Cassia was not looking forward to this.

Last night had easily been the best night she'd had in four months. She'd quickly caught up with Neville and Ginny, both of whom were very happy to continue being friends with her. She also got to see some of Poppy and Neville's dynamic, which (she knew) was just a bit more than friends at this point.

"Oh come on, Cass, it's not like that!" Poppy had complained when the girl brought it up.

"Oh, I think it is..."

But today, reality was hitting hard.

Their first class was defence against the dark arts with Amycus Carrow, and as they all filed into the classroom, it became apparent this was nothing like they'd had before.

All around the room there were chains, and shackles, and places to tie people up. At the back there were pictures of people performing unforgivable curses, and at the front all the desks had been arranged so there was a large sort of pulpit area, where Cassia had no idea what was going to happen.

Amycus was stood at the front, a sick smirk on his face. Cassia, who wanted to get as far away from him as possible, went straight to the back with Poppy, sitting right in the corner with her best friend beside her. Neville sat in front of them with Seamus, who Cassia had also caught up with last night, and forgave her.

"Come in, come in, sit down," Amycus said, his voice a feigned sweet.

He looked all around the class as though he was... hungry. Cassia noticed Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle, all sat down the front, right in his pocket. Cassia sat back in her seat, having no motivation to be the sarcastic, sassy girl she once was.

"You alright, Cass?" Poppy asked, snapping her back to life.

"What?" She asked, turning round to face her. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright," Poppy nodded. "It's just you don't seem-"

"Alright, alright, listen up!" Amycus' voice was cutting, and snide. "Today we are going to start by looking at the unforgivable curses. Now, you may know that there are three of them. Crucio, the torture curse, imperio, the controlling curse, and avada kedavra, the killing curse."

Cassia sat back, her shoulders pressed against the chair. She didn't want to be here, let alone learn about the cruciatus curse.

"Now, throughout this year we will be... practicing these curses," Amycus said. "But this week will only be theory, to understand them properly- er, yes, Mr-?"

"Longbottom," Neville said, as he put his previously raised hand down.

"Ahh, Neville Longbottom, am I correct?" Amycus smirked as the boy nodded. "Go on, then."

"It's just, you said practical," Neville said. "Does that mean we'll be... performing these curses on people?"

"Only the ones who, er- deserve it, shall we say," Amycus said. "But as I said, today is only theory."

Neville, Poppy and most of the Gryffindors in the room were so surprised they spent the rest of the lesson in a dull shock, not speaking much.

Cassia didn't.

"What did we expect?" She found herself saying that lunch. "He's a death eater, he's not interested in defending anyone from the dark arts."

"Cass, this isn't right," Poppy shook her head, sitting down next to her.

"I'm not saying it's right, I'm saying there's nothing we can do to change it," Cassia sighed. "There's no point arguing that one, Poppy."

"Cassia, this isn't like you," Neville told the girl. "You never back down from a fight, never."

"Well, maybe that was the old me, Neville," Cassia snapped. "And this new me is much more realistic."

"Don't speak to him like that!" Poppy told her off. "Just because we don't blame you for what happened, doesn't mean you can act all hopeless and be mean to us!"

Cassia stared at her, then round at Neville, Seamus and Ginny, all of whom shared the same look as her best friend.

"You know what? Fine," Cassia said. "See you guys later."

And with that, she got up, storming out the great hall with no regrets in her mind.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

That night, as darkness fell on the windows of Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Harry Potter sat in the kitchen alone, reading the Marauders Map with the light protruding from his wand.

He was touching the name Cassia Malfoy gently, which was up in the Gryffindor seventh year girls' dormitory. He couldn't explain the happiness he'd felt when she appeared on the map yesterday evening, and was even more relieved when he saw her with Poppy and the others.

He was touching her name like he wanted to caress her face, like he wanted to hold her in his arms. He just wanted to see her again, just once more. He remembered what kissing her had felt that last time, and he wanted that again.

He loved her.

And he just hoped to god Poppy had given her that message.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

The next morning, Poppy tried her best not to make things awkward for Cassia. She just didn't understand why her best friend would just give up. Cassia was always the first one fighting for justice, wherever they were. What had happened to her these past few months that made her stop believing that?

Anyway, they ate breakfast in silence that Poppy tried very hard not to make awkward, and then Cassia upped and left for class before she could offer to go with her.

They had transfiguration first, which was, thankfully, a next to normal class. McGonagall was the same as she'd always been, and Cassia was thankful.

The only thing that was different was all the cryptic warnings. When Poppy asked if she could go to the toilet, McGonagall said. "Of course, Miss Patil. If you ever want or need anything, never be afraid to ask."

And then when Neville said sorry for accidentally breaking the vase they were supposed to be turning into a crow, she told him. "No need to be sorry, Mr Longbottom. There are much greater problems at hand."

"She's trying to tell us she's here for us, but she doesn't want someone to snitch to the Carrows," Cassia hissed to Poppy and Neville halfway through, due to the confused looks they gave her. Then she sighed and said. "Don't know why she's even bothering. Nothing's going to change them."

Poppy shook her head. "Cass..."

"I'm fine," Cassia told her, before she could get anything out. "Let's just try and do this."

But by the end of the lesson, her vase was not a crow.

It didn't even have feathers.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

In truth, Cassia didn't know why she was being so negative.

Well, she did. It's because the past year had changed her, and turned her into something more realistic, but that was good, right?

No.

And she knew it wasn't the way she was going to keep her friends onside, but she couldn't help it. She had no motivation anymore. No spark.

And their first 'muggle studies' lesson only increased this.

"Muggles are what I am here to teach you about," Alecto started, Cassia watching her from the middle of the class next to Poppy (she hadn't been quick enough to snag the back). "But I am afraid to do that, I am going to have to tell you some harsh truths."

Cassia shook her head interceptably. She knew that this was going to be what Alecto taught them, but she wasn't at all prepared for it.

"You see, muggles are dirty, stupid creatures, almost like animals, who have been very violent towards wizards in the past," Alecto told the class. "They are not the innocent beings you have been told they are, they're violent, and have shown this on numerous occasions, which we will learn throughout the year."

Poppy and Neville were already looking at each other, shocked. Cassia was just sat there, accepting it.

"Now, turn to page five of your books, and at least five notes on the treatment of wizards from muggles in the eighteenth century..."

As Cassia flipped through her very biased book called A History of Muggle Misdemeanours and found the page, opening her ink bottle.

"Cass, you can't be serious," Poppy, who had watched her do all this, was looking at her in shock.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Cassia hissed back. "She told us to take notes, and I'm taking them. I'm not an idiot, I know what she's saying isn't true-"

"Miss Malfoy, Miss Patil!" Alecto barked. "Be quiet, heads down."

Cassia sighed, hiding her eye roll from Poppy as she bowed her head down, taking her first note.

She didn't want to do this.

But what use would fighting do?

❦︎❦︎❦︎

BREAK IN AT THE MINISTRY

"What the f-?"

"Let me see!"

"No, it's my turn-"

"You read the whole thing! Let me-"

"No me!"

"No, m-"

"Shut the fuck up, the both of you!" Cassia snapped at Nigel and another fourth year, seeing the huge crowd fighting over the newspaper and frowning. "What the hell are you all doing looking at-?"

She stoopped at the sight of his face on the cover, paired with that headline.

"What is this?" She asked, not hesitating to take the paper from Nigel, who was too afraid of her to say anything. "What in the...?"

She trailed off as she began to read the article.

BREAK IN AT THE MINISTRY

Yesterday, Harry Potter, or as we shall how refer him, Undesirable No 1, broke into the Ministry of Magic with two accomplices, the identity of whom we have not managed to uncover. Potter is believed to have used polyjuice potion to sneak inside, impersonating Mr Albert Runcorn, whilst his accomplices took on the appearances of Ms Mafalda Hopkirk and Mr Alfred Cattermole.

Once inside the Ministry, Potter and his two accomplices are believed to have travelled to where Dolores Umbridge, Head of the Muggle Born Registration Commission, was questioning a mudblood.

"He attacked me, completely unprovoked, whilst I was doing the job I find an honour, the job entrusted to me by the Ministry," Umbridge reports. "He hasn't changed, Harry Potter, for I knew him well at school. Wouldn't abide rules for anything."

When asked if Potter took anything, Umbridge told the Prophet that he tried to, but did not manage it.

As of now, we know Harry Potter is on the run, two accomplices by his side. Whilst his attack on Umbridge and his break in to the Ministry, was unsuccessful, we urge the public to remain vigilant, and not approach him if seen.

For more information on Dolores Umbridge's revolutionary new ideas for the wizarding population, turn to page-

"Oh my god," Cassia murmured once she finished ready. "Oh my fucking god."

"I know," Poppy, who was stood right next to her, nodded. She leaned in close and muttered. "So now you know even your boyfriend is fighting, will you change your attitude?"

Cassia didn't answer, just staring at the article in shock.

"It says he wasn't able to steal anything," she pointed out.

"Maybe," Poppy shrugged. "Or maybe he decieved Umbitch, who knows?"

Cassia's lips twitched at the name 'Umbitch'. It'd been two years since she'd heard that.

The crowd around them had thinned by now, so they were the only ones that were standing up.

Cassia touched Harry's picture gently (much like the way he'd touched her name on the map) and tried to control the urge to look at his lips, rather than his eyes, devoid of all colour in the picture.

Seeing him made her feel revived. Made her feel a bit more like herself.

But she wasn't back to normal just yet.