Sang Qui Lie

Cass had practically slept through Care of Magical Creatures. She wasn't altogether sure why she had chosen to take this class. Both the teacher and the learning material were rather frightening. Oddly enough, though, Ron leaned over and talked to Cass.

"Heard you cursed your cousin," he began. "And where did you learn to do a Patronus like that, huh?"

Cass rolled her eyes. "At Durmstrang, we learn real curses and jinxes, not the stuff Hogwarts teaches. " That comment seemed to offend Ron. He turned around and was silent the rest of the class.

The lesson had ended and Cass had just begun to pack her things up when someone tapped on her shoulder. She turned. It was Harry. He motioned for her to follow him. Cass didn't know if it was her own simple curiosity or those bright green eyes that beckoned her. Quietly, she followed him towards the lake.

"Cassandra," he began.

"Cass," she corrected. "I hate the name Cassandra."

Harry continued, startled. "Cass, then. I wanted to talk to you. I've realized I can't go the entire year ignoring you. This morning...when you talked about cursing Draco, he shot you this venomous look. So, I figured any enemy of Draco's should be a friend of mine."

They sat on a bench looking up towards the school. Out of the corner of her eye, Cass saw a flash of furry white. She smiled. Probably Artemis.

Harry seemed to be struggling to get something out. He took a deep breath. "You're not a normal Malfoy."

Cass burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. He was so serious. He didn't understand what he had just said. It was great.

"I'm not normal? Based on what, Harry? Are you comparing me to Draco and his parents?" Harry looked flabbergasted. Cass felt a twinge of guilt. He seemed to genuinely want to talk to her. "Sorry. You're right. My parents are just like Narcissa and Lucius. My whole family is like them. People like Bellatrix Lestrange are related to me, Harry. I am definitively different."

Harry relaxed more. "Hermione and Ron think your Malfoy loyalties could endanger Gryffindor." There was a rustle in the bushes behind them. Harry rolled his eyes. "See? They even followed us out here to 'protect' me." Another rustle. "They want to know where your loyalties lie, with your family or with your house."

Cass grew angry. "How dare you! You and your Gryffindor arrogance! You want me to abandon my family for a bunch of people that hate me?! Never!"

"Not everyone hates you. Your family has practically abandoned you. Why stick up for them?"

"They're my family, Harry!" Cass shrieked.

"Your family is evil!" Harry stood up vehemently. "Death Eaters, the lot of them! And you dare to defend them?" He sat down hard.

"I know what the public thinks of my family." Cass mumbled. "But nobody understands, or even cares, why Malfoys and other families like us are the way we are."

Harry looked at Cass. "Why should anyone care? They've done too much harm..."

"Do you know what I grew up in?" Cass interrupted. "Lies. Lies and deception. We learn it at an early age. How not to get caught, how to feign innocence. And we all get our share of punishment when we fail." Cass shivered. "I can remember my father coming home gloating about some dead Muggles or Mudbloods. Since Voldemort has returned, stronger than most think, I might add, my father has been gone almost constantly. From birth we-Draco, Artemis, me-live under the hand of a Voldemort follower. Harry, you've met Voldemort. Imaging living with him. The fear of living with that type of person will change everyone. Some people, like Draco, give into this...evil. They become like their parents. To escape the fear and to protect themselves, they become the very thing they fear. People like me, who are the minority, are repulsed by the family we live with. Knowing some of the things my parents have done...I know I never want to be anything like them."

Cass stopped and looked down. "I'm not going to tell you if I'm more loyal to my family or my house. Gryffindor will have to trust me to do what's right. And if they can't...then that's too bad."

She looked up. Harry was bent forward, his elbows on his knees, hands clasped in front of him, He was staring off towards the school, deep in thought. Finally he spoke. "Nobody else is going to trust you."

Cass could have yelped from joy. He believed her. This was the first time anyone from Hogwarts had looked at her without contempt. Keeping cool, she added. "If the fact that I'm in Gryffindor isn't enough to prove I'm not a normal Malfoy, then what is?" She smiled.

Hermione and Ron came out from behind the, trying to look nonchalant. "Lunch is going to be over soon. Let's go!" Ron motioned towards the school. Cass and Harry stood up. Again, Cass noticed a white wolf slinking around her vision. Together, the four of them walked back up to the school.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The rest of the week passed quickly. Professor Rhodes awarded fifty points to Slytherin and Gryffindor for Harry, Artemis, Cass, and Draco's Patronuses. Cass discovered Wednesdays were awful-History of Magic, Ancient Runes, and Astronomy.

Surprisingly, other Gryffindors relaxed and began to talking to Cass. It was as if Harry's acceptance of her had spread to everyone. Hermione, Lavender, Parvati, and Desaray- Cass's roommates- began giggling about cute guys, even Draco, every morning. Life got easier and Cass felt more at home than she had ever been.

It was Friday after lunch. The majority of the Gryffindors were now drearily heading down to the dungeons for Potions. Harry and Ron were dragging Cass down the stairs.

"Why are you so worried? You're amazing at Defense. What's wrong with Potions?"

"You don't understand, Ron. I cannot do potions. I am completely inept. I will blow up the school! Whoever is my partner should seriously fear for his life! Then, after I get done completely humiliating myself, Snape will be there to verbally pulverize me. Please, Hermione, Lavender, help me!"

Hermione just smiled and shrugged. As the group came closer to the classroom, Cass tried to calm down and straighten herself up. She was not going to let Snape she her panic.

Silently, the class filled into the barely lit, damp room. Cass slid in between Harry and Hermione. Glancing around, Cass spotted Artemis. Artemis raised an eyebrow and smiled. She knew firsthand how bad Cass was at potion-making. The last time Cass had worked with Artemis, their eyebrows had ended up blue.

Cass felt a draft and turned around. Snape floated into the room. He looked around arrogantly. Turning around quickly, Cass could feel his eyes burning holes in the back of her head.

"Class," Snape nodded toward the group, but his eyes remained on Cass. She had to will herself to not look away. I will not be intimidated.

"As you already know, this class will separate the wand-waving fools from the true witches and wizards of these two......noble houses." Snape's eyes moved to the Slytherin half of the room.

"So let us begin." He turned and waved his wand at the board. Cass though it a curious way to write up instructions considering what he had just said.

"Today we will be making a simple sleeping potion. I am going to pair you up." Snape walked around the room, mumbling matches. "Bullstrode, Granger. Zabini, Weasley. Artemis, Potter. Draco, Cassandra..."

Cass rubbed her head and stood to move nearer to Draco. This was great. Draco was a Potions god. Cass was like some measly little flea compared to him. He was going to humiliate her.

Draco had already set up his cauldron and lit the fire underneath. He looked at the board. "This is not a difficult potion. Despite what I know you are thinking, I want a good grade in here. Do exactly what I say and we'll both be fine."

Cass nodded graciously. Draco handed her a mortar and pistol. "Can you grind up some dried dragons hearts, or are you that bad?"

Cass jerked the ingredients out of his hand and started to grind. She watched quietly as Draco added, stirred, mixed, and brewed. At long last, he told Cass to pour in the hearts. "Slowly," he added.

She cautiously tipped the mortar and let the ground hearts slid in. So far, nothing had gone wrong. Cass felt a small glimmer of hope. Maybe she would survive this potions class.

Snape leaned over her shoulder and peeked into the cauldron. He sneered. "Cassandra, why is this....this concoction green?"

Cass jerked. She looked hurriedly around the room. Every cauldron held a bubbling brown liquid. Except hers. The thick, slimy green soup reflected Draco's sadistic grin. Her eyes flashing she gazed up into the face of her cousin.

Mustering all the power in her, Cass calmly replied, "I'm not sure, Professor Snape. Perhaps you should ask Draco. He seems to know."

"I am not asking Draco! I am asking you! 20 points from Gryffindor for your cheekiness. And another 20 for your incompetence."

"But I didn't do it! Draco did the..."

"Ms. Malfoy! Another ten!"

Cass opened her mouth to argue, but locked eyes with Harry. His sympathetic yet stern gaze was telling her to shut up. She closed her mouth, but glowered menacingly at Draco. His smug face flashed a grin back to his buddies. Cass was seething.

"Enough, enough! Get back to work."

Draco bent down to prod the fire. A thought flickered through Cass's mind of Draco reeling and spinning, his hair on fire. The thought gave her some pleasure. She smiled.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The cauldron shook violently as Draco fell away from the fire. Cass gasped. His hair was on fire! Chaos erupted as cauldrons overturned and girls ran screaming. Draco, of course, was the loudest of them all.

"Outside! Everyone, outside in the hall right now!" Snape roared over the commotion. Cass turned and ran out the door with the rest of the class. In the hall, the noise was terrible.

"What did you do to him, Gryffindor scum?!" Pansy Parkinson screamed. "You caught his hair on fire!"

"I didn't do a thing!" Cass yelled back. She was looking for Artemis. She needed to talk to Artemis. She couldn't find her. She looked at Harry, who seemed to be thinking. He looked at her and shook his head. Reluctantly, he smiled.

"Silence!" Snape suddenly appeared in the doorway. He was fuming, but the sulking and singed Draco behind him was shooting daggers at anyone who looked at his burnt hair. "I am taking Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing. Since the majority of your potions are now pooled on my floor, we will complete this lesson next Friday. Class is dismissed. Except you, Cassandra!"

Cass's shoulders sagged. She looked from Draco to Snape. "Yes?"

"I want my room spotless when I return understood? Or there will be consequences." Snape stormed off, his cloak billowing behind him.

Cass walked into the classroom and waved her wand. Almost instantly, the cauldrons straightened themselves and the potions evaporated. Professors at this school seemed to think Cass would do menial labor instead of using magic. Yeah, right.

Walking back to the Gryffindor tower, Cass went through the incident in her mind. The daydream, her smile, then WHOOSH! Draco was on fire. While it was a dream, the thought of burning Draco's hair was amusing. But now, Cass realized how bad this really was. She hadn't caused this, had she?