Not nearly soon enough, the first day of school finally came. As she had done every year, she met the Weasley family outside Platform 9 3/4. She ran through the barrier just after Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and heard all the cryptic hints from the three oldest boys and Mrs. Weasley about something special that was going to happen at Hogwarts this year. She joined Fred and George in their compartment (well, really she was sort of kidnapped, but she didn't mind) and spent the first whole hour of the journey just enjoying the fact that she was finally free again.
She was happy that her school robes covered her arms and legs completely, because they hid the scars and bruises she often had after living with Waters. That was certainly true this year. She couldn't wear her robes at King's Cross, though, so she had worn long jeans and a sweatshirt to Platform 9 3/4, despite the rather warm temperatures. This was nothing out of the ordinary for her, but this year the twins noticed something different. When she absent-mindedly pulled her sleeves up a few inches for relief from the heat, George noticed a few very dark bruises on her arm. He silently directed Fred's eyes to the area, and he immediately noticed it too. Then, almost simultaneously, they spotted a scar on her neck that hadn't been there before. It started just below her right ear and curved down to the front of her collarbone. Communicating via whatever twin telepathy they had, at the next lull in the conversation Fred casually asked, "Hey, Whisper, what's that mark on your neck?"
They watched as Cassi's blue eyes grew bigger, then darted down to her arms. She jerked her sleeves back down before looking up and touching her neck. "Oh, that?" she laughed nervously. "That's from my - from a tree on the lawn. At home. We have a tree with low-hanging branches and one sort of snapped me in the neck. That's all. Hardly even hurt." She smiled painfully and looked down at her lap, toying with the ends of her sleeves.
Fred and George glanced at each other. Then George said gently, "That doesn't look like a wound inflicted by a plant. We've gotten hit by the Whomping Willow loads of times, and even when it scars it doesn't look like that." Fred added, "Did the big bad tree give you the bruises on your arms, too?"
Cassi looked like a cornered animal. At her frightened expression, Fred asked, "Do you want to tell us something?" George growled, "It wasn't from Malfoy, was it? That pansy-faced, sniveling-"
Cassi gave a halfhearted laugh. "No, it's not from Malfoy. He's too scared of what I might do to him to try anything." The twins laughed too. "And with good reason," said George. "Was he there that time you hexed Goyle?" asked Fred. "That would've been enough to make him cry. Admittedly it wouldn't take much, but even Georgie here was scared for his life after that little incident." George punched Fred in the arm, and Cassi couldn't help but laugh. She sobered down, though, when they both turned to look at her expectantly. She knew what they wanted. She sighed.
"Guys...I can't tell you everything," she started. "I want to, but I can't, so just accept that now." They nodded in understanding. She continued. "My parents are dead, and I live with a Muggle named Waters who is supposedly related to me, but he hates me with his soul. He's never let me forget that because I have magic, I'm a freak who shouldn't be allowed to live." Here Fred interrupted with more vehemence than was necessary. "He's been beating you?!" he growled. George said in the exact same tone, "Why didn't you tell us before? We could have taken care of him long ago." Anger was evident on both of their faces, and Cassi sighed. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you!" Both expressions became surprised as they waited for an explanation.
"You're not allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts any more than I am," she said, "but you would have tried to keep me from having to go back to him. Or you would have tried to get me out. Either way you would have gotten in trouble with the Ministry, and I would still be stuck with Waters." They looked at her with dumbfounded expressions. She looked back. "Well, that's what would have happened, right?" They nodded mutely. Cassi smiled. "So don't be mad at me for not telling you. I saved us all a lot of trouble - especially you two, since you would have had to answer to your mother, too."
Fred and George were silent for a moment. Then Fred said quietly, "We would've done it, if it could have gotten you out." George added, "Although we probably couldn't have, if you put it like that. But we've got a few tricks up our sleeves that some old Muggle wouldn't know what to do with." Cassi laughed at the mischevious expressions on their faces.
The expressions died away though, and soon George said, "If you need help, we won't hesitate to bust you out. Mum would be mad at first, but once she knows-"
"Don't tell her!" Cassi panicked. She had only just mustered the courage to tell her best friends - she wasn't ready for this to spread. She saw that she had taken the twins aback, so she said more quietly, "Please. I promise you I'm not letting things keep going like this anymore. I'm getting help, honest. Thank you for offering, but I don't want you to get in trouble because of me." She paused, then smiled. "However, I would appreciate it if you would talk to your mum about me staying with you next summe-"
She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, because she was suddenly crushed by two bear hugs. "We'll do it!" they cried together. Laughing, Cassi tried to push them off her. "Alright, alright, you lot, get off," she said jokingly.
After that, Fred and George returned to their normal teasing selves, apparently satisfied with the outcome of the conversation. Cassi soon left to change into her robes. Once she was done, she glanced in the mirror. They didn't hide the new scar on her neck, but at least nothing else showed. Maybe, just maybe, she could make it through another year without her private life coming to the light for everyone in the school to see. Wouldn't that be a miracle.