Chapter 2: Of Hallways and Howlers

"You've got to be joking." Cassie's voice was flat as she stared at the Potions professor.

"I do not joke, Miss Malfoy."

"But you can't partner us! You've never partnered us before!" The pale haired girl protested.

"Well seeing as last year, you and Miss Potter destroyed nearly my entire laboratory last year, I think this decision is for the wellbeing of everyone in the school."

Lily flushed. "That wasn't my fault!"

"It wasn't mine either." Cassie said, glaring at James.

"That's enough!" The teacher cried, her voice tight with anger. She preceded to pair up the students.

"No. No. No." Cassie repeated as she saw the last person in the room, who was to be her partner.

James grinned. "At least now you might pass Potions, Malfoy."

"My marks are better than yours!"

"Potter and Malfoy!" The professor cried. "You will behave or you will both have detention for two months with Finch."

Both of the students glowered but sat next to each other stiffly.

Rose and Lily, who had been luckily paired together, smothered their laughs in their hands. Cassie turned to glare at them and she opened her mouth to snap at them.

The Potions professor smacked the girl in the back of the head with a rolled up newspaper. Cassie hissed under her breath.

"Miss Malfoy, detention for you and your partner if you don't focus on the lesson."

"I swear to Merlin, Malfoy." James grumbled under his breath. "If you get me detention on the first day, I won't hesitate to hex you."

She glared at him. "Unlike your noble self, I don't need an excuse to hex you, Potter."

His brow furrowed and he snorted. "You don't want to displease dear ole' daddy, do you?"

Cassie's mouth tightened. She turned her gaze straight ahead as the Potions professor drawled on. Thinking he had won, James smirked.

He didn't expect Cassie to mutter something under her cough ten minutes later, but suddenly he found himself unable to move or speak. His eyes saw her shoulder's shaking with silent laughter.

Ugh, Malfoy! You won't get away with this! He shouted at her furiously in his head.

Her pale eyes were shining and dancing mischievously. The smirk she gave him was as famous as her father's had once been. "Serves you right, prat." She whispered to him.

As soon as class was dismissed, Cassie freed James from his enchantment as she strode away from him. Still furious, he leapt to his feet and hurried after her. He had his wand in one hand and his bag in the other. He could see the flash of her pale hair just about to turn up the stairs at the end of the corridor. He took off running.

"Malfoy!" He shouted as he caught up to her.

She turned to him with an innocent smile on her face. "Yes, darling James?"

They were in a brightly light corridor full of students. None of them took any heed to move out of either Cassie's or James' way until James cast his bag aside and raised his wand hand.

"Stupefy!"

Suddenly, every person in the hallway fell to the floor and pressed themselves against the corridor wall. No one wanted to get stuck in the middle of a fight between two powerful sixth years.

With lightning fast reflexes, Cassie flung her back and robe aside, dodged the curse and sent her own flying. "Expelliramus!"

"Protego!" James was a good dueler. "Engorgio!"

But Cassie was just a bit better. "Evanesco!" She cried, aiming at herself. She disappeared with a snap.

James hesitated, searching the air in vain for some sign that she was there. "Homenum Revelio."

Cassie appeared just six feet in front of him, her wand pointed straight at him. "Impedimenta!"

James sprawled backwards onto his behind.

"Malfoy!" A whip like voice made Cassie cringe and turn around.

Minerva McGonagall strode towards the two of them, her robes flapping behind her. Anger sparked in her eyes. She grabbed the tall girl's ear and dragged her away from James, who had leapt to his feet.

"Is it honestly that hard to restrain yourself? It's the first day and I haven't even eaten lunch! Yet you insist on interrupting my day with your petty flirtatious problems! Mr. Potter! Follow me if you please."

No one dared laugh as they watched their formidable Headmistress drag Cassie away by her ear. James followed with a small smirk on his face.

"What on earth were you thinking?" McGonagall shouted.

Cassie and James stood beside each other in front of her desk. James' head was lowered in shame but Cassie thrust her chin out stubbornly.

"Do you not understand that the rules are enforced for a reason? You could have seriously injured somebody!"

"But we didn't."

"Don't you dare be smart with me, Cassiopeia!" McGonagall snapped.

Cassie's jaw flexed and her eyes sparked a bit. Only James could see that she laced her fingers together behind her back as tightly as she could.

McGonagall sighed, running a hand over her face. "I'll be sending letters to your parents."

"Shit." Cassie swore under her breath.

James was thinking exactly the same thing.

McGonagall sat down and summoned two sheets of paper. "You will wait here until I finish."

James and Cassie waited side by side. James shifted his weight from foot to foot. Cassie stood perfectly still.

The great bird that made its home in the Headmistress's office trilled as it flew through the window. The phoenix circled the Headmistress before landing lightly on Cassie's shoulder. It ran its wicked beak through her fair hair.

Cassie unwound her fingers and reached up to stroke the phoenix's smooth and fiery plumage. Fawkes trilled again in pleasure.

James' bottle green eyes slid over to observe Cassie. He took in her proud stance, the powerful bird, and her dangerous eyes. His eyes fell to the black wand tucked in the waist band of her skirt. The silver swirling designs of the hilt were visible, as were a couple inches of the perfectly polished wood.

Her piercing eyes suddenly bore into his.

They stared at each other for a long moment. There wasn't any hate in their eyes. James smiled slightly. Cassie's mouth turned up in one corner and she shrugged the shoulder that Fawkes wasn't perched on.

Both of them were stifling laughter by the time McGonagall looked up.

Fawkes flew over to her and grasped the letters in his claws before streaking out of the window. McGonagall glared at them.

"Detention for the both of you with Filch tonight. If you ever do this again..." She didn't have to finish her threat. "Now get out of my office before I regret favoring the two of you."

Cassie and James turned as one and walked towards the opening to the corridor. They wouldn't both fit through the doorway at once. Cassie shoved James hard out of the way with a hiss before storming out.

The detention they served that night was what they both expected: polishing trophies without magic as Filch sat in the corner humming to himself.

"I sweat to Merlin, he's mental." Cassie muttered to James as they scrubbed side by side.

He snorted. "Course he is. He's ancient. Been here since our grandparents were here."

Cassie hissed as that damned tabby rubbed against her ankles. "Bugger off." She snapped, shoving the cat away with her foot.

The cat hissed and scratched her calf. She fought the instinct to smack the fluffy thing.

"This is your fault, by the way."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "You say that every time."

"That's because it's the truth. If you weren't so stubborn, we wouldn't fight so much."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You like it just as much as I do, Potter."

He shrugged and was silent for the rest of the two hour detention.

At breakfast the next morning, Cassie patiently awaited the Howler she expected from her parents. James had a similar expression of anticipating dread on his face across the table from her.

Finally, her mother's regal black owl soared towards the Gryffindor table. It screeched when it saw Cassie; the beast never liked the troublesome girl. It dropped a thick red envelope on the empty plate before her, making a grab at her long hair. Cassie deftly avoided the owl's wicked talons while throwing a scrap of meat at it.

Sighing, Cassie rested her chin on her hands and waited for the Howler to begin. She closed her eyes briefly before the envelope opened with a loud snap.

"Cassiopeia Malfoy!" Her mother's voice made everyone in the room flinch save for the Malfoy girl, who was used to this. "I cannot believe you! Just a day ago I told you specifically not to bother the Potter boy! What the hell was going through your bloody head when you decided to curse him in the middle of the hallway? You received detention on the first day! We received a letter from McGonagall on the first day! I have half the mind to take you out of school this instant and ship you to France!"

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me!" Roxanne shouted, surprising Cassie. "You're just as bad as your father! The boy could have been seriously injured!"

"Not that I would have minded." Cassie's father interrupted suddenly.

"Draco Malfoy!" Roxanne snapped. "You'll get your own bloody Howler!"

Cassie couldn't help but laugh.

The Howler snapped again. "Cassie Malfoy! I swear to all the gods if you cause trouble again, you will regret it! Now, go apologize to James Potter!"

The red envelope exploded in flames and Cassie didn't even flinch. She watched as the ash dropped onto her plate and then disappeared.

She looked up and saw James watching her. He had a letter in his hand. She cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. He smiled, handing her the letter wordlessly.

James Sirius Potter!

It's the first blasted day of school and you and Cassie have already gotten in a fight? And detention? I'm ashamed. I thought we talked about this over the summer! Roxanne and I are friends, how hard is it just to get on with her daughter? I have nothing more to say to you. If you get in more trouble, I will not hesitate to send you a Howler. No doubt, Roxanne sent one to Cassie already. Now go apologize to the girl for Merlin's sake.

-Mum

Ps- Jamie, I'm proud of you. Only because it's a Malfoy. –Dad.

Cassie smiled widely. She handed the paper back to James.

"At least we're making someone proud."

He grinned, crumpling the paper. "I'm not sorry."

"Neither am I." She raised an eyebrow in a challenge.

"Frigid twat."

"Arrogant bastard."

"Stuck up bitch."

"Daddy's little princess." Cassie said this with a wicked grin.

"Do you have the Potions homework?" James dug a piece of paper out of his bag.

"Yeah. Here. Don't copy it word from word; you got me a week of detention last year."

"I'm not stupid, Cass."

"I beg to differ, Potter."

Cassie took a bite of the warm bread and smiled impishly. James just rolled his eyes as he swiftly copied her homework from the night before.

Author's Note:

AH! Such a boring filler chapter. I need to make it clear that Cassie's relationship with James isn't all hate. They've got the foundation of an explosive love/hate relationship and I don't plan on wasting that ;).

The plot will start soon, I promise!

Review! Review! The button's right there!

Thanks dears!

xx

K