Harry Potter : Cael Vale’s journey to Hogwarts

Snowflakes fluttered lazily from the sky as Cael and Cassandra Vole walked through the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade Village. Icicles clung to rooftops, smoke curled gently from chimneys, and laughter spilled from shops filled with enchanted toys, glimmering scarves, and shelves lined with Every Flavour Beans.

It was Cael's first official visit to Hogsmeade—but the way he carried himself, hands tucked casually in his coat pockets, eyes sharp and curious, made it seem like he'd never been here.

Cassandra walked beside him, her long black coat brushing the snow off the ground, a silver pin of a coiled serpent gleaming at her collar. She wasn't speaking much, but that wasn't new. What was new was that she was walking with him to the Hogsmade village .

Cael broke the silence.

"You're awfully quiet. Regretting accepting my company?"

Cassandra didn't look at him, but there was the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth.

"I'm simply waiting to see if you start bragging about how many rules you've broken today."

"I don't brag," Cael said, feigning innocence. "I'm asked, and I respond truthfully."

"Truthfully. Right," she muttered.

They turned the corner toward The Three Broomsticks, its warm golden windows glowing against the frost. A bell chimed as they entered, and the scent of cinnamon, roasted nuts, and old wood welcomed them like a forgotten memory.

Inside, the pub was bustling. Students filled the tables, cups steaming, cheeks pink from the cold. Madam Rosmerta, as radiant as the firelight behind her bar, bustled from table to table with a tray of mugs.

Cassandra found them a table in the corner, near the fireplace.

"This place is too loud," she muttered as she took a seat.

"You're too quiet Princess ," Cael replied, sliding into the bench across from her.

Madam Rosmerta approached, offering a cheerful smile.

"Ah, young ones! What can I get for you today? Butterbeer?"

Cassandra opened her mouth to say something, but Cael spoke first.

"Yes, please. Two mugs."

Rosmerta's eyes twinkled. She didn't ask their year. She didn't need to.

"Coming right up."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "We're not allowed to drink that."

"We're not supposed to be able to cast half the spells we know either," Cael said smoothly.

"Fair point."

When the mugs arrived—warm, foaming, and caramel-scented—Cassandra picked hers up with delicate fingers. She hesitated for a moment, then took a careful sip. Her expression didn't change much, but Cael saw the way her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"So?" he asked. "Thoughts?"

She looked down at her drink. "Sweet. A little warm for my taste. But… not bad."

"I'll take that as 'divine.'"

Cassandra smirked faintly. "You exaggerate everything."

"No, only your compliments. They're so rare, I have to stretch them out."

There was a pause as the fire crackled beside them. Around them, students laughed and shouted—someone from Ravenclaw tried to balance a butterbeer bottle on their head while others chanted in support.

Cassandra, still holding her mug, looked out the window.

"I don't really come here with people," she said softly.

"I'm honored to be your first lawbreaking drinking companion," Cael said, nudging his mug toward hers.

She hesitated again, then bumped her mug against his—clink.

"I suppose there's a first time for everything."

They drank.

A few minutes passed in comfortable silence, before Cael leaned forward slightly.

"So what was that with Fischer? The roses, the obsession, the dramatic exit…"

Cassandra's lips pressed into a line. "He's delusional"

"And annoying."

"He was arrogant—even proposed last year in the Slytherin common room. I turned him down, of course. But his family still sends letters from time to time, asking for an official engagement," she added, now turning her gaze toward Cael.

"And utterly lacking in poetic skill. I mean—'let us breed the next magical generation'? That's more eugenics than romance."

Cassandra laughed—a small, quick breath of actual laughter. She caught herself and quickly sipped her butterbeer again.

"He thinks bloodline equals superiority. Like owning a name means you've done something with it."

Cael tilted his head, studying her. "And what do you think?"

She glanced back out the window. Her voice, when she answered, was quieter.

"I think power is what you do in silence. What you hide. And what you're willing to lose to keep it."

Cael nodded slowly. "You've thought about this a lot."

"Wouldn't you, if you had people planning your life before you even passed your O.W.L.s?"

They fell quiet again.

Outside, snow drifted gently onto the windowsill. Inside, the warmth and flickering fire made everything feel just slightly unreal.

Cael leaned back, finishing his butterbeer. "You know," he said, "you're not nearly as terrifying when you're mildly buzzed on warm froth."

Cassandra shot him a glare—but her eyes were softer now.

"And you're not nearly as irritating when you're not talking , Like last year "

"Ugh you wound me princess ," Cael said, placing a hand over his heart.

They stood a while later, slipping out of the pub as the golden light gave way to twilight.

As they walked back toward the village square, Cassandra glanced sideways at him.

"Not going to accompany your girlfriend, Vale?" Cassandra asked with a teasing lilt.

Cael raised an eyebrow. "Girlfriend? Since when did I have a girlfriend?"

She rolled her eyes and walked ahead—though not too far.

"That Asian girl who's always flouncing around you, all smiles and giggles. Looks like a girlfriend to me."

"Oh, you mean Cho Chang? She's a good girl—just a friend."

At that, Cassandra huffed and picked up her pace.

Cael blinked, confused. "Wait—what did I say wrong?" 😑

The System chimed in:

"Tsk. Dense idiot."