The morning light crept through the dormitory curtains like a thief.
Cassius sat at the edge of his bed, lacing his boots in silence while outside his dormmates buzzed with the frenetic energy of freedom, some grateful the school year had come to an end, while others simply were grateful for the chance to see their families again after having been away for so many months.
Trunks snapped shut, owls hooted impatiently in their cages, and a dozen voices overlapped about plans for summer holidays — trips abroad, family gatherings, Quidditch camps, and idle dreams.
For him, there would be none of that.
The Arcanum awaited, Arcana had been sending letters and missives all year but the number of requests for him/her to come by and oversee the research results was becoming hard to refuse.
So at some point during the summer break Cassius would need to stop by and visit, and offer his thanks for the sending of the three Aeriusbolt broomsticks that performed per his desire no matter how hard it was to create.
He stood, brushed an invisible crease from his robes, and took one final glance around the circular room.
Bookshelves lined with first-year texts, a cluttered desk, the faint scent of ink and candle wax — it had been home for a time.
But home was never a place for Cassius; it was a position.
And he had already outgrown this one, for now.
Outside, the courtyard gleamed with dew.
Thestral-drawn carriages waited at the foot of the hill, spectral beasts invisible to most, stamping at the ground in the mist.
Cassius's four companions — Daphne, Cho, and Hermione — were already there, chatting softly beside their trunks.
"Finally," Daphne said, feigning impatience. "I thought you were going to miss the last carriage."
"I was saying goodbye," Cassius replied simply.
Cho smiled faintly. "To what?"
He paused. "Lady Draconis of course."
The girls exchanged looks, half amused, half uncertain.
They had long become used to the cold ghostly woman who served as their house head, but interacted with them only when required to by Cassius as he was the true member of the house unlike them.
When the carriage lurched into motion, the castle began to shrink behind them — ancient towers vanishing into mist.
Cassius watched until the very last spire disappeared beyond the trees.
The ride to Hogsmeade was quiet save for the rhythmic clatter of hooves and the rustle of summer wind.
Hermione, half-hidden behind a copy of Advanced Magical Theory, mumbled notes to herself, already plotting next year's study plan.
Daphne was going on about her family estates and the desire to return to the life she had once known so well, while Cho leaned against the frame, gaze lost somewhere between sky and thought.
Cassius said nothing.
He didn't need to.
Their dynamic was already set — three voices orbiting his silence, except for when something needed to be said, he otherwise wouldn't.
When they reached the platform, a billow of steam and the shrill whistle of the Hogwarts Express greeted them.
Students swarmed in every direction — hugging, laughing, shouting across compartments.
It was chaos, and yet somehow comforting.
They found their compartment quickly, one of the quiet ones near the back.
Cassius stowed the girls' trunks overhead before taking his usual corner seat.
The train shuddered to life.
Hogsmeade rolled away, replaced by the blur of green hills and open sky.
Conversation came and went in waves — talk of next term, of what things the Arcanum would discover next, of what mess they thought Cassius would get himself into without their supervision.
He offered little more than polite responses.
He was thinking about something else entirely.
Keeping his plans for the summer completly underwraps at least until the time was right.
Every move he'd made this year had felt like the opening of a game long planned since his birth into this magical world of his.
But at least now he was seeing the result of all that meticulous planning and training, the first act was coming to a close, and within another couple of years Cassius would be ready, ready to strike out and shake the wizarding world to its very core.
Hours passed.
Lunch came and went, laughter filling the corridor as students traded chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties.
When the girls rose to change into their Muggle clothes near journey's end, Cassius excused himself with a bow.
He didn't wait outside.
Instead, he drifted down the length of the train, hands in pockets, eyes half-lidded, listening.
The chatter was mostly mundane — the kind of noise that filled space and time.
But then, through a half-open compartment door, he caught sight of Potter and Weasley.
They were exactly as expected.
Ron was mid-bite into a treacle tart, crumbs dusting his jumper, while Harry — still awkward in his own fame — laughed quietly, the shadow of recent events never quite leaving his eyes.
Cassius stepped inside without a word.
Both boys froze, startled.
Before they could react, his wands were already raised — a single smooth motion.
"Confundus."
The air shimmered faintly.
Two soft pops of displaced magic.
Both boys blinked, their gazes clouding for a moment as though they'd forgotten what they were doing.
Cassius stepped forward, grabbing something from within the compartment before stuffing it into his pocket, reclosing the door, and making tracks away as fast as he could.
By the time Harry and Ron came to, Cassius was already halfway down the corridor, with neither being the wiser anything at all had occured.
Back in his compartment, the girls had already changed and were tidying up the last of their things.
He took his seat again, as though nothing at all had happened.
The rhythmic clatter of the wheels beneath them was almost soothing.
He watched the landscape rush past, the clouds turning gold as the sun began to sink.
At last, the train slowed.
The whistle sounded, and the view outside shifted to brick platforms and iron beams — King's Cross Station.
Students began the mad scramble for trunks and owls, laughter echoing through the corridors once more.
Throngs of students alighted from the train and began making their way to their waiting parents.
The girls all gave Cassius one final look before making him promise to write over the summer.
Before they too joined the Chaos, leaving him standing there on his own.
Smirking, as he looked down feeling a slight movement in his pocket.
Using everything he had to retrain himself from bursting out in laughter at what was going on in there right now.
~End Of Volume 2~