As Cassia, gripping Poppy's hand softly, ran through the barrier between platforms nine and ten, she felt lighter than ever. She smiled as she boarded the train, as well, just after Pippa gave her a longer hug than both her mother and father combined used to.

It was when she came face to face with her brother that she faltered.

She was laughing, Poppy behind her, in the narrow train corridor. The two girls had had quite a fun time on the train so far, talking, laughing, eating a shit tonne of sweets from the trolley and just having fun.

They had vacated their compartment twenty minutes ago, going to get changed, and now they were coming back. That was when they met them.

Draco had Blaise and Theo, but it was the same story for both of them.

As soon as they saw each other, they both froze, smiles vanishing off their faces.

Cassia held his stony gaze, though. She knew he didn't know that her father had hit her, but as she looked at him, all she saw was that man, and she couldn't help but think he did know.

"Why so tense, Cass?" Blaise joked.

"Her name's Cassia," Poppy snarled. She knew about Blaise's flirtatious she hated them.

"Whoa, chill, Patil," Blaise smirked.

"And her name's Poppy, Blaise," Cassia said. "Use it."

Draco still hadn't spoken.

"Okay, okay," Blaise laughed, exchanging looks with Theo. "We know why you're tense, it's not everyday your father has a go at you and practically disowns you in front of-"

"Shut the fuck up, Blaise!" Cassia yelled. "It's not everyday the little Griffindor Malfoy punches you in the face! Would you like that today?"

Blaise just laughed as Draco looked at his sister, who finally spared a pitying look for him.

"Oh, and you," she smiled bitterly. "Thanks for standing up for me, for having my back!"

She saw pain flash across his face, but she didn't care. She was happy, even. He caused her more pain.

She walked straight up to him. "You know what I see when I look at you? A coward."

As soon as she spat those words at him, she turned back to Poppy, not making eye contact with her, and stalked off.

But she didn't get very far. In fact, she was just into the next carriage, the end one, when the train was stopping and she was being lurched forwards, tripping and flailing. She got ahold of the side of the carriage as the train wheels screeched along the rails, the whole thing coming to a stop.

"What is going on?" Poppy asked, running to her best friend's side. "Are you alright, Cass?"

"Yup," Cassia nodded. "But why did the train stop? We're obviously not here yet-"

"Everyone, get into a compartment!" A voice suddenly shouted. "Something's coming on the train!"

Cassia looked at Poppy, both their eyes wide, as all the lights fizzed out.

Then, before they knew it, they were rushing into a compartment.

"That was a close c-" Cassia started, before realising whose compartment they had landed in.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared back at her.

"Oh, why are you here?" Harry asked her.

"Believe me, its not by choice, Potter," Cassia rolled her eyes, turning to Hermione, who she knew would listen. "Something's just come on the train. We don't know what it is, we just know that everyone in the corridor was being told to get into a compart-"

She stopped rather suddenly as Ron pressed his hand up against the compartment window, looking outside. It was a dark and wet night, but not particularly cold.

Which is why it was strange that all the rain on the window was becoming ice.

As well as the water in the bottle beside a man that Cassia had not realised was there. She frowned. He was wrapped up in a bundle of clothes in the corner, seemingly asleep.

"Something's moving out there," Ron chose this moment to helpfully inform everyone.

Just then, the train lurched, and both Poppy and Cassia cried out before tripping. Poppy fell in between Ron and Hermione, but for Cassia, it was much worse.

She fell right on top of Harry.

And when Cassia Malfoy found out she was sitting in Harry Potter's lap, she had no idea how to react.

Her face immediately went as red as could be, but, to be fair, so did Harry's. She instantly got off of him, murmuring an apology, as she sat down next to him.

Poppy was hiding her smirk behind her hand, but Cassia could see it in her eyes.

However, there was no time to get hung up about it, for the next second, Cassia didn't feel as though she could feel.

She felt cold. And unhappy. It was as though happiness wasn't a thing anymore. She had forgotten what it felt like.

The train jolted again as another chill filled the air, meaning Cassia could now see her breath, and everyone else's around her. Her heartbeat was rapid, and she felt slightly sick.

"Bloody hell! What's happening?" Ron exclaimed.

Before Cassia could snap back a reply, the answer came.

It was a dark, hooded thing, that she suddenly saw through the frosted compartment window. She froze up as it floated onwards, slowly advancing to the door.

Then, rather suddenly, it reached out a black, rotten hand with long, spiky fingers, towards the handle.

It didn't even have to touch it to open it.

Slowly, the door opened, revealing a black hooded monster or whatever it was,

Cassia heard Harry's breath hitch behind her. Even Potter's scared.

The hooded thing floated in the door, and Crookshanks, Hermione's new cat, hissed at it, scaring Scabbers, Ron's rat. Cassia didn't care, though, she was looking up at the hooded monster, who suddenly started to do something to Harry.

Cassia turned, suddenly looking at the boy she hated, who was looking at the monster, which appeared to be sucking something out of Harry's mouth.

Then, suddenly, Cassia felt as though she was falling through all her worst memories.

Her fifth birthday party, where she had got nothing but a chocolate frog...

Watching Draco laugh and play with their parents, sitting on the sidelines...

"Brat!"

Her father yelling at her when she burned the bacon...

Her mother not ever standing up for her...

"Brat!"

Draco ganging up on her, bullying her...

Everyone talking about the Malfoy in Griffindor...

"Brat!"

Her father, hitting her-

"St-stop," Cassia managed to get out. "Stop!"

But it wasn't that that made the dementor stop, it was the man in the corner. Yes, the one covered in the tattered old clothes. He had stood up, revealing a youthful face that somehow looked pained, older, and pointed his wand at the hooded figure.

His wand produced a bright light, repelling the hooded figure immediately. But it didn't end there.

Next thing Cassia knew, Harry Potter was fainting, his body hitting the ground with a soft thump just next to her feet.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Harry!" Hermione shouted as Harry woke thirty seconds later. "Harry? Are you alright?"

Harry slowly looked around, confused about where he was, before he saw Cassia and scowled. He accepted his glasses from Hermione with a. "Thank you," and then the man who had repelled the dementor spoke up.

"Here, eat this, it'll help," he said as he offered Harry a bit of chocolate. "It's chocolate," he added, as Harry stared at the stuff with a wary look.

Cassia would've made a sarcastic comment if she wasn't sitting, her face pale, her eyes wide and her legs bouncing up and down, in the corner.

"And you, girl," the man added, breaking off another bit of chocolate. "You look like you've seen a ghost! Come on, eat this."

He handed her a bit. Cassia took it, but she didn't feel like eating. In fact, she felt like she was going to throw up.

"Erm-" She started. "Would you mind telling us- what the hell was that thing?"

The man smiled wryly. "That wad a dementor. One of the guards of Azkaban, the prison, searching the train for Sirius Black. It's gone now."

Poppy came over to sit beside Cassia. "You okay, girl?"

Cassia slowly nodded.

"Okay, now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a little word with the driver," the man said.

As soon as he upped and left, Cassia looked to Hermione. "Who was that?"

"He's called Professor Lupin," Hermione shrugged.

Cassia exchanged a glance with Poppy. "Well I guess we know who's teaching us DADA this year then."

Poppy nodded. "Let's hope he's a bit better than the two guys we've had so far."

"Two bozos, you mean," Cassia smirked.

"Okay, we'll just wait for you two to finish having your weird girl talk, then, and then we'll discuss what just happened," Ron cut in.

"Would you mind?" Poppy turned to him, a genuine expression on her face before she looked at Cassia and the two of them exploded into giggles.

Ron rolled his eyes as the two girls stopped laughing and turned when Harry said. "What happened to me?"

"You got knocked out cold by a dementor, Potter," Cassia replied.

Harry looked at her. "You can't exactly say much, Malfoy, they do that with everyone, right?"

Cassia smirked slightly, ignoring the urge to burst into laughter again.

"Um- they don't, Harry," Hermione started.

Harry's expression dropped a little.

"But it felt weird," Ron said. "Like I'd never be cheerful again."

"But someone was screaming," Harry said. "Sure you must've heard that?"

Cassia frowned. "Genuinely no insult meant by this, but have you lost your mind, Potter?"

Harry frowned.

"No one was screaming, Harry," Hermione said.

Cassia bit her lip. Maybe it'd been inside his head.

Because she had seen her worst memories inside of hers. Her brother getting favoured over her. Her mother ignoring her, showing no love.

And her father, slapping her across the cheek.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Cassia was bloody well glad she wasn't a first year, as she and Poppy shared a carriage with Dean and Seamus, two boys in their house, up to the castle. The rain was still lashing down outside, and the clouds in the sky said it wad going to be for at least another few hours.

Inside the great hall, she swung herself onto the Griffindor bench beside Poppy and opposite Ginny Weasley and Parvati, Harry, Ron and Hermione sitting just up from them.

They listened to the choir and their toads, but Cassia felt something of a relief when they were replaced with Dumbledore, at his golden eagle podium with the candles in it once more.

"Welcome! Welcome, to another year at Hogwarts!" He called out, projecting his voice. "Now I'd like to say a few words before we all become to befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R J Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of..."

"... Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher..." Cassia murmured, saying the words at the same time Dumbledore did.

"... Good luck, Professor!" Dumbledore held out a hand to Lupin, who stood up as everyone clapped for him.

"Potter! Potter!"

Cassia looked up to see her brother, turned around on her bench, as Harry and Ron looked at him.

"Is it true you fainted? I mean you actually fainted!" Draco taunted.

Cassia smirked. Her brother was an idiot, but it was funny to see Harry struggle for words at his hands.

"Shove of, Malfoy," Ron snarled, as Harry still didn't speak. Theo and Blaise mimed fainting on either side of Draco. Ron turned Harry round, and both of their faces showed anger.

"Great comeback, there," Cassia laughed under her breath, as she tuned back into Dumbledore.

"Now, our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher has decided to retire, in order to spend time with his remaining limbs," he continued. "So I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid!"

Cassia smiled slightly as the half giant got to his feet, knocking over half the stuff on the table.

She didn't really know Hagrid. Well, she knew that Harry, Ron and Hermione were close with him, and that Draco and her father hated him, but she hadn't formed her own opinion of him yet because she hadn't really met him. Hopefully this teaching position would be a good chance to.

"And finally on a more disquieting note," Dumbledore said. "At the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the dementors of Azkaban, until such a time when Sirius Black is caught. The dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. Now, whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day to day activities, a word of caution."

Cassia frowned deeply.

"Dementors are not forgiving creatures, who will not distinguish between the one they hunt, and the one who gets in their way," Dumbledore went on. "Therefore I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. As I said, it is not in the nature of a dementor... to forgive."

He shrugged, extinguishing one of the candles on his eagle stand. "But you know, happiness can be found, in even the darkest of times, if only one remembers, to turn on the light."

He waved his hand over the extinguished candle, and it came back to life, the flame dancing on the wick.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"Listen to me," Cassia said warningly that night. "If you boys don't shut the fuck up, then tomorrow morning you won't only sound like a chicken or a lion or a duck, but you'll also look like one!"

It was night time, and Cassia had just been trying to relax in her lovely, clean bed in Griffindor tower, chatting with Poppy, their hair up in messy buns as they chatted, did face masks, ate junk and just had fun before the first day of lessons next day.

But then the animal noises had started to come from the boys dorm, complete with the guffaws after them. Cassia had quickly worked out that the boys were playing the game where you swallow a sweet which make you sound like an animal for a small amount of time.

She and Poppy had thought it would stop. But no. Here they were, at one am, and it was still going on.

So Cassia had marched her way over to the boys' dorm, wrenching the door marked third year open and being met with Dean, Seamus, Neville, Ron and Harry, all laughing loudly.

So she said her piece, which was met with more laughs.

"Chill, Malfoy," Harry laughed.

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Watch it, Potter. I would turn you into a rat if I didn't already think you looked like one."

There were whoops of laughter from both Dean and Seamus.

"If there's one thing you're good at, it's your comebacks!" Dean grinned.

Cassia smirked as Harry rolled his eyes. "Just go away."

"Gladly," Cassia said, but when she reached the door, the turned around. "And do us a favour. Shut. UP!"