Cassandra came up after her class. Marco was flirting with Kavanaugh... that was just wrong. She needed to talk to Blaylock, not only about what Erikson had told her, but also about her own gift of sight.

YES!! No one was in line to see her. Cassandra knocked on the trap door.

Amelia decided to drop into see the Professor after class. She felt slightly disappointed in herself for not really focusing during the last few minutes of class today, and wanted to apologize. She also needed to talk to her about a few Hufflepuff related issues, being that the woman was an avid supporter of her house - despite the fact that professors were not supposed to show house favoritism.

As she approached the landing to where the door was leading to Blaylock's office, she found her hands in her robes and bit her lip nervously with who was outside her office. Cassandra. Ah well, now was as good as time as any to sort out their issues. Making a friendly motion, she smiled at the Slytherin, "Hello Cassandra."

Her head came up off the chair and she looked over at the trapdoor. She should have known that the peace was too good to be true. She called out, "Come in."

Amelia heard the voice of the Divinations Professor from inside the trapdoor. She looked toward Cassandra then at the door and finally, her eyes rested back on the Fifth Year Slytherin. "Well... Are you going to open it or must I?" she said, not meaning to sound annoyed but doing so anyway. And with that, she took a few steps forward and opened the trapdoor where she climbed into the cozy office.

"Hello Professor. It is just I, and ...apparently Cassandra." she added quickly, her eyes darting back behind her.

Cassandra turned around before opening the trap door. She glared at the Hufflepuff prefect. In her mind she wanted to say I don't know what I said or did to make you think so, but I am not your friend, Hufflepuff. but instead she smiled and greeted her with a mere "Rose..." She then opened the trapdoor, dissapeared through it, closing it behind her.

"Hello Professor Blaylock," she said standing close to the exit. "Professor Erikson suggested I speak to you... well he suggested it at the beginning of the term, and... well I was a tad uncomfortable coming to you with it." She was playing with the fabric of her skirt between her fingers.

Natasha beckoned the girl in, "Of course, Cassandra, come on in and tell me what's going on."

She gestured to the teapot, asking if she wanted to have a cup of tea. What on earth was Cassandra talking about? Why would she be uncomfortable about talking to me?

Amelia realized that the matters Cassandra wanted to discuss were kind of private, so she quietly made her way back out of the office and down the stairs.

She looked at the floating teapot and then at Blaylock... she nodded. She had had some of Blaylock's tea, and it was rather good.

"I... am still rather uncomfortable talking about it," she started, "I... have recently gone through a sort of... trauma... and Professor Erikson... has suggested I come to you to learn... meditation..."

Cassandra began to pace... "I'm not sure it will help, you see... as I tend to have flash backs to the event... when... I see one of the involved members."

Oooh, this sounded serious. She waved the teapot away so they could have an interrupted conversation. "Do you want to tell me about the event?"

No... Cassandra thought to herself... "I am afraid to..." she said, not to mention embarrassed.

But maybe the professor needed to know the details, maybe telling her about that day would help her, Cassandra, get over those memories... the pitch forks, the fire... Cassandra shuddered. "Do you think it will help?" She asked.

She suspected she knew what that event was, but she didn't like to assume so it was best to just wait for Cassandra to open up on her own. "I think that you need to talk about whatever is traumatizing you. It's the only way to finally face it, and eventually get over it."

Cassandra sighed. "May I sit?" she asked calmly, but didn't wait to get permission. She wouldn't have said no, and asking was only the polite thing to do. Blaylock had been one of her favorite professors in her second and third year... it wasn't until she showed up married and with child by Erikson.

Cassandra began rubbing her skirt into her knees with her palms trying to get them to stop sweating. "Last Term, you recall when the muggle mob attacked Hogsmeade before storming the castle? Do you recall them taking three students hostage?" She looked up at the professor keeping her head down.

Natasha wanted to sit up, but decided that the sudden movement would probably put Cassandra on the guard. She nodded slowly, "Yes, I don't think I could ever forget that..."

She waited for the Slytherin to go on.

"I am not sure if you were aware of it... but I was one of those three students." She took a breath and held back a tear, rubbing her now red palms harder into her knees through her skirt.

"I am not a bloodline snob, in fact my best friend is muggleborn," she said to her. "but I was raised by two of them, purebloods and all I know about muggles is what my friend has taught me. I depend on my wand as I do air..." Cassandra's eyes began to water, "and those... muggles, broke it in half!" she said through gritted teeth.

Oh, forget about not scaring her by any sudden movements. Natasha leaned forward and laid a hand over one of Cassandra's. "That's a terrible thing to happen to anybody, Cassandra, I can only imagine the resentment you must still feel."

Merlin knows, Natasha herself would probably turn violent if someone broke her wand in half.

Cassandra could no longer hold in her tears, they escaped her eyes and stained her face as they ran down her pale cheeks.

"Professor Vindictus came in and pretended to be one of them, and he yelled at us." Cassandra looked to Blaylock completely embarrassed and said "I know, professor I know he was there to save us, I know he was doing it to help... but... I can't, I just can't hear his voice."

Cassandra shuddered again holding her breath and shutting her eyes hard to stop the tears... but it was no use. "When he approached me at the opening day feast, all I could see was those muggle... the fire... the pitchfork. NO!"

Cassandra stood so fast the chair she was seated on fell backwards. She turned away from Blaylock and leaned her head on the wall, her hands flat on it, at either side on her head.

Natasha jumped about a foot in the air as the chair crashed and Cassandra practically shot up like a Jack in the Box. She understood Cassandra's emotions, even though it was different. Her trauma was the reason she left the muggle world behind...she could never go back there, despite the fact that she was a half-blood.

"So you mean to say that the sight of Mr. Vindictus is unbearable to you because it brings back the memories?" Too bad...Max was a gorgeous specimen of the other half of their species.

"No..." She said rubbing her skin into the stone wall, causing it to turn red. She dragged her nails on the wall balling her hands into fists. "It's his voice... his sight I can handle... it's the sound of his voice."

Natasha wasn't sure how the girl would react to her next action, but it was the only thing she could think of doing to stop her from breaking her skin on the wall. She reached out and pulled Cassandra into a tight hug, "There, there, dearling." she murmured in what she hoped was a calming voice.

She would have suggested tea right now, but the Slytherin probably wouldn't react very well to that.

Cassandra suddenly found herself being hugged. She looked down at the arms holding her tightly. Her eyes were wide, she wanted to push the professor away, but she couldn't. Something about her arms around her, was comforting, although she didn't understand why.

She broke down and began to let out her tears. Her knees no longer held her and she slipped down to the floor. "I'm sorry Professor, I'm so sorry." She didn't want to cry like this, but she could no longer contain herself.

Natasha joined Cassandra on the floor, kneeling beside her as she maintained the hug. Cassandra wasn't returning the embrace, but something told her that this was exactly what she needed right now. Merlin knows that she would have loved a motherly hug when she was going through her years at Hogwarts.

"Don't be sorry, dearling, shush, just let it all out." She patted the young girl's back. A cup of tea after a bout of crying would be just the thing. Yes, she would bring out the good stuff.

Later.

Cassandra followed Blaylock's advice and let the tears keep flowing, she couldn't stop them. She curled her arms up holding Blaylock's arms in her hands and allowed the woman to keep holding her as they rocked back and forth.

The sobbing slowed down, and slowly faded. Cassandra had no more tears to cry out, and her stomach was tight from the sobbing. she felt weak, but somewhat better. Relieved. She hadn't cried like this before. Not about the incident. Not like this. She had tried to hold it in as much as she could.

This was therapeutic. She couldn't move though, Blaylock was holding her tightly. She didn't much want to move.

The tears had stopped, and Cassandra seemed to have calmed down a bit. She loosened her arms a bit, but was still hugging the girl. She managed to maneuver a handkerchief out of her sleeve and handed it to her, "There, feel better now?"

Cassandra nodded. "I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen." She said with a sniffle, "I was supposed to come up here and learn to meditate the memory away..." she smiled softly under the curtain of hair that was coving her face. "I'm glad it happenned though."

Natasha smiled, "I'm glad, too, dear. Sometimes a good cry works infinitely better than meditation." Her eyes crinkled with amusement. It was true...but she'd teach Cassandra to centre her mind and be at peace with herself.

Not that she was exceptionally talented at that herself.