Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

It was a mild spring afternoon—the kind of day that wasn't too warm, wasn't too cold. The sky overhead was soft with pale clouds, and a gentle breeze stirred the grass. It was, in Cael's opinion, the perfect day to do absolutely nothing productive.

Which explained why he was stretched out beneath the shade of an old tree near the edge of the Black lake , Cassandra Vole sitting cross-legged beside him. They often met here—a quiet, tucked-away spot Cael had unofficially claimed for relaxing, reading, or, more often than not, sleeping.

But today, they were talking.

"So," Cassandra began, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers, "how many Runes have you learned so far? You did say you've got to master, what—twelve hundred? That's not even much when you consider Runes are basically a language."

Cael shot her a look, raising an eyebrow. "Don't belittle my efforts, Princess," he retorted with playful indignation. "For a student, learning that much is still impressive, you know. And for your information, I've learned around eight hundred so far." He leaned back on his elbows, a grin curling at his lips. "I'm confident I'll finish the rest soon."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "And what exactly can you do with those eight hundred Runes? How does this help in your daily life?"

Cael straightened, stretching lazily. "A lot, actually. I can inscribe them on magical objects—make little boxes light up, weave protective enchantments into clothing…" He waved his hand vaguely. "Of course, the protection charms take a whole array of different Runes, and you need to recharge them with magic every so often, but still. Pretty handy."

As he spoke, Cassandra found herself watching him more than listening. His voice faded to the background as her thoughts wandered.

Why is it so easy to be myself around you? she wondered, tilting her head slightly. You're… quiet, handsome, I'll give you that. Maybe saving me last year made me drop my guard. But it's more than that, isn't it?

Her fingers curled in the grass.

Maybe it's just loneliness, she reasoned. First real friend I've made in ages. Maybe this is what having friends feels like… I should ask Mother.

She barely noticed that Cael had stopped talking, his brow furrowing as he waved a hand in front of her face. "Oi. Princess? You still with me? Earth to Cass?"

She snapped out of her daze, blinking. "Yeah, yeah—whatever you were saying," she replied quickly.

Cael's lips twitched. "Clearly riveting conversation on my part," he muttered as he stood, dusting himself off. "Come on. I'm taking you somewhere."

"Where to?" Cassandra asked, arching a brow suspiciously. "You're not planning to kidnap me, are you?"

Cael rolled his eyes. "Please. If I was kidnapping you, I'd charge ransom in chocolate frogs."

Despite herself, Cassandra smiled as she followed him. They made their way toward the Forbidden Forest, the towering trees casting long shadows across the grass.

As they slipped between the trees, Cassandra hesitated, her wand held loosely at her side. "Isn't this dangerous? You brought me here, Cael."

Cael shot her a sideways glance, amused. "What, scared of the big dark forest? Where's the arrogant, sharp-tongued girl I know?"

In response, Cassandra poked him lightly with the tip of her wand. "I am not mean. Or arrogant. And I'm not scared of the woods, either. I just don't fancy getting skewered by a Centaur's arrow because I wandered into their territory. You do know they're pretty hostile toward wizardkind?"

Cael chuckled. "Wow, listen to you talk like an Auror-in-training."

"Well, I was taught these things growing up. Father's orders," she sniffed. "Knowing your environment keeps you alive."

"Relax. We're still outside their territory," Cael assured her, stepping over a fallen log. "Though, technically, they think the whole forest is theirs."

Cassandra eyed him warily. "You sound like you come here a lot."

"I do." He smirked. "I'm practically a resident. Hagrid's got me patrolling every night as part of my—ongoing detention."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "You're still on detention? What did you do this time?"

"Nothing new," Cael admitted. "It's just…what we did on the train at the start of the year? Fighting in front of the little ones? Yeah, that wasn't exactly… good , if one of them had been injured or worse by our spells it would've been really a disaster "He shrugged. "Could've been expelled if it wasn't for Dumbledore tolerance ."

"Oh, right," Cassandra muttered, scowling at the memory. "That obnoxious Fischer Frey. He lost his Prefect badge, didn't he?"

"Yep. One good thing to come from that mess."

They continued in companionable silence until Cael stopped abruptly, glancing around.

"Here we are," he announced.

Cassandra frowned, looking around at the dense trees and undergrowth. "All I see are plants."

"Patience princess ," Cael said, then cupped his hands around his mouth and let out a sharp, echoing whistle.

A moment later, the sound of hooves drifted through the forest. Cassandra's eyes widened as a creature emerged—a sleek, snow-white unicorn, its mane shimmering like silk in the dappled light.

The unicorn trotted up to Cael, snorting softly as he stroked its head.

"Come on," Cael beckoned. "Meet Lenny. She's a friend."

Cassandra approached cautiously, awe on her face. "But… unicorns don't let males touch them," she said, staring as Cael patted the creature's flank.

"Maybe I'm special," Cael teased with a grin.

Or cursed, she thought wryly, before smirking. "Are you sure you're not secretly a girl disguised as a boy?"

Cael rolled his eyes. "You're lucky you're young, or I'd have a comeback that'd make your ears burn."

Laughing, Cassandra stepped forward and stroked Lenny's silky coat. The unicorn nuzzled her hand, soft and warm.

"Want to ride her?" Cael offered after a moment.

Cassandra's eyes lit up. "Can I?"

Without waiting for a response, Cael helped her onto Lenny's back.

"Go on," he encouraged. "Take her for a little walk."

"You're not coming?"

"Technically, I'm 'not allowed' to ride her," Cael admitted. "You know. The whole 'man' thing."

"You're not a man," Cassandra shot back with a grin. "You're a boy."

He just rolled his eyes as she guided the unicorn through the clearing, giggling like a child. Watching her, Cael couldn't help but smile to himself.

Who'd have thought, he mused, that Cassandra Vole actually has a childlike side?

When she returned, he helped her down, offering Lenny a few treats from his pocket. The unicorn whinnied softly before disappearing back into the woods.

As they headed back toward the castle, Cassandra beamed. "That was… incredible. I saw one once, in France, with my father, but never up close. Definitely never rode one."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Cael said.

But before they reached the edge of the woods, they froze. Laughter and loud voices echoed nearby. Instinctively, both dropped low behind a bush, exchanging cautious glances.

"Who do you think that is?" Cassandra whispered.

Cael's eyes narrowed toward the voices. "Let's find out."