them. That's how her first three years at Hogwarts had been. People mostly ignored her. She was too quiet to make friends, too risk-averse to make enemies, and definitely not pretty enough to be looked at with interest. But there was one person who Cassie counted as a friend. His name was Cedric. He was a couple of years older than her and extremely popular, but after a certain mishap ending with both Cedric and Cassie landing in the lake, the two polar opposites had become unlikely friends. Cedric was the only person Cassie really talked to, and she couldn't wait to show off her summer... improvements, once they got back to school.
Platform 9 3/4 was bustling as always, as Cassie lugged her trunk towards the Hogwarts Express. She kept a look out for Cedric. He was a prefect, so he'd probably be doing his prefect duties on the train already, but Cassie knew he would come to visit her once the train was moving. As Cassie boarded the train, she saw the red-headed family rushing into the station. The Weasleys, she thought. They had all been sorted into Gryffindor, the same as her, and Ron was even in her year. She doubted any of them knew she existed, but Cassie was a keen observer. She knew the twins were the troublemakers, and had secret passageways hidden all over the castle. The youngest, and the only girl, Ginny - she had been involved somehow with the Chamber of Secrets in Cassie's second year, and had almost died. And Ron, he was friends with Harry Potter, always getting into trouble but somehow, always coming out of it with a shit-load of house points, that often won Gryffindor the house cup. Cassie couldn't complain. They never bothered her, and seemed nice enough.
On the train, Cassie chose an empty compartment, and settled herself in for the journey. She put her feet up and rested her back on the window, pulling out the muggle book 'Pride and Prejudice'. Cassandra didn't usually like muggle literature, but this one was a classic. She often felt sorry for Mary, the plainest of the Bennet sisters, and understood her need to prove herself in academia. Cassie was just getting up to the point where Lydia leaves for Brighton, when there was a knock on the compartment door. It was the Weasley boy, with Harry Potter and their frizzy-haired friend.
"Do you mind if we sit here?" Ron asked, "Everywhere else is full." Cassie nodded and moved her feet, and the trio sat down. Ron sat next to her, with Hermione and Harry opposite. Cassie went back to reading her book, but a moment later, she looked up again. Harry was staring at her. He seemed to realise this and looked down quickly.
"If you don't mind me asking," Hermione said, "Are you new here?" Cassie put her book down, and glanced at Ron and Harry. They both seemed equally intrigued. She smiled slightly. It seemed these three were even more oblivious than she'd thought.
"No. I'm not new." Cassie replied, "This is my fourth year at Hogwarts."
"What house?" Ron asked, leaning forward.
"Gryffindor." She said. Ron swore.
"You're in our year, and you're in our house." Harry said, "How have we not noticed you?"
"I just have one of those faces, I guess." Cassie replied, and, hoping that would be the end of it, picked up her book again.
"I'm sorry." Hermione said, seeming genuinely distraught that she hadn't known this other girl in her house. "What's your name?"
