"Greetings from the Den of Snakes..."
The Letters, the words kept.
The first week, Cassandra had decided she would never like being in Slytherin.
She was still confused on how she could've gotten into Slytherin of all houses. Slytherin! The house didn't exactly have a fine reputation, especially not in recent years. Everybody knew that this was the house dark lords came from, or Death Eaters, or something else equally terrifying. Cassie wasn't like that, right? No, there had to be a mistake.
Right?
She was left with this thought as she was nudged along the normal schedule on the first night. All the first years had written letters to their parents then or the day after, so she was inclined to write home as well. What would she tell them?
What would she tell him?
Her father was always so proud of the fact that he was the one who broke the cycle in his family. He had been sorted into Gryffindor, and had been the first in his lineage to not be sorted in Slytherin in Merlin-knows-how-many-years. What would he say? What would he think of her? Her dad was the best person in her life; he always supported her and made her feel loved. What if that changed if he knew who she really was?
No, no. The Sorting was a mistake. It had to be.
So, she had written him a letter. Detailing how she was sorted in the den of snakes against her will, how she had been stuck in classes full of daft idiots she was forced to call her housemates, and that she wouldn't interact with them under any circumstances.
...and, yeah. Maybe she wasn't supposed to say all that about her own house. Her dad had a lot of pride for his house and still does. Should she do the same? Or would he appreciate it more if she distanced herself as much as possible?
These questions kept piling up more and more. It was suffice to say that Cassie was terrified of her father's reaction to her Sorting. So, even though the letter had been fully written, folded, and sealed...
...she found herself hesitating to send it.
The first week of school passed. Most kids had already written a second letter home, describing their classes. Again, Cassie wrote that letter, but when time came to visit the Owlery, she got scared.
Of course, the communication between her and her parents wasn't severed. They still sent her letters, which were dropped off in front of her during breakfast. Her parents wrote about how much they missed her, and how a year is going to feel like forever with how long the week's felt. She had assumed so. One of the only things she had worried about when going to Hogwarts is how her family would fair without her. They had no other children to take care of, and Cass had assumed she was practically the center of their life now.
Still, it was nice to know they missed her.
Not like she was returning the favor.
Instead of anxiety, guilt started to build in her mind. It haunted her at night when she went to bed. It nagged her every time she got up in the morning. Were her and her parents drifting apart? Already? But this was too soon.
She had heard stories of rebellious teenagers and ruined relationships, but she had never thought her family could be like that. However, the horrible thought had taken root, and it threatened to drive her mad.
So, one weekend, she decided she had enough.
Cassie would send those letters to her parents and brace herself for the worst. No big deal.
The West Tower was, well, a tower. And the Slytherin Common Room was in the Dungeon. So it wasn't exactly simple walk. No, it was a trek. And every step filled her with dread.
She had contemplated turning back several times, but she couldn't ignore her parents. But what if they hated her for being a Slytherin? But what if they already hated her by not even talking to them?
She barely realized that she reached the Owlery, so deep in her internal conflict she almost ran into the door.
Merlin. Get a grip.
Her hands shook as she held the two letters- the one from the first day and the one from this week. Turning back now was unthinkable; it was right in front of her. It wasn't that big of a deal. She was sorted into Slytherin, big whoop. That didn't mean anything. Her dad wouldn't think any less of her. No, that would be silly.
Still, even as she wrote the address, checked the seals on the letters "just to be sure", and began to tie them to the owl, the knot in her throat grew tight. Even as she watched the owl tilt its head and fly off, she frowned.
Everything was going to be fine, she reassured herself.
The first week, Cassandra had decided she would never like being in Slytherin.
She was still confused on how she could've gotten into Slytherin of all houses. Slytherin! The house didn't exactly have a fine reputation, especially not in recent years. Everybody knew that this was the house dark lords came from, or Death Eaters, or something else equally terrifying. Cassie wasn't like that, right? No, there had to be a mistake.
Right?
She was left with this thought as she was nudged along the normal schedule on the first night. All the first years had written letters to their parents then or the day after, so she was inclined to write home as well. What would she tell them?
What would she tell him?
Her father was always so proud of the fact that he was the one who broke the cycle in his family. He had been sorted into Gryffindor, and had been the first in his lineage to not be sorted in Slytherin in Merlin-knows-how-many-years. What would he say? What would he think of her? Her dad was the best person in her life; he always supported her and made her feel loved. What if that changed if he knew who she really was?
No, no. The Sorting was a mistake. It had to be.
So, she had written him a letter. Detailing how she was sorted in the den of snakes against her will, how she had been stuck in classes full of daft idiots she was forced to call her housemates, and that she wouldn't interact with them under any circumstances.
...and, yeah. Maybe she wasn't supposed to say all that about her own house. Her dad had a lot of pride for his house and still does. Should she do the same? Or would he appreciate it more if she distanced herself as much as possible?
These questions kept piling up more and more. It was suffice to say that Cassie was terrified of her father's reaction to her Sorting. So, even though the letter had been fully written, folded, and sealed...
...she found herself hesitating to send it.
The first week of school passed. Most kids had already written a second letter home, describing their classes. Again, Cassie wrote that letter, but when time came to visit the Owlery, she got scared.
Of course, the communication between her and her parents wasn't severed. They still sent her letters, which were dropped off in front of her during breakfast. Her parents wrote about how much they missed her, and how a year is going to feel like forever with how long the week's felt. She had assumed so. One of the only things she had worried about when going to Hogwarts is how her family would fair without her. They had no other children to take care of, and Cass had assumed she was practically the center of their life now.
Still, it was nice to know they missed her.
Not like she was returning the favor.
Instead of anxiety, guilt started to build in her mind. It haunted her at night when she went to bed. It nagged her every time she got up in the morning. Were her and her parents drifting apart? Already? But this was too soon.
She had heard stories of rebellious teenagers and ruined relationships, but she had never thought her family could be like that. However, the horrible thought had taken root, and it threatened to drive her mad.
So, one weekend, she decided she had enough.
Cassie would send those letters to her parents and brace herself for the worst. No big deal.
The West Tower was, well, a tower. And the Slytherin Common Room was in the Dungeon. So it wasn't exactly simple walk. No, it was a trek. And every step filled her with dread.
She had contemplated turning back several times, but she couldn't ignore her parents. But what if they hated her for being a Slytherin? But what if they already hated her by not even talking to them?
She barely realized that she reached the Owlery, so deep in her internal conflict she almost ran into the door.
Merlin. Get a grip.
Her hands shook as she held the two letters- the one from the first day and the one from this week. Turning back now was unthinkable; it was right in front of her. It wasn't that big of a deal. She was sorted into Slytherin, big whoop. That didn't mean anything. Her dad wouldn't think any less of her. No, that would be silly.
Still, even as she wrote the address, checked the seals on the letters "just to be sure", and began to tie them to the owl, the knot in her throat grew tight. Even as she watched the owl tilt its head and fly off, she frowned.
Everything was going to be fine, she reassured herself.
"But magic is neither good nor evil. It is a tool, like a knife. Is a knife evil? Only if the wielder is evil."