Heavenly Bodies

Part Ten | Death and Drama

Soon, it was September 1st, and Cassia was boarding the Hogwarts Express. She joined Rory and Mari in their compartment.

"You guys ready for O.W.L.s?" Mari asked. Cassia groaned.

"Not you too! That was all my parents would talk about this summer!" Rory pulled his sweater over his head.

"Same! Between learning how to run an estate and being given books to read for O.W.L.s, I didn't get any time to draw!" Cassia moaned, pulling out her sketchbook. Typically, she went through at least one a summer, but this one was only half full.

Mari looked at her friends, amusement dancing in her eyes, "The Ravenclaws don't want to talk about the second most important test of Hogwarts career?"

Rory peeked out, "That is a stereotype. How would you feel if I assumed you are brash and idiotic simply because you're a Gryffindor?"

"Ah, but see, you'd be right, then," Cassia teased, ducking the jacket that Mari threw at her.

"Bugger off, both of you."

~

Her first day of classes and she already had three essays to write. Did the professors think she didn't have other classes? Cassia sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. Ah, well. At least it was dinnertime.

Dinner that night started off well. Sure, everyone was tired from the first day of classes, but they were in good spirits. People were talking, laughing, showing off spells they'd learned. Cassia was being teased by her friends about Regulus. You could have heard the Marauders' from the top of Astronomy Tower, they were so loud.

If you had been paying attention to what was around you, maybe you'd have seen. McGonagall was leading students away. Not just Gryffindors, but from Hufflepuff too. Teddy, the Scamander twins, Lily Evans. Even Sirius Black. The last person was Dumbledore.

But many didn't, and so, when Dumbledore returned sometime later, a sad look on his face, no one paid attention. And when he stood at the podium, it took a while for the students to notice. 

When they were quiet, he stared out over their young faces with a gloomy look. They were all so young, most of them not even seventeen.

"It is with a heavy heart that I inform you all that Astraea Barker, fifth year Hufflepuff, has died." A chorus of murmurs interrupted him, and Cassia shared a look with Rory. Astraea Barker had been in their year, a friend of Teddy's.

"If any of you would wish to speak to a professional about this, there will be one here tomorrow," Dumbledore looked around, in a way that looked like he was meeting every person's eyes, "I ask that you do not bother Miss Barker's friends. Be kind to one another. We cannot allow our differences to divide us, especially now. You are dismissed."

The headmaster stepped away. Slowly, in small groups, people broke off from dinner, returning to their common rooms with rumours already sprouting from their tongues. Rory and Cassia walked together, their heads bowed and voices soft. 

"When did it happen, do you think?" Rory asked. Cassia shook her head.

"Today, maybe? I saw her last night. She was smiling, laughing." A lump welled up in her throat, and she cleared it harshly, "Teddy must feel awful."

Rory nodded, "He's going to think he failed her." They walked in silence, reaching the door of Ravenclaw. 

"It brings back the lost as though never gone, shines laughter and tears with light long since shone; a moment to make, a lifetime to shed; valued then but lost when you're dead. What is it?" The knocker intoned.

Rory and Cassia shared a glance. 

"'A moment to make, a lifetime to shed'?" Cassia murmured. More Ravenclaws appeared, and the knocker repeated itself. Soon, half of Ravenclaw was outside, and people were moving between small groups to figure it out.

Cassia spotted Teddy and a young girl pass by as it was read again. Teddy waved when he met her eyes. He'd been crying. The girl tugged on Teddy's sleeve, whispering in his ear. A crooked smile appeared on his face, and he led her over to Cassia.

"Hey, guys. Thia knows the answer." Cassia looked down at the girl. Something clicked in her mind.

"You help Madam Pomfrey, don't you? I'm Cassia." She said softly. Thia nodded.

"Madam Pomfrey's my godmother," Thia bit the inside of her lip, "The answer is memory."

"How'd you get that?" Rory  questioned, "We Ravenclaws like to see people's thought processes."

Thia's eyes darkened, "'Brings back the lost as though never gone'. In a memory you can see people and times that are gone now. Try it." Rory knocked again and waited as the knocker spoke it again.

"Memory." The door swung open, "Well, I'll be. A Gryffindor answered the riddle."

"Oi, Teddy!" A Hufflepuff called from the stairs, "We need you. McKemons and Georges got into a fight again." Teddy cursed, looking down at Thia.

"You gonna be alright getting back to Gryffindor?" Cassia saw Thia hesitate before nodding. Teddy hurried off, but Thia didn't move.

"You want me to walk with you?" Thia jumped, as if she didn't realise the Ravenclaw was still there.

"Yes, please." Cassia turned to Rory, who was waiting for her before the door closed.

"I'll be back." Thia and Cassia walked in silence, although Cassia could hear the second year sniffling.

"Did you know her?" she asked softly. Thia nodded again.

"Not well. But I was the one who..." Thia's breath shuddered, and Cassia saw her eyes go out of focus. She stopped, kneeling in front of her.

"Hey, hey, breathe," Cassia took her by the shoulders and had her sit, "It's okay, just keep breathing."

Thia came to herself a little, though her breathing was still laboured. She held her hand in front of her.

"Five. Stars, window, bricks, paintings, Ravenclaw crest." With each thing she listed, she put a finger down. Then all of them up again.

"Four. Clothes, footsteps, breathing, wind." Again, fingers went down and came up.

"Three. Fabric, hair, floor." Her free hand traced the grooves in the floor. Cassia was watching with intrigue in her eyes. Thia's breathing was steadying. 

"Two. Cleaning product and dust."

"One. Chocolate." Thia sucked in another breath, blinking as if coming out of a trance.

"Are you alright?" She nodded, standing up. They resumed walking.

"That was a grounding technique. It helps with my anxiety attacks." They passed a group of Ravenclaws.

"I heard she went into the Forbidden Forest and was eaten by a giant spider," one of them said. Cassia rolled her eyes. Thia stared at the floor.

"She hung herself," she muttered, "In Myrtle's bathroom. She was being bullied."

Cassia felt her throat tighten. Who would bully someone so badly they hung themself? She was so lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't realise they had arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Thank you." Cassia smiled down at the girl.

"If you ever want to talk, Thia, about anything, come find me." Thia nodded, giving her a tight smile. She watched the younger witch enter the common room before leaving. 

~

Late that night, Cassia couldn't sleep. Her mind kept thinking back to what Dumbledore had said: 'We can't let our differences divide us, especially now.' What had he meant by that? She knew that there were whispers of a dark wizard rising, but those were just rumours. They'd been around for years. It wasn't going to get worse... right?

With a troubled mind, she drifted into sleep.