A/N: Me again! Sorry it took sooooo long, but I just felt discouraged because like always, nobody reviews my stories! I don't know what's wrong with them, I really work hard on them… L oh well, it's Christmas, and I'm gonna be all happy, happy! So I posted this new chapter – hopefully it's gonna answer to your questions.

Thanks to all the sweet people who reviewed! Getting reviews is the best thing ever!

OK, enjoy now.

PS: just watched ROTK (return of the king) it rocks!! But my favorite part – the one where Eowyn and Faramir get together – hasn't been filmed! L now you've got to write lots of reviews to cheer me up…

PPS: when will I ever learn to make my A/Ns shorter???

Chapter 2 – Cassandra

Next day, we had the pleasure to encounter Miss Cassandra Malfoy, on her respectable brother's arm. At that time, I thought that of course, the pleasure was relative. And let's not discuss what I thought about the 'respectable brother'.

She was not even a Slytherin, as I found out at breakfast. She was a Hufflepuff. Quite strange, for a Malfoy. I didn't see her face at that time, though, only her back. I noticed the striking lack of similarity between her and Malfoy a bit later. Harry and I were running towards the Transfiguration room – we were almost late. But then I glimpsed Malfoy, and braked abruptly. Harry bumped into me, and groaned a complaint.

"What is it?" he asked.

I myself didn't know exactly why I had stopped, so I baffled something senseless. It was then that he said:

"Look – who's this?"

Indeed, a young girl was walking beside Malfoy. She was quite petite, and dressed in immaculate white, not the usual uniform. Her features were very similar to Malfoy's, but something essential differentiated them. They were both blonde, but while his hair had gleaming golden and silvery highlights, hers was matte and curled in angel curls. They were both pale, but Malfoy's cheeks had a healthy, rosy blush and a natural shine, while his sister looked almost sickly. They had exactly the same features, the same aquiline nose, the same square jaw, the same high cheekbones, the same elegant forehead… but somehow, the girl's evanescent, ethereal expression ruined the resemblance. After my musings, I came to the deduction that their looks couldn't have been more opposite.

Malfoy noticed my glance on them, and frowned.

"What's the matter with you, Granger?" he hissed.

"Is that your sister?" I asked, ignoring his remark.

His face softened a bit.

"Yes."

"Hey" I said to her. "I'm Hermione Granger."

She nodded thoughtfully, and clasped my extended hand in her icy fingers, but she didn't reply.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Cassandra."

I was about to ask something else, when I noticed it wasn't her who had informed me. Nor had it been Malfoy. So it was Harry. But how the hell had Harry known the Malfoy girl's name?

She was presently staring at him, as was Malfoy. While her eyes expressed sudden understanding, as a vision had revealed itself to her, his visage was grimmer than ever – frowning, facing Harry with possessiveness.

"Yes." She confirmed. "And you are Harry Potter, I suppose."

He nodded, and shook her hand. I noticed that his' was trembling, for no visible reason. I met Malfoy's questioning glance, and shrugged. This seemingly reminded him who Harry and I were, and he pushed his sister away.

"Let's not waste our time with the Dream Team." He said harshly.

Then I told Harry that it was late.

"Yes." He muttered, but he did not tear his eyes away. Somehow, I felt that I was missing something.  I still didn't completely understand who this new Malfoy girl was. Malfoy, pulling his sister behind him, disappeared around the corner. The girl turned her head for the briefest of moments, and smiled to Harry. There was some understanding between the two of them which I could not comprehend.

"Harry?" I said.

"Yes?" he replied in a dreamy voice.

"What do you know of this girl?"

"Um. Nothing. I just – remember her name from the message board."

"Ah."

I was sitting in the common room with Harry, Ron and Ginny. The Weasleys were muttering complaints about the people they would have to share their tents with. I was desperately trying to skim through Two Dozens of New Herbs, but I couldn't concentrate with all the noise. I looked at Harry, who was distractedly gazing out of the window.

Then I remember that we were in war.

It was hard to believe, that I was sitting there, trying to study, and that the worst thing my companions had to complain about were their places in tents. While people would soon be dying outside Hogwarts.

I decided I needed a bit of solitude, and walked out of the common room. As I crossed an arcade, I noticed that the sun was falling. I stopped to admire the rude beauty of the landscape. Nowhere else, I thought, did the dry grass, the rugged hill and, the marshy moors possess such a romantic, battered beauty. I painfully tore myself away from this image of rough splendor, and headed towards the Astronomy Tower.

The long, winding stairs didn't seem endless this time. In fact, I enjoyed running my fingers over the smooth surface of the stony wall while I lightly climbed up. From time to time, a narrow, glassless window allowed me to contemplate the landscape. I couldn't believe that I would certainly be forced to leave the school that had become my second home, if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named dared to attack it, to threaten innocent children. I stepped out on the balcony. The evening star was already shining brightly in the darkening sky, which was a brilliant royal blue. I took a deep breath of the pure evening air. Walking towards the edge to lean on it and observe nightfall over Hogwarts, I noticed that I had been preceded, and that my place had been taken. From the petite dimensions of the intruder's shape, I deduced it had to be a girl, but little did I await the person I met. The girl turned around, and graced me with a graceful smile. I recognized Cassandra Malfoy's face, but it seemed to me that it had been strangely altered by dusk. Somehow, the whole yellowish sickliness had disappeared from her wholesome features. It seemed to me that I had never seen sweeter features, never purer hues of rose and lily. No charm was wanting in this youthful countenance, no defect perceptible. She had regular and delicate lineaments, huge, almond-shaped grey eyes framed by long golden lashes, a penciled brow, a white, smooth forehead, fresh, smooth and rosy cheeks, ruddy, healthy, sweetly formed lips which revealed even and gleaming teeth without flaw, a small, dimpled chin, and waist-long pale golden curls. As if brought by the sunset, her sickly paleness of the morning had been replaced by a radiant flush in her oval cheeks. I wondered at her white dress, which looked like a nightgown, and asked myself why she wasn't wearing the normal Slytherin robes.

"Hello." She said simply, turning her beautiful face towards me. "You're Hermione Granger."

I nodded.

"I remember. And Draco told me." She explained. "You're a mudblood, right?"

The look of innocence on her face made it hard for me to be angry, but I answered irritated:

"I don't call myself like this."

She spread her slender arms in excuse.

"I meant no offence." She said softly. I noticed how musical and silvery her voice was, and felt at once calmed despite my will.

"But mudblood is an insult." I answered stubbornly.

"I didn't know. Draco calls you so. I thought he merely meant someone who is not born to wizards." She smiled, apologizing. "There is much I don't know. But probably, I won't need it."

"How do you mean that?" I asked.

"I don't have any active magical powers." Cassandra said calmly. "I'll go home to Malfoy Manor as soon as the war is over, for the better or for the worse."

"You don't? But – both your parents are wizards."

She nodded, still smiling in her strange, impersonal way.

"I can't say a single spell." She explained. "But I can see into the future. This is my gift, the only my frail mortal flesh can bear."

I suppose I made a disgusted or shocked face after this, because Cassandra's smile broadened, and she whispered:

"Isn't the reaction that my speech awakened in you a sort of prejudice as well? But don't worry – as you bear me no grudge, nor will I. I do not intend to make myself sworn enemies with you as my brother obviously is – I seek only peace in this place."

"Why did you come, if you don't have the gift?"

Cassandra didn't answer, and bowed her head in front of an invisible order.

"I fear I cannot tell you this, for my brother has forbidden me to do so."

I wondered why so, and what terrible secret had chased the poor girl from home. My innate curiosity urged me to inquire further about the reasons for her escape from Malfoy Manor, but I hesitated seeing the slightly frightened shine in her huge eyes.

"How old are you?" I therefore asked, reflecting that this was quite an innocent and harmless question to ask.

"Fifteen."

I suppose that my expression again betrayed my feelings, for she obviously read the surprise in my face.

"You look surprised." She commented. "Do I not look like my age?"

"No." I admitted. "You look longer – much younger - and yet…"

She smiled again, waiting for me to finish the sentence, but I couldn't. I then asked her:

"What house are you in?"

"None, yet. This is why I'm not wearing the official robes. But I have generously been allowed to spend the night in the Slytherin dormitory with girls of my age."

"Why were you all alone up here?"

"Which part of the question should I answer first? The one regarding the place; or the one regarding the solitude?"

"The place."

"I like this tower. I felt irresistibly attracted towards it when I first visited the school - that is, almost six years ago. Coming back, I decided to come here."

"And now the solitude?" I demanded.

"I don't enjoy foreign company. Don't be offended, Hermione, though. It is nothing personal. I just know that I am different, and that I cannot entertain the others. Therefore, I seek privacy."

"You entertain me quite well." I muttered, wondering if I should leave her alone now.

"You would soon get tired of me, as I have nothing interesting to tell you about myself." She said smilingly.

"I wouldn't!" I protested stubbornly, perhaps hoping that she might agree to spend a bit of time telling me about her certainly interesting life.

"In this case," she answered, pushing up my hopes, "you are of course welcome to join me whenever you wish, if this should please you."

"No. I don't like disturbing the others, just as you don't like talking to others."

Most to my surprise, Cassandra Malfoy nodded thoughtfully, and bid me "goodnight, in this case." I retired, having waved briefly, and went down to the dining room, quite confused about my new acquaintance.

In the stairs, I had the misfortune of bumping into the most disagreeable person of the entire school (excluding Snape) – Malfoy in persona. He squeaked of disgust, and pushed me away abruptly. Then he frowned, and rudely asked what I was doing here at this time of the night.

"Hiding from you and your bad manners, Malfoy." I snapped back. "I thought – hoped – that this was the most unlikely place to meet you."

"Bad luck! Now get out of my way, filthy mudblood."

What a nice relationship we kept up! As I watched Malfoy junior climb up the steep stairs, his black cape flying after him, I stopped a moment to marvel at the difference of personality between the siblings. It was hardly believable that a person as obviously innocent, naïve, ignorant and sweet as Cassandra could actually be the sister of someone hard, mean and coldly intelligent as Draco Malfoy.

A/N: SO??? What did you think? Yep, I know it was kind of sappy at some parts, and maybe cliché. But actually, that's really how I feel about Cassie, so I actually liked this chap. Well yeah, there's a bit of narcissism in everyone of us…

Do you see this tiny blue button? The one that says 'GO'? Come on, click on it… you know you want it!

Love,

~Alba