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I do appreciate both the mystery and the Dramione/Cassiomione are moving quite slowly, and probably a bit obtusely. But we will get a significant scene of Cassiopeia and Hermione in the same room next chapter, as well as a development in the case on Hermione's end, barring some infestation of narrative-based rodents changing the plan.

Cassiopeia

By Kylia

Chapter 10

May 3rd, 2003

Nott Manor

Theodore Nott looked up from the papers spread over the desk, raising an eyebrow. "This is what's been keeping you cooped up in your study for the last five days?"

"You say that as if I slept in there or something!" Cassopeia muttered, defensively. "And ate all my meals there." She'd only taken her lunch there. Her mother would have had her head if she didn't have breakfast and dinner in the dining hall, and Cassiopeia had not wanted to let Mother know just what she was working on anyway.

Mother doesn't need to know Father hid something from her. Not again.

"And did you leave for any reason other than to eat, sleep and bathe?" Theo asked, looking her up and down. "You know, I think you take less time on your hair than you did in Hogwarts."

"Don't be an idiot," Cassiopeia shook her head. She ran a hand through her hair, stopping at her shoulders, even though it continued further down her back. "Just because I don't soak it in hair gel and spend hours staring at myself in the mirror trying to figure out what's wrong with my reflection doesn't mean this doesn't take work." Granted, as a Malfoy, she was blessed with fairly cooperative hair, compared to some people.

Compared to Granger. Cassiopeia thought unbidden, then shook her head a little, trying to push thoughts of the brunette witch out of her head. After years of barely thinking about Granger, or even Potter and Wesley, Cassiopeia had found her thoughts drifting to Granger several times of late.

"I'll take your word for it." Theo shrugged, then chuckled. "At least your hair isn't crispy anymore."

"It was never crispy!" Cassiopeia protested, then let out a sigh, rolling her eyes. "Okay, fine, yes, it was." By the time of her second year at Hogwarts, Cassiopeia had known something was wrong with the reflection she saw in the mirror, from her hair to everything else. It had taken her years to realize what it was, but at least until sixth year, when everything had gone to hell, she'd obsessed over trying to figure it out.

And then it hit me like a bludger.

"It was," Theo agreed, grinning. "You have no idea how many times I was tempted to see what happened if I set off an exploding snap deck in your hair. If it would move at all."

"Would you like to have Gryffindor-Red hair?" Cassiopeia offered, eyebrow arched, hand moving to the handle of her wand, wrapping tight around the base, not quite drawing it from her pocket. "Or maybe striped, with red and gold?" She kept her tone cold and deadly for a moment, as she watched Theo match her gaze, jaw set, not remotely worried, then giggled, dropping into the chair across the desk from Theo.

"Hufflepuff hair would be worse," Theo suggested, smiling in turn. He took a breath, and looked back at the papers. "I'm not totally clear on what I'm looking at here?"

"All my father's notes on the properties he was looking into, the financial balance sheets relating to the funds for the purchases, and the deal he made with Carnerius for Number 3. He wanted Number 3, and he wanted it badly."

"Because he bribed someone? Cass, that was basically your father's only trick, it's hardly that notable." Theo countered, moving some of the sheets around. "What are these notes here?" Theo tapped some of her father's handwriting in the margins of several balance sheets. Cassiopeia leaned forward. Her father usually had the sort of elegant penmanship that was practically genetic for any elite pureblood, but sometimes, in a hurry, he'd had this scribble reminiscent of the time the peacocks at the manor had gotten ink all over their feet.

And that was in no way the result of a prank eight year old me was trying to pull on Pansy.

"...it says 'multiple bidders'," Cassiopeia said, after a moment to parse it. Then she shook her head, going back a pace in the conversation: "Father didn't just bribe someone, he bribed a nonentity like Carnerius. And he bribed him to let him buy something from him? Have you ever heard of someone needing a bribe to accept money!?" Cassiopeia countered. "I need to understand why my father wanted Number 3 Horizon Square so badly."

Theo rearranged more papers, getting them into a very odd and out of place order, but there often was a method to Theo's madness, so Cassiopeia said nothing. Then her friend looked up at her, "I don't really see why this would be taking you so long." Theo shook his head. "And you really have nothing?"

"If I had gotten anywhere, I wouldn't be here asking for your help, Theo!" Cassiopeia snapped, wishing Theo would just out with it. He clearly had something already, the way he was shaking his head. It was his tell, when he saw something no one else did. "I didn't really want to have you lording your financial genius over my head for months again, like you did after the Notts beat out the Malfoys as the wealthiest family in Britain."

Cassiopeia didn't think she was failing as head of the family fortune, though she'd moved as much of the family's assets into safer, more conservative investments as she could the second she'd had the power. She needed to focus on understanding what her father had been finding, rather than aggressively increasing the family fortune with shrewd and cleverly risky bets.

And... well, she'd never be as good as Theo, given that her friend had a veritable Midas touch.

"I seem to recall you being pretty smug when the Greengrasses beat me though..." Theo pointed out.

Cassiopeia chuckled, "...yeah, I suppose I did." Of course, at the time, it had seemed like Theo and Daphne were going to get engaged, until Daphne had decided she was actually in love with Adrian Pucey and gone and married him.

Gotten quite a good contract out of it - love or not, Daphne was always cunning in her way - but still.

"Mr. Greengrass was worse though." Theo laughed, "He's been hinting about Astoria, of late."

"Well, he'd love to anchor a new dynasty that will outmatch the Malfoys in wealth forever, so that makes sense," Cassiopeia mused. "Are you considering it?"

Theo shook his head, "Not a chance. Astoria is..." Theo shrugged, "Hard to say, but I don't see it. And from how she reacted to the idea, I don't think she likes it either."

"Well, then who?" Cassiopeia asked. "I mean, sure, you don't have a parent pressuring you, but...?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Surely you met an appealing witch or two in America?" Theo smirked.

"Not really." She shrugged. She'd not even been considering anything of the sort. She'd had... encounters, sometimes lasting some time on and off, but... "I take your point." It was far too early to be thinking about marriage, whatever tradition would say. Why rebel against all the other lies their parents told them and keep to that one?

Cassiopeia let out a breath. "So, you've found something."

"I have," Theo nodded. "But," he held up a hand, one finger raised. "Before I tell you, you have to promise something."

"...Theo..." Cassiopeia inhaled sharply, tensing. "This isn't something to play games with. This is -"

"I know this is important to you, and I think it might be important in general. But you need to promise me... well, two things, actually." Theo locked eyes with Cassiopeia, staring her down. Cassiopeia met him, eye for eye, second for second, not flinching, not blinking.

Theo was the one to look away first, blinking, shaking his head a little. "Okay, right, there's a reason I don't get into staring contests with you, but I mean it, Cass. Two promises."

Cassiopeia pushed down a flash of anger. Theo would not actually demand something before telling her something important unless his demand was equally important. He didn't play petty power games, even if he did like to hold over someone that they needed his help, later.

"...I'm listening," she managed to say quietly.

"One, wherever this leads, whatever you find out... don't do anything that could land you in Azkaban." What are you talking about? Cassiopeia didn't mean to actually scoff out loud, but she did. This wasn't - she wasn't going to -

"I mean it," Theo pressed. "If your father hid something like that, then it was important. Was it why he died? I don't know. Buf if it was, if this is connected to his death, then I know part of you will want to kill whoever is at the end of this."

Cassiopeia wanted to deny it. That she didn't have it in her to kill someone. She'd had that chance, and she hadn't taken it, not even to save the lives of her parents. Why would she actually...

But she also remembered the thought of driving the Malfoy Sword into the stomach of whoever had killed her father.

Maybe I wouldn't be able to do it... she had been so certain she'd be able to kill Dumbledore if it actually came to it, at the moment. So sure that if all her other plans didn't work, she could still cast it.

And yet...

"And you can end up in Azkaban prison for other things too, you know." Theo went on. "Assault, breaking and entering, interfering in a Ministry investigation..."

"Well, on that last one, you're just telling me to not get caught." Cassiopeia countered.

"...well, that's always a given, Cass. We're Slytherins," Theo pointed out. "But I mean it. Your father isn't worth Azkaban."

"Theo..." Cassiopeia murmured. "Your father might not have been worth a Knut, but mine-"

"Was worth maybe a Galleon or two, at best. Yes, he loved you, and he never hit you, or threw a Cruciatus at you when he was drunk, but he also raised you to be a bigoted, snobbish little shit." Theo pointed out. "...not that I was much better, and I didn't have the excuse of my dad actually teaching me any of that," he added, self-deprecatingly.

Cassiopeia's hands tightened on the arms of the chair, gripping tightly, looking down to see her knuckles going white. That's not-

She wanted to say that much wasn't true, and yet...

Cassiopeia would never agree with Theo that Lucius Malfoy was only worth 'a Galleon or two', but it wasn't as if Cassiopeia hadn't thought all those same things, about what kind of heir he'd raised her to be. About the values he'd instilled in her, the kind of person he'd wanted her to be, when she grew to adulthood.

There's a reason I never spoke to him in so long. Yes, she'd always planned it. She'd imagined it a thousand times in her head. The way she'd yell at him. Berate him. Demand the answers she was owed.

Her mind flashed back, the shattered glass, the cabernet sauvignon, dripping down the mantelpiece.

"...I'll dispute his valuation, but..." Cassiopeia didn't want to end up in Azkaban... and...

"I promise I won't get myself thrown into Azkaban over him." She added, quietly. Whether he's only worth a Galleon or two, or not, he's not worth Azkaban. And he wasn't worth becoming a killer, even if she could avoid getting caught.

"Good." Theo nodded, then, "But please, Cass. I missed you, the last few years." He added, in a quieter tone himself, as if the ghosts of purebloods past would hear him admitting to such weakness. Then he leaned back into his chair, steepling his fingers, the grave expression turning into a smirk.

"And as for the second promise..." Theo chuckled, and Cassiopeia tensed again. This would be important, Theo wouldn't-

"Spit it out." Cassiopeia demanded. "What is so important-"

"You go to the muggle club that Blaise is dragging Pansy and me to tomorrow." Theo said quickly, before coughing like a cat getting something unpleasant out of their throat.

Cassiopeia stared at him.

"What?"

"Blaise already sent you an owl about it, the day before yesterday. But you ignored that just like the invitation Pansy sent to you to have lunch with her today, and the message I sent you three days ago about having dinner to talk about your investments." Theo scolded. "Like I said, you were cooped up in that study. You need to get out."

"And getting out included talking about investments!? I don't find moving money around to be as fun as you do." Cassiopeia countered, no heat in her words. Theo didn't appreciate some of her interests, so it wasn't as if she could judge him.

"Given that we would have been having the dinner at Celestino's, I'd have assumed you'd have been interested." Theo explained. "It's a business expense, if we talk business even a little."

Cassiopeia inhaled sharply, practically hissing. Under any other circumstances, she'd have leapt at the opportunity to go to Celestino's. It was exclusive, expensive, and only had two tables open three days a week. Their chefs were not only highly skilled at cooking itself, but they were also the finest culinary spellcasters... ever, as far as Cassiopeia was concerned.

Unfortunately, you couldn't book a table alone, and Cassiopeia didn't exactly have anyone she would take. Her mother hated the food, no accounting for taste.

But Father did take me. During the Christmas break and the summer break, until the summer after fifth year, of course.

"...I hate you," Cassiopeia muttered, feeling like an idiot. "I take it that's not on the table anymore?"

"Not for a few months, I'm afraid," Theo nodded. "I was due to have that dinner with Mr. Greengrass to discuss Astoria before I called that all off, and I ended up taking Pansy."

"Pansy! She can't appreciate the artistry of Celestino's!" Cassopeia protested, the reaction knee-jerk and thoughtless. "She can't even-" Cassiopeia cut herself off, taking a breath.

"You've made your point. I've been... a bit cooped up the last few days." Cassiopeia hadn't ready any owls that had come in the last five days. She pulled her hand down her face, realizing for the first time how exhausted she actually was. Her arm flopped down onto the chair's, and she leaned forward, resting her forehead against Theo's desk a moment.

Then she sat back up, groaning. "Why is Blaise so eager to drag us to a muggle club?"

"Because he claims they're more interesting than Wizarding ones, even the ones in Italy." Theo answered, and Cassiopeia blinked in surprise. Blaise was quite the partisan of the idea that Wizarding Italy did most things better than Wizarding Britain, and now he was praising British Muggles in the entertainments they offered?

"Besides, he wants to introduce us to Lovegood and Longbottom 'properly'," Theo added. "And given how everyone we know reacts to seeing them in public together..." Theo shrugged.

Cassiopeia let out a long breath. "I'm happy that Blaise is happy, but the last thing I really want is to see him making eyes at Lovegood and Longbottom of all people." She made a face, pressing a hand to her neck. "The only thing worse would be if he was doing that at Weasley."

"Longbottom looks better than he did at Hogwarts, and Lovegood's always been fit," Theo countered. Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow. "I'm not saying I'd have ever wanted to pursue her even if she was available - she's not my kind of crazy - but she's fit."

Cassiopeia couldn't really agree, but she hadn't seen Lovegood in years, and the last time she had, the girl was a recent prisoner at the Manor, testifying somewhat on her behalf at her trial.

In all honesty, the looks of Longbottom and Lovegood wasn't the point. Or even the fact that presumably Blaise would be all over them - the man was aggressively physically affectionate with anyone he was fucking, acting more like a lovesick fool than he actually was.

Cassiopia didn't really care for that, but it was who her friend was.

So that wasn't the issue.

I don't actually want to go to a muggle club. Or any club, really, but especially not a muggle one. She'd have to hide her wand, watch what she said, maybe even change what she wore? She'd be completely out of her element, surrounded by all the strange nonsense muggles used, and whatever bizarre, baffling cacophony passed for music among muggles.

Yes, fine, muggles aren't less than me, but neither are Japanese wizards, and I don't particularly want to go to a Japanese wizarding club either! She'd be just as much out of her element there, probably, given her total lack of familiarity with the culture and the language.

"You're not going to let me get out of this?"

"No, he isn't," Pansy's voice commented from behind her, and Cassiopeia turned, watching Pansy stalk into the room, heels clicking on the floor. "Neither will I." Pansy sat down on the edge of Theo's desk. "One, Blaise is our friend, and if he was dating anyone else, even any other two people, we'd want to meet them and make sure they're good enough for him."

Cassiopeia let out a muttered, '...true," given that it was indeed true.

"Two," Theo chimed in, in what Cassiopeia assumed was a practiced bit for her benefit, "I think they're gonna be sticking around-"

"Then invite them over for dinner!" Cassiopeia protested. "Yes, fine, I'm not thrilled at the prospect of Blaise hanging off of them, but I'm used to Blaise being like that, so that's not the point, and you know it."

"Three and four," Pansy ticked off on her fingers, ignoring Cassiopeia's interruption, smirking, "You need to get out again, and you need to get shagged, badly."

Cassiopeia's voice was higher pitched than she'd really thought was possible as she immediately protested, face flushing, "I DO NOT NEED TO GET SHAGGED!"

"Yes, you really do, Cass," Pansy gently patted Cassiopeia's shoulder, patronizing her like she was having a childish tantrum. "It's been what, two years?"

"One year and ten months!" Cassiopeia countered, quietly.

"Close enough then, and you're obviously keeping track," Pansy pointed out.

"I think what's going on right now," she gestured to the papers on Theo's desk, "is a bit more important than my sex life, which is -"

"Absolutely our business, Cass," Pansy chided, smirking. "As for this," she nodded to the papers, "they'll still be there the next day, and you might actually have a clearer head. You like sex, Cass, you enjoy sex, so just get that broom out of your ass and let yourself enjoy something before you go back to obsessing and brooding."

I'm not going to be able to enjoy anything else until I get this... mystery solved. It was eating at her brain, like some Weird Sisters song she couldn't get out of her head. But even more annoying. So whatever Pansy thought about it, that much wasn't going to happen.

But she also knew her friends well enough to know that truth wasn't going to move them on that point.

"I'll concede on the needing to get out part," Cassiopeia admitted sourly. "But your proposal is that I... what, shag a muggle?"

"Why not?" Pansy shrugged, "You're not going to marry one, but I speak from experience when I say that a muggle can be just as good in bed." She leaned forward, "if you need magic to make it enjoyable, you're not doing it right." She smirked, then practically cackled as she pulled back, no doubt enjoying the way Cassiopeia's cheeks were heating.

"Look at it this way," she added, more seriously, "a muggle won't have any baggage about your name, or any expectations. Just fun."

"I'd have to be lying to them about everything," Cassiopeia shook her head. "I have no interest in anything like that."

"Have you seen how muggle women dress at these kinds of things?" Pansy offered. "At least some of them, anyway?"

"And don't most muggles have an issue with sapphics?" Cassiopeia countered. Yes, she was sure that at least some of the horror stories she'd been told about how muggles treated people who favored their own gender, or did not belong to the sex they'd been born with were exaggerations or even fabrications, but it was hardly all that. "Even if I found one I fancied enough to actually sleep with-"

"Well, that's a possible risk, but Blaise says the club we're going to specifically caters to people who like their own gender, exclusively or otherwise." Pansy assured her. She poked Theo in the shoulder, hard enough to make him glare at her in annoyance as his hand covered up where she'd gotten him. "I've got a bet with Blaise on how many guys flirt with poor Theo here."

"You say that like it won't still be fun to have them want me," Theo countered. Had Theo been anyone else, he might have stuck his tongue out at Pansy.

"You three really have worked it all out, haven't you?" Cassiopeia muttered. Never do anything for one reason when three will do just as well. It was a good principle, but Cassiopeia wasn't used to having it turned against her quite so expertly.

"Is there ever a time when I don't have it all worked out?" Pansy asked, posing a bit with her arms spread a bit, hands open and pointing upwards. Theo coughed, clearing his throat, and Pansy spun on him, mock-fury in her voice. "Don't answer that."

"April 17th, 2000," Theo answered anyway, between laughs hidden behind coughs, and Pansy sputtered incoherently, glaring at Theo more seriously. Cassiopeia opened her mouth to ask, but Pansy leveled her finger at her.

"Ask and I will turn your skin lime green for a week," Pansy threatened, and Cassiopeia recoiled a little, believing her. Pansy was not one for idle threats, among friends.

Theo calmed himself down as Pansy kept glaring, and Cassiopeia realized she'd actually managed to stop thinking about her father's damned envelope for a few minutes. But... the whole reason they'd started on this was because Theo was extracting a promise.

They're right, a night away from this would be a good idea. She'd conceded that already, but it bore repeating, so maybe she'd retain the thought.

Barring someone dosing her with Amortentia, Cassiopeia didn't see herself sleeping with anyone she might meet at the club, but she could cross that bridge with her friends when she got there.

"Moving us back to how we got here- assuming Blaise isn't lurking in the corner to chime in?" Cassiopeia asked, turning around in the chair to look behind her. No sign of him. "You have my promise that not only will I go with you both, and Blaise, to this... club tomorrow night," she assured Theo. "I'll even promise to do my best to enjoy myself."

"There. Was that so hard?" Theo asked, his voice betraying no sign of sarcasm or bite. He ignored Pansy's muttered 'apparently it was' and Cassiopeia just rolled her eyes. Theo cleared his throat.

"I have no idea what this could lead to, but it's clear that up until a week before he bought Number 3 Horizon Square, your father appears to have been working slowly to free up money for the purchases, being careful and judicious about where he withdrew funds, and when, and how much." Theo tapped several entries on several pages with his wand, making them briefly appear to be circled by dim red light.

"And then, on the 17th, he started withdrawing large sums. See, seven thousand Galleons here, from a very profitable investment in a French winery, and nearly twelve thousand Galleons here, from a magical mining operation in Mexico." Theo tapped the entries. "These two, and some others," he tapped more, drawing Cassiopeia's attention to them, "are borderline irresponsible of your father. If I bothered with a financial advisor, and he suggested these things to me, I'd check him into St. Mungo's to have a mind healer make sure his brains hadn't been replaced with flobberworms."

"These withdrawals total up to more than what Father paid Carnerius." Cassiopeia murmured, running the math through in her head. "Where'd he put the rest of the money?"

"Right back into the main Gringotts account."

"That's... not like Father." For all that the Malfoys had had a reputation of veritably swimming in money, Lucius Malfoy had not been one to just let money sit in a vault, when it could be put to use making more money in some productive way. Or buying power, access or information. All of which was - in theory - supposed to go back to making yet more money at the end of the day.

'Idle money is the lazy wizard's plaything' He'd told her. Yes, it was important to enjoy the finer things in life, earned by one's privileged status. But if you just let the money pile up, you'd be tempted to expend it in larger and larger quantities. Gambling far beyond any practical means, fueling one addiction or another, or just buying whatever struck your fancy without any judicious consideration, at the slightest of impulses.

"Not even a little." Theo agreed. "I couldn't tell you why he did it, but he did. Something happened, either on the 17th, or right before it, to make him rush to gather funds, and then rush to get Carnerius to sell him Number 3."

Cassiopeia turned, looking in the direction of a window, but more just staring away from Theo as she tried to figure it out. "This doesn't make any sense." She murmured, but only because there was something she was missing. What happened, Father? She'd almost say something spooked him, but...

She looked at the investments again. Something about the ones her father had withdrawn from was bugging her. "Can you find out more information about all of these?" She gestured, "The groups, projects, persons, et cetera that Father pulled from. He left a great deal of investments intact, so he chose these ones in particular."

"I can do some digging, but for some of these, it might take a few weeks. I don't know anyone in Mexico, for instance." Theo offered. "Why?"

"Well, there has to be a reason why all of them were foreign investments." Cassiopeia pointed out. "Some foreign investments were untouched, but, every single one here in Britain, even relatively underperforming ones, weren't."

Theo blinked, then looked at the papers again. "Merlin's knickers, how did I miss that?"

"Well, I did get better marks in some classes than you," Cassiopeia teased. "But I do know these papers better than you after staring at them for five days."

So her father not only wanted a lot of money, but wanted a lot of money in Britain.

"It wasn't as if he kept money in anything abysmal here in Britain, but right here, these three - they're all less valuable than that winery investment, and all could have freed up just about the same amount," Cassiopeia shook her head.

"At the risk of stating the obvious, Cass, you clearly need to figure out what happened before or on the 17th." Pansy pointed out. Then she hopped off the desk and grabbed her hand, pulling Cassiopeia out of the chair. "But! That can wait until after tomorrow."

"Hey!" Cassiopeia tried to break free of her grip, but Pansy had her in a vice grip.

"Nope, it's time to make sure you have the right outfit for tomorrow night. Or buy one if you don't." Pansy cut in. She gestured to the papers, "Put those back in order together, Theo, I'll make sure Cass doesn't do more than put them on her desk."

"Traitor," Cassiopeia muttered as Theo gathered the papers as directed, and Cass took them in her free hand. "I have plenty-"

"You have a multitude of gorgeous dresses and other outfits, yes," Pansy agreed. "All of them quite fetching on you. But do you have anything that will work for a muggle club? That's the question. So let's find out." Pansy dragged Cassiopeia towards the fireplace, and bewildered by what Pansy could possibly be talking about - it wasn't as if she only owned dresses suitable for fancy galas - she barely managed to put up more than the slightest of protests as Pansy manhandled her into the fireplace after tossing in Floo powder, calling out 'Malfoy Manor!' as the flames surrounded them.

Author's Note: To clarify the dates:

Lucius Malfoy was murdered on April 24th. Three days before that (April 21st), he bought Number 3 Horizon Square from Thomas Carnerius through a combination of money, and bribery (and thus opening Carnerius to charges of withholding tax revenue from the Ministry by underreporting how much Lucius paid him).

As late as April 16th, Lucius was gathering money for the impending real estate purchases slowly, and showed no signs there was anything urgent. Then, on April 17th, he started rapidly moving money around, freeing up large amounts of money for real estate purchases, including Number 3.