Disclaimer: Do not own anything Harry Potter- J.K. Rowling does. No, I don't feel like being original with my disclaimer, and no, you cannot cuddle with Fred or George, we don't want them to escape their cages…. And we certainly do NOT want them to start singing Britney Spears.

Chapter Two

Sir Bedevere What makes you think she's a witch?
Peasant: Well, she turned me into a newt!
Sir Bedevere: A newt?
Peasant ... I got better.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Fred and George had led her to Dumbledore's stone gargoyle, and they had stared at it for a good five minutes (the twins guessing the password with various kinds of candy) when Professor Lupin showed up.

Remus J. Lupin was a scruffy man, with shabby robes that looked as if they'd been attacked by a wild animal, and then sown up again. He had a worn face, his light brown hair already flecked with gray, though she figured he was still pretty young. Cassidy noted that while he looked ill and exhausted, he was quite handsome.

"I'm sorry, it'd be best if you don't come up right now. But I'm sure you'll be here soon, if what I've heard about you is correct." At Professor Lupin's words, the twins grinned wickedly. "The password is Candy Corn, just for future reference."

After Fred and George had run off (making Cassidy promising to tell them all about it at breakfast) Lupin led the girl past the stone gargoyle and up the moving stairs.

They paused at the oak door, and the Professor knocked with the brass knocker, Cassidy staring fascinated at its phoenix shape. A cheery "come in" responding immediately.

As they entered the room, Cassidy stared around her, trying to catch all the detail. It was a circular office, with a beautiful view. There were portraits of men and women alike, and Cassidy guessed that these were past Headmasters and Headmistresses. Silver objects were placed around the room, and she recognized the Sorting Hat from last night, as well as a beautiful sword.

"Ahh… Miss Williams, Professor Lupin. Please, have a seat. Would you like a lemon drop?" Cassidy sat down and smiled politely at the Headmaster.

"No, thank you."

"How do you like Hogwarts so far, Miss Williams?" Professor Dumbledore asked. His eyes twinkled, and Cassidy found herself more open to talking then she normally would be.

"Oh, it's beautiful here. Under the circumstances, I'm really happy to be here."

"Yes, life has been quite tragic for you lately, hasn't it?" Dumbledore smiled kindly at her. "How is your dear sister fairing?"

"She's… alright." Cassidy's little sister, Allison, was eight years old. "I feel bad for sending her back to school, but her education is important… And I know her friends can help her."

Lupin looked up, curious as to what she was talking about. Back to school? "Where does she go to school?"

Cassidy addressed the man. "She goes to the Czech Republic's Primary School for the Young Witch and Wizard. It gives a basic muggle education- science, literature, maths, and a background for our magical education." The young woman grinned proudly. "She's quite talented; I really think she's going to go far."

"You went there?" Remus was genuinely intrigued; not many British Purebloods went to primary school- they had tutors, and they never learned anything that muggles did.

"Yeah. It's really good, because if you're not interested in just learning magic after primary school, you can stay there on a special program and like learn what you need to know to… say, to go into astrophysics." Cassidy liked talking about school; she was 'strange' that way. "The school was founded in the sixties, a lot of wizards who grew up as muggles or with muggle influence didn't like knowing that their children weren't getting a rounded education- er, no offense, Professor." She apologized, nodding to Dumbledore.

"None taken. Now, I'm sure you can speak with Professor Lupin about your education later, I would like to address some more immediate manners." He took on a more serious expression, though the twinkle in his eye did not dim.

"Of course."

"Now, will you be returning to the Williams Estate during Holidays?"

"Yes, I'll need to see Allison again." Cassidy was worried about her little sister, they already didn't have enough contact and she would need to spend as much time with her as she could.

"Good. And you're legal guardian?"

"Um…" She was almost sheepish. "My mother's friend is with her new husband on her honeymoon; she won't be returning for at least another six months." The woman was an extravagant nuisance, and Cassidy was glad to be rid of her. "But we have someone taking care of the house- Allison's nanny… she was mine and my mother's as well, she's very trust worthy."

"Well, it seems you have it all taken care of." Albus smiled at this, it meant she wouldn't have too much trouble getting hold of her birthrights, and she would hopefully be able to handle the shock that was to come.

"Yeah, my step dad was pretty paranoid." His worries had mostly been for his biological daughter, Allison, but he had known that Allison was not the firstborn, and she would have to rely on Cassidy until she was an adult and received her own birthright.

He had been a good man, and though he and Cassidy had never been close, they had treated each other with respect.

"Now that we have that settled, I have a question for you." Here came the reason she was in this office, so early in the morning, without caffeine. With a mad-hatter wizard and another wizard looking at her with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Shoot."

"You know who Sirius Black is, yes?" His voice was so grave and dark, that Cassidy actually felt as if the temperature had dropped a little. She was curious as to wear the headmaster was going with this, and was trying to place where she had heard the name Black before.

"Errr… Should I?" At this, Remus was slightly surprised, but Dumbledore had been expecting this. He doubted a foreign girl who had just lost the majority of her family would want to pay attention to the darkness any longer.

"Sirius Black recently escaped from Azkaban." Adrian's large eyes widened even further. "He was a Death Eater who helped Voldemort," once again, being from a different country helped her- she didn't flinch at the Dark Lord's name. "He helped Voldemort get to the Potters, and killed thirteen people. He is believed to be after Harry Potter."

Cassidy frowned. "Poor Harry…" Dumbledore nodded, and she raised her eyes to meet his. "Not to be all of the selfishness… but what does this have to do with me?"

"Sirius Black is your father."

Next to the teen, Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't think the Headmaster should be telling her this, but what could he do? She did deserve to know where she came from, even if it would tear her further apart…

Once Remus had met the girl, he had passed on his fears to Dumbledore. Would she be able to handle having a killer for a father? He doubted she would search him out, unlike the younger Harry Potter. Dumbledore (and many others) believed the boy would try and find Sirius if he knew that the man had betrayed his parents.

Remus was worried that Cassidy would hide in her room and never come out.

"Oh. Well. Oh. That's certainly a surprise. Oh, dear." She blinked at the white-haired wizard, shocked. "I think I'd like that lemon drop now, if that's alright, sir."

Remus sighed, as Dumbledore gave her one. Soon it would be his turn.

"Um… so… He's not going to, like, come after me too, right?" Emotions flitted across her eyes, Dumbledore recognizing each of them. Fear for her and her sister's lives, worry about Harry's well-being, happiness at finally knowing who her father was, and anger at the man for killing so many.

Remus responded, taking his chance. "We don't know. It's doubtful he knows you're here, and I don't know how he'd react if he did know…"

She stared at him, trying to work something out in her mind. "What role… what role do you play in this?"

Remus glanced at Dumbledore, and the older wizard inclined his head, as if saying "answer her question, but don't tell her everything."

"Your… Your father and I were good friends before he betrayed James and Lily. I just want to be here to help you deal with … everything." His sad eyes met hers, and she sighed.

"I'm sorry Professor; it's going to take me some time to deal with this. I never knew who my father was-is, and now that I find out that he's out to kill some kid I just met? I really don't know what to think."

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Yes, and I think its past time for breakfast- I'm sure you don't want to miss it on your first day."

"Thank you, sir, Professor Lupin. I think… I think I'll be going now." She walked swiftly to the door as she was excused.

"And Miss Williams?" She paused with her hand on the knob as Dumbledore addressed her. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this conversation to Mister Potter. He doesn't know."

She nodded, and when she reached the gargoyle, Cassidy practically tore down the halls to reach the Gryffindor table.

Obviously she was joining the conversation between Harry, Ron, Fred and George a little late, and she tried to catch up.

"Forget it, Harry," said George after greeting Cassidy with a small smile. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking… They suck the happiness out of a place, Dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."

So that was why she felt so terrible on the train… Those horrid creatures were pulling the happiness out of her- Cassidy felt like she had been mind-raped.

She knew why they were here. They were here to capture her father… Her father. Gods, the term still felt weird to her. The Dementors, creatures that fed on happiness, were here to find and capture her father… and when they did, they were going to suck out his soul.

She knew what Dementors were, she had learned about them last year in Beauxbatons. Cassidy couldn't help it, her father may be a murderer, but he was one half of the only family she had left. She wanted to meet him before he lost his soul.

They weren't even going to give him the grace of death- Muggles, she knew, considered it the ultimate punishment, Capitol Punishment, actually. The Ministry of Magic thought her own father terrible enough that, instead of killing him, they were going to make him a broken husk. She didn't believe in it.

But he had killed so many people. Her own father was a murderer… And he was going to end up food for a demon.

Cassidy found it sad.

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," Fred said. Cassidy was excited to see them play; she had heard they were a terrific team. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

She shoved a muffin in her mouth and downed a cup of coffee, content to just watch her house-mates converse.

Fred, George and Lee started a conversation about Quidditch, Lee hugging Cassidy to his side, while Hermione, Ron and Harry talked about school.

Speaking of school, her Head of House was walking towards them with their schedules. After receiving her schedule from McGonagall, Lee George and Fred dragged her and her book bag to their first class.

"Meep!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cassidy stared at her carrots at lunch, thinking about what she had learned this morning. One thing wouldn't leave her mind- why the hell had Professor Dumbledore told her so early? He must have known she wouldn't be able to focus the rest of the day.

Well, at least she had Potions next. She always had loved that subject in Beauxbatons, and she was good at it too.

George sighed, and stood up. "Potions with Ravenclaw now." His face was resigned, and Cassidy was a bit worried… What was wrong?

"What's wrong?"

"Cassie, Snape is a prick." Fred answered for his twin.

"I don't think he could be that bad… Are you good at Potions?"

"Good?" Fred asked.

"Cass, we're bloody great." George answered her.

"But…" She moved her eyes back to Fred.

"Snape seriously-"

"Needs to get-"

"Laid." They finished together.

Lee groaned, looking a little pale. "Snape getting laid... bad images." He wrapped his arm around Cassidy's shoulders, chipper again. "You'll see, love. Now, we must be off! We've got a Potions Master to torture!"

A few minutes later, they entered the room, deep in the dungeons. Cassidy shouldered off her bag and took a seat between George and Lee, observing the people in the classroom, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. Okay, that sounded fine.

George muttered to her that at least they weren't with the Slytherins this year, cutting off as the door slammed against the wall, a tall, dark and sneering man sweeping into the room.

He paused at the front of the room, whirling around to study his new victims. Cassidy watched him carefully, waiting to see what he would do next.

She shivered as his eyes met hers, boring into them stonily, and she tried not to be intimidated. She had dealt with things her classmates had never dreamed of, she had realized she was mortal sooner than she should have (something that took a teen a long time to learn) and she wasn't going to cave just like he expected everyone to.

She supposed this was what put her in Gryffindor.

Then, Cassidy blinked, and the man had "won."

He knew. He knew who her father was. Of course he did, just like McGonagall, Dumbledore had told them. Of course.

Cassidy wondered whether he had known her father. Were they friends? Enemies? Was her father as angry looking as the Potions Master? Or was he better at hiding his spite?

Her father was a murderer.

Her father was a murderer.

Her father was a murderer.

She had just found out who he was (something she had never even hoped for as a child) and he was going to die. Because he killed people.

Oh, gods.

Tears filled her eyes as she started her and Lee's cauldron, and she planted her hands on the table, trying to calm her breathing. She didn't need this. She didn't need more shit in her life, more things to protect her sister from, and more burdens to bear. Fuck.

As Lee asked her what was wrong worriedly, Professor Snape swooped down on her. "Williams, if creating a fire is too hard for you, I doubt you'll be able to do anything other than whimper like a stray." Somehow, Cassidy knew this was directed to her parentage- or lack of- and she pulled her head up to look him in the eye- okay, ear, but she tried.

He was tall and thin, his shoulder-length black hair falling limply by his ear, his sneer making his hooked nose look even larger.

"Sorry, Professor." Cassidy said, quietly. "It won't happen again." She knew that excuses would have no effect, except to agitate him further.

"See that it doesn't."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was almost time for class to end, and Cassidy was pretty proud of herself. She and Lee had done very well, their potion (which was supposed to make the drinker break out in song) violet and the twins had created a near-perfect one, their own potion almost the exact shade of Dark Purple that it should be.

Sent on their way with a sneer and a snide comment, the four headed to Herbology, their last class of the day, passing through it with very little effort (though Cassidy acquired a nasty cut on her cheek that she refused to get treated.)

Her three new friends were currently dragging her around the school, showing her where various things were; the kitchens, the library (Cassidy had been filled with giddy excitement when she saw the amount of books there was), the infirmary, and etcetera.

"So, Cassidy love, what did our dear Headmaster wish to talk to you about?" Lee asked. The four had ended up in the Library at Cassidy's request, talking about the day and exchanging ideas for pranks.

"Oh, um… Just my current situation, just um… checking in on me. N-nothing important." Cassidy stammered, and Fred raised an eyebrow.

"Really," he said, skeptically. "Alright." The tension rose, and Cassidy stared at the book in front of her blankly.

"L-look, you guys… I-it is important, but I really don't know you all that well… Can we like, not talk about it now?"

George sighed. "Sure, Cass. Just, know that we'll be here for you."

"You're right, you don't know us that well, and we don't know you that well." Fred spoke next.

"But we expect we're going to be great friends, kay?" Lee looked her straight in the eyes, and she nodded.

"Kay."

They started working on homework (to the boys' chagrin) joking as they scraped away at their parchments.

"Why do they always have to assign homework on the first day?" Fred griped, his friends giving groans of agreement.

Suddenly, Cassidy thought of something. "I gotta go look for something." She answered their questioning faces.

Walking up to the front desk, Cassidy paused. "Excuse me; do you have issues of the Daily Prophet?"

Cassidy was able to procure recent issues, and bringing them back with her to their table, she ignored her new friends' looks, sifting through them until she found what she wanted.

"Ah…" Seeing the way the three boys were look at her, she shrugged and stuttered "C-curiosity."

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.

"We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."

Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.

"Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it- who'd believe him if he did?"

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun )a kind of metal wand that Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.

Glancing down at the issue, she stared at the man in the photograph. He was a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair, his hard eyes pressing into hers like hot coals.

Oh, gods, those poor people. Cassidy massaged her temples, wondering if she could handle it if he killed anyone else. Or if he was caught.

What a fucking dilemma.

She smiled at the twins and Lee, giving them the, albeit true, excuse that she didn't know who the criminal was because of living in a different country.

But she couldn't help asking herself, even as she fell asleep in her comfortable bed, what she was going to do…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?" -Woody Allen

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX