Chapter Ten

"Please?"

"No."

"It was your idea!"

"No it wasn't!"

"You helped!"

"Cassia, no!"

"Lily, you have too!"

"Why me?"

"You're the only one that they'll think actually happened! If it was with Clover, they'd know we were lying," Cassia sighed, "and it's sad to say that Rem likes Clover and Clover likes Rems. but neither of them will do anything about it. They fight so hard to try and not talk when they're in a group together with their friends."

"Really?" Lily asked.

"Really."

"But why me?"

"He's madly in love with you. It's not like you actually have to snog," Cassia sighed, "I'll do anything to help you with anything you need."

Lily looked at her, thinking, "Anything?"

"Anything."

"Okay, I agree to it," Lily sighed.

"Thanks," Cassia smiled, "I'll see you at dinner."

"Right," Lily nodded.

"Oh, and don't take anything I say to personal tonight. It's all acting," Cassia gave her a small smile, and Lily nodded back, understanding.

Cassia found James, Sirius, Remus and Peter where she left them by the lake, "Okay, we have the girl."

"Who is it?" Sirius asked.

"It's a secret," Cassia teased, "I'll see you at dinner. Let's be inconspicuous today."

"How do you even know that word?" Sirius laughed as they headed into the castle once more.

She told Gretchen and Jacob the plan, and she avoided any confrontations a Slytherin group attempted to give her. Gretchen was quick to pull her wand out and threaten them until they retreated to their little cave under the lake. Dinner seemed to take forever, but when it arrived, Cassia wished it would have taken a little bit longer.

"Come on Cash," Gretchen said pulling Cassia out of the library, "You can do homework later, it's dinner time."

"Gretchen," Cassia sighed.

"You have to do this, Cassia, you can't wait for it to get worse," Gretchen said more loudly than what Cassia would have liked as they passed a group of Slytherins, among them Serein.

"Can you keep it down, Gretchen?" Cassia whined, "This doesn't need to be severely blown out of hand."

"I know, I know," Gretchen sighed, trying to hide her laugh, she was amazed how great Cassia was at pretending. She was, hoping, Cassia was only pretending to be nervous about this. "No worries, love, you have me and Jacob with you."

"Right, and that's to make me feel better, how?" Cassia laughed sarcastically. Gretchen gave her a dirty look as they approached the Great Hall doors.

"Maybe I can do this tomorrow during breakfast, doesn't that sound better?" Cassia asked, hopeful.

"No, Cash, now," Gretchen said as she opened the doors, "you can do it."

"I'm not sure about this," Cassia groaned, an overwhelming feeling of fear washing over her as she stood in the doorway to the Great Hall. James was sitting with Sirius, Remus and Peter as always, and Lily Evans was down about half way from them. "Really, maybe breakfast would be easier."

"Cassia Aesalon," Gretchen had opened her mouth to speak, but the voice that came out made Cassia want to be sick and play dead. Gretchen looked around, surprised at the unknown voice.

Cassia was yanked by her upper arm out of the Great Hall, letting out a small yell of surprise as Gretchen jerked around to see what had happened. It drew many students attention as the four boys quickly stood from the table, not remembering this in the plan.

"Oh shit," Cassia hissed under her breath as she stared up at her Aunt.

"Cassia, Cassia, Cassia," her Aunt shook her head, disapproval written across it. "We got a letter this morning from Keaira. Do you know what it entailed?"

"Something along the lines of I'm a low daughter of the Aesalon clan that should be disowned for being placed in Gryffindor and have betrayed the Aesalon family?" Cassia said, more sarcastic than she pleased.

"Something along those lines," Mirach Aesalon hissed.

"So does this mean that I never have to come home?" Cassia said, almost to joyful.

"No, it means your coming home right now, and you're not returning to this school," Aunt Mirach sneered, grabbing Cassia's arm, "Your Uncle is waiting in the carriage outside. We'll have your things sent home as well."

"Whoa! Who do you think you are! You can't take Cassia out of school like that!" Gretchen argued.

"Who are you?" Aunt Mirach sneered, "Some misbehaved Gryffindor I see."

"Gretchen, it's okay," Cassia said glancing quickly at her friend, "I'll meet you tonight in the dorm."

Aunt Mirach tightened her grip on Cassia, and she knew there was going to be a bruise, "Move it!" Cassia was forced to move through the large front doors to the grounds of Hogwarts and into a carriage that would take them to Hogsmeade Station and they would be able to Apparate home.

The boys arrived shortly as the doors closed, having been stopped by Keaira and a couple other Slytherins to prevent them from stopping Cassia being taken away. This, of course, resulted in threats thrown across the two houses as the Professors were all at the table in front, Professor McGonagal, and Professor Dumbledore both unable to reach the Aesalons before they departed.

The next couple of days went by slowly as Cassia found herself locked inside her room, which had been emptied, except for a mattress that lied on the floor, and the pictures that Sirius and James had charmed one night to never leave the walls unless someone knew the counter-charm and password that Remus had come up with. She spent the days lying on the mattress, staring at the pictures.

Her Aunt and Uncle refused to feed her, thinking she was actually pregnant, and thought to starve the child out of her. They would not listen to any other excuses that she would give, like saying she wasn't, or that her and James had only been pretending to be engaged. Each time, they would shove her back into her room and lock the door.

It must have been Saturday when her Uncle had opened her bedroom door and found the room empty. Infuriated, he quickly left to the kitchen where Mirach had been seated, and told her how Cassia was now missing. After thoroughly searching the room, they could not find her at all, and decided to search the house and grounds, sending their house elves out to find her as well.

Cassia was at St Mungos, she had flooed over using her neighbors fire place while they were out on Holiday. She stayed staring at the name on the door that she had wanted to see for a long time, Aesalon, Charis.

"Mum," Cassia whispered, feeling her heart rate sky rocket. She was forbidden to see her mother, her Aunt and Uncle feared that if she did, that she might have a mental breakdown, and refuse to let Cassia see the woman that gave birth to her. Cassia took in a deep breath before pushing the door open and spotting the dark haired woman lying in the bed. She looked so peaceful, being asleep.

Cassia walked into the room and closed the door quietly behind her as she hovered over her mothers pale features. They had the same black hair that became immensely curly if it had just rained outside, and the same pale pink lips, the top lip almost disappearing if they smiled. The rest, as her Aunt and Uncle had told her, looked like her father. His thick eyelashes, pointed upwards nose, high cheek bones, all traits of an Aesalon.

The same beep followed with every heart beat, peaceful and steady as she slept. It was almost like she was dead, her hands were freezing when Cassia dared to take her mothers hand. She didn't jerk away, or flinch like Cassia thought her mother might.

She took a seat in the chair next to the bed that looked like no one had sat in it for ages. "Hey Mum, it's me, Cassia," Cassia began, "It's been nearly five years now since we last spoke..." Cassia sighed, she felt ridiculous, "I think I did a bad thing, and Aunt Mirach and Uncle Hobart aren't going to be to happy with me.

"I lied to them. I pretended to be engaged to someone and things got out of hand. Rumors spread like wild fire and I think Keaira is out to get me. I don't even have a wand right now. Although, that doesn't really do me any good. I think I should have been born a squib," Cassia frowned. "Is there such a thing as a half squib? Where maybe I just didn't get the genius skill to be able to successfully use magic maybe?"

Cassia sat back with a sigh, "I ran away now, I guess you can say." Cassia stared at her mother, "do you hate me?"

"I could never," Cassia jumped, startled at the sound of her mothers voice.

"You're awake," Cassia stood up quickly, "or am I dreaming?"

"I've been awake the whole time. I thought, when you opened the door, that you might have been a doctor that wanted to make me take medication," Charis told her daughter, "but I wanted to know what you had to say before I said anything."

"You seem well," Cassia said sadly, forcing a small smile, "Will you be able to leave any time soon?"

"No," she frowned, matching her daughters sudden frown, "I won't be able to leave at all."

"I don't understand," Cassia started, "I thought the reason why you came here was because you were ill and it would only take time for you to get better. You have to be able to leave soon. It's been nearly five years."

"Things happen, Cassia, things we can't control," Cassia looked at her mother confused, waiting for a better answer, "I can't tell you much right now, I don't know if I'd ever be able too."

"I don't want to go back to their home," Cassia told her, "I want to go back to Hogwarts."

"Then go," her mother told her, "no body is stopping you from what you really want, Cassia. Your father use to say;

"Go as further than you dream, and follow the heart inside you. We all have a heart of Gryffindor somewhere deep inside," Cassia repeated with her mother.

"Thanks Mum," Cassia nodded, "Do you think I'll be able to see you again soon?"

"As long as you ask Professor Dumbledore first," she smiled. Cassia smiled back and gave her mother a hug, "I've missed you, Cassia."

"I have missed you too," Cassia repeated, "I'll try and see you next week," Cassia paused from leaving, "Aunt Mirach didn't want me to play Quidditch, but I am anyways."

Charis laughed to herself, "that's what your father did. His parents didn't want him to get hurt, but he ended up playing Quidditch."

Cassia sat back down, "How did you meet Dad? I mean, you were in Ravenclaw, weren't you?"

"Your father was in Gryffindor," Charis told her daughter, "he was bravest Gryffindor there was, fighting off the status of being a blood traitor, and the greatest Quidditch player around. He pretended to be engaged to some pure blood in Hufflepuff to free himself, much like you tried."

"Yeah, but he still married a pure blood anyways, it's not like it matters now," Cassia half laughed, "did you just not know him that well?"

"He would have chosen me, Cassia, had it not been I was a Muggleborn."

Cassia stumbled backwards as her mother stated this. "M-m-muggleborn?" Cassia stuttered, "Your a pureblood, aren't you? The whole family of Harte's were ancient and noble..."

"Cassia, deary, you're still you, blood doesn't matter, remember?" Charis told her.

"Charis, that's Greek though, that's most common among pureblood families!" Cassia told her, her anger building.

"I changed my name when I was seventeen. I was born as Cherry Harte, a Muggleborn," her mother admitted, "Cassia, you look pale... why don't you have a seat?"


Soo, little twists and shockers. I had some other stuff I wanted to happen, but I didn't like the way it happened, so I changed it. Hopefully you like this better! What do you think about that? Cassia has always thought she was a pure blood, but low and behold she isn't!