The Slytherins

24

On the 24th of February, It was Laurie's birthday. And yet all Cassie could think about was the experience she'd had with the diary the night before.

She hadn't had a chance to talk to Mattheo yet and she didn't know what she'd say when she did.

Laurie was the fourth Slytherin to turn 13; Cassie's birthday was in late November, Mattheo's was on Halloween, and Blaise's birthday was just after Christmas.

As they all sat down for dinner Cassie noticed that there was an empty space on the table.

"Where's Mattheo?" She asked inquisitively.

Blaise shrugged. "I think he said he was just gonna stay in the dorm."

"Yeah he mentioned he wasn't feeling that well," Theo added, adding a pile of potatoes to his plate.

"A bit rude really. Especially on my birthday. He didn't even seem that ill." Laurie said, trying and failing to mask the hurt in his voice.

"Oh L, you know he isn't doing it to be rude." Pansy reassured him. "It's just... you know how he can be."

Cassie shot her a look in surprise. "How do you mean?"

"Well Cass, you've probably seen it more than any of us- you're the closest to him. But he's a bit..."

"Distant?" Blaise suggested.

"Yes! That's the word," Pansy agreed.

She felt her stomach churning. She knew why he'd been so distant. He was trying to figure out what the hell was going on with his dad, and he'd also just been told he can speak to snakes, so Cassie didn't blame him for choosing to be alone more than he was with the group.

But her friends didn't know that.

"You think it's a problem?" She said, forking some chicken pie into her mouth.

"No. Of course it's not." Said Draco confidently. "But we miss him, for sure."

"Yeah and it was sort of out of nowhere. Like the beginning of the year he was finally breaking out of his shell, and then all of a sudden the walls are back up you know?" Pansy explained.

"There has to be a reason." Laurie agreed, and everyone turned towards Cassie, questioningly.

She sighed. "It's not my secret to tell."

"Cass, come on. We're his friends. We stick together. What else would we do other than look out for him?" Blaise said convincingly.

She knew it was true, and sighed. "Fine. I suppose you'll all know at some point anyway."

She suddenly glanced around her at the neighbouring students eating besides them, and gestured for them to lean in, lowering her tone.

"You all know I'm a parseltongue, right?"

They nodded.

"Well, I think I've only told D. But for the whole year, there've been these voices in the school, that belongs to a snake. And I'm not the only one who could hear these voices. I figured it out a long time ago, but Mattheo only realised a few weeks ago, when-" she suddenly remembered her conversation with Potter, and she thought it better to keep that conversation private.

"Well it doesn't matter when, but the point is he didn't understand that he's a parselmouth too. And now he does."

"Ah." Draco said. "I take it didn't go well?"

Cassie sighed. "Ehhh... it doesn't matter."

"It makes sense." Theo said apparently. "You told us ages ago that The Dark Lord was descended from Slytherin, right? So that made him and Mattheo a parselmouth."