Harry Potter: Magic and Guns

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Harry wandered aimlessly through the castle, his steps taking him past the Trophy Room on the fourth floor and up to the entrance of the Room of Requirement on the eighth. After hesitating for a moment, he ultimately turned and walked away.

The matter of the Horcrux was not urgent. Even if he did find one, without mastering Fiendfyre, he wouldn't be able to destroy it. Was he supposed to eagerly present the Ravenclaw Diadem to Dumbledore and casually mention his accidental discovery? No one would believe such a ridiculous excuse, especially not a seasoned old fox like Dumbledore.

Perhaps it was because of the chaos currently unfolding at Hogwarts that Harry's mood was unusually cheerful. He had indulged in a few extra bottles while wandering, and while such strong alcohol wouldn't intoxicate him, he still felt pleasantly tipsy.

When he started to feel the urge to relieve himself, he adjusted his course toward the lavatories. Each floor of the castle had its own facilities, though the third floor's were only partially usable. The girls' restroom had been abandoned for years due to a ghost, though if you were brave enough to experience a ghostly enema or the feeling of a spouting water jet during a bathroom break, you could try your luck with the crying Moaning Myrtle.

However, this was for girls only. A boy entering the women's restroom would certainly violate social norms.

The "Out of Order" sign was crookedly hanging from the brass doorknob, and Harry spotted it from a distance. But as the doorknob turned, he stopped in his tracks. The sudden movement cleared his slightly dizzy mind, and he quickly drew out the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket. Such an item deserved to be carried, not left gathering dust in a wardrobe.

He didn't dare approach too closely, as his strong alcohol scent would instantly give him away. Thankfully, the corridor was silent, amplifying even the smallest of sounds.

With a dry scraping noise, the door to the abandoned lavatory creaked open just a crack. A pair of eyes peeked through the gap, and once assured that no one was passing by, a tall, slender figure slipped out. She carefully closed the door, smoothing out the wrinkles on her robes, and walked away as though nothing had happened.

"Cassandra?" Harry was sure he had recognized the bright blonde hair. And as she squeezed through the narrow crack, he could confirm something — she wasn't wearing padding. The slender frame, combined with a noticeable tremor, left a lasting impression.

"Don't tell me you're in there sneaking around with someone. If Draco knew about this, he'd be heartbroken."

"Maybe Draco is in there?"

After Cassandra left the lavatory, Harry casually walked into the men's restroom across the hall and relieved himself comfortably. As he exited, passing the abandoned restroom, he casually cast a charm, leaving a faint trail of dark magic on the ground, almost like a dog marking its territory. He used the unique properties of his magic to leave a sign.

Ordinary wizards' magic fades quickly after they leave, but the magic of the awakened can last. It wasn't that hard to miss; Harry didn't believe she had simply gotten lost in this part of the castle. The Slytherin common room was at the other end, and even in her sleepwalking state, she wouldn't have wandered here.

"Could it be that Dobie knows Draco is going to be offered as a sacrifice and came to ask me for help?"

While entertaining strange thoughts, Harry crept quietly but swiftly toward the corner where Cassandra had disappeared. He didn't forget to use a cleaning spell on himself to get rid of the alcohol scent.

Hogwarts' very own stalker, cloaked under the Invisibility Cloak, had successfully begun his pursuit. After using a spell to muffle his footsteps, Harry confidently followed Cassandra, who was heading toward the Slytherin common room.

"Parseltongue."

After uttering the password, a large door appeared on the damp walls of the empty basement classroom, the serpents coiling and slithering away from each other, revealing the entrance. The Slytherin common room, like Hufflepuff's, was in the castle's basement, but it was much darker and less inviting.

Hogwarts was built on a sloped cliff by the Black Lake, with Hufflepuff perched at the top and Slytherin at the bottom, almost submerged in the lake. The common room's windows looked out onto the dark waters, where long weeds swayed gently, and occasionally, the silhouettes of merpeople flickered by.

The eerie green glow illuminated the common room, making it look like an opulent underground lair. The only warmth came from the fire crackling in the hearth.

Though there was still some time before curfew, Slytherin's common room was quiet. Unlike Gryffindor's, which was always filled with laughter and noise, or Hufflepuff's, which always smelled of food, this room had an air of solitude.

Cassandra moved gracefully across the room and sat in a corner away from the others, pulling up a chair and settling into it.

"Draco?" She addressed the shadowed corner, and a pale face emerged from the darkness.

Draco was still just a boy, but his face carried a look of frustration, as though some problem weighed heavily on him, one he couldn't escape.

However, Cassandra's arrival didn't seem to ease his distress; if anything, it seemed to make it worse, as if it was somehow tied to her.

"Sis…"

Draco murmured, but there was an unfamiliar coldness in his voice.

Harry waited quietly, watching the sibling duo fall into silence after their brief exchange. Draco fidgeted nervously, staring at his fingers, while Cassandra simply watched him, saying nothing.

"I've figured it out," Draco finally muttered.

Draco kept his head lowered, unwilling to meet Cassandra's gaze. After speaking, the tenuous strength that had kept him together suddenly crumbled. It seemed that after much internal conflict, Draco had chosen to retreat.

"I was wrong. I shouldn't have…" Draco paused, his hands clenching into fists under the table before quickly relaxing. "I shouldn't have made you angry, and I shouldn't have made Father angry. I won't go."

After saying this, Draco carefully raised his head, a little afraid to face the girl in front of him—perhaps because of her older sister status?

But all he received was a pair of scrutinizing eyes. Cassandra's face remained cold and silent, and Draco felt an increasing pressure from her gaze. He instinctively shrank back, his eyes falling once again.

"No, you will go."

"What?"

Surprised by the response, Draco shot his head up. He opened his mouth, but the joy that should have spilled out was stifled at the last moment.

"I think I'll pass…" Draco muttered through gritted teeth, shrinking further into the corner, nearly disappearing into the oppressive darkness.

"But you want to go, don't you?"

Unlike Draco, who was retreating into himself, Cassandra leaned forward slightly. The desk under her shifted, making an almost imperceptible sound, as if it were applauding the weight she had taken off her shoulders, and it seemed to give a satisfied squeak.

"Then go ahead, Draco. This is Hogwarts, not home."

"You just want to make friends, don't you? Here, you're just a student. Whether you're a Black or a Malfoy, those things don't matter here."

"Go and do what you want, Draco."

Her words carried the air of a powerful, no-nonsense CEO, but at the same time, they were like those of a caring older sister. The contrast was oddly endearing.

Even Draco was momentarily stunned. He was completely overwhelmed by Cassandra's subtle dominance, but at the same time, her understanding words touched him deeply.

Yet, for some reason, before the excitement could settle in, Draco's body involuntarily trembled. His gaze momentarily became unfocused, and after a brief, awkward pause, he asked in a voice tinged with both hesitation and uncontrollable joy:

"Really? But at home, weren't you…" He cautiously raised his head, glancing at Cassandra, resembling a younger brother who'd been bullied at home.

"If you don't want to go, just pretend I never said anything."

"No, no, no, I do!" Draco hastily responded, his face flushing as he hurriedly rummaged through his pockets. He pulled out an unopened box of honeydukes candy and eagerly presented it with both hands, offering a sheepish smile.

"Then it's settled."

Cassandra gave a small nod, taking a piece of candy from the box. She watched as Draco left, clearly elated, but there was no sound of candy wrapping being peeled. The candy lingered for a moment between her slender fingers before it was swiftly discarded into the shadowy corner. One had to wonder if the house-elves, who would eventually come to clean up the common room, would ever taste the sweetness wrapped in that candy's paper when they discovered it.

Cassandra, who wasn't in the habit of talking to herself, didn't offer Harry more information. She gracefully turned and walked toward the girls' dormitory. As Harry saw her slender, graceful figure, a strange chill crept up his spine.

Something about the brief conversation between the siblings that night felt off, though he couldn't pinpoint what exactly was strange about it.

"If I do meet her, then I'll deal with it when the time comes."

Without disturbing anyone, Harry quietly pushed open the Slytherin common room door and left in silence.

(End of Chapter)