First Hogsmeade trip of the year, baby!

McGonagall stood outside, voice clear and projected, addressing all students from third year up as they all stood in the courtyard, normal clothes on.

"Please remember, these visits to Hogsmeade village are a privilege," McGonagall went on. "Should your behaviour reflect badly on the school, that privilege shall not be extended again. No permission form signed, no visiting the village," she added to a desperate Harry Potter, who clearly hadn't had his form signed.

Cassia scoffed, a small smirk on her face. It had been a few days since the whole boggart incident and in that time she had decided she would just be even more badass to make up for it.

As McGonagall shut Potter down, much to Cassia's amusement, Filch called. "All those with permission follow me, those without, stay put!"

As McGonagall moved, Harry moved with her, saying. "Professor, I thought if you, signed it, then I-"

"I cannot, only a parent or a guardian can sign it, and since I am neither, it would be inappropriate!" McGonagall exclaimed, causing Cassia to snigger.

Then McGonagall's gaze flipped to her. "And whilst we are on that subject, Miss Malfoy, I've been meaning to speak to you. Stop laughing at Mr Potter and come here, please."

"Oh fuck me," Cassia murmured to Poppy as she walked up to McGonagall.

She had been hoping to sneak out of school, Pippa's signature un-examined. But no, clearly that was not what was going to happen.

"It has come to my attention that your slip has not been properly signed either, Miss Malfoy," McGonagall began.

"Professor McGonagall, the slip says parent or guardian, and I lived with the Patils more than half this summer, so Pippa's signature-"

"Miss Malfoy, that is not the point," McGonagall said, rendering Cassia silent. "You have two parental figures-"

"Professor-"

"-who both could have signed your slip, and they chose not to," McGonagall finished. "I am sorry that this has happened, but I have to respect that."

"But Professor, please-"

"I am sorry, Miss Malfoy, but you will not be alone," she nodded towards the boy next to Cassia, who was looking more amused by the second. "Mr Potter here is also staying."

Cassia clenched her jaw. Fuck off.

As McGonagall made to walk off and Harry remained stationery, Cassia knew this was her last chance.

"Professor!" She shouted, chasing after the the woman. "Professor please, my parents couldn't sign my slip!"

"And why is that?" McGonagall raised her eyebrows.

"Because-"

And that was where Cassia stopped.

She could hardly say "because I had to leave home after my father hit me". Well actually, she couldn't say that. She hadn't told anyone about what had happened that night. Not even Draco knew.

But what had happened that night must have flashed on her face, or in her eyes, because McGonagall stopped looking at her exasperatedly and suddenly, there was kindness and concern in her eyes.

"Miss Malfoy, is there something I should know?"

Yes-

"No," Cassia said determinedly. "No, nothing's wrong."

She was lying through her teeth-

"Miss Malfoy," McGonagall said. "If something is wrong, and there is a reason your parents were unable to sign your form, we can accept Pippa Patil's signature."

And boy, did Cassia want to tell them.

But also- what was she supposed to say? How on earth was she supposed to tell McGonagall that her father had hit her?

The answer was there, plain and simple.

She wasn't.

"Everything's fine," she said, feigning a small smile. "I think they were just more pissed at me than usual this summer."

"As your head of house, I should take points from you for saying that," McGonagall said with a slight smile. "But I'll let you off this time, Miss Malfoy."

She gave the blonde girl a slight smile as she headed off, and Cassia, somehow, managed to return it.

She's not all that bad, is Minnie.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Cassia was reading a chapter Snape had required them to for Potions in the Gryffindor common room when everyone got back. She was sat on the sofa beside the fire, the one everyone wanted, with her legs up, as first and second years talked loudly across the room.

She and Poppie had agreed that the girl would go with her sisters and Lavender if Cassia wasn't allowed, and Cassia just hoped she had enjoyed her afternoon.

Cassia hadn't, not really, but that didn't matter. Not when all she had done was laze about, study and read books. She sighed, turning another page in this boring as fuck book and trying to muster up some levity for seeing Poppy in a few minutes.

"Could you move?"

Cassia clenched her jaw, looking up to see Harry Potter, staring expectantly at her from above her.

"No," she answered. "I'm saving this seat for Poppy and I."

"But it fits three, not two," Harry pointed out.

"Aw, and you want to sit with us?" Cassia feigned a patronising tone. "Potter, I'm flattered, I really am, but-"

"No, idiot, I meant for Ron, Hermione and I," Harry told her irritably.

"Oh, I never guessed," Cassia rolled her eyes. "Could you just-"

"Go away?"

Cassia couldn't help but grin as Poppy interrupted her, stepping in front of Harry and sitting down on the couch.

"Sorry for stealing your seat, but I think my girl needs it more than you," she told Harry, also sitting with her legs up and hugging Cassia tightly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Have you seen Ron and Hermione?"

"Nope," Poppy popped the p.

"Thanks," Harry sarcastically rolled his eyes, turning round and leaving.

Poppy shook her head. "Man, no matter how snatched that jawline is, I don't think I'll ever like that guy."

"Ew, his jawline is so not," Cassia rolled her eyes, amused. "And same. I will never like him."

That seemed to settle it.

"Oh, and I got you something," Poppy said, grinning as she revealed a huge Honeyduke's bag from her pocket.

Cassia gasped, grinning. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," Poppy smiled, hugging the girl. "Besides, it's not your fault you couldn't go."

Cassia could never express her gratefulness to her best friend as she dug in to the bag. Honeyduke's was the sweet shop in Hogsmeade, and it was filled to the brim.

So that night, she and Poppy stayed up late, eating the mounds of sweets Poppy had bought for her and recounting old stories, and new ones, gossiping and just being girls. Just having fun.

And for a second, Cassia forgot how fucked up she was.

And boy, was she glad to forget.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

The next day was boring as hell, with no Care of Magical Creatures or DADA. They did have a double of Potions and Divination, which was terrible. Cassia was glad to be climbing up the moving stairs with Poppy, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Dean, Seamus and Neville that night, even if Potter was there.

However, she knew something was wrong when they encountered a blockade on the last staircase before the Fat Lady.

"What's going on?" Harry frowned.

"Well, stating the obvious here, Potter, we can't get through," Cassia rolled her eyes.

Harry also rolled his as Percy Weasley elbowed his way into the crowd. "Er- let me through, please! Excuse me, I'm Head Boy!"

Ron rolled his eyes as Percy got to the front of the crowd, wasting no time in saying. "Step back, all of you. No one is to enter this dormitory until it's been searched."

What the f-

"The Fat Lady, she's gone!"

Ginny Weasley had meant to only say that to Harry, Ron and Hermione.

However, she ended up saying it to everyone gathered on the staircase.

Because as the crowd cleared to let Dumbledore and Filch through, Cassia saw the Fat Lady's portrait. It was torn; slashed in several places, and, as Ginny said, it no longer contained the Fat Lady herself.

Dumbledore took a long look at it before saying anything. Then he commanded. "Mr Filch, round up the ghosts, and tell them to search every painting in the castle, to find the Fat Lady."

But Filch only said. "There's no need for ghosts, Professor. She's there."

He pointed up the stairs, to a picture with a bunch of cows in it. Only right now, the picture also displayed a lady standing behind one of the cows, sobbing loudly.

Naturally, as soon as Dumbledore rushed up to her, so did everyone else, cramming up the stairs.

"Dear lady, who did this to you?" Dumbledore asked as soon as they got to her.

The Fat Lady sobbed more, cowering behind the cow. "Eyes like the devil, he's got! And a soul as dark as his name. It's him, headmaster, the one they all talk about! He's here, somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!"

As soon as she said his name, she disappeared behind the cow, sobbing loudly and inconsolably.

"Secure the castle, Mr Filch," Dumbledore announced. "The rest of you, to the great hall!"

But, as people started to move, Cassia stood stock still. Sirius Black had been here. Possibly still was. A convicted killer had been in this castle.

But why, if he was a killer, did Cassia feel an overwhelming urge to find him and talk to him?

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Worse things transpired that night. Cassia had to sleep on thr ground next to Harry Potter, of all people.

"This is fucking ridiculous," she muttered savagely as she unrolled the purple sleeping bag that had been brought for her and chucked it on the floor in her designated spot; in between Poppy and Potter.

"Oh, come on, Cassie, it'll be fun!" Poppy said brightly.

"Cassie?" Cassia raised her eyebrows.

"A new nickname for you, invented by yours truly," Poppy said, pretending to bow for her genius 'invention'. "It suits you."

"I don't think my name suits me, but I can't complain, because my mother wanted to call me Cassiopeia," the girl shuddered. "It's this constellation thing, because my mum and my two aunts, one of whom is in prison and the other who is disowned, all have constellation names."

Poppy shrugged, as they both set about getting into their sleeping bags. "You've literally never explained that to me before."

"You never asked!" Cassia shrugged, as Percy came strutting in.

"Lights out now! Head Boy's orders!"

As he magicked the lights of, Cassia realised something else about the constellation names.

'Sirius' was a constellation, too.

And Sirius Black had been her mother's cousin.

She just hoped Poppy, or anyone else who was listening, wouldn't make that connection.

She sighed, turning over in an effort to get a more comfortable position and knowing she was now facing Harry Potter, though her eyes were closed.

Just sleep, her brain was begging. Just sleep, just sleep, just sleep, just sleep-

❦︎❦︎❦︎

"BRAT!"

"A mistake. The girl clearly did something to the hat or something happened in her head during the sorting. I can assure you that we dealt with the situation-"

"What are you doing?"

"You're a selfish, ignorant child. You had no right to say any of that-"

"Tarnishing our family name as if you care for nothing-"

"BRAT!"

Cassia flinched and gasped as she woke up in a cold sweat, her head was reeling and her cheek was stinging and no that was just her imagination and the room was spinning and she was panting and shaking and-

And oh fuck.

Harry Potter's eyes were open in front of her, and they were wide and concerned and pitiful and oh fucking hell-

She became aware that she was crying as she felt one drip down her face, quickly wiping it away, as well as wiping her eyes.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer, Potter," shewhisper-snapped, before turning over, ignoring whatever comment he was about to make back.

There, she kept her eyes wide open, this time determined not to fall asleep.

She was terrified.

But she would not give into it.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

The next morning, everyone was allowed back into their dormitories to wash and change before heading to their first lesson. As suspected, the search for Sirius Black had gone nowhere and the man was thought to have fleed the castle immediately after speaking to the Fat Lady.

"I still don't understand how he manages to get past dementors," Poppy said to Cassia in DADA the next morning whilst they waited for Lupin to arrive. "That's twice now!"

"Three times," Cassia corrected. "If you count getting out of he-"

She fell silent at the slam of the door, turning in her seat to see not Lupin, but Snape, striding up the aisle in between the desks, slamming the shutters shut with his wand on the way.

As he got to the top, he turned, mouth drawn in a sneer, and said. "Turn to page three hundred and ninety four."

Cassia was torn between laughing at the look on his face and doing what he said.

"Excuse me, sir," Harry piped up. "Where's Professor Lupin?"

"Well, that's not really your concern, is it, Potter- silence, Miss... Malfoy," he said sternly, turning to Cassia, who had sniggered.

She sighed, turning to the page as Snape explained. "Suffice it to say that your Professor finds himself incapable of teaching... at the present time. Turn to page three hundred and ninety four."

Cassia had to fight not to laugh as he jerked his wand in Ron's direction, flipping his pages for him. The boy stared in confusion at the page before uttering. "Werewolves?!"

That was when Cassia looked down at her own page to see that yes, it was a page on werewolves.

"But sir," Hermione turned to Snape. "We just began learning about redcaps and hinkypunks, we're not supposed to start werewolves for weeks-"

"Quiet," Snape snapped. "Now, which one of you can tell me the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?"

Hermione's hand shot up immediately. Everyone else stayed still.

"No one?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "How disappointing."

"Please, sir," Hermione said. "An animagus is a wizard that elects to turn into an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon, when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He'd kill his best friend if he crossed his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to the call of its own kind."

"Awwwoooooooo!" Draco and Theo howled, grinning and laughing. Cassia rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr Malfoy," Snape said curtly. "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn today, Miss Granger. Are you incapable of restraining yourself or do you take pride in being an insufferable know it all?"

Hermione looked as though she'd been struck. Pain and tears filled her eyes and she looked down. Everyone who wasn't Draco, Theo or their little Slytherin bunch, looked at Snape in disgust.

Then Ron yelled. "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

"Detention, Mr Weasley," Snape told him. "Five points from Gryffindor, as well, for speaking out of turn."

Cassia clenched her fists. She knew she couldn't do anything about it, but she felt bad. Why was Snape so unfair?

"And on my desk on Monday morning," Snape finished. "Two rolls of parchment on the werewolf, with specific emphasis on recognising it-"

His homework was drowned out by shouts of protest at the fact that they only had two days to write a whole fucking essay.

"Sir, it's quidditch tomorrow!" Cassia yelled. This year would be her third year on the quidditch team and she was taking it very seriously.

Snape strolled over to her, slamming his hands on her desk. "Well, I suggest you be extra careful, Miss Malfoy. Loss of limb will not excuse you. Turn to page three hundred and ninety four."

"I did," she muttered as the man walked away, knowing she would get even more points taken off Gryffindor if she argued further.

She sighed, turning to Poppy to give her a sympathetic look, then tuning back into the rest of the hell Snape surely had in store for them.