Cassy walked next to Draco into the Great Hall. She stared in amazement at the ceiling; it just looked so real!
"Malfoy, Cassandra,"
Cassy got up and walked nervously to the stool in the center of hall. She did her best to ignore the leers of the Gryffindors and the cheers of the Slytherins.
"Ahh," Cassy heard the hat say, "We have a Malfoy here, well, it's obvious where you belong!"
"Please no," Cassy silently pleaded with the hat.
"Well," the hat was considering her plea, "You don't seem to agree with You-Know-Who's philosophy and you don't like your father. Gryffindor would be good for someone brave enough to risk the wrath of Lucius Malfoy."
"Okay," Cassy thought hopefully. Draco watched with baited breath.
"I'm going, I'm going," the hat paused to bother Cassy and finally continued, "GRYFFINDOR!!"
Cassy sighed and walked down to the Gryffindor table sitting next to Hermione Granger.
Draco walked up and was promptly sorted into Slytherin; Harry and Ron were both and Gryffindor. Ron sat as far away from Cassy as possible and Harry sat right across from Hermione.
20 or so minutes later Lucius Malfoy slipped into the Great Hall and walked over to the Slytherin table.
"Get Blaise and Pansy," he hissed into Draco's ear, "Meet me in the library."
Draco went cold with fear, but remembered to reply, "Yes father."
Lucius walked over to the Gryffindor table where Cassy was in between Hermione and Seamus.
"Cassy" Lucius greeted, "Can I see you in the library?"
Cassy was surprised, "Of course father," she smiled and stood up to follow her dad out of the Great Hall.
"C'mon" Harry said to Ron and Hermione.
"Why?" Ron asked as Hermione stood up.
Hermione replied, "Because we need to see what's happening to Cassy!"
"Oh!" Hermione rolled her eyes; how she became friends with 2 idiots astounded her.
The Trio got up and slipped unnoticed out of the Great Hall.
Cassy stood in between Blaise and Draco in the library as her dad put up a silencing charm. She gasped (quietly) as she saw Harry, Hermione, and (amazingly) Ron sneak in and hide behind a bookshelf.
"I have letters from home for you two," Lucius sneered pointing to Pansy and Blaise, Pansy gulped nervously.
"You two I'll talk to later," Lucius continued looking at his own kids.
First he took off Blaise's concealing charm (Hermione tried not to barf), next he cleared a spot in the center of the room.
"It seems you 'forgot' to clean up your father's fire whiskey bottles and he tripped on them in the middle of his hangover," Lucius told Blaise who promptly sneered, mostly because he was happy his dad was in pain.
"I believe you can tell me the punishment for that Blaise," Lucius finished.
"Three minutes of the cruciatus curse sir," Blaise replied quickly bracing himself for the coming pain. The spell hit him as he silently spasmed and fell to the ground. Three minutes later the spell was finished and he crawled to a corner and waited to be dismissed.
"Pansy," Lucius said addressing the scared looking girl. "Your room was an absolute disaster when you left home;" in actuality she had a pair of shoes and an old jacket on the floor, "that equals two lashes."
Lucius pulled out a muggle horsewhip and Pansy started to whimper. One lash- louder whimpers as skin peeled off her back, next (final) lash-created a loud cry of pain.
Pansy then crawled into a corner right up next to Blaise. "You two are dismissed," Lucius snarled and Blaise and Pansy quickly walked out of the library and up to the Slytherin common room.
Draco had silent tears running down his cheeks, he tried to wipe them away and his dad turned to him and Cassy.
"Such weakness!" Lucius yelled, "No son of mine should have tears on his face!!" he was incredibly pissed off.
"Sorry father," Draco mumbled.
"Sorry isn't enough," Lucius screamed, "It's never enough, isn't that right Cassandra?"
Cassy looked up from the nail she was studying and coolly replied, "Personally, I think him saying sorry to you is more than enough, but…" she trailed off.
Lucius slapped her and turned to Draco whip in hand, "I believe five lashes are in order," Draco tried to be brave and all, but he was just an eleven year old who was very terrified of his dad.
The lashes were administered, after two though, Draco's whimpers turned into shouts and yells and that sort of thing.
Cassy said nothing, but the trio could see the fear in her eyes, Draco had blood problems, if he lost too much he would pass out and then Cassy had only thirty minutes to administer the antidote.
"Now," Lucius sneered looking at Cassy, who looked up at him 'innocently'. "I believe…"
"Father," Cassy interrupted, "Can we go now? I'm quite tired." Lucius backhanded her and continued.
"Draco should have stopped you from disgracing the family name, so five lashes should suffice."
"Are you kidding me," Cassy was annoyed, "I didn't disgrace the family name, in fact my bravery is a good thing for our cause." She tried to make things better, but knew it wouldn't work.
Lucius went to slap Cassy for her insolence but was met with a surprise! Cassy grabbed his hand, "Father I have proposition for you," she said dropping his hand.
Lucius was so shocked all he could do was nod. "How about I take Draco's lashes for him, since it's entirely my fault?" the last part was said mockingly.
Lucius regained his composure, "Fine than Cassy, if that's what you want," Cassy smirked and Lucius turned to Draco, "lucky Cassy's here, Imperio!"
Draco took the whip out of Lucius' hand and pulled up the back of Cassy's shirt. He looked really upset, but couldn't do anything because of the curse. The five lashes were given with such force; Cassy couldn't believe they came from her 11-year-old twin.
When Draco had finished he looked to Lucius for instructions, instead his father removed the curse, lashed him twice across the back (causing blood to flow and Draco to fall unconscious) and walked over to the bleeding girl.
Cassy barely even noticed her father smirking as he walked over to her (whip in hand) because she was to busy staring at Draco's bleeding unconscious body.
Ten lashes later (for disgrace to the 'noble' name of Malfoy) Lucius shoved Cassy to the ground, removed the silencing spell and stalked out of the library.
The trio came out of their hiding place. Cassy stood up and winced as her shirt brushed against her open wounds.
Noticing the trio she said, "You three, help me please, I don't think I can carry Draco's body to the dungeons. He has to take his potion, and soon, otherwise, he could very well die."
Ron snorted and started to leave, but stopped when Hermione said, "Of course we'll help."
"Thanks," Cassy looked extremely grateful. She waved her wand and muttered spells under her breath, sound suspiciously like metamorphasize. Ron had black hair and no freckles, his robes also swept along the ground. Hermione had pin-straight light-brown hair and robes with green markings and small snake on the front. Harry had blonde hair, long enough to cover his scar; his robes stayed the same and his glasses were removed and his eyes turned into a boring blue. (A/n, yes I know its highly unlikely she'd know spells like that, but work with me please)
The first-years walked swiftly down to the dungeon and straight into the Slytherin Common Room. Ron looked extremely worried that someone would catch them.
Cassy laughed, "Ron, no-one will say anything, you're with me, that's enough for even Snape not to give you detention."
"But you're in Gryffindor, and and and, Draco's unconscious."
Cassy's demeanor became a tad more serious, "Look Ron, I know this could be hard to believe and all, but not everyone's life is a fairytale. The people here trust me and know exactly what happened to Draco. Look at Millicent, see that black eye, her mom had a hand in that one, and her dad is responsible for all the other bruises hidden under her robes. Look at Avery; he practically lives at St. Mungo's. Lisa hasn't eaten since Merlin knows when because her sister told their mom Lisa was fat. And lastly, Gary, the redhead in the corner, his parents only speak to him to order him around like a slave."
"Is there anyone in this room, who isn't covered in bruises?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Cassy glared at the two tall dunderheads in front of them, "Crabbe and Goyle don't get beaten up, because they report everything all Slytherins and myself do wrong to my dad." Cassy turned to the boulder-like dunderheads, "Could you to move, please?"
"I don't think so Cassandra," Goyle said snidely.
"Listen you git, move away from the stairs before I make you. There's a potion up there that will stop Draco from dying within the next 10 friggin' minutes."
"Don't make stuff up, it isn't ladylike," Crabbe replied, although Goyle looked a bit worried.
Cassy was incredibly pissed off, "You two would know all about ladylike wouldn't you? But do you think any amount of tattling will save you from my father's wrath if his son and heir dies because of you. Don't think I won't tell him exactly why I have no twin." She was normally polite and careful around Crabbe and Goyle. But now, she was scared and that made her angry.
The dunderheads glared and moved for two reasons, they were scared of Lucius (isn't everyone?) and an angry Cassy was not fun to be around.
Up in Draco's dorm room Cassy rifled through his trunk and sadly, found no potion.
"Shit!" she exclaimed running from the room straight into Snape's private office.
"Whatever happened to knocking?" asked the potions master.
"Screw knocking," Cassy replied, "I need Draco's potion, really badly, in about a minute."
"What happened?" Snape asked while pulling out a small crystal vile and taking a secret passage with Cassy to the common room.
They entered the room when Cassy replied, "I'm a Gryffindor."
She snatched the potion and forced it down the unconscious boy's throat.
Draco shook his head and moaned as he sat up, Hermione grinned and Ron moaned.
"Who are they?" asked Draco pointing at Harry Ron and Hermione.
"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, AKA, the people who helped me drag your fat ass up here."
Draco laughed and rolled over and Blaise and Pansy walked in; Snape however was gaping at the two boys trying to figure out who was who.
"What's happening?" Blaise called out as he plopped on the foot of his bed.
"Blaise Zabini you know you aren't supposed to talk for another hour after a round of the cruciatus, and Pansy, your frail frame can't take two lashes AND walking around, lay down now." Cassy ordered pointing at two of the empty beds.
Cassy laughed as she looked up at her godfather, "Ron has the darker hair and Harry has the lighter hair," she turned to Blaise, "Draco came close to death, again."
"What happened to you Blaise?" Snape asked curiously.
"I 'forgot' to pick up a couple of my father's firewhiskey bottles, and he tripped in the middle of his hang-over" Blaise smirked, "I wish I could have been there to see it, it's hilarious to see him fall on his face.
"Sit down and shut up, I have a friggin wand and I know how to use it," Cassy half-shouted while brandishing her stick in her betrothed's (Blaise's) face.
Blaise closed his mouth reluctantly and sat back down on the foot of Draco's bed because Pansy had obediently laid on his. "You can already do a silencing charm?" Hermione was astonished.
"I had to learn because otherwise Blaise here won't ever shut up and then tomorrow he won't be able to talk and his friggin throat will hurt and he'll barf 50 friggin times."
Blaise smirked and Cassy groaned. Snape was amazed; he couldn't believe the how easily they got over pain and torture. Blaise baited his dad and laughed about the cruciatus curse. Snape decided to ask Cassy about it later.
NEXT DAY-- Potions Class BTW Snape still hates the trio, just because they're friends with Cassy doesn't mean anything.
The Slytherins filed into the potions room. They sat down systematically, leaving a seat in the center for Cassy. They Gryffindors entered laughing and joking. While the rest of her house took time finding seats a safe distance away from Snape; Cassy sat in the middle of the Slytherins.
Snape talks and asks Harry the questions he can't answer.
"Well, Cassandra, perhaps you'd be so kind as to answer the questions for your housemate?" Snape inquires with a slight sneer.
Goyle prods her in the back; Cassy turns around to give him a glare before standing up and replying, "Of course professor," and she answers the questions perfectly because the answers were beaten (literally) into her.
"Thank you," Snape replies and turns to teach his lesson. One hour later the class gets out of their seats to head to Transfiguration, "Cassandra, can I have a word please," Cassy smiles, nods, and tells her 'friends' to head on without her.
Out of earshot she rounds on Snape, "What do you want?"
"Whoa Cassy," Snape is taken aback, "What happened,"
"You happened," she shot back, "What were you thinking making me answer those questions? You know it will only make the other Gryffindors hate me and I have to spend the next seven years of my life with them."
"Why do you care so much about what they think?" Snape wanted to know. "You've never cared about what anybody else said before?"
Cassy calmed down a bit before replying, "I want them to know the real me, because if they become my friends I'll know they like me for me and not because their parents ordered them to hang out with a 'Malfoy'."
Snape looked at his god-daughter and smiled, he knew what she meant, that she wanted to be accepted by people who weren't destined to join the Death Eaters.
"So," Cassy asked as she plopped down on his desk, "What did you want to ask me?"
"What happened last night, you guys didn't seem to care at all?"
"Oh that," the young blonde laughed, "We get over things quick, we don't want to let it get us down, besides I learned that sitting and sulking makes life miserable."
Snape nodded, "Well you best get on before McGonagall hunts me down," Cassy smiled and headed to her next class.
Snape sat there thinking that if he'd been more like that bunch of kids if his life wouldn't have been so lonely. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, it would be a good idea to try and get along with people, maybe even date some more. He hadn't dated anyone since Lily and James' wedding.
Cassy walked into Transfiguration about ten minutes late.
"Where have you been?" McGonagall asked giving her one of those teacher looks. (My teacher is really good at those!)
"Professor Snape needed to see me after class," Cassy smiled politely.
"That does not excuse lateness," McGonagall looked at Cassy sternly. "Ten points from…" she looked at Cassy again and just said, "Next time get a note."
Cassy smirked and headed to her seat. McGonagall might not be biased like say Snape, but she would've taken points off Cassy because she was in Slytherin, but when she remembered that Cassy was Gryffindor, she stopped.