Chapter Text
Varian was thinking. Often that usually lead to unwanted trouble and chaos. But he was always thinking, thus life was never normal for a teenager. Not that he was a normal teenager to begin with. For starters, he was practically one out of a thousand people who had magic abilities. On top of that, he was one of the brightest minds since probably Demanitus, but he wasn't one to brag. But he sure did like show his brilliance, even if it caused more trouble than what it was worth.
He stared out the window, his finger curled on his chin as he was in deep thought. The trees passed by in a blur as the train rode along the tracks towards Hogwarts. It would be his sixth year. Unfortunately, he was not allowed to skip years for more challenging curriculum, but he was taking a lot of honor classes.
His thoughts were interrupted by the door to the compartment sliding open. Varian looked over, startled. After all, not many students wanted to really sit with him lest he blow them up just for looking at them or talk about his creations until they were bored to death. To be fair, he did typically hold true to his reputation. Just not intentionally, but it wasn't like he actually killed anyone. Sure, there may have been a few incidents with some minor injuries. Nothing enough to ever get him expelled at least.
The person who had opened the door froze. Her eyes met his and they just stared at each other. Varian wondered what she wanted and raised a brow. The girl rolled her eyes, letting out a huff as she closed the door behind her. She slumped in the seat across from him, crossing her arms and looking out the window. It was very apparent that she didn't want his presence, but figured it was better than going back to her original compartment. At least, Varian couldn't figure out why she was still there and having a sulky attitude.
Varian recognized her as Caine. He never really spoke to her. She was always intimidating. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, draping over her shoulder. Her pale fingers tapped on the wood to the armrest of her seat as her sharp brown eyes darted across the window. She was not a force to be reckoned with. He had no doubt that she could rule all of Slytherin had she so much as wanted to, but she was a woman who kept herself. As long as you stayed out of her way, there wasn't an issue.
Despite sharing the same house, Varian knew little to nothing else about her. He heard rumors of course, but nothing he actually believed or cared about. It wasn't like it was his business. The less he knew about her, the less he saw her the better. He wished she didn't know of his existence and it was close enough because she ignored him. Even as she sat across from him, she acted as if he wasn't there. He was not going to complain.
However, he couldn't help but wonder what was on her mind. What had gotten her in such a foul mood that she would even think as being within the same six feet as him. It was definitely new. The years had all flown the same to an extent. Nothing too crazy ever happening, though now he figured that he should knock on wood for that thought.
Silently, Varian picked up a book and began to read in order to pass the time. Surprisingly, the ride was going smoothly in spite of sitting in same space as Caine. Perhaps it was because he would rather keep his nose crammed in a book like a Ravenclaw. He often wondered if he had been miss-sorted, and a few speculated the same concerns. But what was done was done and there was no point in trying to switch houses. He frankly didn't even care to begin with, though he supposed it was probably his deep ambition that caused his sorting into Slytherin.
Eventually, he forgot that Caine was even present while he became immersed in his book. He began to have the uneasy feeling that he was being watched, so he peeked up over his book, his blue eyes barely showing. To his dismay, Caine was looking at him very intently. He could even swear that she was studying him. His cheeks grew a little red, he could feel the heat of his blood rushing to them. Was she interested? Or was she checking him out? He couldn't tell, nor was he sure if he wanted to. Her eyes and face was unreadable.
When Caine saw that she had been caught, she snorted and leaned back in her seat. "You're the kid that blows up the potions class ten times last year," she stated.
"Seven, actually. The other three was that Weasley and his Potter friend," Varian corrected.
She gave a dry, unamused laugh. "Not much of a difference."
Varian simply shrugged, looking back at his book. "Just in technicality, I suppose."
Caine scrunched up her nose at his remark. "So you're a nerd. That explains a lot."
"About what?"
"Oh, nothing. Just that you're alone, off in a corner doing your own thing."
"That's called being an introvert," he retorted.
It was her time to shrug. "Can't blame you. I prefer to be by myself as well."
"So I've noticed."
It was true. Caine didn't interact with anyone, and if she did, it was tear to down her enemies. So why was she talking to him? Was she so board that she was stoop so low as to talk with him? Or did she want something? After all, she was a Slytherin. He knew how Slytherin worked.
She tilted her head, a smirk playing on her lips. There it was. Whatever it was that she wanted was about to be revealed. He knew he couldn't trust her. Swallowing, he successfully masked the cold feeling that was pitting in his stomach.
"Are you familiar with history of Voldemort?"
Varian couldn't help but let out a low gasp. Of course it was a stupid to say He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but this was not the direction he had expected the conversation to go. It caught him by surprise, yet he recomposed himself. "Of course I am. How could one not?"
"What I meant was, if you do extensive research on him or what your thoughts on him was," Caine replied casually.
Raising a brow, Varian set his book down on his lap. "No, I prefer to keep my research on things that would be worth my time and actually mean something in the future. Of course I am aware of the stories and the rumors about Potter."
Caine seemed somewhat annoyed by his answer and scoffed. She rolled her eyes, making Varian wonder what he had said wrong. Sighing, she shrugged. "I suppose you have a point there. Do you think he might have returned?"
"Diggory's death last year was startling. I'm not sure what I think. Technically, it should be impossible for him to return, but Potter did insist." Varian shrugged. "I haven't truly thought about it."
Well, the last sentence was a straight up lie, but Caine didn't seem to notice. Or if she did, she didn't make any move to show that she cared. "Yes, that was a tragic event."
Silence filled the room. Varian didn't know if he should say anything. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to say anything. Perhaps he could go to a different compartment? No, that would feel rude and he didn't want to be on her bad side. Luckily, she didn't appear to want to continue the conversation, so Varian took the opportunity to continue his book.
This silence was awkward and he didn't feel comfortable. He wouldn't say he was frightened, but he certainly didn't like the uneasy feeling that was weighing on his chest. Something about how she kept looking at him certainly didn't help. What the heck did this woman want from him? Instead of asking, he pulled his book up higher so not to see her, and he curled up deeper in the train's seat. It was going be a long ride, wasn't it?
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Cassandra was slouched in her seat across her best friend. In past years, she would have been sitting next to the Hufflepuff Princess, chattering away. Or mainly listening to her speak, but she actually felt like she was a part of the conversation. Now that Rapunzel started dating Fritzherbert, the blonde girl was preoccupied with her relationship.
It wasn't like suddenly Rapunzel wasn't talking to Cassandra. No, she still spent a lot of her time with her best friend. It was just that now her attention was divided. Honestly, Cassandra should have felt happy about it. Not just because her friend (whom she thought of as a sister) was happy, but because she used to always feel a little smothered by all the attention Rapunzel gave her. The Hufflepuff had so much energy and kindness that she wanted to always make sure that Cassandra was never alone, which was an introvert's nightmare. However, for some reason, it had always driven the girls closer.
"I can't believe this is our last year at Hogwarts!" Rapunzel suddenly exclaimed, sounding disappointed.
"To be fair, I'm surprised you talked your father into letting you come back after that terrible incident with Cedric Diggory," Cassandra said.
The other girl's face twisted at the reminder. Rapunzel was friends with all the Hufflepuffs, aquatinted with half of Slytherins, rather popular amongst the Gryffindors, and friends with many of the Ravenclaws. She wasn't close friends with Diggory, but she still felt the blow of losing a friend. Cassandra remembered her and Eugene comforting Rapunzel after it happened and weeks after. It was hard because she wasn't around people dying and Cedric was so young. It was a huge shock.
"The Ministry convinced my father it was merely an unfortunate accident..."
"Harry claims that it was return of the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Eugene retorted.
"Well, mother says that the Ministry can't make proclamations about something like this when all they have is the word of a teenager and a dead body. To be fair it technically isn't proof and that information would spread world wide panic across the wizarding world. Even if he really is back, there's nothing to back up their statement. It is better to be safe I guess..."
"I feel like it's an insult to Cedric's death," Cassandra muttered.
Rapunzel nodded in agreement. "The whole situation is unfair! He should have his true story written in the papers for all to read, but I guess the Ministry has a point. It would cause panic for those who believe it and angry wizards for those who feel like their claims are ridiculous and uncalled for without proof. Yet... It still feels so wrong not to at least warn people."
"It's obvious that the Ministry is not ran by Gryffindors," Eugene replied.
Rapunzel couldn't help but giggle at the statement. "I mean, you're not wrong."
"Rapunzel, when have I ever steered any of you wrong?" Eugene began in a joking tone.
Cassandra smirked as she gave a snort. "There was that time when you told Lance that there was a stray cat in the bathrooms. Turned out it was just q ghost. There was that time when you told him that there wasn't any frogs in the candy, and there was. There was also the time you told Ron that-"
"That wasn't an invitation to name every mishap." Eugene frowned, obviously unamused.
The girl with short black hair only smirked, her hazel eyes twinkling with mischief. "Well, you did ask."
"It was rhetorical!"
Cassandra shrugged. "Well, maybe you shouldn't gloat on something that isn't remotely true."
Eugene opened his mouth to retort, but Rapunzel cut in. "Oh, come on guys. You two promised you'd be nice. We haven't even made it to Hogwarts yet!"
"I am playing nice," Cassandra said. "You know when I'm playing not nice."
Rapunzel shrugged, but nodded in agreement. However, she didn't verbalize any approval and tried to change the subject. Eugene gratefully accepted it while Cassandra slowly left the conversation and turned her attention back to looking out the window.
It wouldn't be long until they returned to Hogwarts. She had so many memories there, and had spent most of her life since she was eleven at the place. To her it was home. But only for one more year. She wasn't certain what lay ahead of her after her graduation, but she figured she'd just focus on her Quidditch. Potter may have been the best flyer, but she was the best player on the team. At least so she had been told.
She shook her head. In the background, she could hear Rapunzel and Eugene's conversation and Lance return with an arm full of candy that he had left to get earlier. She accepted the chocolates she had requested, but turned back to the window. Not that she was actually paying attention to the view. She was simply in deep thought, in her own little world.