The Curious Case of Notes Where They Aren't Supposed To Be
-You're a dirty blooded whore like your mother and her mother before her-
Cassie's shoulders tensed when she read the shred of paper which she found on her pillow after lunch. She cursed the tears that pricked the back of her eyes hotly. She crumpled the note and tossed it into the nightstand drawer next to her bed. It lay there next to the seven other crumpled notes.
-You're no better than a mudblood.-
-Hogwarts is clearly not what if used to be if it's letting slags and dirty blooded people such as you rule the school.-
-How dare you sully the Malfoy name with your disgusting self?-
-You and that Potter boy deserve to die.-
-You're a disgrace to the Wizarding World.-
-You don't deserve the Old Magics.-
The one she received yesterday bothered her the most. –You will not live to see Christmas day.-
Cassie sat heavily on her bed, running her fingers through her sleek pale hair. She closed her eyes against her tears.
James' presence grew stronger in her mind. He was in the corridor, then in the common room, then walking up the stairs towards her room. She curled on her side, burying her face in her pillow and pretended to be asleep.
James pushed through the door to Cassie's room. He leaned against the doorframe and looked at her long form curled on her bed. He reached out tentatively with his mind.
He smiled slightly and went to sit on her bed. "You seem to forget that I'm in your head all the time now." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "You got another note didn't you?"
She nodded her head slightly. "The eighth."
She could feel his anger rising. The hand on her shoulder tightened then relaxed. "Are you coming down to the Great Hall?"
Cassie rolled her head to look over at him. "I haven't gone in days. No, I'll sneak down to the kitchens later."
"Cass, he's getting the notes to you in your own room! Going down to dinner would be no different."
"James, I can't be seen in public like this. I'm a wreck. Lily and Rose already know something's wrong. I can't have everyone else thinking something's amidst as well."
He sighed. "I'll bring you up some food. It's going to be alright."
As he left, she whispered. "No it won't."
James slid into the seat next to his sister, shoving her not-so-gently aside with his shoulder. She scowled at him and shoved him back hard.
"Bugger off, Lil!" Albus snapped from the other side of James.
"Go back to the snakes, Al." She hissed back.
James glared at them both. "Shut up, the both of you." His head ached and he was antsy from stress. He shifted in his seat and pushed his dinner around his plate.
Cassie had no idea, but he had been sneaking into Hogsmeade every day as well. He had snooped around as much as he could in the scant amount of time he had. He hadn't seen any sign of the blonde haired man and it bothered him more every day. Somehow, this man was getting notes to Cassie.
A fierce kick from under the table made James jump in alarm. He stared at Rose. She was looking at him pointedly.
"What's your problem?" He snapped.
She glanced over his shoulder.
James looked around and caught sight of what Rose was warning him of. He groaned slightly at the sight of Magnolia Wood walking towards them with her dolled up eyes fixed squarely on him.
"Hex me now." He muttered to anyone who was listening.
Lily snorted. Albus edged away from him. Everyone fell silent.
The Hufflepuff sat in the space Albus had left open, pressing herself against James' side. "Hi, Jamie." She said breathlessly.
He hated anyone but Cassie calling him that; hell, he even hated Cassie for calling him that. "Hello, Magnolia."
She was running her sharp, bubblegum pink, nails over his bare forearm. "Listen, what are you doing tomorrow?"
He wanted to shake her off like an obnoxious dog. "Quidditch." He said without thinking.
She frowned, pushing her glossed lips out. "Liar. There is no Quidditch practice tomorrow – Hufflepuff got the field booked."
He was mildly impressed that she had put in the effort to looking that up. "I meant that I'm going over plays with Cassie. You know, for Quidditch."
Anger flickered across her features before flirtation snapped her features back into a mask of makeup and cotton candy perfume. "Not all day! Leave Cassie for a while and come to Hogsmeade with me." She was whining.
And James was desperate to get rid of her. He forced a smile on his face, though all he wanted to do was run away from this girl. "Sure, Maggie."
She smiled and actually bounced up and down in her excitement. She leaned harder against James to kiss his cheek, leaving behind sticky gloss. "Don't call me Maggie." She said sweetly. "It's Magnolia."
James wiped his cheek furiously as the girl flounced away in her short skirt and tight top. He felt sick.
Albus raised his brows. "Are you trying to rub the skin off your face?"
"Yes." James snapped, feeling heat rise in his face.
Lily was tapping her heel against the floor. "Cassie is not going to be happy, dear brother."
James scowled. "I don't care what Cassie thinks." He lied.
Rose snorted. "You've been spending almost as much time in her room as she has lately." She said dryly. "Anyone else would think that the war between the royalty of Gryffindor has finally stopped."
"There is nothing going on." James said tightly. "I'm just worried. She's been all moody."
Lily laughed. "It's called being a woman, James. Premenstrual syndrome."
James made a face as he stood. "Yuck. Merlin, Lily. Censorship, please."
"She'll bite your head off if you keep bothering her." Lily said.
James grabbed a cookie from her plate. "I'm going to the Owlery, thank you very much for being nosy." He took a bite out of the cookie before turning on his heel and walking from the Great Hall surrounded by troubled thoughts.
James sat against the stairwell wall outside the owlery. He had one of the notes from the mysterious stranger to Cassie in one hand and was writing with the other.
Leave Cassiopeia Malfoy alone or the Headmistress and the Ministry will become involved very swiftly. You should know that she and her family has many connections and so do I. –JP
He was as satisfied as he would get. He ducked into the owlery and found his owl quickly among the other owls there.
Athena was a large, barn owl. She had been a present to James his first year at Hogwarts; at the time he hadn't realized how valuable she was. She was an excellent tracker and could find the source of nearly any note. Neither James nor his father knew exactly how she was able to do it.
Now, James held the stranger's note under Athena's face. She pushed her head against his fingers and then took the note in her beak. She shook her head, ruffling her feathers. While she did that, James tied his note to her leg.
Athena stepped onto his fist and he carried her to the window. She still had the stranger's note held tightly in her beak when she flew silently into the air. James watched her go with anticipation coiled coldly in his stomach.
James yanked back Cassie's blankets the next morning. She yelled aloud and threw one of her pillow at him. She missed by nearly three feet.
"You're aim has got to be better than that for the Quidditch season." He said.
Irritation pounded at his mind through the bond. She groaned and curled around her other pillow. James glared at her.
"Get up."
"No." She grumbled. "Just bring me some toast."
"Nope. Not a chance. Stop being a baby and get up."
One of her eyes cracked open to glare at him. "Asshole."
"No, I'm an asshole now." He said as he picked her up and dragged her out off of the bed.
Cassie shrieked in rage. She strained against him towards her bed. James nearly dropped her as she twisted, but he hefted her up and tightened an arm under her knees. He carried her towards the bathroom. When she saw the bathtub, she started screaming.
"James Potter! Don't you even think about it! If you put me in that tub, I swear to Merlin! Don't you fucking dare, Potter!"
He paused just in front of the bathtub. "Are you coming to breakfast?"
"What? No! Of course-."
James let her go. She crashed into the tub. She screamed and tried to climb her way out of the tub.
"Fucking hell! I'm going to kill you." Her pale hair stuck to her neck.
He crossed his arms and smiled.
She was out of the tub as quickly as a cat. She glared at James fiercely.
He shifted nervously when he noticed the way her shirt clung to her torso. He hadn't thought of that.
Cassie smirked. "You forget I'm in your head, Jamie."
He scowled at her as she walked by him. He followed her out of the bathroom. She rubbed her hair with a towel that she dragged out from a cabinet near her bed. She looked at him with raised brows.
"Is there something else you wanted? You know, other than dunk me in icy water and ruin my morning?" She asked.
"You're coming to breakfast."
"No."
"Yes. Everyone's noticing that you barely come to any of your classes. You're late to Quidditch and you're half-assing everything."
She was shaking her head. "No. I can't act as if nothing is wrong."
He stepped up to Cassie and grabbed her chin.
She stared at him. "Why are you touching my face?"
"Where's the Cassie that I know? You don't give a shit about anyone and you're stronger than everyone else. This man is threatening you, and yes, it's kind of creepy, but you're Cassie Malfoy. You're the daughter of a Death Eater and two of the strongest Aurors other than my father. And my father is Harry fucking Potter."
Cassie frowned. "That's touching and all, but that doesn't explain why you're touching my face."
"I'm making sure you're paying attention." James headed towards the door. "Now come to breakfast and prove everyone wrong."
"Wait!" Cassie cried. "What am I proving wrong?"
He looked at her seriously. "That you're a pathetic, depressing pms-ing idiot." He shut the door behind him, but he could hear her shouting.
"I am not pathetic or depressing or pms-ing!" Cassie shouted after James. "And I'm not an idiot either!"
Cassie glowered after him. Her anger made her open her dresser and pull out her uniform. She dressed quickly, pulling on her skirt and buttoning her wrinkled shirt. She pulled on a blazer with Hogwarts' emblem on her breast pocket. She slid her feet into beat up black sneakers.
She was looping her tie around her neck as she walked out her door.
"I didn't expect that to really work."
Cassie jumped in surprise before sending a swift kick towards James. He grabbed her ankle and yanked her off balance. She crashed to the floor next to him.
"I hate you." She spat.
He grinned at her and helped her to her feet. She was still fumbling with her red and gold tie. James rolled his eyes and took it from her.
"You're terrible at tying this." He said quietly.
"I'm not a man, I shouldn't have to know how to tie a tie."
"You've been doing this for years, how can you not know?"
"Because you always do it for me!" She burst out.
He loosened her tie to just the way she liked it and he patted her cheek sharply. "Come on, breakfast time. We're already late."
As they walked side by side down the empty corridor, Cassie fell silent. James could feel anxiety rising in her. Without looking at her, he slung his arm over her shoulders. He struggled to radiate something calming towards her.
"You're terrible at this." She whispered.
He scowled at her. "Shut up! I'm at least trying."
She smiled at him. "Thanks, Potter." She slid out from under his arm as they reached the Great Hall.
As usual when they arrived together, Cassie pushed both the doors open and strode in. She seemed exactly the same: tall, proud, squared shoulders, smooth expression, and careless grace. It was only obvious to James, who could feel the unstable emotions flowing through her, that she was unsteady and insecure.
"Cassie!" Lily leapt from her seat next to Rose, raising a hand in the air. "Is your cold better?"
Cassie smiled, thankful for the excuse. "Yes, I'm feeling much better." She slid into the seat across from them.
James sat next to her and reached across Cassie for a plate of food. Cassie scowled at him, but leaned back slightly to avoid being hit by the large dish. She filled her glass with black coffee. Lily frowned when she noticed how her hand was shaking. She glanced at James, who shook his head.
"So, Cassie." Lily said at once. "How was your wake up call?"
Cassie scowled. "Cold."
Rose frowned. "What happened?"
Cassie jerked her fork towards James. "He decided that I needed a cold bath just minutes after he tore the blankets off my bed."
James shrugged. "All you had to do was agree to come down to breakfast."
"James!" Rose cried. "That's awful!" She glared at Lily. "You said he would only jump on the bed!"
Lily shrugged, mirroring the image of her brother. "I lied."
Cassie grabbed James' hand suddenly. "James!" She was staring up at the crowd of owls that were flying above the tables.
James could see Athena, though she was covered in blood and she was barely managing to stay aloft. She careened towards him. If James hadn't leapt up to catch her, she would have crashed into the table.
"For Godric's sake, what happened?" Rose cried. "She looks like she got attacked."
Cassie's face was pale. "She was. James, what-?"
Later. The one word echoed in her mind. James was cradling the owl in his arms and running his wand over the wounds. He was trying to cover the worst of the cuts and torn feathers, but Cassie saw them all.
James pulled the bloodied note from Athena's leg when he was done. He uncurled it and read the familiar handwriting.
-It doesn't matter if your father is Harry Potter, if any authority is involved in any way, I won't just kill Cassiopeia Malfoy.-
Cassie's eyes widened as she read it over James' shoulder. She started to shake uncontrollably. James spun and grabbed her arm firmly.
He's going to kill me. He's going to kill you. James, I can't do this.
His eyes burned into hers. No, Cassie. You can! This only tells us that he's frightened of facing anyone other than a child. You are brave. You'll be able to stop him.
Cassie tried to control her shaking, but her fear was building.
Cassiopeia Malfoy! You listen to me! We're in this together. Whoever this asshole is, he is nothing against us. You know us. Have faith in that.
Cassie nodded slightly. She clenched her jaw together tightly and made her eyes flinty. She became strong before his eyes. Cassie took her strength from James' confidence.
She didn't know that he was wearing his confidence like a costume for her sake.
To Be Continued :)
