Side story
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Chapter 255 – You're So Strong!!
Kassandra was furious.
She truly didn't want to hear anything about that boy ever again.
All she wanted now was to study quietly at Hogwarts and stop being dragged into anything related to that idiot.
Hmph.
But even when she tried her hardest to ignore him, information about him still forced its way into her ears.
Especially on Halloween.
She noticed the fool sitting nearby looking completely deflated.
When was the last time he looked like that?
Ah—right. First year.
Right after he'd been sorted into Slytherin and Gryffindor's Harry Potter had apparently bullied him.
She glanced toward the Gryffindor table.
Weasley, Granger, and Harry Potter—none of them had sat with him today.
They left him behind.
That was… truly sad.
Honestly, it would be better if Harry Potter abandoned him completely.
Then he could just stay in Slytherin where he belonged.
Kassandra felt the thought spark a little excitement.
But watching him poke at his food absentmindedly, and then suddenly stand and rush out as if remembering something—
Yes.
He was probably going to look for Harry Potter again.
Kassandra felt irritated.
But also increasingly uncomfortable.
She sat right here… and he never saw her.
Never noticed anything she did.
He never even looked her way.
She shouldn't have told her family anything.
They wouldn't understand.
His heart was in Gryffindor.
What was she supposed to be?
Her mood dipped.
Yet, even though she was the heiress of the Vorley family, even though she always held her chin high—
She was still Kassandra.
Huh?
Rumors spread quickly—he'd been attacked?
"Yeah, I heard Filch beat him several times," Pansy muttered angrily beside her.
"Filch was even about to use a knife before Dumbledore stopped him."
Others joined in immediately.
"Filch is insane. He went after one of our Slytherins!"
"He should be fired!"
"I doubt Potter will let that happen. He'll protect Filch again."
"Seriously? He forgave Filch even after this?"
"Don't forget, Potter volunteered to let him off last time too."
"Potter's an idiot."
A group of refined Slytherins sighed in frustration. There was no dealing with that fool.
Sure enough, Filch appeared again the next day, unharmed.
As Kassandra walked down the corridor, she murmured loudly enough for a certain someone to hear:
"Mr. Filch always claims Peeves is the most useless creature in this school. I wonder if he's right."
"I've never seen Peeves and Mr. Filch actually fight.
So maybe… Mr. Filch is right?
Maybe Peeves really is beneath him."
She recited the lines with a perfectly blank expression.
A moment later, Peeves—who had been hiding behind a suit of armor—shot off in a frenzy, cackling loudly and seeking Filch.
Well.
With any luck, Mr. Filch would now receive Peeves' full 'affection.'
No matter how annoying that stupid boy was, nobody was allowed to bully him.
Irritated, she headed back—only to see him and Harry Potter walk past her.
She stayed silent.
Right.
Of course he didn't know.
Of course he never noticed.
Maybe he thought everything she did was despicable anyway.
Suddenly, all her efforts felt meaningless.
Like her mother said—how can a sheep fall in love with a wolf?
And she was the wolf.
Days passed in silence.
She didn't know what she was doing anymore.
She had told herself she would stand by him no matter what—even if he never saw her efforts.
So why did it hurt so much?
Quidditch ended.
Gryffindor won again.
Kassandra left quietly.
None of that concerned her anymore.
But—
She ignored him for one night, and suddenly he never came out again.
She sat in the Slytherin common room, facing the staircase to the boys' dormitories.
She could always tell the moment he came down.
He wouldn't see her.
But she would know he was safe.
Yet after waiting and waiting—he never appeared.
What was going on?
Was he upset because of Harry Potter's adventure yesterday?
Did he… actually get angry?
Kassandra doubted it.
Then she heard whispers from all over Hogwarts—someone in Gryffindor had been petrified.
They said he went to visit Harry Potter last night.
Visit Harry Potter…
That fool would definitely do something like that.
Would he get petrified too?
Kassandra shot to her feet and rushed to the Head of House's office.
She demanded the Professor open the boy's room.
She had to see if he was inside.
The Professor hurried off; she ran alongside him.
And only then did she realize—
A whole group of girls were following her.
Annoying.
Couldn't they wait in the lounge?
Why were they following her?
Still, they received the news:
He wasn't in the dormitory.
But the Professor added that he had left a note saying he was going out to calm down.
Had he argued with Harry Potter?
Kassandra felt a spark of hope.
Maybe next time, Harry wouldn't drag him away from Slytherin.
But then—
Why didn't he show up for lunch?
Her father's words echoed:
He's Harry Potter's younger brother. He could die at any moment.
At any moment…
Was this one of those moments?
Professor McGonagall entered the Slytherin common room.
"All students must remain here. Do not roam the castle."
Kassandra immediately stood to ask about him—but Professor McGonagall pulled her into a hug.
"Oh, child, don't cry. We'll find him…"
Cry?
She wasn't crying.
Professor McGonagall was the one crying!
She opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out.
"Don't let everyone see you like this."
Pansy wrapped an arm around her.
"You can't openly show you like Darren here."
Oh. Right.
In Slytherin, anyone could pretend to care about Potter.
But no one showed real feelings.
Even at this age, Slytherins were far more calculating than anyone else.
"Of course," Pansy announced loudly, "I'm only asking about Potter because he's one of us."
Kassandra lifted her head.
Her gaze fell on the sealed doorway.
Please don't be hurt.
You're so strong.
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