Cassandra: Scumbag!(2)
"Oh, I sent it to Mr. Scamander for a while," Blake replied casually.
In truth, Blake had more than just simple reasons to send his beloved cat White away. Lately, his focus had shifted to creating advanced magical containers to store powerful magical creatures.
These containers, similar to enchanted poke balls, could hold entire creatures securely, and over the past week, Blake had gathered all the materials needed to make a sufficient number of them. Thus, White, his faithful cat/tiger, had been temporarily stashed in one of those magical devices. It was safer for the cat, and besides, it would let Blake focus on more pressing matters.
A small smile crept onto Cassandra's face when she heard that the cat wasn't around. "So... your annoying cat isn't here?" she asked, trying to hide her enthusiasm.
Blake nodded, then noticed Cassandra hesitating. "Today is the weekend. Do you have any plans?" she asked casually, though her eyes revealed more than her words.
"Not yet," Blake replied.
"Perfect!" Cassandra coughed slightly, trying to play it cool. "I mean, there are still a few things I don't understand about alchemy. Could you help me?"
Blake agreed without hesitation. "Of course! Studying alchemy together is one of my favourite things."
Cassandra's face lit up at his response, her excitement bubbling beneath her composed exterior. She had been hoping to spend some time alone with him, and with White out of the way, she had thought it would be the perfect opportunity. But before she could take the conversation any further, a voice came from behind them.
"I think you might have forgotten something, Blake," came the all-too-familiar sound of Snape's sneering tone.
Blake turned to find the Potions Master glaring at him, eyes narrowed. "Did you forget what you promised Principal Dumbledore?" Snape reminded him sharply.
Blake frowned, clearly irritated. "Come on, Professor Snape! Do you have to bring this up now?"
Snape, unfazed by Blake's frustration, pointedly glanced at a nearby shop window.
The display showcased a line of products that bore the name "Potter," including shampoo bottles. His lips twitched in distaste.
[Ding! Annoyed emotion detected.]
A soft chime echoed in Blake's head.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a silver treasure chest!]
Blake barely contained a laugh. Snape was fuming, and it wasn't just because of the store display. It seemed Snape had other motivations for pulling him away from Cassandra.
Snape cleared his throat. "Now seems like the perfect time," he said firmly, clearly intending to ruin Blake's plans. His disdain for the shampoo brand products was palpable.
Snape thought to himself, 'Is this some sort of joke? Selling Potter-brand shampoo?' It was as though the universe was conspiring against him, and seeing Blake enjoying himself made Snape want to snatch that joy away.
Blake understood Snape's motivations all too well. 'He doesn't want me flirting with girls,' Blake thought, rolling his eyes.
'Especially not with girls from Slytherin—his house!'
Knowing he had no choice but to follow Snape, Blake turned back to Cassandra with a mischievous smile.
"Beck," he called to his house-elf, "bring her a cup of milk tea. Half sugar should be fine."
Cassandra watched Blake walk away with a mixture of disappointment and longing. She had hoped today would give her a chance to spend some uninterrupted time with him. But now, Professor Snape had ruined it all.
"Miss Worley," Baker said, appearing before Cassandra with a steaming cup of tea in hand.
"Master Blake asked me to give you this. Half sugar, just the way you like it."
Cassandra took the cup, her disappointment momentarily easing as she took a sip. The sweetness was perfect, just as she preferred.
"How does he remember my preferences so well?" she wondered, a soft blush coloring her cheeks.
Baker, noticing her smile, pulled out a small notebook. "My little master keeps track of all of these things. Miss Worley likes half-sugar tea, Miss Granger prefers strawberries, Miss Tonks is fond of spicy food..." He continued listing other women's preferences.
Cassandra's smile faded. "Wait, what? He remembers all their preferences too?" Her mood instantly shifted. The notebook in Beck's hand seemed to mock her.
'Bastard! Scumbag!' she thought, now feeling more irked than flattered.
Meanwhile, in a dark underground classroom, Blake sat uncomfortably on a black sofa. Snape stood before him, his expression serious, holding his wand at the ready.
"Today, we're practising Occlumency. I will use Legilimency to invade your mind. Your job is simple: think of nothing. Clear your mind completely."
Blake raised an eyebrow. "That's it? No spells or anything?"
Snape glared. "No spells. Just focus on keeping your mind blank. Only through repeated exposure to Legilimency will your mind build a defence mechanism, allowing you to protect yourself from mental attacks." His voice grew colder.
"This isn't a game, Blake. When the Dark Lord invades your mind, he won't give you the courtesy of a warning."
Blake nodded, his face a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Okay, let's get started."
Snape's eyes narrowed as he pointed his wand at Blake. "Legilimens!" The spell shot forward, and Snape's consciousness dove into Blake's mind.
At first, Snape saw flashes of recent memories—conversations with Cassandra, moments from their alchemy studies, and glimpses of other interactions. But Blake quickly shut those thoughts down, bringing his mind to a complete standstill.
Snape was taken aback. Blake's mind had gone completely blank, something that most students struggled with. Achieving an empty mind was the hardest part of learning Occlumency, and yet, Blake had done it effortlessly. It was as though Blake had been preparing for this moment all along.
However, as Snape delved deeper, he noticed something peculiar. A strange space appeared in Blake's mind, and in one corner of that space, there was a crack—a fracture in the mental barrier Blake had erected.
Intrigued, Snape pushed further, attempting to explore the crack. But before he could reach it, a sudden force pushed him back, ejecting his consciousness from Blake's mind.
Snape staggered, his vision blurring for a moment as he returned to the physical world. But something was wrong. His own memories began flooding his mind—scenes from his past, painful memories he had long buried. Among them, was a memory of a young Snape being humiliated, and his anguished voice crying out,
"Mudblood!"
Blake, now fully aware of what had transpired, couldn't help but smirk. He had not only blocked Snape's Legilimency but had also managed to reflect it, forcing the Potions Master to relive his own torment.
Snape, shaken by the experience, quickly collected himself. "That... will be all for today," he muttered, his voice unsteady as he stormed out of the room.
Blake leaned back on the sofa, a victorious grin on his face. He had mastered the basics of Occlumency far faster than Snape had anticipated, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. As he got up to leave, one thought lingered in his mind:
'Maybe next time, I'll push him even further.'
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