Little Innocent Lies ((Kennedy))

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

Cass frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Madame Malkin was hemming her scarlet and black robes with the best of care. The fabric felt itchy against her porcelain skin and every tug irritated it a little bit more. "Madame Malkin, I hate to be a prude, but is there anyway we can loosen the waist of the skirt a bit? It seems a bit uncomfortable." The kindly old witch looked up at her from the floor. "Of course we can, dear. You told me that you were the same measurements you were last year, and that is how I tailored them. Looks like you may need to lay off the Every Flavor Beans." Cass groaned at the mere mention of her favorite sweet as the witch bobbled away into another part of the shop. The young girl twisted and turned on her pedestal in front of the mirror. Was it true that she had grown that much over a few short months? She couldn't believe the truth that was in front of her eyes. A stately young woman with black curly hair pulled off her shoulders stared back at her from the mirror. She looked important and accomplished with both the quidditch captains and prefect's badges hanging off her left shoulder above the fearsome Gryffindor lion. Cass knew that was far from the truth.

"All done with these, Miss Cassandra. Undress and pass those you have on through the door. I will have them ready when you are finished dressing." Cass did as she was told, and a few moments later, she was in the waiting room of the old shop in her muggle clothing. If you had seen the girl on the street, the average muggle would of never known that the girl wearing a pair of jeans, black flip flops, and a black tshirt that said 'The Weird Sisters' was a modern day witch. " With your quidditch robes, it comes to a hundred galleons." Cass swallowed her tongue. "A hundred galleons!" Cass started digging in her purse. "I've never paid that much for school robes." She started handing the gold coins to the kindly old witch. Madame Malkin only smiled. "Well, five brand new pairs of prefect robes plus five new quidditch uniforms at ten galleons a piece...." Cass quickly pushed the money across the table at the woman. Muttering a thanks, she made her way quickly out of the shop.

"I swear, that was nothing more than goblin robbery." Looking at her empty purse in the summer sun, she had hoped that all of those galleons would have bought her new robes, uniforms, books, and all of the other sundry things she was going to need for the new school year. On top of all that, she was going to have to buy new Quid ditch padding as well. Cass' stomach rumbled. "Ug, I guess it's time for lunch." She said out loud. She made her way to The Leaky Cauldron. Soon enough, she was settling herself down to a very large salad. She perused the Daily Prophet by herself. Suddenly, she felt a familiar shadow loom over. Looking up from her meal, she saw a familiar face. One that she had hope to avoid until school started. "Hi, Kennedy. How are you today?"

[Kennedy Valak S6]

((I moved this thread from Hogsmeade to Diagon Alley simply because you referenced Madame Malkins and the Leaky Cauldron, both of which are located in Diagon Alley as opposed to Hogsmeade. ))

It was a tedious task that Kennedy never really looked forward to. Who could possibly enjoy traipsing out into a crowded alley, searching for all the nonsense supplies that would be required for the upcoming school year? Like it or not though, Kennedy had to get his supplies some time or another. And, with his recent growth spurt, a new set of robes would be in order. In and out, he thought, quickening his pace down London's muggle streets. He hated that his father had their floo network shut off temporarily after getting lost half a dozen times in the past week. Kennedy would have argued that he simply wasn't speaking clear enough, but his father insisted that their fireplace was 'acting up'. Regardless, since he wasn't of age to apparate, Kennedy was forced to go by foot to Diagon Alley since his parents had other matters to attend to. At least he had gotten out of watching over Kailyn, much to his delight.

Stepping into the dimly lit pub that connected London to Diagon Alley, Kennedy glanced around the Leaky Cauldron, a bit of anxiety as he looked to possibly find Fiona among the crowd. She was nowhere to be found though, and he was about to continue on his way toward the alley when he did spot someone else though that he recognized. How was it that Cass always seemed to show up in the most random places that Kennedy happened to be as well. He would argue against fate, that was for sure.

Remembering his last proper meeting with Fiona and how she demanded that Kennedy hurt Cass to show his love for Fiona, a sickening feeling sat deep in his stomach. Boldly though, he approached Cass, who sat eating alone with the Daily Prophet in front of her. Before he could speak, she noticed his shadow and turned her view his way. The same sweet voice that she frequently used only made his stomach sicker.

"A lot better until I got here," he said, a tone of cruelty hidden behind his emotionless face. Not having much of a plan, Kennedy decided to take a seat so that he could at least think about what he might say to Cass. When Fiona told him that he must hurt her, he was quite taken back, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he had to if he ever wanted Fiona and himself to be happy again. Fiona never clarified what type of hurt Kennedy must inflict on Cass, and after thinking about it, he figured that the easiest way to hurt her would be emotionally.

There was no denying that Kennedy and Cass had some sort of twisted attraction to one another. Neither- or at least Kennedy hadn't- spoke of it outwardly though. There was the one time that Cass had tried getting him to quit denying his feelings, but that attempt was futile at best. Kennedy hadn't quite figured out for himself what the attraction was anyways, and for all he knew, Fiona was the only thing he wanted.

"Anyways," he continued, flipping through the shabby menu that was sitting on the side of the table, "what's your cousin up to these days?" If Kennedy was going to use his time conversing with Cass, he was going to make good use of it. Being secluded from everyone and everything for the summer had been more than irritating, so if he could find out anything in the least, it would be better than nothing.

[Cassandra Blackfire G7]

((Yeah, I knew that. I'm glad you aren't as sleep deprived as me.))

"Well, someone has a case of the Mondays." Cass took another bite of her salad. "Not really looking forward to school shopping either? I just spent nearly a hundred galleons on robes alone. It was disgusting. If my parents were still alive, they would of given that woman a talking to about her prices." Cass sailed right into talking about Pyro. "Fine, I guess. I haven't seen him in months. According to Alex, he has been spending most of his days in his study at the Manor. Alex comes and visits me occasionally. Funny how I come to figure out that she is pretty cool after I moved out of the house. You know, if some of your house weren't so...," Cass searched for the word, "manic about some things I could find some things in common with most of you. Anyways, enough about my cousin. How has your summer gone? Mine has been dreadfully boring. I've been mostly sitting at the table planning for the upcoming Quidditch season."

Cass' idle chatter was not hiding her unease. Kennedy seemed off tonight. Normally the two would be chatting away even with their history. She found Kennedy strangely attractive, but not in the everlasting relationship way. No, it was more like a forbidden love affair. They could never let any of their house mates know that they felt this way about each other. True, their respective significant others knew, but that was only because they were both so dedicated to Fiona and Liam. It seemed like silence stretched between the two. "You okay, Kennedy? You seem sort of tense. Trouble at home? Sister giving you hell again?" It was public knowledge that Kennedy's sister was a bit of a hot head. "It's alright. You'll miss these days when you get older. I saw your sister at some Ministry get together about a year back. She seemed quite lovely, but you could tell, and pardon the term, she could ride a broom if she wanted too." Riding a broom was a term her mother used to use when describing someone who was being quite unpleasant. "So, where are the family? They set you loose for the afternoon?"

((Can't Cassie be infuriatingly sweet sometimes.))