The Last of the Blacks

Chapter 7: Disappointment

The red envelope fell on the Gryffindor table on the next morning and suddenly the whole table went silent. Cassie turned the letter only to see her name and started began to tremble.

"Bloody hell," Ron whispered. "You've got yourself a howler."

"You better open it, Cassie," Neville advised. "Otherwise it will get worse."

She turned her head to the teacher's table, to her godfather and her father. Both of them were looking at the howler like it was some sort of a bomb. There was such indescribable horror on Sirius's face that Cassie could only imagine how much her aunt would shout at him.

She was a Gryffindor, she reminded herself. And she wouldn't be afraid of a howler.

So she opened it. The biggest mistake in her life.

"CASSIOPEA ANDROMEDA BLACK!" it howled. "HOW DARE YOU GET INTO SUCH A TROUBLE! AND YOU!" the howler, which was already flying in the air, turned itself to the teacher's table. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LOOK AFTER HER! AND YOU, SIRIUS ORION BLACK, WHEN YOU COME HOME I AM GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS LIKE YOUR FUCKING MOTHER NEVER DID!" most of the students were afraid of it, but the twins and their friends laughed a little. The howler fell on the table again - this time lifeless.

Then Cassie saw another red envelope with her name on it. That was a record. Two howlers in one day and it to the same student. Cassie opened the second envelope, and her Uncle Ted's voice spread through the room. "Cassiopeia Black, I'm the proudest uncle in the world!" he laughed. Cassie was so relieved that he wasn't screaming. Making uncle Ted scream  always meant a great trouble. "I can't believe how you made that plan up! Well done to you, Daphne, Kol!" then he turned to Sirius. "I expect to play a game of chess at Christmas, old friend."

And the other envelope fell on the table - lifeless. Cassie was thankful that there wasn't another letter, but still everyone was staring at her like she was some sort of an unusual creature.

Then one laughter broke the silence. Albus Dumbledore was laughing like a little child as he took something like galeons from professor McGonagall. When he saw that all of his students were staring at him, he just said, "We bet on how many howls will come this morning. Your dear professor McGonagall said one. I said two..."

And then two red envelopes fell on the Slytherin table- one for Kol and one for Daphne.

"Never mind," said Dumbledore and took a few more galleons from his purse, selling all the money to Professor Snape, who was smiling like never before. "Well done, Severus. Well done."

And finally a fifth and final envelope fell to the teacher's table. In front of Sirius. Snape handed his, Dumbledore's money and Professor McGonagall's to Remus.

He had just won the bet.

******
"Why can't be the pure trio?" Kol asked as he, Cassie and Daphne were studying in the library.

"Because you're a half-blood," Daphne said. "And no, Cassie. We can't be the Diamond trio."

"What about silver?" Kol asked. "There is no silver trio..."

Cassie nodded in agreement, but didn't look to her friends. She was looking at the Marauders Map, waiting for something or someone to show up.

Kol realized that she wasn't listening to them at all when she took a candy from the box Daphne had brought and without removing the package, she stuffed it in her mouth. The boy looked at his cousin.

Daphne shooked her head, looking down at her homework. "If the three of us were Slytherins, we would be the Silver trio. But Cassie is a Gryffindor."