Temptation

Nothing made her angrier than people poking their noses in her business, especially when it was her brother. For Merlin's sake, she was here for two whole days and he has already managed to ruin it for her. She wondered if it was something every older brother did or if it was just a thing for her stupid one to fuck everything in her life up.

Though for these 2 days, she really grew to like Hogwarts, fewer rules, more fun, and more fun boys. But last night she really didn't mean to get involved with anyone, she had just arrived and had yet to be introduced to everything and everyone, and that made her lose her mind even more when her brother shouted at her and Cormac when he tried to talk to her, in front of everybody. He had no right. She can handle it, it is her life, and she knows what she doesn't want, and she surely doesn't want Cormac. He didn't care until now, so why now? She knew he wasn't very enthusiastic when he found out she was getting transferred to Hogwarts, and that was totally fine with her, but to act fully mad when she tried making a few friends, that had her fuming.

Since she figured she wouldn't be able to have a normal sibling relationship with him here, not that she did for a long time, when she thought about it, the last normal, not shouting at each other kind of conversation they had was probably just before she started Beauxbatons, she will avoid him.

„Do you want to get out later, a walk around the castle, to show you the grounds?“ Astoria asked her smile kind, something Cassiopeia appreciated on her. She had known Astoria from a few years ago when her father had brought her along to a meeting he had with her father, at the time they had bonded over their love for the porcelain doll collection they both had. Though Cassiopeia surely owned a few pieces more, a few of which were unique and rare, Astoria never seemed to envy her, or she never showed it openly, that was what Cassiopeia liked most about her, her groundedness and calm demeanor.

„Yeah, I think I'd like that...“

„We could go by the Quidditch field, there are tryouts for the Slytherin team today...“ Her friend winked at her, gesturing to the boys that would be around there. Cassiopeia smirked as they got to their last class for the day.

Come to classes, she found them to be much fun, they are pretty much the same as in Beauxbatons, though she'd argue they are a bit easier here, well for what she's seen this one day she had them, maybe she should wait a few more days to make that conclusion but for now, she didn't hate it. She always was an excellent student, something that was expected from her, being a Malfoy and all that, and so was her brother, second in his year, just below a girl she knew he always envied, Granger, she had heard him talking or better say losing his mind about when they were younger. She was a muggle, something their family had a strong agenda against, and with that, she was the best in his year, and him never being able to be better, it was so funny to Cassiopeia, so funny she always wanted to meet that girl and thank her even though she was a muggle. Her parents were expecting her to exceed here too, which felt tiring, but also unavoidable. Many things in her family were unavoidable, amongst them were family holidays and dinners, and a reputation Cassiopeia tends to forget about. But just yesterday she was reminded of it, upon her arrival here, and after a private Sorting Ceremony, when she parted with her family, she had come across two girls, Raveclaws, they had approached her intending to get to know the new student, but after she had told them their name, they stood there in shock in front of her, she had asked them what the matter was, and they explained to her they would have never guessed she was a Malfoy, not by the way she talked. She didn't question them anymore after that, as she knew what an arse her brother could sometimes be. She couldn't deny it, and a few hours after the word spread out that „Malfoy's little sister transferred to Hogwarts“  she found herself catching dirty looks and whispers, which honestly, just made her mad, but to those kinds of people, who chose not to give her a chance to introduce herself before they judge her, she decided to show just how Malfoy she could be.

After dismissal, Astoria and Cassiopeia headed towards the Quidditch field, on their way Astoria informed her about all the „hot guys“. Most of them were older than them, and in Slytherin, and her brother's friend group, but there were some honorable mentions from the other houses.

„So did you see anyone who interested you at the party last night?“ Honestly, she didn't. There were a few cute ones, but none of them caught her attention. Not at the party at least.

„No, not really, but I just arrived so there's plenty of time...“

Their conversation about boys ended there, as neither of them felt comfortable enough to share things like crushes or boyfriends yet, but Cassiopeia knew that it wouldn't take her long before they came there.

Climbing up the tower to the bleachers Astoria and Cassiopeia find themself not alone, the girls from breakfast, Astoria's sister Daphne, and Pansy were taking up the front seats. Astoria didn't seem eager to go down, taking a seat at the back Cassiopeia joined.

„So, is your sister as annoying as my brother? Or is she normal?“ Cassiopeia let her eyes fall down to the blonde she would have never connected to Astoria, then back to her friend who did the same.

„No, not really, she's actually pretty cool, I like to hang out with her sometimes, we're pretty close, but she doesn't like me hanging around her friends much...“ She explained, Cassiopeia's mind went to the time she was like that with Draco, which was really a long time ago, sometimes she wished they stayed like that, but they had no chance against the time and distance.

Cassiopeia didn't comment after that, they stayed quiet for a bit as the tryouts started and they watched boys and girls fly on brooms, trying to impress the older Slytherins on the ground. She never got the hype over Quidditch, she found it rather boring, but it was something Draco always loved, and therefore she used to try and follow up, but she stopped.

Suddenly a broom stopped in front of the bleachers, right in front of the two older girls, Cassiopeia recognized the guy as Theodore Nott, her brother's best friend, whom she had known way before her brother even started Hogwarts. Last night she had an unexpected encounter with him, his comment being something that stuck in her mind the whole day.

He had said something to the girls, and after a moment his eyes drifted up to where she and Astoria were sitting, he didn't wear the smirk from last night. Theodore Nott was Cassiopeia's first-ever crush, but that evaporated a long time ago.

He didn't take his eyes off of her for some time, not until the girls in front of him turned around and looked at them too. He had said something and they'd laughed, turning their looks away from them.

Soon he flew away, and the girls got up before they walked past them they stopped for a second, Pansy smiling at the younger girls, her crimson lips showing off her white teeth, Cassiopeia found both of them very beautiful, it was no shock they were quite popular with the boys.

„Got the whole school talking Malfoy...“ The black-haired witch said with a smirk on her lips. There was no mean undertone one would hear with a sentence like this.

„Nothing I haven't heard already...“ Cassiopeia's hands laid crossed on top of her crossed legs, lady-like, something she was taught to be her whole life, and all her previous school years had to be. It stuck with her throughout the years.

Pansy looked over to her best friend with a smirk on her lips, then back to the younger girls.

„I like you.“ She said her tone amused. „Maybe more than your brother already, don't tell him tho-...“ She winked at her before they turned around and walked away.

The Quidditch field emptied, but the two friends stayed talking, getting to know each other, bonding over now different interests and not over long-forgotten dolls. Forgetting the time, they hadn't gone to lunch, so they had waited in their dorm for dinner. When the time came they walked to the Great Hall. Many weren't there yet, including her brother and his friends, which was working in her favor.

Taking the silverware she noticed how some of the other students used their hands, she didn't like that, maybe because she spent her whole life in lessons on how to act ladylike, and in her previous school there were expectations for the students there, you had to act a certain way to be accepted, which of course, with the Malfoy name, comes without a question.

A sound of laughter made her attention drift away from the food on her plate to the entrance, for a second there she scolded herself for not eating faster, her brother and all of his friends came in like a pack of wolves ready to hunt down their prey. She knew of these friends of his, well, most of them, she knew Theo from way before, he was in their house even before they started school, Blaise too, Mattheo and Lorenzo she knew only off of stories Draco told when their mother and father asked about the people he surrounded himself with here, the Parkinsons are family friends for a long time, though she hadn't had the chance to meet Pansy until today, and Astoria's sister too, Daphne. There were two more boys she couldn't remember names to, but has seen them in school today, she knew they were Draco's henchmen in the earlier years, but as it seems they they don't hang around him much now. She knew her brother and his friends would sometimes gather in the Manor, but that was usually when she would be away in France with her own friends, not that she ever wanted to be around them. But from all of them, she knew Theodore Nott the best, even though that wasn't much at all. She used to have such a big crush on him growing up, but she got over it once she started Beauxbatons, it was only a childhood crush and nothing more, really, she doesn't see him that way now. But she would be lying if she said he wasn't attractive, he was, only now that wasn't a big thing to her anymore.

„Oi, little Malfoy!“ She heard from around the table as they chose to sit all around her friend and her. The male voice belongs to Mattheo Riddle. „How you liking the school so far, you're not getting lost, are you?“ She slowly turned towards him and with a smile, she answered.

„It's quite alright...“

„Everything you ever dreamed of!?“ He let out a chuckle after his question.

„And so much more...“ She answered sarcastically, with a smirk on her lips. There was no point asking her these questions, keeping in mind, she was here for only two days.

After her answer the crew started talking something about Quidditch she didn't care to understand, and she was finished, only waiting for her friend to get done too so they could leave.

„So, Cassiopeia, are you going to see your brother play Quidditch in a few weeks?“ Pansy asked while putting a strawberry in between her lips and biting in. It made some of the boys from the Slytherin table look over, mesmerized, Cassiopeia noticed.

„No, she's not“ Draco answered before she could even attempt to think of an answer, and she didn't like that, rude.

She leaned on her hand so she could see Draco better. „Didn't know your name was Cassiopeia!?“ She raised an eyebrow. „If I needed someone to talk for me I'd call Mippy!“ Her words made his friends laugh through their teeth. Draco seemed mad now but at his own fault. „To answer your question, I probably will not, I'm rather not the biggest Quidditch fan, though, I will make an exception if it would make my brother happy!“ She smirked in her brother's direction. The answer sounded sarcastic, to be funny, but she knew that deep down she had meant it, even though she wouldn't admit it right now, she did mean it, but they didn't know that.

With a fake laugh, Draco brushed her words off, while his friends made a few 'aww' sounds pointing in Draco's direction.

Cassiopeia noticed a surprised look from Theo, and she smirked at him, she wasn't the little girl her brother didn't want around her friends when sleeping over.

„A Malfoy if I ever saw one!“ Said Daphne in a low tone. Theo confirmed her words with a nod and an amused smirk.

Moments later Astoria and Cassiopeia got up, waving bye to the crew that was surrounding them.