By the time October reached its final week, Hogwarts was soaked in the scent of autumn and anticipation.
Pumpkins the size of cauldrons waited in the kitchens, ready to be carved and charmed for the great Halloween feast.
The castle corridors gleamed faintly from polishing spells, while ghosts whispered in excitement about the coming celebration, for it was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington's 500th deathday this very year, that and Halloween for the rest of the school.
To most, it was simply another holiday — an evening of sweets, laughter, and candlelight, with all manner of pumpkin inspired treats to eat.
To Cassius, it was the tightening calm before a storm.
Cassius knew it, even cast out of the castle, Voldemort would return, how could he not when his 'prize' waited for him inside, virtually undefended, save for Dumbledore himself.
Still, outwardly, he remained composed.
In the Draconis common room, firelight shimmered against the black marble walls as Cassius stood at the center of the dueling platform.
Cho faced him from the opposite end standing among 2 practice dummies, wand raised, her expression a mix of focus and frustration.
"Again," Cassius instructed, his tone steady.
Cho groaned softly but nodded. "You're relentless."
"I prefer thorough," he countered.
She flicked her wand, sending a shimmering bolt of blue light across the room, the first to cast a spell, with the dummies, her 'allies' supported her efforts by casting similarly.
Cassius sidestepped neatly, his own wand rising in an elegant arc.
"Protego Maxima."
The shield bloomed before him, translucent and smooth as glass.
The impact of the dummies followup spells rippled harmlessly across it before dissipating into harmless sparks.
"You're still thinking too much before casting," Cassius said. "You've got to think about what you're opponent would do, predict the battle and use your allies to coordinate your efforts and force me into making a mistake."
Cho sighed and wiped a strand of hair from her face.
"You make it sound easy."
"It is, once you stop hesitating," he replied. "Magic isn't about what you want to do, it's about what you mean to do. Intention before motion. Desire before form."
"Philosopher and tyrant," Cho muttered under her breath.
Cassius smiled faintly. "Both are just titles for people who act when others hesitate."
She threw another spell.
Spell after spell was cast onesidedly.
He blocked them effortlessly, then disarmed her in a flicker of silver light, before blasting apart the training dummies beside her.
Her wand leapt into his hand, and he tossed it back casually.
"You are getting better." Cassius said.
Cho caught her wand, shaking her head.
"At this rate, I'll be dueling myself in the hospital wing."
"You're to hard on yourself, i've been trained by a dueling master throughout my youth, and compared to when i first began you're better than i was."
She rolled her eyes, but he noticed the faint curve of a smile on her lips.
She was improving — fast that much was true.
Her spellwork had grown sharper in the weeks since joining Draconis, her reflexes tighter, her posture firmer.
What began as reluctant obedience was shifting into cooperation, perhaps even trust.
Cassius had used an 'order' to compel her to train with him, mostly because the Draconis training dummies offered only a modest challenge, but his own power wasnt the only thing he was striving for, power alone would not matter if he wanted to change the world, to accomplish this he would need a competent inner circle, and where better to find that than to find them and train them to be what he needs at hogwarts?
Lady Draconis's ghostly form appeared above the firelight, translucent and elegant.
"You teach well, my heir," she said, her voice cool and musical. "And she learns quickly. Perhaps this one will be worth binding as kin before long."
Cho glanced up at the spectral matriarch and blushed slightly. "You talk about me like I'm an investment."
"In a way, you are," the ghost said serenely. "All who wear our crest are, until they prove they are more."
Cassius cleared his throat.
"That's enough for tonight. Rest. Tomorrow, we'll work on silent casting."
Cassius quickly tried to shift the discussion away from the Lady ghost who seemed almost obsessed with Cassius siring children even when he himself was still a child.
Cho arched a brow.
"Because this isn't exhausting enough?"
He smirked.
"Because I have the sense that by Halloween night, you'll need it."
Cho thankfully hadnt caught on to the fact of what Draconis was meaning each time she refered to her becoming Kin to the house.
~
The following morning, Defense Against the Dark Arts took on a liveliness that Hogwarts hadn't seen in weeks.
Auror Elias Thorne — tall, silver-eyed, and radiating quiet authority — paced the front of the classroom as students whispered excitedly.
Gone were the days of jittery recitation of facts straight from the textbook; Thorne taught with a soldier's precision and a predator's calm.
"Dark creatures do not hesitate," Thorne said, his wand flicking to illustrate a perfect barrier spell. "They don't pause to consider moral quandaries. They strike. And if you want to survive, so must you."
Cassius watched intently, taking in every movement of the man's wrist, every subtle inflection of power.
This was not a professor to underestimate, and if the curse held true, Cassius would be sorry to see him leave only to be replaced by another bumbling fool chosen by Dumbledore.
After the dismissal of QuirrelMort, Dumbledore was left with little choice, his staff was already stretched to their limits dealing with the increased volume of students, so getting another to cover DADA was impossible, giving the ministry a gap to exploit resulting in an Auror getting the job, and being an 'inside man' within hogwarts reporting back to Cornelius Fudge himself.
Cho herself, had words to describe the man.
"Don't get me wrong he's brillant, absolutely terrifying, but his lessons really do prepare us for what's out there."
Cassius's lips twitched.
"Terrifying men tend to live long so long as they don't antagonize the weak to long."
~
Thorne's gaze swept across the room, lingering briefly on Cassius.
A faint smile crossed his face — the kind that suggested recognition, though they had never met. Cassius didn't return it, he didnt know the man, and even if Fudge wanted a connection with him he wasn't about to let that happen.
That plus for cassius there was no guarentee that Thorne wasnt a former death eater only operating on the outside thanks to bribing the ministry rather than locking him up in Azkaban
When the first class ended, Thorne stopped Cassius at the door.
"Theirs not much i feel i can teach you young Mr. Snape, it feels like you're already set for your O.W.L's already."
Cassius met his gaze evenly. "I've had good teachers."
His response was measured, Thorne no doubt was aware Cassius already had three O.W.L certificates, and after seeing his effortless knowledge thus far along with the word in the hall from other teachers.
Thorne studied him for a moment longer before nodding.
Cassius inclined his head respectfully but before leaving brought up a subject that wouldnt appear until next year.
"Perhaps we should get permission to start a dueling club? That would surely assist with your lessons in teaching us to protect ourselves?"
~
The days fell into a rhythm.
Daytime filled with classes; Afternoons spent practicing quidditch to perfect a two-man team as much as it was possible, or dueling practice within the common room; Evenings spent studying or just relaxing in general.
~
And through it all, the tension in the air grew heavier around the school.
There were whispers of strange things in the forest.
A shadow seen near Hagrid's hut.
A creature so terrible it made even the worst flee in fear.
Cassius listened to these rumors when they came up but said nothing.
He knew the signs.
Halloween for sure would bring about a potential tradgedy within hogwarts while Voldemort made his first attempt to secure the stone.