Author's Note: The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K Rowling.

Cassandra Nott had been standing for ten full minutes outside the door of her father's study. She had been trying to hear in on her parent's conversation, her ear pressed firmly against the door. She was desperate to hear something, anything. Cassandra could hear voices but they were muffled through the thick wood of the oak door.

Cassandra signed pulling her ear from the door. She started rubbing her ear trying to ease the soreness of it being pressed against the door for a long period of time.

"Cassandra!" shouted Mrs Nott. "Come here, girl, we have the greatest of news!"

Cassandra's heart jumped. She took a deep breath bracing herself for the worst and pushed open the big oak door. She stepped into her father's study, a large room with rows and rows of bookcases filled with books of all shapes and sizes. It was dark in the study. All the study's many windows were blackened out with dark green curtains showing no evidence of the sunny July day outside.

Cassandra paused for a second to take in the smell of old books. She liked books but hated these. They were riddled with dark magic, something that Cassandra thought was unnecessary.

Cassandra moved slowly towards the desk at the back of the study where her father was seated. Her mother was standing next to him her hand on his shoulder.

"Cassandra, my dear, sit down." Mr Nott said gesturing to the seat across him.

Cassandra politely thanked him and gracefully sat down like she had all her life been taught to do. She examined her parent's expressions, they always had permeant sneers implanted on their faces, something Cassandra found highly unpleasant, but right then their sneers had curved into to smirks. Cassandra knew by their expressions and her father's tone this meeting wouldn't go very well for her. Usually, when her parents looked like that they had found a way of adding more 'glory' to the pureblood house of Nott.

"Cassandra, your father and I have exciting news regarding your betrothed." Mrs Nott said beaming with excitement, almost bouncing on her toes, but of course, her lady pureblood manner would never permit that.

Cassandra felt like sinking into her chair and disappearing. She only just a couple months ago narrowly got out of an arranged engagement with Flint, a horrible troll like boy three years older than her. It was just pure dumb luck she got out of that engagement, this time, she feared she wouldn't be so lucky.

Mrs Nott continued, not noticing her daughter's lack of enthusiasm in comparison to her own.

"Quentin Avery. A brilliant young pureblood Slytherin boy in your year, I believe."

Cassandra somewhat remembered the boy. In all their five years in Slytherin house they had never spoken to one another nor did they pay each other any real attention. Even at the several pureblood events, her family had dragged her along too, they were invisible to each other.

They moved in opposite circles. Cassandra spent her time alone browsing through the shelves in the Library at Hogwarts. From what Cassandra could remember of the social life of Slytherin's like Quentin Avery, they hung in dark corners ready to attack mudbloods, blood-traitors, and half-bloods.

Cassandra tried to picture his face in mind, but her memory of him was blurry.

"You should be proud, Cassandra." Her father said watching her carefully. "Not many girls are fortunate enough to be betrothed to the eldest son from a family as rich and pure as the house of Avery."

"I am proud, father," Cassandra said quickly hiding her expression of sadness.

Cassandra knew and had been warned that if she didn't marry her betrothed she would be disowned by the Nott family no questions asked. She had heard it happen before to others, one day a son or daughter of a proud family decides to marry a mudblood or a half-blood or blood-traitor and the next they just disappear from that family never to be seen again. No money or reputation, just a second class wizard, an outcast in pureblood society.

Cassandra didn't want that to happen to her, but also, she didn't want to be trapped with some horrible pureblood extremist Death eater.

"Cassandra?" Mrs Nott asked breaking Cassandra from her thoughts. "Did you hear what I just said? Were you even listening?" Her mother's voice was turning to anger.

"No, mother."

Mrs Nott huffed an annoyed signed.

"What have I told you about listening?" Mrs Nott lectured. "I brought you up to have manners and be a sophisticated young pureblood woman. You'll scare off the boys if you don't listen to them."

"Yes, mother," Cassandra responded trying not to sound bored, she heard this lecture every day but it made no impacted on Cassandra. She highly doubted that you could scare someone off my not listening to them, in Cassandra's opinion there were worst things she could do.

"As I was saying," Mrs Nott said finally getting to the point. "In the month of August before school starts, there shall be a feast during which you shall announce your engagement to Quentin Avery to all the purebloods community."

"Yes, mother," Cassandra replied.

There was a dreaded question tingling on her tongue. She hesitantly spoke it to get it over with. "When shall we be married?"

Her mother's smile grew bigger. She had mistaken this question for the enthusiasm she so wished her daughter would show.

Mr Nott answered her question. "When you come of age and finish Hogwarts, the date is yet to be decided. But don't be disappointed, my dear, you will know soon enough."

Cassandra wanted to cry but kept it together. She smiled like she had just got the best news ever and asked.

"May I please be excused?"

"Why, darling? Doesn't this news call for celebration?" Mrs Nott asked a demanding tone seeping into her voice.

"I just want to write to my friends and tell them the good news." Cassandra lied.

Before her mother could interject Mr Nott said,

"Very well, Cassandra. You may be excused."

Cassandra thanked him and walked out of the study. As soon as she shut the door, she ran as fast as could to her room, slamming her bedroom door with all her might as she entered. She bit her balled fist stifling a scream tasting her own coppery blood.

Cassandra had thought she had prepared herself for this moment. She knew all her life she would be forced to marry a pureblood boy whether she loved him or not. But sometimes you can't prepare yourself for moments like these, the emotion is too overwhelming like a shock to your system that you never saw coming.

Cassandra threw herself on her bed.

"It doesn't seem real." She whispered to herself.

As she laid there for hours it slowly started to feel real. Cassandra felt weak, her future was out of her control and for the first time in her life there was nothing that she could do about it to make it better.