Back Together Again ((Pyro))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cassandra pushed open the door to The Three Broomsticks on a very busy, cold Hogsmeade weekend. It was Cassandra's seventeenth birthday, and it had gone by without any sort of recognition. She hadn't seen Liam yet that day, and she doubted if any of her family would notice. Nonetheless, she was trying to have a good day. She had gone out to do a little clothes shopping in the village. Cass had found several adorable dresses that she knew Liam would find gorgeous on her, two pairs of shoes, and an amethyst bracelet at the jewelry store. The witch behind the counter was extremely friendly in the latter. She had given the young Gryffindor a small discount on the trinket for the occasion. Cass had decided to finish the day off with a warm Butterbeer at the largest and busiest pub in Hogsmeade. The warm air had caressed Cass' face; making her shiver as she closed the door.

Sitting down at a small booth near the back of the pub, she ordered her drink, and then began to sort through her things to find her transfiguration book. It took her several minutes to ruffle through her carry-all bag to find the red covered book. She opened the page to self transfigurations and began to skim over the page. The pub's door opened every now and again causing a stream of air to come into the pub. Small puddles of snow began to collect around the door as more and more traffic made its way through the large room. Cass would occasionally lift her eyes from the page to see the newest visitor.

"Did you hear? Pyro Blackfire and that odd Alex girl have broken up," Cass' ears perked up as she heard the mention of her cousin's name. The two Slytherin's at the table near were gossiping away not caring who hear them. She was crestfallen at the news. Surely, Pyro and Alex hadn't broken up. Alex had nowhere else to go. She only came to Blackfire Manor because of her family problems. Pyro wouldn't dare throw her out on the street. Then again...

Cass thought a moment and pursed her lips. Of course Pyro would throw her out. He hadn't hesitated when he got the chance to make Cass leave the manor. In fact, he probably through a ball for all of the wizarding elite. She took a sip of her butterbeer. She wouldn't definitely have to investigate this when she got back to the castle. She really hoped it wasn't true. She was beginning to like her cousin's fiance.

Cass turned herself back to her transfiguration book. She soon got lost in its concepts. She loved this subject, and anytime she opened the books pages she got lost. The closing and opening sound of the door was soon in the back of her mind. She didn't even notice that she had company until she heard heavy breathing in front of her. Looking up from her reading, she saw a blond haired man in some splendid black robes in front of her. She smiled a crooked smile. "Well, I never thought I would see you here among the commoners. Good afternoon, Pyro. I'm assuming you have come here to find me."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro moved through the bustling streets of Hogsmeade. He wasn’t in much of a conflict mood right now so he merely dodged from side to side instead of just plowing straight through the crowd. His dark cloak was pulled tightly around him to help ward off the chill of the afternoon. The hood was pulled low over his face, most people would recognize him anyway, but he had decided to at least try and hide his identity. The last couple of weeks had been maddening for him, rumors flying about this and that. He would pass by a group of students and notice them point at him and quickly huddle amongst themselves and begin to whisper.

Pyro had gotten wind of a few of the rumors and stories circulating about him. Most prominent of these rumors was his recent brake up with Alex, and his removal from the starting lineup of the Quidditch Team. Pyro couldn’t quite blame Kennedy for that one, he had been neglecting practice and alienating himself from the team, but he would show Kennedy that he had made a mistake and would get his position back. Even if Kennedy had to lose a game or two, he would soon see that they needed Pyro at the starting lines.

Pyro wore rich dark robes beneath his cloak and felt the weight of two packages in his pockets. One was from his mother, the other, Pyro had bought himself. He was currently on a mission, a mission that was supposed to have been finished days ago but the recipient had been quite elusive. It was Cass’s birthday today, she was finally turning seventeen. Although she and Pyro had had a falling out so to speak, well. His mother had insisted that she receive the traditional watch during her birthday. Pyro had also taken the liberty of purchasing a pair of top rate Quidditch gloves for her also.

For some reason he felt like burying the hatchet. The small feud the two had going was beginning to grow old and tiresome, and Pyro just wasn’t in the mood for it anymore. Although he still would not be able to resist throwing a few random quips at her during opportune moments. Pyro stopped in front of the Three Broomsticks and looked at the establishment. He never quite liked the place, found it to open and way too many Gryffindors and Ravenclaws polluted the place. Yet this was the type of place Cass would hang out. With a sigh he reached out and pushed open the door.

Removing his cloak and hanging it up he scanned the room and sure enough soon spotted his familiar cousin sitting at a booth reading. Pyro began to make his way over to her but was stopped halfway when he heard his name mentioned. Pausing he looked around for the source and spotted the two Slytherin girls chatting away at a nearby table. Putting on a cheery smile he approached there table and placed his hands on the side, leaning in. “Hi girls, what are you talking about?” He asked sounding pleasant and cheery.

He saw the girls faces contort and freeze in fear. They seemed to sputter for a moment trying to find words to speak as they realized who had just approached them, and who they had just been talking about. Without giving them a chance to recover Pyro spoke again, in that same cheery tone. “I suggest you move along.” He said and before the sentence was even finished they were out in the streets moving away at a swift pace. Pyro grinned, noticing an un-open bottle of butterbeer on the table and quickly claimed it as his own. He popped the top and took a swig as he made his way over to Cass.

Sliding into the seat across from her he waited until she noticed his presence. It took her a while, he was about to clear his throat or cough to startle her, but soon she put the book down and addressed him. Pyro couldn’t help but smile, already, immediately into the bickering. He nodded at her statement as he took a glance around the room. “It helps certain kind of publicity.” He announced and reached into his pocket. He took out the packet with the finally made golden watch and placed it on the table. “From my Mother. She took pity on you and decided you required a traditional Wizard-coming-of-age gift. And this….” He reached in and pulled out the other package. “Is from me.”

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

"What kind of publicity? I would think between the two of us, we would have enough publicity," Cass said to her cousin as he slid into the empty side of the booth. Her eyes widened in surprise as Pyro placed one small box on the table and another large one beside it. "Birthday presents? For me?" She sounded rather shocked. "Ummm...thank you?" Cass really didn't know if she should be thankful or not. "Nothing is going to pop out at me and bite me, is it?" She looked up at Pyro. He seemed to be smiling one of those rare smiles that her cousin so rarely gave to anyone. It made him look less hard, less cold. She loved her cousin. She really truly did. If it hadn't been for Pyro, she would still be poor old muggle born Cassandra Logton. She never would of understood her place in the wizarding world.

Cass took the larger gift first. Everyone knows how it is. The bigger box is always more attractive and inviting. She picked it up in her hands and gave it a little shake. It made a very loud thudding sound in the package. "Oh...I'm so excited!" Cass gave Pyro a mischievous smile through her black curls as she began to rip through the wrapping paper. Cass looked up at some of the other patrons to see many of them watching their little party. She averted her gaze. She was now holding a white box. "You know, Pyro. I think we have inadvertently invited the entire castle to our little Birthday party." Cass opened the white box to find a very nice pair of Quidditch gloves. "Oh, wow! Pyro, these are extremely nice. They must of cost an arm and leg. You didn't come to our last Quidditch game. How did you know I started playing Keeper?"

"Thank you." She stated this simply, placing the gloves to the side. She picked up the second smaller box. She repeated the same shaking procedure as she had on the previous gift. "So, how are things at the Manor? Are the rumors really true about, well, you know? I hope they aren't. Even though she was a Slytherin, I was starting to like Alex. She seemed to ground you a bit."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro shrugged at her question, “Who knows, make the common folk think your nice. They come to ask you for donations, and then you refuse. It brings me happiness.” Pyro grinned as he watched her surprised expression at her gifts. Pyro took a swig of his butterbeer as he watched her grab the first package, the one he had bought her. He couldn’t help but grin at her defensive question, and silently cursing himself for not thinking about placing some kind of trap on her gifts. Oh well, there was always next year.

He watched her unwrap the first present, the gloves he had purchased for her. He could clearly see the excitement in her face as she uncovered the treasure. Pyro’s eyes scanned the Three Broomsticks at all the other patrons as they eyed the little party. Turning back to Cass he finished off the bottle in front of him and set it aside for a waiter to pick up. Pyro arched an eyebrow in an incredulous stare at her. “Who are you talking to Cass? I know everything; I have many, many ways of gaining information.” Pyro leaned forward a bit and whispered the next part as if it was a big secret.

“Yes, they did cost an arm and a leg, but fortunately.” He grinned, “They weren’t mine.” He lifted his arms and one leg to show that he still had all his limbs. He watched her pick up the other box, the golden watch from his mother. Pyro had received a similar watch on his seventeenth birthday. In fact it was sitting in his pocket right now. Pyro didn’t use it much, seizing an opportunity Pyro grabbed the arm of a passing waiter and indicated his empty bottle.

“My drink is empty, why haven’t you brought me another one?” He asked throwing a dark glare over the man before releasing him and turning back to Cass without another word. Her next words stung him deeply, though he knew she hadn’t meant anything by it. Had there been any malicious tone to the question he would have been on the other side of the table putting Cass into a hurt-lock by now. The light in Pyro’s eyes seemed to dim for a second and he swallowed deeply as he mentally forced the images out of his mind. He looked down and away, Cass was always good at reading people, and she would easily read his body language, but Pyro had some pride, and he would not let her see the sadness in his eyes.

“Yea, the rumors are true. We had a fight, so to speak. She took her stuff and left the house. Haven’t heard from her since.” Pyro turned back to Cass, the light in his eyes had returned, but something was hidden behind them, a message to Cass to drop the subject for he clearly didn’t wish to discuss this.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

The gryffindor gave the slytherin a dark look. "Pyro Blackfire, I hope you at least paid well for that poor person's body parts. I knew you could get a lot of weird things in Knockturn Alley, but I would never believe that you could get an arm and a leg." Cass began to tear at the paper of the smaller box. Pyro hesitated at her question about Alex. Cass didn't need him to explain further. She already knew the answer to the question by the way he was acting. "I'm sorry." The tearing of the paper stopped beneath her eager fingers for a moment. "I know those things hurt. Liam and I haven't been doing to well either. The strain of everything has hurt us...a lot." She peered at Pyro with her green eyes. "I suppose it was only a matter of time for us. You know, Liam and I have been together for three years. Even though we are in the same house, we hardly see each other anymore."

She stared passed Pyro's shoulder, far away for a moment in her thoughts. The waiter came by and placed two more butterbeers on the table. She shook her head to drive away her emotions. "Anyways, lets not talk about that. We need a little less moroseness in our lives. It's actually sort of nice just to talk to you." Cass began to unwrap the package again. It only took her a few seconds to fumble open the white box. Cass' breath caught in her throat as her eyes rested on the dainty golden watch. She had seen Pyro wearing one similar to it. Three stars with small rubies and emeralds circulated clockwise around the face. Cass turned it over to see that the Blackfire family crest was engraved on the back. "Is this a family thing? Sort of a tradition? Sorry, you know I've never been really up on wizarding things like this." Cass looked sort of shy and embarrassed at admitting this to her cousin.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that your mother is well. I was invited to a ministry ball a few weeks ago, and I heard several people mention that Lust hadn't been seen in weeks. Apparently, she hasn't handled Charles's death well. Has the Ministry figured out anything else with that? One of the Fallon's caught me as I was leaving and started grilling me about the incident." Cass looked up. Pyro seemed uncomfortable. "I told them it was none of their business. The Ministry figured it was just associated with all the other..., "Cass hesitated, "odd deaths in the family. Still, I wish they would figure out what happened with my mother and Craig. It feels weird to know you are out there all alone in the world. Your father did try to make me as comfortable as possible; however, it was obvious it was only out of family courtesy."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro arched both his eyebrows in an expression of shock. “Me pay? For body parts? No, no, no. I would never do that. I simply take that which I require. You know me better than that Cass.” He said chuckling a bit. He remained silently as she brought him up to speed on her and Liam. Pyro couldn’t help but be happy. He had hated Liam, hated him more than any other person in the world. He hadn’t even hated Kennedy half as much during the middle of their own fight. He eyed the waiter as he placed down two fresh bottle and walked away.

Sliding his bottle closer Pyro popped the top and took a quick sip as he watched Cass undo the wrapping around the last package. Once again he watched her eyes light up at the gift and grinned. He gave her a moment to admire the gift in silence before she once again looked at him. His face twisted into confusion for a moment at her question before he remembered. She had been born a muggle born and only later found out she was pureblood. She wouldn’t know the proper traditions of the wizard world all too well. He nodded in confirmation. “Yes, it’s a tradition to give a young Witch or Wizard a watch as a gift for their coming of age birthday. My mother decided it would be a crime against humanity to go against tradition, and since your own parents have passed, she took it on herself to fulfill that tradition.”

He sighed and took another drink as he leaned back. “Yea, she alright physically. Although she has shut herself in and refuses to go to many public gatherings.” He shook his head at Cass’s next question. “No, the investigation has found all they could. They put the house elf to death, I had to pay a lot to keep that quiet. The case is closed and I had to pay another large sum to get the records buried.” He answered all this with a grim note to his tone. He thought it would be best not to mention to her that Charles had also paid a large sum to bury the investigation into her mother deaths. Pyro knew what this meant, even though he had had his suspicions at the time.

Yet Cass didn’t need to know all of this. At least not yet. Charles was dead, telling Cass the truth now would only cause her more grief, besides with Charles dead there was nowhere to turn for revenge, aside from the Blackfire family itself, and Pyro didn’t feel like having a drawn out battle with Cass.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

"Oh, well. I guess it doesn't matter now. Damn shame though. I always liked that house elf." Cass was beginning to dwell on the subject. "Mother has been dead for what, two years now. She really wasn't much of a mother though after she decided she wanted to reclaim her pure blood status." Cass pulled the watch off of it's cuff and draped it over her right wrist. "It was sad really. She boldly pronounced daily to me that it was all for me, but I really didn't care. But, you know what? As soon as the news hit the streets, everyone began treating me differently. It was 'Miss Blackfire' this and 'Miss Blackfire' that. It was completely unsettling at first. It did go to my head rather fast. Frankly, I turned into a spoiled little brat now that I look back upon it. Hindsight is twenty twenty they always say." Cass extended her arm out to her cousin so he could have the honor of clasping the band around her wrist.

"I never really told you how sorry I was about your father. I still feel bad that I didn't attend the funeral, but I just didn't think I could handle another one. It seemed for a time there that every family function we had centered around a funeral." Cass pulled her arm back. She admired the handsome watch for a moment. The waiter came by and dropped another two drinks on the table. "Well, Pyro, I'm not sure what you did to that waiter, but I seem to be getting better service that what I got when I first came here."

Cass sat back in the booth once again. "Well, please thank your mother for me. She sent me an Owl one day to come and call, but I haven't taken her up on the invitation. I wasn't sure if I would be to welcomed. Alex had told me that you weren't coming out of your study much. Even though I seemed to be ambivalent to everyone, I was very worried about you. I was afraid that you were sort of shutting everyone out. I mean, I've lost parents. I understand how hard it is know they won't ever come through that door again." She sipped on her butterbeer. The pub had cleared out a bit. The only people around now were the people who were really interested in their conversation. "See that girl, over there?" Cass pointed to what seemed to be a random red headed girl. "I swear, anytime we are out in public, she is right there. Remember when we went to that club that had opened here in Hogsmeade? She was right there at the bar. Oh, those were such good times."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro couldn’t help but begin to chew his lip a little as Cass decided to dwell on the subject of the deaths. The death of her mother didn’t really bother him; there was no danger to him. It had been his father’s undertaking, not his. An investigation into that death would constitute an investigation into his father, which could spell trouble for him. Pyro decided not to break into her conversation, knowing Cass she was merely thinking out loud and would soon play herself out and move on. Pyro remained silently and listened to her. He glanced down at her wrist and reached over to clasp it securely on her wrist.

He shrugged at her apology; his father’s funeral had been a small thing. Pyro had attempted to keep it quiet and out of the papers, although that hadn’t worked. “It doesn’t matter; in fact, I wouldn’t have gone either if it would have looked alright in the papers.” He sighed, “But a son not going to his father’s funeral that would bring a little too much heat on me.” Pyro watched as the waiter came back around to drop off more butterbeer. Pyro smirked inwardly at the waiter’s new attitude. “Well, a little bit of fear helps in getting good service. I would have thought that during your time at the manor you would have learned that.”

The news of the owl was new to him, but he wouldn’t put it past his mother. She was known to do things like that. His mind went back to those days, they had scared him, for it reminded him strangely of his father’s previous activity. “Yes, well my father left everything in a kind of mess. He had dipped his hands into many things. Many projects, many donations, things like that. When I inherited the family I didn’t want to support a lot of these functions. So I had to put the Ax to a lot of these things, decide which ones were worth my while, stuff like that mostly.” Pyro turned to look at the girl that Cass had pointed out.

Pyro rarely took it upon himself to remember people that didn’t matter, so the girl wasn’t familiar to him. Pyro turned back to Cass, remembering those old days. They had been something. He couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, well back in the day we used to be the subject of almost every topic. I suppose we still have a few loyal fans.”

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

"Fear to get what you want? Yes, it can sometimes work wonders, but sometimes flattery can get you somewhere. I, however, never understood. Your father was always telling me to assert myself and my pureblood lineage. Look where that got me." She took a sip of her butterbeer and looked over to their groupies. "All it got me was more drama and too many front page headlines. Hell, Kennedy will never forgive me for getting our faces plastered all over the prophet. I'm starting to feel like those celebrities in the muggle realm that are constantly hounded by photographers. Nobody really gives a damn, but we sure are good gossip." One of the girls across the way looked straight at Cassandra and waved. She only rolled her eyes at the girl and looked back at her cousin. "Well, I'm glad to know that the funeral was a small affair. I had so many people asking me why I didn't attend. It was quite infuriating. I told several people at the ministry to rot off. Probably ruffled a few too many feathers in the process."

The waiter walked by again depositing two more bottles of butterbeer. "Two pieces of Italian creme cake, please? Oh, yes, by the way, I did the see the Prophet reporter behind the kitchen door. You can let him know there is going to be any fights, cruciatus curses, or family feuds here today. Thank you." The waiter looked shocked at Cassandra and left the table. "Seriously? How does the servant class seriously think they will get a good tip if they keep trying to sell me out to the paper. I swear, after Potter died, you and I became the headline news in Rita Skeeter's column." The waiter came back with the two pieces of cake and left quickly. "Speaking of which, your mother sent me word that we have all been invited to the Fallon's for some kind of hospital charity ball. I would appreciate it if you would talk her out of it. That Fallon boy looks at me sometimes as if I would be something good to eat."

Cass dived into the cake. "Doesn't surprise me you father left things in a mess. Uncle Charles wanted his fingers in everything so he could exert some sort of control over it." Cass laughed wen Pyro mentioned their fan base. She giggled a bit. "Yes, yes. I guess we probably do have some sort of fan loyalty out there. Still, I wish I was sometimes just plain old Cassandra Logton, you know? Even thought I wasn't then, I would be fine with my muggle born status. However, being a pureblood has opened up a lot of opportunities for me. The world does look at you a little bit different when you have a pedigree after your first name." She took another bite of her cake. "Speaking of which, you know Solitaire Keighley? That Hufflepuff girl I made that dress for a few years ago. She said that she saw my father out in Diagon Alley a couple of weeks ago. Isn't that crazy? I told her that if she saw any Blackfire male up and walking around other than you it was nothing but a figment of her imagination."

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro frowned a little at her comment on flattery. “Flattery gains nothing except a fat ego. People with fat egos only dwell on their fat egos and therefore get nothing done.” He flashed a grin. “Unlike fear, fear always gains results.” He sat back and allowed Cass to talk, she was good at that. Pyro had always been the quite type, never did enjoy talking too much, found it quite boring. Pyro would rather sit back and allow someone to ramble on and accidently reveal something they shouldn’t. Silence was a sure fire way of not letting secrets enter unwanted ears. He chuckled a little. “Oh don’t worry, I’ve ruffled my share of feathers.”

The waiter came by once again and Cass sent him for a spin when she made a comment about the Daily Prophet reporter. Pyro caught the man’s wrist as he moved away and looked him in the eye. “Though if you slip up I’m sure I can arrange for a Cuciatus Curse for our guest.” Pyro leaned back in the booth as the man walked away and turned his attention back at Cass. He couldn’t help but grin; his mother had in fact mentioned this ball to him. “Unfortunately my mother remains adamant about that ball, nothing I say will convince her otherwise. “

He looked down at the cake that the waiter dropped off and slid his piece over to him. “I don’t particularly enjoy the Fallons either, but, they could prove to be valuable business partners.” He took a bite of his cake. “Being head of the family usually means I can’t act on my first impulses anymore. It’s actually quite bothersome.” He couldn’t help but flinch at the mention of her father. How could someone have seen him? He was dead, there was no doubt about that. If that man was still alive, it could possibly spell trouble. He chuckled. “That sounds pretty ridiculous to me, there’s no way she could have seen you father.”

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

"Personally, I thought it was rather mean of her. I thought we were friends, but it really shocked me when she tried to bring that to my attention. I doubt, and I seriously mean doubt, that we should believe her. Honestly, I saw the man die." She took another bite of her cake. Cass knew she was running off at the mouth, and that was dangerous with Pyro. God knows what Pyro was picking away from their conversation. Cass always had a a bad tendency to talk to much. It was unfortunately one of her major flaws. She couldn't help it. She was a girl. She liked to chat with whoever she could, and that included her estranged cousin. "Well, that is awful you can't deter your mother. I'm serious, that Fallon boy scares me. What is his name? Julian or something like that. He's a year older than you I believe." Cass finished her cake and pushed away her plate. "Well, I guess I have to do it for your mother. Which means, I have to go dress shopping. Since we seem to be unencumbered with dates, would you like to accompany me on some shopping? I sure don't won't to go back to the castle, do you?" As soon as she said that, the waiter appeared with the check.

Cass struggled with her bag and pulled out her wallet. She pulled out three galleons and left them on the table. The girl picked up her purple coat and began to slip it over her shoulders. "So, Pyro, you have been extremely quiet. I know I've been running away with the conversation. I've always been quite talkative, you know that. Hmmm, since I'm going to go dress shopping, what color do you think I should get? I wore that red dress to that last Ministry Ball and your mother absolutely died. She pulled me aside and told me I looked like a hussy. Maybe I should wear green? Since I'm going to a Slytherin ball, maybe green would be appropriate." She headed to the door. "Now, to get off of myself, what has been going on with you? Is there anything coming up other than the Fallon's that I should behave and clean myself up for?" She smiled genially.

[Pyro Blackfire S5]

Pyro leaned back once again in his booth. He brought one hand up to his chin and Cass’s next statements escaped his attention. Pyro’s mind worked quickly as it digested this new information. Of course mistakes of identity happened often, quite often, but Pyro wasn’t going to take a chance when it came to someone that could potentially be as dangerous as Cass’s father. He would have to remember to send someone out to get some information on this matter. He returned his attention back to Cass as she was redirecting the conversation back toward the Fallons. He couldn’t help but grin a little at this. Pyro had never actually met with Julian yet, but he had been over at the Fallon’s manor for a formal dinner, but other than that he didn’t bother to much with them.

Pyro frowned, going dress shopping wasn’t exactly his idea of a great time, but he had to admit, he was completely bored and had nothing better to do. With a sigh he nodded. “Yea, I suppose I can go with you. Just don’t tell anybody.” He added in a low tone. Pyro stood up, watching the water closely as the man dropped off the check. He grinned as he thought back to that day, his mother had not been able to shake that for a while. He chuckled slightly. “Well, why not wear red again. Make a kind of stab towards my mother for making you come.”

As they passed the door Pyro reached out and grabbed up his cloak, throwing it on over his shoulders. “Hmm, Green? I don’t know, I’ve never been quite partial to the color Green in a dress.” Pyro paused outside of the Three Broomsticks as he looked up the street. “So, which dress shop do you want to hit first?” Pyro stretched himself out, getting rid of the kinks that had formed during his stay inside the Three Broomsticks. “Though I suppose if it can’t be Red, Blue would be a good color.”

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass led the way down the cobblestone street to her favorite dress shop in the village. Pyro had just told her not to let anyone know that he went dress shopping with his cousin. So, naturally, she was going to tell everyone. "Blue? Eh, that is such a demure color. I really like to cause some sort of shock and awe if I have to go to one of these dreadful events. Think of it. The awful scene when a Gryffindor walks in wearing Slytherin colors." She approached the battered oak door to the boutique and opened it. Warmth and light greeted the two students. "Lucky for you, the shop is pretty much well open. Your reputations is safe for a little longer." Cass shot Pyro a wicked smile as she started shuffling the gowns on a nearby rack. "How about this?" She pulled out a black gown and held it in front of her. The front and back were cut dangerously low. "You think your mother would approve? I can already here her. 'That looks like one of those muggle dresses that those harlots wear.' No, I think not. I don't think the grief I would get from it would be worth it."

Cass looked toward the counter. A bored witch sat there with her chin in her hand. She was absent mindedly twirling her wand; directing a tape measure towards a pale bolt of fabric that was lying out before her. "So, Pyro, you have been unusually quiet? Are there any lovely plans for our family that I should be aware of? Are you still plotting my boyfriend's demise?" Cass pulled out a dark blue princess gown. "You like? Maybe I can find a nice cloak and pair of gloves to go with it?" Cass turned herself back to the rack.