Disclaimer: Just like anyone else on the site, I don't own Harry Potter.
The character of Cassie is mine, though!
A/N: Please remember as the story progresses that it is set in an AU and I am going to take it off on tangents at points! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter – if you do, please read and review!
When all the plates were clear, the Headmaster stood again and reminded the students that entry to the Forbidden Forest was – amazingly – forbidden, that students outside of their Houses after hours would be punished severely, and that a full list of banned Zonko's products could be found on the office door of Mr Filch, the caretaker. "I heard he's a Squib." Draco whispered confidentially to Cassie, who nodded, although she couldn't see how that would affect his caretaking ability. Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "I would also like to add that the second corridor on the third floor is out of bounds this year, to all students who do not wish to die a very painful death." Draco snorted at that, and he wasn't the only student who laughed. However, the elder students looked grave – Dumbledore didn't usually joke about these things. The first-years' giggles died down and an uncomfortable quiet settled upon the hall, interrupted only by muttered speculation about the warning. "Prefects, take the first-years to their dormitories, if you would. No doubt you will all want to get a good night's sleep before your lessons start tomorrow."
The new Slytherins came to a halt in a seemingly empty corridor in the dungeons. One of the Prefects pulled out a list of names. "Right, I just got these off the Headmaster, who had them noted down during the Sorting. Any of you want to walk away now? I can assure you I will be hexing anyone here who's not on this list." Nobody moved, though a few eyes widened. What if there had been a mistake and they weren't on the list after all? After a tense few minutes, the first-years were given the password to the common room and a door appeared in the wall. They scrambled inside to be met by their new Head of House. "Welcome to Slytherin House. I apologise for the long wait at the door; a couple of years back the infamous Weasley twins slipped into Ravenclaw 'just to see what it was like' and since then we've had to be more careful who we give our passwords to. In any case, Slytherin is the greatest and noblest of all the Hogwarts Houses, and I expect you to live up to the standards I, as your Head of House, demand of you over your time here. For example, Slytherin have won the House Cup for so many years in a row that I can't even remember the exact number. You'd have to ask the Head of another House; they've definitely been keeping count! Now, the Prefects will show you to your dormitories in about half an hour, after which time I suggest you stay there for tonight. Thank you." A Prefect stepped forward. "Thank you, Professor Snape. Do you mind if I have a quick word with you about duties?" The two of them swept out of the room; well, Snape swept and the Prefect scurried. Cassie watched them go. Draco turned to his 'goons'. "Well, he looked like a lot of fun. Not." A boy in the corner looked around and Draco smiled.
Cassie was sat on a four-poster bed in her new dormitory. Beside her, two more girls were sat on their beds also; one, like Cassie, lacked anywhere else to go – the other was guarding her territory. Their other two dorm-mates were fighting over who should have the bed by the window. Pansy, fiercely dominating the other bed nearest the window, picked a girl and barked at the other to back off. This done, introductions were made. "I'm Pansy Parkinson. Who are you?" The other girls hastened to answer. "I'm Felicity Randall. This is Lucille Jacques." Cassie looked up. Felicity looked like the complete opposite of Pansy, with blonde hair cut into a short bob. Lucille glared at her from beneath her red hair. "It's Lucy, not Lucille. I dropped that when we left France, six years ago." She tossed her dark ringlets back. Pansy grinned. "So, can you do a French accent then?" "Yes." Lucy replied. There was a minute's silence. "So, gonna demonstrate?" Pansy prodded. "Not right now." Lucy rolled her eyes and lay back on her bed (the one nearest the window). Pansy folded her arms and looked as if she was about to shout at the French girl when suddenly a voice piped up. "I'm Kenya-" Pansy shot her a withering look. "Who asked you? Who even cares? You might as well not even be here." Kenya curled her knees up to her chin and was silent. A few minutes later she pulled the curtains around her bed. Cassie hadn't spoken a word to anyone. Within ten minutes of Kenya's disappearance behind the curtains, she began to close her own. Pansy called across to her before she could, however. "And you? Who are you?" Cassie sighed. "Cassandra Prince. Good night."
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The next morning when Cassie awoke, it was to the sounds of three girls giggling and squabbling in front of the mirror. She lay still for a moment, struggling to get her bearings. She was in a bed. Yes. It was a four-poster bed. Yes. The curtains were green. Yes. There was a crest carved into the bedstead. So… Cassie blinked. She was at Hogwarts! Hurriedly she leapt out of bed, glancing at the clock as she did so, and pulled on her robes. She had packed her bag for the day during that interesting conversation the previous evening, so she just grabbed it as she pulled a brush through her hair and dashed off to breakfast. Before she left, however, she glanced across at Kenya's bed. It was only ten past six, but the girl had already gone.
Walking into the Great Hall, Cassie was once again hit by the sense of awe that had filled her the first time. Hardly anyone was in here, but those who were would not run out of food any time soon (although the Hufflepuff boys in particular were really shovelling it away). Some of the staff were at the Top Table but the entire hall was quiet and peaceful; Cassie could hear her own boots clicking on the stone floor as she crossed it to get to her House's table. At first glance, it appeared to be deserted apart from a few seventh-year boys who didn't seem to be eating, but were just scowling menacingly at a couple of second year Gryffindors with bright red hair. The younger boys were ignoring them, too far away and too engrossed in their lively game of Exploding Snap (they seemed to be gambling sausages) to care about the looks they were getting off of other students. Cassie, however, was a little scared of the older Slytherins and gave them a wide berth, heading to the other end of the long table. As she continued along the table, she noticed a figure hunched over a book, as far as she could get from everyone else. The girl seemed vaguely familiar. "Kenya?" The auburn-haired first-year looked up, tears streaming down her face, eyes blazing. "Kenya? What's wrong?"
"Is Pansy with you?" Cassie sneered in disgust without even realising she was doing so. "Pansy? No! I wouldn't go within arm's reach of her, ever if I could help it. Unfortunately, we're dorm-mates so we'll all have to try to get along. But not at breakfast." Kenya smiled, looking relieved, and gestured to the seat beside her, which Cassie took. "In case you didn't catch it last night, I'm Cassandra - Cassie. What are you reading?" Kenya glanced down at the book in her hands and gulped. "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. I know it's early for revision, but apparently the Potions Master here is a total dragon and I hardly know anything. I thought, since I have him first lesson…" "Yeah." A voice drawled from behind them. "I heard that too. Prone to giving spot-tests at the start of the first lesson, too. Mind if we join you?" Without waiting for an answer, Draco Malfoy slid into the seat opposite Kenya, shooing Crabbe and Goyle further down the table. A thin, weedy looking boy perched nervously next to Malfoy, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the table in front of him. "Cassie, this is Teddy Nott. Our fathers are acquainted. Nott, this is Cassandra Prince." Now Cassie recognised the boy who had taken such a keen interest in their conversation yesterday. "Well?" Malfoy demanded. "Who's your friend?" Kenya muttered an apology and introduced herself. "Well, I don't recognise the surname, do you, Nott?" The smaller boy shook his head, mouth full of bacon.
Kenya blushed, swallowing a mouthful of toast without chewing in her haste to answer. Draco looked on with one raised eyebrow. "You wouldn't. It's a Kalderash name." The other eyebrow joined the first. "I'm descended from a long line of-" Nott cut in, sneering. "Gypsies. Romanian gypsies." Cassie turned to her new-found friend, eyes shining. Kenya flinched. "Really? That's so cool!" Malfoy and Nott were just staring, wide-eyed. Malfoy recovered his composure first. "So, I hear Snape's really harsh on first-years, but of course he'll go easy on us; he's our Head of House, after all. Remember him, from last night?" Kenya looked less than reassured to discover the imposing man who'd greeted them last night was to be teaching her for – she checked her timetable – six hours a week. Nott chimed in. "And we're timetabled with the Gryffindors; he hates them, so we'll get off lightly, I should think. But they call him the big bat from the dungeons, because apparently he's as creepy as one and twice as deadly…" Cassie listened to all this with growing dismay; she had never heard any of this before.
Before they knew it, it was time to make their way down to the depths of the castle, Malfoy speaking in a harsh, spooky voice as he made exaggerated creeping motions down the stairs. "Into the dungeons we plunge, to do battle with the poisonous Professor, the big bat from below…" The red-headed boy and his legendary friend walked past, sniggering. Draco pulled himself up to his full height as Potter chuckled, "Grow up, Malfoy." The redhead stopped and seemed to be about to address the group, but Draco told them both in no uncertain terms to leave them alone. As they disappeared around the next corner he started muttering under his breath. "The big bat from below… Um, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Cassie Prince, Kenya Unpronounceable, myself… Six." He raised his voice once more. "Six go down, but will six come up?"