Heavenly Bodies

Part Eight | Avoiding Ex's and Awkward Encounters

"Alright, class, today we will be focusing on truth potions," Slughorn said the next day. Cassia and Regulus sat in silence, neither of them willing to break it. Regulus was thinking of their conservation yesterday. Cassia was trying not to think about it.

"We won't be brewing anything more than a very mild form that will only last a minute," Slughorn waved his wand and the instructions appeared on the chalkboard, "Work with your partner. You will both get a chance to try one from my stores, but you will not test your own.  Alright, get to work."

Cassia didn't talk to Regulus while they worked. She simply crossed off a step once she'd done it. After half an hour of silence, he finally broke it.

"Ah, come on, Sweet Pea, talk to me," he cajoled. Normally, she would correct him, but not this time. "Look, I'm sorry if I offended you yesterday. If you would just tell me what I did..."

She ignored him, watching as the potion became a pale blue. Cassia frowned, double-checking the notes she had written against the ones Slughorn had written on the board.

"We still need to add Jobberknoll feathers," Regulus said, holding out the ingredient. She took it, stirring it into the cauldron silently. When it turned clear, she smiled satisfactorily. 

"Professor!" She called. The man waddled over, his belly bouncing with laughs when he saw their potion.

"Well done, you two! And you did it so efficiently too!" Slughorn took the sample that Regulus offered him, and handed them both a small vial of clear liquid, "This will last a minute only. I expect the vial to be returned before class is over, full or not." The professor walked away, tending to the others in the class. Cassia set her vial down, clearly not intending to drink it.

"Cass, you can't ignore me forever," Regulus tried again, swinging in his chair so that he was looking at her. She shook her head. "Tell me what's wrong, love."

Another shake of the head. She pulled out a book and tried to ignore him. Cassia didn't like ignoring him, but she also didn't really want to talk about it. She hadn't meant to open up like that, and it scared her. How easy it had been. How simple.

The truth was, she'd built up walls a long time ago, when Leo had first been admitted into St. Mungo's. No one had known what was wrong with him. Five years later, and they still didn't. There wasn't much hope for him living past his teens. And then Cassia had met him, and she had fallen much too fast. No one knew how much that had destroyed her. Not even her best friends.

And it still hurt. She may only be fifteen years old, but pain was just a little too common in her life. So, excuse her if she didn't go inviting it in.

~

The bell chimed, and Cassia returned the vial to Professor Slughorn. She avoided Regulus and Rory, who had been sending her questioning looks throughout the entire class. As she passed through the Entrance Hall, someone stopped in front of her and she hit the floor.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Cassia shook herself, picking herself up.

"Sorry," her eyes flicked up to the boy in front of her. She groaned silently.

The seventh-year grinned down at her, a predatory gleam in his eyes, "Well, it's my little Sweet Pea."

"Bye, Warrington." Cassia sidestepped him, trying to go around. Adrian Warrington stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Not so fast, Sweet Pea." She gripped his pinkie bending it backwards. It hurt, she knew it did, because Mari had made her help teach one of the Gryffindor girls. But instead of releasing her, he grabbed her other arm with his free hand. "Come now, that's no way to treat me, is it?"

"What do you want, Warrington?" She could sense the roots of her hair turning darker. That meant fear, and she fought to keep it brown. She wouldn't let him see she was scared.

"What, I can't talk to my girlfriend?"

"I am not your girlfriend, and I haven't been for a long time," She jerked one arm free, but he pulled her by the other into a side hall, "Leave me alone."

Her thumbnail found its way between the tendons on his wrist, leaving a deep crescent behind. Warrington cursed, letting her go. She turned and ran, turning the corner and smacking into someone else. They caught her before she fell over.

"Sweet Pea, what's wrong?" Regulus asked, keeping one arm around her waist. He could feel her heart pounding through her chest. Cassia blew her hair out of her face, casting a glance behind her. She could hear Warrington coming closer.

"Not a word, Regulus," She warned before lengthening her hair and turning it blonde. Her eyes became brown and the little freckles that dotted her nose exploded, covering more of her face.

The Slytherin watched in fascination. He'd heard of Metamorphmagi before, but had never seen one in person. He flushed when she pulled him down so that their lips were only an inch apart.

"Goodness, you're forward," he chuckled, leaning his forehead against hers. She shushed him, watching from the corner of her eye as Warrington passed them. When he was gone, she stepped back.

"Thank you for that," Cassia said, returning her hair and eyes to their normal colours. Then she went to leave, but Regulus stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I think I deserve an explanation, Sweet Pea." 

She sighed, "Fine, but not now. I'm already late for a tutoring session. I'll meet you at the Astronomy Tower after dinner."

~

True to her word, Cassia was waiting at the steps of the Astronomy Tower after dinner. She led him to a window seat that had a view of the greenhouses. Pulling her knees to her chest, she collected her thoughts.

"Okay, without going into specifics, you helped me get away from my ex." Cassia saw him raise an eyebrow, and she huffed, "Adrian Warrington. Let's just say he didn't take the break up well."

"You dated Adrian Warrington? Isn't he a seventh year?"

"Yes and yes. It was four months at the end of last year. I broke up with him on the last day of class."

"Why?"

She laughed humourlessly, "Honestly? Because my friends made me. It was a toxic relationship, and I didn't see it."

"I'm sorry." He awkwardly patted her shoulder. Regulus Black may be a player, but he was not a comforter. Emotions confused him.

"It's fine." Regulus hesitated for a moment.

"Is that why you don't let people get close anymore?"

Cassia blinked away tears, "Regulus, that's not even the half of it."