Cards, Fire & Cinnamon - F.WEASLEY

24

───── ❝ Hide n Seek ❞ ─────

Weeks passed and missing her Father did not get any easier. Every day she was sent a letter from (written by her aunt) full of hope and wishful thinking. She was happy to hear from him but wished that he would stop keeping her in the dark. She just wanted to know the truth of what was going on, not tonnes of promises for happiness that made her feel worse. A light in that tunnel was Fred. It would be an understatement for her to say that she had a crush on him. He was just so... she didn't know the words. Happiness just seemed to radiate off of him and when she was around him, her Father was made to be a smaller part of her brain. The two of them loved the time they spent together, George and Lee were particularly partial to the alone time they had because of them. Cass rarely spent any spare time alone. She was either with Draco, Hermione, George or Fred. She designed it so she was never too alone with her thoughts. It worked...most of the time.

One rainy Sunday morning, near the end of November, Cass sat at the Gryffindor table for breakfast. She only came down for the letters. The mail arrived and she tore it open, rereading the letter a few times before setting it down. She still hadn't told anyone but Draco, it was better that way. Though she did think that Hermione suspected that something was up, given the glare that she received after looking up from the mail. "Ginny's planning on playing hide and seek with a few of her friends later," Ron spoke out of the blue before taking a sip from his goblet.

"Hide and seek? That sounds fun," she replied, eager for a distraction.

"I'm sure she would let you join if you asked her," Ron shrugged. Cass was rather keen on the idea and wanted everyone else to join. It was an interesting way to spend the afternoon.

"You guys need to join in too," she smiled, looking between all of her friends. The boys all nodded and looked at Hermione, awaiting her response.

"Fine," she sighed, marking her page in the book she was reading. They all finished up eating and headed out of the hall. The rain makes the castle relaxing, weird. They went to the Gryffindor common room and sat waiting for Ginny and the others.

Cass sat on the window sill, watching the rain travel down the window and the shaking of the trees in the strong breeze. She simply wasn't aware that Fred was gazing at her, so much emotion in his thoughts that George nudged him twice before he got her attention. Ginny walked through the door with Neville and a few other Gryffindors that she didn't recognise. "So you decided you wanted to join in with our childish game after all Ron," she smirked, clearly very amused.

"Whatever Ginny," he muttered. Cass wondered what it was like to have siblings, someone that she would be able to talk to about everything that was currently going on. Then again, would I?

Ginny snapped her out of that thought with her voice. "So rules are, no wands allowed, not outside," she paused and looked to her brothers. "No secret passages." They looked defeated as she continued, "Oh and Cass, you can't hide in your common room."

"That would be a good spot though, none of you would find me," she smirked, Fred nodded in agreement. She smiled at him then looked back at Ginny, not wanting to linger for too long.

Hermione and one of Ginny's friends volunteered to count first and with that, the game began. She ran down the corridor, passing tonnes of confused students. She turned a corner and bumped into someone, Draco cursed. "Sorry," she laughed, helping him up. She rubbed her elbows, wanting to get rid of the ache in them from the impact.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he laughed, straightening his robes back up.

"Hide and seek? Sorry, I really have to go," she smiled, messed with his hair then ran off again. Draco called out after her in annoyance but she kept going, a soft chuckle escaped her lips at the thought of him fixing his hair. She kept going until she found a broom closet. Cass slipped inside, being extra careful not to knock anything over. The closet was shaped like an L so she tucked herself in the corner, back against the wall. After a few minutes, there were a pair of running footsteps and the door swung open. She felt defeated, had I been found already? Instead, a tuft of red hair poked itself around the corner as the door shut. "Fred or George or Ron or Ginny?" she whispered, watching as the person looked around the corner.