The Knight Bus lurched forward with all the grace of a drunk troll being shoved off a cliff.
Cassius's stomach tried to escape through his throat.
Ginny screamed—not in fear,but in delighted, Weasley-induced insanity.
Astoria cackled like she'd been possessed by the spirit of chaos.
Daphne clung to her sister with an expression of deep betrayal.
Cho held onto the frame of her bed with white-knuckled precision, muttering something in Cantonese that sounded like a preemptive medical disclaimer.
Luna swayed serenely, as if the bus were a gentle boat at sea.
Hermione—Hermione Jane Granger—was giggling.
Actual giggling.
Cassius felt personal offense at how radiant she looked while he was reevaluating his life choices.
When the bus made a ninety-degree sideways hop through an alley that didn't exist a second before, Cassius swore he saw his soul leave his body.
By the time the Knight Bus skidded, screeched, bounced, and possibly teleported into Hogsmeade and finally groaned to a stop—
—six girls staggered out.
Five green.
One perfectly normal.
Hermione hopped down lightly, scarf bouncing.
"Well! That was fun!"
Cassius stared at her.
The girls stared at her.
Even Stan Shunpike stared at her.
"You're… not sick?" Cho croaked, hand on her stomach, face the color of old parchment.
"It's exactly like riding a muggle amusement ride!" Hermione said cheerfully. "I used to go to theme parks all the time as a kid. Compared to the Dragon-Coaster at Thorpe Park or the Leviathan—this was practically mild!"
Cassius blinked.
"Oh. Right. Roller Coasters. Thrill seeker. That explains… absolutely everything."
Daphne clung to Astoria. "What… what sort of ride is like that?"
Hermione shrugged, blissfully unfazed. "Only the dangerous ones."
Ginny wheezed. "Mione… you're terrifying."
Cassius rubbed his temples.
"I told you all we should've used the Floo Network," he muttered under his breath. "At least then the worst of it would be a bit of dizziness rather than full-blown nausea."
But much to his misery—
The girls heard him.
And all five green faces lit up with sudden, disturbing brightness.
"We're going to one," Ginny breathed.
"One what?" Cassius asked cautiously.
"An amusement park," Hermione said confidently. "This summer."
Astoria nodded so fast she nearly fell over again. "YES. One of those muggle gravity-torture-joy-machines!"
Daphne, still pale, added, "If Hermione survived that bus without blinking… then I refuse to be outdone."
Cho straightened her posture, competitive fire kicking back in. "Racing brooms prepare you for everything. I can handle a few muggle rides."
Luna drifted in with dreamy logic. "Rollercoasters are known to attract Wandering Screechlings. They love velocity."
Cassius lifted both hands. "Wait—slow down—you all want to go to a muggle amusement park?"
"YES," came the united chorus.
They looked like they'd just discovered religion.
Cassius blinked.
"Well… maybe. It depends on timing."
"Timing?" Hermione asked.
Cassius sighed.
"The Quidditch World Cup is this summer. If the british team qualifies, I'll be busy with training, promotional matches, along with offical matches and perhaps the final itself."
"You really thing Britain has a chance?" Cho asked a hint of jealousy as Cassius for being able to play on a national level, undertoned with pride in him.
"Last i saw our standings have been rising, if we keep winning we should at least qualify for the tournement." Cassius.
Even Ginny forgot being nauseous.
"That's AMAZING!"
Astoria clasped her hands. "Cassius, you have to make the finals!"
Luna nodded solemnly. "The stars predict competitive glory. Also possibly a concussion."
Daphne folded her arms thoughtfully. "Then… if you're selected… we'll build the trip around your schedule."
Hermione's brows rose. "Or we go without him, and he joins if he can."
All five girls turned slowly toward Cassius.
He felt a chill.
A terrible, collective, feminine expectation pressing on him like destiny.
Ginny leaned forward, smirking.
"But you'll try to come, right? I mean you do have a time-turner afterall, not like you cannot do both?"
Cassius stiffened.
He had faced dragons.
Ghost queens.
Even dark lords.
But six determined girls?
He was only human.
He exhaled.
"I'll… try."
Six squeals erupted.
The green girls no longer looked sick.
They looked reborn with purpose.
Apparently nothing cured nausea faster than planning a summer adventure.
Hermione linked her arm with Cassius's.
"Good! Then it's settled. Rollercoasters this summer."
Daphne took his other arm. "And a successful Quidditch season."
Astoria grabbed his sleeve. "And snacks!"
Ginny slapped his back. "And the Knight Bus can take us there!"
Cassius paled violently.
"NO."
Hermione laughed.
The girls laughed.
The snow drifted around them, soft and glittering, Hogsmeade bustling in the distance.
Cassius felt warmth tug at him again—
Home.
Belonging.
A future that felt full rather than empty.
He sighed in defeat, but smiled anyway.
"Let's… just get to Hogwarts before you lot come up with more ideas."
Luna tilted her head. "Oh! I have at least twelve."
"Of course you do," he muttered.
With that—
Cassius, surrounded (and overwhelmed) by six very determined young witches, walked toward the village.
Hogsmeade stretched before them—
Lights glowing.
Shops bustling.
Snow crunching underfoot.
And Cassius knew:
This year was going to be many things.
Chaotic.
Terrifying.
Unpredictable.
But never, ever dull.
Although arriving when they did, did in fact cause a bit of an issue, almost all students would not be returning until nightfall so the castle carriages were not setup to ferry anyone just yet.
So only just a bit begrudgingly the seven decided to walk the path themselves up the snowy trail, watching as the looming castle got closer and closer, looking majestic as always under the mid-day light.
Cassius's gaze drifting to the forrest in the distance wondering how Serepha was doing, having only just recently left her a few days ago after their trip abroad to visit the secret isle that served as another form of his inheritance.
But ultimately he decided to put that thought off for now, the girls had been pretty irate resulting in him riding the knight bus partly as punishment so he wasnt ready or prepared to set himself up for another bout of their revenge, nor was he also ready to reveal the secret he was keeping about keeping a true dragon either.