Too much happened in the following month.

Dumbledore tried to keep the kids at Hogwarts away from most of it, but Cassia still knew most of the events that had taken place.

Fudge was resigning. He had stepped down almost as soon as he'd seen Voldemort and was now receiving a lot of backlash. Harry and Dumbledore were now fully vindicated from any suspicion, and Umbitch, who, it transpired, had been carried off into the woods by the centaurs, was still recovering and would soon leave Hogwarts for good.

Hogwarts had gone back to normal. Dumbledore was reinstated as headmaster, and all the Educational Decrees were dispersed of. The portraits were put back up by a very grouchy Filch, as well, and the Inquisitorial Squad was broken up.

Harry had been okay. He'd been very distant at first, not talking to anyone or letting anyone in, but slowly, just this past two weeks, he'd been talking a bit more to Cassia, and trying to let her in.

Everyone else was recovering fine, except for Pippa, who cried a lot. Cassia didn't blame her. She couldn't imagine leaving someone that important to you, that special. The heartbreak would tear her apart. Poppy, Parvati and Padma had been seeing their mum through the fire in Dumbledore's office, checking up on her.

But the biggest change, and the one that ultimately affected Cassia the most, had happened gradually.

Her father was arrested. He had been found in the ministry, recovering from the stunning Harry gave him, taken in and questioned. He hadn't been able to talk his way out of it this time.

He had been sent to Azkaban to await trial immediately, personally escorted to the prison himself, and Cassia wasn't sure how to feel.

She also wasn't sure whether to come forward about his abuse. She didn't know if she wanted to. She also knew that if she did and he wasn't found guilty, her life would be over.

The trial was the first week of the summer holidays, and Cassia was attending. She had been asked to testify against him but she had refused. The evidence against him was overwhelming, so it didn't matter if she testified or not.

But she would be there. She'd be sitting on a hard wooden bench next to her mother and brother, pretending they were a happy family.

That was the last thing. This summer, she was going home with her family. Well, with Narcissa and Draco. She had recieved a letter from her mother a week ago, and it didn't convey the best emotions.

Cassia,

I know you're probably wondering why I sent this, but the main reason is to tell you that I'm taking you home this summer, straight off the Hogwarts Express.

I don't care how you respond to this news, but I am asking you to trust me. I know you don't want to, but I need you to. Please do not try to evade me. Just come home with me this summer.

I know you were in the Department with your father. I know you were fighting against him. I know you are partly to blame for his current state.

You don't have to be scared of me, Cassia. Regardless of what you've done, you are still my daughter, and I still love you, even if you don't reciprocate that.

See you on the platform.

Yours,

Narcissa Malfoy

Cassia had read this letter over a hundred times in the past week.

She knew her mother would never beat her, or slap her, or punch her. She knew it deep down, but she also knew that she had been in the Department of Mysteries, and she had fought against her father, like her mother had said.

She also knew she was in for something when she got home.

But today was the last day of freedom. Well, rather, it was the day they would all get on the Hogwarts Express and go back to Platform 9¾. Cassia wasn't sure how to feel. She was apprehensive, of course, but she wasn't scared.

This summer wasn't like the last.

They were walking towards the busy platform at the moment. All five of them. Cassia, Poppy, Harry, Hermione and Ron.Cassia was walking in step with Poppy, who had her arm linked with hers, and Harry, who was on her other side. Oswald and her trunk were already at the station

"I've been thinking about something Dumbledore said to me," Harry said finally, after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"What's that?" Hermione frowned.

Harry shrugged. "That even though we've got a tough fight ahead of us, we've got one thing Voldemort doesn't have."

"Yeah?" Ron raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Something worth fighting for."

And as Cassia looked from Ron to Hermione to Poppy to him, she realised he was telling the truth.

They had friendship.

And Voldemort didn't.

They had happiness.

And Voldemort didn't.

They had love.

And Voldemort just didn't.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"You coming, Cassia?"

The train had just arrived at the station. The journey had been long, longer than usual, and Cassia was tired. Her limbs were aching, her eyes were fluttering, and she wasn't ready to go home. She didn't want to.

Everyone had left their compartment except her.

And Harry, clearly, who was standing above her right now, holding her hand.

But as Cassia looked up at him, and his stupid face, his stupid eyes, his stupid hair, she decided that she wasn't going without one last goodbye.

And a confession, to go along with it.

"I didn't-" she stopped for a second, trying to work out how to say this. "I didn't, uh... properly tell you how sorry I was about... his death."

She took his hand, lifting herself up with it. They stood opposite each other, faces within inches of touching.

"You didn't have to," Harry murmured, looking at her. "I know you're going through a lot."

Cassia smiled slightly at this. "I also didn't thank you for... defending me in there, Potter. You were in... a lot of danger. Yet all you did was tell my father to stop doing stuff to me."

It was Harry's turn to smile slightly. "You'd have done the same for me," he said.

Cassia shook her head. "Why would you do that?" She asked, still confused. "Just... why?"

Harry looked at her, shaking his head.

"You have no idea... how amazing you are, do you?" He whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "No idea."

Cassia looked up at him, entranced.

"Potter," she said, tears welling in her eyes. "You're pretty amazing too, you know."

Harry chuckled slightly.

"You know, I'm probably not going to see you this summer," Cassia told him, tears in her eyes. "But I'll hopefully be able to write."

"I'll write to you even if you can't write back," Harry told her. "I'll help you through the trial, and through the whole summer, if you need."

Cassia chuckled, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I, uh... at Christmas, you gave me a whole list of reasons why I was amazing," she told him, even though he knew he had. "And I... I never replied."

"Cassia..." Harry moved ever so closer to her. "You don't have to. I- I never asked you t-"

"No, but- but you have to know," Cassia said determinedly. "You're fucking amazing, Harry Potter. You're brave and loyal and you always stand up for what's right. And you're- y'know- hot or whatever, and you're so kind, and so, so smart. And I like you so much," she cried, wiping her tears furiously.

"You-?" Harry asked in shock.

"I like you, Harry Potter," Cassia clarified. "I like you so much."

She barely whispered the last two words, but Harry heard them, standing looking down at her, absolutely fucking shocked.

"I like you too," he whispered to her. "So much, Cassia. So much you can't even imagine."

With soft sob Cassia decided to do it. She liked him and he liked her, and she couldn't stop it even if she wanted to, so she might as well just do it.

She reached up, her hands flying to round Harry's neck as she pulled him closer, smashing her lips onto his.

For a second, Harry just stood there in shock, then his hands snaked round her waist and pulled her closer. His lips moved against hers and he made an almost inaudible sound against her lips. Cassia kissed back harder, as if he would disappear if she didn't, tears still falling down her cheeks as her eyes fluttered shut.

Cassia had kissed Cedric last year, but something about this felt different. This felt like the start of something, like the beginning. She wanted to be with him, and she wanted everyone to know it-

And it couldn't happen, she knew that. Because her family would never approve of it, and even though her father was most likely getting banged up, her mother and aunt would absolutely kill her-

As she and Harry came up for air the final train whistle rang out, but Cassia was too busy looking up at Harry in shock. The boy only smiled down at her, slowly lifting a hand up to her cheeks and wiping her tears.

"Come on," Cassia smiled slightly at him. "We have to go."

And she knew Harry would tell the others about their kiss, as she headed out to the platform to say one last goodbye to Poppy and the others before finding her family, she just knew it. But she also didn't care.

"You okay?" Harry asked her as they walked out onto the platform.

And as Cassia looked up at him, having finally kissed him, and now finally knowing what it felt like, she knew what her answer was.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I'm fine."