Kassidy Longbottom felt a shiver go down her spine, as the lights in St. Mungo's flickered. She picked up her pace, continuing her ascent up the stairs of the hospital, arriving on the fourth floor just as the lights went out. Her eyes darted around the staircase, reaching out desperately as she tried to find the door to the Janus Thickey Ward. The sharp sound of a door creaking open from the floor below had her heart racing, as she could hear footsteps creeping up behind her. Finally, she found the doorknob, instantly shoving the door open and practically stumbling inside. Any relief she felt was short-lived when she found the ward completely empty. The dozens of beds on either side of the ward seemed untouched, and none of the usual staff were anywhere to be seen. Her legs were running on their own accord a moment later, pushing her towards the room she knew so well. She didn't stop her sprint until she came to the doorway, her eyes flickering to the words on the whiteboard outside. Alice and Frank Longbottom. Their doorway was open as usual, they needed to be kept under close watch, as without a careful eye they could both hurt themselves. Her mother's vacant stare had her pausing for a moment, the familiar tightness in her chest coming back. A loud scraping sound from down the corridor had Kassidy turning around, her eyes widening when she saw a cloaked figure standing only a few metres away. In one swift motion, she entered the room, slamming the door closed behind her, grabbing a nearby chair to block the entrance. She cursed the fact that there were no locks on the doors. Bang! Kassidy lurched backwards as she could hear someone banging their fists on the door, the chair giving way a little more each time.

"Mum! Mum, we need to go" Kassidy cried, rushing over to her mother, her hands touching the older woman's shoulders.

"Mum, please!" Kassidy insisted, shaking her a little.

Alice titled her head a little but showed no other sign of comprehending the danger she was in. It was hopeless. Kassidy knew that, but she couldn't leave them. Rushing over to her father, she grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him out of the bed. Suddenly, the door swung open, the chair being flung across the room, as the cloaked figure entered. Kassidy gripped her father's hand tightly as the dark figure approached, now looming over her.

"No, no, no…" Kassidy sobbed as the figure grabbed her arm roughly, their fingernails biting against her skin.

"Dad, help me!" Kassidy begged, trying to keep her hold on his hand.

She was fighting a losing battle, as Frank's hand was limp under her own, his eyes as vacant as ever. The cloaked figure now grabbed her other arm, successfully wrenching her away from her father, as she scrunched her eyes shut.

"Dad!" Kassidy screamed as she was dragged across the floor.

"-ssidy? Kassidy!" A new voice pierced through her cries, as Kassidy's eyes shot open.

A warm hand was on her shoulder, concerned eyes boring into her own, as she took in her surroundings. With a shaky breath, she realised it had all been a dream, she wasn't even at St. Mungo's. Kassidy was with her brother on the train to Hogwarts, and she had never felt happier for it. If there was one person who could understand her, it was her twin, Neville Longbottom. Only a few people knew about their parents' cruel fate, most not caring to even ask. The siblings had always had very different personalities but had been close throughout their childhood. They were all they had. Neville's forehead was wrinkled with worry as he came to sit near his sister, who had been screaming only moments ago.

"Are you having nightmares again?" Neville questioned, as Kassidy tried to calm her breathing.

"No…no, I'm just on edge. That's all" Kassidy mumbled, running a hand through her brunette hair.

"You were calling out for dad-" Neville began, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"Nev, just drop it" She told him, her voice stern.

Neville nodded a few times, standing up to go sit opposite her, the same look on his face he always had when she scolded him. He looked like a kicked puppy.

"…Why do you already have your Gryffindor robes on?" Kassidy asked a second later, only just having noticed his attire, her lip upturned.

Both of their results from the Sorting Hat Ceremony had been a shock. Neville had always been nervous and shy, ever since they were children, but unlike most of those at Hogwarts's, Kassidy had seen the signs of his bravery. One of her earliest memories, was Neville standing up for her when a boy had stolen one of her toys…even if Neville had run off crying a few seconds later when the boy shoved him. Still, seeing him placed in Gryffindor was surprising. But not as much as Kassidy's own results. There had been quiet over the Great Hall when she was placed in Slytherin, no one expecting the siblings to be split up, as they hadn't left each other's side since they had arrived. Nonetheless, it had been a blessing in disguise. Kassidy felt like she had spent most of her life before then worrying about her twin, spending little time on herself. Slytherin had changed that. An ambition had grown inside her that she never knew was there. She was still loyal to Neville, of course, but also to her House.

"I…uh, I may have forgotten to pack my winter clothes" Neville confessed, as Kassidy let out a groan.

"I'm useless" Neville muttered, despondently.

"Maybe you can borrow some of my clothes. In fact…I think this would suit you perfectly" Kassidy grinned, pulling out a knitted sweater from their Grandmother, which was bright pink.

"It looks like a unicorn threw up on it" Neville laughed, spotting the glitter that also covered the shirt.

"I think she forgets we're thirteen now. We're practically adults" Kassidy stated, as Neville didn't look convinced.

"I don't want to be an adult. Too much responsibility" Neville told her, as Kassidy quirked an eyebrow.

"Say's the boy who won the House Cup in his first year" Kassidy teased, nudging him across the aisle with her foot.

"I won ten points. Hermione and Ron got fifty, and Harry even got sixty!" Neville pointed out.

"Yeah, and what a surprise that was. Dumbledore always favours Gryffindor. He'd award points for one of you tying your shoelaces-" Kassidy was cut off as the train came to a sudden halt.

"Are we already at Hogwarts?" Neville frowned, as Kassidy walked over to the window, trying to look through the torrential rain that clouded her vision.

"No. We're on a bridge. Maybe we've broken down?" Kassidy suggested, jumping a little when the lights went out.

"I hate the dark" Neville mumbled, coming to stand beside his sister.

"You're scared of your own shadow, Nev. I'm sure it's fine, we probably-" Kassidy's speech was cut off as they suddenly lurched forward, almost falling over.

"I think something's come aboard" Neville panicked, reaching out to take Kassidy's hand.

"Don't be such a baby" Kassidy complained, but she didn't push him away.

The sibling's eyes widened as they saw ice grow on the windows around them, feeling a sharp chill in the air. Kassidy shivered as she realised her breath was now visible in the dim light. They heard frightened shouts from down the corridor, as their door was swung open by an invisible source.

"Get under the seats. Now!" Kassidy ordered, ushering Neville to the floor.

Just as Neville was crawling under the seats, Kassidy felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end, whipping her head around to come face to face with one of her worst nightmares. A Dementor was staring back at her, its bony hands blocking the doorway. Her feet begged her to run but there was nowhere to go. She knew all about Dementors, from her research on Azkaban and knew how dangerous they were. They fed on a person's happiest memories, leaving them with nothing but their most excruciating memories, the ones that fed their nightmares. Kassidy had more than a few of those. She tried desperately to hold onto her happiest memories, the ones with her brother, but it wasn't enough. She felt herself slowly begin to fade as the Dementor got closer, her knees starting to buckle underneath her. All of a sudden, a loud cry came from behind her as Neville was suddenly running forward, their Grandmother's pink sweater in one hand, as Neville threw it over the creature's face. The Dementor stumbled backwards, its bony hand ripping the sweater away from its head a second later, leaving it shredded on the floor. Neville let out an audible gulp as the creature looked back to the pair, as even without a face, they could tell it was angry. A sudden bright light engulfed most of the corridor a second later, as the Dementor was forced backwards.

"Are you two alright?" A man exclaimed, wearing a dishevelled suit, old cuts covering his face.

"Uh-huh" Neville nodded, his voice rising a few octaves.

"Impressive work, son" The man congratulated, leaning down, and giving the pink sweater back to Neville, who was still too shellshocked to reply.

A crowd quickly surrounded the siblings, whispered voices already gossiping about what they had just seen. Kassidy recognised a few of the Slytherin faces, as Pansy Parkinson pushed her way to the front of the group.

"Did you just fend off a Dementor…with a sweater?" She gaped, clearly impressed.

In their first year at Hogwarts, there had been no love between Pansy and Kassidy, the former who enjoyed mocking Neville far more than Kassidy liked. Especially after the night when Neville's points lost Slytherin their win, Kassidy had become enemy number one in her own house. It had been a frosty reception when she came back the next year, and Pansy had made her dislike for her well known. A rivalry broke out between the pair, which eventually came to a stalemate after Pansy had turned Kassidy's skin blue, and Kassidy had given Pansy buck teeth. It had seemed to be a test in some way, as after that Pansy welcomed her with open arms into her 'gang'. Kassidy was quick to accept, wanting the respect of her peers, knowing it would make her time at Hogwarts much easier.

"Well, it was Neville who actually-" Kassidy begun, but Pansy stopped her.

"Did you hear that? A Slytherin just fought a Dementor!" Pansy announced as a chorus of cheers came from the rest of the House members.

"Unlike the pathetic Gryffindor's. Has Potter even woken from his little fainting spell?" Draco Malfoy mocked, a smug grin on his face.

Kassidy stiffened as soon as she heard Malfoy's voice, as she always did. Pansy may have already started fawning over the blond, but Kassidy didn't share the sentiment. The bitch that stole Kassidy's parents from her had been his Aunt, and that was something that Kassidy couldn't forget. She tried to avoid Draco Malfoy as much as possible, trusting him about as far as she could throw him. From the cruel words he sent towards anyone who wasn't in his inner circle, it seemed like her instincts were right.

"C'mon, Kassidy. We want to hear all about it" Pansy exclaimed, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from her brother.

Blaise Zabini, took her other arm, practically dragging her down the corridor. He had stayed mute throughout the exchange as usual, but even he looked smug. Kassidy looked back to Neville who was still standing in the doorway, as Kassidy mouthed the word 'sorry' to him, before allowing herself to be led away.


Kassidy fidgeted nervously in her chair as she sat in the Great Hall, listening to Dumbledore announce the Dementors would be staying in the castle for the foreseeable future. She hated the thought of having the creatures around, but the alternative didn't seem much better. She had lied to Neville when he had asked if her nightmares had returned. As soon as she heard about Sirius Black escaping from Azkaban, a dark cloud had been following her. She had heard all about Black's crimes, not to mention who he was related to. And if he could escape from Azkaban…how long before others followed in his footsteps?

"Potter! Potter! Not feeling faint, are you? I'd hate to see you embarrass yourself again" Draco Malfoy mocked, turning in his seat to face Harry Potter and the rest of his trio.

"Shove off, Malfoy" Ronald Weasley muttered, grabbing Harry's shoulder to make him turn around.

"He gets more pathetic each year" Draco exclaimed, as Blaise rolled his eyes.

"Is that why you flirt with him every chance you get?" Kassidy drawled, as all eyes turned to her.

Kassidy's eyes widened when she realised she had spoken aloud, doing the unforgivable. Talking against Draco Malfoy.

"I think you're the one with the crush, Longbottom. You're always hanging around with the Gryffindor's" Draco accused, as Kassidy shrugged.

"I can't help it if I have more friends than you" Kassidy replied, as Blaise chuckled beside her, clearly enjoying himself.

"Oh yes, having Potter and his precious minions as friends must be so rewarding" Draco muttered, as Kassidy rolled her eyes.

"Four-eyes is certainly no friend of mine" Kassidy scoffed.

"…Four-eyes. Hmm…Not bad" Draco congratulated.

"If you really want to mess with Harry Potter, it's pretty obvious how. You go for his friends" Kassidy went on before she could stop herself.

"I've got in enough trouble the past couple of years going after his muggle friends" Draco exclaimed, as Kassidy quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, they're not his only friends" Kassidy muttered, as Draco's eyes widened, looking up over the Great Hall to Hagrid, who had just been made a new teacher.

"You might be right, Longbottom" Draco grinned, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"It's Kassidy" She insisted, but Draco had already turned to Crabbe and Goyle, a plan being set in motion.

"Who knew you were so cunning" Pansy smirked, from across the table.

Kassidy tried to smile back, but it faltered on her face. Draco was known for taking things too far, and the last thing she wanted to do was help a Malfoy. She really needed to learn when to keep her mouth shut.


Kassidy let out a sigh, as propped her head up on her hands, trying to keep her eyes open. For the second time in the past ten minutes, she questioned why she had agreed to take the Divination class. A pale hand shot out to grab her teacup, reminding her again. It was one of the only classes that she had Neville would share, and she felt she needed to make up for leaving him the day before. Neville didn't really have any real friends even in his own house, and she hated seeing him left out. Pansy and Draco sat a few tables away, both only having taken the class to get out of Ancient Runes. The teacher of that class had the voice of nails on a chalkboard, although this didn't seem much better.

"What do you see in her cup, boy?" A shrill voice, belonging to Sybill Trelawney questioned Neville.

"Uh…a horse? No, maybe…a windmill?" Neville mumbled, making the teacher shake her head.

"Give me the cup" Sybill instructed, holding her hands out.

"Ah, now here's something interesting. I see a skull…that means there is danger in your path" Sybill warned Kassidy, who seemed to be barely listening.

"Really? Cause' it looks like a bunch of tea leaves to me" Kassidy retorted, taking the cup from the older woman.

Sniggers erupted from all over the room, as Sybill's wide eyes twitched a little, before grabbing Neville's cup. She made a sharp tutting noise, before looking sympathetically at the tall boy.

"Is your Grandmother quite well?" Sybill questioned, as Neville gulped.

"I…I think so" Neville replied, watching Sybill shake her head.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Oh dear…" Sybill trailed off, placing the cup back on the table.

Neville immediately grabbed the cup, panic in his eyes as he tried to search for whatever she had seen. Kassidy gritted her teeth, seeing how unshed tears began to well in Neville's eyes. While Kassidy had little love for their Grandmother, she had brought them up. Losing her would devastate them both. Kassidy expected the teacher had only said what she had to get back at Kassidy's sharp words. Well, two could play at that game, Kassidy thought to herself. Cautiously, she took her wand out of her robes, muttering a spell under her breath, pointing towards Sybill Trelawney. The next second, the woman's shoelaces were tied together, making her fall flat on her face in a comical matter. Laughter came from all around the classroom, as Kassidy snuck her wand back under her robes, a smug smile on her face.

"Who…who did that?" Sybill cried, pushing herself to her feet, her shoelaces still tied.

Her eyes quickly found Kassidy's from across the room, unsurprisingly she was her main suspect. Kassidy simply shrugged in response, having to bite her lip to stop her grin from growing any wider.

"How dare you use magic against me in my own classroom-" Sybill began but was quickly cut off.

After a whooshing sound from behind her, Kassidy watched in amusement as the teacher's shoelaces grew in length, until the laces tied up her legs, as she stumbled to the ground once again. Sybill let out a little cry, her eyes darting around the room, as she tried to figure out who had cast the spell. It was clear that even if it had been Kassidy the first time, her lips and hands had not moved the second. Kassidy whipped her head around, expecting to see Pansy with her wand out. She was surprised to find Draco Malfoy instead with his wand in hand, a smug look on his face. Their eyes connected for a moment, as he sent a wink her way, before hiding his wand. Kassidy turned back to the front of the class with a frown. What was Malfoy's game?


Later that day, they had reached their last class, Care of Magical Creatures, taught by the strange Hagrid. She had grown nervous when she saw the group of Slytherin's who had signed up for the subject and expected her words from the previous day were going to come back to bite her. They were obviously planning something. She couldn't help the sliver of guilt she felt, knowing the giant wouldn't be expecting whatever Malfoy had planned.

"Right, you lot. Less chattering. Form a group over there. And open your books to page 49" Hagrid announced, after leading them to the outskirts of the forest, to a depleted stone wall.

"Exactly how do we do that?" Draco scoffed, his large book dangling from the buckle wrapped around it.

"Just stroke the spine, of course. Goodness me" Hagrid shook his head, turning his back on the blond.

Kassidy had overheard this conversation, attempting to do what he had said, but the book didn't seem to enjoy her sharp fingernails against its spine. Her eyes snapped up to see Draco already turning to page 49, his book practically purring under his hands.

"Don't expect me to help you again, Longbottom" Draco exclaimed, spotting her staring at him.

"I can handle it, Malfoy" Kassidy retorted, pressing her fingers a little lighter against her book's spine, which seemed to relax it to a degree, allowing her to open it up.

A loud cry from behind them, had the pair spinning around to see Kassidy's brother on his back, the book snapping at him, already having chewed up some of his white shirt. With a sigh, Kassidy stormed over, sending a hard kick to the book, throwing it away from her brother. Jumping over him, she then proceeded to stomp on the book a few times, as the growling stopped. Leaning down, she threw the now quiet book back to Neville, running a hand through her hair. Draco watched the scene with amusement, enjoying the display of violence. Kassidy wasn't sure if she liked the new interest Malfoy seemed to have in her.


Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter! I know that there are thousands of OC fics out there in this fandom, but hopefully, this story will be a little different. It's definitely going to be more AU as time goes on. I really wanted to see more Neville fics out there too, as he is such an interesting character. This will be a Draco/OC story, but it's going to be slow burn. Please leave a review if you want to see more:)