Chapter 1
"So I'll be in Slytherin then mum?" Cassandra asked, letting go of her mothers hand to hop around the platform. They were one of the earliest who arrived to platform 9 a young family of 3, unassuming of their dreadful faiths.
"You might, if you're anything like your father" Eileen Fawley laughed at her daughter's antics. Her husband, Leo Fawley only a few steps ahead of them, looking around and then waving to someone in the distance.
"It's about time you showed up Black, you old fool." He greeted an older man who barely managed to make out a smile through his stern looking face. A much brighter smile greeted him from behind Orion Black. Walburga, once a charming woman, now a strict mother, still managed to greet their old friend with a warm smile. Their youngest son just next to her skirt peeped up at Leo, having seen him for the first time after a long while.
"And I assume this is Sirius?" Leo smiled to the young chap, much to the annoyance of both of his parents.
"Honestly Fawley, must you always disrespect us like this?" Orion growled as his eyes darted to his eldest son, standing defiantly with his back turned to them, wearing a black and red attire. "You should know to separate Regulus and Sirius by now. Sirius! Come here boy and greet mister Fawley here!"
Orion Black shouted to his son, earning a stern look from his wife and a couple of questionable looks from passersby who gradually started filling out the platform. Sirius, turned his head around for a second, as if in deep thought and then proceeded to join a different family and greet their son. Leo knew them as the Potter family, a strange mix they were.
Orion shook his head mumbling something about punishing Sirius after he returns from Hogwarts, however Leo was caught off guard by his daughter suddenly jumping in front of him.
"I wanna be in Slytherin jus like you dad!" She exclaimed earning a chuckle from Orion Black himself.
"Perhaps you will be, and Regulus might even join you as well!" Leo chuckled.
"Yes, at least Regulus won't be a disappointment." Walburga finally spoke up, shuffling through Regulus' hair.
Leo knew not to ask about Sirius, seeing as the young boy was trying his hardest to steer clear from them and was hanging out with two known Gryffindors. He assumed that their son must be the same house, and connecting the dots realized just why Walburga and Orion were disappointed in their firstborn.
Letting out a sigh he shuffled through his daughters light brown hair earning himself a slap on the wrist. Fiery blue eyes glared at him back as he lifted his hands up in defeat. "Dad! Mom spent half an hour combing through it" Cassandra growled and then hurried to her mother to complain.
Shaking his head at his daughter and stifling his laughter he bid farewell to the Black family and joined his wife trying to 'help' with his daughter's hair. After 5 minutes of annoying Cassandra even further, Eileen finally threatened him she would hex Leo if he didn't stop, so he giggled to a halt.
"No hard feelings, eh?" He winked at his daughter's red face turning to his wife. "I swear she gets this from you."
"I've changed my mind, I do want to be a Ravenclaw." Cassandra grumbled as her mother fixed up her hair finally.
"Cassie, it doesn't matter at all which house you are, don't burden yourself so much, you might not be either of our houses at all and that's perfectly fine as well." Eileen reassured her daughter softly. "Now, let's get you on that train. Remember, you have school owls if you want to write to us, but we'll be writing to you weekly so don't worry too much."
Leo picked up his daughter's luggage and finally they went compartment hunting. Due to the hair malfunction issue most of the compartments were full by now, so finally Cassandra chose to join Regulus' compartment as she had already seen him before. Saying goodbye to her parents she sat down next to the quiet boy as two other boys looked over her questionably.
She noticed the one sitting next to Regulus was a bit taller and had longer hair than Regulus, and other than that they looked really similar. Whereas the other boy was a bit shorter, wore glasses and played with his messy hair.
A red-haired girl passed by the compartments making the boy next to her jump up and run out of the compartment.
Awkward silence filled the cabin as neither of the 3 spoke up.
Finally, the boy with the glasses returned. "Oi Sirius, I've found Remus and Peter, wanna go to their cabin? It's also close to Lily's…"
"Right behind you James." Sirius said, jumping straight up and taking his belongings with him, just as the train started moving.
A few more awkward moments later, Cassandra spoke up. "So, ugh, I'm Cassandra Fawley, what about you?"
"Regulus Black." The boy whispered moving to sit in his brothers space next to the window. He huddled up in to his corner and Cassandra not wanting to bother him huddled up in to her own corner next to the door and dozed off.
"Want anything from the trolley dear?" She was woken up by the trolley witch smiling through the door at her.
Realizing her stomach growled from hunger she nodded and bought a couple of chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties and licorice wands. After paying for her food she realized that Regulus too had fallen asleep, his stomach howling in the corner.
Feeling guilty eating it all on her own she woke him up, and the confused boy jerked up frightened. "Hey, I just wanted to ask you if you want something." Cassandra gestured to her food, and realizing he was hungry Regulus accepted, though reluctantly. They ate quietly as if to not disturb each other.
"Which house do you think you'll be in?" Cassandra finally spoke to him again.
"Slytherin." Regulus responded curtly. "I have to be in Slytherin."
"No you don't... you can be in other houses as well, mom says it doesn't depend on your family either, it's what's inside your head, not what you want…" Proudly exclaimed the girl remembering her mother's words. But the fear-stricken boy only shook his head softly mumbling to his chest, 'It's gotta be Slytherin'.
Another couple of hours passed, with the children exchanging a few more sentences while changing to their uniforms. Finally the train came to a halt, and a loud voice called for all the first years to join him in front of the train.
Cassandra and Regulus hurried towards the giant man with the lantern, and like little ducklings they followed him to the bank of a lake. Rows of little boats lie scattered around the beach, and the man gesturing to them starts helping out other kids to get in to the boats. Weary the 2 kids hopped on the boat, joined by 2 more girls and a boy, and in a few seconds their boat was afloat the dark lake.
Not resisting her urge, Cassandra looked over the edge of the boat and played with the water for a bit. In a boat next to her the giant man spoke up.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, som'thin' might pop up and eat yer arm off." He giggled and then winked to the bewildered young witch.
"Do you think he's telling the truth? Will something really rip off your arm?" One of the girls on the boat with them spoke up, her eyes as wide as a gazelle's. Cassandra only shrugged, but dared not to disturb the water again.
A couple of minutes later and the man was helping them out of the boat.
He tapped Cassandra over her shoulders " I was only joking with yah, don't worry, ain't nothin' but a squid in there that could hurt ya, and not even the squid will hurt ya if you don't provoke 'er ehh…"
Regulus sighed and walked to the castle and Cassandra glanced back at the weird man, half-intrigued, half-confused.
As they entered the hallway, a stern looking professor greeted them and explained the rules regarding Hogwarts, and Hogwarts houses. Cassandra heard of a point system before but she had no idea she could lose house points as well. That seemed excessive to the young witch.
Having finished her spiel, Professor McGonagall then took the frightened first year students to the great hall to get sorted, and while walking among the rows of tables, Cassandra failed to notice a chair with an old witch's hat sitting atop of it. She only noticed it after the entire Great Hall stifled down and the hole on the hat started singing a song. Bewildered Cassandra stared at it, confused, until she realized it was singing a song about solidarity between the 4 houses.
Finally, it was time for the sorting to begin and Professor McGonagall started calling out student's names. When Regulus Black got called out, his entire body stiffened for a second, then he moved and sat at the chair. Two seconds later and he was walking towards the Slytherin table with a heavy look on his face, incomprehensible to Cassandra.
"Cassandra Fawley." McGonagall's voice called her out and the young witch finally stepped up and sat at the old chair, the witch's hat being placed over her head and falling down to her nose. A voice whispered around her head, probing and searching. She felt like ages had passed before the voice finally came to a conclusion.
"SLYTHERIN!" It yelled out the house, and Cassandra proceeded to join the house that erupted with joy on the far-left side of the hall.