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cesqdarque · 23 days ago

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The Pursuit of Equilibrium

Chapter Five: A proper Hogwarts Welcome

Summary: New day. New school. New faces. It's time for Cass to get used to the everyday school routine. Or at least what is considered normal at Hogwarts.

Words: 4.5k

Tags: DADA class | finally hello Sebastian :D

Tumblr Chapter links: ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR

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The first night within the protecting confines of Hogwarts gave her the rest her tired body needed from her journey. Even though she had not been spared from her usual nightmares. Once again, the lifeless bodies of her parents haunted her dreams as she knelt in front of their blood-covered corpses. Yet new scenes crept into her subconscious. A dragon attacking her in mid-flight, an endless fall into a cloud-white sky, and glowing red eyes lurking in the darkness. Where her mind had gotten the last creative inspiration from, she couldn't figure out. However, before she could think about it any longer, she heard the conversations of her roommates behind the drawn curtains of her bed before the doors clicked in its angles. Crap! She had to hurry if she wanted to make it to class on time.

Quickly, she drew aside the green velvet curtains of her four-poster bed and headed for her suitcase to get changed. It was only when she was rummaging through her clothes that she realized she didn't even have any school robes. She would have to ask Prof. Weasley where she could buy some. At least, thanks to Zacharias, she had some pocket money at her disposal, as she thankfully realized when she found the small leather bundle with coins in her trunk.

She frowned at the scratches and dents lining her suitcase, gingerly opening it to rummage for suitable clothes. Wincing and howling, she pulled back a bloodied ring finger - her heart sinking at the sight of the broken glass nestled in her suitcase.

The glass of her mother's portrait had shattered and splinters of it were now mingling with the fabric of her dresses. Her fingers carefully reached for the golden frame of the photograph and just as she lifted it to take it out of the trunk, three sheets of parchment fell out of the back of the frame. What in Merlin's name? All the time she had had her mother's portrait on her cupboard, it had never occurred to her that there might be something hidden inside.

When she picked up the pages from the floor, she realized that they were letters. Her curiosity grew further when she recognized her mother's and father's handwriting on them. But reading her parents' letters would have to wait. First, she had to deal with the daily school routine, preferably without attracting attention by being late again.

So, she hid the letters in the back of her suitcase, put on one of her simpler robes, and hurried out of her dormitory to the Slytherin common room.

The high-pillared room shimmered in the greenish light reflected from the lake. Students stood in small groups, talking about their summer breaks, the Quidditch season that had begun, and all sorts of other topics. Cassandra felt a little lost. Even though Zach was convinced that she was extremely adaptable, this may have been true for external circumstances, but certainly not for blending in with peers. After all, she had spent her childhood in the seclusion of her grandmother's country estate, surrounded by adults. Zacharias was the only one around her age, albeit slightly older than her.

“Don't panic,” she whispered to herself reassuringly. ”You've survived a dragon attack in the last 24 hours, what could be worse than escaping a deadly creature.” Putting one foot in front of the other, she strolled through the hall. Soon she noticed curious eyes following her, accompanied by whispering. She hated it.

Lowering her gaze and distracted by the words whispered about her from behind her back, she didn't notice a boy with chestnut hair pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, deeply absorbed in studying a book before she almost bumped into him.

A loud “Hey!” snapped her out of her thoughts, and she looked up from the floor into a pair of deep brown eyes.

Perplexed, she abruptly stopped in front of him.

“Can I help you?” he asked bluntly. He gazed at her briefly with narrowed eyebrows before his expression softened. “Ah, you're the new fifth year. I'm Sebastian Sallow. Welcome to Slytherin.”

“T- thank you,” she stuttered clumsily. Mingling with people was not one of her strong suits.

Her counterpart smirked at her shy demeanor. “Care to tell me your name?” he chuckled.

“It's Cassandra. Cassandra Darque,” she replied, a little more composed.

"Nice to meet you, Cassandra," he said with a gentle smile. "Unexpected entrance yesterday, I must add" he teased her cheekily. "You caused quite a stir. No surprise that the hat sorted you into Slytherin."

“If it had been up to me, I would have rather skipped this embarrassment,” she fidgeted nervously with her hands in her lap. It was still so unbelievably distressing for her. And she didn't liked the fact that others found it amusing to be entertained by her humiliating entry.

“Oh well. A little excitement never hurt anyone,” Sebastian jested.

She blushed and quickly lowered her gaze to avoid his. It was then that she caught a glimpse of the book in his hands that he had been studying until just now. Astonished, she pointed to the leather cover. "Most Potente Potions," she said appreciatively, "an interesting read. But where did you get this?".

A copy of Phineas Bourne's works was in Zacharia's personal collection in his chambers at her grandmother's country estate. But she never would have thought that this kind of work would be freely available to students at Hogwarts. It was, after all, a rather advanced book, and at times, full of dubious content.

“You know this book?” his eyebrows raised in wonder and his hazel eyes scrutinized her more intently. “Let's just say it was an involuntary borrow from the librarian,” he grinned cheekily, “though so far it hasn't provided me with what I'm looking for.”

"What exactly are you looking for that requires you to search for it in forbidden books?” she asked, her interest peaked.

Sebastian grinned again. “You'll find out soon enough but not every spell or potion you may need can be found in our assigned textbooks.”

“That's a shame,” she grinned back “but it certainly won't stop us from looking for it ourselves though,” she added playfully.

“Seems I may have met a kindred spirit” he laughed, and his eyes lit up with a hint of mischief.

Stressed footsteps announced her roommate as she joined them in front of the fireplace. “Hey, new fifth year, Prof. Fig is looking for you! He's waiting for you outside of the common room entrance! Hurry up and let me tell you, I'm not an owl!"

Cassandra turned to the new arrival and apologized to her, waved goodbye to Sebastian, and hurriedly walked up the steps of the common room where Professor Fig was already waiting for her, as announced.

He smiled with delight as she approached him. “Good morning, Miss Darque. I hope you had a restful night?” he asked pleasantly.

She returned his smile and just shrugged her shoulders. “You were looking for me, Professor? Did you bring the casket?” she skipped the pleasantries. She had not forgotten the mysterious casket, the key to the ancient magic that the professor had wanted to show her during her journey. Whatever this object was, it would be able to give her some answers about her powers, at least she fervently hoped so.

Fig tempered her enthusiasm with a gentle wave of his hand. “Not here. Too many prying eyes and ears,” he explained in a hushed voice as a few students stepped out of the common room beside them to go to their classes. “I just wanted to let you know that I have informed your grandmother about our journey and the inconveniences we have experienced.”

Her eyes dropped to the floor in disappointment. She would have loved to take a closer look at the casket, but of course, her grandmother had to know everything that was going on. Professor Fig would inform her grandmother of her every move, her every breath. She huffed in exasperation. From one controlled cage to the next, she thought.

“And I've also received a message for you from your grandmother,” Fig added, holding out a sealed envelope.

Cassandra looked up and took the piece of parchment held out to her. “Thank you,” she replied curtly. She didn't feel like reading it. It was certainly full of reprimanding words and an insistent request to keep a low profile. But it wasn't her fault if a raging dragon attacked her in mid-flight.

More students walked past them, and Professor Fig smirked meekly. "Well then, I won't hold you up any longer on your first day of classes. May you settle in well, Miss Darque, we'll talk later about this other matter,” he concluded with a small wink.

She nodded, tucked her grandmother's letter into the inside pocket of her blazer, and turned away from him. She looked around questioningly before spotting one of her roommates. Since she didn't know her way around the castle and had no idea which direction to go in, it was easiest to join the group of her peers. So, she joined the group of girls who were about to go up a grand staircase — a moving staircase, as she realized the next moment with a little squeak.

One of the girls turned to her in amusement. Her dark brown hair tied back in a plait added a certain seriousness to her tough expression. “You get used to it,” she commented with amusement, “wait until you sit on one of the school brooms, they're much more buckish.”

“Can't wait,” Cassandra replied sarcastically. She wasn't particularly keen on flying. She knew how to keep herself on a broom and get from A to B if she had to. But if flying lessons were part of the curriculum here, she might have to practice a bit more in secret if she didn't want to run the risk of embarrassing herself again.

“Not a fan of flying?” the girl asked in a serious tone.

“I prefer to keep my feet on steady ground,” Cassandra replied honestly.

“Very well. No competition then,” the girl now chortled pleased. She held out her hand to Cassandra, “Imelda Reyes. Slytherin Quidditch captain.”

“Definitely not a competition” Cassandra chuckled, shaking Imelda’s hand in greeting, “Cassandra Darque.”

“You're new here, aren't you? Saw you slip into the dormitory yesterday. Man, you looked like you'd been through the wringer. Had a long journey I take it?” she scrutinized her outfit with a curious look, ‘You're not from around here, are you?’

“A long journey is an understatement,” Cass laughed a little. “And no, I'm...” she paused for a moment and thought about the best thing to say, “an exchange student from abroad,” yes, that would work, she thought.

“Exciting. We rarely have one of them,” Imelda commented on her excuse.

Together, the group strolled through the castle's meandering corridors. Numerous portraits decorated the bare stone walls, their occupants greeted them and some grimaced as they walked past. It would certainly take some time to find her way around the maze of stairways and corridors here, Cassandra thought as they stepped through an old wooden door into one of the classrooms.

She was startled out of her thoughts by a hiss followed by the sound of spells flying around and she paused in amazement. Two boys were engaged in an eager duel in the middle of the classroom.

“That's just so typical of Sallow,” mocked Imelda beside her, “can't help putting on a show.”

Cassandra's gaze swept over the scene presented to her. The boy with the chestnut hair, who had been so absorbed in his book earlier, was now dueling with one of his classmates. Strands of his tousled hair blew wickedly as he hurled one fire spell after another in the direction of his opponent. His performance, she had to admit, was utterly elegant. The way he wielded his wand skillfully, his movements fluid and graceful, his stance steady, and his covers well practiced. Where had he learned to duel like that?

He reminded her a lot of Zacharias and how he had jumped to her side in Venice. Determined and with a fiery gleam in his eyes. A good fight was exhilarating, she knew that only too well.

“Predictable, Prewett!” Sebastian provoked his opponent playfully as he blocked an attack directed at him by the redhead with a smooth motion. With an effortless wave of his wand, he casted a sweeping “Bombarda!” in his direction, whereupon the redhead only just managed to block the spell. The spell reflected off the shield he had created and bounced off a dragon skeleton hanging from the ceiling. It cracked and the creature's skull threatened to come crashing down with full force on the surprised student.

Just at that moment, a gaunt, elderly woman appeared on the steps at the back of the classroom. With a smirk and an audible “Levioso!”, she levitated the skull just above the student and returned it magically to its rightful position.

“As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, please refrain from trashing the interior of my classroom, Mr. Sallow,” she reprimanded, but not without a smirk reflecting on her lips. “But if you're so eager to measure your dueling skills. Let's start the new school year by refreshing them,” she gave Prewett a sidelong glance, “and practicing our cover,” she added to which Prewett blushed in embarrassment.

Her gaze wandered through the crowd of assembled students and, to Cassandra's displeasure, landed on her. “Ah, a new face. Perfect. Let's see what you've got so we can assess where you stand. Miss?”

“Darque,” Cassandra anxiously swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. Not another performance in front of everyone. She wasn't a circus bear to be dragged into the ring to entertain the crowds. She sighed and stepped into the middle of the classroom, awaiting further instructions from the professor.

The latter waved her wand, and a long table rose from the floor. Her eyes shortly flicked back and forth between Cassandra and Sebastian; her eyebrows furrowed in thought. “Mr. Sallow, if you don't mind?” the professor enquired the troublemaker.

Cassandra looked at her professor in astonishment. She couldn't be serious? Did she want her to be crushed by a skull too? Hadn't the professor just seen him fighting? She reached nervously into the inside pocket of her blazer clutched her wand in a tight grip to calm herself and took a deep breath. She could do this. Zacharias had taught her several things, now it was time to prove herself. Better in a duel than on a broom, she thought.

Dark brown eyes turned to her. His lips curled into a smug grin. “My pleasure, Professor Hecat,” he replied with amusement as he approached Cassandra with wide strides. Oh, how he seemed to enjoy being the center of attention. She rolled her eyes at his performance.

“Time for a proper Hogwarts welcome,” he teased playfully as he sauntered just past her to the raised dueling table, not without winking daringly at her.

What a show-off, she thought as she followed him with her gaze. But anyone who placed so much importance on his performance would certainly be easily distracted. She would prove it to him, she would not make this easy for him. Her pride wouldn’t allow her any more humiliation. So, she climbed onto the table, straightened her posture, and drew her wand, ready to strike.

On either side of the table, the interested eyes of her classmates now lingered, eager to see what they would be presented with. Professor Hecat raised her hand, indicating to the duelists that she expected a fair duel. “Splendid ma'am, didn't you just see how fair Sebastian fights,” Cassandra whispered to herself unnerved.

With narrowed eyes, she fixed her opponent. He was left-handed, she realized as she watched him draw his own wand. Zacharias' words echoed in her mind as he explained to her how important it was to study one's opponent. When in doubt, don't aim for the side of the wand hand. Seize the moment when your opponents are most sure of their superiority, then they are most vulnerable - distracted.

Sebastian eyed her with amusement as she scrutinized him so intensely. He grinned cheekily when he noticed how her gaze rested on his hand. “Scared, sweetheart?” he teased her.

"You wish, Sallow," Cassandra replied unimpressed, and took up an attack position. Her pulse quickened and her heart pumped adrenaline into her veins. Focus.

As expected, Sebastian didn't give her another second to ponder and threw his first spell at her. But she, expecting his attack, blocked it with a loud “Protego!”. He would have to come up with something more than attacking her directly, her former tutor had trained her defenses too well.

With an encouraging smirk on her lips, she aimed at her opponent and countered his attack with well-rehearsed tactics. The sound of flying spells and spoken incantations echoed in the room. With targeted strikes, followed by carefully memorized covers and deft swings of wands, they were dancing for the upper hand in battle.

As their eyes met between two spectacularly clashing spells, she could see her own unbridled passion reflected in Sebastian's gaze. He winked coquettishly at her as he theatrically raised his wand in the air again to attack. Before he could even formulate his spell, she swiftly sent a “Stupor” in his direction, catching him by surprise on his right flank, which he had neglected to guard. The force of her spell threw him off balance, and with a surprised look on his face, he fell off the edge of the table onto the hard floor of the classroom.

The students, who were standing excitedly around the table, cheered loudly and clapped. With a grin, Cassandra tucked her wand back into the inside pocket of her blazer, enjoying the satisfaction of having wiped the confident smirk off Sebastian's face. Her eyes flew to Professor Hecat, who nodded approvingly at her.

The elderly professor silenced the students and told them to form pairs for the next round. Cassandra climbed down from the table, retreated to the back of the classroom, and leaned against a wall. She was glad to have proven herself and to no longer be the center of attention.

While she watched the hustle and bustle of her classmates carefully, Sebastian joined her. She acknowledged him merely with a quick glance out of the corner of her eye. He would certainly voice his disappointment, given that she had roughly pushed him off the table. Surely, he was a poor loser.

But he simply stood nonchalantly next to her, mimicking her, and leaned his back against the wall before crossing his arms in front of him. After a moment of silence, he turned his head to the side. “You give as good as you get.” Where did you learn to duel like that?”

Her eyes followed Imelda and Leander, bowing to each other as they faced one another in a duel. “I may ask you the same question,” she responded curtly, without even looking at him.

The sound of his chuckling stirred her from her right. "Crossed Wands," he announced before lifting his upper body from the wall, turning to face her, and resting his shoulder against the surface once more.

She sensed his piercing gaze on her side but merely cocked an eyebrow.

“Sort of an unofficial school tournament. Exclusive and unsanctioned. I may have to take you with me, you'd make a fine show.” he provoked her further in a charming tone.

She acknowledged his nonchalant manner with a roll of her eyes before she managed to tear her gaze away from Imelda and Leander, who had just landed on his backside, and finally looked at Sebastian. His deep brown eyes studied her curiously, waiting for her to take the bait.

Zacharias' quiet voice echoed in the back of her mind. Keep a low profile, don't get yourself into trouble. His memento was right, especially considering that it was her first day, and she certainly didn't feel like getting kicked out of school, knowing full well that her grandmother would give her a hard time.

Gathering all the reason and patience she could muster, she stared at him defiantly. "Banned books, vandalism, and now an invitation to a dubious dueling club. You're trouble, aren't you?” she asked him snappishly, resisting his flattery.

Her counterpart put on a perfectly rehearsed expression of innocence. “What makes you say that? I just want to defend my title as the best duelist of our year. That's all,” he purred, amused. When Cassandra just raised her eyebrows unimpressed, he continued, no less charmingly. ‘Oh, come on. Where's the bite you showed earlier? And don't lie, I noticed how you enjoyed sweeping me off the table,’ he laughed.

Her forehead wrinkled as she considered his offer for a second. She had been instructed to keep a low profile. But what harm would it do to gain a little more dueling experience? After all, she didn't want to lose her edge now that she wouldn't be able to train with Zacharias anymore. A tournament was a fitting opportunity to face different opponents and study various tactics. “Very well. Tell me when and where and you'll get your chance for a revenge.”

Sebastian's face mirrored a triumphant grin. “That's the spirit!”

She couldn't help but smile, waved him goodbye, and joined Imelda, who was adjusting her cloak after her victory against Leander.

Professor Hecat declared the lesson over and the students left the classroom in small groups to get to their next class. To Cassandra's disappointment, Charms class was not half as interesting as Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Ronan, cheerfulness personified, let them practice the summoning spell. So, they spent the rest of the morning conjuring schoolbooks out of each other's hands.

Her assigned practice partner Natsai Onai, a Gryffindor student, was good. Despite the similarities and the circumstances under which they came to Hogwarts, Cassandra didn't like her that much. She was too forward, curious, and the daughter of what people deemed a gifted seer. Kind and polite as Natsai was, Cassandra fought to temper her dislike of Divination. Fate, however divined and known, was inevitable.

Relieved to have gotten through this lesson as well, she left the classroom. To her surprise, she saw Professor Weasley, who was just about to walk down the stairs. She quickly caught up with her. “Professor Weasley. Excuse me, please.”

The professor paused and smiled kindly at her. “Miss Darque. Professor Hecat told me that you have done very well so far.”

Words seemed to travel as fast at Hogwarts as in the countless corridors of her grandmother's country estate, which didn't surprise her. “Yes. Um, thank you, Professor. Actually, I just wanted to ask you something. I noticed this morning that I don't have any school robes yet.”

Professor Weasley nodded, ”Of course. That's not a problem. You can get everything you need at Gladrags in Hogsmeade.”

“Gladrags?” Cassandra asked. She didn't know Hogsmeade either. It annoyed her how little she knew about this place. If only her grandmother or Zacharias had been able to give her some information beforehand, she wouldn't feel so helpless and stupid now.

“A wizard fashion store in the neighboring village. Our students are free to spend their spare time there. However, since you have never been there, it would certainly make sense to assign you a companion. Especially considering the external circumstances,” the professor explained thoughtfully.

Cassandra looked at her questioningly. “External circumstances? What external circumstances?” She was worried that Professor Fig might have told his colleague about her situation; but before she could voice her concern, Professor Weasley turned around abruptly and grabbed a passing student by the sleeve of his robe.

"Just who I was looking for. Mr. Sallow." The professor fixed Sebastian who looked perplexed. He immediately put on his most innocent expression, as he had done in the DADA classroom, looking as if he already sensed the trouble that was looming over him. Cassandra wondered how often this look had gotten him out of difficulties. Or how often he was in any kind of trouble at all. Judging by his perfectly timed, meek, and innocent expression, it seemed to be happening rather more often than not.

“Me, Professor?” he asked in feigned surprise. There was no trace of nervousness or concern in his features.

“Yes, you. Professor Hecat informed me of your rude treatment of her property. Even if she found it rather amusing, I don't think that this behavior can be ignored without sanction” she reprimanded him with a stern look.

Cassandra had to stifle a giggle. Sebastian shot her a sharp glance, which she met with a cheeky smirk. Actions and consequences, she thought to herself. Not even his most charming smile seemed to have any effect on Professor Weasley.

“It was an accident, Professor,” he began the fruitless attempt to talk his way out of the mess. But Professor Weasley interrupted him by raising her hand briefly to silence him.

“Well, I had originally thought of an evening of detention. But another task has just come up that I'm sure you'll prefer over polishing the tarnished awards in the trophy room.” Professor Weasley's stern gaze swung over to Cassandra. ”Miss Darque here still has some errands to run in Hogsmeade. And since you know your way around the castle and the grounds like the back of your hand, you will accompany her to Hogsmeade.”

Surely, she wasn't serious. A chaperone. A troublemaker at that. Cassandra snorted quietly and gave Sebastian an annoyed glance. When would she finally be left in peace, be allowed to go her own way without being assigned a chaperone? She was quite capable of taking care of herself, she grumbled.

Deep brown eyes flickered between Professor Weasley and Cassandra as if he were trying to decide which was the lesser of two evils. His decision was not influenced by the angry look in Cassandra's eyes; he smiled frivolously at her resentment. "Of course, Professor. I'll be happy to accompany our newcomer to Hogsmeade."

“Perfect. I suggest,” Professor Weasley now turned back to the visibly frustrated Cassandra, ”I put together a list of all the necessary supplies. It is advisable if you also take care of stocking up your potion ingredients. J.J. Pippins will certainly be of help to you. Expect my owl tomorrow morning with a list of your necessary purchases» she concluded, before excusing herself to attend her own lesson.

Left behind by the professor, the two students now faced each other. Sebastian's grin grew wider. ”It's a date then. Tomorrow after classes. I'll wait for you in the common room if the lady approves?” he joked, chuckling.

“Fine, then,“ Cassandra replied, grinding her teeth, turning on her heel, and disappearing in the direction of the dungeons, or at least in the general direction in which she assumed them to be. This castle was a damn labyrinth.

#hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy fanfic #hogwarts legacy #cassandra darque #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #TPOE I

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