Xxx

Summer passed with a few more outings with her Aunt Narcissa, and a delightful shopping trip with her friends for school supplies. Narcissa didn't approve of her two friends Cassiopeia knew, but Narcissa had wisely never brought the matter up. When she ran into her regal aunt on a day out with her friends, Narcissa smiled warmly at Cassiopeia, was polite and left her to be with her friends, all without acknowledging their existence. She shrugged at the snub, she didn't take it personally; her aunt's obsession with blood purity was part of the package deal.

Her second year in the Slytherin house was wildly different from what she expected, and she was woefully unprepared for the sudden change. It seemed her relationship with the Malfoy's had become common knowledge, splitting the house once more into those who were suddenly very nice to Cassiopeia, hoping to curry favour with the Malfoy's. Even those who were very determined in the previous year to make her life difficult were suddenly very suspiciously helpful and cheerful when greeting her. It set Cassiopeia on edge, but it also opened a world of opportunities for petty revenge.

Her newfound status as someone to know also revealed something very interesting to Cassiopeia. It provided a valuable insight into different positions her fellow classmates families were in the wizarding world. Those who had the social capital to progress through the upper echelons of society by their own birth right continued their crusade against her, perhaps threatened by her newfound relationship with a family such as the Malfoy's. This group consisted solely of other noble wizarding lines; the Selwyn's especially taking an interest in her downfall.

It also showed very clearly which families that were both lesser and aggressively ambitious. The social climbers, those who wished to have the influence and power that came from the mere association of a powerful, old family. These were the children who would go out of their way to greet her, to offer a friendly word, or a favour.

It split the house, and even her dorm mates, Arlene Roberts and Matilda Cook continued their feud, but her third dorm mate, the normally reserved Asha Chaudhari, was suddenly very nice to Cassiopeia, even going so far as to warn the girl about upcoming pranks.

Cassiopeia found herself spending more time with Asha when she was in the common room. The girl was quiet, and a bookworm, an adequate companion when she was studying past curfew. She also suspected the girl was more than just book smart, the girl was abnormally quiet, staring at a page of a book for a little too long, sitting a little too still, all signalling that she was carefully listening to the happenings around her. She had correctly guessed the best method to attract Cassiopeia's attention and her good side, something Cassiopeia respected greatly, it demonstrated that the girl wasn't just listening to those around her, she was paying very close attention herself. She could potentially be a useful ally in the future.

Her relationship with the Slytherins wasn't the only thing to change in her second year. It somehow got out that Cassiopeia had scored the tops mark in her class on the end of term exams nearly across the board. The Ravenclaw house, accustomed to academic dominance, took this fact personally. They also disliked their head of houses obvious favouritism with the Slytherin, often hearing how he wished she were in his own house. This was a challenge for the Ravenclaws and they took every opportunity in her classes to find a reason to put her down or make her look foolish.

Unluckily she shared three classes with the Ravenclaw house, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions. She was thankful to have Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors, along with Astronomy. There was limited chance of spell casting against each other in the three classes she had with the Ravenclaws, significantly reducing the likelihood of bodily injury. Of course, with the members in her house, there was always a small risk. Herbology was with the Hufflepuffs, it was a class she spent most of her time protecting Constance from snide remarks that somehow cut the girl to the quick, despite Cassiopeia assuring her that everything they said was not true, nor relevant.

Professor Snape may not have liked her, but he disliked the Ravenclaws even more, especially when he caught several of them attempting to sabotage her potions, on multiple occasions. It seemed to infuriate them more when Snape gleefully deducted dozens of points for small infractions. It certainly didn't make Cassiopeia better in their eyes.

So far she had been fortunate to avoid more detention with her head of house, though she knew he was watching everything she did with suspicion. Professor McGonagall also paid careful attention to her, something the Ravenclaws were not aware of meaning their subtle prodding did not go unnoticed by the formidable Scottish woman.

She sighed, taking a quick nip from her pepper up potion, lounging in her abandoned corridor, trying to find some peace from it all. It was exhausting, between fighting with the whole of the Ravenclaw house, and navigating her way through the den of Snakes and favours within her own house. All she wanted was to keep her head down and get on with her learning.

It took her a week to find time to approach Professor Quirrell about continuing their research project, the man was surprised she was still so interested, but agreed to continue their arrangement. He suggested that she should also talk more to Professor Flitwick to provide an adequate reading list that would help her in understanding the subtle nuances of the work.

They were so close, so far they could power the muggle device for brief moments, but sustainability was something unattainable so far. She had explained her problem with Professor Flitwick, who offered a few suggestions and asked if he could look at the raw spell diagrams himself. He suspected that the spell was already complete, and that it was perhaps a small typo or mistake in the diagramming that was holding it back. Because Cassiopeia and Quirrell had been working on it so intensely he offered a fresh set of eyes to catch mistakes they were blind to.

It was just before the Christmas holiday when Flitwick found the mistake. He informed her before class that he wanted to speak to her at the end of the period; his wide grin and barely contained excitement clued her in to what she expected he wanted to talk about. She could hardly focus during the class, her mind wildly thinking through the possibilities of life with her music back. She hardly heard a word he said through the lecture, and only managed to answer a question asked of her because she had read this chapter early in her first year. She was currently working her way through the end of the third years charms book in her free time, having mastered nearly all of the second year spells already.

The class seemed to drag on; she stared at the clock, watching every second tick away until eternity. Finally, when she thought she was going to die of old age before speaking to the professor, the bell sounded and class was thankfully dismissed. She fidgeted in her chair, throwing her books into her bag, eagerly glancing at the professor, who was busy tidying up his desk.

A few Ravenclaws lingered, packing slowly and glaring at her and the professor. Flitwick glanced pointedly at the few stragglers, smiling as he hurried them out the door. They threw one last glare before reluctantly leaving.

"Miss Tonks. I had a very long discussion with Professor Quirrell over the weekend, who kindly let me examine the work you have been doing on this side research project. First I would like to award you 35 house points for truly outstanding work and initiative, you are a testament to your house, and I will be having words with Professor Snape and the Headmaster as well, explaining your efforts in full.

I have never had a first year show such promise as you have, and to continue this onto your second year! I am truthfully a little envious that the Slytherin house has such a fine student. Looking through the notes I wondered if perhaps you had it right all along, and that there was something else causing interference with the spell. I spoke to the headmaster who kindly looked into the matter for me, a few experiments are needed to prove this hypothesis, but we think we have found the problem." He beamed at her, her face was flushed a dark red in embarrassment as the man heaped praise onto her. Professor Quirrell had done most the work, she was just fortunate enough to observe and answer a few questions about muggle technology.

"The problem isn't your spell work but the wards that protect Hogwarts. I hypothesize that your spell works beautifully, and that you both cracked it at the end of last year, but the very protections woven into the walls, ancient protections created by our founders centuries ago is causing interference that can not be fixed.

Of course only the headmaster knows the specifics of these protections that cover the whole boundary of the school; therefore the only way to prove this is to conduct an experiment, this weekend if you are agreeable. We must try the spell on either side of the school boundary, by the front gates of Hogwarts. Myself and Professor Quirrell have agreed to chaperone and supervise you on such an experiment."

Cassiopeia absorbed his words with a growing sense of dismay. If she understood correctly then it meant it was hopeless. Hogwarts truly was the only place where muggle technology could never work in the wizarding world. She stared at the stone walls, wishing she could see these mythical protections woven into the fabric of school. Wishing with all her soul to crush them enough so she could finally have some respite.

"So you hypothesize that the objective was truly hopeless." She said finally, sitting down heavily.

"Not hopeless!" the small Professor said brightly, giving the girl a small smile. "Through your efforts we now have a spell that can potentially create a sustainable force to power muggle technology in the wizarding world. And you have learned something new, both about muggle technology and about the school itself. Knowledge is our most powerful ally in this world. Knowledge itself is reward enough for our actions, is it not?"

Cassiopeia was once again reminded why she was not sorted into Ravenclaw, listening to the man. Knowledge was a reward sure, but the larger reward was the outcome and application of said knowledge.

"And if our hypothesis is correct your music player will work in Hogsmeade, a place you will be able to visit in your third year. And that is not insignificant. You will be the first witch ever to use a piece of muggle technology in the village I wager." He patted her on the back, sensing her melancholy, and she gave him a small smile.

"That is something Professor. And I learned a lot truly. This weekend you say?"

"That's the spirit!" the man said brightly before going into details about the plan for the weekend. It was a simple test, to take place at the main gates of the school.

"It's remarkable Miss Tonks, and I hope this outcome does not deter you from similar academic pursuits in the future." He bid the girl farewell, promising to meet her after lunch outside the castle entrance with Professor Quirrell.

Cassiopeia spent the rest of the week in a mood that neither her friends nor the promise of further research could pull her out of. She had been so hopeful, and now it seemed foolish to have ever thought that she could do something as remarkable as create a new spell.

A letter to from Narcissa that cordially invited her formally to have dinner at the Malfoy Manor on Boxing Day worsened her mood. It was going to be a small family affair, Narcissa guessing correctly that Cassiopeia had no interest in going to the large Christmas Eve event at the Malfoy Manor, a party that was apparently one of the social highlights of the year for polite society. She wrinkled her nose as she thought about the large formal event. She would have to dress up, be polite, and make small talk. None of her friends would be welcome, and she would have to play the political polite society game.

But having dinner as a family with the Malfoy's came with its own pitfalls. Though she had long grown comfortable with Narcissa, she had not seen her husband yet. She suspected this luxury was about to end, if not at this dinner then another. The thought of confronting a person so firmly attached to her past made her feel slightly nauseous. She figured she might as well get it over with and reluctantly wrote back a soft acceptance, pending a conversation with the Tonks'. She figured she could always use them as an excuse in the last minute if she really did not feel up to it. The Malfoy's already despised the Tonks'; there was little they could do to lower their opinion even further.

The weekend took its time to arrive, and Cassiopeia was unusually stressed about the test. When the day finally arrived she felt as if she were walking to her own execution. She had only made it through the week with a steady supply of pepper up potion, and a nightly dose of dreamless sleep. She was slowly building a tolerance for the potions, and she was forced to alter the doses slightly over the week, another thing adding to her black mood.

Professor Quirrell was quiet and uncomfortable in the company of the exuberant Charms professor. He gave short, uncertain smiles that appeared more akin to grimaces whenever the small professor addressed him, and gave short responses to any questions that were thrown his way. Cassiopeia was surprised at the distance to the front gates, having only made the journey in the Threstral drawn carriages. Professor Flitwick seemed oblivious to the moods of the accompanying him, filling the air with mindless chatter, Quirrell and Cassiopeia glanced at each other, raised eyebrows as they both only half took in everything the professor was saying.

Finally the moment of truth was upon them, they were standing before the gates, at the edge of the wards that protected Hogwarts.

"If you wouldn't mind doing the honours Cassiopeia." Professor Flitwick said kindly, gesturing for her to cast the spell.

"Amnis vitae anima" she intoned, focusing her mind and channelling her intentions. She envisioned what she hoped to accomplish, her mind clearly picturing the currents she wanted to bring to life in the forefront of her mind.

The tape player powered slowly at first, she could hear the faint buzz of music emitting from the headphones. But like all other times before it slowly fizzled out, as if the battery was nearing critically low levels. She sighed with frustration and the Charms professor gave her a sad smile.

"And now on the other side of the wards."

With a complicated series of movements with his wand, the gates slowly opened. Cassiopeia took a deep breath, silently steeling herself for disappointment.

"Amnis vitae anima." She said once more, moving her wand over the tape player, clearly picturing the currents in her mind's eye.

The tape player slowly turned on, music once again emitted. The three watched it, waiting for inevitable slow down, Cassiopeia was holding her breath. And yet the song continued, she could hear the lyrics faintly from her headphones,

It's the story of your life, and the end of it is your death, and every word that's in between is just a waste of breath

She clutched the tape player to her chest, eagerly rewinding the cassette, playing the song from the beginning, putting the headphones up to her ear. She felt a surge of something warm and wild in her chest, and she grinned widely at Professor Flitwick who was beaming brightly, and Professor Quirrell who had a small smile of his own at their success.

She closed her eyes and savoured the brief glimpse of her music, the lyrics and sounds washing over in a moment of pure joy.

The badges you pin on yourself fall off or start to rust. And the more they take the piss the less people you can trust.

It was a bittersweet moment. She had her music, but only off the school grounds. It would be another year before she was able to listen during the school term, when she could go to Hogsmeade.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant Miss Tonks! I believe celebrations are in order!" Professor Flitwick enthused, interrupting her moment.

Cassiopeia reluctantly turned off her player and smiled gratefully at the men in front of her. "I cant thank you two enough for all of your help, and support. I just—" she paused, unable to fully form the emotions she was feeling, "Thank you."

"Er, quite." Professor Quirrell was uncomfortable with her thanks, peering off at the castle in the distance, probably longing to be back in the quiet of his office, "pity about the wards. How curious that they interacted with the spell…" his eyes unfocused as he lost himself along another train of thought, mulling some problem over.

"I hope that this mixed success does not deter you from following your curiosity. Both myself and Professor Quirrell are here at your disposal for any questions or additional reading you may require." Professor Flitwick motioned for the group to begin the trek back to the castle, Cassiopeia noticed with dismay that the tape player cut out shortly after crossing the gates threshold.

The trio were mostly silent on the walk back and when they finally reached the castle gates Quirrell excused himself almost immediately, muttering a vague excuse of grading before disappearing to the sanctuary of his office.

Professor Flitwick faced the second year in front of him and enquired if she would like to join him for a cup of tea to discuss any lingering questions with the research project or where to go from there. Cassiopeia wanted nothing more than to decline his offer, especially as he said it loud enough for a few Ravenclaws nearby to hear clearly. She met their glares head on and accepted the professor's offer. It was the least she could do after all of his help.

And so she found herself in his office once more, surrounded by piles of books, delicately balancing a teacup, watching the Professor search for something.

"Tell me Miss Tonks, what subjects have you been reading lately? And don't be shy, I am well aware you have finished this years textbooks already." He smiled at her knowingly, smirking over his glasses. Cassiopeia felt her cheeks redden at his observation.

"Uh, yes. I finished Grade 2 spells sometime last year. I am almost finished with Grade 3 now." She coughed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"And your extra curricular readings?" he asked curiously.

"Well, I am almost done with the list you recommended sir, about magical theory and spell diagramming. I don't think I quite understand most of it, but it has been fascinating. I am also picking up a few language texts, mainly ancient runes and general epigraphic introduction textbooks. Professor Quirrell helped me with Latin and a little of Ancient Greek, but I am slowly reading more about the ancient magical languages." She blew out a breath of air as she thought of her recent readings, "honestly, it's a lot. And I am struggling to find a clear focus, an application."

Professor Flitwick nodded sagely, smiling at the girl in front of him. "It can be overwhelming when one dives into the subjects as you seem to have done. Perhaps, if you are interested, I can compile a more structured reading list. The essentials. Do you have a subject that you are particularly interested in?"

She took a sip of her tea, thinking through her response. The more she read the more she realised she was deeply interested in curses. How they were made, the components that went into them, their structure, and most importantly, how they can be broken. She fingered her silver bracelet, trying to put words together that the professor wouldn't find too questionable or offensive.

"Spell structures. I am interested in how counter spells are created. Interrogating an already existing structure, understanding it, and unravelling it."

"A highly theoretical and complicated subject." The professor seemed excited at the prospect. "Not many students show any interest let alone aptitude for such subjects. Perhaps you'll become a curse breaker once you graduate. A fine profession for only the most talented witches and wizards."

"Curse breaker sir? That's a real job?" now she was interested, it was the first she had ever heard of such a thing.

"Of course! There are many witches and wizards throughout history with less than honest intentions. Somebody has to find a way around them. They are valued as auxiliaries to the Aurors and at private institutions such as Gringotts. But the time for you to choose a career path is still a few years off. For now let's see if we can nourish your curiosity without it overwhelming you." He pulled out a parchment and began asking her detailed questions about what she was reading and her thoughts about the subjects.

Nearly two hours had passed like this, the pair often getting lost in theoretical conversations as Flitwick tried to help her understand some of her readings. In the end she had a detailed list of books she should read and what order they should be read in. He even time tabled in meetings with him after certain key texts, guessing that she would have questions or would want to discuss certain theories or ideas. He also suggested she ask if Professor Quirrell was available to discuss with her some finer points about spell diagramming or Latin, subjects he was more knowledgeable of.

Cassiopeia left the meeting with her head full and feeling particularly exhausted. That night she fell into a deep sleep without the aid of a potion for the first time in at least a week.

Xxxx

Her Christmas holiday passed in a blur, with only one clear moment standing out in her mind, her Boxing Day dinner with the Malfoy's. Initially she had been certain she was going to cancel, uncertain whether she was ready to face her uncle, but Ted's parents announced that they would staying in the country for the holidays and expected them to have Boxing Day dinner at their house. It was an easy choice; the Malfoys were easily the more desirable option than Ted's parents.

Andromeda was slow to relent to her visiting the Manor, she only cave after a week of mulling it over; she strongly suspected that Ted had a role in her acceptance of the occasion. Ted, for some reason completely beyond her, wanted Cassiopeia to have a relationship with her whole family, including the less savoury ones. Cassiopeia wondered if he secretly wished for her to find the Malfoy's more accommodating and if it ever came to them kicking her out, they could do so with a clear conscience that she had somewhere to go. Nymphadora was particularly enthused that she wouldn't be there for Boxing Day as it meant she could have a larger share of the Christmas deserts.

Dinner with the Malfoy's was very uneventful, much to Cassiopeia's surprise. She had worked herself up into a ball of stress in the run up to the dinner. She replayed every interaction she had ever had with Lucius Malfoy in her head, obsessively trying to remember every detail, every word spoken. She woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, wondering if she had said anything incriminating as a child around him. She feared what he knew about her, what he might remember, if any words had been said. Lucius Malfoy was possibly the only person in the world who could attest to the crimes she had committed as a child. He was there, he saw her, and he could use that information as leverage.

She was tense and anxious when she left for the Manor, she felt nauseous and wondered if she was going to be able to eat anything at all. It was therefore quite a shock when the dinner turned out to be, well, normal. She would even go so far as to say it was boring.

Narcissa was courteous as ever, pleased that she had finally accepted an invitation to come over. Her son, Cassiopeia's cousin, Draco, was delightful and highly amusing. He was six years old and was very much a 'big boy'. He talked through the dinner about the new toys he received the day before, going into great detail about his new broomstick that zoomed a few feet off the ground. In fact most of the dinner conversation revolved around Draco and his stories. It was sometime in the middle of the second course of her meal that Cassiopeia found she was actually enjoying herself. Draco was very interested in Hogwarts and spent a large portion of the dinner asking her question after question about the school. He wanted to know everything, about the houses, about quidditch, the classes, what magic she was learning. He dreamt of the day that he would finally go, and told her in no uncertain terms that he was going to be head boy and the captain of the quidditch team.

Lucius was almost exactly as she remembered, everything was the same except his eyes. Pride and warmth replaced the cold calculating glint in their depths. Of course this lasted only for as long as he looked at his son and his wife, but Cassiopeia had never considered that the man she knew could even feel those emotions. Having a family and a son brought out another side of him, and that realisation brought on a strange hollowness, souring her evening slightly.

She had witnessed Lucius Malfoy torture people; she could easily see him killing people. He matched wits with Bellatrix Lestrange on multiple occasions, and rubbed shoulders with the Dark Lord himself. And yet having a family softened him into something that was almost unrecognisable, Draco and Narcissa were enough. Cassiopeia by contrast was not enough for her parents; her birth did nothing to soften Rudolphus or Bellatrix.

Cassiopeia's nerves briefly returned when Narcissa put Draco to bed, ignoring his cries that he was old enough to stay up with the adults, and that he was no longer a baby, that he had even taken a longer than usual nap earlier in the day so he could stay up. Narcissa laughed softly in amusement as her son threw a minor tantrum, but in the end she was successful in getting the boy to go to bed with the promise of a special bedtime story.

As she excused herself to deal with her son, Cassiopeia found herself alone with the Malfoy patriarch. They had retired to a library of sorts, where the house elves had put out a plate of fresh mince pies, and a few drinks. Lucius grabbed a steaming beverage and motioned for her to do the same. She hesitated, uncertain for a moment of what exactly was in the drink, and reluctantly took a sniff. It smelled delightful, cinnamon and cloves fighting for dominance.

"Mulled cider, though you are welcome to a small nip of my hot brandy if you prefer." Lucius said coolly, offering her a tight smile as he reclined on a chair with a small sigh.

Cassiopeia decline politely, and perched at the edge of her seat, nibbling gently at a mince pie, eyeing him carefully.

The calculating look that she remembered so well was back in the absence of his family.

"I was pleasantly surprised when you accepted our invitation. Narcissa had informed me of course of your—ah—circumstances." He took measure of the girl in front of him. She took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and met his gaze straight on. She refused to be intimidated by this man. He smirked as he watched her change in demeanour and relaxed further into his chair.

"You are of course welcome to come and go as you please at the Manor. If you ever grow weary of your current accommodation Merlin knows we have the space for you here. You can stay for as long as you wish." He paused, taking a sip of his drink, "We can not change the past Cassiopeia, no matter how much we dearly wish to, and there is little sense in getting stuck in the past. Instead, in this family, we focus on the future. Our Future. We are family, and that is the most important thing to myself and my wife." He looked at her meaningfully, his eyebrows raised slightly behind his glass of brandy.

She turned his words over in her mind, her thoughts racing as she tried to understand his double meanings. It was a truce, as far as she understood. The Malfoy's had moved on from the war, they had a family now and seemed set on working towards a better future for their son. Narcissa had said something similar to Cassiopeia in her letter last Christmas. The war was unfortunate, but it would not define their future. Lucius would not talk about it, as long as she wouldn't talk about it.

"Thank you for the sentiment Uncle Lucius. Both you and Aunt Narcissa have been more than kind to me, and I know you are trying to make up for circumstances that were out of your control. I think we should focus less on the past, all of our pasts, and work on our future. As family." She took another sip of her cider, relishing the warmth that spread through her belly.

He smirked and gave a small, nearly imperceptible nod, before gesturing around the room, "Narcissa tells me you are quite the book worm, tell me, what have you been reading?"

It was as if a weight had been lifted off her chest and the tension she hadn't noticed in the room was suddenly dispersed by his question. Soon Narcissa joined the pair and she spent the rest of the evening enjoying pleasant and empty chatter with the Malfoy's. When the evening finished, she promised that she would of course visit again, and she even meant it.

Being on friendly terms with the Malfoy's brought its own series of challenges however. She had to compartmentalize her life, there were some things that she openly discussed with the Malfoy family that she would never dare bring up to her adopted family, and equally she never discussed her minor frustrations with the Tonks', and she could not bring up her two best friends at Hogwarts. But for the first time in Cassiopeia's life she had both an abundance of friends and family, at least by her standard. And she was keen to keep a hold of all of this, even if it meant she had to withhold certain information from the different sides of her life.

Her second year continued and allowed Cassiopeia the chance to practice keeping her life separated into two. She had her allies within her own house, relationships that were mutually beneficial as she spoke about them with the Malfoy family in her letters to them. And she had her two best friends, Daniel and Constance, where she could relax and let her guard down. She studied with her friends, talked about nonsense, and played many board games while at school. The real Cassiopeia was somewhere stuck between the two faces she wore, but classifying and assigning set times for her to feed different parts of her personality and interests seemed to be working well enough. She could never tell the Malfoys or members of her house about her love for video games, muggle music, and the odd television show, and she would rather die than tell her best friends and family about her fascination with curses, and the less than respectable sort of magic.

She had gone so long without family and friends that now that she had some, she was desperate to keep them, and if that meant omitting some things, then it was a small price to pay.

Xxx

The end of her second year came quickly and with it came the excitement of the second years as they all had a group meeting with their heads of houses to be briefed on what electives would be offered the following year, and to make sure they were all informed how to correctly fill out the required paperwork.

Professor Snape had be direct and to the point, listing the electives, his tone perfectly demonstrating how he felt about each of the subjects. He informed them that they each had to choose at least one, though two would better prepare them for the future and their O.W.L. exams in later years. They were not allowed to drop anything from their core curriculum, which Cassiopeia had been disappointed to hear. She had been hoping, dreaming even, of the day that she would no longer have to suffer through Herbology or History of Magic, especially when there were so many of the electives that she would much rather take.

She left the meeting mulling over her choices, chewing on her lip and she weighed the pros and cons of each one. She dearly wanted to study Ancient Runes, she already had an interest in ancient languages and thanks to Professors' Flitwick and Quirrell, she had made some headway in her self-study. But to get class credit plus directed tuition in the subject would be interesting. She was also interested in Arithmancy, understanding that it had a pivotal role to play in spell construction. Those were really the most logical choices for her to make, the two subjects that were most relevant to her personal interests. And yet her eyes hovered over Muggle Studies. Professor Quirrell had dedicated much of his time to her already and they had developed a kind of rapport. She wanted to take his class only because he was a brilliant wizard, and she worried he would be a little offended if she did not.

She needed to discuss it with someone though she wasn't sure whom she should approach. Unfortunately it seemed it was something that really needed to be settled in house, and so she reluctantly found herself outside her Head of School's office. Professor Snape technically had open office hours that worked on an open door policy. His door was closed and it was not something the students utilised. She stood outside his door for almost ten minutes, debating whether she really wanted to have this conversation. She weighed the pros and cons of approaching Professor Flitwick about it, but she knew that there were some things that just needed to be handled by the Head of House. It was protocol, and she knew her professor was already annoyed Professor Flitwick's praise of her. He made that very clear in potions where her performance was very average, slightly better than average at best.

She steeled her nerves and knocked on the door, entering after hearing his irritable shout of acknowledgement from within.

"Miss Tonks, what do you want?" he barely glanced up for his stack of papers. "Not in trouble again I hope?" his voice was soft, warning.

"Er, no sir. Keeping my nose squeaky clean." She said quickly.

He paused to give her a disbelieving look, his eyebrows raised, "Then what pray are you doing here. I don't have all night." He glanced pointedly at the paperwork on his desk.

"Of course sir, I wanted to talk to you about our electives for next year. I am having some difficulty in deciding what I want to pursue and wondered if you can give me more details." She held onto the hand-out she was given at the group lecture earlier in the week, which had a brief description of each course.

Professor Snape sighed, reluctantly putting down and quill and giving the girl his attention. "I don't know why I am surprised that you of all students would have difficulties. I had thought given your work with Professor Quirrell and Flitwick your choices would be obvious. Don't give me that look; I am well aware of everything my students are doing. Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are obvious choices for you. What is your problem?"

She swallowed, something about the way he said everything made her doubt how well she had been covering her little moments of payback from her head of house. But he had told her once that Slytherins settle their own disputes in their own way, and the good ones don't get caught.

"It's just, well I had been doing so much work with Professor Quirrell that I wondered if I should take Muggle Studies."

Professor Snape scoffed, sat back in his chair, and examined the girl in front of him.

"Do you have any inkling of what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts Miss Tonks?"

She was taken aback by his question, "I—er—well, uh. No?" she was only thirteen afterall, a second year. She didn't even know what her options were. Severus raised his eyebrows in disbelief, looking down his nose.

"You are still very young, however of all my students, I had figured you would have the clearest idea of what you wanted to do. Or at least what direction you wanted to go into. I certainly know what careers would suit given your particular interests."

"I am not sure I understand." She said hesitantly, fiddling with her silver bracelet nervously.

Professor Snape rolled his eyes and leaned forward, "according to Professor Flitwick's exhaustive and incessant babbling you have an unusual interest in spell structures, interrogating, understanding, and sometimes creating. An interest like that would best suit for certain divisions of the Aurors or curse breaking—"

"I could never be an auror." She said quickly, a cold sweat breaking out across her neck at just the thought.

Professor Snape paused at the interruption, examining the girl closely, but continued without comment, "Yes, well curse breakers require a NEWT in both Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. And you spent time in the muggle world, which begs the question as to why you would wish to study them, given you have enough sense to live amongst them for years."

She was taken aback by his frank assessment of her. It seemed her head of house was indeed watching her very closely, as he had promised to in her early detentions in her first year. His point was valid, she knew a lot about muggle ways and muggle life, and she had taught the instructor of said course a few things about muggle technology. It was a little queer that Professor Quirrell taught the subject, given that she was certain he had never lived with the muggles for any extended amount of time. And even if he did, she was positive that his social skills would make him incapable of blending in or noticing the subtleties in their day to day life. She wondered how much she would really learn from the course. And yet, she felt some loyalty to the man, enough to make her sit through a potentially boring and painfully easy course.

"Of course why we are having this discussion to begin with is beyond me Miss Tonks, you need to choose a minimum of two courses. You can take a third if you wish to relinquish one of your free periods. And you can decide for yourself to drop the muggle studies course later in your career, when you realise how utterly pointless it is."

Her eyes widened. He had mentioned during the general meeting that they were to choose two subjects, omitting the word minimum. Suddenly she had a crazy thought, "So sir, theoretically speaking, I could take every elective?" she asked hesitantly.

He scowled at her, "Theoretically. It has happened in special cases. You however, would not be permitted the means for completing this however. Three is realistically your maximum."

She bristled slightly, "and why would I not be allowed?"

He peered at her one more time, his eyes boring into her, before he raised his eyebrows slightly in challenge. "You are who you are. There are many who would be sceptical of letting the child of the Lestranges any advantages in this world. In fact there would be many who would like to see you fail and disappear from the wizarding world entirely, just because of who you are. It is not fair, but it is the reality of life."

Her face flushed bright red in anger and embarrassment. It had been a while since she had heard anyone talk about her parents in such a stark way, especially on how they still influence ever decision in her life, about the shadow they cast over her.

Professor Snape continued, either oblivious or uncaring of the feelings the girl was experiencing, "it is bad enough that you look just like her, but you also have the same interests as her. Though I hope in your case it is not for the same reasons."

She was horrified, what was he talking about; he couldn't possibly mean what she thought he did. "My mother was interested in magical theory as well? Same as me?" she felt slightly sick, wondering not for the first time, about the very real and pronounced similarities between herself and her crazed mother.

Professor Snape's eyes bored into her own, taking a moment before responding. She shivered, direct eye contact was something she avoided, and with Professor Snape eye contact felt even more intense. And yet she couldn't look away, she found herself caught like a deer in the headlights of a car, frozen. She needed to get a grip on herself, and with great effort she tried to reign in her fear and horror over the similarities she may share with her mother and put them in the back of her mind, locking them away in a small, dark box where she kept her nightmares. She focussed on her breathing and on clearing her mind. She took a deep breath and finally found the strength to look away, blushing slightly.

"You're mother was—is—a powerful and resourceful witch. She also took great joy in devising new and, in her mind certainly, novel ways to use magic for her own entertainment and gain." His tone was cold and flat, and Cassiopeia was left once again wondering how the Professor knew her mother. He couldn't possibly have been an associate of hers because he worked for Dumbledore. Dumbledore would never hire someone who was loyal to the Dark Lord, so she wondered yet again whether he was a school mate, or even a victim. It was an answer she suspected she would never know.

His words were true, Cassiopeia remembered her mother trying new spells, often using her as a test subject for new curses. She fingered her silver bracelet, another Lestrange special. They may be similar but their motivations were different, of that Cassiopeia was certain. Professor Snape took her lack of response and understanding of his point, and continued on.

"Now if that is all, some of us have work to do." Snape said impatiently, interrupting her train of thought. She nodded and with a quick thanks, all but ran out of the room.

Xxx

She had met him accidentally. In fact she had literally ran into him, knocking everything out of her and out of his, hands.

"Merlin, I am so sorry," she muttered, mortified, bending immediately to help gather up their things.

She was exhausted and had been completely zoned out as she was walking. There had been an interruption to her potion supply from her man in Knockturn Alley, leading to an unexpected shortage. Without her potions she was finding it hard to function. She was walking around in a mental fog, completely dead to the world. During the day she felt like she was in a haze, she had chills, headaches, and difficulty concentrating, she wanted to do nothing more than to lie down and fall asleep, and yet at night her body was filled with adrenaline, her skin crawling and her chest itching with anxiety and her heart raced. It was a new level of hell, and it left her forgetful, irritable, and apparently clumsy. Her marks were slipping and she knew that her friends were becoming a little worried about her, judging from their roundabout comments. She hoped her supply would resume soon, because exams were approaching quickly, and she was worried how she would perform without the extra help.

"S'okay, no harm done." The boy she bumped into said kindly, bending down to help the girl.

"I don't think we've met before. The names Glynn Gambol." He smiled and held out his hand for her to shake.

Cassiopeia reluctantly paused in her efforts to gather the fallen objects to return the handshake and froze momentarily when she met his eyes. He was beautiful, and his eyes, a bright, clear glacial blue, Cassiopeia blushed; she could stare into his eyes all day.

"Er- uh hi, Glynn. Cassiopeia Tonks." She said stupidly, she could feel her face burning as she realised she had been staring at the boy.

"Very nice to meet you Cassiopeia Tonks." Glynn said, giving her a bright smile.

Cassiopeia's blush deepened at his smile; it was a genuine expression that made her feel a little tingly. Nobody's smile ever had that effect on her before.

"I think I've seen you around Cassiopeia, you're in your second year right?" his voice was warm and friendly as they continued picking up their items. Cassiopeia found that when she wasn't looking directly at him she could concentrate a little more.

"Yes, Slytherin. What year are you in Glynn?" She looked at him from the corner of her eye, taking careful note of his blue robes. She had never noticed him before, and given her reaction, she would remember ever having seen him.

"Third year. I always see you in the library, studying away. You're relentless, putting even us Ravenclaws to shame." His tone was friendly as he picked up the last item off the ground, a book. "I think this is yours?"

She smiled shyly and accepted the book with a soft nod. "I expect your so tired, studying hard for exams. Merlin knows I am. I'm completely lost in thought rehearsing information about charms in my head." He said kindly, offering an explanation for her absentmindedness.

"Yes, and losing sleep over it. For me it's dates for History of Magic." She laughed nervously, it sounded strange and high pitch to her own ears, causing her to blush again.

Glynn wrinkled his face in sympathy, nodding, "I remember that exam. Well, if you ever need any help, or er, want a study partner, let me know. I somehow did quite well on that exam." He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and smiled shyly.

Cassiopeia found herself nodding eagerly before she even realised, and stopped when she noticed she had been nodding a bit too enthusiastically. "Yeah, that would be cool." She tried to sound casual, but her heart was racing at the thought. She wasn't sure she would actually get much studying done with this boy sitting across from her, but equally now that she had imagined the scenario, she was desperate for it to happen.

Glynn smiled, "well then, until we meet again in the library." And with that he continued on his way

They crossed paths a few times in the library, each giving each other a smile, but only shared a table once, when he approached her when she was alone one evening. She was working on a piece of reading from Professor Flitwick, as part of her independent study. Glynn had noticed the book she was reading about ancient language and grew curious about her study topic. It had sparked an hour-long discussion that had gotten them both kicked out of the library by a very irritated Madam Pince. Glynn was in Ancient Runes but had never looked into other languages. He found it fascinating and asked if he could borrow the book after her. She blushed brightly and agreed almost immediately, promising to be finished with it before term ended.

They parted ways as curfew approached, but it left Cassiopeia feeling warm for days.

Exams came and went, and luckily her potion supply was returned to normal before the exam period started. It wasn't long before she was back on the Hogwarts Express, curled up in a corner as always, listening to her music, completely ignoring her friends arguing about something or another and lost in her own world.

a/n thanks guys for reading. Ran through second year quickly, because well, not much exciting happens and I didnt want to draw it out, getting trapped in fluff or minutiae of day to day life. Extra credit for any fans of 80s british punk if you know the song and/or tape she is listening to. Its one of my favourite bands, who are still around and rocking today (I was lucky to see them in June.) thoughts, comments, and critiques welcome as ever :) Enjoy!