The owl waited patiently as Lady Helena Greythorne untied the Newsmonger from its leg and grabbed a handful of Knuts. She offered a few to the owl, who, after accepting the money, promptly took flight. The last thing it heard from the house was a fount of righteous indignation.

"Listen to this!" Lady Greythorne exclaimed disapprovingly. "The new Hogwarts headmaster is allowing the…the Muggle rabble into the school!"

"Pardon, Mother?" asked Cassandra, as sudden silence ensued at the breakfast table.

"The good Professor MacBluff has decided to allow Muggle-born wizards into Hogwarts. Oh, wait until the Wizengamot has a say in this."

"On the contrary," replied Lord Marcus Greythorne, "as I recall, the last time a Muggle born brought a case to the Wizengamot, the ruling was in favor of schooling for those of mixed blood."

"In case you forgot, milord, their ruling was in favor of the Muggle spawn being schooled in a separate facility. And MacBluff a Hufflepuff, too! Oh, your grandmother is probably rolling in her grave right now…"

Cassandra choked into a glass of wine. "May I…may I be excused?"

"Certainly, dear," answered her mother.

Some time later, the eight year old Felix Greythorne came into Cassandra's room. "Cassie, why did you ask to be excused? You weren't even finished with your toast."

Cassandra smiled. "Well, don't tell Mother I said this, but our great-grandmother—you're too young to remember her—well, there are two things you ought to know about her. Firstly, she was a direct descendant of Helga Hufflepuff and far too proud of it. Secondly, she had an absolute horror of Muggles, hedge wizards, centaurs, hags, werewolves, and mermaids, and she'd always fan her hands—like this—when she talked about them." Cassandra wrung her hands and shrilly cried, "'Ugh, those creatures! Walking around as if they have the right to exist!'"

Felix laughed for a moment before asking, "Do you think they have the right to exist?"

"Why, what a question! Do you go around asking the cats if they have the right to breathe?"
"No, but that's not what I meant. I meant to ask if you think they should be able to go to Hogwarts."

Cassandra hesitated. "You know, I'm not sure, but it seems to me that we pureblooded wizards would be better at magic than Muggle blood wizards. That being so, I guess we ought to have better schooling since weaker magic users would only slow the rest of us down."

Felix considered for a moment. He nodded solemnly and said, "You're probably right, Cassie," before leaving.

Cassandra contemplated the floor for a moment. "Needs cleaning," she murmured.

Felix ran back in. "Letter from Hogwarts," he said, holding an envelope.

She took and scanned its contents.

"Anything important in there?" asked her father, who was standing in the doorway.

"A list of books…and a Head Girl badge."

Lord Greythorne smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Father."

At this point, their house elf Elspeth came in. "Milady is Head Girl? Why, Elspeth must make a new set of dress robes for Milady, one to show off her fine features—"

Cassandra laughed. "Gracious, Ellie, what would I do with more dress robes? I'm going to Hogwarts, remember?"

"Actually," said her father, "you might wish to recall your age. You, Cassandra, are seventeen, a full adult, and now that your schooling is coming to a close, you need to consider your marriage prospects."

"I suppose."

"Don't forget the Triwizard Tournament and the Yule Ball!" Felix added.

Cassandra, startled, pulled out her list of books and equipment. "That's right, I'd forgotten we were hosting that this year. It seems that I'll find a use for dress robes after all."

"Will you enter the tournament this year, Cassie?" asked Felix.

"Of course she won't," said Lady Greythorne firmly, having entered the room. "I won't have her dying and ruining our chances for an alliance with a family like the Malfoys, or perhaps the Prewetts."

Her husband answered soothingly, "If the Goblet chooses her, it will be proof enough that she is up to the task, as it were."

Helena Greythorne sniffed. "Even so, I'd rather have a live daughter than a dead one."

"Thank you all for your confidence," Cassandra said wryly as she experimentally pinned the Head Girl badge to her dress.

Um, don't actually expect a Triwizard Tournament. It'll probably be cancelled, for reasons soon to be revealed.