An excerpt from the meeting in the Hog's Head came from OOTP page 2095 of the seven book kindle series

DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER – JUST BORROWING

Over the next few weeks, Cassi practiced dueling with her father each Saturday. He showed her spells of his own invention. Levicorpus caused the person hit with the spell to be hauled off the ground by their ankle and dangle in mid-air. Muffliato enabled conversations not to be overheard by those around you, and much to her father's dismay, it came in handy in class. Another was Sectumsempra. It was rather like diffindo. However, being propelled by dark magic, it was irreversible. It caused a laceration that could not be repaired entirely or an appendage regrown.

It did not go unnoticed that her father was teaching her to damage people while Madame Pomfrey was doing her level best to teach her to patch people back up. She wondered why her father would effectively try to turn her into a killer and then have her taught how to heal. Maybe he wanted her to learn to repair herself? It hurt her head too much to contemplate.

The professors were doing their absolute best to bury the 5th years under as much work as possible. Even Cassi, who had the best advantage possible, having learned most of the spells and incantations already, was visibly frustrated by the amount and length of essays assigned. She rolled her eyes at her father's most recent essay, three feet on volatile poisons. Of course, he hadn't missed it.

"Is there a problem, Miss Snape?" Professor Snape said, his voice silky and slightly dangerous.

"Not at all, Professor," Cassi said sweetly. To her right, she heard Pansy and Millicent snigger slightly. She very nearly smiled. It was a close thing, too, as he stood over her, glaring down, arms crossed over his chest. His temper had increased as the class went on. The number of students in this class that had attempted to explode their cauldron increased exponentially, given the volatile nature of the ingredients they were working with. Snape swept away, like an overgrown bat, to glare at Nott, who kept his head down, eyes fixed on his desk.

It was a particularly horrible class period. Cassi had never experienced the level of nerves while brewing with her mother that she experienced with her father. He was in a towering temper when he arrived in class, which didn't improve, given the general ineptitude of her classmates. Potter had his potion vanished. Longbottom nearly killed himself. Crabb's cauldron melted, and the spilled potion burned through Goyle's shoe. Weasley appeared to be trying to copy everything Granger was doing, but badly, so halfway through the class, acrid fumes filled the dungeon and had to be cleared by Professor Snape. She, along with Granger, Malfoy, Thomas, and Parkinson, were among the few who hadn't caused something deadly to occur.

Snape's eyes swept the dungeon, looking for someone or something to attack. When he found nothing, he growled, "Dismissed!"

Cassi gathered up her things and filed out of the classroom with the rest of the class. As soon as she reached the hallway, she, Pansy, and Milly dissolved into fits of giggles. It felt so good to laugh at nothing. Later that evening, Cassi could be found at the backmost table in the library, cursing her father silently in her head as she rewrote her essay so that it would be within his exacting standards. A rustle of pages behind her caused her to turn her head. Hermione was ruffling pages roughly in a book, looking at her pointedly. Cursing under her breath, Cassi stood and picked up a reference book on the opposite side of the bookcase so they could see each other. Cassi opened her book, flipping through the pages and pretending to read.

"Merlin! Stop looking at me! Pretend to read," Cassi hissed, still looking at her book.

"Oh right, sorry!" Hermione said, jumping and flipping to a page, looking down unconvincingly.

"What is it? What did you need?" Cassi whispered, convincingly looking like she was reading the text.

"He agreed! We're going to meet in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade on the next weekend, we're allowed. Will you be there?" She asked hopefully.

"You know I can't be seen there. But I'll be there, listening somehow. Listen, if you get people to show up to this and they agree to join this group of yours, charm a piece of parchment and have them sign it. Something that will tell you if anyone blabs. This is going to be excellent! I can't wait!" Cassi whispered. Snapping the book shut, she turned her back on Hermione, wondering how she would disguise herself. She'd have to see if any Polyjuice potion was left, as there would be no time to brew one. Maybe an aging potion. She'd have to think about it. She heard Hermione slide the book back into place and walk away.

She had just finished her essay when she heard the warning bell indicating curfew was in fifteen minutes. Grabbing up her books and essay, she headed back down to the Slytherin common room. She slipped through the door just before the curfew bell rang. On her way to the dormitory, she saw a small boy, first year by the look of him, sitting and staring into the fire. She approached him cautiously.

"Excuse me, are you all right? She asked the small boy kindly.

He started and looked around, eyes wide and frightened. He nodded without speaking. Then ran off to his dormitory. Frowning after him, she wondered what had him so upset. She'd talk to Pansy about it in the morning. She was a prefect. Cassi was sure Pansy would be able to help. The next morning on their way to breakfast, she told Pansy what she saw and described the boy to her. Pansy said she would look into it, so she thought no more about it.

After classes on Friday, she made her way to the study potions laboratory to start working on her aging potion. She saw no other way to disguise herself that would work. It wouldn't be good if she were spotted by any of the Slytherins or recognized in the bar while Potter's meeting was going on. Word couldn't get around that she was friendly with Potter or any of his friends. It would damage her reputation and put herself and Potter in danger when the Dark Lord finally claimed her as his own.

Her musings were interrupted by Fred and George leading a line of first years into a nearby empty classroom. Curious, she wandered over to where they were. Glancing around to see that she wasn't followed, she slipped into the classroom after them. Glancing around, excuse ready on their lips, Fred's and George's faces visibly relaxed when they saw who opened the door.

"Hello there," Cassi said, smiling at the twins. "What are you two up to?" stepping up and giving Fred and George a quick hug, lingering slightly longer on Fred's hug.

"Testing our Skiving Snack Boxes," George said with a wink

"On these willing participants," Fred said.

"Some are still in the testing phase," George said

"But the fainting fancies are ready to go," Fred said.

Cassi smiled at them as they made their explanations. Her head turned back and forth between the two as they finished each other's sentences.

"That's excellent! Make sure you let me know when you're finished. I'll buy from you. I can't wait to feed some of those to Crabbe and Goyle," Cassi said with an evil grin. "Do you two have any extendable ears on you for purchase?" she asked hopefully.

"But of course. Always happy to oblige," Fred said. He said, passing over a small package of extendable ears. Cassi passed him some gold.

"Thanks, Fred," Cassi said, giving him a small peck on the cheek. Stashing the small package in the innermost pocket of her robes, smiling at the twins, she peeked out the door before heading out.

She made it down to the practice potions lab, which was gratefully empty, and began work immediately. It would be better if she could get the base of her potion started before people came in asking questions. While the ingredients were pretty common and wouldn't raise suspicion, the base was another story. The base itself contained Demiguise hair, which is expensive, and not at all a common ingredient. After the base was complete, she had to allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Since it was a clear base and reasonably odorless, Cassi was sure the only person who would recognize it was her father.

She rushed through her prep, dicing, chopping, and shredding ingredients as quickly as possible while still making sure it was done correctly. Cassi knew from experience that cutting ingredients inappropriately caused the potion's timing to be off. The time she set for her base rang, and she reignited her cauldron, waiting for it to begin simmering. At the first sign of a bubble, Cassi sprinkled in the shredded ashwagandha leaves and stirred vigorously until the leaves were incorporated. She continued adding and stirring in the ingredients, allowing time for them to stew.

Finally, the aging potion complete, she filled her flasks, capped them, sealed them with wax, and placed them in her cloak. Vanishing the remainder of her potion, she began cleaning her workspace. She took her cutting board and knife first to remove any trace of the ingredients and washed them vigorously under the cold tap. Then placing her cauldron into the basin, she added soap powder and water and let it fill. The soap, she knew, would destroy any traceable sign of the potion. It's not that the potion was illegal. But her father certainly would not approve. The less he knew about her plan, the better it would be for her. She had missed dinner, but hopefully, he would not have noticed.

She was making her way to the common room from the potions practice room when she saw him. Shit. He still looked like he was in a towering temper. Shit. She was going to attempt to get through this conversation unscathed.

"Good evening, Father," Cassi said, hopefully not too cheerfully.

"You were not at dinner," Snape said shortly. He stood over her, hands clasped behind his back, looking imperiously down at her.

"That's true. I was not. I was in the potions practice lab," Cassi said.

"And what, pray tell, were you doing in the potions practice lab?" Snape questioned, his voice barely above a whisper.

She would dearly love to say, 'brewing a potion, what else do you do in a potions lab?' but she valued her life too much to dare it. Instead, she said, "I was brewing, Sir. I didn't like the look of my draught of peace. I was brewing the first 15 steps. That's when I felt it went a little off. I was checking the color and consistency, Sir."

His eyes bored into hers. She had learned to alter certain emotions to give the Legilimens the impression that what they saw was the truth. Staying calm, maintaining eye contact, and monitoring your breathing was essential in pulling off a lie, especially to an accomplished Legilimens and spy.

"Very well. I would prefer you not perform that potion unless I am in the lab with you, as it can be volatile. I trust you cleaned your workspace and replaced materials, yes?" He said, eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Yes, Sir. I made sure my workspace was spotless. I will endeavor to make sure you are in the lab before attempting another volatile potion," She paused here, trying to look hesitant. "Sir, I was wondering if I could give you my potions essay to look over before I turn it in?" Cassi asked hopefully.

"You've finished it already?" Snape asked, his voice thick with doubt.

"Yes, Sir. I finished it last night in the library before curfew," she said confidently.

"Then yes, I suggest you let me look it over before I have to give you another unacceptable grade this term. One more disappointing mark, and you will be confined to your dormitory until your grades improve," he said sharply.

Cassi made a face like she was going to say something cheeky, and he forestalled her with a look, cuffing her on the back of the head for good measure. Cassi ducked her head slightly from the smack but made no complaint. She wasn't trying to get grounded from her first weekend away from the castle.

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir," she said instead.

Satisfied by her response, he said, "I'll be in my office for another thirty minutes. You may drop off your essay before going to bed."

"Sir? It's only 8:30?" Cassi asked, confusion evident on her face.

"I'm aware of the time. You may drop off your essay before going to bed," Snape repeated a definite 'do not question me again' tone to his voice.

"Yes, Sir," Cassi said with a sad little sigh. Turning away from her father, she called him all sorts of names in her head as she made her way, slow as she dared, to her dormitory to collect her essay. One 'E,' one stupid 'E,' and he's acting like I'm failing everything. She stomped her way into the dorms to get her essay and stomped her way back out. Draco and Pansy watched her come and go, both of them with raised eyebrows.

She knocked on her father's office door, heard an abrupt 'Come,' and entered the office, closing the door behind her. She presented her father with her essay. He all but snatched it from her hands and began reading it, quill dipped in red ink at the ready. Making a few small corrections and crossings out, he handed it back to her.

"Make sure it is rewritten neatly," he snapped. Cassi frowned, wondering when her handwriting was ever untidy.

"Thank you, Father. Good night," she said quietly. He nodded his head in her direction.

She stomped back into the common room, through the sitting area, down the dimly lit corridor, and into her dorm room. What the hell was wrong with him, and why was he always taking it out on her? One of these days, she'd tell him what he could do with himself. But not until after her Hogsmeade weekend. She had been told by Madame Pomfrey that, barring any emergencies, she wasn't expected in the hospital wing this weekend. And she hadn't received a note saying to meet her father tomorrow morning. With any luck, she might just have a free weekend. It would be her first since arriving at the castle. While she appreciated her father trying to accommodate her need for knowledge and practicing with her so she would be prepared for what was coming, her nerves were fraying. She needed a break.

She looked at her watch. It was 8:52. 'Ridiculous!' she thought to herself. 'Bloody fucking ridiculous!' she thought as she started getting ready for bed. There was no way, the day before the weekend into Hogsmeade, she was going to give her father a reason to keep her behind. She went into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas.

"Cassi?" she heard someone call from the dorm room. "Are you all right?" Cassi sighed. It was Pansy. Shit, now she'd have to explain that she was sent to bed like a child.

"Yes, I'm fine," Cassi called back. "Be out in a sec,"

Pansy waited for her to come out of the bathroom. "Draco sent me to see if you were okay. You looked pretty angry when you came in the first time and even angrier now. What happened?" she asked.

To her credit, Pansy did look concerned. She wondered if she was concerned because Draco was or because she was actually her friend. "My father demanded to see my essay, made corrections, then sent me to bed like a child. For what reason I cannot fathom," Cassi said with heat. She pointed to the corrected essay on her bed.

"Well, come out with us into the common room. Let's have a game of exploding snap?" Pansy offered kindly.

"Can't, can I? If he comes in here and sees I've defied him, he won't let me go tomorrow. I think he's looking for an excuse. Has been all day," Cassi said, frustration in her voice. "It's all right, Pans. I'm just gonna read or something. Tell Draco I'm fine. We'll all of us have lunch tomorrow," she said, trying to placate Pansy and, by extension, Draco. Pansy nodded and left the room.

Cassi threw her essay into her bag, not even wanting to look at it, and picked up the new potions journal that had just come in. She was looking forward to reading about the advances made to cure Dragon Pox. As predicted, her father came in twenty minutes after she settled herself in bed to check that she was following instructions. Shit, he really was looking for an excuse. Well, he wasn't going to find one.

The next day dawned bright and chilly. After breakfast, she queued up with everyone else and made their slow way past Filch, who was checking names off a long list of students who had permission to go into Hogsmeade. She broke away from Milli and Daphne, saying she had to post a letter to MACUSA regarding her citizenship application and that she'd meet them once she was done in the Three Broomsticks.

The aging potion was temporary, thankfully. She pulled out the potion and drank a full tablespoon. Looking into her little pocket mirror, she could see the aging potion take effect. Her hair turned grey, her eyes less bright, skin more wrinkled. But she could still see herself in the old woman before her if she looked hard enough. She transfigured her robes into something more matronly, tucked her long plat into her robes, and conjured a shall to place over her head. There, now she even looked old. She ditched her satchel behind the building and put a Disillusionment charm on it.

Making her slow way into the Hog's Head, she saw the three sitting at a table in the back. The place was filthy. The floor, at first glance, was earthy, but as she continued to walk, she realized it was, in fact, stone covered by grime. She didn't even want to guess when the place was cleaned last. Taking a deep breath, she gagged slightly at the stench of the place. 'Did it smell of goats?' she thought to herself as she made her slow way up to the bar and took a seat. The barman, who looked vaguely familiar, sidled over to her.

"Brandy," Cassi croaked out before he could ask. The barman poured a large measure of brandy into a questionably clean glass and slammed it down in front of her.

"Eleven Sickles," he grunted. Cassi passed him a Galleon and said to start a tab.

She noticed a veiled witch watching her out of the corner of her eye. Taking in her height, she was taller than Umbridge, so it couldn't be her. And her father would have just walked in and grabbed her by her hair, so it wasn't him either. She relaxed and sipped her brandy. She turned once and made eye contact with Hermione before turning back to her drink.

People began making their way into the pub. First in the door was the Longbottom boy who kept trying to kill himself in potions, with Dean Thomas and that truly annoying Brown girl. Her name was a flower of some kind. As they kept coming through the door, Cassi counted twenty-five in all. Last in were Fred, George, and their friend. Lee? Could that be his name? Fred and George walked over to the barman, who looked stunned to see so many people in his pub and asked for twenty-five butter beers. She wondered if he had that many. Sure enough, he passed over twenty-five very dusty, very filthy bottles, half of which had rusted tops. They should count themselves lucky there were tops on them at all, given the state of the place. Everyone passed up coin, and George paid the barman, who was grumbling like he was stopped from doing something monumentally important.

She listened as Hermione began to speak. She quickly realized many had come to goggle at Harry like he was some sideshow at a carnival. Cassi felt horrible for Harry. She wished she could intervene. Hermione looked at her once, pleadingly, but Cassi merely turned her head back to her drink. She had no choice but to ignore her. At Hermione's mention of Lord Voldemort being back, a ripple of sorts went through the bar. Cassi closed her eyes but didn't flinch. There were gasps and shrieks from the group around the trio, and Cassi could hear drinks being spilled. The barman cursed under his breath, not that he was actually going to clean it up.

"Where's the proof that You-know-who's back?" a rather pompous yet aggressive voice asked.

"Dumbledore believes it," Hermione said simply.

"You mean Dumbledore believes him," the little blond troll said, nodding at Harry.

Ron asked, rather rudely and aggressively himself, who the boy was. Apparently, the little blond troll was called Zacharias Smith. A look, a name she could use to blame something on. How convenient. Maybe she'd sick Crabbe and Goyle on him. He looked too small to handle them both.

Harry finally got up and shut Zacharias' nonsense down. He was impressive, the way he spoke. He was confident and spoke with authority. Cassi could see people following him. She had heard all the stories about his little escapades the day she met him in Grimmauld place. In the end, Harry and Hermione convinced the group listening to sign the parchment Hermione offered them and said they would find a place to practice Defense and made sure it wouldn't interfere with their Quidditch practice. It had been a rather successful meeting, from what Cassi could see.

She received another odd glance from the witch in the veil. Finishing her brandy, Cassi left after the last two girls attending the meeting left. After the potion wore off, she transfigured her robes back into her own and grabbed up her bag canceling the disillusionment charm on it. She caught up to Daphne and Milli in the Three Broomsticks chatting happily over a butterbeer, then lunch after Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy showed up. They stopped at Honeydukes on the way back to get some sweets, which her father would probably confiscate if he found them. Then to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shoppe to get a couple of new quills and some parchment. Cassi thoroughly enjoyed her trip to Hogsmeade. They took their time getting back to the castle, enjoying the fine day.

When they reached the Castle, Cassi saw the small boy from the common room in front of the Oak front doors. He looked upset. There was a larger boy, sixth, maybe seventh year, towering over him. The small boy was visibly intimidated. Then she saw the older boy shove him.

"Hey!" Cassi shouted. "Leave him alone!" She strode over to where the older boy was.

"Stay outta this if you know what's good for you," the older boy sneered at Cassi.

Cassi turned to look at Draco and Pansy, both of whom were prefects. "Well?" she asked them pointedly. Draco shrugged and walked away. Pansy followed him. "Are you fucking kidding?" She shouted after them.

Turning back to the older boy Cassi asked, "What's he done?"

"He was supposed to get something for me. He failed. Now he has to pay the price," the older boy said, sneer still in place.

"And who are you to him?" Cassi asked, an edge to her voice. "What's your name?"

"Wilkes. Damon Wilkes," the tall boy said with pride. "I'm his better, and he knows it. Filthy little half-blood that he is," The older boy said, spitting on the ground.

"His better?" Cassi said with a cold laugh. "The only thing you might be better than is the shit on my shoes. But even that's saying a lot," Cassi said with a sneer to match his.

"How dare you insult me. I don't care who your daddy is. I'm about to make you wish you had never been born," Wilkes said, drawing his wand.

Before he could say a spell, Cassi punched him full in the face. She felt his nose break, and blood gushed out all over his robes. She spun, kicking her leg out, knocking his out from under him, and he landed flat on his back in the dirt. Pulling out her own wand, she flicked it. Wilkes's wand flew out of his hand and into hers.

Standing over him, her foot on his chest Cassi growled, "Care to try that again?" Cassi could hear the muttering of others around her, but she didn't care.

"What is going on here?" Professor McGonagall shrieked. Wordlessly, Cassi took her boot off Wilkes's chest and held the wands out to Professor McGonagall, handle out. She took them.

"This," Cassi pointed at Wilkes, "was bullying this boy," she pointed at the small boy, "When I came up to ask why he was treating the boy so, he told me he was the boy's better. The boy had failed to do something for him and was going to pay. Then when I told him he was no better than the sh-, umm, filth on my shoes, he pulled his wand. So, I punched him in the face, kicked him back into the dirt where he belongs, and disarmed him," Cassi said without so much as a trace of shame on her face.

Turning to the small boy, Professor McGonagall asked, "Addams, are you all right?" The small boy nodded his head. "Wilkes, get off the ground and stop moaning," Professor McGonagall commanded. "All three of you, follow me."

They followed her wordlessly to the dungeons and straight to her father's office. 'Shit, this wasn't going to be good,' Cassi thought. Professor McGonagall knocked, a sharp 'Come' was heard, and she opened the door ushering the three students in. He looked directly at Cassi, then Wilkes, and finally down at little Addams, who was visibly trembling.

Professor McGonagall held the wands out to Professor Snape, and he took them, looking at who's wands he had in his hands. "Dueling?" he asked Professor McGonagall.

"Not exactly," she replied. She looked at Cassi, "Explain," she commanded.

Cassi retold the story, just as she had told Professor McGonagall. Except for this time, she didn't slip and nearly curse. Her father's face darkened as she told the story.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention Professor McGonagall. You two, Snape, Wilkes. Wait outside in the hall. Addams, sit." The last look she had at the little boy was him walking to the chair, visibly trembling, while she followed Professor McGonagall out into the hallway.

Addams came out a moment later, looking very relieved and much happier than she had seen him before. "Wilkes, to me," Snaped called through the still-open door. Wilkes walked in looking miserable, his nose still bleeding freely. When Wilkes walked out a minute later, he looked shaken and ashen-faced. He walked in the direction of the hospital wing. Cassi could have fixed his nose, but she really didn't want to. "Snape, in here, now." She heard her father bark. Walking into the office, she closed the door behind her and stood in front of his desk.

"What were you thinking?" He asked. She just stared at him. Surely, he wasn't upset with her. It was that little toe rag, Wilkes, that was the problem, not her.

"What was I thinking about what? Defending a smaller boy from a bigger one? Should I have let him beat the tar out of him?" She asked, heat in her voice.

Snape stood, towering over her. "Do NOT use that tone with me. You are in enough trouble," he said, voice dangerously low. Cassi stared at him. Surely he was mistaken. There is no way she was in trouble for defending someone defenseless.

"You should have gotten a prefect or a teacher. NOT handled it on your own," he hissed. Cassi wouldn't tell him Pansy and Draco were there. She wouldn't bring them into this mess.

"Fine," she spat. "Are you done? Can I go?" Cassi said with all the attitude she could muster.

She heard the slap before she felt it. She almost looked around for what made the noise until she felt the pain bloom through her cheek. The magic very nearly exploded out of her. It was a close thing. She held her hand out, and her wand shot back into it. Turning on her heel, the door flung itself open of its own accord. Then just as wordlessly slammed itself shut. Taking the dungeon steps two at a time, she flung herself back out into the grounds, desperate to reign in her temper.