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     If there is one thing that Cassia has learnt over the past year, in this whirlwind of a year at Hogwarts, it is that nothing is ever set in stone. Not like it was supposed to be, at least. Somehow, even if the cement was so easily laid out, every flat edge laid out and scraped to a perfect, smooth finish, something would always come in the way before it'd have the chance to solidify. A mouse or a cat scampering across in the cheeky flash of an eye, leaving tiny but discernible paw prints, or perhaps someone too interested in the donuts they just purchased from the bakery to pay any heed to the roadworks happening outside said bakery, walking head-first and leaving heavy boot-prints in one frustrated builder's handicraft.

Point is, nothing ever works out like it's supposed to.

And that's all that's been going through Cassia's mind every time she reads the latest Daily Prophet article regarding all current Azkaban prisoners, somehow managing to mask the hurt in her rosy cheeks, long eyelashes, smiling as she ignores the pointy, razor-sharp looks from anyone in proximity. It's either that or give them a glare that'd they'd remember even as they're in their seventies with grandchildren.

She's decided not to resort to that yet, though. Purely on the hope that with her going back home tomorrow, leaving Hogwarts for a full two months, people will be able to forget or at least grow to not care about her being the daughter of an incarcerated Death Eater. It doesn't feel fair to go evil-rage on everyone just yet when they're all as ignorant as each other.

Cassia was more than happy when she could finally leave the Hospital Wing and spend the last two nights at the Slytherin dungeons. She was allowed to go for walks during her hospitalised days and earlier on when she was walking around the castle with Harry, she came across Professor Sprout leading a pair of blonde twins, a boy and a girl, through the castle (Cassia just knew they were twins. Being a twin herself, her twin-radar had never failed her.) She ended up picking up the hat belonging to the girl, who had really cool hair and was super nice.

However, her little Hospital Wing stay did end in a very amusing way when, right before dinner, while Cassia was packing up the last of her cards and chocolates at her bedside, Umbridge had attempted to escape the Hospital Wing. Hogwarts ex-Headmaster was tiptoeing through what she thought was an empty infirmary, when she heard a throat clear that prompted her to stop and turn her head towards the sound like a deer in headlights. Umbridge seemed to have forgotten about her silent roommate.

"Going somewhere, Dolores?" Cassia had asked Umbridge, eyebrows raised.

Umbridge had merely attempted to straighten her posture, saying, "You do not have permission to address me by that name! Madam Undersecretary will do."

"Well, actually..." Cassia holds up a finger, halting Umbridge. "Your tragic stint at being my teacher is over, so you can't instruct me anymore, and we're also not in court. Really, I can call you whatever I like. Toad, Um-bitch... but Dolores is fine with me."

Umbridge gives an enraged gasp. "You insolent child! I demand respect!"

"My respect for you has long left the building." Cassia dismisses. "Besides, what are you doing, scurrying out of the castle like a mouse? Surely a person worth respecting would walk out with confidence, but I suppose there are some things we can never have."

It is then with sparkling revelation that the already furious Umbridge realises who she was talking to. Seems Cassia didn't leave Umbridge's office that detention without leaving an impression.

"I remember you! Miss Greengrass, was it not?" She says with a sparkling 'ha!' of a laugh.

"That's the first thing you got right this year," Cassia mutters.

"I heard about your father," Umbridge tells her tauntingly with a smile. "Sent off to Azkaban, was he? You should have listened to what I told you at detention. Maybe then your family won't be in so much trouble."

Cassia scoffs. "Do not change the subject here, Dolores. And don't bring my family into this. It's you we're talking about."

(Past Cassia would be proud to see Cassia here, not afraid to call out someone who affronted her previously. Because Past Cassia had scurried out of Umbridge's office, too scared to say anything else. Staying within the lines.

Look where that got her.

Because now she was thrown in a dangerous game outside the lines and it wasn't her fault whatsoever. She played by the rules and look where that got her. Now she had to make up her own, because this world, the world where her father is an incarcerated criminal, it's uncharted territory. And she'll do what she has to, to make it out of this mess, and she'll fight for what she believes in. Because that's all she could do.

So, yeah. Past Cassia would be proud that Future Cassia is here, standing up to Umbridge.)

"Do you remember?" asks Cassia, slowly, as if the more carefully she spoke, the more her words would knock into Umbridge's tiny brain. "Do you remember what you had asked me to write with the blood quill, that day in detention?"

Umbridge had stopped to think, but Cassia saves her from using braincells that are hanging on an edge.

"I mustn't insult my superiors."

Cassia gazes down at her right hand as she says that. The scar had taken months to heal and had almost gone, except there left was a red line, faint as a pencil sketch. She could see it clear as daylight though, no matter how faint it became.

"Yes, I do remember." Umbridge admits with her head held high. "The whole point of your detention was to teach you the consequences of insulting those higher station than you, and you, just like Harry Potter, accused the Ministry, the highest station of all, of horrible lies—"

"Ah—" Cassia holds her finger up. Part of her wanted to maul Umbridge for taking Harry's name like that, the audacity. "Let me stop you there, Dolores. Lies? Now, what did I accuse the Ministry of, again? Ah, yes. I 'accused' the Ministry of hiding Voldemort's return. I asked you, 'How did Cedric Diggory die?' And you had said, 'It was a tragic accident'. That was the lie. Not what I said. You all knew Voldemort had returned yet you were just terrified, in-denial. You were the one who accused Harry of lying about what he had seen. Look where that got us. The truth is out now. Everyone knows Harry was telling the truth. Teenagers had to do the job you were supposed to. Is that not embarrassing? And Harry lost his family. Maybe if you and Fudge and everyone else had actually faced your fear of Voldemort, you could have prevented the death of an innocent."

Umbridge stays quiet, not having any words to say, not even her usual pompous crap, and Cassia can see her nostrils flaring.

So Cassia goes ahead and says, "I don't know about you, Dolores, but I see nothing superior about people who run away from the truth."

Umbridge gives one curt glance over Cassia. "Are you finished, Miss Greengrass?"

"No, actually," Cassia shakes her head, fighting off the urge to smirk. "There's one more thing." Umbridge stood there not knowing what she was talking about, until Cassia cups her hands around her mouth and yells, "PEEVES!"

Umbridge's face went white with terror as Peeves the Poltergeist whooshed into the infirmary upon command, a menacing charm to his "How may Peeves be of service?"

Cassia remembered the Weasley twins' parting wish towards Peeves. And judging by the white-hot terror on Umbridge's face, so did she.

Cassia tells him, "Peeves, Dolores here wishes to leave the castle. Would you please give her a proper goodbye, Hogwarts-fashion?"

Peeves went, "Absolutely!"

The Slytherin girl allowed herself to smirk as she watched Umbridge beeline out of the infirmary as she got chased by the screeching poltergeist.

That night, Cassia went to dinner at the Great Hall for the first time since her hospitalisation, limping in with crutches and a big boot on her injured leg. When she walked to the Slytherin table, zoning out the stares from all the other tables (even quite a few came from Slytherin itself), she'd waved at Harry, Ginny and Ron, who were all waving at her and then even Hermione followed suit, too. Luna smiled at Cassia from Ravenclaw table too, which was really heart-warming. None was sweeter than when Cassia reached her friends and Terence Higgs and Adrian Pucey had immediately folded her into a three-way hug.

"You scared the shits out of us, Cass," Terence had said.

"Yeah, this idiot literally had exploding diarrhoea the entire time you were gone." Adrian sniggered.

Terence squinted at him. "Mate, don't act like you didn't spend ages on the toilet too."

Cassia had laughed and proceeded to sit at the table. Theo and Daphne were there too, Maryam and Eva, Astoria and Nadia too. So was Malfoy, with Crabbe and Goyle, but they were giving her the evils, so she ignored them. Dinner that night felt nice. Despite the crowded audience around them, being with her Slytherin family at a time like this made her feel like she could ignore the stress and anguish and just laugh when Theo and Terence mocked her when she spilt pumpkin juice all over herself, smile at Adrian and Eva being so sickeningly adorable, Daphne and Maryam discussing all of their summer Quidditch plans (they had it all sussed out and wanted as many people to join their quidditch club as possible), and Nadia and Astoria telling them all about the amount of drunk, knocked out Slytherins they'd permanent marker-ed over the past few nights. Blaise embraced Cassia when they were all leaving to go back down to the common room, and showing affection for that boy was always a rare thing.

When she went back up to her room, which she felt like she hadn't seen in ages, most of her stuff was packed courtesy of Daphne, bar a few clothes and the stuff on her pin board. At some point, when her final two roommates came in, Sadie and Ebony had each in turn came and hugged Cassia tight, telling her how worried they got when Maryam and Eva had told them what happened. Cassia was literally on the verge of tears.

The next day, the final full day before they'd go home for the holidays, also the day of the Leaving Feast, Daphne and everyone else were at the quidditch pitch and because of Cassia's leg and her not being ready to ride a broom yet, she and Theo decided to go elsewhere.

(Her leg, she thought, would probably need another week of healing. It's like Madam Pomfrey had said, magic medicine is much more advanced than muggle medicine. To a muggle, a leg fracture healing at this rate was a miracle. She was doing well enough that Madam Pomfrey had even scrapped the use of her crutches a couple days earlier than anticipated. Cassia had her doubts at how early it was, but she trusted the matron, and was glad to be rid of them. However she still had to be accompanied by that massive boot cast.)

But Theo and Cassia, not wanting to be around people, for that matter, opted to go to the further end of the Great Lake, away from everyone and their swimming costumes and beach balls and kites and badminton rackets (or was it tennis? Cassia had no idea, just that someone found a bunch of muggle sports equipment in the quidditch cupboard and people were making up their own rules) and hung by the shore, skimming pebbles across the Lake surface, reflections sparkling in the sultry June sun.

"Did you get my note?" Theo asks Cassia, a flat pebble leaving his hand in a blur, zooming like a parasail over the shimmering water, facing side-on to the water.

"Which note?" Cassia remarks. "Wait. Was it the one in the form of a paper aeroplane that came and stabbed me in the eye this morning while I was having breakfast? Yeah, seems to ring a bell."

Theo throws her a grin, crouched down and looking for a suitable pebble in the swarm littering the ground.

Unable to glare at him for that long, a laugh flips from Cassia's mouth. "Yeah, I did read it. Why'd you send me the list of summer reading Binns gave us? I got one too. Think everybody did."

Theo frowns, then scoffs. "You're a liar. Everyone else got the list Binns created, but I sent you my own summer reading list. Which you would've seen if you'd read it, you uncultured swine."

"Well excuse me, I was thinking about all the ways I could kill you in my sleep after you left me with the queen bee of bloodshot eyes."

"Is it still red? Ah, yes, I happened to have done well with this job." Theo, smirking, leans over tauntingly to get into Cassia's face to inspect her red eye, which only earned him a palm to the face from the Slytherin girl.

"You idiot."

"Your favourite idiot."

"That's very debatable at this moment in time."

Chuckling, Theo questions, "Why did Binns even send everyone a summer reading list? Like, I know you and I are both taking History, but not everyone is as delusional as us to be wanting to take that bore of a subject."

"My theory?" Cassia proposes, arm swinging as she tried to gain the correct skimming trajectory for her pebble. "A few years ago, Binns made up enough of them summer reading lists to last his classes for a decade, and so now he gives them to literally everyone in fifth year. Despite, like, five people being in his N.E.W.T class."

Theo sniggers. "Actually, give the guy a bit of credit. Terence said there were eight in his class this year."

"He's not a guy, Theo, he's a fuckin' ghost."

"Are you discriminating against Binns because he's dead? Merlin, Cass, I expected better from you."

"Do you want me to throw this pebble at you? I swear, I'll do it."

"Used to be donuts, now it's pebbles. How you've evolved, Cassia Greengrass."

Eyeing him side-on, positioning herself to release her next pebble, it takes Cassia a moment before she recalls his reference to her antics last year at the Welcoming Feast. As she lets out a throaty laugh, she lets go of her pebble, watching as it pinged off the surface a total of six times before plopping into the ocean.

"Nice one!"

The foreign voice after the impressive pebble-skim had Cassia and Theo's heads spinning around in sync, only to be acquainted with the pleasureful smile of Ginny Weasley. Ginny trots down the declining edge of grass to reach the shore, and lifts a hand in a short wave, an envelope of sorts in that very hand, as she comes to stand in front of Cassia and Theo.

"Thanks, Ginny." says Cassia, throwing the younger girl a grin. She did not miss the way Theo averted his gaze as soon as the Weasley girl came to level with them. "You alright?"

"Not bad, not bad..." Ginny answers. "Glad to see you're back on your feet!"

Cassia shrugs, smiling. "One step at a time, you know? What are you doing all the way over here?"

"Could ask you the same question," Ginny laughs, eyes washing over Theo once, who was still avoiding either of their gazes.

"We wanted to avoid human interaction, you see."

"Valid." Ginny grins. "Actually, I'm glad I found you, 'cause I couldn't see Astoria anywhere and Daphne was high up in the air on her broomstick. Wanted to come give you this."

"Oh?"

"Do you remember how I mentioned my brother Charlie and his partner were expecting in December?" says Ginny, reminding Cassia of that time Ginny ran into the Great Hall post-Spring Break to bear the exciting news. "Well, they asked me to invite some friends to their – I mean, suppose it would be easier if you read it for yourself—"

Cassia's eyebrow perks up as Ginny outstretches that envelope she came with towards Cassia. Wiggling her eyebrows at the redhead as she popped open the seal, and pulled out a piece of white card inside. It said:

A new generation of Weasley's and Carmichael-Hearst's is upon us!

Please join us for a baby shower in honour of pending parents Avery and Charlie!

8th July at 2pm. Ottery St. Catchpole, Stoatshead Hill

"You're inviting us to your brother and his partner's baby shower?" asks Cassia, mouth spread in a wide smile, eyes continuously flitting from the invite to Ginny's face.

"Well, of course!" says Ginny. "I figure we could all do with a bit of fun. Besides, most of my siblings love you and your sisters. My parents haven't met you, but I'm sure once they get over your dad being an imprisoned death eater, they'll join the party." She added, giving Cassia a sceptical glance to which the latter could only laugh at. "We really hope you guys can make it."

"I would love to, Ginny." Cassia thanks her.

In periphery, could see Theo eyeing up the envelope from over her hand. And then when he thought Ginny wasn't looking, he looked at her. And the cycle went on, the Slytherin noticed. Cassia was discrete enough and her grin held up a solid front, that Ginny hadn't noticed her give Theo a teasing prod with her elbow.

(It had, however, brought Theo out of his trance and led the tall guy to stumble back, itching his leg as a means to cover up his trip, as his eyes squinted up and his head arched back at the clear blue sky above. Cassia was internally screaming, though, because she knew what this meant for her best friend.)

The Weasley girl gives Theo a sidelong glance. "Um, you can come too, if you like... Mum and Avery's mum are making enough food to last, like three continental royal families. If food's your thing."

Ginny's voice startles him (and so does Cassia's grin, which looked so happy it was menacing), and he looks at her like he wasn't just trying to avoid looking at her for the past few minutes. Theo clears his throat. "Um... okay. I like food."

(It was in that moment that some sort of strangled snigger that also sounded like a choke escape Cassia, and it was in that moment Theo wanted to show Cassia what choking reallysounded like.)

Still slightly confused because this guy didn't even seem rude anymore, just weird, Ginny nods. "Um, cool. Well—"

"Cousin!"

A tall figure comes jogging down the mini hill and ends up skidding his last step, crashing directly into the back of Theo, who collapses to the ground with said-tall figure. After dumping the load off his back and after snatching the hand Cassia offered him to get back to his feet – Cassia, at this point, had her spare hand bracing her hip because she was in stitches from laughing so hard – and soon after, the person that happened to domino-crash into Theo, who also happened to be his Hufflepuff cousin, gets to his feet, giving Theo an awkward pat on the back.

Theo gives Sterling a glare. "You, cousin, are an imbecile."

Sterling lifts a hand to his chest, offended. "Okay, so after I welcome you into the home of my beloved family, I get this treatment? Wait..." It takes Sterling a moment to notice Theo standing there beside him, glare looking a little sharper than normal, and then Ginny Weasley standing adjacent to Cassia, whose laughter had worn off, but the smirk had not. And he understood why Cassia was so happy and why Theo was so cross.

"Um... anyways... fancy seeing you here, Ginny!" Sterling says with glee, eyes still half on Theo, "With Theo..." A moment passes. "And... Cassia, too, of course!"

"Hello, Sterling!" Cassia replies with just as much enthusiasm. "It's good to see you! How are you on this fine, fine day?"

"Doing spectacular, thank you very much, Cassia. And yourself?"

"Oh, I'm just... brilliant... thank you for asking, Sterling."

It goes silent for a moment.

Then Ginny says, "Are you two... okay?" At this point, Ginny thought she was the only normal one here and that said something.

"Absolutely!" comes from Sterling. He gives the redhead a hinting grin. "Just, you know, it's curious to see you here with Cassia and... Theo."

Cassia's mouth dropped open, as she goes to put an arm around Ginny's shoulders in retort. "That's offensive on my part. I'll have you know, me and Ginny are pals! We bonded."

Ginny sends an amused glance her way, as she explains, "I came to give Cassia an invite to Charlie and Avery's baby shower."

It takes Sterling a moment to process Ginny's words. Then he frowns. "Where's my invite!"

Ginny raises an eyebrow. "Who says you were invited?"

A combination of a scoff and stammer leaves Sterling and in the mood for mischief, Cassia adds with a sly cough, "Theo was also invited," to which Sterling's eyes widened, and before he protested more, he couldn't help but smirk.

The smirk didn't last, though, as he deadpanned, "I am seriously disappointed in you right now, Ginny. You choose them over me? I thought we were better than that..."

"Face it, Donahue," says Cassia, shrugging. "Ginny just likes us better than you. Must be the Slytherin charm."

"That is a lie. Hufflepuff's are just as charming. C'mon, Ginny, let's put it to the test. Who's more charming, me or Cassia?"

Pinned by looks from both Sterling and Cassia, though it did not affect her calm front, Ginny says, "I'm gonna go with Cassia."

That left Cassia to exclaim in joy and Sterling to scoff in disappointment. Ginny laughed at both and for a moment, Theo thought it would be nice to listen to her laugh, her only, and forgot about Cassia and Sterling for a moment. Then out of some sixth-sense, Ginny realises and looks up at him, and even though she was already laughing, it did look like for a second, that her eyes softened when they met his.

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Theo hoped he didn't imagine it.

"Don't lose your pants, Sterling," Ginny says, clearing her throat, and when she tore her eyes away from Theo's, he couldn't help but smile at his feet. "Mum invited your mum over to the Burrow for a tea catchup, she'll hand it over there. No way it's a party without you there, right?"

"You got that right, Gin," says Sterling, clicking his tongue.

An idea jumps into Cassia's mind. "Um, Ginny... you play Quidditch, don't you? I'm sure Harry's mentioned it to me..."

"Yeah, I do!" says Ginny. "Why?"

"See, this summer, Daphne, Astoria and I were planning on getting together with some others to play Quidditch in our garden – Harry'll be there, Maryam, Eva too and she'll probably rope Adrian and Terence in too... I know you're not too friendly with the Slytherins but they're honestly quite cool and it would be really fun to have you over there. I'd love it if you were. Nadia in your year, Astoria's best friend, she'll also be there, so will Theo—"

"I will?" says Theo. One look from Cassia gave him his answer. "I guess I'm a member of the quidditch club by default."

Cassia smiles. "It would be real cool if you could come."

Grinning, Sterling cuts in, "I take it my invitation goes without saying, right?"

"Get your head out your ass, Donahue." dismisses Cassia. Adding in a grin last minute, she tells him, "Yeah, it does go without saying."

"All these people to play Quidditch..." Ginny remarks. "Gee, you guys must have a pretty big garden."

"Ginny, you've no idea." Sterling deadpans. "They've even got a swimming pool. And that's not even half of it."

As Ginny's mouth parts in shock, Cassia elbows Sterling, chuckling. "Showboat."

"It's not my swimming pool."

Theo sniggers. "The amount of time you spent somersaulting into it last summer, it might as well have been."

"I'm seriously considering revoking your stay at my house."

"Dude, your entire family is wrapped around my finger. There's no way getting out of this."

Cassia says, "And besides, even if there was, Theo's backup is our manor and your beloved swimming pool..."

Sterling points a finger in Theo's face. "You even think about going to that pool, you donkey, and I will hurt you in ways your Slytherin mind cannot even comprehend."

Theo raises an eyebrow. "I'm terrified. Your Hufflepuff threats know no bounds."

Ginny clears her throat, the noise snapping Theo's attention onto her, no matter how much he tried to act like there was a unicorn flying ahead of Ginny rather than him just hearing her voice and looking at her. "Um, can I bring Michael along too?"

"Michael?" Cassia frowns.

"Yeah, my boyfriend!"

"Boyfriend?" Cassia says incredulously. She takes a glance at Theo, then Ginny's frowning face, then adds, "Sorry. That was rude."

"You and Michael Corner are back together?" Sterling asks her, an eyebrow raised.

"Well... yeah. We fixed our problems. He was sorta just pissed about Gryffindor winning the Cup, you know? Since Ravenclaw lost in the final. But it's all sorted." Ginny gives Cassia a look. "If it'll be too weird, I won't ask him...?"

"No, no need to do that." Cassia starts smiling again, hoping to change the impression. She didn't really have anything against Michael Corner, it was maybe instead just something to do with the Gryffindor and Slytherin next to her that made her tone jump. Not like she's surprised Ginny is taken, because look at the girl. She's incredible. And stunning. "Honestly, bring him along. Like I said, the more the merrier."

(Still, Cassia did feel like Ginny might be better off with someone who doesn't get bitter and call things off after losing a fucking quidditch game.)

That put the smile back on the Gryffindor's face. "Thanks! I'll tell him for sure, but, well, as nice as this was, I need to pack, so... I'm gonna go off now."

"No worries, Ginny," says Cassia. "Thanks again for the invite!"

"Anytime," the redhead grins.

Before she departed, Sterling said to Ginny, "He's not a donkey, by the way."

With a confused head tilt Ginny realised Sterling was referring to Theo, gave the latter a once-over glance and replied, "Uh, I didn't think he was...?"

"No, I—" Sterling sighs. "What I meant is... he's actually pretty great."

Ginny frowns, nods once. "Um... nice to know."

When the Weasley girl walks away, grassy footsteps left where she once stood, Theo turns his head to Sterling. He puts a sincere hand over his heart. "You know, dear cousin, that means a lot coming from you."

Sterling rolls his eyes. "Yeah, okay, you donkey, don't get ahead of yourself. We all know the reason I said that."

In the presence of Cassia's infuriating grin and Sterling's prodding gaze, Theo deadpans, "No, not really."

Cassia scoffs, "For somebody who prides themselves on being so smart, you're being a real dumbass right now."

Eyes zeroed-in on the gravel, searching for a new pebble to chuck gracefully on the water, Theo merely hums, "Ignorance is bliss when it comes to you."

When Theo stands upright, Cassia smacks him up the back of his head. "Dude!"

Sterling's face lights up. "That's what I say!"

Theo yelps. "Ow! What was that for?"

Sterling and Cassia share a look before saying together, "For being a donkey."

"I am over you two."

"Tough luck, buddy, cause we're not leaving you anytime soon." Sterling grins, clapping a hand to Theo's back. "I gotta go, still have packing to do."

"Is everyone leaving packing to last minute?" says Cassia.

"Appears so," Theo quips. "Think mine'll be done ten minutes before the train."

Sterling leaves them, and as Theo is aiming his next pebble, he's hesitant to throw by the tantalizing smile burning into his side profile.

He turns to Cassia. "Ew... what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That look you've got."

"I'm smiling."

"It's creepy. Please stop."

"Can a girl simply not smile anymore?"

"Not like this."

Ignoring him, Cassia merely hums in amusement, sitting down on the tree stump nearby, crossing her arms over her chest with a smile.

"I'm going to St. Mungo's tomorrow as soon as we get home and I'm going to you mum's ward and I'm telling her that you've officially gotten your first crush since Daphne."

Theo scoffs. "Okay, you— Wait." He narrows his eyes. Then looks at Cassia with a slight bashful redness to his cheeks. "You knew... about Daphne?"

Cassia inhales, tilting her head at Theo. "You think I wouldn't know if my best friend fancied my twin?"

"Right." Theo runs his tongue along his mouth, head tilted up to the sky. It was past questioning. Of course she would have known. He looks at the auburn-haired girl on the tree stump. "Why... why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, because, at that exact same time in third year I had that massive crush on Maeve Reyes from Hufflepuff, you didn't bug me once about it, even though I was embarrassingly smitten with the girl. I appreciated it."

Theo nods, because that was true. He was fairly nice to her about Maeve compared to when it was Harry Potter, because it was Harry Potter.

With a slight cough, she adds, "And besides, actions speak louder than words..."

Theo narrows his eyes. "What did you do?"

"I did try and help you, you know... like, do you remember how in potions in third year, our table was me, you, Daphne and Blaise?"

"...Yes...?"

"I mean, it wasn't the greatest attempt at matchmaking, but did you ever wonder why me and Blaise would take extra-long at fetching supplies for the group?"

Theo thinks for a moment. "You and Blaise?"

"It was all me." Cassia tells him. "Blaise was actually pretty pissed about it. But I wanted to give you and Daphne the chance, to, like, talk. Not that you're not already like a son to my mum and are always at our home but, you know. This was different. There were other things, too. Like the time you two got locked in the Quidditch cupboard."

"That was you?" Theo's eyes widen as Cassia grins. He remembers how the initial panic of being stuck in a cupboard with his crush got turned into a deep chat about why Theo decided to end things with Daphne's best friend, sat on two adjacent Quidditch boxes. Then they found a table tennis set-up tucked away in the back and decided to have some fun, until Madam Hooch came to their rescue. "Fuck, Cass... how did I not know you were behind this?"

The girl shrugs. She didn't know how it escaped his eagle eyes either.

Theo presses his lips together. "So... you weren't against the idea of me liking your twin?"

Cassia says, "Well... it felt weird at first, when I noticed how you were with her. My sister and my best friend. Like, I started to notice it when you were dating Pansy, but when you two broke up, it became so much more obvious. Afterwards... I dunno. I kinda liked the idea. You guys would've been good together. But then everything escalated, and she was trying to set me up with you, and..." She sighs. "Your expired crush on Daphne is not the point. Point is, you've moved on!"

"Like that even matters," He brushes off. Looks into the distance. "She's dating Corner."

"That doesn't mean you should give up!" He gives her a look. "Okay, well, maybe not charge in be a homewrecker to their relationship, but... don't, like, lose hope just yet. Life has a way of bringing people together."

Averting the topic, Theo says, "People are saying stuff like that about you and Potter. Well, just Potter, I guess. They seem to think your relationship is pretty unstable as of now."

Cassia lets out a faint scoff, muttering, "And those dipshits need to wake up and smell the grass and realize that they're delusional. Maybe get their eyes and ears checked, too."

Theo gives her a half grin. "We both know anyone trying to get in the way of you and Dearest Harry will find themselves in disappointment. I don't think Potter's interested in abandoning you for his life of fame either."

Smiling, she turns her head towards him, auburn curls shining ruby red in the glistening sun. "You know, Harry told me about the conversation you two had."

"Um, he did?" Theo's eyes widen because he hoped to not have to address this conversation again, but fuckin' Potter had to run his little mouth, didn't he? "Don't think anything of it, it's not a big—"

"Theo." She stops him midway sentence.

His eyes are slightly squinted, like he's in a grimace, as he inches himself slowly to meet her gaze. Cassia understands why he doesn't want to talk about it, because he reached out of his comfort zone in hopes he could be better than what they all thought he was. Multiple times. He reached out to Harry and made peace with him, he helped free the D.A, he helped that day in Umbridge's office. After everything he's been through, he's still trying. And to Cassia, there's nothing more beautiful than to see someone you love with your whole heart striving to better themselves for no one else but themself.

"I'm proud of you, Theo."

His eyes soften. It felt different, coming from her. She was the closest thing he ever had to a sister, and she's been there through it all, every soaring high and every plummeting low. Seen him at rock bottom. His life has been a bit of a shitshow, and she was there all this time, but inch-by-inch, it was improving. And he knew that even if he crashed into the basement of rock bottom, she'd come down the stairs and drag his ass back up. He looked forward to his days knowing he wasn't alone.

Then with a mischievous he leans forward in a bow and says, "Yes, I am quite incredible, aren't I?"

Cassia shakes her head, laughing and says, "You're a prick, sometimes, you know that?"

"Hey, what happened to all that pride?"

"Got swallowed up by your ego, me thinks."

"Alongside your grammar and vocabulary?"

"If my grammar and vocabulary is so bad, what happened to you earlier? Who replies to being invited to a baby shower with 'Um, okay, I like food'?"

"Like that was the worst thing to come from it, when you and Sterling acted like illiterate buffoons just there!"

"Excuse us for trying to be your wingpeople!"

Theo mutters, "I need better wingpeople."

Cassia scoffs. "You wouldn't trade us for the world."

And Theo smiles, because the truth was, for the first time in his life, things felt like they could go somewhere... promising. Yeah, he didn't think he'd trade anything for more moments like these, basked in heated sunlight and warming mirth with the people who taught him love.

And he doesn't just think, he knows he wouldn't trade this for the world.

--

The final Feast of this year sat like a brick at the pit of Cassia's stomach, as her legs carried her through the vacant corridors of Hogwarts. No matter what happened at this school, all the petty drama, the horrible impostor teachers or chaotic break-ins, this place would always feel like a second home to her. It was evening, but the sun didn't set till late now, so the golden spray of light illuminated the castle, resplendent in hues of ancient sandy walls and arched windows bypassed by speckled glimmers of light. She knew she'd miss this place when she left, but as for the people, she was sure to have a busy summer ahead of her. Their Quidditch club at the Manor, this baby shower, Maryam and her family invited Cassia and Eva over to their house in Croydon for an Eid celebration, since they never really got to celebrate it with Maryam being at Hogwarts during the religious period.

(On the other hand, a couple weeks ago, before exams, Cassia and Eva had noticed Maryam was a little down she couldn't celebrate the end of Ramadan with her family yet, so they'd organised a little shindig in their dorm and got loads of food and goodies from the kitchen, in hopes it cheered her up, a mini-Eid celebration.)

A few minutes ago, Cassia had left the Great Hall telling her friends she was gonna head back up to the dorms. They offered to go with her but she'd said it was okay. Now, she was on her own, but she liked it. Sometimes a solo walk was all she needed, and things were so hectic lately, there was hardly room for her to even think, so this felt nice. And her leg didn't hurt as much anymore. It still felt stiff, but Madam Pomfrey made her do all these rehabilitation exercises and Daphne was not kidding when she said she'd force Cassia to do yoga, either. So her knee mobility was improving even after a couple days' work and she hoped in the next week or so, she could abandon this large boot.

Making her way through the castle, she was greeted by silence, but once Peeves zoomed in from out of a wall and comically circled the girl once in a flurry before zooming out of sight once again. Cassia thinks after the whole Umbridge ordeal that she and the Poltergeist managed to strike a mutual understanding. Not long after that, Nearly Headless Nick came floating from another wall, holding his head in place. He'd passed Cassia and said, "Evening, Miss Greengrass." She replied, "Hello," but was still shocked that the Gryffindor ghost knew who shewas.

(But then, she thinks, what better have these ghosts got to do with all their spare time than learn the names of random Hogwarts students? If she were a ghost, she'd be bored out her mind.)

Much to her surprise, he tried to nod towards a long set of stairs she'd climbed countless times before. Key word being tried because his head fell off again when he bobbed it. Still, she pressed her lips together in a half-smile and set off in the direction he'd indicated to, leaving the poor ghost with some privacy in the empty halls as he fixed his head-problem.

When her legs made it to the top of the Astronomy Tower stairs, she paused for a second by the railing, catching her breath. One, two. One, two. When she was stood at the bottom, she thought the climb would be impossible, but taking it one step at a time really helped. Figures she could use the same approach towards the rest of her life. She stood there, surveying the Astronomy Tower masked by a golden horizon, and was happy to know her guess was right.

"Thought I'd find you here," says Cassia, eyes on the boy whose arms were heavy against the railing looking out into the distance, messy dark hair blowing faintly in the warm breeze.

Harry Potter turned round in an instant, startled at the intruder voice to his Hogwarts-gazing. Cassia lifts her hand in a wave, but the panic left almost immediately when he realized it was just Cassia.

"Oh," he breathes, relieved. Then his eyes widen again. "Shit, Cass, what are you doing up here!"

He'd already rushed towards her, but she was walking with ease to him, leaving him dumbstruck, if not awestruck by the way the horizon glinted over her face in the opening of the ceiling, her bare rosy cheeks perked in a greeting smile.

"Decided to go for a wee walk," she tells him casually.

"Up the stairs." Harry deadpans.

"I can handle it. Madam Pomfrey thinks I'm her best dislocated knee patient yet. Besides, the Astronomy Tower hasn't got shit on the Slytherin dorm stairs. There's barely room for one person to walk up, let alone a fat leg being added to that equation."

"Someone's cocky they're Madam Pomfrey's new favourite."

"Nah, that's still you," she grins at Harry. He takes her hand, helping her to sit down on the Astronomy Tower floor, at the edge where their legs could dangle up high and their arms could lean over the lower railing. Cassia kept back a little, what with her injured leg being really heavy on the front and not wanting to, like... fall off the tower, or something.

She looked over at Harry, whose eyes were glazed over the grey ripples in the Great Lake, and she remembers that she was at this exact place this time last year with the exact same person, only... so many things were different. Things felt darker, even though last year a schoolboy had been killed, now, it was like a grey cloud loomed over them all, ready to give way to rain despite the heat.

Cassia also remembers that it was around this point last year that people found out the Slytherin and Gryffindor were friends, above all odds, which, she supposes has been another major change this year considering she and Harry were now dating, but in a way, not really. Harry may be Cassia's boyfriend and Cassia may be Harry's girlfriend but them being friends had never changed. They had just added another title on, but she would always be the Slytherin who gave him a chance and he would always be the Gryffindor who trusted her in an instant. It's a moment neither of them would ever forget, detail-by-detail. And how eventually she stopped caring what everyone else thought because being in his company just made her feel good, and that's enough, no matter all the judgement. And she'd like to hazard a guess that she made him feel good, too.

And it was a moment that changed Cassia's life forever because she'd never ever imagined she'd be friends like the Gryffindors like she is now. She became friends with Ron, and Ginny, now and again she and Hermione exchange a smile or two. She didn't even expect to hold such a soft spot for the Ravenclaw Luna, who can seriously braid.

If you're truly happy being with someone, outsider judgement shouldn't matter. And after convincing herself for so long that it did, Cassia was finally ready to stop and live her life how she wanted, with her friends, and her family, and her boyfriend, no matter what everyone else had to say. People would always have something to say.

"I needed a bit of me time," says Harry, without the need of being prompted, his sigh muffled by the warm wind up ahead.

"You mind if I join?" she asks, then scrambles to say, "Well, obviously not like, ruin the me time, but like, you know, have my me time next to you, I mean – I'll just sit up here and mind my own business while you mind yours–"

Her question, more of a bashful ramble, got cut off by Harry touching her cheek and pressing his lips to hers, feeling her ease into his touch.

"I'll let it slide," he breathes when he pulls back, feeling instantly better when her lips spread apart into a smile.

Cassia tells him truthfully, "I didn't see you at the Feast. That's why I came here."

He shrugs. "Wasn't in the mood."

"Hmm. That sucks." Cassia sighs. "Thought I'd share this with you, but I guess I'll have to have this all to myself."

His furrowed brows travelled to where she dug inside her Slytherin robes. (Well, not Cassia's, since hers were near destroyed, but she was borrowing from Eva, who, like the prepared girl she was, had a spare robe. It was perfect, apart from the length trailing the floor a little. Eva and her long legs.) When she took her hand out, the smell of fresh baking fluttered his nose and made his mouth water because she held a massive blueberry muffin in hand. Famished since he barely even had lunch, his eyes watched as she broke a chunk off, humming as she happily ate the muffin.

As expected, she turned to find Harry drooling with wide doe-eyes on the muffin. She hides her smirk. Holding it out, she asks, "Sure you don't want some?"

Harry's eyes flit to Cassia's inquisitive face, then the massive, spongy muffin her hand. Without warning, he snatches it from her hand and as he scoffs it down, it obtains a laugh from her lips.

"Not in the mood, hm?" says Cassia.

Harry didn't seem to care. But when he finishes it, next to no crumbs left in the paper muffin case, his shoulders sag. He says, "That was the best thing I have ever ate in my almost sixteen years of living."

He turns to her with a look of mourning that clearly said, Why did that have to end?

Knowingly, Cassia shakes her head and pats his shoulder.

Then her hands go back into her (Eva's) robes.

She pulls out another muffin. His eyes light up. "You're stunning, so you are."

"Me, or the muffin?"

When he takes the muffin – chocolate chip – this time, he flashes her a charming grin. "The muffin."

Cassia snorts, then resorts to breaking a chunk off the chocolate chip muffin in Harry's hand and he was about to resist from her when she said, "C'mon, I didn't have any dessert. Everyone was shocked seeing me leave during dessert that they didn't even register me taking the two muffins. Terence was all –" Cassia fake-gasps, "—'Oh Merlin! What has happened to our Cassia? Must be those drugs Madam Pomfrey has her on!' – little did he know, I stopped being fed those disgusting drugs days ago. Thank Merlin."

Harry chuckles and lets her eat the muffin with him.

"Just two muffins?" He asks when they diminished the cake to crumbs.

Cassia sighs. "I know, should've got more."

He laughs and laces their hands together. "Thanks for the muffin."

Cassia smiles and rests her chin on his shoulder. Lapsed into silence, she realised, yeah. She was going to miss moments like these. Moments in the Astronomy Tower, where the magic of the ascent into constellations influenced their words and actions in so many different ways. Honestly, it really does feel that in a magical castle like Hogwarts, this little tower did have its own type of magic. She knew she'd be back here in a few months so there was no point in mourning the tower, but for the time she had with it now, Cassia would relish in the magic the Astronomy Tower had.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Cassia asks Harry, whose eyes glazed over the grassy mountains far ahead, a golden halo of sun dipping into little arches and crevices of greenery.

"Thinking about Sirius," he tells her, full transparency.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he breathes. "And how... Voldemort manipulated our mind connection to make me think Sirius was in danger so I would go to him. He used Sirius to get to me. If I had just... I don't know. Paid more attention during Occlumency lessons or just stopped running into the first sign of danger... he'd still be here."

(She knew why he was saying this: because he blamed himself. He doubted what he did. She knew this, because it's what she'd done before. Self-doubt has become something she now struggles to come to terms with, even with Daphne's incredible pep talks.)

"Harry, you..." Cassia begins, "Harry, you can't blame yourself for his death. You used your best judgement possible, you thought Sirius was in danger so you went to save him, because you love him. Stuff like that... stuff like that is what makes you human, so you can't let the fact someone took advantage of you as a reason to overthink you doing the right thing. No matter what you think, Harry... you did do the right thing that day. And you helped to put so many Death Eaters away, who would have put so many in danger."

"Including your father." He says, giving her a pointed look.

Cassia shakes her head. "I don't blame you for my father going to jail. And even if I did, he picked his side." For whatever reason he had to join that side, she thinks. "You can't change the past. We were all trying to do the right thing that day."

He goes silent for a minute. "What if it was you?"

Cassia halts. "...What?"

"What if, instead of Sirius, it had been you?"

She shakes her head. "Harry, it wasn't me. I'm right here."

"It could have been you!" He bursts. "When I saw you in the Hospital Wing, after everything, I nearly lost my mind. I thought I'd lost you too. Ron and Hermione, by best friends, they were a mess too. But I couldn't do anything just like I couldn't do anything for Sirius and I lost him and then Dumbledore wanted to talk to me because I'm the Chosen One, I fucking hate being the Chosen One, I..."

Harry puts his head in his hands. She puts a hand on his knee, knocking against the framework of the Tower.

Harry looks up at her, eyes tainted with everything scared and hurt and tired and he says, "Being involved with me will only put you in danger. My parents, Sirius, Cedric, I, I-"

A shuddering breath cracked through him. He whispers, "Now's your chance to run."

Cassia bites down on her lip, not quite hearing him correctly. Or maybe she was, but she didn't want to quite believe it, because it sounded an awful lot like... he was breaking up with her. She doesn't understand but in the same way she does because he's already lost too much.

As long as she could help it, Cassia wasn't going to be the next.

She tells him, "No."

Harry looks up at her with knitted eyebrows.

"You had nothing to do with me getting hurt. I went to the Ministry of my own accord, and you had nothing to do with that. I know it doesn't feel that way, but it's the truth. What happened to me was my fault, and my fault only. I should have listened to you, if anything." He gives her a questioning frown, but she shrugs. That chat can come later. "You have every right to feel what you're feeling right now, but... you also have permission to surround yourself with the people who mean the most to you. Me, Weasley, Granger... I don't think now's the time to be pushing us away.

"People need people, Harry," says Cassia. "I'm not running anywhere."

Harry looks at her, supposing that somewhere in the words of this Slytherin he could call his girlfriend, she was right.

"Sirius would have loved you," says Harry. "I wish you got to meet him."

"Well, actually, I sorta did."

Harry gives her a look.

"Well, not sorta, I did meet him." He gives her another look and she explains, "He was the one who found me after... everything happened. He saved me. In some of his last moments, and when he told me my father couldn't come back with us... he kinda... sympathised with me. He said he once lost someone to the Death Eaters."

"His brother," says Harry with no hesitation. "Regulus."

"Wait," something dawns on Cassia. "His brother was Regulus? His brother was the Death Eater? Like, the Regulus that was engaged to Theo's mum all those years ago?"

"Wait," something dawns on Harry. "Regulus could have been Theo's dad? Sirius would have been his... uncle?"

"I mean... in theory." Cassia squints her eyes in thought. "What a small world."

"Did he... say anything else?"

Cassia nods, and then smiles. "He... told me to take care of you."

Harry's mouth twitches, ever so slightly. He adds with a derisive laugh, "Is that why you're not running away?"

She sighs and gives his arm a nudge. "Dude, you're killing me here." She scratches her eyebrow. "I'm not running away just because of Sirius's last words to me. I'm doing it because... it's what we do. We're there for each other. Aren't we? That's always been our thing."

They were friends long before they started dating, and even after, that fact had never changed. A Slytherin will always be there for a friend in need.

Harry grins at her. "You forgot about our main thing. Crazy hats, of course."

Rolling her eyes, Cassia smiles. "Oh, obviously the crazy hats."

Harry leans in to kiss her. Before he does, he whispers, "What would have happened if we didn't meet that night in fourth year?"

She's thought about this, too.

"I like to think fate would have brought us together, somehow." She answers. "But worst-case scenario: me and Theo would have been a thing."

Harry forgets to kiss her, his head falling against her chest in a heap of laughter that Cassia can't help but join in with too, a stabilizing hand on his jittering arm.

Eventually, Harry stilled.

Gazing out over the glistening lake, he says, "There's always the possibility that our word is not enough. Shit's unpredictable in this way."

Cassia sighs, because he is right, in a sense. She knew about Sirius and his promise to Harry about their new life together once things were sorted out. And now he's gone. Even though he made a promise.

Her promising that she'll stay amidst it all and be safe and unharmed through it all... she'd be naïve to think that it's as easy as that. Somehow, somewhere, the world likes to test the limits and powers and bravery of those it inhabits. And given that her father is now an incarcerated Death Eater with a likely infuriated master that's out to kill her own boyfriend... well, compared to treading lightly before, she has to tread barely now.

Safety isn't something guaranteed anymore.

She takes a deep breath and asks Harry, "Do you remember that first day, in fourth year, when you... when you told me Sirius's story?"

Harry nods, frowning lightly. "Well, yeah, obviously."

"You... you barely knew me. For more than, like, five minutes. And you still told me. I could have blabbed, and told the Ministry, and he would have been taken in, and you'd have hated me."

"But... you didn't."

"No. I didn't." Cassia questions, "What made you think you could trust me, so quickly, without hesitation?"

Harry glances at Cassia, then thinks. Then looks at her again, and then thinks again.

He shrugs. "I suppose... I took a risk in doing so. I dunno, from the start I just kinda felt like... I could trust you. That it was worth taking that risk."

She takes this information in, and a smile spreads across her lips.

"Do the same thing this time, Harry." says Cassia. "Take another risk, and I promise you, that'll be worth it. There are few things I'm sure of right now, but this..." She motions a finger in the space between herself and the Gryffindor. "I have never been more sure of this."

Harry spaces back a little, processing her words. Looks over the Slytherin next to him, radiant in the dimming sun. Then, at a loss for words, he swoops in and cups her face, kisses her like he's coming up for air. No room for surprise, Cassia melts against him, a hand at his waist, warmer than any of these summer days.

When they break apart, his hands cradle her face. After he caught his breath, he said, "You are one of the best things in my life as of right now, and I would risk the truth a hundred times over if it meant I got to be with you."

Taking a blissful exhale, Cassia closes her eyes, embraced by the calmness of his head leant against hers. "I'm so glad we're on the same page, Potter."

Yeah, Cassia does think this Tower has its own magic. It's where she and Harry first connected, it's where they became friends, it's where they had their first kiss... if not for anyone else, the Astronomy Tower had done well in powering their magic over Cassia Greengrass and Harry Potter.

Basked in dim sunlight by the horizon, Harry and Cassia, forehead-against-forehead, mere silhouettes in their ombre background, found themselves as two teenagers who finally managed to find some space to breath throughout it all.

--

"Have you heard from your other family after the news of your father?" asked Harry, as he and Cassia finally made their descent from the Astronomy Tower into the darkening corridors.

"Yep," replies Cassia, nodding. "My aunt Georgia - my dad's sister - and her husband, my uncle Zack, they wrote to my mum yesterday. So did Nana Esme."

"Your Nana... that your dad's mother?"

"Yep. Both my Nana and Aunt Georgia stay in Germany – Aunt Georgia is the Headmistress of a magic school there."

"Headmistress?" says Harry. "That's impressive."

Cassia smiles, nodding in agreement.

Curious, Harry asks, "Does your nana have a husband?"

"She did." Cassia replies. "He died in the First Wizarding War, protecting muggle-borns."

"Really?" Harry sighs. "I'm sorry, that sucks."

Cassia shakes her head. "It's okay... I've never really known how to feel about my grandad. I never really got to know the guy. I was one at the time when he died. It... it would have been nice, though. If he's any bit as amazing as my nana. He left a big legacy behind, you know? Gave his life to a selfless cause. It's hard to explain, the feeling of missing someone without ever remembering them."

Her blue eyes flit over Harry's taller figure beside her, who, with one drilling stare, knew exactly what she meant.

Cassia nudges his arm. "You're going back to your aunt's tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Sadly," says Harry. "According to Dumbledore, things'll be different now. Since the truth is out. But... I dunno. Feels stupid, to me. Dumbledore avoided me for an entire year only to come charging in to save my life and tells me the reason I have this scar. I know he's like, Dumbledore, but I'm still kind of pissed, because being treated like that was shit. Even if it was to protect me. Stupid, I know. Me finding petty reasons to be mad."

Cassia shakes her head. "It's not stupid, and it's not petty."

Harry frowns.

"I know it's sorta become, like, an ingrained mechanism in your head that every time something shit happens to you that your mind tells you it's not valid because you don't want to make a big deal since back then, no one would've believed you when you were telling the truth. And now the truth's out and all these people care all of a sudden, which isn't really authentic." She rubs her palm over his. "Anyone would hate to feel the way everyone treated you, especially the way Dumbledore made you feel. Doesn't matter how great he is, what matters is you being allowed to feel what you feel without it being invalidated."

"Um," says Harry. "Yeah. Just, the attention I'm getting isn't really the attention I wanted. Or from the people I wanted. Since I've been at Hogwarts, feels like I have to deal with problem after problem, and becoming more famous for reasons I'd rather not. I..." Harry inhales. "I'd just like to be left at peace, I think. So, I hope one thing that stays the same is the Dursley's not giving a shit about what I do in the day. You know, so I can see you." A grin slides up his lips.

Cassia agrees, "Think it's about time you have a full tour of the Greengrass Manor."

Walking in the vague direction of the Slytherin dungeons, Harry asks once more about Cassia's extended family, and as he holds her close with one arm around her shoulders, she explains to him her Aunt Georgia's children, Orla, thirteen, and Monty, five. How the school Aunt Georgia and Uncle Zack made wasn't just for students in their high school-phase but for primary school students too, a safe place for children to first discover their magic with those just like them.

They turn a corner and are stopped by a biting tone.

"Unbelievable."

Recognizing that voice from behind her, Cassia has no choice but to turn at the sound, not at all surprised to see who it was that'd interrupted their walk. She felt Harry tense through their joined hands.

"What is it, Malfoy?" says Cassia, voice lazy with dread.

Draco Malfoy stood across from Cassia and Harry, arms folded, adorning a bitter scowl and icy grey eyes that could kill if granted the power. Cassia hadn't seen much of Malfoy since both their fathers had been arrested, and despite being his roommate, neither had Theo.

(She supposes that has something to do with Theo avoiding Malfoy altogether.)

"You're actually still with him?" says Malfoy.

Harry starts forward, but he's stopped by the barrier of Cassia's arm, still glaring harshly at the Slytherin boy.

He looks at her, and she says to him, "You go on, wait up for me. Let me take care of this."

Harry asks, "You sure?"

Although reluctant, Cassia nods. "Yeah, I am. It's about time."

The Gryffindor nods and rubs her arm before leaving the two Slytherins, shooting his rival a final sharp glance over his shoulder.

Now it was just the two of them, Cassia Greengrass and Draco Malfoy, a girl and a boy who were once friends and once not, and now, she wasn't really sure where their friendship fit.

"What's the problem, Malfoy?" says Cassia.

"Should think it's obvious."

Cassia raises an eyebrow.

"You're still with Potter after what he did." Malfoy explains.

"What he did?"

Malfoy points to where the ghosts of Harry's footsteps passed. "Our fathers are in Azkaban because of him."

It's such an absurd claim, so horrendously ridiculous, that Cassia just laughs.

"You've got to be having a laugh with me, Malfoy." says Cassia. "You have it all wrong."

The blond gave her a look that just said no in every language possible, that no matter what universe he'd be in, his opinion would always be true.

So Cassia goes ahead. "Harry was not the reason they were sent to prison. Your father made his choice when he decided to become a Death Eater, and even after the first time he still didn't learn his lesson. It was never Harry's fault."

"And what of your father?" says Malfoy. "You can't even vouch for him? What happened to the Greengrass clan's lifelong pledge to their family?"

"You have no right to talk to me about my family." She thunders. "What is the point you are trying to make, Malfoy? Why am I here?"

Malfoy says, "You're in too deep. You are so blinded by what you and Potter have that you've forgotten who your people are. Us. Slytherin. I saw this coming. First Potter, now you're defending anyone with a red and gold tie."

You've forgotten who your people are.

That stung.

Malfoy always managed to say things that annoyed her, but this hurt, in a really different way. Not because it was true, no. But the opposite.

It hurt because it was the worst thing she could ever be accused for. And here she was, being accused of forgetting about the people who had been there for her for years. And all because she decided to fight something for better than just Slytherin. For everyone.

Cassia takes a breath in, her mouth closed. She doesn't want to be angry.

She tells him in the calmest fashion she could muster, "I have not forgotten about my people. If you had paid attention to me for a single moment this year without trying to get a reaction out of me, you might have been able to see that. I haven't forgotten who my people are. I've just found something else to stand up for."

She's still trying to stay calm. She doesn't want to be angry.

But Malfoy spoke. "Then you're a traitor to all of Slytherin."

And her anger management flew out the window.

Cassia whirled on him, a tornado of auburn hair, hooking her right fist into his jaw with a resounding punch that sent him stumbling back and delivering shockwaves through her knuckles. At some point her forearm drove into his neck and against the nearest wall, the boy could feel his ears ringing as his head recovered from the impact of collision.

But the girl was nothing but pure, hard-boiled fury.

After slamming him into the wall, natural instinct made her recoil, thinking, violence is a last resort, what the fuck did I just do, but the words that had accumulated spilt from her without a moment's hesitation:

"Do you know what, I'm sick of thinking I'm a traitor for doing the right thing – Thinking everyone in Slytherin will hate me if I do something they don't like, but I'm sick of it. I don't care what any of you think. I've found my people in Slytherin, and it's not the ones giving me judgemental looks or the ones calling me a traitor. I'm tired of being judged for having a Gryffindor boyfriend, and I'm already tired of being frowned on for having a Death Eater father. But it's a part of my life and if you don't like that then deal with it because I'm not going to change any of that. I can live with losing you as a friend if me dating Harry offends you that much. I'm fucking sick of your bullshit, Malfoy, because you've been nothing but a self-righteous asshole to all of us, and that's rich, since we're apparently 'your people'–"

There was blood spilling from his lip, making Cassia stumble back and think, what the fuck, I did that, and Malfoy spits down onto the ground, appearing hardly phased despite the pounding migraine this furious girl gave him.

"You're making a mistake," he breathes harshly.

That pure, hard-boiled fury made a come-back as she grabbed him by the collar and slammed his back into the wall once more, a harshly accusing finger is pointed his way.

"No, Malfoy, you are. Do you know what your problem is, Malfoy? The mistake you've been making for so many years, not just you, but it's been going on for so long no one can see sense anymore. Your mistake is expecting me to follow out the expectations of everyone else, to be what they believe us to be. That's on the Dark Side, right? I don't care what side you or my father or any Slytherin has picked, because I make my own decisions and I pick my own side. I was made Slytherin for a reason and it wasn't to be what people wanted me to fucking be. I pick my own path, nobody else does."

Cassia was finished. She stumbles a few steps away, hands rifling through her auburn hair. A claw clip had held hair away from her face but at some point it had fallen off, probably during the chaos that involved her slamming him into the wall. Case in point, her hair still looked great, bouncing in perfect waves over her shoulders. She might grow her hair out in the summer. Her mouth gapes slightly glancing back at the boy with the platinum hair, a finger at his temple and another nursing the bruise at his jaw. There was a cut along his cheek, and Cassia just remembered she was wearing a ring as she punched Malfoy.

As a finger swiped the blood trailing his cheek, Malfoy shot Cassia a scathing glare. "You'll regret that."

"No, I won't–" Cassia steps forward, a tiny, miniscule step, but before irrational anger made her do anything else a body wedges itself between Cassia and Malfoy and steps forward, prying the two Slytherins away from each other.

"Easy, easy," Harry's voice came to her ears, two hands rubbing up and down her arms as he made her back away. The adrenaline in her slowed at the sudden intervention of her boyfriend, hoping this would be the end of it, that Malfoy would just lay off, because she didn't want violence.

But Malfoy was quick to react.

"Get away from me, Potter–"

Malfoy shoves Harry with his back turned to him, two aggressive hands forcing the Gryffindor to collide into his girlfriend, both Harry and Cassia collapsing being taken off-guard. They quickly regained their footing, heads dashing in his direction and without a second to spare both Cassia and Harry broke into a furious lunge towards Malfoy, and Harry's almost managed to fist Malfoy's green and silver tie–

Before a bright light blasted Cassia and Harry away from the Slytherin boy.

"Step away from Mister Malfoy, Miss Greengrass and Mister Potter."

Some unnatural force gets Cassia to immediately jump to her feet, after being blasted to the ground – her ass hurt – and she finds Harry sprawled on his back – she goes and helps him, hooking her hands under arms to drag him up. Then that same adrenaline that had slowed in her veins was charging now, and her hands fisted by her sides and she was ready for anything.

That is, until, she saw Professor Snape standing by Malfoy's side, who was completely ignored in the wake of the blast. Snape's wand was out, his sallow face looking at Cassia and her boyfriend with his nose pointed upwards.

She was in trouble.

"What is the meaning of this?" asks Snape. "What was so important for you to have caused such a spectacle on the final day of term?"

He wasn't wrong. Because Cassia realised that in however long her little confrontation with Malfoy had lasted, that people had started to accumulate along the Hall to watch them. Merlin's sake.

(What pissed Cassia off is that Snape was looking at her and Harry only, like Malfoy hadn't done anything. Sure, she punched him, but not without provocation.)

(Besides, he shoved Harry. He isn't innocent, and he's lucky all he got was a bruise and a concussion.)

(And a bleeding face. But now Cassia's knuckle hurts.)

"She attacked me–!"

Snape holds up a hand to silence Malfoy. Snape looks back over at Cassia and Harry, either who weren't up to have this conversation. Cassia ends up spotting her navy blue claw clip discarded on the cracked floor in front of her.

Snape's stare did not waver. "An explanation?"

The explanation is that Cassia being friends with Gryffindors isn't a bad thing, and it's about fucking time they all realised that.

Cassia's eyes scowl at Malfoy, then glance over their little audience, flit over to Harry then back at Snape.

"Just give us detention and be done with it," she mutters.

Snape's eyebrows furrow at her submission with no argument compared to what he's used to – but he does so anyways, and both Cassia and Harry have detention the first weekend back after the holidays and ten house points off, for good measure.

"Cheers, Professor," she scoffs, picking up her claw clip from the floor and storms away, looking straight ahead and away from the rude stares all around her. Harry seconds that, shooting Snape a glare before falling into step with his girlfriend.

The truth is, Cassia is just exhausted. And angry. And sore. And worried. The whole thing with Malfoy escalated bad; she didn't expect to go in and give him an entire concussion, but life had other plans. Violence was always a last resort, so how did it come to this?

(But then again, becoming a Death Eater was never something to consider resorting into for Phoenix Greengrass...)

And she doesn't know what this whole thing means for her and Malfoy's friendship, because he seems to be taking things in his own way. She supposes it was bound to happen. She had to credit herself, she had been patient with him this year. It was thing after thing with him, and she wasn't lying when she said most of their interactions this year involved him trying to coax a reaction from her. It builds up. Eventually, she had to break.

She was grateful to him for telling her and Daphne about their father's situation but that was not a crutch to excuse him for being an absolute asshole. And Cassia has had just about enough of that. In times like these you realise what's worth your energy and what's not, and Cassia doesn't want anymore added negativity to her life, not if she could help it.

While she and Harry strode down the corridors and past all the staring faces, her face angles towards his, a mere inch. "Did you... did you hear anything?" She was obviously referring to her encounter with Malfoy, where she told Harry to wait up for her.

"I heard everything," he replies without hesitation. When she doesn't answer, he says, "Thanks. For what you said. I do appreciate it. I didn't fully leave because, well, I know that look of Malfoy's. He wants revenge. He's pissed at both of us. I didn't want him to do anything to you, but... you handled the situation for both of us. And it means a lot to me."

She didn't say anything, but the smile she gave him was representative of words: that she was serious about them, that she was willing to fight for what she believed in without fear of consequence. That she was willing to fight for him.

He also adds, "And, um, I didn't say this at the time, but... when I broke you away from him... your eyes sort of... changed colour. They weren't blue anymore, they turned purple. And they were glowing. Um, just thought I'd let you know."

She had no time to think over this sudden revelation as they had reached the doors of the Great Hall with two figures rushing to the forefront of the building crowd – because word must have gone around of two Slytherins turning on each other and the Boy Who Lived coming to the rescue – and it was Maryam and Eva who'd ran up to Cassia and Harry rather than focus on staring them down, like every other spectator.

"Oh Merlin – Cass, what happened? Are you okay?" said Maryam.

"We saw them all rush out and heard your name - we heard a blast too!"

Cassia nods at Eva, confirming her words. "Yeah, there was a blast. Yeah, I'm okay. I just had a little... chat with Malfoy."

Maryam and Eva squint their eyes at their roommate.

Harry interjects, "She punched Malfoy. Then slammed him into a wall."

"Oh," Eva nods. Then her eyes widen. "Oh."

"You punched Malfoy?" Maryam's eyes were wide with incredulity.

"In the face." adds Harry. "It was hot, not gonna lie."

Cassia's scoff came out in the form of a laugh, swatting Harry's arm as he cackled at her reaction.

"Damn, Cass, my respect for you has reached a new high!" Maryam marvels.

"Because I punched a guy?" Cassia raised her eyebrows, still feeling the impact in her knuckles.

"A guy that's been nothing but an absolute shitebag to you and anyone that's even breathed the same air as him." Eva finishes. "Honestly, he had it coming. I'm just sad I couldn't get in on the Malfoy fun. Maryam slapped him earlier this year, and you just punched him, when can I get my turn..." She sighs.

Then Maryam furrows her eyebrows. "Wait, Potter, I'm pretty sure you also, like, battered the shit out of Malfoy during that Quidditch game?"

Harry nods. "Yep. Still got the bruise from when I punched him while holding the Snitch." He brandishes his knuckles, showing the very faint yellow tinge around his knuckle.

Cassia looks down at her own knuckle. "Hey, look. Twins." There was also a bruise forming around Cassia's knuckles, the one right below where her massive ring was.

"Merlin, that's adorable." Eva smiles. "Matching Malfoy bruises!"

"Pure couple goals." adds Maryam with a dreamy look.

Cassia shares a look with Harry. Merlin, her life continued to surprise her.

---

"NINE SICKLES, please."

Coins jangled from Cassia's fingers to the palm of the trolley witches, then proceeding to hand over the three slices of pecan pie the young girl had ordered.

The old woman feels a sense of recognition when Cassia smiles at her in thanks, and after peeking into the carriage from which she came from, a frown overcomes her face. She pats Cassia's hand, the hand carrying two paper plates between four fingers. Then gives her a few chocolate frogs, even though she hadn't asked for them.

Some other student had approached the cart at the same time Cassia had and was watching the girl really carefully. Probably because of last night's encounter with Malfoy. Afterwards, once everyone else had dispersed and Maryam and Eva had gone to bed too, Cassia and Harry went to the kitchens instead. They had some late night cookies and milk and didn't say much to each other either, not knowing what else to say after the previous events. But when he dropped Cassia off at the foot of the Slytherin dungeons – after her saying she'd be fine going alone, she's done this so many times – Harry backed her against the brick wall in the darkness for a kiss that left her lips tingling and smiling for hours after she'd went to bed.

The next morning at breakfast, the final breakfast for this term at Hogwarts, Cassia made no eye contact with Malfoy whatsoever. But one side glance made her aware of the purple bruise on his jaw.

This leads up to now, a few hours later, all the Hogwarts students on the Hogwarts Express train, a bustling engine returning to its destination at Kings Cross. And Cassia in the cramped up lobby getting her pie fix of the day.

Cassia crinkles her eyebrows in surprise at the complimentary chocolate frogs given to her. "Um... thank you, Miss... Sorry, I don't think I've ever caught your name."

Now the trolley witch was surprised. "My name is Dorothy, dear."

(Dorothy the trolley witch must not get her name asked that much, Cassia thinks.)

"Um, it's nice to meet you, Dorothy. Hope you have a nice summer."

Cassia leaves the cramped space she occupied in the train lobby bunched with the old woman and the sweet cart, and slides back into her own carriage, balancing the three slices of pie alongside the complementary chocolate frogs. The carriage door automatically slides shut with a forced thud, and Cassia relieved a breath handing over the slices of pie to the people opposite her. One slice of pecan pie was for her, of course.

There was only one issue posed here. She raises an eyebrow at her best friend.

"She seriously fell asleep?" Cassia was referring to the girl with slightly auburn hair beside Theo, namely, her twin, limp on the train carriage seats by the window, both her legs folded in a basket on the seat and mouth hanging half-open in woozy snores. Three minutes previous, Daphne Greengrass had been the most eager about having a slice of Honeydukes Express's pecan pie. Now she was knocked out. She joined Maryam on that part, who had fallen asleep the moment the train left its' tracks and she slept alongside the seat beside Cassia, legs bent at an angle, back resting against the window wall. Eva had been there with them at the start of the journey but went to go see Adrian, and Blaise was off with Astoria.

Theo shrugs, already digging his fork into his pie. "More pie for us, if anything."

Cassia was still examining the position of her sleeping twin sister whose neck was craned so unnaturally she could already feel the neck pain Daphne would have in a couple of hours. "How can she find that comfortable?"

Mouth stuffed with pie, Theo mumbles, "Your twin, not mine. Besides, can you not, like, read her mind or something?"

Forking some of the pie into her mouth, Cassia answers, "To be honest, I'm still not really sure how this twin telepathy thing works."

"You'll figure it out. It's what you do. Besides, I'm still interested in hearing how your showdown with Malfoy happened. Also, I didn't hear you order for any chocolate frogs?"

Laughing off a mouthful of pie, Cassia re-enacts the story, starting off with a very dramatic explanation of regretting climbing up and down the Astronomy Tower stairs on her bad leg and that action setting off a chain of unfortunate events leading to her grabbing a detention before the new term had even started.

At some point in the journey to London Daphne Greengrass had awoken to find her plate of pie empty, but two chocolate frogs lying above the crumbs. You snooze, you lose, Cassia had told her twin in their minds, the latter giving her a begrudging grin.

Maryam had lasted falling asleep the entire train ride however Eva re-emerged and they'd all gotten into a conversation detailing their summer plans. Eva would be in France for half of hers – telling Cassia the offer still stands if she wanted to come along – but Cassia mentioned something about visiting her grand-parents in Bulgaria or her aunt and nana in Germany. Nothing was concrete, though, apart from her father's trial the next week. Theo's, too.

A large proportion of the train journey had consisted of Cassia dozing off on Eva's shoulder as the latter read her book, however nearer to the end the blonde had woken her up alongside a rejuvenated Maryam as there were a few minutes left on their journey. Daphne and Theo had also fallen asleep at some point and remained so, Daphne with her head against Theo's shoulder and Theo with his arms folded and head against the carriage wall.

The train came to an abrupt stop, their carriage lurching forward.

Cassia, Maryam, and Eva had braced themselves for the carriage's halt but Theo hadn't. (Obviously. The boy was asleep.) He curses, holding his head.

"Fuckin' wall just hit me." He looks at the girls opposite him, and the grin each wore. Then becomes aware of the weight on his shoulder. He clears his throat. "Um." Takes another look at Cassia, Maryam, and Eva, who weren't being helpful at all. Lightly shakes the Greengrass girl's shoulder.

After a few minutes of trying, giving Cassia the evils and shaking the girl's shoulder a little more forcefully, at long last, Daphne's eyes flickered open. She inched her head up until she realised she'd slept on Theo, then eases herself off his shoulder. Gives him a little pat on the knee.

"Um, sorry, Theo. Never realised how comfy of a pillow your shoulder was."

"Anytime."

"We stopped?"

"Yep," Cassia answers. Maryam and Eva were moving off, grabbing their handhelds from above, while Theo had to silence Cassia's wide grin with a stare that said don't even think about saying anything you little shit.

They file off the train once the conductor opened all the doors and on the way out, they'd encountered Millicent and Tracey standing at the foot of a scene involving Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle unconscious and blocking the entire train corridor. As if it wasn't already so cramped. Cassia asked what happened, to which Millicent replied, "your boyfriend," and Tracey corrected, "actually, it was his pals from that fight club he created." That explained a lot, but she couldn't really say she felt sympathetic for the trio at this moment. Maybe after a few months of summer holidays, sure.

She could tell her twin was looking around for the third person to be with Millicent and Tracey, to which Millicent said, "Pans left. She was first to go." Daphne had tried to hide the frown but failed. Nonetheless, they bade their farewells to the two girls and made promises for quidditch and picnics and sunrise yoga sessions in the summer.

When they all got off the train, Astoria was quick to meet them in a flash of her raven hair, wheeling along a trolley and her trunk. Daphne joined bunked with her youngest sister and trundled the trolley for the two of them, Astoria having found a seat on top of their two suitcases while Theo grabbed a trolley for himself and Cassia, and it was the latter that bagged a seat upon the trolley. You know, injured girl privileges.

To prevent any further injury, though, Cassia had to hold on for dear life at the edge of her trunk because Theo thought it'd be funny to sprint through the barrier as he pushed the trolley with shaking suitcases and a yelling Cassia.

Cassia had to let an incredulous scoff out when they reached the pillar that was between platform nine and ten. "You're a dick, you know that?"

Theo smiles. "It is indeed my best and most honourable trait."

She shakes her head, laughing. Astoria and Daphne had emerged from the platform before them and were searching the jam-packed train station, probably for their mother. Cassia does the same, until a group of figures catch her eye. A smile climbs her lips.

"Hey, look who's here." She nudges Theo.

As the boy's head turns to the indicated direction, he makes out the group standing next to the hot drinks stand, but especially the tall man in the long coat with auburn hair that was so perfect he may as well just came out of the barber's. Next to him was a woman with dark brown hair and tall heels that added to her already impressive height. With them were two small children, same height as each other, a boy and a girl, with matching shades of hazelnut-coloured hair. And rightfully so, a familiar Hufflepuff boy was striding up the group in that exact moment, trundling his suitcase behind him, leaving it to stand once he was within range to hug the two kids in each elbow crook.

Xavier Donahue, after embracing his son Sterling, scanned the train station himself. When his eyes landed upon his nephew, his face lit up and he waved at Theo.

"Ooh, who's that hottie?"

Theo sends a glare to his side where the question slid in. It was Maryam, having just came out to the platform. "That's my uncle, you fucker."

The girl rivals his stare. "And?"

They hear another snigger in time to see Blaise come into view. Eva rushed in too, mentioning the Eurostar train to France was bound to leave in fifteen minutes. She squeezed Cassia and Maryam each in her arms, promising to write as soon as she touched down and to arrange plans over summer ASAP. Astoria and Daphne too. Eva fist-bumped Theo, telling him to enjoy his new home with the Donahue's. Then passed Blaise as she said, "See you soon, bro."

Blaise soon dispersed, too. Was apparently grabbing the local train to his mum's current home. Astoria went and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his check as he squeezed her waist. A rare moment, Cassia thought, was how free he seemed with her sister. It was special. Really special.

Pretty soon, Maryam's parents came into view, too. She mentioned they'd be driving the hour back to her house. It's been a while since Cassia had seen her friend's family but was surprised when they waved at her. Maryam told her, "They feel really bad about your father. My dad always enjoyed talking darts with him. They've always liked you." Cassia gave her an appreciative smile before pulling her in for a hug.

"I'll write soon, okay?" She told Maryam. "Gotta get this quidditch club underway."

Soon it was just Cassia and Theo, who was in the middle of a prolonged inhale.

Looking out at the Donahue's cheery family reunion, Theo admits, "I don't know why I'm so... nervous."

"Because it's the start of something promising." Cassia enlightens him. She gives him a small tug on the elbow. "You'll be amazing. They're your family. And it's Sterling, for heavens sake. He's the easiest person to be around."

"Yeah, but... What if they don't like me? What if I'm not the special nephew and the special cousin they think I am?"

"That's not going to happen, Theo. They will absolutely love you. Especially the twins. You won't have a spare minute on you with those two around." She sighs because he was still biting his lip. "Hey, worst-case scenario, there's still a room with your name on it at home. You know where I'll be."

Theo grins, raising an eyebrow. "Snogging Potter's face off?"

"Okay, fuck off," She laughs, shoving his shoulder.

The boy chuckles while bringing her in for a hug by the neck. Cassia squeezes him at the waist.

"Don't be a stranger," He tells her.

"Don't be an idiot," She tells him.

Stalking away with his trunk, he turns back only for a moment to point at her and declare, "Hey, you know I'm your favourite idiot," before turning forward and yelling back, "Tell Mar I said hi!"

Theo goes on to his family, shuffling past passing bodies with his massive trunk. Cassia finds herself smiling watching Xavier clap a hand to his back as he joined them, giving his wee twin cousins high-fives, interacting with his Aunt Kiera for the first time. Watched them walk away with Savannah Donahue sitting on her top of her brother's trunk as he pulled it along and similarly, Sebastian Donahue finding his place on Theo's.

"So, will I be able to count on you mailing me this summer?"

Cassia's head swivels around. Surely enough, her boyfriend was there, a grin tugging at his lips, having just entered through the barrier with his trunk.

"I suppose it depends," Cassia muses in return, dragging her trunk with her as she begun to walk with Harry. They stop so she can load her trunk onto Daphne and Astoria's, now that the latter hopped off her seat. "Will you have enough time to respond to them? Seeing as you're ever the more famous now, and all."

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?" Harry teases.

Then a voice behind Harry cuts in, "Bloody hell, at least last year we could avoid you while you were getting your love letters."

Cassia turns and sees a flash of red hair come into view, followed by Ron Weasley's mock annoyance.

The Slytherin snickers. "Aw, don't lose your pants, Weasley, if it's love letters you're wanting, there's plenty of them going around." It was clearly aimed at Hermione, who was beside Ron, but none of them got the message, so she added, "Since you're now famous as the Chosen One's best friend, you get me?"

Daphne, from in front of Cassia, calls back, "Yo, Weasley?"

"...Yeah?" came from Ron, confused, because he's probably never conversed with Daphne Greengrass before.

"You fancy coming to ours to play Quidditch this summer?"

Ron was even more confused. "You're asking me?"

Daphne halts, almost making Cassia crash into her. "Well, yeah. Your sister's already coming. Granger, you fancy it too?"

At the same time that Hermione goes, "No, thank you, I'm not really a fan of Quidditch," Ron also scoffs, "How does Ginny get an invite before I do?"

(Astoria nudged Hermione and said, "Don't worry, we have a library.")

Cassia answers Ron, "Ginny's the best Weasley, let's face it."

"Favourite Greengrass, I am seriously offended to hear this."

"No more free merch for you."

They all turn around sharply to be acquainted with two identical, menacing smiles Hogwarts had recently been drained of.

"Fred! George!" exclaims Ginny, leaping to hug her older brothers.

"Alright, Gin, Hermione?" said Fred, while George went and ruffled Harry and Ron's hair with both hands.

"Long time no see," said Cassia with a smile as Fred and George took it in turns to fist-bump each of the Greengrass sisters.

"It appears our absence has done some serious brain damage," says George.

"Yeah, since when was Ginny the favourite?" added Fred.

"Since Ginny was the one who invited me to your brother's baby shower?" Cassia points out.

Daphne points a finger to her twin. "Her words, not mine."

Fred gives her a pointed stare. "Yeah, and who is your favourite Weasley, new-Favourite Greengrass?"

Cassia gasps in offence at the new name for Daphne, while the latter smirks.

"Look, I've just been promoted to the new Favourite Greengrass, and unlike Cass, I don't wanna make anymore enemies," Daphne holds her hands up in surrender.

"So it isn't us–" Fred accuses at the same time George strides over and puts an arm around Astoria's shoulders and says, "Both of you suck, the best Greengrass is right here."

"Stop hitting on minors, dude." says Ginny, prompting an already grinning Astoria to let out a whale of a laugh.

George immediately backs away, saying, "Astoria, I swear, I didn't mean –"

Which only made the youngest Greengrass laugh even louder as she said, "Chill, I've got a boyfriend, I didn't think anything of it."

Fred frowns. "Wait, how old are you?"

"Fifteen, same as Ginny."

"You have a boyfriend at fifteen? Damn, your love life puts us to shame."

"I mean, we've been together since I was thirteen."

"Well now you're just making me feel bad." Fred grins. "George, however, does seem to have the hots for our new neighb—"

"What's the leg all about?" George cuts in, aimed towards Cassia and her dislocated knee, shaking his head to mask the sudden coverup. "We leave for what, two months, and you get into this mess? Merlin's beard, Favourite Greengrass."

"And we're the ones full of trouble."

"Stop harassing the poor girls, you idiots."

A face Cassia can now say she was acquainted with made her way into the conversation, a mob of pink hair tapping Ginny on the shoulder before hugging her. It was Tonks, one of the people she met that day in the Ministry. One of the people without whom she wouldn't be here right now. She went around greeting Harry, Ron and Hermione too, then her face lit up seeing Cassia. Tonks swept forward and embraced Cassia tightly.

"Cassia, it's such a relief to see you here. You had me so worried. How're you feeling now, hon?"

Cassia smiles when Tonks pulls back from the hug. "Hi, Tonks. Tons better now, thanks. But that wouldn't have been the case without your help, so, um... thank you. Are you okay? I heard you got hurt too?"

Tonks smiles. "Not at all. I'm just glad you're okay. I'm all the better now too." She looks at Daphne and Astoria and Cassia remembers her sisters saying Tonks kept them occupied with conversation and card games in the Hospital Wing, because Tonks asked how they were doing. They told her they were good, and Daphne complimented the Weird Sisters shirt Tonks was wearing.

Some others came to say hello to Harry and everyone else; Cassia recognised two of them as Ron's parents, Mrs Weasley hugging everyone that were her children, Harry and Hermione, while Mr Weasley stood with a pleasant greeting smile. There was Mad-Eye Moody, and then Remus Lupin, who greeted Cassia and her sisters and asked how she was feeling (he was there that day in the Hospital Wing). She told him everything was fine now and said thank you for rushing to protect them in the Department of Mysteries. Also gave her condolences for Sirius, because she knew – courtesy of Harry – how close they were.

"How are you girls getting home?" Lupin had asked.

"We were supposed to meet our mum here to get the local train home – no idea where she is, though." Cassia answered for the three of them.

"That doesn't happen to be her, does it?"

Cassia, Daphne and Astoria's heads swivelled around to where the older man was looking, and did in fact recognise a figure approaching behind them with an excited, graced smile – and it was Marlowe Greengrass, raven hair fanning in waves over her shoulders.

Cassia's face lights up. "Mum!"

"Hi, my sweethearts." Marlowe comes and hugs Daphne, then Astoria, and then embraces Cassia, pressing a kiss to her head. "How're you feeling?"

"Loads better, Mum," Cassia smiles, gesturing to the pink-haired woman with them. "Have you met Tonks?"

Marlowe looks over, smiling at the young adult whose hand she was shaking.

"Briefly, in the Hospital Wing, I believe." Marlowe tells her. "It's nice to see you again, Tonks. Thank you for everything you did to protect Cassia. And keeping the girls company in the Hospital Wing. It meant a great deal."

"Nah, don't sweat it, Marlowe." says Tonks, who winks. "You have absolute warriors for daughters. You got that right for them."

Marlowe chuckles with a flustered, "Awe, thank you," – because even adults get flustered sometimes – and gives her daughters that adoring look.

Because he was standing right next to Tonks – like, intimately close – Lupin stepped forward, holding a hand out to Marlowe. "Remus Lupin, pleased to meet you."

"Marlowe Greengrass," she announced herself. Then her eyes softened in recognition. "I remember you. We were in Hogwarts at the same time, were we not?"

Lupin smiles gently. He remembered Marlowe Greengrass – Marlowe Starkov, back then – very well, especially the famous love story between her and her now husband back when they were students. "You were three years above me, if I remember correctly."

"That's right! I'm very sure that was the same year as my husband's cousin?"

"Is that so? What was their name?"

"Josephine Greengrass," says Marlowe. "Hufflepuff."

"Do you happen to mean Josie? Who married Dirk Cresswell a month out of Hogwarts?"

As Marlowe confirms the statement, Daphne snorts, "Was that not to hide the scandal that would've blown up from Aunt Josie and Uncle Dirk's sudden pregnancy with cousin Kaleb?"

"Daph, sweetie, that really isn't the type of thing we make public," says Marlowe, but since pretty much everyone had came to the conclusion that Josephine Greengrass and Dirk Cresswell's sudden marriage that led to the birth of Kaleb Cresswell (who was a year above Daphne and Cassia, in Ravenclaw) wasn't just some coincidence – well, Marlowe gave her daughter a snide glance that said, yes, that was the truth.

Lupin asked, "Do Dirk and Josie not also have a set of twins too?"

"Yep," says Astoria, "Our second cousins Carlo and Rory, they're eight."

Cassia adds, "Aunt Josie and Uncle Dirk also have a two-year-old, Madeline."

Remus smiles. "Big family. Been a while since I've seen Dirk and Josie. But life was never dull with them." Tonks tugs on his sleeve - an action Cassia picks up on yet again - and indicates with her head towards some other direction. Remus gives the Greengrasses a haste smile. "It was nice seeing you all. Be sure to give Dirk and Josie my regards if you see them – we actually have to go and do this thing –"

Remus and Tonks headed off, Tonks giving the girls an enthusiastic wave in parting, and realises that they were actually heading in the same direction as Mr Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody and Harry, apparently, too, who broke off in that direction too along with the rest of the Weasleys and Hermione.

Marlowe says, "Sorry I got here a bit late, girls. Was trying to get train tickets but the queue was massive. Apparently Hertfordshire is everyone's holiday destination this year."

"It's alright, Mum," says Astoria. "We had company. Are you doing alright?"

Marlowe takes a deep inhale, smiling at her youngest daughter. "Yeah, Tori. I am. We still have a half hour to kill before our train arrives, do you three wanna grab something to eat?"

"Oh, definitely," Daphne nods urgently. Then shoots her twin a glare. "Because someone ate my slice of pecan pie."

Cassia scoffs, "Okay, well, someone should not have fallen asleep and left a massive slice of pie to be eaten by dust. But, in my defence, me and Theo split the pie."

"You and Theo are traitors –"

Marlowe cuts in, "Girls, we really do not have to argue over pie."

Daphne contested Cassia with a look that conveyed to her, literally, the opposite. Yeah, this telepathy was something to inform their mum of.

No more than five minutes after Cassia had seen her boyfriend go off had she witnessed his figure pushing through the massive crowd to reach them. She knew he couldn't leave without saying bye. But as he reached for her hand, he spotted the older woman standing with the Greengrasses. He near enough froze realising this was his girlfriend's mum. Who he already likes just from their small written correspondences.

"Hey Harry, perfect timing..." says Cassia, gripping onto his hand. "This is my mum. Mum, this is Harry."

Marlowe's gaze shifted to the boy standing next to Cassia. He was just about Marlowe's height, maybe reaching a little higher than. Harry gave her a meagre smile, suddenly nervous, because the last time he encountered one of Cassia's parents, he was apart of the group that was out to kill him. He knew Phoenix didn't have anything against him, but still. Marlowe just seemed intimidating on appearance. He could tell where Cassia's confidence came from, because even if there were witches and wizards able to recognise Marlowe from the infamous news of her husband and shunning her for it, she still seemed unfazed. Walked with her head high, her clacking heels announcing the world of her presence, straight posture holding her handbag together on her shoulder. She just looked so put-together.

But Marlowe gives him a tender smile that eased all his nerves away. She held a hand out towards him, and he shakes it.

"Harry, I'm so glad we're finally meeting. I've heard so much through letters, but it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last. Really sorry to hear about your godfather."

"Um, thanks." He returns. "It's nice to meet you too, Mrs Greengrass."

She shakes her head, "Everyone calls me Marlowe, please."

"Mum, how cute are they?" says Daphne and then excitedly, "My goal for this year has been accomplished!"

Harry squints his eyes. "What exactly do you mean by that, Daphne?"

Astoria snorts. "Daph pledged that by the end of this year she'd have you and Cass together as a couple."

"But fate beat me to it," says Daphne, "Because believe it or not, our Cassia actually does have some game. I didn't have much of a part to play with the formation of Harria."

Harria? Cassia raised an eyebrow at Daphne.

It's you and Hazza's couple name, Daphne shrugs, Every couple needs one.

"Um," says Harry. "I know you guys have a train to catch, but I was hoping to borrow Cassia for a few minutes?"

Marlowe was about to say go ahead but Daphne beat her to it with a chirpy, "She's all yours," leading mother to look down at her daughter with narrowed eyes. Daphne just shrugs happily.

Cassia turns to her boyfriend. "Hey."

"This'll sound hilarious, but can I introduce you to the Dursley's?"

"The Dursleys? Where?"

Harry motions up ahead. The same family that Cassia remembered seeing last year at the station were there, the two big guys – the one with the moustache who Cassia thought was the dad, then the one wearing knee-length basketball shorts that seemed to be the son. Then the mum, the woman with the really long neck and sour expression. They all didn't look happy, but the son just seemed out of it. She saw the Weasley's hovering close by alongside Lupin, Tonks and Mad-Eye, and just grasped Hermione walking away with who she thought were her parents.

Cassia doesn't even hesitate. "Sure. Should be fun. What d'you want me to say?"

Harry ponders. "Something that'll freak them out. The Weasley's and Mad-Eye did enough of that already, but, you know, something that might ruin their sleep a little." He looks to Marlowe. "I'm not a shitty person, I swear."

Marlowe would normally see that as a bit of a red flag but judging by the way this boy's family was glaring at him, what Cassia's told her about said-family, and the mischievous glint she witnessed in the reflection of Harry's glasses, all Marlowe could do was let out some sort of amused chuckle.

Cassia's grinning with amusement because this could be fun. From what she's heard, the Dursley family had never been all that hospitable to Harry (an understatement), it made sense that he'd like to have some fun with them. she leaves her trunk with her sisters and the two push through the crowd to reach Harry's family, his arms softly placed but unmoving from her shoulders.

"Hi," says Harry to the Dursley family.

The dad didn't say anything.

"Hello," mutters the woman.

"Alright," says the son.

(The son seemed the least hostile compared to his parents.)

They were all looking at Cassia.

Harry has his arm around Cassia as he says with a wide grin, "I'd like you to meet Cassia, my girlfriend. Cassia, this is Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley."

Cassia grins brightly, one arm around his waist, and leant forward with her other hand held out towards the shellshocked faces, from Petunia, who briefly clasped Cassia's hand, Vernon, who didn't even shake the hand and Dudley, who's handshake was the most competent, but still lacked any energy at all.

"Cassia Greengrass, pleasure to meet you all."

As she shook Dudley's hand, he mentioned with his dull voice, "I remember you. You were the one he hugged last year." Cassia remembered that too, but she was shocked he did. "What happened to your leg?"

Cassia recounts the tale, "In a nutshell? I got into a fight with my best friend's psycho dad who's apart of the cult that wants to kill Harry over here, and he dislocated my knee. Let me mention my own dad was also there, and he's also a part of the cult that wants to kill Harry."

Harry adds to their horrified faces, "Now they're both in prison."

Cassia repeats, "Now they're both in prison."

"And what of the mother?" Vernon finally speaks, somewhat horrified through his words.

"Mum's still here," says Cassia. "She alters people's memory for a living. Muggles like you guys, mostly. You know, if they've seen too much."

Petunia looked aghast. Vernon was scowling with disapproval. Dudley didn't actually seem too phased. Cassia remembers Harry telling her he got attacked by a Dementor in the summer.

Cassia searches the station with her eyes, "Speaking of my mum, where did she and my sisters go–?"

"She's a twin," Harry informs the Dursleys, like that would make them sleep any better after finding out their nephew's girlfriend's father is a felon.

"Yup, we have a sister one year younger too," she adds. "No idea where they've went, though –"

"Mum, I've found her!" A voice cuts into Cassia's ear; she turns around to find Astoria grinning her way towards them. She also saw Daphne coming up behind them wheeling their trunks on the trolley.

Astoria saw the Dursleys, looked at Harry. "Your family?" She asks, making the connection. She smiles despite their sour expressions and holds out her hand. "Astoria Greengrass, pleasure to meet you."

Dudley and Petunia were the only ones to shake her hand.

Dudley asked, "You the twin?"

"Nah, I'm the youngest. That's the twin," Astoria swivels around in time for Daphne to enter the picture, forearms leant against the trolley bar.

Daphne, noticing the attention diverted onto her, put the jigsaw together faster. "You must be our Hazza's family," she smiles. "Daphne Greengrass, it's a pleasure. I'm the oldest."

"By seven minutes," reminds Cassia.

"Still older," Daphne grins.

Then, since the youngest Greengrass wasn't quiet by any means, Astoria's beckon to her mother led for Marlowe to stride over at that moment, rifling through the four tickets in hand.

"Girls, our train'll be arriving at the platform soon," she says, reaching her daughters. Then caught wind of the Dursleys staring her down.

"You must be Harry's family," Marlowe observes. "I'm Marlowe, the girls' mother."

Petunia's hostility was not subtle in any way. "Is it true that your husband is in prison?"

"Yes, that's right," confirms Marlowe. Indifferent, she poses, "Should that be a problem at all?"

"Our nephew should not be dating a girl of such horrid reputation," barked Vernon Dursley.

In the most elegant manner possible, Marlowe scoffs. "I find it absurd you deem it appropriate to insult my daughter for a bad reputation when your family certainly has the worst of them all. I do not understand why you would all of a sudden care who your nephew dates, not when your reputation of how you treat Harry tells us the exact opposite. So really, my husband being in the compromising position he's currently in is no excuse for you to comment on when you yourself have many actions to be ashamed of."

Cassia had to give it to her mum. She was a freaking badass.

Leaving the Dursley family speechless, Marlowe turns to Harry. "Harry, dear, I hope to be seeing you more in the future. You're welcome to come to our Manor whenever you please. If things ever get really bad," she nudges her head towards the Dursley's, "Then you're more than welcome to stay over, only if you're comfortable. There'll be a room ready with your name on it. We've got to head to our train, but stay in touch, dear."

Harry smiles at Marlowe. "Thanks. Travel safe."

Marlowe smiles. Astoria says bye to Harry before dashing after her mum, who was scrounging the train arrivals board for their platform. Daphne was next, stopping to try and lead Harry though some spontaneous parting handshake he was likely to forget in a few seconds, before the girl gave up and awkwardly patting him on the shoulder. It was just Cassia left, one of her arms still around her boyfriend's waist.

(In the background, though, Daphne was heard through her excited yell of "Is that pie?!" at the sight of a bakery within the station.)

"I take it that's your cue to leave too?" Harry perceives.

Cassia nods. "Yeah, I gotta go. Mail me when you get home, alright?"

Harry grins, a smile laced with mischief. "Who knew the evil seductress could be so full of concern?"

"Hey, it's not you I'm worried about," She pokes him with her free hand. "It's Hedwig I'm gonna miss."

The boy scoffs half-heartedly. "Really? Hedwig."

"Uh-huh," She quips with a grin as her hand fists his collar, pulling him close. Before she pulled him down completely, she paused when his face was mere millimetres from hers, and looked to her right, where she knew the Dursleys were watching them in disgust, and smirks. Harry caught on to what she was thinking and didn't wait for Cassia to bridge the gap, and closed it himself, his lips smiling as they met hers, his arm pulling her in around the waist.

As her other hand meets his cheek, she realises it feels like the first time they kissed, when the world seemed like it was ending and Harry was one of the only good things in her life at the time. It was a similar situation now. Everything was a tornado of good and bad, her father in prison, Harry's newfound status, Theo's new family taking him in, the whole anticlimactic silence between Daphne and Pansy... and not to mention, Cassia's lack of self-belief ever since that day in the Ministry...

(...and the fact her eyes apparently glow purple now...?)

But she also knew that while this all scares the shit out of her, she knows she's not alone. She's overwhelmed with uncertainty and doubt that she thought was beyond her, but she was far from alone in dealing with this all. This time, Harry wasn't the only good thing in her life. There was more people and more prospects and that made her feel better than ever.

It feels like the first time they kissed, only better.

When they pull away from each other, no longer focused on pissing off the Dursley's, Harry wastes no spare second to run into her with a hug, arms tight around her waist. The suddenness of the embrace caught Cassia off-guard, but not for long because she looped her arms around his neck, holding him in close.

They were both smiling after they pulled back.

"I won't keep you waiting, Chosen One," says Cassia.

"I'd rather you did, Darling," Harry returns, making her laugh. "Get out of here, Greengrass."

Cassia holds two fingers to her temple and salutes her boyfriend goodbye, watching him flash her one more smile before she turned to walk up to her family.

"This pie is so good," is the first thing Cassia hears upon facing her mother, Daphne and Astoria, watching Daphne sit on the station chairs with a fork and a plate of pie (apple, she thinks?). When Daphne sees her twin, she shields her pie. "I am not sharing this, Pie-Stealer."

"Daph, sweetheart, what have I said about arguing over pie?" Marlowe sighs as Cassia drops herself into the metal seat beside Daphne, who was still shielding her pie. Cassia snickers. "That's our train here now, I think."

They abandon the luggage carts at their depot since that was the furthest they could go with it, and the three girls and their mother head off towards the local train, and Cassia was dreading having to fit not one but all three of their massive trunks in the tiny train storage compartment. Cassia found herself walking with her mother along the train track.

"Uh, Mum?" asks Cassia. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, dear," replies Marlowe. "What's up?"

(Honestly, there were many questions she would like to ask her mum at this moment in time, but one stood out. It's been a question itching at her mind ever since Harry brought it up last night.)

"Well, you see, yesterday evening, I sorta got into a bit of an altercation with Malfoy, you know, I got angry..."

"Did you hit him?" Marlowe knew what her daughter's temper could be like.

"Maybe, but –"

"Cass, what did I tell you about controlling your anger!"

"Mum, I did try," she insists, "But I didn't want you to find out about that just yet."

Marlowe sighs. "What was it, then?"

Cassia nods. "Well, afterwards, Harry noticed something change in me, and I was hoping you knew what it meant?" The Slytherin shakes her head, because it just sounded stupid. But she says anyways: "My... my eyes glowed purple."

Marlowe was about to step onto the train.

She froze.

She knew exactly what this meant.

She didn't think it was possible, that...

The Starkov magic coursed through her veins.

***

***

damn so much happened in this 👀
i swear i did not mean to make it this long, almost 20000 words wow😭but apparently you guys like long chapters too???

just to make clear - the bit at the end with "the Starkov magic" is not a reference to the Grishaverse, as much as i love them and alina starkov this whole thing was planned before I even read any grishaverse book it's just a CRAZY coincidence, like i got my sister to read this and even she didn't believe me with that LMFAO

but yeah. honestly proud of my gal Cass for snapping back at umbridge and Malfoy like they had it COMING. and yes, many of you have caught on that i am hinting at a thing between theo and ginny 👀

also plz i am having SO MUCH fun making up the Greengrass family tree, there will definitely be more mentions of them in future (book 2 pending) but I did create so many of them last minute and yes I really did have to create a Greengrass family member from the marauders year group and yes that's where Josie Greengrass comes into play 👏 and Dirk Cresswell was hardly mentioned in the books so I thought WHY NOT they'll have a cute lil family of 4 and the oldest is the year above Cass & Daph <3

i just have to say... whew it's not really kicked in that this is the final "chapter" (still have the epilogue to publish) of this fic??? like this fic has such a big part of me, would not have been able to go thru covid without it. and all of your encouragement and support and opinions and HILARIOUS comments like guys plz don't stop the comments ur all so funny💀💀💀💀

most of all, thank you for being so patient with this author who's so shitty at updating. i love you all so much ❤️

~ saar xxxx

(my latest obsession obvs has to come thru in a new signoff gif, pushing this pedrigavi agenda my fav besties <3 )