Sunday whizzed past in a blur, Cassia talking to more people, including Parvati, Padma, Neville, Dean and a couple others. Not Seamus and Lavender, though.

Because, unlike all the other Gryffindor fifth years, those two were convinced Harry was lying.

Parvati had even yelled at Lavender for it, stopping being friends with her until she 'stopped being such a delusional bitch'. Cassia knew Parvati had her mother to thank for that.

Harry, meanwhile, had apparently had an encounter with Seamus the first night. He had yelled at him in the common room in front of everyone, and Cassia thought he was damn right for it. Seamus hadn't changed his mind, though.

However, soon enough, Cassia was sat next to Poppy, behind Hermione and Parvati and in the row across from Harry and Ron, in DADA. Cassia was not looking forward to this lesson, given the impression she already had of Umbridge.

However, soon Parvati lightened things up a bit as she enchanted a paper bird, making it fly round the classroom.

"Go on Seamus, hit it!" A voice rang out, as the bird swooped low and Seamus hit it.

Cassia flinched slightly at the sight of that, and Poppy put a hand on her shoulder.

"You're here now," she murmured in her ear. "With me."

Cassia nodded. Here, she was here now, not there, with him...

She watched the bird fly high up into the lights, swooping around and getting very far up-

Then it got blasted with fire and fell back onto Parvati's desk, all charred and sparked.

Cassia turned in the direction that the spell had come from, and sure enough, there stood Professor Umbridge, wand outstretched. She still had her silly hairdo, and pink cardigan and dress, but this time, she sported a sick smirk.

"Good morning, children," she said, as she put her wand away.

And the way she spoke... it was just fucking weird. She had such a sugary sweet voice, but something about it was so sour. She was speaking to them as if they were five, not a bunch of fifteen year olds about to sit exams.

As Umbridge walked to the front of the class, she enchanted the chalk to write what she was saying on the small chalkboard at the front.

"Ordinary Wizarding Level Examinations. O.W.L.s. More commonly known as, OWLs," she reached the top of the class and turned round, looking at all of them with a smile that looked put on, looked fake.

"Study hard, and you will be rewarded," Umbridge smiled. "Fail to do so, and the consequences may be... severe."

Cassia had only been in a room with her two minutes and all she was thinking was, shut the fuck up.

Umbridge waved her wand at books on the table beside her and magically deposited them to each student.

Cassia frowned down at the book she recieved. Dark Arts Defence: Basics for Beginners. What was this shit?

"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven," Umrbidge told them, even though it hadn't, not really. "But you'll be pleased to know, from now on, you will be following a carefully structured, ministry approved, course of defensive magic."

Hermione, who of course had already skim read the contents, stuck up her hand.

"Yes?"

"There's nothing in here about using defensive spells?" Hermione cocked her head, confused.

"Using spells?" Umrbidge laughed as though the idea was ridiculous, and out of the question. "Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom!"

"We're not gonna use magic?!" Ron summed up, absolutely shocked.

As he said this, the realisation of what Umbridge was suggesting washed over the classroom. Cassia was absolutely shocked. Sorry, what? They weren't going to use magic in a class that was literally about using magic to defend against dark forces?

"What the fuck?" The blonde girl exclaimed.

"Watch your language, Miss Malfoy," Umbridge warned. "I do not tolerate a mouth like that in my classroom."

"No, I'm sorry, but what use is this class if we can't use magic in it?!" Cassia shouted, and many of the class nodded along with her.

"You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk free, way," Umbridge told them.

"Well, what use is that?" Harry exclaimed loudly. "If we're gonna be attacked, it won't be risk free-"

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class," Umbridge said loudly and sharply. But then she turned, and the sugary voice and smile was back. "It is the view of the ministry, that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which, after all, is what school is all about."

"But how's theory supposed to prepare us fir what's out there?" Harry asked angrily.

"There is nothing out there, Mr Potter," the smile stayed fixed on the toad's face. "Who could you imagine would want to hurt children, such as yourselves?"

"Oh, I don't know," Harry reorted, absolutely livid. "Maybe- Lord Voldemort?"

At his name, the class fell silent, and Umbridge looked around them all, the stupid smile still on her face.

"Now let me make something... quite plain," she said, her voice gaining a dangerous edge. She advanced towards Harry's desk, towering over him. "You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This. Is. A. Lie-"

"Is it NOT a lie! I saw him! I fought him!" Harry yelled.

"Detention, Mr Potter!" Umbridge turned round, going back to the board.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory just dropped dead of his own accord?"

Cassia froze, and her eyes filled with tears. Hearing his name hurt.

Umbridge, meanwhile, said. "Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident-"

"It was murder, Voldemort killed him, you must know that-!"

"ENOUGH!"

Umbridge looked even more like a toad when angry, as she stood there, chest heaving, staring daggers at Harry.

"Enough," she repeated, trying to recover. "See me later, Mr Potter, my office."

Then she gave a little giggle, like teaching was the best thing, and continued.

Cassia stared at her in absolute shock.

What had just happened?

❦︎❦︎❦︎

That night in the common room, whilst Potter was at his detention, Cassia and Poppy tried to make the most of the time, watching Fred and George trial their newest line of joke shop products. Word on the street was they were opening a shop when they left Hogwarts, and this was their trial run of all their products. Today, it was-

"Skiving snackboxes!" Fred exclaimed.

"Sweets that make you ill!"

"Get you out of class whenever you like!"

"Obtain hours of pleasure from unprofitable boredom!"

Cassia and Poppy were in stitches as they watched people have nosebleeds, erupt in boils and be sick. She had to admit, they were a clever trick.

As Potter walked back in from detention, however, Cassia and Poppy went over to sit by the fire with him, because they didn't know where Ron and Hermione were.

"So," Cassia sighed, sitting down next to Harry on the sofa. "How bad was it?"

"Not bad," Harry shrugged. "Just lines."

Poppy scoffed. "Lines? That woman does not seem like a 'lines' kinda teacher."

Harry sighed, getting a book that they had to read for potions out and starting to flip through it as Hermione and Ron, talking, came round to them.

"... Hermione, you're honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met," Ron was saying as they sat down. "And if I'm ever rude to you again-"

"I'll know you've gone back to normal," was a smiling Hermione's answer.

Cassia grinned. "Got you there, Ronnie."

Ron rolled his eyes.

However, as Cassia laughed at him she nudged Harry's hand on the book, slightly, and saw the boy flinch away. Now, with the summer Cassia had had, she knew how to tell when someone was hiding pain, and this had all the tells.

"Potter, your hand," Cassia said, shifting slightly so she could grab it-

"It's fine," Harry said quickly, moving it away.

"No, it's not-"

Cassia stopped in absolute shock as she managed to grab Harry's arm.

Because, scarred into it, barely visible but probably still painful, were Umbridge's so-called lines.

I must not tell lies

"That fucking bitch," Cassia snarled. "She's making you carve the lines into your hand, isn't she?"

"What?!" Hermione, Ron, and Poppy exclaimed.

"I'm fine," Harry said.

Cassia scoffed. "Not really an answer though, is i-?"

"You need to tell Dumbledore," Hermione said.

"No," Harry instantly dismissed. "Dumbledore's got enough on his mind right now. Anyway, I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction."

"More like Umbitch," Cassia muttered.

"Satisfaction?" Ron repeated. "Bloody hell, Harry, the woman's torturing you! If the parents knew about this-"

"Yeah, well I haven't got any of those, have I, Ron?" Harry bit back.

My father wouldn't care, Cassia bit back the urge to say. In fact, he would positively encourage it.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, you've got to report this. It's perfectly simple, you're being-"

"No, it's not!" Harry fought back. "Hermione, whatever this is, it's not simple. You don't understand."

And then he got up and left, without another word.

Cassia shook her head. "I'm going to kill that two-faced, sugary sweet, pink bitch."

No one was going to stop her.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Frost and even some snow came and covered the grounds as mid October was reached.

Cassia had stopped having to hide her whole face now. It was just the black eye and bruise on her cheek that she needed to cover, and of course, the ones on her arms and body.

More detentions had been dished out recently. The words were now probably going to be scarred into Harry's hand for life. Cassia has tried to comfort him, which he sometimes let her do, but he definitely was distancing himself from the group.

Today, however, Cassia hadn't let him off. She'd caught him trying to sneak out the castle into the frosty grounds for a walk, and insisted she come with. Harry had, surprisingly, agreed.

As they walked across the grounds, down past Hagrid's empty hut into the forest, Cassia sighed. "When we first met... who would've thought this would be us five years later, Potter?

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "No one. We both hated each other."

"Oh, I still hate you," Cassia chuckled. "I hate when you're annoying, and when you're stubborn, and I especially hate you when you're being noble..."

Harry smiled, watching her as she listed the reasons why she used to hate him, and (maybe) still did.

"What about you?" She asked. "What do you hate about me?"

Harry sighed. "Well, I don't exactly... hate you, y'know."

Cassia grinned. "Tell you what, Potter, little you would've had a heart attack if he knew you'd say that one day!"

Harry grinned back. "I know."

They walked into the forest, sometimes talking, sometimes not. Cassia was just glad she got some time with Potter. They did, however, come across a young, blonde and barefoot girl in the forest, feeding apples to- to-

Cassia frowned as she watched an apple get lifted into the air by an invisible force, quickly getting eaten by it.

Harry, meanwhile, was smiling slightly at the sight of it.

"Hello Harry Potter," the girl said, turning round. "And-"

"This is Cassia," Harry said. "Cassia Malfoy."

"Hey, we look the same," the girl said vaguely.

"Cassia, this is Luna, Luna Lovegood," Harry said.

Cassia had heard of Luna Lovegood. She had a nickname of Loony Lovegood, because she was a bit crazy, but Cassia hadn't actually met her until today, and she wasn't going to make assumptions based on this.

"Um, what are you feeding?" Cassia asked. "I can't see-"

"They're called thestrals," Luna explained. "They can only be seen by people who have seen death."

Cassia turned to Harry, raising her eyebrows. He only nodded in return. He could see them.

"What do they look like?" She asked.

"Like a bony, winged horse," Harry answered, causing the girl to smile slightly.

"They're actually quite gentle," Luna also added. "But, people avoid them because they're a bit..."

She trailed off, but Harry nodded. "Different."

Luna nodded. "I believe you, by the way," she added. "That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-
Named is back, and you fought him, and the ministry and the Prophet are conspiring against you and Dumbledore."

"Thanks," Harry sighed. "Seems like you're about the only ones that do."

Cassia couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I don't think that's true," Luna shrugged. "But I suppose that's how he wants you to feel."

"What'd you mean?" Harry looked at her.

"Well, if I were You-Know-Who, I'd want you to feel cut off from everyone else," Luna explained. "Because if it's just you, you're not as much of a threat."

Cassia couldn't help but wonder why anyone had ever called this girl a loony.

Because it wasn't true. None of it was.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Harry, Cassia," Hermione said as the two walked back into the great hall that evening. Poppy was next to her, and they were across from Ron and Ginny.

"Can we join you?" Cassia asked, smiling slightly.

"Of cou-"

"Excuse me, professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?" The voice of Dolores Umbitch came floating in from the entrance hall.

"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students, you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices!" McGonagall snapped as all the students ran out the hall, seeing the two professors arguing on the stairs.

"So silly of me, but it sounds as though you're questioning my own authority in my classroom," Umbitch told the woman, stepping up a step. "Minerva."

"Not at all, Dolores," McGonagall stomped up a step herself. "Merely your medieval methods!"

"Yes Minnie, drag that bitch," Cassia snarled, smirking.

"I- I am sorry, my dear," Umbitch said, feigning disbelief. "But to question my practices is to question the ministry, and by extension, the minister himself."

"She should just go marry the ministry, she loves it so much," Cassia rolled her eyes, muttering to Poppy.

"I am a tolerant woman," Umbridge droned on. "But the one thing I will not stand for, is disloyalty."

McGonagall looked at her in disbelief, murmuring. "Disloyalty..."

Umbridge then turned round to face all the students watching them.

"Things at Hogwarts, are much worse than I feared," she announced.

That's because the other teachers have brains.

Umbitch "Cornelius will want to take immediate action."

Cassia looked up at her, shaking her head.

"Oh... shit."