September First came, and Cassia was in more pain than ever.

Her heart was physically hurting.

She hadn't gone to Diagon Alley when Draco had got his new books, as her father had kept her in the house. She had, however, heard her brother talk endlessly about the books and what they may be for, her tears only just holding themselves in.

And then the day came for her brother to pack his trunk and board the Hogwarts Express.

It was the first day since the beginning of the summer that Lucius had allowed Cassia a lie in, but the girl woke up early anyway. She had cried a lot the previous night, and had promised herself that there'd be no repeat that morning, but she was close to it.

In the end, she watched from the window as Narcissa helped Draco take his trunk out onto the drive, and Lucius walked out the door raving about time and how they were late.

Then, she watched as her father apparated the trunk away and her mother apparated Draco.

In a flash, they were gone.

And Cassia's heart broke.

She didn't know what to do anymore. If she was defiant, she got beat for it. If she tried to be good, she felt horrible inside for not fighting.

But she didn't want to fight anymore.

She had already resigned to the fact that this year was gonna be hell. She was going to be put to work, abused more and more, and on top of that, she'd be letting down all her friends, too.

She'd stopped thinking about Poppy - what she was doing, how she was feeling - by the end of the first week. It hurt too much to think of her. The last time she had seen her she had been grieving Cedric, and she hadn't even told Poppy that she was leaving for the summer because she hadn't got the chance to.

For the first time since the end of that week, Cassia allowed herself to wonder how her best friend was feeling. She wondered if she was worried, or confused, or even if she hated Cassia. The girl honestly wouldn't blame her; she pretty much hated herself at the moment.

Actually, that was a lie.

Because at the moment, she despised herself.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

When her mother and father arrived back at around lunch, Cassia was expected to cook for them, and so drowned her sorrows in the kitchen.

She had stopped stealing newspapers a few weeks ago. She knew it wasn't necessary, but not going to Hogwarts meant she didn't need to be kept in the loop. She didn't need to know what was happening. She knew, out of curiosity, she would still grab a few, but right now, hope was lost for her. So she didn't see the point in doing it if she didn't believe in it.

They'll all be on the train now, in the same compartment, the girl thought miserably with a glance up at the clock.

What would they be thinking about her not showing up? Draco was the only one that knew, and they certainly wouldn't speak to him willingly.

Or maybe they won't care, a poisonous little voice in the back of her head hissed. Maybe they're just sitting there talking, already resigned to the fact that they've got no idea about you...

"Stop," Cassia whispered, tears welling up in her eyes already. "Stop it."

Maybe they're glad you're not there. Maybe they want you gone.

"No- stop-"

Poppy. Hermione. Ron. Potter. How long until they realise you just aren't worth i-

"STOP IT!"

The girl had yelled so loud her throat had almost torn apart, before breaking down into sobs.

It wasn't true. It wasn't. Her friends cared about her, and they'd try and help her-

But deep down, that little voice was still a part of Cassia.

And deep down, a part of her did think that.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

She hadn't slept that night.

Her brain had been too full, thinking about how the feast and the sorting would've gone, how everyone would've settled in, how all her friends would've gone back to the common room and to their dorms...

Her name would still be on the Gryffindor common room.

Perhaps Poppy would've stared at it in confusion, wondering why her best friend wasn't there with her. Perhaps she would've rolled her eyes at it. Cassia abandoned her, after all. Perhaps she would've even cried at it, but Cassia doubted it.

So the girl had stayed up wondering what else was going on. What had been happening this summer with all of them? How had they all been handling Voldemort coming back, and Fudge denying all claims of it? Was Poppy okay? Was Potter oka-?

The next morning, Cassia had got up, still thinking about Hogwarts. It was a Saturday, so classes wouldn't start until the following Monday, but that didn't really matter to her. She wasn't going after all.

She had got dressed, headed downstairs, cooked, cleaned, did all she needed to do, without complaint.

She was done being defiant.

Where had it got her? It certainly hadn't got her into Hogwarts, and certainly hadn't protected her from her father. In fact, it had just made him angrier and angrier at her.

And maybe, just maybe, if she toed the line, she had a chance at going back to Hogwarts.

She knew, logically, why her father was doing this.

He didn't want people to find out what he was doing.

The bruises on her body and arms were easy enough to hide, but the ones on her face?

Looking at her reflection in the mirror right now, Cassia saw that she had a black eye, a split lip, raw, red cheeks and a bruise on her cheekbone.

They would all recover, of course, but not if it kept happening.

But the thing is, Cassia didn't want to tell anyone.

Not because she didn't want her father locked up, but because she didn't want more pity falling on her.

She didn't want to be 'the girl that got hit by her father' or 'the girl with the abusive family'. She didn't want pity, and she certainly didn't want anyone prying into her home and family life.

But none of that really mattered now, because she wasn't going to Hogwarts, anyway.

Or so she thought.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"CASSIA! UP HERE, NOW!"

Cassia was confused as to why her father was calling her at five in the evening, when he knew she was cooking dinner, but she went with it nonetheless.

She quickly ditched her apron and hurried up into the drawing room, where both her mother and father were gathered, her father holding a letter in his hand.

As soon as she got into the room, her father marched towards her.

"You've told, haven't you?" He snarled.

"Wh- what?" Cassia stammered. "Told wh-?"

"You've told, I know you have!" Lucius yelled.

"I don't understand, what's going o-?" Cassia stopped as the letter was thrust under her nose.

Dear Mr and Mrs Malfoy,

I was gladdened to see the return of Draco to Hogwarts for this school year, but was confused as to why Cassia was absent.

If there's an illness or another similar situation prohibiting her return, I appreciate that, but I would've preferred you wrote and told me this.

This is an important year for Cassia, given her OWL exams are approaching, and so if there's nothing preventing her joining us, I would prefer her return happens as soon as possible.

Given this, I am going to be visiting your house at six pm tonight, for you to explain the situation and hopefully for me to take Cassia back to Hogwarts. I understand this is short notice, and that is why this letter was sent ahead of my arrival, but I hope you will accept my presence graciously.

Kind regards,

Professor Dumbledore

Cassia read the letter in absolute shock. She was- her absence had been noticed? Dumbledore had seen she wasn't at school, and was coming to talk to her?

"An hour."

Her father's voice was a low snarl as he looked at her, his eyes boring holes in her body.

"You have an hour," he told her. "An hour to cover every bruise on your body, an hour to get back down here, and follow every word I say."

"Wh-?"

"And mark my words," Lucius snarled, standing over her. "If you breathe one word, of anything that's happened this summer, you'll wish you'd never been born."

I already do.

Cassia swallowed down her fear, however, and nodded.

"Yes, father."

However, as she left the drawing room, she had an idea. A tiny, almost inexplicable smirk appeared on her face, and turned into a grin once she was out of her father's eyesight.

All at onge, she had hope again.

And mark her words, she was going to Hogwarts.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Covering up all her bruises was easier said than done. The swelling in her eye had gone down after she iced it, so that was okay with a bit of concealer. The other bruise was, again, okay, but trying to even out the redness of her cheeks was hard.

She didn't know why she was doing it. Just let Dumbledore see her face and it would tell him all he needed to know. But it was the same situation, the pity thing. She wanted to go to Hogwarts because she wanted to go. Not because her father was abusing her.

So eventually, Cassia's face was an alright colour, her brain was whirring round and round, and her body was sat next to her mother's in the drawing room whilst her father went and welcomed Dumbledore at the front door.

Cassia was trying to sit still, but her leg was bouncing up and down.

If all went to her father's plan here, Dumbledore would be leaving empty handed.

If all went to Cassia's, she'd be leaving to go to Hogwarts.

It was exactly six when the doorbell rang.

It was two past when Lucius and Dumbledore arrived in the drawing room.

"Ah, here we are," the headmaster said as he walked in, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. "Hello, Mrs Malfoy, Cassia."

As her mother nodded in greeting, Cassia did the same, not speaking.

"As I was saying, Dumbledore, the girl is of perfect health and in good physical condition," Lucius said sharply, sitting down on Cassia's other side as Dumbledore took a seat across from them. "We just thought Hogwarts wasn't the right place for her this year, given with what happened the last."

Oh. Oh.

So this was her father's plan. Play off losing Cedric as the biggest thing in Cassia's life, make it look like it was her fault, her choice, and her decision to not go to Hogwarts this year.

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "I do see that, Mr Malfoy, and though I do sympathise, I still think that Cassia's best choice is to finish her education."

"Once she's in a good enough state, Narcissa will home school her," Lucius assured. "We will give her the same resources and time, she just won't be at school."

"Cassia," Dumbledore looked straight at her. "Are you happy with this?"

She was supposed to cry as part of her planz but she didn't even need to put on the tears. It had been so long since someone had treated her like a human.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked down. "I'm sorry..." she murmured. "I'm so sorry, Professor Dumbledore... I-I thought that I wanted to stay home this year, but-"

"And she still wants to stay home this year," Lucius said firmly, leaning forward. "Professor Dumbledore, the child is not of right mind-"

"I would like to hear Cassia speak," Dumbledore said calmly, but with emphasis on the girl's name. Probably because Lucius hadn't said it. "Please continue, Cassia."

"Professor Dumbledore-"

"Quiet please, Lucius," Dumbledore dropped all pretence, staring intently at Cassia.

The girl looked down, eyes filling with more tears.

"I- I was just scared," she murmured. "I didn't want to go back- but now I see I was wrong, Professor Dumbledore, and I really want to go back-"

"Cassia-" Lucius warned-

"Please, take me back," Cassia sobbed. "I- I love it there, and I want to do my OWLs and see my friends..."

As she trailed off, Dumbledore smiled. "Well, I think that's settled. Cassia, go and pack your stuff, whilst I talk with your parents."

Cassia turned to her father, needing him to break the lock on the cupboard where her stuff all was.

Lucius, anger in every syllable, said. "Of course. Let me go and help."

He made no attempt to slap, punch or hurt Cassia, though.

And that made the girl burst with joy.

She was going back to Hogwarts.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Half an hour later, Cassia was reunited with all her books (plus new ones, which Dumbledore had brought for her), Oswald, her owl, her trunk, her robes, and all her other school stuff.

Soon enough, Dumbledore was waiting outside with Cassia's trunk and owl, waiting for the girl to say goodbye.

But Cassia had no intentions of doing that. Right now, she was standing in front of her father, eyes narrowed.

"You tried your best," she told him simply. "You really fucking did."

"You're such a brat," Lucius snapped. "You have no idea-"

"What? How hard it's going to be for you?" Cassia raised her eyebrows. "With no slave? No punchbag? No daughter-?"

"You dare say that word," Lucius snapped. "You are no daughter of ours."

"Lucius-" Narcissa started-

"No, he's right," Cassia told her mother. "I think I stopped being your daughter a long time ago. Ever since you slapped me."

"Ever since you tarnished our reputation."

Cassia scoffed. "Say whatever you want, because you said it, you said it. If I'm not your daughter anymore, then you're not my father," she leaned close to him, murmuring venemously. "And I'm fucking glad of it."

She had no regrets, as she turned.

Next summer, she wasn't falling for anymore bullshit.

She was either going home with her friends, or defying her father.

Safe to say, Cassia Malfoy was back.