Black Blood

018 - Distant Distraction

She didn't quite understand what was happening, but Potter and Weasley had been acting rather strange ever since her return after the winter break, and all signs pointed towards the muggleborn who usually remained inseparable from the pair.

Certainly, whenever Granger visited the library she was almost always without escort, but any other time, Cassiopeia knew, her two friends were ever at her side. But not recently. Something had occurred over the holidays, and whilst the pureblood didn't feel concerned in the least for the trio's relationship, it did cause a tinge of curiosity to course through her veins every time the two boys denied the muggleborn's company, which was quite often.

No, indeed, something had happened, as Cassiopeia never saw Granger so early within the Great Hall, and certainly never on her own. The muggleborn even seemed quite tired for a reason the pureblooded girl couldn't comprehend, and her bushy hair was far bushier and unkempt than usual.

'Thank Merlin for mother's straight-haired side of the family,' the pureblooded girl thought to herself, sending a hand through her smooth, glossy waterfall atop her perfectly-shaped head.

The girl continued to watch the muggleborn, finding imperfections within her appearance, all the while noting how uncared for certain features of hers seemed to be that normally received an abundance of attention, indicating that the girl was spending less time than usual within her dormitory.

'I should cease this nonsense,' the girl chided herself, knowing it was mentally unhealthy to compare her obvious genetic superiority to the muggleborn's lowly own.

Deciding to look away, to focus her attention upon anything aside from Granger, who the pureblooded girl immensely disliked thinking about, she found the spot she'd been perusing within her book, The Twelve Uses of Dragon Blood, and the specific one used as an alchemical solution.

Before she could manage even ten finely-printed words, however, the sound of someone bursting into the Great Hall caught her attention, which forced her gaze away from the tome before her.

"Sirius Black attacked again!" Finnegan roared, his tone alarmed, yet Cassiopeia felt certain she'd heard a measure of excitement within his voice.

"Mr. Finnegan, what is the meaning of this?!" Professor Snape practically bellowed, his own tone far less alarmed and excited than the Gryffindor's.

"He attacked the boys' dormitory while we slept, sir!" Finnegan loudly returned, about-facing without another word and rushing back through the Great Hall's massive entrance.

'Why?!' Cassiopeia bemusedly wondered, feeling a strong urge to give chase, to make her way towards the Gryffindor tower in hopes of receiving an answer. 'And what did he mean by 'attacked the dormitory'?!'

Cassiopeia knew that if the madman had attacked Potter when the boy was asleep, the child that had survived the impossible would certainly, without a shred of doubt, be dead, and Finnegan would've announced such. But he hadn't.

'So what, precisely, does 'attacked the dormitory whilst they slept' mean?! Did he attack?! Did he truly?!' she wondered to herself, glancing towards Granger, who was rushing towards the entrance of the Great Hall with terrified haste.

Cassiopeia closed her book and stood, deciding to make her own way towards the Gryffindor tower, as she knew no information regarding her secret passion could be processed after Finnegan's sudden announcement.

'Why?' she silently repeated, needing to understand the situation at hand, the motive behind the bizarre 'attack', but knowing she likely never would. 'It doesn't make sense. Truly, it doesn't...'