The corners of Kassandra's lips curled upwards slightly.
"What's wrong?" she asked calmly. "Are you planning to leave me standing outside all night?"
Lucas finally snapped out of his shock.
"Oh— right. Sorry. Come in."
He scratched his head awkwardly while stepping aside.
Honestly, he genuinely couldn't understand how Kassandra managed to sneak out of the Worley estate.
After the Gringotts incident, security around her should've been absurdly tight.
Meanwhile, Kassandra walked proudly past him into the room like she owned the place.
"You should still be at the manor," Lucas said helplessly while shutting the door. "There are still people outside who'd happily kidnap you to threaten your father."
Kassandra didn't answer immediately.
Because her attention had already landed on the silver ring sitting atop the table.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
From the inner band, she could vaguely make out the engraved name:
Hermione Granger.
The smile on Kassandra's face disappeared instantly.
"Hmph."
She picked the ring up slowly.
"So this is why you never wanted me visiting."
Lucas blinked blankly.
Kassandra looked at the ring expressionlessly.
"You've already met new girls."
Then she glanced sideways at him coldly.
"How could old friends possibly compare anymore?"
Lucas instantly felt danger alarms screaming inside his brain.
"Kassandra, you're misunderstanding completely."
"Oh really?"
Her voice became dangerously calm.
"This ring even has her name engraved inside it."
Lucas immediately grabbed Harry's ring from the table and handed it over desperately.
"Look! Harry has one too!"
Kassandra glanced down.
Sure enough, Harry Potter's name sat engraved inside the second ring.
Lucas quickly explained.
"These are membership rings for an organisation I recently established."
Kassandra still looked unconvinced.
"You told me about Harry Potter in your letters," she muttered.
Then her eyes narrowed further.
"But you never mentioned Hermione Granger."
Lucas nearly died on the spot.
Honestly, this situation felt harder than fighting Quirrell.
It took nearly half an hour before Lucas finally managed to calm Kassandra down properly.
Eventually, she sat on the chair beside the table while quietly examining the silver rings again.
"So," she asked casually, "why exactly are you suddenly creating organisations now?"
Lucas coughed awkwardly.
"It's just a study group."
Kassandra stared at him silently.
Her emerald-green eyes carried terrifying pressure despite her age.
Lucas genuinely felt more nervous under that gaze than while facing Aurors.
Then Kassandra suddenly asked quietly:
"This organisation… is for fighting Voldemort someday, isn't it?"
Lucas froze instantly.
Kassandra sighed softly.
"My father always says only idiots truly believe the Dark Lord is dead."
Then she looked directly into Lucas's eyes.
"So I guessed correctly."
Lucas remained silent briefly.
Technically, he wanted to explain that the organisation existed mainly because of system tasks.
Unfortunately, explaining systems usually led directly to psychiatric hospitals.
So after hesitating slightly—
He simply admitted it indirectly.
Kassandra watched him quietly.
Lucas braced himself internally.
Honestly, based on her usual personality, he fully expected Kassandra to scold him for being reckless again.
Expected her to call him suicidal.
Expected another lecture about charging towards danger like an idiot.
But instead—
Kassandra calmly said:
"Then I'm joining too."
Lucas blinked.
"…What?"
This response completely exceeded expectations.
Kassandra Worley was the most stereotypical Slytherin he'd ever met.
Careful.
Intelligent.
Always calculating risks first.
So why was she suddenly volunteering for dangerous underground organisations?
Had somebody secretly fed her Polyjuice Potion?
Lucas almost wanted to cast a revealing charm immediately.
Then his eyes landed on the ring upon Kassandra's finger.
Her personal identification ring remained perfectly active.
Only the real Kassandra could wear it.
More importantly—
His danger sense hadn't triggered once since opening the door.
So this genuinely was her.
Lucas didn't understand.
What he didn't realise was simple.
Things had already changed long ago.
The old Kassandra would never risk sneaking out alone at night just to see someone.
The moment she packed her luggage and secretly left the manor to find him—
Everything had already become different.
In the end, Lucas accepted Kassandra into D.A.
Naturally, he upgraded her ring personally and added all the same functions as Harry and Hermione's rings.
Originally, Lucas planned to craft her a completely new one.
But Kassandra stubbornly insisted on using her original ring instead.
Lucas wisely chose not to argue.
Eventually, under Tom's increasingly suspicious and judgmental stare downstairs, Lucas reluctantly rented another room for Kassandra.
Honestly, he wanted to punch the old barkeeper slightly.
What exactly was that expression supposed to mean?
Kassandra wasn't even an adult yet!
More importantly—
Was Lucas really the sort of beast Tom imagined him to be?!
After finally persuading Kassandra to sleep properly instead of continuing to interrogate him all night, Lucas borrowed two owls from Tom.
Then he immediately wrote a letter to Mr Worley explaining that Kassandra was safe at the Leaky Cauldron.
Though honestly, Lucas suspected the explanation might make things worse rather than better.
After that, he used Hedwig and the borrowed owls to send Harry and Hermione their completed rings along with instruction manuals.
Inside the letter, Lucas also explained that his good friend Kassandra had officially joined D.A.
He told them everyone could meet properly tomorrow aboard the Hogwarts Express.
Finally finished with everything, Lucas roughly washed up before collapsing onto the bed.
Tomorrow was September First.
Hogwarts awaited.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Worley family manor—
Mr Worley silently lowered the letter in his hand.
Then he immediately stood up and grabbed his coat.
Mrs Worley looked up from her tea calmly.
"And where exactly are you going?"
"To retrieve my daughter," Mr Worley answered flatly.
"Elena, Lucas says not to worry, but somehow that only makes me worry more."
Mrs Worley sighed helplessly.
"Nock, have some faith in Lucas."
"That's exactly the problem," Mr Worley muttered darkly.
His expression became extraordinarily complicated.
"You trust our daughter too little," Mrs Worley replied calmly.
"Kassandra isn't reckless."
Then her eyes narrowed meaningfully.
"So you are staying right here tonight."
....
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