A week went by at Hogwarts like a day, and Cassia was sporting three more slashes by the end of it.

The first had come from when she refused to write the word 'mudblood' in a note in muggle studies. Alecto had hurt her without a second thought, saying there'd be more if she didn't write it.

The second was in DADA, when she pretended to be bad at the cruciatus curse just not to do it, and got punished for it.

The third was when she helped a crying first year in the corridor, because she'd been forced to use one of the horrible quills Umbitch had had them all use in fifth year. It was the most terrible, and the worst experience for Cassia.

Cassia had hugged her tightly, asking. "What's your name?"

"S-Sophia," she cried into her chest. "I-it hurts..."

"I know, I know..." Cassia murmured. "I'm Cassia."

"I-I know, you're t-the one that stands up to them," the young girl had sobbed. "Y-you're so brave, Cassia..."

She wasn't, but she wasn't saying that to this young girl.

"Thank you," she said, letting Sophia go and holding her little bleeding hand in hers. The hand was still raw, but said clearly I'm a bad girl.

Cassia bit her lip. This was Amycus' work, she was sure of it.

"You're not a bad girl," she told Sophia. "You're a brave girl, a beautiful girl."

She bopped the girl's nose, trying to get her to smile, and she managed. Sophia giggled slightly.

"I've had to deal with those quills before," Cassia said vaguely. "The sting fades after an hour, and then it just aches slightly."

"B-but he told me I needed to do it again," Sophia said, on the verge of tears again. "I- I need to do it until I become a g-good girl-'

"No, no, don't cry," Cassia whispered, cupping the young girl's cheek and wiping her tears. "Don't cry, please."

She looked Sophia in the eyes and said. "Amycus Carrow is sick, okay? I-I can't imagine going through something like him at your age, I can't."

Sophia nodded, not so teary anymore.

"You can come and find me at any time, okay?" Cassia said, her eyes now glassy. "I'll be here for y-"

"Well, isn't this a nice display?"

Both Cassia and Sophia froze at the sound of Amycus Carrow's voice. Cassia turned to face him, however, instinctively placing herself between Sophia and Amycus.

"I'm just comforting a student you hurt," Cassia said, her voice shaking, knowing that whatever was happening, it was her that was getting the wrap for it.

"She was a bad girl," Amycus shrugged. "The same can be said for you, Miss Malfoy."

"I don't give a shit, you're hurting innocent people!" Cassia raised her voice, keeping a strong hold on Sophia's shoulder.

"Innocent?" Amycus chuckled. "These girls are not innocent-"

"Yes they are!" Cassia was shouting now, and she didn't know how that happened.

Amycus raised his wand, and Cassia shoved Sophia fully behind her.

"Go on then!" She yelled. "Slash me, I dare you! Spill my pure as fuck blood! Just leave everyone else alone!"

"Oh, and insolence, as well?" Amycus snarled. "You're quite the little hero, aren't you?"

"When we're talking about eleven year old girls, yeah," Cassia snapped. "I'd rather you hurt me than them."

"Very well then," Amycus raised his wand, and slashed it down, sending a cut careering across Cassia's left cheekbone.

And the girl didn't cry out, didn't cry, didn't react. She kept a firm grip on Sophia's shoulder as Amycus smirked at them both, walking off.

Sophia was crying again as Cassia turned to her. "I- I'm sorry-"

"No," Cassia said, shaking her head. "Don't say sorry for this, okay? It's not your fault, I just- I hate him."

Sophia nodded. "M-me too."

"Feel free to come and speak to me, or my best friend Poppy, or any of us," Cassia said comfortingly to her. "Or if your friends need help, we're here as well. We're not going to shoot you down, and we just really wanna keep you safe."

Sophia nodded, looking down at her hand before looking up again. "We will, I promise. Y-you're such a hero to all of us, Cassia."

As she gave the small girl a hug and watched her walk off, Cassia was amazed. Last year, she'd been a traitor. This year, everyone was just forgetting that, all because she had a death wish with the Carrows.

She'd never understand people.

And yet, those words would always echo in her head.

"Y-you're such a hero to all of us, Cassia."

She just hoped the could continue to be.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Of course, the next DADA lesson would never have been a success, no matter what it was.

But Cassia could've never suspected what would happen next.

That morning, as they walked into class, Cassia stilled before they were even in the door. She completely stopped in her tracks.

Because, at the front of the class, on show for everyone, were four people. Four girls, specifically.

They were chained up. All four of them were chained up, and all four of them were young. First or second year, at most.

And what really made Cassia's stomach crawl was that one of them was Sophia.

As soon as she entered, the young girl saw Cassia, her eyes widening. HELP ME! Her eyes were pleading. HELP ME, PLEASE!

And Cassia just stood there.

I can't.

"Cass," Poppy said, touching her best friend's shoulder. "Cassia, we need to sit down."

But Cassia was frozen. She couldn't go and help the girls, but she was not leaving them there.

"Cass, come on!" Poppy hissed to her friend.

Cassia was still frozen. She was still frozen, her eyes still wide, trained on Sophia and the other three girls.

"Miss Malfoy," Amycus said, swaggering into the classroom. "Take a seat."

Cassia couldn't do this.

Her heart was beating like crazy, her ears ringing. She couldn't watch those four girls, one of whom she knew and had spoken to, be chained to the wall. She couldn't.

"I-I-" she mumbled.

"Take a seat," Amycus snarled. "Or you will find that the punishments start to happen."

The word 'punishment' jolted Cassia to life, and she finally moved, trudging up the back of the class to her seat.

When she sat down, she collapsed completely, her lip wobbling, her eyes glassy.

She could feel Sophia's eyes on her. And she didn't look back, because there was nothing she could do to save her.

"Welcome, everyone," Amycus announced, once everyone was sat down. "Now, today's lesson is a bit different. As you can see, there are four helpers behind me, and they're going to join in today."

Cassia could see exactly where this was going.

Oh, shit.

"

So today, we're again going to try the cruciatus curse," Amycus was enjoying this. "On a live target."

Clearly, the four girls didn't know this either, because the looks on their faces when he said that... they'd be forever ingrained in Cassia's brain.

"Yes, Miss Patil?" Amycus said, looking at Parvati, who had just raised a hand.

"Er- aren't they innocent students?" Parvati blurted out.

"No, I wouldn't do that," Amycus' chuckle was terrible, because the thing was, he would. "These four earned themselves detention the other day. This is their punishment."

Detention for what? Cassia wanted to demand. She was trembling, this time not with fear, but with anger.

"So, let's get started," Amycus grinned, walking backwards to undo the chains around the girls. He turned back to the class before then, however. "Who should we have up first? Let's see... let's have Mr Longbottom, Miss Parkinson, Mr Crabbe and... Miss Malfoy."

He's going to make me torture Sophia, was Cassia's first thought. And then: no.

Slowly, as Amycus undid the chains on all four of the girls, the four people he named got to their feet.

Cassia wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She'd already been forced to crucio Poppy, she couldn't crucio an eleven year old as well.

She wondered how eleven year old Cassia would react to this. Eleven year old Cassia who didn't know her parents were death eaters, who didn't know her father was an abuser, who hated Harry Potter.

Cassia was twelve years old when she'd been subjected to the cruciatus curse, but normally, a person would never face it.

Cassia wasn't being the reason an innocent, beautiful, brave eleven year old experienced pain she never should. She wasn't.

"And you stand here, in front of Miss Malfoy," Amycus' voice caused Cassia to jump to life, as he placed Sophia in front of her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Get off her," Cassia muttered, looking down.

"What?" Amycus looked at her.

"Nothing," Cassia looked back at his beady eyes.

"Good," Amycus grinned at her. "Now, everyone else pay attention, because you will be following these four after they've completed this task."

Cassia looked from him, to Sophia, who looked terrified. Please, her eyes were saying. Please don't.

And Cassia looked back.

Of course I won't.

It was in that moment that Cassia made her decision. She was fighting for good. She wasn't wasting time trying to suck up to anyone or gain validation, she was fighting for good.

Cassia knew who she was crucioing.

And it wasn't Sophia.

"Alright then," Amycus stepped back. "Off you go."

Crabbe was looking happy. Pansy was looking amused. Neville was looking terrified.

But Cassia just turned to Amycus, and raised her wand.

"Crucio!"

She didn't care if she got locked up for life.

She didn't care if her father hung, drew and quartered her.

She didn't care what happened to her.

It was worth it to see Amycus fall to the floor, screaming in pain as he writhed about. It was worth it to hear him beg for mercy. It was worth it to see his twisted face become one of pleading.

By the time the curse stopped and the screaming ceased, the whole class was speechless.

And Cassia made use of it.

"How do you like it?" She demanded, looking at Amycus, who was slowly transforming from being hurt to being angry. Very angry. "How do you fucking like it?"

She didn't even look at the class, but if she had, she would've seen Poppy being satisfied yet terrified for her, Seamus being impressed but apprehensive, Neville being shocked and scared.

She didn't care, she didn't care, she didn't c-

"YOU!"

And before Cassia could say anything, she was being grabbed, a hand over her mouth and an arm round her neck, choking her. She was hauled from the room by an irate Amycus, practically hearing his anger as they walked through empty corridors.

She didn't know when it happened, but at some point, they entered a room.

And then Cassia was being thrown to the ground, hitting the wall. When her eyes focused, she realised she was in a room. However, it wasn't much of a room. The walls and ground were white, and there was no furniture.

And Amycus Carrow was standing over her.

"Crucio!"

The pain was expected, to be honest, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Cassia screamed as the curse hit her, banging her head against the wall as black dots floated in her vision.

She didn't beg, though. She wouldn't beg. She wasn't going to.

When the curse came to an end, she was lying on the ground, and Amycus was still standing over her.

"That'll teach you to make a fool out of me," he told her, his voice gritty and cold.

"N-no," Cassia said, her words slurring together. "I did that because you enjoy hurting innocent people... and I'm not hurting anyone..."

"Urgh!"

"Argh!" Cassia grunted as she was kicked hard in the ribs. She had to squeeze her eyes shut to stop the tears from coming.

"Even when you're beaten, you can't shut the fuck up," Amycus snarled to her. "Which is why you're going to stay here, until you can learn."

If Cassia was surprised at this, she didn't show it. She lay on the ground, her entire body aching, as Amycus leaned over her and took her wand away before stalking out.

That's when the first tear fell.