Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just playing a bit in the universe. Thank you to my beta Mia.

- - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - -

"What do you mean you want me to come with you now?" Cassie asked. "Can't you see I'm talking to Orion?" She was frustrated. Why would her Housemates do that to her?

"He's a Slytherin and much older than you!" Timothy argued while Ophelia nodded her head. In less than a day, already the rivalry had begun between the Houses.

"Actually, I'm only two years older than her and she doesn't need your protection. She's like a little sister to me. After all, we might be related. We have the same Aunt Andromeda," Orion said calmly, even though he wanted to bash the Gryffindor's head in.

"I'm going to stay and talk with Orion, I'll be up before curfew," Cassie added, hoping that would get Ophelia and Timothy to leave. They reluctantly agreed and Cassie sighed. She just wanted to be left alone with Orion; they had so much to catch up on. Since she was five the last time she saw him, she didn't remember much about him. Besides, this would be a good way to get to know people from other Houses, she thought.

"It's a good thing one little Gryff is smart."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cassie demanded.

"You've figured out that not all Slytherins are evil and that we're not like the other generations."

"Of course not. And if you were evil, Aunt Andromeda wouldn't have suggested I be friendly to you," Cassie responded.

"She told you to be my friend?" Orion was flabbergasted. He didn't think Aunt Andromeda would do something like that.

"No, no. She told me to be friendly towards people I once knew them, or something like that. Anyways, did you like France?" Cassie asked, trying to change the subject to something a bit more neutral.

"It was awful. I didn't have anyone to play with besides my father, grandmother, and godfather."

"Don't you have any brothers, sisters, or cousins? Not even aunts and uncles?" Now it was Cassie's turn to be speechless. With a family as large as the Weasleys, she had plenty of relatives.

"My father's an only child. My grandfather's dead and was an only child. I'm an only child. And my grandmother had two sisters, Aunt Andromeda and Aunt Bellatrix. But Aunt Bellatrix went crazy and died before I met her, which my father says is a good thing."

"Well then you and I share some cousins. Because Aunt Nymph is Aunt Andromeda's child and Aunt Nymph and Uncle Charlie have two kids, my cousins Lyra and Ares." Cassie said, proud of herself for remembering that part of the Weasley family tree. It was always complicated, trying to remember how she was related to everyone.

"I don't think Father likes Aunt Andromeda much anymore. I haven't seen her since we returned from France and that was almost two years ago."

"I have an idea!" Cassie said a little too loudly, which caused Madame Pince to glare at her.

"What?" Orion asked.

"I think we should write a letter to Aunt Andromeda. We should all get together, the whole family."

"When?"

"Christmas," Cassie said with finality.

"What?"

"Well, that's when you and I can be there. I'm the oldest of all of my cousins and I'm only a first year. So Christmas would be the best time to get together."

"Alright I'll write the letter, you help, how's that?"

"Fine by me." Cassie said, moving to sit next to Orion.

Dear Aunt Andromeda,

It is your great-nephew Orion Malfoy and niece Cassie Weasley asking for your help and your approval. We were wondering if you would be able to host Christmas at your house so we could both we together and see you again. I miss you. So do I. We think it's better if neither of our parents find out that we are consorting with each other. Basically we don't want our parents to find out about us being friends. Orion likes to use big words. Oh yeah, and invite EVERYONE! I know you'll agree, after all, I'm your favourite niece. And if it's at all possible, would you be able to invite my godfather Blaise Zabini? Let us know as soon as you have reached a decision, and remember, it's a secret!

Love,

Orion Malfoy

And

Cassie Weasley

PS: You can tell Uncle Ted, we trust him too.

"You think that's okay?" Orion asked, unsure that it was a proper letter.

"Positive. This is Aunt Andromeda and it's better to be blunt with her, trust me, I know. She hates it when I keep secrets or dance around the truth."

"You know her better than I do. But moving on, what is new with you? Still living near Aunt Andromeda?"

"No, my mother married Harry almost right after you left and a year later my little brother and sister were born. They're twins, James and Serena. Then we moved to Potter Manor until Harry took a job as Defence Against Dark Arts teacher. I've lived here for the last two years, but Mum and Harry decided to move back to Potter Manor when I started Hogwarts."

"Sounds like you've been living a great life." Orion glanced at his watch, realizing it was time for Cassie to head back to her precious Gryffindor friends. "And you should also head up before all the Gryffindors have my head for harming one little Gryff. I'll use my owl to deliver this, don't worry." And with a wave of his hand, Orion vanished down one of the many hallways with the letter tucked securely in his pocket.

Cassie hurried up to the Common Room, excited that she had talked to Orion again. She hoped Aunt Andromeda would agree to their plan, it would be a great way for all of her relatives to get to know each other. And then Aunt Andromeda and Orion's grandmother could see each other again. What a perfect plan, she thought happily.

As soon as she reached the Common Room, Ophelia sighed with relief. She was worried about her new friend, especially with a Slytherin. While Timothy and Ophelia waited for Cassie to return, Timothy told Ophelia all about the Malfoy family's reputation, which did not ease Ophelia's worries at all. But when she saw Cassie smiling, she knew there was nothing to fear. Now she only had to find out what was said.

"What's with you hanging out with a Malfoy? Don't you know how evil they are?" Ophelia said.

"Orion's not evil. He's a cousin of mine, distantly, but we're cousins all the same. He's family," Cassie said, stressing family.

"I think we should leave Cassie alone. She's back safe, happy, and in one piece. Just be careful, alright?" Timothy, the voice of reason said. "G'night." A round of good nights could be heard throughout the Common Room as everyone headed up to their beds for a good night's sleep and a new day ahead of them.

After Orion visited the Owlery in order to deliver the letter, he headed into his Common Room where he found Alexia and Sebastian saving him a chair. He knew it was better to face them now and answer the questions now before they could find a way to twist his words.

"So how was the Little Gryff?" Alexia asked maliciously.

"She's a distant cousin of mine. She and I used to hang out together when we were little and were talking about our aunt. That's all that happened. If you were so worried, you could have saved me, after all, her little Gryff friends tried to save her, but I scared them off." Why couldn't they just believe him? Orion wondered.

Alexia went to speak again, but it was Sebastian who interrupted her. "Leave him be. They're distant cousins. She's a Weasley, typical Gryffindor. He's a Malfoy, typical Slytherin. Hey, where do the lines meet?" Sebastian asked Orion.

"My aunt Andromeda Black-Tonks. My grandmother Narcissa Black-Malfoy is her sister. Aunt Andromeda was a Ravenclaw and had a daughter Nymph who married Cassie's Uncle Charlie Weasley. That's how we're related. It gives me a headache."

"Well, that's settled. I'm going up to bed now. Good night," Alexia said with a satisfied smirk on her face. Most had no idea what had happened to the Black Family after Sirius had died, but Orion reminded her that the Black family lived on through his father and himself, even if he did not realize it.

The next morning at breakfast the morning owls arrived and Orion's owl dropped a small letter in front of him. Usually he received few letters and most of those were from his grandmother, but it was not her neat script on the front. What was more unusual was that it was addressed to him and Cassie Weasley. Carefully, and away from his friends' eyes, he opened the letter.

To my favourite niece and nephew,

First, don't tell anyone you're my favourite. Second, I'm glad to hear from you both. I'd love to have a party at my house for Christmas. There hasn't been a Christmas at Grimmauld Place in almost twenty years. I'll make a traditional Black Christmas, seeing as how it would entice your grandmother to come. Ted and I will start planning now for a Christmas you will never forget. Enjoy Hogwarts and I wish you both the best of luck. Keep in touch with you dear aunt.

Love,

Aunt Andromeda

Orion knew Azalea Flint had Defence Against Dark Arts first with the Gryffindors and that's where he headed to meet Cassie. When he found her, he knew she would be surrounded by her noble friends, but he did not expect them to pull her behind them in order to protect her.

"Relax. I'm just here to deliver Cassie a letter her aunt wrote to both of us. If you'll excuse her a minute, I'll give her back before class starts," Orion said. Reluctantly, Ophelia and Timothy moved out of the way and Cassie gave Orion's hand a little squeeze, showing her gratitude.

"They think they're doing things right, but they're not. You got a letter for me?" Cassie said, letting go of his hand and reaching for the other hand, which Orion had lifted high in the air.

"Patience, Little Gryff."

"I'm not little!" Cassie protested.

"You're smaller than me and you're a Gryff. Thus, Little Gryff. But here's the letter. Read it during class and give it to Azalea to give back to me. Okay?"

"Azalea Flint? How do we know we can trust her?"

"I'm a Slytherin, they're not all untrustworthy. Plus, she can't read this letter. Aunt Andromeda is smart. Only you and I can read the letter. Good luck in class." Orion waved good-bye and as he turned around, Cassie reached out and hugged him, whispering him a thank you before skipping back to class.

Ophelia and Timothy were suspicious of Orion, but they could not voice their opinions to Cassie. When Cassie arrived at the classroom, the only open seats were next to Slytherins, luckily one of them happened to be Azalea Flint, who was Sebastian Flint's younger sister and someone Orion trusted. Cassie handed the letter to Azalea and asked that she hand it back to Orion. Azalea asked about Cassie's favourite Quidditch player and that conversation began a long friendship between the girls.

In the next few months, Ophelia and Timothy accepted the Slytherins and, during many of the shared classes, would partner up with a Slytherin. Cassie, Ophelia, and Azalea loved to look at the latest magazines and come up with extravagant reasons to wear some of the clothes. Even though Azalea was pureblooded, she held no prejudice against Muggleborns. Sebastian also agreed with his younger sister and spent time with other Houses, considering his older sister was a Ravenclaw. Orion spent a lot of time getting to know Cassie, which annoyed Alexia because she felt she had lost her best friends. Sebastian was more concerned with a Ravenclaw named Julia O'Brien and Orion was too busy with his little Gryff, as Alexia liked to call Cassie. Alexia hated that one little first year had broken the triangle and she was determined to get back at Cassie.

When Sebastian discovered that Julia had a crush on another boy, he was devastated and instead went to Alexia to talk to her again. It was then that he also noticed Orion was rarely around. He would come back late at night with piles of books. Alexia convinced Sebastian to ask Orion what he was up to, since Orion was no longer listening to her after she hexed Cassie.

"Where have you been mate? I never see you around anymore," Sebastian began late one night at the end of October.

"Took you long enough to realize. Alexia's been pestering me about it for a month now. Cassie and I are researching our parents. She knows nothing of her father and I know nothing of my mother, so we've been trying to find out if the papers have anything to say."

"But isn't Cassie's dad Harry Potter?" Sebastian was confused. He had often seen Cassie run in during one of their classes with Professor Potter and then run out just as fast, apologizing profusely.

"Apparently not. She says she's just always lived with him and called him Harry. She doesn't quite understand everything, other than that her mother married Harry when she was five and when she was six, the twins were born. All we've found about my father is this article," Orion handed Sebastian the article announcing his return and announcing Orion as the Malfoy heir. "My father doesn't mention anything, other than reassuring me I'm a pureblood. As though that has anything to do with it."

"You know it has something to do with it. Alexia is firm in her beliefs. Tristan may be a bit more modernistic, but Alexia is stuck in her ways. Azalea and Ophelia want to spend more time with Cassie and I think it's better. You and I need to hang out more often and regain the Power Trio of Slytherin." Sebastian, Alexia, and Orion were known amongst the Slytherins as the Power Trio because they had the money (Orion), class (Sebastian), and influence (Alexia). They were all strong in their own right and when they set their minds to it, they could accomplish anything. The only ones in Slytherin that were stronger were Tristan's little group of seventh years. All of the Houses had leaders and followers, but Slytherin was dominated by those with the most ambition.

During dinner the next day, Orion was focused on the article he found. Why would his father wait so long to return to the wizarding world? He knew his father left in order to be safe, but why return? It seemed like it would have been better to return sooner, why wait? He also knew his grandfather already died, but that did not mean much to him. Orion had never met his grandfather, though he had heard his grandfather was not nice person. Professor Dumbledore had made a speech, but Orion wasn't listening. Sebastian shook Orion out of his daydream.

"Did you hear what the old man said? There's going to be a special day planned for everyone on Halloween. I wonder what the old man's planning this time," Sebastian told Orion excitedly.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that and the next chapter should be posted shortly. Thanks for reading and please review.