Author's Note: In case you're reareading this or something, I did make a few very minor changes. What Cassiopeia says is her favorite class (to fit more with later chapters) or rewording, things like that. Nothing that changed the plot at all or makes it rereading necessary to get the content.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Chapter Three: Confounding
By mid-November, even Dawn and Marica were thoroughly fed up with Cassiopeia Malfoy.
"Why," said Marica as they left for breakfast one morning, followed as always by the silent little girl, "does she insist on following you everywhere you go?"
"I don't know!" said Lily in frustration. "It's not like I encourage her. I hardly talk to her. I've told her to leave me alone, but she's too either too stuck up or too painfully shy or just too dull to make any friends. I can't believe she's related to strut-in-your-face Scorpius Malfoy."
"You should talk to her," said Dawn.
"It's like talking to a wall," said Lily. Although that wasn't strictly true, conceded Lily. The girl definitely heard her, and Lily thought she understood her. But she only answered back when asked a direct question.
"You should talk to Scorpius," said Marica.
"No way," said Lily.
"Then talk to Al," said Dawn.
"I've tried that," said Lily. "He doesn't listen."
Nevertheless, after dinner she approached her youngest brother as he was leaving he Great Hall.
"Al, can I talk to you?"
"Uh, if it's quick. What about?"
"Cassiopeia Malfoy. She's driving me crazy! It's been two and a half months. Tell Scorpius to tell her to bug off!"
"Maybe if you'd be nice to her you wouldn't find her such a nuisance. You're just being stubborn."
"Me?" said Lily. "Ha. You're one to talk. At least I don't strut around as if I owned the school. News flash, you and Scorpius are not princes."
Scorpius, who had come up behind Albus, flashed her a grin. "Those girls over there would beg to differ with you, sweetheart," he said, running his fingers through his silky hair.
"Argh!" said Lily furiously. "Thanks for nothing, big brother!" And she stormed away, determined to find James. Maybe he would actually listen to her.
Lily found James sitting in the Gryffindor common room, doing work and chatting with a bunch of his friends, including most of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, of which he was the captain.
"Uh, hey James?" said Lily. She always felt a little shy when approaching him and all of his upper year friends.
"Hey, Lils," he said, smiling at her. "What's up?"
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure," her oldest brother got up from his chair and followed her to a less crowded corner of the room.
"Something wrong, Lily?"
Lily jerked her head toward Cassiopeia Malfoy, who was hovering a few feet away.
"You're a Gryffindor Prefect, can't you get her to leave me alone? She follows me everywhere like some sort of shadow. I agreed to help her settle into Hogwarts at the beginning of the year and now I can't get rid of her!"
James looked the tiny girl over.
"What does she do to you?"
"That's just it," said Lily, "nothing! She just stands there. Sometimes I think she's going to say something to me, but when I look at her she just ends up opening and shutting her mouth like a fish. I think she might be simple."
"Well..." he said slowly, "maybe if she had some friends her own age..."
"She never talks to anyone," said Lily.
"Maybe you could introduce her to some of the first years," said James. "Try being nice to her and easing her away from you, since ignoring her obviously isn't working."
"But she's such a—a kid," said Lily.
"Come on, Lily, I know you can be patient if you really try," said James, grinning.
"I have been patient," Lily protested. "For the last two and a half months I have been patient."
"Introduce her to some other first years," James advised. "It's been good talking to you, Lily, but I've really got to get back to my work and my team. Feel free to find me if you have any more problems though." He gave her a brotherly smile and a one-armed half hug.
"Thanks James," said Lily.
*****BWST*****
"Little Malfoy?" said Lily without looking up from her homework, knowing that the girl would be there.
Cassiopeia took a couple steps toward Lily. Lily finished the last sentece of her essay and then looked up.
"Alright, come with me," she said to the little girl. "I'm gonna introduce you to some other kids, okay?"
Inwardly Cassiopeia rolled her eyes at the baby talk. Maybe I should have been in Ravenclaw, she thought. Then they'd assume I'm smart without me ever having to open my mouth.
Nodding, Cassiopeia followed Lily as she walked over to a group of first years were were trading chocolate frog cards.
"Can Lit—er—Cassiopeia join you?" asked Lily.
"Uh, yeah, sure," said a chubby boy, looking up from his cards. "Has she got any cards?"
"Do you have any cards?" Lily asked after a moment when Cassiopeia didn't answer.
"Yes," said Cassiopeia softly. "Upstairs."
"Why don't you go get them and then come down and play with..."
"Hector," said the chubby boy.
"Okay," said Cassiopeia.
"There," said Lily, releaved, and she went back to the table she had been sitting at.
Cassiopeia came down a minute later with her chocolate frog cards and laid them out on the floor in front of the other first years. As the rest of the group traded cards, she would nod or shake her head when they offered her a trade, occasionally suggesting a different offer. As usual, her head came up with many additions to their animated conversation, but none of them were actually verbalized. Eventually the rest of the first years got tired of trading frog cards and got up to leave the common room. Cassiopeia stayed where she was, sitting on the floor with her chocolate frog cards, watching Lily Potter do her homework and talk to Marica Prewet and Dawn Hartly.
*****BWST*****
A good while later, Lily looked up.
"Where did your friends go?" she asked Cassiopeia.
They're not my friends, though Cassiopeia. I barely know them. She shrugged.
"Well why didn't you go with them?"
Cassiopeia shrugged again. "They didn't ask me to."
Lily sighed in exasperation. "Don't you have homework to do?"
"Finished it."
Lily huffed and turned back to her friends, shaking her head in despair.
*****BWST*****
"Hey, Lily, guess who?"
Lily pulled the hands away from her eyes and turned around.
"Rose!"
Rose came around to the front of the couch and sat down beside Lily.
"So, how's my favorite little girl cousin?" she said.
"Rose, I am your only little girl cousin."
"That's what makes you my favorite."
Lily laughed. "I'm okay. I haven't died from the homework load—yet."
"But third year is such a good year!" protested Rose. "You learn so much!"
"Only you, Rose," said Lily, shaking her head. "How's your O.W.L year going?"
"Oh, it's really good," said Rose, beaming. "I've been really busy with my Prefect duties of course, that's why I haven't gotten to hang out with you as much as I'd like. Say, have you talked to Hugo lately?"
"No," said Lily. "Why don't you ask Al? For some reason that I can not fathom your brother's greatest ambition is to be my brother."
"Well, Al and Scorpius are two of the most popular students at Hogwarts," said Rose.
Lily made a 'pfft' sound.
"I didn't say I approved," said Rose. "I certainly hope Hugo doesn't turn into such a-a toublemaker."
"I'm glad someone agrees with me," said Lily.
"Where're Dawn and Marica?" said Rose.
"Dawn's at Quidditch practice and Marica's 'studying'," said Lily, making air quotes with her fingers.
"'Studying'?" said Rose, immitating Lily's air quotes.
"That's what she says she's doing," said Lily. "But Darin Thomas doesn't strike me as the bookish type."
"Darin Thomas? That third year in the Wizards' Chess Club?"
"Yeah, him. He's had his eye on Marica for a while now. I don't think they've got much in common though."
"Ah," said Rose. "How about you and River Thurshal?"
"What about me and River?" said Lily.
"River and me," Rose corrected. "And you know, has anything happened? Has he asked you out?"
"Asked me out?" Lily spluttered. "Why does no one believe me when I say we'ere just friends? I don't see him that way, and I'm sure he doesn't see me that way either."
"Suit yourself," said Rose shrugging.
Suddenly Rose looked around. "Oh, hi," she said.
"Who are you talking to?" said Lily.
"Malfoy," said Rose.
Lily followed Rose's gaze and saw, surprise, surprise, Cassiopeia Malfoy standing a little ways away.
"Don't waste your time," said Lily. "She's not one for conversation."
"Don't talk about her like she's not here," Rose chided. "Hi, you're Cassiopeia Malfoy, right? I'm Rose Weasley." She extended her hand.
Cassiopeia blinked. "Hi."
Rose dropped her hand to her side. "Er—how are you liking your classes so far?"
Cassiopeia shrugged. Actually, she liked her classes, but shrugging was easier than talking to someone she didn't know, especially someone so much older than herself.
"What's your favorite class?" said Rose.
Cassiopeia thought about it. "Astronomy," she said, staring at the wall behind Rose's head.
"Oh..." said Rose. "I can lend you some books if you want..."
Cassiopeia shrugged.
"Rose, your books are too confusing to lend to anyone, especially a first year," said Lily.
"Hmm," hummed Rose discontentedly. "I remember a first year who very much resented being treated like a little kid. And I know a third year who still does." She gave Lily a meaningful look.
"Rose—" started Lily, but just then there was a loud popping sound at the other end of the room and arguing voices rose above the rest of the chatter. Rose immediately got up to resolve the dispute, leaving Lily sitting on the couch, looking unconfortably at Cassiopeia Malfoy. Luckily she was saved by the return of Dawn, flushed and grinning, who proceeded to give a play-by-play account of the Quidditch practice. Lily had a very minimal interest in Quidditch, but she welcomed the distraction which gave her an excuse to look away from those usettlingly round blue eyes.
*****BWST*****
Christmas was in the air. Snowflakes drifted down lazily outside the castle windows, wreathes of holly and pine appeared on the doors of classroom, garlands of popcorn, cranberries, and christmas lights were strung up in the hallways, students made sure to look above their heads before going through doorways incase someone had hung mistletoe there, and Peeves went floating about over everyone's heads, singing rude parodies of Chrismas carols at the top of his lungs.
Christmas was probably Lily's favorite time of the year. Hogwarts castle always seemed so bright and cozy around the holiday season, everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and, as Dawn was fond of pointing out, there was a nearly endless supply of good things to eat. Of course there were also the presents. But the thing that Lily liked more than anything else about Christmas was that it meant two weeks spent with her entire extended family, and without any Malfoys.
The holidays, however, were still more than a week away and the mood was dampened somewhere by the fact that the students somehow had to keep their excitement in check long enough to focus on their exams.
"Why," moaned Dawn, as she turned her star chart back and forth, squinting at the illustrations, "do we have to know this?"
"It's important if you want to go into certain careers," said Marica, making a note on her own chart.
"Yeah, maybe," said Dawn, "but I don't want ot go into those careers. So what's the point?"
"But it's fascinating!" said Rose, who was studying for her own exams closeby.
"Not to me it's not."
Dawn gave an exaggerate yawn, but Rose, who was frantically taking notes from her Arithmancy book, didn't notice. It was her O.W.L year and she had worked herself into a nervous frenzy over the exams, which everyone but her was sure she would pass with flying colors.
"Oh, no," she mumbled, flipping through her notes. "I have almost nothing about Caparthy's Specific Laws of Reduction! I just know they're going to be on the test."
"Rose," said Lily and Rose's cousin Louis tiredly. "You're the best in your year. You'll do fine."
"Fine!" said Rose. "I have to do better than fine! And besides, I'm not the best in my year, Scorpius Malfoy is just as good."
Louis groaned, he cared for the Slytherin about as much as Lily did. "Enough with Scorpius Malfoy already," he said. "The boy's not even that good-looking." He smoothed his own silvery-blond locks with his fingers.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Vain," she muttered. "You just wait until you have O.W.L s next year. See how you handle them."
"Hopefully better than you," he smirked.
She threw him a dirty look.
"Relax, Rosie," he said, using the nickname she hated. "You'll do great."
Lily set aside her star chart and opened her Charms book.
"I think we could all use a Cheering Charm right about now," she said, thumbing through the pages.
"Finally," said Dawn, "something practical!"
"Are there any charms in there to get rid of tag-alongs?" said Marica, looking past Lily at Cassiopeia, who was curled up in an armchair like a cat. They could just see her silver-blue eyes over the top of the Transfiguration book propped up on her knees.
"Some of the first years over there are forming a study group," said Rose distractedly, jerking her head at the other side of the room but not looking up from her work. "Maybe you can suggest that she join them."
Dawn and Marica looked at Lily.
"Why me?" Lily protested.
"She's your tag-along," Marica pointed out.
Scowling, Lily got up from the sofa an approached the small Malfoy.
"The other first years have a study group going over there," she said, indicating the far corner. "Why don't you go and join them?"
The little girl gave a shrug.
"Go on, go study," said Lily, giving the girl a push.
Cassiopeia picked up her books and walked over to the gathering of first years. Sitting in the corner agaisnt the wall, she reopened her Transfiguration book and continued studying by herself.
Lily sighed. "That girl has serious social issues."
"Maybe the Christmas holidays will ween her of her obsession with you," said Dawn.
"It's not even like an obsession," said Lily. "It's more like a—a habit or something. She's just always there."
"Well, maybe being away for two weeks will break it," said Marica.
"Let's hope so," said Lily.
*****BWST*****
Finally the exams were over and it was time for the holidays to begin. Lily was sure she had done at least decently on all of her exams except for History of Magic, which was her least favorite class anyway. Hugo, who was sure he had failed his Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, assured her that she had probably done brilliantly in all of her exams and not to worry. She hardly needed the advice though; she was far to excited about the Christmas holidays to worry about exam marks that she couldn't change anyways.
Lily, Dawn, Marica, and Rose piled onto the Hogwarts express on Saturday morning chattering excitedly. Rose soon left to join some of her fellow fifth years and Lily, Dawn, and Marica found a compartment for themselves. For once Cassiopeia Malfoy was not following them. Lily could only assume that she was with her older brother, and so much the better in Lily's opinion. The three girls were soon joined by the rest of their dorm mates; Tamzen Guthrie, Brandi Formans, and Paloma Cartrez, along with Tamzen's boyfriend of the week, the new Hufflepuff Chaser Logan Smiths.
The seven of them passed the train ride playing Wizards' Chess, discussing Quidditch (Dawn, Tamzen, Brandi, and Logan), the news (Lily, Marica, and Paloma), and boys (Marica, Dawn, and Paloma), and eating snacks they bought off the trolley when it came by.
About halfway through the trip several loud explosions echoed from a compartment several doors down, followed by the sound of familiar laughter.
"Oh no," said Lily, as she saw a blond head and a dark one dart through the corridor. "What are they up to now? On second thought, I don't want to know."
Not everyone in the compartment shared this opinion, however; Logan, Tamzen, Brandi, and Paloma all stood up and went to the compartment door to get a look. When everything had finally settled back down Logan said, "Hey, when did she get here?"
Lily glanced over to the seats across from theirs and saw that they were no longer empty. She groaned.
Cassiopeia Malfoy was sitting crosslegged in the next set of seats, reading a small paperback book.
"Why aren't you with your brother?" said Lily in an annoyed tone.
Cassiopeia looked over the top of her book. Her eyes went to the door leading into the corridor and her thin, pale eyebrows lifted.
Lily was baffled.
"Talk like a normal person, would you?" she said irritably.
Cassiopeia would have dearly liked to make a sarcastic retort to this remark, but all she managed was, "He's busy."
Lily remembered the bangs and laughter. Oh. Right. "Yes...well, I imagine he is," she huffed. "Well, leave us alone."
That's what I was doing, thought Cassiopeia.
*****BWST*****
"Look!" cried Dawn, leaning so far out of the window she was liable to fall out. Marica grabbed her around the waist. "I can see the platform!"
The rest of them immediately crowded around the window to try and get a glimpse of platform 9 ¾ as it came into view. Leaning around Dawn, Lily saw her parents waving at the train and waved back, grinning. She hadn't missed them exactly, Hogwarts was much too interesting and far too much like home, but it was good to see them.
The Hogwarts Express shuddered to a stop and the students on board grabbed their luggage and began crowding the doors, eager to get onto the platform. Lily waved goodbye to Dawn and Marica as they spotted their parents and ran off in opposite directions, then she joined the small army of Potters and Weasleys heading toward the group of adults standing off to the left.
"Hi, Lily," said her father, scooping her up in a big hug.
Her mother tried to plant a kiss on Albus's cheek but he squirmed away with a pentulant cry of "Mu-um!"
"How was school?" asked Lily's father, ignoring the looks the rest of the people on the platform were sending his way.
"It was good," said Lily, smiling up into her father's face. "Only—"
She was interrupted by a loud shout. "Bye Al! See you next term. Can't wait for more Marau—"
"SHHH!" said Albus, cutting Scorpius off.
"Oops, sorry," said Scorpius, not looking sorry at all. He waved to Albus, who waved back. At his side the diminuitve figure of Cassiopeia Malfoy raised a hand and waved too. Lily ignored the gesture.
"Only what?" said Harry, never one to miss hints dropped by his children. Lily was pretty sure he had gotten the one Scorpius let slip about "Maurading" too and would check his desk drawer as soon as he got home.
"Only her," said Lily, nodding jerkily toward the youngest Malfoy.
"She got Sorted into Gryffindor and somehow Scorpius and Al got it into their heads that I should 'take care of her' at the beginning of the year. She hasn't stopped following me around since!"
Harry gave her a sympathetic look. "Give it time, Lily girl," he said.
Lily smiled, somehow her father had a way of making everything seem not as bad as it had before.
"Let's go," said Hugo, ever the impatient one.
"Good idea," said his dad, Lily's Uncle Ron, clapping his son on the shoulder. "I'm starved."
AN: As always, if you feel so inclined I would love to get reviews from you, no matter how long ago this chapter was written.
