<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="text-decoration: underline">August 1st, 2018</span></span><br/><br/>Roughly a month before classes started for the upcoming school year in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, things seemed to be peaceful. The last War had ended twenty years ago, with several casualties that had been sorely felt by the wizarding community. But the sacrifice had not been in vain. With the fall of many precious lives, had come victory. The wizard who had renamed himself as Lord Voldemort had finally been defeated, putting an end to his reign of terror.<br/><br/>It took everyone in the wizarding society to start feeling at ease again. It had been a very long war, and it was hard to fall back in a routine without a Dark Lord. Without a threat looming over everyone’s heads all the time.<br/><br/>But it had finally come. Peace, calm and the regular life style every respectable wizard or witch craved. They could leave their houses and be sure they were to return. It was probably even more so for half-bloods and muggle-borns, as they were the main target.<br/><br/>Of course, as everyone knows, forgetting history was risking repeating it. And as that was a part in history nobody cared to repeat, everyone was in full alert. A team of aurors was kept constantly ready for the moment they needed to spring into action. Everyone hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, but it was better to be safe than sorry.<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: red;background:red;"/></div><br/><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic"><div style="text-align: center;">Professor Cassandra Ruskin</div></span></span><br/>During her break, Cassandra had stayed in Hogsmeade and spent her time helping her parents with the shop she had originally opened. Despite it being a time of a lot of work, Cassandra was happy to be there. She was interacting with her old customers, dealing with her herbs, and having fun talking to her parents. It would have been a time of bliss, had it not been for a detail.<br/><br/>Cassandra had been feeling restless. Her nights had been riddled with nightmares - not all of them, but more and more of them had - and sometimes she had that sense of foreboding that usually meant something bad was about to happen. The worst part was that Cassandra wasn’t sure what was it that was about to come. Her dreams were hazy and confusing, and her foresight wasn’t helping much either. But she knew whatever would happen wouldn’t take long. And she felt that Hogwarts would be right in the center of whatever was about to happen… again.<br/><br/>Shaking these thoughts off her mind, Cassandra stopped what she was doing - preparing some herbs to be dried - and looked at the old grandfather clock she kept on a corner of her work room. It had belonged to her grandfather on her father’s side, and Cassandra loved the old and familiar feel it gave her. <br/><br/>Now, thought, she wasn’t simply admiring the old clock. She was checking for the time. There were things she needed to do before making her way back to Hogwarts, and supply shopping was on her list. Despite the school providing books for students who lost theirs or couldn’t afford to buy their own, Cassandra always made a point of having brand new textbooks ready for some specific students she new were struggling, and a couple extras just in case. That was what she had planned for the day, and it was about time to get going. Maybe she could even meet up with some colleagues along the way.<br/><br/>“Mom!”, she called out, waiting to her Mrs. Ruskin’s answer before continuing. “I’m going out now, gotta pick up some supplies for the year. Will have lunch out as well. Do you need anything?”. Mrs. Ruskin showed up at the door and smiled at her daughter. “No, honey. Put on something nice, will you?”, she suggested. Cassandra simply smiled and shook her head. She knew what her mother was talking about. She had never cared much about her looks, but her mother still tried. <br/><br/>Without answering about the clothes, Cassandra kissed her mother’s cheek and slipped by her. “I’ll be back before tea time”, she still said, before leaving the shop. After a short walk, she was home, and changed into her usual style - a long dark brown dress and her hair braided to be more practical - before making her way to Diagon Alley. There was a lot to do.</div>