Harry Potter and the Daughter of the Furies

By Sorceress Cassandra180

To Whom it May Concern, please consider this an Alternate Version of Year Six.
The very beginnings of this story were written several months before the book Half-Blood Prince came out for all of us to read. I do not plan on creating this story to fit HBP's plotline either since I have already created the major plotline for this story and it's sequel.
I shall not be so arrogant, or so bold to say this is a better version of year six. I myself quite enjoyed that year, and I am nowhere near J.K. Rowling's expertise. My only hope is to entertain readers like she has. So please post reviews with your comments and criticism. Both are welcome, are appreciated

1

Nightmares

She was in danger.

And danger was everywhere.

She could sense it. She could feel it as she ran through the torch lit stone corridor. Running from someone or something that she, somehow, felt she had been running from her whole life. She could feel the ground tremble as she ran. A cold cruel voice was calling her name, making her run ever faster. But she didn't look back.

She didn't dare look back to see what it was.

Before her the corridor suddenly split sharply, going right and left.

Hoping to head that terrible creature off she turned to the left, and ran as fast as she could. Her black robes billowing around her, her long dark hair flying like a flag as she ran. She could still hear the… well, whatever that horrible thing was gaining on her with a dangerous speed.

She took another sharp turn, then another, then another. In fact she took so many that she lost track of them.

But when she took her chances with another she saw something before her that made her skid to a stop.

"Oh no…" She breathed, every word trembling as she was terrified.

It appeared her luck had run short for before her was a dead end.

No, it wasn't just a dead end. It was decorated with a green and silver tapestry, a menacing embroidered emblem staring back at her. A emblem that consisted of a skull and snake protruding from its mouth. Silver swords flanked the tapestry on both sides, with emerald encrusted pommels.

Praying to the forces above, she ran to the tapestry, and yanked it aside. Hoping with all her being to see a door, a secret corridor, anything. But a cold gray wall greeted her, and she felt her hopes fall as soon as they had come.

She turned to look at the turn she had taken. That trembling was getting closer, telling her the wicked truth that the creature was drawing closer.

Somehow, she knew, she was about to die.

The girl took several deep breaths.

So this is it, she thought. I'm going to die, but I'm not going to die without a fight.

Deftly she ran to the wall and yanked a sword out of its decorative holder, and turned to the figure that was approaching her. The heavy sword held out before her as she saw the darkly cloaked figure with a aura of black turn to face her.

"My dear Cassandra," spoke a cold cruel voice in a tender tone as frightening as a angry shout. "You know it useless to resist. Can you understand? You can't fight what you already are."

Suddenly she was paralyzed as a hot, ripping pain shot up her spine. She could barely hear her own screams echoing off the walls. As she stood at death's doorway she somehow managed to look into the glowing red cat-like eyes of the creature that had finally won-

She awoke with a start. Her mind swimming with what she had seen. She glanced at her luminous alarm clock. Even as her head spinning with the images of snakes, skulls, and glowing red eyes. The glowing numbers read 12:30 AM.

Wild eyed and wide awake, she pushed off the quilt to meet the icy cold air of the room. Her breathe coming up in steaming puffs. Even the windows themselves carried frost, yet it coated the inside of the glass near the room. What on earth? That was strange, it was in mid-August and no man made air conditioner was in this room.

As if a thought came to her, she ran her fingers through her hair. Instantly, she could feel the static in it that seemed to crackle as she tried to smooth the crazily raised locks of hair.

As she did so she turned to the small fireplace to see the fire burning rather wildly in the fireplace. A fire that burned ash and not wood. Strange indeed.

She gave an annoyed groan, before she closed her eyes. First she tried to calm her still racing heart. It took a few minutes until she could feel it had slowed to a steady beat. Then in what seemed to be a form of meditation she imagined the energy from the static all around her, the cold that chilled her, the blazing fire before her becoming a part of her being. Furious energy that fell into to a small secret place within.

At first, nothing happened. Then slowly the static started to calm until the energy became neutral, the frost and cold became warmed and faded away, and finally the blazing fire fell to embers then nothing but darkness on the once burning ash.

Once she felt all had turned to normal the young girl named Cassandra Taylor, better known to the world as Cassia opened her eyes. Seeing that everything was as it should have been she gave an almighty sigh.

Dreams again, She thought grudgingly. You really should clear out the old subconscious. Then again the past few days haven't been much help at all.

Cassia got up from the creaky spring bed, crossing the room to her dusty vanity, she reached out to turn on the lamp that stood on the table top. She looked into the dusty mirror.

It was hard to believe all that had happened to orphaned Cassia. First the disaster at school, then the dreaded news, the two funerals barely five years apart from each other, and here she stood in a room at an inn called The Old Black Cat on her way to her aunt and uncles.

She thanked the powers above that this inn had electricity for both Muggles and wizards, since this was a rare inn that took in both. Muggles stayed in it believing it to be an old inn with a 'magical' history that had stood since the Medieval times, Wizards stayed in it for their own reasons.

And it was Cassia's own reason that had her in this old inn room, looking into her reflection. She was about fifteen years wold, wearing a long cotton shirt. Some may have called her pretty in strangely mysterious, and quite arcane in her own way. Her long black hair fell past her shoulders. Her skin was just tinted with a hint of gold. And her eyes seemed to show a stormy gray. But she also was marked with… the unnatural for in her dark locks were a streak of slivery gray on either side of her hair. Leaving her with the look of something… different.

And difference was many times never a virtue, especially for her.

She remembered her grandmother, whom she affectionately called Grams, and her Grandfather. Two people who had accepted what she was. The only people in the world who seemed to do so. But then again her Grams had been one as well, but then again even compared to her Cassia could help but still feel… different.

And besides Grams wasn't here to tell her everything was alright, neither was her Grandfather here to give her words of encouragement with his wisdom. They couldn't ever again. Not anymore.

Cassia looked sadly into the mirror, her hand going to the lamp to switch it off. Suddenly, she thought she saw a pair of red cat-like eyes over her shoulder, she gasped. The light bulb then went out with a loud POP! And Cassia swung around her throat tightening.

It was nothing.

Nothing and no one stood behind her.

Cassia shook her head. Damn, aren't we the paranoid one? She thought wittingly.

Remembering where the spare light bulbs were Cassia pulled open one of the drawers that were under the lamp and pulled out a spare light bulb from it's packaging. She pulled off the lampshade to change the bulb and stopped when she saw it. The little bulb hadn't just gone out. It had exploded, its glass all over the wooden table.

Cassia shook her head. She sighed as she, very carefully, twisted the bulb, threw it away in the small trashcan next to her. She then placed the new bulb into place, twisting in, and as soon as the light bulb was in it turn on it filled the small room with a bright light. Making her feel a small ounce better then before. Cassia clicked off the light then ran to her small bed as if a flock of winged demon were behind her. She seemed to diver under the covers, the pair of evil red glowing eyes still haunting her.

Cassia turned over and closed her eyes. It was a long time until she finally fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

Yet she never would know how her life would soon change, forever.