The Cassiopeia Project [George Weasley] ✓

ONE

"So, you've never been to Hogwarts before?"

The voice of the girl in the green jumper was shrill and made her cringe every time she spoke. Unfortunately, she had seemed quite happy to sit with the new girl during the train ride to Hogwarts, and was chatting non-stop, first about some escaped criminal, and then about the school itself.

Cassie shook her head, without moving her gaze away from the window. The landscape wasn't remarkably interesting, countless meadows with rain pouring on them, but she'd rather look at it than make visual contact with the blonde girl whose name she had long forgotten.

"Whoa. I had never seen a transfer this old. You're starting fifth year, right?" Cassie nodded. "And you were home-schooled?" Another nod. "I bet it was nothing like Hogwarts. You'll like it a lot better, I'm sure."

Cassie just shrugged, not paying much attention while she played with a strand of her light red hair, her eyes still focused on the dark view out of the window. She had been like that for weeks, almost completely silent and looking unbothered by everything.

"What-"

Her interlocutor made to spoke again but was interrupted by a screeching noise and the train stopping abruptly, which made them both jump from their seats at the sudden change of pace.

None of them said a word, Cassie trying to see what was happening from the window but with little success. Suddenly, another girl came stumbling into the compartment, shooting a weird look at the redhead and then turning to the other girl.

"Emily! I've been looking all over for you. Do you know what's happening?"

'Emily' shook her head briskly, with a scared look in her face, and turned to Cassie.

"Did you see anything out of the window?"

"No."

The lights went out, and two of the three girls yelped.

"I'm guessing this isn't usual." Cassie spoke again, her voice a mixture of boredom and sarcasm.

They stayed silent for a while, not daring to look out of the compartment, as a strange feeling of sadness and hopelessness invaded them. Cassie thought of her mother right away, and how she was alone. She remembered all the summer days she had spent locked up in her room at her uncle's house, while he drank downstairs or just went away without telling anyone. The image of her mother's body at the hospital popped up in her mind, and she started crying uncontrollably, desperate, wishing for it all to end.

Light shone in the compartment, and a light tumble informed them that the train had started rolling again. Cassie got out of her trance and furiously wiped her tears, trying her best to ignore the pitying stares she was receiving from the other two girls.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked boldly.

Cassie didn't answer and got back to looking out of the window.

A tall and stern-looking woman intercepted Cassie the moment she entered the castle and took her to a side corridor hurriedly. She had her hair in a tight bun and looked at the young girl with a severe, but kind of amiable, glint in her eyes.

"Miss Moore, I assume?"

Cassie slowly nodded, not meeting the woman's eyes.

"I'm Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of this school." The woman introduced herself. "Seeing the peculiarity of your case, you must be sorted tonight along with the first years, before the feast. Are you alright with that?"

Cassie nodded again, this time more nervously. The woman looked at her with a hint of sympathy, and ushered the girl towards a small, empty room.

"The first years are on their way. If you wish, you may be sorted before them. Just ask Professor Flitwick when he arrives, and he shall tell you what to do." McGonagall informed her. "Now, I have other business to tend to. Good luck."