Chapter 3
I said goodbye to Ginny at the train station. I saw Aunt Addi waiting for me. I ran to her and she gave me a long hug.
"How did you like school?"
"I loved it!" I then told her everything.
"Snape is a teacher?" She asked.
"Yes why?"
"Your father hated him. He and his friends spent most of their time trying to get him expelled." She laughed. I stored this in my head with the rest of the facts I knew about my father.
We took an another train and then a ferry and a bus to get home. It took us another day. I figured it would have been faster if Addi was a witch but she wasn't.
When we got home Mum were waiting and the boys. That night I told them everything. The boys of course wanted to know about the teachers, who were a good victim for pranks. I told them about Fred and George Weasly. Just as I was finishing telling them about the train ride an owl swooped in.
It dropped a letter in my lap and took off. I glanced at the address.
Cassi Black
"Cassi, why does it say Black?" Jamie asked me.
"Oh yeah. They have me down as Cassiopeia Black. Professor McGonagall said that was my da's name and that's what I was under so now that's what they call me."
"But that isn't your name." Mum had gone all pale.
"Actually it is, Mum. That was Da's name."
"Well, do you see your father here? Have you ever seen him? Why do you want his of all names? Do you want people to find out? How can you?" She stormed from the room. Addi glanced helplessly at me and followed Mum out. Jamie, Remy and I stared at each helplessly.
I sat there numbly staring at my letter. I went up to my room and lay there for a while.
Before long I heard a tapping on my window. I glanced out. It was Bridget.
"Hey can you come out?" I grabbed my jacket and left.
We went for a walk. She told me all this cool stuff about her new school.
"Well, what about you? I want to hear all about Hogwarts. I still can't believe my best friend is a witch." She smiled.
" I don't really feel like talking about it."
"Why not?"
"You know how my Da's never been around?'
"Yeah so? It's never bothered you before."
"Well My Da was the wizard. I'm going to the same school he did. Everybody knows him, or at least they did. From what people say he was smart, really smart. But he did something bad. No one will tell me what. But Mum just got all upset with me because I'm using Black now instead of O'Connell."
"Black?"
"That was my da's name."
"Sounds familiar."
"It's just everyone expects me to be like him. They either act like I'm supposed to be a genius or I'm going to blow something up."
"Blow something up?"
"Apparently he did a lot of that." She giggled and of course I joined right in. But I felt something, like someone was watching me. Someone not good. I turned around.
I saw just the swirl of robes and then nothing
The rest of summer went by quickly. Mum never mentioned the name thing again, but I kept using the name Black. Before long school was ready to start again Jamie and Remy were ecstatic. They loaded up on dungbombs and fireworks before we left.
"Cassi!" Ginny waved franticly at me.
"Ginny! Hey I missed you."
"You'll never guess what happened."
"Nope, never."
"Aw, come on Cass. You're no fun."
"Tell me."
"My dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. We got 700 galleons!"
"That's great." I knew the Weasly's had it just as bad as us. Worse maybe with five kids. Seven really, but the two oldest had left already.
"We went to Egypt. It was great!"
"I'm glad. You guys deserve it."
"Oh you'll never guess what else happened."
"Probably not."
"Cassi, you really are no fun."
"Yep."
" Alright. Harry ran away."
"What?"
"Yes, he ran away from those horrible muggles. He was staying in Diagon alley. How cool is that?"
"Wow." During this, my brothers had stood and watched us, their heads twisting to see everything around them.
"Oh Ginny. These are my little brothers. Remus and James. But we call them Jamie and Remy."
"Hi." Ginny said.
"Are you a witch?" Jamie asked.
"Yeah, I got to Hogwarts don't I?" the boys grinned evilly.
"I'm not sure about them. They look like Fred and George." She whispered. I giggled.
Just then the rain whistle blew. Mrs. Weasly hugged us all one last time, then shouted at Mr. Weasly to let Harry get on the train.
The train ride was normal. Up to a point. As normal as it can get with Jamie, Remy, Fred, and George. They were ecstatic about the twins,
"New Blood." Fed cackled. The boys only grinned.
They were two of the worst pranksters ever to come to Hogwarts. I told them so.
"But we had teachers, Young Miss Black." Fred said mysteriously.
"Who?" Jamie asked.
"THE best pranksters left their mark for other magical mischief makers. We owe them so much." George pretended to wipe away a tear.
"Who?" Remy begged.
Just then the train began to slow down.
"We can't be there already." Ginny said. Fred glanced at his watch.
"Too early." He agreed.
George went to the window.
"There's people moving out there." I looked out. Yep, there were figures moving around in the darkness.
"I'm going to go find Ron. They're at the back of the train maybe they saw something." With that Ginny was gone.
" Betcha that's not the real reason she went to go find Ron." Fred said to George.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Where Ron is, so is Harry." I understood now. I was sure, as were most other people, that Ginny had a more than major crush on the famous Harry Potter. I grinned just as the lamps went out and the train was filled with shouts and cries of pain and annoyance.
"Hey!"(Me)
"That was my foot." (Remy)
"OW!"(George)
"Fred?"(Me)
"Someone's stepping on me!" (Jamie)
"Nope I'm George."(George. DUH!)
"Sorry."(me)
"Who are you? Cassi?"(Fred)
"Meow."(Mrs. Phillips do not ask me why I named my cat that)
"Uhh, I don't think Cass meows." (George)
"Really? Ya think?"(Me)
"I dunno, you'd be surprised." ( Jamie)
"Hey!" ( me)
"OW! Man, that hurt, cat!" (Fred)
"Lumos." The end of George's wand lit. I could see Fred trying to get away from my cat that looked slightly squished and very unhappy and was trying to mortally wound, if not kill Fred. Jamie was indeed being sat on by Remy who was frowning out the window.
Suddenly the door burst open the last person I wanted to see ran in. Draco Malfoy. He was a year ahead of me, and in Slytherin. He was mean and nasty and hated all Gryffindors. But he didn't look very smug now.
"Dementors!"
Fred and George glared at him. But George leaned out into the hallway to see. He pulled his head back instantly. Fred raised his eyebrows.
"He's right. Dementors. Coming sown the halls." Before I could ask what a dementor was I found out. The door slid open again and a tall dark figure in a black cloak stood there. All the good feelings were sucked right out of me. I plunged into coldness. I heard screaming.
"NO! NO! Not my husband! Not Sirius!"
"Mari, I'm sorry. "
"There must be some mistake! Sirius would never do that! Not to James and Lily!"
"I wish it was different. You know I do. But the truth is he betrayed us. Mari. "
"Remus, you know Sirius would never. What about you and Addi? James and Lily? Harry? Peter? What about me and Cassi?"
" Mari. He lied! He was the spy, can't you understand that?"
"No, Remus. I can't."
"Cassi? Come on Cassi, wake up." Fred's voice pulled me from the dark coldness.
I opened my eyes to the faces of Fred, George, Malfoy, Jamie, Remy, and someone new. He was an adult. The first I'd seen on the train. He had graying brown hair, and the lines on his face made him seem very old, even though he couldn't have been much older than Mum. His eyes seemed familiar somehow.
"Are you alright, Cassi?"
"How do you know my name?"
He didn't answer, just handed us all a large piece of chocolate.
"Yeah, who are you?" George asked him.
"Professor Lupin. The new defense against the dark arts teacher. You two must be Weaslys." They grinned.
"Let me guess Fred and George, right?" Where had I heard his voice before?
"Sorry, we're Gred and Forge." Fred told him. He smiled almost sadly.
"Eat that chocolate. I must go speak to the driver." With that he was gone.
Fred helped me up. "What happened?"
"Well you fell down. And then Professor Lupin stepped in and sent the dementor away. He helped wake you up."
I didn't say anything for the rest of the trip. The voices I heard, one was mum's I knew that. Then that must mean, she was talking about her husband and she said his name. Sirius. Finally after all these year I knew my da's name. Sirius Black.
I pulled my brothers aside.
"I know da's name!"
"What?" they asked eagerly.
"Sirius Black." They nodded. I smiled. But I wouldn't be smiling for long. They looked terrified as Hagrid called for first years and they made their way to the boats.
When we got to Hogwarts, we piled into the Great Hall I was excited to see my brothers get sorted. The first years filed out in a shaky little line. The hat was placed in the center of the little stage and began to sing.
Afterwards Professor McGonagall pulled out her list and began to read off names. I was surprised that Jamie was fist.
"Black, James." I noticed a scattering of whispers and glances at both my brother and me as he pulled the hat over his head. He had barely had it on five seconds when it shouted "Gryffindor!"
I cheered as Jamie made his way toward the table. He sat down, and I was not surprised to see him shaking.
"Black, Remus." More whispers and I shot a glance at the head table. Snape was glaring at Remy with a look of hate. I know because that was that look he always gave me. Jamie noticed it too.
"Who's he?" he asked while Remy pulled the hat on.
"That's Snape. He's the potions master and head of the Slytherin house. He's mean. Don't mess with him. he hates me for some reason. I dunno."
"GRYFINNDOR!" Remy sat down next to his brother and I gave them both a hug. Remy breathed a sigh of relief.
"What'd the hat say to you?' Jamie asked.
"It said I'd do good in Ravenclaw, but that I was brave and carefree, like da. It said Gryffindor'd be best for me."
"It said I was like my father and I was brave and noble. It said there was no question where I belonged." Jamie said, they grinned at each other and Jamie told Remy about Snape.
Dumbledore warned us not to mess with the Azkaban guards. He also welcomed Professor Lupin and Hagrid as new teachers.
Why do we have all this security?" I asked Ginny.
"I don't know. Maybe it has to do with that escaped prisoner."
"What escaped prisoner?"
"Where have you been?" Fred asked me.
"In the muggle world."
"They told the muggles." Ginny said.
"My mum doesn't believe in t.v."
"What's that?" Ginny asked.
"It's a muggle thing. Ask your da." Her da was obsessed with muggle things.
"Any way Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban last summer. " George told me.
I choked on my food. I heard the clatter of silverware against plates as Jamie and Remy dropped their forks. He couldn't have said whom I thought he said. Could he?
"Who?"
"You've never heard of Black? He's only the most infamous prisoner ever to be held at Azkaban."
"Yep, killed thirteen people with one curse. And one of those was a wizard." Fred added through his food.
No my dad couldn't have done that. Maybe I was wrong.
"Hey, you're last name is Black. Are you related to him?" Ginny asked.
" Not that I know of." I said quietly. I shot hasty looks at my brothers. They said nothing.
That night I wrote a hasty letter to Aunt Addi.
Dear Aunt Addi,
I need to know Da's name and what he did. Please. It's very important. And don't tell Mum. She doesn't want me to know.
Cassi.
I had to wait a few months for my answer.