HP: Bad Intentions

Blake scratched his head, feeling the weight of Cassandra's piercing glare. A tense silence filled the compartment.

Cassandra had stormed in, demanding answers, but now she seemed to realize the full extent of her audience. Her gaze darted nervously around the room, taking in Hermione, who was pretending to read with exaggerated focus, and Ginny, who stared back at Cassandra with wide, curious eyes.

Blake sighed. The accusation hanging in the air was heavy enough without everyone's attention making it worse.

"You... you owe me an explanation," Cassandra muttered, her voice losing strength as she glanced again at the faces around her.

Hermione, still clutching her thick book, was clearly eavesdropping, her feigned interest in the text betrayed by the tight grip on its pages. Ginny, meanwhile, looked absolutely fascinated, her bright eyes darting between Cassandra and Blake as though she had just walked into the most interesting chapter of a particularly juicy novel.

The room remained awkwardly silent except for the rhythmic rustle of Hermione turning pages—though she wasn't reading a word.

Blake, after a moment of hesitation, stepped forward. His calm expression betrayed none of the nerves stirring within him. With surprising resolve, he opened his arms and embraced Cassandra.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her ear. "Believe it or not, the newspaper article wasn't my doing."

Cassandra froze, her body going stiff as her face turned crimson. Blake could feel the heat rising off her, and for a moment, he thought she might start steaming.

The compartment erupted in an unspoken cacophony of reactions. Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief as her grip on the book grew tighter. Cassandra, meanwhile, seemed too stunned to respond. And Ginny? Ginny's face lit up like Christmas morning, her excitement barely contained.

Blake let Cassandra go before she could process what had just happened. He noticed her usual faint herbal scent as he stepped back, finding it oddly soothing. But Cassandra's flustered expression puzzled him. We've hugged before—what's the big deal? he thought, unaware that their past embrace in the Room of Requirement had been entirely private.

Ginny's gaze sparkled with curiosity. This scene was far more entertaining than anything she could have anticipated on her first ride to Hogwarts.

Hermione, on the other hand, was struggling to contain her emotions. Her fingers clenched the book tighter, crumpling its pages.

Blake broke the silence. "Cassandra, you know what we went through back then, don't you?"

Cassandra nodded faintly, her composure beginning to return.

"But you don't know what happened after I sent you home," Blake continued, his tone turning bitter.

Cassandra flinched at his words, memories flooding back. She recalled how her father had recklessly placed a bounty on Blake, a staggering half a million Galleons, labeling him a fugitive. That bounty had unleashed a storm of Aurors, willing to attack anything in their way, including the hostages Blake had saved. Though the bounty was eventually withdrawn, it had been days before her father canceled it. She could only imagine the dangers Blake had faced in the meantime.

Hermione, her curiosity piqued, interjected. "What exactly happened in France?"

Blake hesitated, then began recounting the events of his summer. He told them about venturing into the Otherworld and the monsters he encountered there. He described how he had stood alone at the gates of the French Ministry of Magic, facing down an army of Aurors.

"You were already there when Professor Dumbledore arrived?" Cassandra asked, shocked.

Blake nodded. "And not only that—I negotiated compensation from them. Oh, and this." He pulled a small metal badge from his pocket and held it up. "They awarded me a medal for bravery."

The compartment fell silent again as everyone processed this revelation.

"So... you humiliated the French Ministry of Magic," Cassandra summarized, her voice tinged with disbelief, "and they gave you a medal for it?"

Hermione stared at Blake, stunned. "You actually went into another world? Without knowing what was in there?"

Blake shrugged. "I couldn't ignore what was happening."

Hermione couldn't help but admire his bravery, though part of her was horrified at his recklessness.

Cassandra, meanwhile, was watching Blake with a mix of admiration and guilt. "I didn't realize you went through so much," she said quietly.

"It wasn't all bad," Blake replied, smiling faintly. "Though... the newspaper article made things a bit more complicated."

Cassandra's expression darkened. "You mean the one about the two girls?"

Blake sighed. "That one. My other guardian—Grindelwald—thought it would help. He wanted to make sure people didn't label me a kidnapper. But... he went a bit overboard."

Cassandra lowered her head, sipping her juice to hide her expression. "I don't care about the article," she muttered softly.

"Huh? What was that?" Blake asked, leaning closer.

"Nothing!" she snapped, her cheeks turning pink again.

Ginny, who had been silently observing, saw the exchange and smirked. Cassandra's feelings were clear as day.

Blake, oblivious, turned his attention to Hermione. "I didn't mean to ignore you over the summer," he said. "I was caught up in my studies with Nicolas Flamel."

Hermione's expression softened slightly.

"As an apology," Blake added, pulling a delicate bracelet from his pocket, "please accept this." He gently fastened it around her wrist.

"I don't—" Hermione began, but her protest faltered when she saw Cassandra's reaction. The other girl's eyes narrowed, and she crushed the biscuit she was holding in frustration.

Ginny watched the interplay, her inner gossip enthusiast delighted. This is better than anything the twins told me about Hogwarts, she thought.

The dynamics between the three older students fascinated her. Blake's interactions with Hermione and Cassandra seemed purely platonic on the surface, but Ginny could sense the deeper undercurrents. She began analyzing the situation, her mind racing.

He treats them like friends, but... is that just a façade? Could this be his strategy—to maintain a façade of indifference while actually keeping them both close?

The thought sent a shiver down her spine. If that's true... he's brilliant. A scumbag, but brilliant.

Ginny shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, only to find Blake's gaze on her. Her heart skipped a beat.

Does he even let first-years into his "web"? she wondered, equal parts nervous and intrigued.

As the train rolled on toward Hogwarts, the tension in the compartment lingered. Blake's casual demeanor contrasted sharply with the storm of emotions swirling around him. For Hermione and Cassandra, their rivalry was becoming increasingly apparent. For Ginny, the realization dawned that life at Hogwarts was going to be far more interesting than she had ever imagined.

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