"I only got here a little while ago."
Liam smiled.
Cassandra looked him over carefully.
Then her brows furrowed.
"Why do you look so pale?"
"I didn't sleep very well."
Liam answered casually.
The truth was considerably more exhausting.
He had barely slept at all during the past two days.
Creating the anti-Killing Curse pendant for Borgin had consumed nearly every waking hour.
"See?"
Cassandra crossed her arms.
"You should have stayed at my house."
There was genuine annoyance in her voice.
"If you make yourself sick before school even starts, you'll regret it."
Liam simply smiled.
The concern was strangely pleasant.
"Miss Cassandra?"
A hesitant voice interrupted them.
The chestnut-haired boy from earlier stared in disbelief.
"You know him?"
His mind was struggling to process what he was seeing.
Everyone in the wizarding world knew the Greengrass family.
And Cassandra Greengrass wasn't exactly known for being approachable.
Why was she chatting so comfortably with this boy?
Had he accidentally offended some hidden heir of an ancient family?
But that didn't make sense.
The boy wasn't even carrying luggage.
"Who are you again?"
Cassandra lifted her chin and examined him with obvious disinterest.
The boy immediately looked awkward.
"I'm Sheila Dan."
He hurriedly corrected himself.
"Sheldon Dandelion."
"We met at a family gathering two years ago."
"Really?"
Cassandra looked unimpressed.
"You must not have left much of an impression."
The poor boy looked devastated.
Liam almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
"Come on."
Cassandra turned away.
"Let's find a good compartment."
"I refuse to spend the entire trip standing in the corridor."
Without waiting for a response, she walked confidently toward the barrier leading to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
Liam followed.
The chestnut-haired boy remained frozen in place.
His expression suggested he was questioning every life decision that had brought him to this moment.
...
Passing through the enchanted barrier, Liam finally saw the Hogwarts Express.
The scarlet train stretched along the platform.
Steam drifted through the morning air.
Students and parents crowded everywhere.
Meanwhile, Cassandra walked forward with elegant confidence.
Her beauty and noble bearing attracted attention immediately.
People naturally moved aside as she passed.
And judging by the faint smile on her lips, she enjoyed every second of it.
Suddenly, another girl stepped into her path.
She looked slightly older.
Twelve, perhaps thirteen.
"Still as arrogant as ever, Cassandra."
The girl smirked.
"You haven't even started Hogwarts and you're already acting like you own the place."
Cassandra didn't slow down.
"If you have something to say, Panessa, say it."
The older girl folded her arms.
"Is that how you greet your seniors?"
Cassandra laughed.
The sound contained absolutely no warmth.
"You're one year older than me."
She drew her wand.
"If you dislike my attitude, challenge me."
The surrounding students immediately became interested.
A duel.
Before school even started.
This was far more exciting than boarding a train.
Panessa pulled out her wand as well.
"Then let me teach you some respect."
Her wand flicked.
"Leg-Locker Curse!"
A silver beam shot toward Cassandra.
At almost the same moment, Cassandra fired her own spell.
"Fuchsia!"
The two spells struck simultaneously.
Cassandra's legs immediately locked together.
But Panessa suffered the worse outcome.
She was launched upward.
With a startled scream, she crashed onto the platform.
Her skirt flipped over her head during the fall.
The resulting embarrassment was catastrophic.
Panessa shrieked and desperately tried to pull her clothing back into place.
Meanwhile, Cassandra calmly pointed her wand at herself.
A counter-spell removed the Leg-Locker Curse.
Then she looked down at the older girl.
"How pathetic."
Her smile sharpened.
"Who exactly were you trying to impress dressed like that?"
Panessa's face turned crimson.
The crowd erupted with laughter.
Humiliation radiated from her expression.
Then—
"Reducto!"
A blasting curse suddenly shot through the crowd.
Directly at Cassandra.
Someone had launched a sneak attack.
Cassandra reacted immediately.
But even she only had enough time to turn her head.
The spell was too close.
Too fast.
Then it stopped.
An invisible barrier appeared.
The blasting curse shattered harmlessly against it.
Cassandra's eyes lit up instantly.
She knew exactly who had done it.
A moment later, a thirteen-year-old boy flew through the air.
He crashed heavily onto the platform.
Liam calmly lowered his wand.
Then he stepped beside Cassandra.
"Sneak attacks during a duel?"
He glanced down at the groaning student.
"You've got potential."
The boy looked confused.
"Potential for what?"
"A future career as a Dark Wizard."
The crowd laughed again.
Cassandra looked extremely satisfied.
"Well done."
She nodded approvingly.
"Exactly what I expected from someone I like."
Liam ignored the sudden attention that statement generated.
"How do you want to handle him?"
He pointed toward the boy.
Under normal circumstances, Liam's preferred solution would have been significantly less civilized.
Unfortunately, they were surrounded by witnesses.
That limited his options.
"Hmph."
Cassandra raised her wand.
"Incendio."
Flames erupted instantly.
The boy's trousers caught fire.
He screamed and threw himself onto the ground.
Several students backed away in panic.
Without another glance, Cassandra turned and began walking toward the train.
"Let's go."
Students immediately stepped aside.
A clear path opened before them.
No one wanted to become the next target.
As they walked away, a timid voice called out from behind.
"Aguamenti!"
Liam glanced over his shoulder.
A brown-haired girl had appeared from nowhere.
A stream of water extinguished the burning trousers.
Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.
The boy clutched the remains of his clothing and fled toward the far end of the platform.
The crowd's laughter followed him.
...
Once aboard the Hogwarts Express, Cassandra quickly located an empty compartment.
She slid the door open.
"Here."
Liam stepped inside.
The moment they sat down, Cassandra closed the compartment door with a wave of her wand.
Then she crossed one leg elegantly over the other.
A pleased smile appeared on her face.
"Nice work back there."
"Thanks."
"We're friends."
Liam shrugged.
"It wasn't a big deal."
The answer seemed to please her.
After a brief silence, Cassandra leaned forward.
"So."
"What?"
"Which house are you hoping for?"
Liam blinked.
"House?"
The confusion was genuine.
Cassandra stared.
"Wait."
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
The disbelief on her face intensified.
"You know almost nothing about Hogwarts, do you?"
"I know the Headmaster is Albus Dumbledore."
Liam thought for a moment.
"And that Hogwarts teaches magic."
"That's it?"
"Mostly."
For several seconds, Cassandra simply stared at him.
Then she groaned dramatically.
"Unbelievable."
She straightened in her seat.
"Fine."
"I'll educate you."
Liam smiled.
"Please do."
"Hogwarts has four houses."
Cassandra held up four fingers.
"Slytherin."
"Ravenclaw."
"Hufflepuff."
"And Gryffindor."
She began counting them off.
"Slytherin is for ambitious and exceptional people."
"Ravenclaw is full of obsessive bookworms."
"Hufflepuff is packed with overly friendly idiots."
"And Gryffindor is where reckless show-offs go."
Liam laughed.
"You seem to have strong opinions about the other three."
"I'm simply being accurate."
Cassandra sniffed.
Then she fixed him with a serious look.
"So?"
"So?"
"Will you join Slytherin?"
The question sounded less like a possibility and more like a requirement.
Liam chuckled.
"That isn't exactly my decision."
"It should be."
Cassandra frowned.
A hint of irritation appeared in her emerald eyes.
"You are coming to Slytherin with me, aren't you?"
....
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