C. M. Black: Eyes of an Owl

Chapter VIII: Broken expectations

There was something peculiar, Cassy noted, with her eyes drawn shut. A strange coolness appeared and disappeared from her cheek, a soft tap tap in the otherwise silent surroundings. Her body was warm, more comfortable that she could ever recall feeling in her life, but the pressure on her cheek was becoming annoying. She rolled over and brought the covers higher towards her chin. Although now not as comfortable, she smiled to herself as a weight was pulled away from behind her at her sudden action. There was a blissful second where she expected she might drift back to sleep, before cold, bony little fingers clamped around her nose.

Cassy flailed. She shoved her covers back and bolted upright, shoving the little grey hand from her face.

'Plum!' she reprimanded. 'I asked you to wake me, not suffocate me!'

'That was not Plum's intention, Mistress,' squeaked Plum.

Cassy pursed her lips. 'I told you not to call me "Mistress" either.' She hated the way it sounded. Cassy was always 'Miss', never the head of the House.

'But that is what Mistress is,' said Plum as she wrung her hands uncomfortably.

She sighed deeply. There was no use.

'Mistress, are you getting out of bed?' asked Plum, her hands still contently patting at Cassy's head.

'Not with any delight,' murmured Cassy.

Sighing, she threw the covers to one side and rubbed her palms into her blurry eyes. Of all the days her mind decided it was going to be quiet and allow her to sleep in late, it had to be the one she was required to wake early. There was no rush in her movements as she dressed or tied back her hair. Although it was all ready half-seven, there was no doubt that the Weasley children would not stir for quiet some while and Mrs Weasley would be only beginning to cook breakfast, having left it late again as she apparently did every year. Ginny had explained they had always been rushing for as far as she could remember, her mother never quite grasped managing seven children at once; Cassy considered it a cause for congratulations that she had never let them miss the train with that many noisy, head-strong children that made up the Weasley family to conduct.

She put on a simple green dress, intending to change the moment they were on the train to avoid the late rush of bodies, and tied her black brogues she wore with her uniform as to prevent having to scavenge in her trunk later on.

The leather trunk was left at the top of the staircase. Walburga was all ready grumbling as Cassy passed, as though she could sense the riot that was only a matter of time. Down in the kitchen, steam filled the windowless room and an assortment of delicious smells wafted up into the hall. Mrs Weasley fluttered around the stove with more pans than hands. Sausages sizzled and pancakes were stacked high on the side. Mr Weasley and Remus were engaged in a discussion of the rout to take later that morning, although Tonks looked as though she should have been involved, her nose was inches from her breakfast as she spooned porridge into her open mouth and her eyes were fixed on the back of the absurdly widely opened paper.

Behind that paper was Sirius, who only peered around the edges when Cassy pulled out the seat beside him.

'Morning,' he said, rather glumly.

'Good morning,' she replied.

'M'n'ng,' came Tonks' slurred greeting.

'Charming,' said Cassy.

Tonks smiled up at her cheekily.

Long after she had finished her meal, Cassy remained in the kitchen. Maps had been extracted and a fraction of the Order of the Phoenix stood around them, directing the pathways the teens would take to the station with the utmost care. It was imperative that no one supposed their divisions and their paths peculiar, but also that they were short and contained as to minimise potential open threats. The seven of them were to be split and divided amongst the Order members.

Just as Cassy memorised each rout they were divided into – herself with just Hermione – Mrs Weasley turned to her sharply. Quickly, Cassy ducked her head down to the newspaper and pretended to be reading the weather forecast interestedly. There was no reprimand for being present during their supposedly secret plans, but rather a flustered flutter and the crinkling of cloth as she wiped her hands hurriedly on her apron.

'Cassy, can you go and wake everyone? They should have been up an hour ago!' fretted Mrs Weasley.

'Of course, Mrs Weasley,' said Cassy.

The faint grumblings of Walburga continued to sound as Cassy sauntered by her portrait once more. She turned off at the first floor, passing Harry and Ron's room and knocked loudly on a bare, ornate door. Behind it, there was a soft grunt and the swish of bedsheets. Bare feet padded across the wooden floor to the door and a messy head of brown hair slipped into view.

'Is it time to get up?' asked Hermione as she rubbed her blurry eyes. 'What time is it?'

'Quarter-to-ten.'

'Oh, all ri – what? What do you mean it's quarter-to-ten!' shrieked Hermione.

'What?' sounded the alarmed voice of Ginny from behind the door. 'I haven't finished packing!'

'You said you'd done it last night,' retorted Hermione.

'Yeah, well...'

The door was slammed shut. Blinking and with a mildly amused glint in her eyes, Cassy turned on her heals and walked back down the hall. Again, she walked straight by the door beside her own.

Fred and George were not as easily awakened as Hermione and Ginny. As loudly as she knocked, there was no reply. There was no call of vague acknowledgement, or even a grunt or the rustling of sheets as they stirred at the sound. After debating the dangers, Cassy turned to nob and threw open the door loudly into the stack of boxes behind. There was a sharp yell and Fred slipped of the bed

'Bloody hell, Woman!' gasped George, sitting stiffly upright in shock.

Cassy caught the swinging door on the way back to her and poked her head slightly further into the room. 'Your mother wants you up. The train leaves in an hour.'

'You could have just knocked,' said Fred from the floor.

Cassy cast him a disdainful frown and swept the door shut. It was only after a leisurely descent and having strained her ears to listen to Sirius and Mrs Weasley bicker loudly in the kitchen two floors below, did Cassy bother to wake up the last sleeping occupants of the house.

After having loitered in the hall for five-minutes with half-hearted knocks as her attempt to wake the boys, Hermione emerged further down the hall, toothbrush in hand.

'Are they still not up?' she asked.

'Terrible, aren't they?' said Cassy flatly.

Hermione's knuckles rapt loudly against the door. She called through, 'We're leaving in a bit. You'll miss breakfast.'

There was a thud on the other side.

'Well, Ron's up,' said Hermione, her eyebrows raised high. She turned to leave just as the door was pulled open and Harry's dishevelled self almost knocked the girls flying.

'Why did no one wake us up?' he asked quickly.

'Cassy tried,' offered Hermione.

'I tried my absolute hardest,' agreed Cassy flatly and lowly, with half-lidded eyes.

Hermione turned to her suspiciously, but Cassy paid her no mind.

'We leave in ten minutes,' she said spiritedly and patted Harry's arm. She smiled widely as his eyes opened in groggy alarm and Cassy slipped back into her own room next door.

She scanned the shelves quickly and took one last look under her bed for anything that might have been forgotten. It was only when she went to collect Crin's cage did she take notice of the green and gold clown on the mantelpiece. Narcissa had brought it for her. It sat beside the carved dog her father had brought her the year before, and next to the flowering plant she had taken from her living room in Canterbury. Cassy slowly took the plant as she eyed the clown gingerly. She had not paid it much attention all summer, having chosen to partially hide it behind a framed photo instead. Her anger at Narcissa, Lucius, and Draco had not faded much, if any in the weeks that followed. If anything, she might have considered herself to be angrier as time continued.

The idea of having to speak with Draco was the only dampener on her good spirit at finally escaping Grimmauld Place. She had thought over what she wanted to say many times all ready, each having descended into some sort of insult towards the end, if not from her then towards her; she had never been so uncertain that he would not want to hear what she had to say as she was then.

The little plant was placed at the bottom of Crin's cage for lack of a better storage option and Cassy turned to her giant, grey owl with an expectant expression. Crin stared back, his eyes half-lidded and his toes wrapped tightly around the back of her chair.

'Crin, in, please,' asked Cassy.

Crin stared.

'If you do not come with me then I will be forced to give all my letters to Pigwidgeon to carry,' she said.

Crin clicked his beak and reluctantly fluttered into his carrier, after casting Cassy a particularly loathsome look.

Cassy stuck several treats through the bars of the cage, but Crin merely turned his back to her, making it very clear how offended he was by her comment. She rolled her eyes, 'Stubborn owl.'

When Cassy sauntered back into the hall, scraping and scrambling could be heard in the room next door as Harry and Ron rushed to collect their things. Sirius stood at the top of the stairs, shifting the trunk Cassy had left their in his arms.

'All right there, Sirius? Need a hand?' called Remus' voice from downstairs.

Sirius turned with a scowl. 'Muscle atrophy had not got me yet,' he said and lifted the trunk higher over his head. He wobbled violently and dropped it back down to the floor, barely catching himself before he slipped down the stairs.

'Sirius!' cried Mrs Weasley. 'Honestly!'

Remus' laughter echoed up and Cassy passed her father to hurry downstairs before he tried to lift her belongings again.

'Awh, Molly, I didn't know you cared,' called Sirius gleefully, a wide grin on his face.

'If you ruin the shelves after I've just arranged them I'll have your head,' said Mrs Weasley.

Sirius and Remus laughed loudly. Mrs Weasley turned her head with her own playful smile on her lips and Sirius heaved the trunk up once again, carefully to avoid the shelves set deep into the walls along the way. He set the case down and flexed his arms as he looked towards Cassy.

'What have you got in there? Bricks?'

'Not as strong as you think?' asked Cassy, smirking.

'I am plenty strong enough! I was a Beater on the Gryffindor team from my third-year onwards. I used to be really fit when I was young. I am just not built to be scrawny – unlike James, who only started growing when he was sixteen,' he said, as if that settled everything.

Cassy's eyebrows dipped a fraction as she inwardly debated admitting she knew as well as he did that he was designed to be as willowy in build as she was, no matter what he might want others to believe.

Hermione and Ginny appeared on the top of the stairs, both looking rushed with their dishevelled hair. The cardigan around Ginny's waist was even inside out. In one hand each they dragged their trunks and in the other they held the carriers of Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon respectively. The heavy trunks pulled across the wooden floor, scraping and creaking with each exertion to navigate the maze of littered artefacts that still lined the hall. Sirius moved to help them, glancing sideways at Cassy as he managed both trunks with what almost looked like grace this time. She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.

'We are not built to be physically powerful,' she maintained.

Sirius ignored her pointed stare. 'Speak for yourself. Black's are usually physically imposing, then there is you with your tiny height,' he huffed carting the luggage past her and out of the way of the door.

'Is there something wrong with being short?' asked Ginny, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. Equally matched, she and Cassy were the same height, whereas Luna was an inch or so taller and Hermione taller than her. She gave a pointed stare down at Sirius, who waved his hand flippantly.

'No need to get offended, I am sure short people have done great things to,' he said teasingly.

Ginny opened her mouth to retort when two thunderous bangs sounded from above. There was another and another and everyone turned to eye the top of the stairs as the sound drew closer with each thud. Two large trunks flew into sight, flinging themselves around the corner of the second staircase and straight towards the front door.

'Ginny, mo-' began Hermione sharply, but she was too slow. The trunks crashed into Ginny's chest, sending her tumbling backwards down the stairs. Noisily, she landed at the bottom by Hermione's feet, the cases laid haphazardly over her as she groaned lowly.

In an instant, Hermione had ducked to pull her free and Cassy appeared at her side to heave the trunks out of the way. Sirius crouched in front of her.

'Are you all right?' he asked, his hand following hers to grope at the back of her head. When Ginny hissed, he edged his way around Hermione to weave his hands through her red hair, humming as he inspected.

'Fred, George! For goodness sake, you do not need to use your wands for everything!' sounded Mrs Weasley's shriek from the top floor. Walburga's portrait became to groan at the sound, but everyone ignored it. Just as Fred and George appeared at the top of the staircase, so did Mrs Weasley. The pair had no time to retreat at the sight, for she had gripped their ears very tightly while her face began to colour. 'You could have – Ginny! What – did you two knock your sister down the stairs!' It was not a question, although it sounded like one. There was a dangerous bite in Mrs Weasley's voice that dared anyone to disagree, warning them of a building wrath behind her usually warm brown eyes.

Fred and George let out identical cries before she let go, their hands flung to their offended red-raw ears. Mrs Weasley did not so much as glance back at them and instead bustled to Ginny's side where her face crumpled into concern as though she had never been angry.

'She's not bleeding, although she did hit her head,' said Sirius, standing quickly.

'Oh, thank-you, Sirius,' said Mrs Weasley warmly.

He stared in surprise at her affectionate tone and before he could do something to persuade her otherwise he retreated back to the pile of luggage to heave the twins' things into place.

The kitchen door opened and numerous bodies piled out. The entrance hall was beginning to get crowded, as Moody, Tonks, Remus, and Mr Weasley filed their way to the front door. Tonks raised her eyebrows at the scene and grinned at Cassy.

'Nothing like a bit of mayhem to begin the school year, ay?' she joked. 'How are you feeling?'

'Fine,' said Cassy honestly. 'I am looking forward to returning.'

'Good, good. The first week is always the best of fifth-year because the teachers assume you can't remember anything from the last year, so you get less difficult homework. Then that will pick up and you will slowly be consumed by work. Not a nice year, fifth-year,' said Tonks fondly.

Cassy stared at her with her eyes half-narrowed, unsure exactly how to interpret the conflicting tone and message.

'I want you to write to me and whatever if anything is wrong and if anyone gives you trouble then you should give them hell, okay?' Tonks was both frowning and smiling formidably, her fist was raised and shaking slightly, as if threatening the imaginary children.

Cassy huffed a laugh and Mrs Weasley looked up at the pair of them in disapproval. 'That isn't good advice, Tonks.'

Tonks shrugged. 'It's fine. This way I get to be the cool guardian, right?' She winked at Cassy and Ginny burst into a fit of giggles while her mother sighed heavily.

'Boys, hurry up we need to leave!' called Mrs Weasley, still shaking her head.

Although it could have been considered counter-productive – and on any other day Cassy would have indeed thought so – she took great enjoyment from watching Harry run down the stairs in panic. He had haphazardly dressed, pausing on the stairs to shove his feet into his all ready laced-up trainers; Ron stopped just behind him and put his hand on Harry's back as an impromptu support so he could fasten his own shoes.

Satisfied with the alarm on his face, his crumpled clothing, and his ridiculously dishevelled hair, Cassy felt her irritation at his actions the previous day melt away.

'For goodness sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!' cried Mrs Weasley. Her voice was so sharp that Harry and Ron jumped and almost slipped down the remaining steps.

Noisily, a large, black dog clambered over the luggage. He let out a long warble, his tail thumping as he sat himself at the bottom of the stairs nearest to Harry.

'Fine!' huffed Mrs Weasley. 'Do as you please.'

Cassy gave Sirius a restrained smile as he turned to her, careful not to let Mrs Weasley see it. His tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in the closest thing to a grin a dog could give. Her eyes glittered with internal laugher and Sirius' tail beat harder on the floor with excitement to leave.

Tonks placed her hand on Cassy's shoulder. 'We better get a move on. All right, you and Hermione are coming with me. If anyone asks, Hermione, you've been spending the last week with us. We'll split up and take the rout closest to home and meet everyone at the station. We should be the last ones there.'

'Keep an eye out, Kid,' instructed Moody with a short nod.

'Will do, Mad-Eye,' replied Tonks. She seized Crin's cage and Crookshank's basket awkwardly in one hand and ushered Cassy and Hermione out the door at long last.

Cassy breathed the warm September air in. It was not the same having to feel the warmth in the beams of light that stretched across the dark stained floors, or to have the chill of a welcomed breeze trail softly in through an open window. She never expected to miss the outdoors, always having enjoyed being cooped inside thoughts whirling from old books and maps, but after two months of not having left the squalid house of her ancestors, she could think of nothing better.

'It's bad when the air of London is probably cleaner than in the house,' said Hermione, only half joking.

The luggage was left in the house for Moody to transport and they were thankful it was. The streets were bustling on the late Sunday morning. Muggles filled the streets, their cars barely stopping for the red traffic lights and their bags swinging dangerously on the paths as everyone rushed to the nearest underground entrance. It would have been impossible to navigate with their large trunks. Their unusual pets had all ready acquired more than a few strange looks.

Cassy carried Crin's cage in her arms, it being too large to hang from her lowered hands without scraping the floor. His narrowed eyes stared in loathing up at her, but she paid him no attention. Instead, she stared in false interest at the shops they passed, pointedly avoiding Hermione's searching stare.

Eventually, when Cassy had managed to glaze over her obvious silent call for attention, Hermione sighed and spoke anyway. 'Are you and him fighting?'

'No,' responded Cassy lightly.

'We heard the doors slam last night,' continued Hermione. 'That's why we asked you to play a game with us. We thought you had a fight.'

'We are fine,' said Cassy truthfully. Her anger was gone all ready and as long as Harry did not sink into bitterness on the train then she did not expect it to return. 'I was just a bit vexed.'

'Well, as long as you're all right now. No one likes it when you two fight,' said Hermione with a smile.

Cassy smiled back.

'Did you find out why he was so weird though?'

'No, he was just being a prat,' said Cassy.

'I'm sure he'll sort himself out soon. He will probably be back to his old self once he's out of there,' joined Tonks, keeping as ambiguous as possible in case of listening ears. 'He just needs some good friends. Stick together and you guys will be fine.'

At the platform, they met the Weasleys. Mr Weasley's eyes were fixed on a spot some distance away, where a large trolley of trunks was being wheeled to the end of the train. As Cassy craned her neck to see where Moody was going, she spotted the lanky frame of Harry, with an old woman and Mrs Weasley by his side some distance onwards. Remus had spotted them too, waving to Arthur and ushering the teens down the platform through the throng of bubbly students.

As they got closer, a bark sounded and Sirius sat beside Harry with his tail thumping again. Several school children had turned to comment on the giant, bear-like dog and he was repaying their curiosity well with his attention. The children cooed. Mrs Weasley rolled her eyes when several of the students complimented Harry on his dog.

Tonks sneaked up beside Cassy and wrapped her arm around her in a short side hug.

'I'll see you soon, remember what I said, all right? I have to go. I'm technically on a work break to be here. Can't be too suspicious now,' she whispered.

Cassy nodded and smiled. She waved as Tonks quickly excused herself, sinking into the crowd and vanishing as her features morphed unrecognisably amongst the oncoming families.

'Sturgis is almost becoming as unreliable as Mundungus,' muttered Moody.

The train whistle blew loudly. Students began to push forward towards the doors and the sounds of calling parents and shrieking siblings filled the platform. A blunt force hit Cassy's hip. She looked down expecting it to be a child who had been looking the other way as they ran, but instead she stared into the grey eyes of her father's dog form. He barked, clawing at her leg.

'Yes, yes,' she said with a smile. 'Goodbye, I expect I will see you at Christmas.'

He barked again and jumped at her, almost knocking her to the ground as his massive paws lay against her shoulders. He retreated, nearly flattening a passing child before jumping at an unsuspecting Harry. Mrs Weasley sharply tried to pull Harry away, but Sirius had none of it and Harry did not look too concerned, laughing loudly instead.

With a glance over to Hermione, Cassy nodded her head towards the train. Waving goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley, Cassy and Hermione boarded the train. They were certain the others would find them, they just had to find Neville and Luna, the former of whom had promised to secure seats at the back of the train; out of sight, out of mind, with any luck for the year ahead and not just the train.

Behind them, Cassy could faintly hear the high, piecing sounds of Pigwidgeon squawking in excitement. A short glance over her shoulder showed her and Harry to be only a few students behind. She almost walked into the back of Hermione when the other stopped suddenly to open a compartment door. Neville rose quickly to slide open the door as Hermione wrestled with Crookshanks' basket. Luna scooted across on the seat to make way for their luggage to be passed overhead, a small cage of her own on her lap.

'Is that Venus?' asked Cassy, sitting opposite her.

'Yes,' said Luna fondly, sticking her finger between the bars. 'She is quite upset about travelling. Does Crin become like that?'

'Crin is always unimpressed,' said Cassy flatly.

'I didn't know you had a new owl, Luna,' said Hermione, seating herself beside Cassy.

'Well, I did not expect you to answer a letter if I sent one,' said Luna, her tone pleasant, but her words terribly frank.

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, appearing mildly offended, when the compartment door opened again. Ginny poked her head in first, then dropped herself down beside Luna before she gave her a sideways embrace. Hedwig and Pigwidgeon were soon wedged into the racks above and Harry shut the door. As he turned to sit, he paused. A grin broke across his face.

A loud bark sounded from outside their window. Two large paws scraped on the windowsill and a joyful looking face appeared, his muzzle against the glass, casting great steamed circles from his warm breath.

Cassy waved and Harry beamed. Laughter echoed through the compartment as the train began to move. The paws fell from the ledge and the dog began to sprint, weaving through the on looking parents. The slowly blurring faces of those on the platform were full of mirth at the site of the huge dog running alongside the train; then he vanished as the platform was suddenly cut short and the grey streets of London replaced it.

'He's in a good mood today,' said Neville with a smile.

Cassy was not so certain he was in reality, but she did not comment.

Conversation soon erupted over what they had been doing in the time Neville had missed and, although very patchy and out of any sense of time order, Harry, Neville, and Ginny began to fill Luna in on what she had missed altogether. There was much to tell her and she listened curiously, not at all put out by the converging voices. They only paused to bid good-bye to Hermione as she excused herself in favour of the prefect compartment.

Out of the window, shops began to give way the houses, then to trees and parks between larger, more distinct homes with large gardens and long driveways. It was not long before London had vanished all together.

Slowly, Cassy began to withdraw. A steady, dull pulsating had begun behinds her eyes. Tiredly, she rubbed them. As conversation moved onto Luna's father's latest articles in The Quibbler, laughter rang through her ears, grating and winding her tired bones in knots. Her eyes slipped shut, her head on the palm of her hand. If she tried hard enough, she could almost block out the world. The trundling train did nothing to energise her, if anything she merely felt more inclined to curl up and sleep. The rest she had missed last night, and many nights before it for many weeks as her mind bled itself dry with repetitive thought, had finally caught up with her. She considered sleeping for a time, if only she had the ability to sleep with the knowledge of curious eyes and telling conversation. Despite her doubts, Cassy's eyes began to grow heavier. Then, the compartment door opened.

Her eyes snapped open. She only turned her head half-way, eyeing the unwelcome visitor with a flat stare. Only, the visitor was not so unwelcome to everyone else. Standing there with a small, shy smile and glistening black eyes was Cho Chang. Her eyes were fixed firmly on Harry.

Any remaining happiness in Cassy died.

'Excuse me,' said Cassy abruptly. She moved from her seat, grabbed her robes from her trunk, and slipped out of the door before anyone could comprehend she had spoken. Seeing Harry lose his wit over a girl was not high on her priorities that day; no amount of sleep on the train would cure the unjust jealousy that would blossom and no glittering green eyes would subdue her into gentle concession from it either. Instead, there was something that required urgent attention. Her time could be better used than to wind herself up over a girl who had done nothing to warrant her dislike. No small amount of glee bubbled in her stomach, a wild anticipation that could only be born through weeks of waiting, of planning meticulously each and every word. It was the worst time to broach the subject, but an excuse to leave the compartment none the less. She was restless and tired. It was not the moment for diplomatic conversation, but then Cassy found she did not want one. The expectations of past weeks shattered and crumbled effortlessly, giving way to an emotional and sharp-tongued desire to speak. She wanted to speak and make him listen, and she wanted to listen and make him speak, whether he wanted to or not. She was too close to him now to practise the words she had gathered at such an impersonal distance.

Cassy's sharp, steel-blue eyes raked over each and every compartment. The longer she walked, the more a small voice in the back of her mind told her it was ridiculous and that she should wait until school. Each time that voice spoke up, a louder, darker, more Black voice told her it was her right and she should have it on her terms. Compartment after compartment was filled with unfamiliar faces. On occasion, there was one that she knew she recognised in passing, but the white-blond hair she was combing the student body for was nowhere to be seen.

Silently, she slipped into one of the many toilets on the long steam train. Her casual clothing was exchanged for her school uniform, the others stuffed into the satchel she had slipped her uniform into for ease of transport the night before. When she exited, the corridor of the train was still largely empty, the muffled sounds of excited conversations leaking through the doors, except there was a small gaggle of awkwardly tall boys and eagerly conversing girls. Amongst them were Hermione and Ron, the latter of whom stood taller than the rest with boredom smeared across his freckled face. Behind him was Draco.

Striding, Cassy approached with a blank, controlled face. Hermione spotted her first, but Cassy slipped by, clutching Draco's arm tightly. She pulled him further up the train, ignoring his disgruntled mutterings. He did not resist. Behind her, Pansy Parkinson was calling something in a shrill, teasing tone and Hermione's chilled laughter followed it; Cassy did not have time to watch the fight break out, although she thought she would have dearly loved to. Instead, when they were far enough up the train, almost outside the conductor's door, she released Draco.

He stared down at her with a scowl.

'Prefect, I see,' she said, eyeing the shining green badge on his chest.

'I see you are not,' he drawled.

'I suppose there were people just better suited, Malfoy,' she suggested curtly. Her tone remained even and polite.

Draco's nose crinkled a bit further. 'Has it come to that now?'

'Well, you have always called me "Black" in front of others,' she said lightly, as if offering to pour an acquaintance a drink at work.

'That never really mattered, did it? You never bothered to keep our association low,' he scoffed.

There was a pregnant pause. The wheels of the train could be heard churning and the whistle blew loudly. It was far louder at the front of the train. Even the smoke from the chimneys fluttered down in thick wisps, trailing their pale tendrils past the nearest windows. It almost seemed as if the two of them were alone.

'Why did you not attend Alphard's funeral?' asked Cassy quietly. Her voice was soft, barely audible against the rumbling of the train

'Why did you not invite me?' retorted Draco.

There was a slight pause before a loud 'Pardon?' rang down the corridor. Cassy's voice forgot the sudden vulnerability it had unwillingly adopted and returned back to the tone of fury that had circled her head since she had awoke.

How dare he? She thought. How could he think that?

'Even if I was furious, if I had had the desire to string you from the top of the Astronomy Tower by your ankles, I still would have invited you!' she growled. She did not shout. Her voice dipped dangerously low and she stepped forward, her nose almost against Draco's chin as he refused to back away; his own face twisted into an incredulous scowl. 'I was angry and upset at the end of last year, but how can you think I would be so petty as to deprive you of your uncle's funeral? Do not try and blame me, Draco. You chose not to attend, you and your damned parents. You failed to attend the final farewell of a man who helped raise you for fourteen-years and for what? Because Alphard did not give your mother custody of me?'

'What the hell are you talking about?' snapped Draco. 'You were the one who refused to live with us, even after my father agreed to sort it all out for you. You said you would rather live with that stupid half-blood than us.'

'Lucius never said any such thing,' she said, setting her jaw. 'In case you have forgotten, I am also a half-blood.'

'You are not a half-blood who wanders around with bright pink hair! Anyway, what do you mean he didn't offer? Of course he did. You said no,' said Draco, almost spitting the last sentence as he lurched forward.

Cassy did not back away and the pair stood almost nose to nose.

'I have not seen your father since the World Cup last year,' she said icily. Inwardly, she thinks that she would have said no if offered, but that was a conversation for another time.

'That's not what my mother said. She said you told us to stay away, just like how you avoided me at the end of last year. Do you not think I wanted to see if you were all right? To speak about Alphard? He was my uncle too, Cassy! You avoided me and you did not even invite us to the funeral. I suppose you think you have it all with your Mudbloods and Blood-Traitors. You have never been the same since you started hanging out with Potter,' hissed Draco. 'You chose them over your own family. Mother told me all about your letter, telling her what a coward you thought my father is and how pathetic she is for staying with a man like him, you said you would stay with her, if not for him. You have never liked him, but you crossed a line. I have tried to overlook your weird collection of friends, but I cannot any more. You have changed, become disgusting and I cannot even recognise you anymore. Family always meant so much to you, but I suppose you have found your place with the misfits and the filth. You picked your side.'

There was no immediate reaction from Cassy. She stared, eyes wide and mouth slightly open from where she had attempted to cut him off early. No sound had left her mouth as the words tumbled from his, full of spite and loathing, full of lies.

'Narcissa said that?' she asked weakly. She no longer cared for her tone. All Cassy cared for was squashing down the devastation that was flooding her body from head to toe, gripping her heart and drowning her brain, making her unable to move and unable to speak. Her voice refused to crack further. 'I sent four invitations, one after another when there was no reply. I wanted you to be there, I wanted – I wanted to have someone there that understood, that I could speak to. I did not care for the differences between Alphard and Narcissa! I wanted her there! I wrote to her, but she never wrote back. Not once.'

Cassy cursed herself. Colours of the wall beside her cousin's head threatened to blur together, to become indistinguishable as hot tears rose in her eyes. All the anger she had felt, the rage and the pain of the past weeks that had been allowed to grow and to blossom into hateful little thoughts relished the news. She blinked tightly. She would not cry.

'I kept three seats spare at the front of the cremation for you, just in case you were going to show. I had hoped that perhaps the letter got lost, that you were going to appear and I kept looking, hoping – but I was so stupid, so idiotic to ever think that I ever meant more to the Malfoys than the ward of Alphard. If I had been younger, or the circumstances different, your parents would have left me to starve on the streets. You are right, I have picked a side. I picked the people who actually care for me.'

There was only a split second where Cassy dared to glance beyond Draco's eyes and at the rest of his face. Her mind told her he was stricken, almost distraught, but then the analysis was smothered by a bitter internal laugh. He was surely smug. He must have loved to see her so overcome. She pushed away harshly, swinging both her hands into his chest and shoving him against the wall. Stumbling, she turned quickly, her head ducked low and away from any potential eyes of the students in the compartments. Her feet carried her quickly – but not running, Cassy refused to give Draco the satisfaction – to the nearest toilet. It was fortunately unlocked.

The door was slammed shut. Watery rimmed eyes stared back in the mirror from the effort not to cry, the rich blue of her irises so much brighter, as if set ablaze by the rawness of her surrounding skin.

'You will not cry. You will not cry, Cassiopeia,' she repeated to herself.

She would not break down over it, she did not cry more than a single tear at Alphard's funeral, she had refused to at the sight of so many strangers and she would not do so now. Slowly, she sunk down onto the close toilet lid.

An impatient knock sounded at the door.

She rarely cried as a child. The thought of being scorned by the Malfoys when she had been sorted into Gryffindor had alarmed her, scared her, even, but she had never cried about it. Yet, Draco's words cut deeper than anything she had heard before and Cassy was unsure of why she felt to fragile; she simply cared too much. She frowned. She did care too much. If she could bear the thought of living without them at eleven, then at almost sixteen-years-old she should have no doubts. A strength swelled inside her once more and her mourning was pushed aside in favour of the growing resentment in a distant part of her heart. She cared because they were the only family she had left, her prior strength drawn from knowing Alphard would always have her back. While he was gone, she did have new family. Cassy had Sirius and Tonks, who had proven to care for her more in their short times in her lives than the Malfoys had in a long time. She did not need them. She refused to let herself think she ever needed them.

'Draco,' she whispered between her fingers, still damp from tears. Draco still had a chance. He could be persuaded otherwise, surely, she reasoned. Narcissa and Lucius might hate her because she chose to move against them in the oncoming war, but Draco was not one of Voldemort's followers. He still had a chance to be different. He was repeating what he had been told alone.

Does he really have a chance? Questioned the more rational side of her brain. He had been certain of what he had said, lies or not. It hardly seemed possible to compete with the adoration he held for his parents. Their word was law. It always had been.

Cassy rubbed her face tiredly. She had expected the conversation to be different. She thought he might blurt a sorrowful apology at best, or a vexed demand to know why she had avoided him last year, and perhaps anything in-between, but she had not expected him to accuse her of not caring. She was truly the idiot now. It would have been better to listen to the voice in the back of her mind that demanded she rethink her timing. The other side of her opinion, that waiting would merely be delaying it, which had shrunk back in her mind resurfaced with renewed vigour; there was no point in waiting because the outcome would be the same. Draco was disgusted with her for the lies his parents had fed him. A week of waiting would not change that.

As yet another pair of feet moved away from the door, Cassy breathed out deeply. As much as she may have wanted to, she knew she could not remain locked away forever. She needed something else to think about, she needed to return to her friends and discard what had happened. The hardest part was over, she assured herself firmly, she had struggled for a time all ready without the Malfoys. It was merely reaffirmed that they were gone.

Running her hands over her face one more time, Cassy finally exited the bathroom and made her way back to the end of the train. Her head was held high as she entered the compartment. She did not look at anyone as she sat gracefully, folding her skirt neatly beneath her.

'Are you all right?' asked Harry immediately.

Cassy turned to him and nodded, but he looked utterly unconvinced.

'Hermione said you went somewhere with Malfoy and you've been gone ages,' he said. 'We even looked for you, but we couldn't see you anywhere.'

'I was just speaking to a few people,' she lied as her mind added it was unhealthy to class herself as another person in a conversation.

'He's upset you,' he said with a scowl.

'I am fine,' she said, sharper this time.

'No, you're not,' insisted Harry.

'Harry, she looks fine. Stop looking for a fight,' interjected Hermione.

Harry drew his lips together. His eyes remained focused on Cassy's face as she turned to the window. She wondered how he knew she was upset. She reasoned that perhaps her face was slightly forlorn, or like Hermione had suggested, he was merely looking for an excuse to curse Draco. She did not put much more thought into it, losing herself in the rolling countryside as the scarlet train crossed into Yorkshire.

A sharp breath was sucked in and for a second, Cassy waited for Harry to renew the conversation, but before anyone had a chance to speak the compartment door opened once more. In the reflection on the window a dark-skinned boy stood. One hand lingered on the door while the other was on his hip. Slowly, Cassy turned. His coal eyes were focused on her. He had not even bothered surveying the others.

'A word, Black?' he asked.

Everyone's faces scrunched at his request. Ginny mumbled and Harry looked as if he was biting back a remark, yet Cassy silenced them both when she stood with a nod. Her face eased purposefully and only then did she realise how tense it had been. She did with same with her shoulders, slumping them into what she hoped no longer made her appear defensive. Then, she turned her head coolly towards Blaise Zambini as the door drew to.

'Zambini,' she said in a curt greeting.

'My mother asked that I thank you for the wedding gift you sent. She thought it was very witty. Did you know the plant you sent symbolises both wealth and misfortune?' he asked, his voice deep and his eyes glazed with only mild interest.

'Oh, did it?' she asked in false surprise. 'How terrible.'

'Indeed. Who would want to wish that upon a newly married couple?' he said. 'I want to know why you sent a gift at all.'

It was not a request. Cassy did not bat an eyelid at the bluntness. 'It is customary to send families gifts on such momentous occasions, especially something as grand as a seventh wedding.'

'I did not think you were particularly one for tradition,' he remarked, bored.

'If you have got that impression from Draco, then I assure you he is filled with lies.' A bitter smile twisted her lips into a rare smile of the day. If she had read Zambini correctly, a flash of interest had flickered over his handsome face for just an instant. He was as perceptive as she had imagined and she was glad she had not changed her familial referral to Draco to a curt surname, or they would be the talk of Slytherin before dinner.

'You abide by some traditions then?'

'Some,' agreed Cassy.

He let out a short hum. 'Thank-you again for my mother's present. Here is hoping her new marriage goes... well.'

'The best to her,' said Cassy amicably.

As she stared at his retreating back, Cassy could not help but feel a flicker of warmth in her stomach. The cold sadness ebbed away to make room for a tiny sense of triumph. Zambini did not hold much stock in anyone as a rule, no matter what the blood-type, or the company they held, but he had even less patience for Blood-Traitors and those who went against custom. Cassy supposed she did not fall into the former category, being only half-blood and perhaps that was what had seen the delightful exchange come to life. He did not expect too much from her and now he was pleasantly surprised. If only Cassy could work on making wider connections, she thought she might have a chance at building her very own successful network from inside school out. Suddenly, she felt more confident than ever.

So almost at Hogwarts now! It took a while, but the year is starting at last. A bit of conflict for Cassy to deal with while trying to build up her own reputation within her peers now. The ball is finally rolling on her power base to set her future, although I might be afraid she has chosen the worst year to try it!

Her fights with Draco have finally progressed beyond a squabble, too. It was quite difficult to write, because Cassy is supposed to be a strong character and I think it would undeniably destroy her if her family turned against her. She's trying to hold it together though, but whether that is for better or worse, you will have to read to find out!

I appreciate the reviews so far. I am glad so many people have stuck with me.

Thanks!