The teachers around them were surprised that the headmaster's phoenix was acting fatherly, to a young girl.
Albus smiled fondly, petting Fawkes, smiling at his adopted daughter, and smiling to himself, thinking for the first time that his life will be more eventful with a young daughter in his life and in Hogwarts.
Severus was trying to keep his face blank, and not letting any emotion show on his face, for he was sure that Albus would tease him, or rebuke him now that Albus's young daughter that Severus will end up teaching.
Oh how he hated his life right now. He knew that all young children were a nuisance, though he was loathe to admit it, there were some children that he liked teaching. The ones that were interested and showed potential of the art of potions; those children he liked teaching. The ones he didn't like were children that didn't know what a Dreamless Sleep was, and he was sure that Albus's precious little adopted daughter didn't know either.
This school year was going to be hell.
"Ah, Severus, would you like to join us in showing Cassandra around Hogwarts?" Albus asked, his eyes twinkling, almost as though he knew that he was going to be torturing him.
Severus didn't hide his sneer, and looked at Cassandra once, and then looked up at Albus, his eyes still twinkling, and answered with much disdain clear in his silky voice.
"As much as that delights me, Headmaster, I must refuse. I still have potions to brew, and get my classroom ready for the…students." Severus said, giving one last sneer in Cassandra's way before turning back to his breakfast.
Feeling his daughter's sadness through the mark, Fawkes preened her hair gently, hoping that his action would give her some comfort of having someone who will be her teacher in a short time, dislike being around her.
Do not fret my dear, he's like this every year. Fawkes trilled, still preening his daughter's hair, noticing that his preening was calming her down.
Cassandra looked sadly down at her plate, before standing up and leaving the hall, not seeing her dad's eyes follow her sadly, giving a small smile, finishing off his breakfast, giving her time to get control of her emotions.
Severus gave Cassandra's leaving form an annoyed look before returning to his breakfast. He didn't care if she was saddened suddenly, that she apparently wanted to be in his presence. He absolutely didn't care. Not a single bit.
Cassandra found herself outside, standing in the doorway of the Great Doors, trying to decide if she wanted to go down to the late and just cool down, or to go explore what lay a little ways away from the lake, where a hut stood.
Making up her mind, she left towards the lake, feeling her sadness crushing her breath away from her lungs. Ever since her parents had died, she wanted to feel like she was accepted and welcomed, but Severus made her feel unwelcome, and unaccepted, what had she done wrong? She was quiet, didn't speak out of turn, and she even knew to keep her mouth shut when adults were talking, so why did he dislike her so much?
Fawkes watched his daughter leave the Great Hall sadly, he knew what his daughter was feeling, and he wanted more than anything to wrap his wings around her and hold her tightly, as though he was human.
Fawkes turned his head to the person who made his daughter sad, and gave him a sharp peck on the head before flying after his daughter, not wanting her to be alone in her sadness, when he knew that he could help cheer her up.
Severus rubbed the spot that the phoenix pecked and glared at it, his obsidian eyes narrowed dangerously. He got up and left the Great Hall, going back to the dungeons and to his private potion lab to start his potions and to clear his head, if only for a while.
Albus watched his daughter, Fawkes and Severus, feeling a little sad on how Severus treated his daughter, but didn't think anything serious was happening between them. He knew that Severus didn't really like being around children, especially when the time of year to teach came tomorrow, he still wished that Severus handed himself a little better than what he did.
Albus couldn't but to chuckle at Fawkes display of annoyance at Severus, though Albus had to say that Severus did deserve it, Fawkes was behaving more of a overprotective father to his child that wanted nothing but the extreme best, and wanted his daughter to feel like she belonged in a place she didn't know of till just a day ago.
Cassandra sat at the edge of the lake, her toes in the water, her arms around her knees, her chin resting on her folded arms, looking out at the lake, wishing more than ever that her parents were alive and that she wanted their arms around her, hugging her tightly saying that she was special, that she belonged where she was.
Tears of shimmering gold fell from her eyes as she cried silently for the parents that she didn't have in her life anymore, for the unfairness that she had been treated by a someone who would be her teacher in a matter of two days time. She buried her head in her arms, her silent sobs shaking her small frame, her glittering in the sun, bringing forth a flower that hasn't bloomed since the founders of Hogwarts.
The flower matched the color of her tears, the petals shaped in tear drops, the stem a rich deep green, sprang forth between her legs, where her tears dropped continually on the flower, making it grow stronger.
The last tear fell from Cassandra's eyes before she opened them, seeing the flower glowing faintly gold, letting her fingertips caress the tear dropped petals, feeling how soft and fragile the plant was, not wanting it to come to harm, she looked around for something to dig it up with, and something to put it in.
Cassandra thought for awhile, before remembering that there was green houses near the castle that she had exited out of just mere minutes before. She hurriedly got to her feet, running in the direction of the green house, not seeing her father turn gracefully in the sky to follow her to see what she was up to.
Cassandra burst into the green houses, frightening poor Professor Sprout.
"My dear girl! You gave me such a fright!" Professor Sprout said, putting her hand on her chest where her heart was, feeling it flutter about, trying to get it back to its normal pace.
Cassandra looked sheepish before replying. "Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, I was just wondering if I could have a spade and a small pot, I found a flower that is fragile, and I wanted to make sure that no harm came to it," She said in a rush, hoping that she could get the items that she wanted.
"A flower huh? If you don't mind, I would like to come," Professor Sprout said, getting out a spade and a small pot for Cassandra, coming to stand in front of her, holding out the items, a gentle, friendly smile gracing Professor Sprout's face.
""Of course! I'm going to need help," Cassandra said, her face splitting up in a smile in return to Professor Sprout's.
Cassandra was chattering away to Professor Sprout about the flower that suddenly appeared, and how fragile looking it was. Professor Sprout smiled and nodded, letting the usually quiet girl talk, noticing how excited she was about this one single flower.
'If she keeps this up, she'll do great in Herbology.' Professor Sprout thought, smiling in excitement about having a student who would thoroughly enjoy her class.
Cassandra and Professor Sprout reached the spot that Cassandra cried, where her tears landed, creating a flower.
"This is it, Professor," Cassandra said, her excitement showing as she gently jumped on the toes of her feet.
Professor Sprout tried keeping her smile of excitement on her face, as her worry gnawed at the back of her mind. She knew this flower, though the last time it did was in Norway, where a Phoenix cried in sorrow and left a flower near the person that took care of it, and flown away, to presumably to die.
"Dear, how did you find this flower?" Professor Sprout asked, looking around her to see any feathers of Fawkes, hoping that it wasn't his Sorrow Flower.
"I found it in between my legs, like this," Cassandra sat down, where the flower was indeed in between her legs.
"It just appeared then?" Her worry growing considerably.
"Yep." Cassandra said, smiling, getting up to stand, looking closely at Professor Sprout, she saw worry.
'Why is she worried? It's just a flower right?' Cassandra thought, noticing her father a few paces away, and seeing worry on his face as well.
My dear, are you feeling okay?
Cassandra walked away from Professor Sprout, noticing that she was digging around the flower to put it into the pot that Cassandra put down beside it.
"Yes, I'm feeling fine, Father. Why are you and Professor Sprout so worried, it's just a flower." Cassandra whispered, sitting down in front of her father, sitting up straight when he clicked his beak.
Oh, my dear, I have much to teach you of your phoenix side.
"My phoenix side? Oh, right. Can you tell me now?" She whispered, hoping that he could explain her phoenix side, getting an idea that even though she was human, her blood must hold more phoenix than human.
Later my dear, Professor Sprout is done, she'll want to speak to your Dad about this. I want you to come to your Dad's office once he's done talking with Professor Sprout.
"Of course, Father," Cassandra whispered, getting up, looking up Professor Sprout as her lips twitched downward into a small frown.
Wait outside the gargoyle till Professor Sprout tells you to visit your Dad, understood? Fawkes trilled, though worried, sounding like a strict parent giving instructions to follow closely or punishment will ensue.
Cassandra nodded, letting her father know that she understood and would do as he said. Fawkes nodded back, taking flight towards Madame Poppy's office, getting her ready if things turned into a dire situation.
"My dear, I need to have a word with your Father," Professor Sprout said, her worry still clearly on her face, but a gentle smile graced her lips, softening her worry slightly.
Cassandra nodded, not really wanting to talk, feeling extremely tired. Seeing her tiredness, Professor Sprout came especially worried, hastened to the Headmaster's office, not noticing a tiring child follow her.
Fawkes and Poppy waited in the Headmaster's office, Poppy with the help of Fawkes learned what has upset the gentle phoenix, and went up the Headmaster seeing if Pomona Sprout came to him with a unique flower.
Cassandra yawned and stumbled trying to follow the hurrying figure of Professor Sprout, though her with her tiredness, she couldn't really care if she was left behind to where she can sleep. She's never felt this tired, not even when she stayed up for two days in grief and pain. Cassandra couldn't figure it out, but she was determined to follow, not wanting to disappoint her father.
Severus was climbing the stairs to the library when a streak of green and brown passed by him in a great hurry. He narrowed his eyes at the figure, trying to figure out why Pomona was running up the stairs if a fire elemental was at her heels.
He turned around and spotted Albus's daughter struggle up the stairs, stopping to yawn a jaw breaking yawn and continue on her way, her pace very slow and sluggish, making Severus's brain to think of why such a young child would be this exhausted. He waited till she was a few steps before him when he watched her left foot miss the step and took a stumble and land on the stairs with a loud thump.
"Ouch," Cassandra said before another yawn stole from her lips, struggling to keep her eyelids open to see where she was going. Giving up and surrendering to the feeling of tiredness, she promptly fell asleep where she feel, her head resting on her arm.