Heavenly Bodies

Part Twelve | Howlers and High Jinks

"Umm, Cass?" Rory said slowly one Saturday morning over breakfast, his eyes focused on the owls delivering the mail. She waved him away, taking a bite of blueberry pancake, her attention barely wavering from her sketchbook. She had to make up for those lost summer days somehow.

"Cass!" Stubbornly refusing to acknowledge him, he glanced up at the girls she was drawing, trying to perfect the coil of hair that hung in one's face. It was so hard, and it didn't help that  

"Cassia?" Danny nudged her, causing her to make a streak across the paper. She huffed, grabbing an eraser.

"Look what you've made me do! What is so bloody important?" Rory dropped a scarlet envelope onto her sketchbook. It was already smoking. Whispers o

"That's what." Rory eyed the envelope, "What did you do?"

"What makes you think I know?" She ignored the hole in her stomach, that seemed to deepen with every new curl of smoke, "Is it too late to run?"

In that instant, it swelled and burst.

"Yes."

"PEA! GUESS WHAT?" Leo's voice rang out, effectively silencing the Great Hall. Cassia could feel her face start to burn, "I GET TO GO HOME IN A WEEK! I'M LEAVING ST MUNGOS! I'LL WRITE MORE LATER, BUT I COULDN'T WAIT TO TELL YOU! LOVE, BEAN."

As the envelope dissolved into ash, laughter filled the room, as well as a few 'aww's from the more sympathetic people. Cassia could feel her hair begin to turn pink and fought to keep them brown. 

"How did he even do a Howler?" Rory was nearly crying from laughing so hard. Cassia shoved him. 

"I don't know!" Cassia glanced around, feeling the looks of everyone pressing in around her, "I'm going to get some air."

She hurried out of the hall, and it wasn't until she was settled under a tree by the Black Lake that she let herself start laughing. After a few seconds, it turned slightly hysterical as she processed what the Howler had said. Leo was coming home. He was finally coming home.

Tears streamed down her face, despite the smile that seemed permanately etched on her face. She didn't realise that someone had sat down beside her until they wrapped part of their cloak around her shoulders.

"You're going freeze if you keep coming outside without warmer clothing," Regulus remarked, letting her tuck herself under his arm to steal his body heat.

"Shut it," she muttered, wiping away the wetness on her cheeks.

"So what was that, back there?"

"That was Leo telling me he's been cleared to come home. After eight years, he's finally coming home." She leaned her head against his arm, a shine in her eyes that made it seem as if her eyes were galaxies. They fascinated Regulus, especially when paired with that small little smile that kept tugging at her lips. 

Cassia stared up at the leaves, oblivious to his staring. Her mind was spinning, but it focused on one specific thing; Leo was coming home.

~

Dear Bean,

Do you realise that was a Howler you sent me? It exploded in the middle of breakfast, Bean! How'd you even manage that?

Anyway, I'm so happy you are coming home! That means you can go to Hogwarts on time, as long as you stay healthy! I'll see you at Christmas, yeah?

Write more later!
Pea

~

For the next few days, Cassia could have sworn she heard calls of 'Pea' as she walked through the halls. Mostly, she just rolled her eyes at the gossipers, but occasionally, she would mess with them a little more if  she was annoyed.

Like during Potions, when her partner, a Gryffindor named Carlson McClare, made a snide comment about Leo's being in St Mungo's, she'd turned around and morphed her face into something demonic. Her eyes glowed red, fangs grew over her bottom lip, horns sprouted from her head. The boy had screamed, and she'd returned her face to normal before anyone noticed.

Or when Genevieve Harmon had asked her for the seventy-third time (yes, Cassia counted) why was she seen snuggled against Regulus Black of all people? Didn't she know he was Death Eater? And has she seen who he hangs out with?

Genny had wound up in the Hospital Wing with the strangest case of sneezes. With each one, Genny's hair would turn a different shade of green (Cassia was very proud of that little spell). 

"Cass, did you have anything to do with Genevieve Harmon?" Rory asked reproachfully later that day, having just been to the Infirmary to check on his Hufflepuff crush (Although he swore that was a lie).

Cassia shrugged, "She was spreading rumours. You know I hate gossips."

"Yes, but you usually ignore them, or just tell them off. Never hex them."

"That's what you think. When they are spreading harmful rumours, that's when I hex them," she glanced up from her sketchbook, "Remember when Jem Toier almost outed Teddy and Nix? And then he mysteriously ended up puking up slugs?"

Rory gaped at the girl, "That was you? We all thought it was Phae."

"No, she was the one to send Hailey Railer, the Slytherin prefect, to Madam Pomfrey covered in a rash for picking on one of the first years."

"So what was she saying? Something about Leo?" Rory shoved her feet of the window seat, settling himself in their place. She huffed.

"None of your business," Cassia studied the landscape she was sketching, comparing it to the one that was outside of the window, "It was barely my business."

"Oh, so it was about Black. Did you finally stop mucking about and get together?" Cassia fought to keep herself from blushing, kicking her friend.

"You can't be serious," she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"No, that's me." A boy appeared out of nowhere beside them, making Cassia leave a dark streak across her paper. She grumbled, carefully erasing it. The boy continued, "You wouldn't happen to be Cassiopeia Hamilton, would you?"

She glanced up at him. It was Sirius Black, Regulus's older brother. Warily, she nodded. He grinned.

"Good. I require your assistance in a... private matter," He eyed Rory. She sighed, letting him lead her away. He stopped beside a tapestry, which he held back to reveal a deep alcove.

"If it's a prank, leave me out of it," she told him as they walked along the tunnel. He pouted at her.

"But you're the only Metamorphmagus in the school! You'd be a master of pranks!" She felt cold fill her veins.

"How do you know about that?"

He threw an arm over her shoulders, "I have my ways, little Raven. Right this way."

They slipped from the tunnel into an abandoned classroom, where the other three Marauders sat on desks. James Potter raked a hand through his hair, winking at Cassia, while Peter waved shyly and Remus just smiled apologetically. 

"Can we get this over with?" She pushed Sirius away, glaring at the eldest Black. She wasn't sure how she felt about him, what with how easily he had let Regulus stay in that house. 

"Is that a yes?" Sirius raised his eyebrows. Cassia watched him thoughtfully, turning over the idea in her mind.

"What's the prank?"