Hi guys, this is my first fanfiction so if there's anything weird going on with my writing, feel free to give me any advice and constructive criticism. I'm sorry this first chapter is so short. I just felt like this was a good place to end it. (It gets better, I promise)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for Cassandra Aldaine.

Chapter 1

She had no idea what to do …
Professor Trelawney had been especially superstitious in today's Divination lesson, hovering over Cassandra Aldaine's tea leaves with irritating concern. 'Oh, my dear,' she'd crooned dramatically. 'This is a strange omen indeed.'
Cass looked down at the vaguely 8-shaped splotch of foliage plastered to the bottom of her cup. It looked like nothing in particular. Giving the professor a sceptical glance, she wondered for her sanity.
Huge hypnotising eyes stared back at her, freezing Cassandra like a deer caught in headlights. Suddenly, the woman leapt across the room to a dusty bookshelf. Glancing back at her, the woman slid a huge leather bound volume out and dumped it onto the table with a puff of dust. 'Take this and your teacup – I want them back – and write me a short essay on the meaning of the leaves.'
With that, she drifted off across the room, leaving Cassandra helplessly confused.

That had been hours ago and Cass now sat in the Slytherin common room, staring holes into the flowery cup that supposedly held her destiny. She flipped through the musty book bursting with rough sketches of various omens and an illegible text that, for all she knew, could be a different language entirely. Cassandra felt foolish. Divination was such a ridiculous subject. She didn't know why she chose it, other than the expectation that it would be easy enough to get top marks. She'd been wrong. It seemed that certain people had a natural aptitude for the class. Cassandra was not one of those people.
In all of her other classes, Cassandra excelled, outperforming every student in her year, including Hermione Granger, who'd had a particular distaste for her since first year, when she'd gained the affection of Professor McGonagall despite being a Slytherin.
Shaking her head to clear it, Cass concentrated on the pages before her and was soon absorbed.
Engrossed with translating the script, Cassandra was unaware of a pale-haired boy with a permanent sneer creep up behind her. In one quick movement, he snatched the teacup from her hand and bounced back a few steps. 'What do you have here?' he said cruelly.
'Draco!' Cassandra cried, rushing to her feet. 'Please, give it back.'
'Please, give it back!' Draco Malfoy mocked in a whiney voice. 'Why? Hoping you'll meet tall, dark and handsome?'
His disgusted gaze swept down her small boney frame, cloaked in second-hand robes, and back up to her wild, unbrushed red hair. 'Not likely, half-blood.'
'Malfoy.' A nasally voice drawled. 'Are you a child?'
Draco spun, a guilty expression on his face. 'Sir?'
Professor Snape stood in the middle of the common room, his annoyed gaze set on Draco. 'I asked you, boy, are you a child?'
Draco's gaze dropped to conceal his impertinent expression. 'No, sir.'
'Then stop acting like one.' Draco opened his mouth, but Snape had already turned away, clearly dismissing the boy.
A muscle in Draco's jaw clenched, but his confidence returned and he levelled an arrogant glance at Cassandra. She cocked her head in disbelief as he strutted off, tossing the cup high and catching it again. Helpless, she watched her top marks fade away. As a wave of nausea washed over her, Snape materialised.
'Listen here, Aldaine. You need to learn to stand up for yourself. I won't be here every time. Do you understand?'
Cassandra stared at him blankly for a few seconds before nodding. 'I understand, sir.'
'Good.' Snape nodded and walked away.
Weary, Cassandra headed for the girls' dormitory, dragging her feet. Little did she know, sketched on the open pages of that thick book, a figure 8-shaped blotch marked the rarest destiny to ever be predicted.

Kind of a cheesy ending but whatever. :P
Thank you for reading the first chapter of Saving Grace! :)