Now we jump forward three years to Cassandra's fourth year (Goblet of Fire). We resume the narrative during the summer just before the school year starts (about when the Quidditch World Cup is happening.)

"Girl! What are you doing?!"

Cassi winced, then looked over her shoulder. "I'm...I'm studying, sir. For school." She was sitting on the grass outside with her textbooks lying haphazardly scattered around her. Her guardian, Nathaniel Waters, was storming towards her, the back door still swinging from being slammed so hard. He didn't look happy - but then, he rarely did. It was 4:30 in the afternoon, but it already looked like he had been hitting the bottle pretty hard. It wouldn't take any provocation on her part to elicit a heavy-handed response from him.

"What do ya think ya got a room for?" he bellowed. "In the house. Now! I won't have the neighbors knowing about yer cursed abnormality. Get on!" Cassi scrambled to gather all her books before he could reach any of them, but one of them lay just out of her reach. She lunged for it just as he was reaching down to snatch it away, and a brief battle for possession, the sound of ripping pages filled the air. Her heart sank. The Weasleys had sent her the books from the Burrow and Harry had paid for them, since she didn't have any wizard money. Waters looked elated.

"Oh, someone's gonna be in trouble when they get back to school," he sneered, "can't even take care of her own d- books. You'll probably fail out of all yer classes now and become a hooker to earn yer keep. Probably wouldn't even be good at that. Stupid girl can't do anything right!"

He cackled at himself and left her to hastily gather her things and retreat to her room before she offended him further. She would have to try and repair the damage without magic, since she was still underage. Don't the people at the Ministry realize that fourteen-year-olds need magic sometimes, too? she thought miserably. Many times a day she wished she could use magic outside Hogwarts, because in her world, a ripped book was a very slight misdemeanor. There were days when Waters wouldn't let Cassi out of her room (which, by the way, was the miniscule attic) and other days when he wouldn't feed her. She took the role of house-elf, almost, and if something wasn't done to Waters' standards, she would wake up the next morning covered in new bruises and scars in addition to the plethora of old ones. Whenever he got the chance he would lock her out of the house at night, and she would be forced to beg the neighbors for a place to stay. Most of the time they wouldn't listen to her, because Waters had guns and knew how to use them to his advantage. He had "convinced" the neighborhood that his problems were his own, and that anyone who tried to stick his nose where it didn't belong would soon find it detached from his face. That's also the reason that Cassi was stuck with him until she turned 18 and legally became a Muggle adult. She couldn't wait for that day.

She made it up to the attic without further incident. As she carefully laid her books down on the little side table she used as a desk, she wondered why she had never gone to anyone else for help before. Maybe I just didn't feel I had anyone before, she thought. The Muggle authorities can only do so much to protect me against Waters, but for a long time that was my only option. Maybe now that I have a whole different world I can live in...maybe I can get away. The thought was both foreign and invigorating.

Surely there's someone I can tell, she thought, someone who can do something. I would tell the twins, I know they'd help, but they're not allowed to use magic either. Although they would. Cassi smiled as she thought of Fred and George, who had begged their mother to let them break Cassi out (though they just thought she had a boring, strict guardian who never let her have fun) and bring her to the Burrow that summer. But after the whole Harry fiasco, Mrs. Weasley would barely let the twins out of the house. Cassi had laughed it off and reassured them that she'd be fine, but secretly she was devastated. She had almost escaped a whole summer of Waters. Oh well. It wouldn't kill her. Probably.

So, no students, she thought. None of them can help me, at least none of the ones I know. That leaves the teachers. Who would help me? I doubt Dumbledore would, he has to set an example for all the students. I don't think Professor McGonagall would either, since she's House Head and doesn't believe in breaking rules.

Wait a minute. What about Snape? She paused, considering the possibility. I bet he could help me. He could help. He could make Waters leave me alone. And next summer, I'll just go home with the Weasleys. Or Hermione. Or someone. At this point, I'd go to the Malfoys if they'd have me. Anything is better than this place.

Snape had continued her DADA lessons over the past three years, although not very frequently. They had met once a month at the most during her first and second years, and even less than that last year. But those meetings were sufficient for her to perfect her Patronus, which she could now cast without a second thought, and a few other techniques which she couldn't really use. At least her Patronus made her feel better when she was trying to fall asleep. Despite Snape's relative aloofness, Cassi would bet money that he would at least be able to give her guidance as to what she should do about the situation. He wasn't above bending the rules, but he was also intelligent and subtle. And all it would require was the courage to open up to him and tell him what was truly going on.

"That's what I'll do, then," she said confidently to the empty room. "When I get back to Hogwarts, I'll ask Professor Snape to help me. He'll know what to do."

I hope...