Al had awoken to one of his roommates jumping on his bed screaming, another one running circles around the dorm, the third hopping up and down in place yelling, and the fourth nowhere to be found. He dressed quickly and raced down the stairs only to happen upon his sister hexing another kid while her scarf was on fire beside her in the common room. He snuck past her feeling slightly sorry for the kid on the receiving end of her wand. Next, when traveling down a corridor, he heard a piercing scream and witnessed one of his many cousins chasing after a cat with a piece of parchment in it's mouth.
It was safe to say Al's morning had been more than a little interesting.
When Al walked into the Great Hall he was hardly surprised to see his brother acting just as strange as the rest of the world. James was sitting next to a Slytherin girl at the breakfast table. He recognized her as the girl who'd been with James on the Astronomy tower. Al's bad mood increased at the memory. His dumb brother was always interrupting at the worst times.
Time to give James a taste of his own medicine.
"Is this your girlfriend?" He interjected over James laughter. James glanced up at Al with a scowl. Al had spoken loud enough for most of the Gryffindor's to hear, causing them to turn and listen intently, wanting to know the answer themselves. The Hogwarts gossip mill loved the Potters and loved drama, so put them together and…. Well, it was the most exciting thing possible.
"Excuse me?" James questioned Al.
"Are you dating a Slytherin?" Al glanced at Cassie's green and silver tie, pointedly.
"No!" James appeared shocked and he shook his head quickly. Cassie giggled at James slightly horrified face.
"I am offended at how quick you are to dismiss our love." She spoke seriously, causing James eyes to grow larger. Al burst into laughter. "Only joking!" She held up her hand reassuringly and winked at Al.
"You know I came over here to annoy my brother, but it looks like you're doing that pretty well yourself." Al slid into the space between James and Cassie, shoving James over. James was scowling at him, Al was all to happy to ignore his brother.
"We were never properly introduced." Al stuck a hand out to Cassie and offered her a grin. "I'm Al."
"Cassie." She accepted his hand and returned his smile. Al turned to James.
"Normally I'd question your well being since you are sitting with a Slytherin, but I've seen stranger this morning." James frowned into his eggs.
"Cassie's too nice for people not to like her. Even Slytherin hater James." Alfie informed Albus.
"Really?" Al faced Cassie inquiringly. She shrugged.
"I'm just normal nice. Alfie is being sweet." She spoke modestly with a smile Alfie's way. Her answer seemed to confirm Alfie's earlier statement, causing Al to take instant interest in Cassie.
Al sat and watched the interactions between James and Cassie. He expected for James to be his usual rude self and for Cassie to return the feelings. James Potter may hate Slytherins, but they hated him back just as strongly. Instead he witnessed something as strange as the rest of his morning had been.
They got along.
Although, Al supposed it would be hard not to get along with Cassie. She was so kind and bubbly and he found himself smiling at everything she did and said. He did notice James' attempts to keep up his pretenses of dislike, but he was failing majorly.
Cassie had just finished a rather hilarious story and James was attempting not to laugh. His face contained a strained smile and soon the chuckles were escaping his lips. James' pained expression caused Al much amusement. His brother was too stubborn for his own good.
"Time for class." Al informed everyone just before the bell rung.
"Yes, thanks Al." James rolled his eyes, but stood all the same. "What class do you have?" James asked Cassie.
"Herbology." She informed him.
"Alright well we can walk together most of the way. Alfie and I have Care Of Magical Creatures." Cassie nodded.
"Sounds good. Nice meeting you officially Al." She waved to Al and left with James and Alfie. Two Slytherin girls caught up to her and began talking animatedly with her. Al smirked a little after his brother, shaking his head.
Cassie had slithered her way into James' life and Al had a feeling she'd be staying. James didn't even realize that it was too late for him to keep hating her. He would eventually.
Al spotted Scorpius and ran to catch up with him. He had to tell his best friend all about the crazy morning he'd had. Psycho roommates, scary sisters, strange cousins with cats and his brother liking a Slytherin. Of course, he supposed no day was exactly normal at Hogwarts.
Cassie tapped her foot impatiently and glanced at the clock for the third time that night. Quarter past one. They were five minutes late.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
six minutes late.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Seven minutes late.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Eight minu-
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Three soft knocks sounded on the entrance through the Slytherin Common Room. The signal. Cassie shoved the doorway open, letting it swing outward. No one stood there, all that was there was an empty hall. The doorway began to close by itself. Cassie glanced around the room, looking, looking, looki-
"Ouch!" Someone had stepped on her tapping foot. She reached out and felt a silky material in her hand, she yanked. Fred and James seemed to appear from thin air. She shook her head at them and hissed. "Ready?"
They both nodded. Cassie pointed to one set of stairs. "Good luck." She whispered to them, they returned her sentiments and the three were off. Cassie up to the girls' and Fred and James to the boys' side. Cassie stopped first at the Slytherin First year girls' dorms and creaked the door open slowly. She listened. The only sound was breathing and slight movements on beds.
Cassie set to work. Her wand waving and glitter began to fall from the ceiling. She casted the spells as they'd all planned for them to be, she made sure not to cast it too strong, after all they were only first years. Next, Cassie moved along to the second years dorm and repeated her previous actions. She kept doing each dorm room, besides the sixth year girls. When Slytherin house woke, it would be to raining glitter.
Cassie tiptoed down the stairs, ready to share her success with the other two boys when she heard it. She was almost at the bottom of the stairs as heavy footsteps came thumping down the stairs. James and Fred whipped down the boys' staircase, eyes wild, next without glancing at Cassie they were charging out of the Slytherin Common rooms all together, invisibility cloak flapping in James arms, forgotten.
"Come back here!" A loud voice shouted after the boys and Cassie heard another pair of footsteps coming down the other staircase. She stood frozen on the third to last step when Blaise Zabini II revealed himself, a panting, angry mess. He went to sprint out of the Common Room as James and Fred had done, probably in pursuit of the very tricksters, but Cassie knew how to stop him. She couldn't let the boys get caught.
"Blaise?" She worked to make her voice sound confused and tired as she rubbed her eyes and yawned theatrically. Blaise turned on the spot, his handsome features meeting her.
"Cassie?" He was surprised to say the least.
Blaise Zabini II was as good looking as his father, Blaise Zabini the first. His eyes slanted and and brown, cheekbones high and skin dark. At the moment he looked tired and angry and very startled. Cassie yawned again for good measure.
"I heard noise and thought I'd check it out." She cocked her head to the side in her best imitation of a confused puppy dog. Blaise was putty in her hands.
"No worries, just some guys were trying to prank Slytherin I suspect." Cassie prayed that Zabini hadn't actually realized which boys they were and what prank they were pulling.
"Who?" Her eyes were wide.
"I don't know, think one of them had red hair." Cassie wanted to sigh in relief put prevented herself from doing so.
"Should we tell a Professor?" She wondered falsely in concern. As if she'd actually go to a professor.
"No, no." Zabini reassured her. "Everythings fine."
"Where'd you find them." She stepped forward in her curiosity, down the last three steps.
"In my dormitory. Waving their wands and laughing loudly." Cassie almost smacked her hand against her head in exasperation. Honestly, how dense could those boys be?
"I'm a prefect, I should come up and check your dorm, just in case." Cassie claimed, really she just wanted to finish off the work that Fred and James hadn't. She figured being a prefect was always a good excuse. Zabini believed her instantly and offered his arm to her.
"Let me escort you up." Cassie giggled a little at his play chivalry. She'd always found Zabini attractive and considering how quick he was to protect his dorm mates, Cassie felt she liked him slightly more now. The two Slytherins ghosted up the stairs silently whispering to each other. Cassie was attempting to stifle laughter that Zabini had forced from her with a rather humorous comment.
When they'd made it to the 6th year dorm rooms, Cassie made a production of searching the dorm and finding nothing.
"Appears safe." She shrugged. Zabini grinned at her.
"Thank you for checking and keeping my life safe."
"My pleasure, good sir." She gave a faux curtsy, and Blaise bowed back at her.
"Good night then Cassie." He climbed into bed and drew his curtains.
Night." She gently muttered back. Her wand was in the air immediately after Blaise's hangings had closed and she cast the spells quickly over her shoulder as she closed the door to the 6th year boys' dorm. Next, she moved up the stairs further, not going back down as she should. She reached the seventh year dorm and again did the spells. Sparkles misted down around the beds and the boy's who hadn't closed their hangings were already covered in the shimmering stuff.
Cassie had to stop herself from sprinting back to her dorm and hiding under her covers. Her nerves were on end as she tiptoed back to her dorm, the only dorm with no sparkling rain. She laid back against her pillow.
Prank successful.