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Chapter 2

"Godrics Hollow? Sure, I know where that is! Climb aboard! I'm Stan Shunpike. What's your name darling?"

Cassie climbed the steps and stood beside the drivers seat. "Cassandra Dursley. Um, sir? I don't have any money."

Stan Shunpike looked at the small girl in front of him, with a heavy looking backpack, and tear stained cheeks. His face softened. "That's quite alright. Who are you visiting in Godrics Hollow?" he asked.

"James and Lily Potter. My uncle and aunt." Cassie explained. "Very good, very good, well, take a seat, and hang on tight!" he exclaimed. The door closed, and Cassie chose a chair near the back, where she could read.

Suddenly she was thrown against her seat, and with a crack, they were in the small village of Godrics Hollow. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and the doors opened again. "Alright Miss Cassandra! Here we are! I'm not too busy tonight so it wasn't a long trip." Stan said cheerfully over his shoulder.

Cassie stood up, a bit shaky, and walked to the front of the bus. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up." she said, looking at Stan with tears in her eyes.

Stan smiled. "Don't worry about it, miss. Have a nice night!" Cassie stepped off the bus, and with a crack, it was gone.

She looked around for a landmark. She had heard about Godrics Hollow from her grandmother the one time she had stayed overnight with her. "Your aunt and uncle live in a cottage at edge of the town, past the church."

She spotted the church easily and made her way towards the lovely looking house on the other side of it.

She reached the door, and with a feeling of dread mixed with excitement, she knocked. She heard a voice, then footsteps. The door opened, and Cassie was looking up into the face of her aunt.

Lily Potter stared at her in shock for a moment. "Cassie? What on earth are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Cassie looked at her, then burst into tears. Lily took her hand and brought her inside to sit in the couch. She held her hand and let her cry. Once Cassie had calmed down a bit, she explained what had happened.

Lily was horrified to hear that Petunia had thrown her own daughter out onto the street like that, but overjoyed to hear that her niece was magical.

"I'm so sorry Cassie. This is terrible. I wish I could be explaining the wizarding world to you under better circumstances. How about I make some tea, and you can meet James, Harry, and Minnie. Then we'll talk, okay?"

Cassie nodded. Lily stood up and went down a hallway. A few moments later a boy with messy black hair and vivid green eyes came rushing in, followed (although not as quickly) by a taller version of the boy, with hazel eyes instead of green.

"I'm Harry." the boy sat down in a chair across from her and stared. The taller man came and sat on the chair next to Harry. "Hello Cassie, I'm James, Lily's husband. And you've already been introduced to my son." he said, smiling at Harry.

"You look like Mum. With blue eyes." Harry said, still staring at Cassie. "Harry, don't be rude." James said, frowning slightly. Harry rolled his eyes.

"My grandmother showed me pictures of her when she was younger. She had blue eyes and red hair. I look just like her." Cassie said softly.

"Yes, Lily gets it from her mum! And Minnie gets it from Lily." James said, turning to see a small red head poking around the corner. "Come here Minnie. Come meet Cassie!" The small girl ran to her father and giggled. Cassie smiled at her.

Lily came out of the kitchen with an assorted tray of biscuits and brightly colored tea cups. She frowned at Harry as she set the tray on ten table. "Don't stare Harry, it's rude." Harry rolled his eyes again, but averted his gaze to the tray of biscuits.

The tea and biscuits were delicious, and Cassie was starving. She laughed when Harry tried to fit an entire biscuit in his mouth and failed. Minnie was utterly enamored with her cousin, and sat next to her for the rest of the evening.

An hour after her arrival, James took Harry and Minnie to their bedrooms, and Lily guided Cassie to the spare guest room. "I hope you sleep well Cassie. And don't worry. Everything will be just fine." Lily told Cassie as she shut the door.

James and Lily sat down in the living room with sad expressions on their faces. Cassie had been disowned. Lily knew that Petunia would never want to see her daughter again. Cassie was a witch, and Petunia had hated her since birth. She looked like Lily. She acted like Lily. Not Petunia.

So it was decided Cassie would stay with the Potters. She would attend Hogwarts. She could even take their last name if she wanted. She would be loved.

James and Lily agreed that it was probably for the best. Cassie looked underfed, and there were red marks on her face and arms. Lily sent a letter to her mother explaining what had happened, and assuring her Cassie was fine.

Cassie laid in bed, thinking about what had happened that night. She knew, somehow, that her parents would never want to see her again. And she didn't really want to see them. The more she thought about it, the more she knew. They had never loved her. And she had never loved them. Not really. She would miss Dudley. They had always played together, and sometimes he had snuck in during the night to read with her.

She liked Lily and James. They were just lovely. Harry and Minnie were absolutely in love with her already, especially Minnie. She fell into a deep, exhausted sleep, dreaming of Hogwarts.