Unbelievable ((Cassandra))

[sammy]

It was one of those mornings when you just felt like falling back asleep in the dusk that was really dawn. It was dreary and a freezing rain was pattering against the windows. Occasionally you thought you could see a bolt of lightening streak across the sky. It was one of those mornings where you pull the blanket over your head and try not to think of getting up and doing something besides sleeping. Catherine Dumas was one of those people this morning. She did everything described above to try to will herself to sleep on this dreary weekend day. Pulled the cover over her head, tried not to think of getting up since there was no school today, and tried to ignore the rain noise. Rain. Could the weather suit Cathy's mood any better? Ten minutes later, Cathy had gotten up and was brushing her teeth in the mirror. The bags under her eyes were evidence of a bad nights sleep, and her bed-worn hair was anything but abnormal. When her pearly whites were shining, Cathy drifted over to her dresser and changed into easy clothes. Easy clothes being a purple sweat-shirt and worn jeans, her sneakers going on over her socks.

The rain persisted as Cathy sat on her bed, her wand on her open palms. What was she doing here? Cathy felt like crumpling on the four-poster, like forgetting that she had shoes on and jumping under the covers. A daze was settling in her mind, as thick as fog. If only she hadn't gone home last weekend and had ignored the letter she received telling her she was to come home. It was ruining her. Cathy stood up and walked over to her vanity so slow she was sure it had to be 0 miles per hour. She had brushed her hair finally, making it look somewhat of its usual glamor, but the bags still were under her eyes. With a grumble, Cathy put the wand in her right hand and uttered two charms, one for each eye, and watched as the bags faded into perfectly smooth skin. Magic. Amazing. As she moved out of the common room, she practiced blinking rapidly until she was alert and ready for the day ahead. But when she entered the Great Hall, she faltered. She was always used to having Giselle there. Giselle this, Giselle that. She missed her evil twin sister, but why? The Slytherin table was like a beacon, always attracting Cathy's eyes until she couldn't stand it any longer. She averted her gaze to the food before her on the Gryffindor table. If only she could see straight. The fact that her twin was gone was.... simply terrifying. No longer would she be thought of a twin; was she even one?

Coffee didn't help her heart any more then she had expected. She moved her empty plate and herself to the other side of the Gryffindor table so she wouldn't have to look at the Slytherin one. Who would she sit by in class? Cathy leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table so she could place a finger on her temple. She was going to be fine. How many times did she wish that this would happen? She was such a hypocrite. A stretched smile crossed her lips. If only she had a microphone. It would have been like "testing, testing." Smile for the camera, Cathy! It faded as soon as the thoughts became too absurd to think about. Wait! An idea.... perhaps... but would she correspond? This time, a real smile brightened her face, and suddenly a ravenous hunger over-took her, and she took a bite out of the bacon. Never did anything taste so sweet.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

" Bloody hell." Sunlight peeked over the hills of Hogsmeade and found their way into the dorm room of Cassandra Blackfire. Cass placed her arm over her eyes as the intruderous rays made it past her bed hangings. Finally coming to grips with the fact that she was going to have to get up, Cass threw the curtains open to survey the empty room. Grumbling curse words, she proceeded to the shower and to dress.

Thirty minutes later, Cass emerged from the bathroom looking spic and span. Stream poured into the dorm room as Cass looked into the mirror one last time. Smoothing out her gray skirt, she frowned at her reflection. " It doesn't get any better than this, does it?" Disgusted with her visage, she left the dorm and made her way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

After an uneventful walk, she plopped herself down at the Gryffindor house table. Looking to the front of the hall, she saw that her house was extremely behind in the points standing. " I guess we are losing the house cup this year, too," she grumbled into the plate. Helping herself to some bacon and eggs, she looked up long enough to notice an older girl sitting in front of her. Since she was the only other person in the general vicinity, she decided she should at least attempt polite conversation. " Sickening about the points standings, isn't it? You would think after that abysmal lost last year that the other Gryffindors would get into gear. I'm about sick of the Slytherin's snickering behind our backs over it." At that moment, Cass saw a brown tawny owl fly through an open window. The bird flew overhead, and without ceremony, dropped the newspaper it was carrying in its claws on top of her plate of food. Sighing, Cass looked down at her ruined breakfast.

[sammy]

Cathy looked up, surprised, when she heard a voice. What was going on? It was hard to hear people, yet the cut to their voice seemed to be one hundred times sharper in Cathy's head. Bringing herself out of her thoughts, she smiled at the girl sitting across from her. Talking about points. Points. Yes, that. Cathy cast a quick glance at the hourglasses at the front of the Great Hall. Not that it was worth looking. Giselle had told her often enough how the standings were, and not in a pleasant way. She turned back to the girl. She didn't know her. How could she? Cathy peered at her surreptitiously, but still no name came to mind. She did appear friendly enough, and why not have some civil conversation? Cathy needed more of that in her life. Putting the bacon and fork down on her plate, she wiped her face free of grease with the napkin.

"The points are disappointing," Cathy agreed. "Last year wasn't any better either. Losing so bad." She hesitated as the girl before her mentioned the Slytherins in a passing manor, but it stuck to Cathy like sour honey. She recovered quickly; she just couldn't go around like a zombie because of her sister. It would be just what Giselle wanted. "Slytherins can be annoying, and that's putting it simply. If anything, there like bees." Cathy paused for a second, getting her metaphor correct before going on. "You know, like they are harmless if you don't bother them most of the time, and if you do bother them, or let them get to close, they sting you, and the welt doesn't go away for days." Yes, that seemed suitable. And correct. "If they wore yellow and gold, it would be a perfect metaphor, wouldn't it?" Cathy mused. Those were Huffle colors, and Slyths wouldn't be caught dead wearing them.

"Oh no." Cathy looked at the girl's plate with an understanding, typical look. She had gone through many a ruined breakfast, all because of owls. She gave the girl a smile. "I always hate it when that happens. Good thing there's always magic here, eh?" She cut into the sunny-side-up egg and put the small piece on her fork into her mouth, letting the taste stay on her tongue even after it had been swallowed. "Oh, wow." Cathy blinked a few times. Where were her manners? "I'm Cathy. Cathy Dumas. A fifth year. Um, I don't think I know your name...?"