Chapter 1
Pugsley, Wednesday, Mother, Father, Lurch, Thing and I arrived outside Harry's house in the hearse. I got out of the car with Thing on my shoulder and grabbed my Broom from the boot of the car. I looked up at the house and saw a window with orange bars on it like a prison window. I got on my Broom and flew up to the window. "Thing, take the screws out. I'll get Lurch to catch the bars when they fall. Try to get Harry's attention but stay quiet. Once we're done, we'll take Harry with us. I'm sure Draco won't mind if Harry stays at his place with me." Thing jumped from my shoulder and grabbed one of the bars. I passed a screwdriver to him from my backpack. He used two fingers to stay attached to the bars and his other three fingers to undo the screws. I flew down to the driver's window of the car and Lurch lowered the window. I explained the plan to him and he got out of the car and stood under the window. I flew back up to the window and Harry was looking at me. Once Thing was done with the screws and the bars fell, Lurch caught them. Harry opened his window.
"Cassie! What are you doing here?" Harry whispered.
"Rescuing you, of course. Pass me Hedwig and then get your Broom and we'll fly your Trunk down together." Harry passed me Hedwig and I flew down with her and passed her cage over to Lurch. I flew back up to Harry's window where he was ready with his Trunk. Thing jumped back onto my shoulder and Harry sat down on the windowsill with his feet out of the window. He put his Broom below his legs and carefully lowered himself onto it. Then, he grabbed one end of his Trunk and started pulling it out of the window. I flew over so I was right next to Harry and grabbed the other end of the Trunk when it was close enough. We both slowly lowered down to the ground. Lurch took the Trunk from us and we got off of our Brooms. We followed Lurch over to the still open boot of the car and put our Brooms in after Lurch put Harry's Trunk in there. Hedwig's cage was on the front seat next to Lurch in Pugsley's lap so Harry and I got into the back of the car as Lurch shut the boot.
"Where are we going, Cassie?" Harry asked after I shut the door of the car.
"You and I are going to be staying at Draco's place," I said. I'm looking forward to seeing Draco but I'm looking forward to seeing Narcissa more.
...
I can't believe Narcissa suggested this! Narcissa and I have gotten to spend the entire Diagon Alley trip together. Alone! Narcissa suggested that Lucius take Draco and Harry with him because Lucius and Draco don't like clothes shopping and she was going to spend a while in Madam Malkin's and Gladrags Wizardwear. The last two weeks and during this trip, Narcissa and I have gotten a lot closer (I also got closer with Draco but I don't care that much about that). Harry and I were immediately given permission to call her Narcissa when arriving at Malfoy Manor and we've been given permission to call Lucius by his name too but I don't like him. Narcissa deserves better like me. Narcissa said we can visit whenever we want. I'm totally taking her up on that. Any chance to spend time with Narcissa I am jumping at. She will be mine! "Harry!" I said as I saw him outside Flourish and Blotts where Narcissa had agreed with Lucius we'd meet up.
"Hey, Cassie!" Harry said. "Did you get everything you wanted?" All I had wanted (although Harry doesn't know that) was to spend time with Narcissa and get closer to her. Mission accomplished!
"Yes, Harry," I said with a smile on my face. "Yes, I did."
"Well, we ran into Hagrid in Knockturn Alley," Harry said. "Apparently, he was buying Flesh-Eating Slug Repellant because they're ruining all the school cabbages."
"Of course he was," I said, sarcastically.
...
"Well, that was entertaining," I laughed with Draco as Harry came over after Lockhart had embarrassed him in front of everyone. Narcissa was outside talking to Lucius because I told her I wanted to go down to the Daily Prophet Offices. I want to (if I can) buy the newspaper. A lot of people read the Daily Prophet, it'd be easy to influence the public to my Father's views once his return is known.
"I bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" A voice sounded from behind us and we turned around to see the Weasel family. It was the Weasel in our year that had spoken. "Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."
"Leave him alone," I said.
"Oh, look, Potter. You've got yourself a girlfriend!" Weasel said.
"Yeah, Dude, I'm gay and fuck off," I said and Draco scoffed at Weasel's words. I think he has a crush on Harry.
"You're only upset because you'll never have a girlfriend. Who'd ever be interested in a pathetic, poor, sad git like you?" Draco said to Weasel with a sneer on his face.
"Now, now, Draco, play nicely," Lucius said after putting the Snake Head of his cane on Draco's shoulder. Draco moved out of Lucius' way.
"Oh, look," Weasel said. "It's one of Voldemort's followers who lied to get out of Azkaban. You didn't have much loyalty to your Master then, did you?"
"You must be very brave to mention his name," Lucius said and Ron's chest puffed up and he looked proud of himself until Lucius' next words made him deflate and get really angry. "Or very foolish."
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself," the Mudblood said.
"And you must be... Miss Granger," Lucius said before looking to Draco for confirmation. Draco nodded to his Father and Lucius looked back at the Mudblood. "Yes. Draco's told me all about you and your parents." Lucius looked over to the people the Weasel Father was looking at and they clearly looked out of place. They were so obviously disgusting Muggles. I looked at the Mudblood and caught a look of disgust on her face before she saw me looking at her and she quickly hid it. Interesting. "Muggles, aren't they?"
"They're Muggles but I recently found out that I was adopted," the Mudblood said. "I went to Gringotts and did a Heritage Test a few hours ago. My real name is Rigel Carina Lestrange. According to the Goblin who did the Heritage Test for me, it's not surprising that I ended up in a Muggle Orphanage as my parents, Walburga Black and Reinhard Lestrange, were both married when I was conceived and bastard children of Purebloods often end up in the Muggle World." Lucius looked contemplative and Draco, Harry and the Weasleys looked shocked. Maybe this has something to do with why she looked disgusted when Lucius referred to her Muggle 'parents'? Maybe, now that she knows the truth of her heritage (and probably also knows about her four brothers' pasts) she's starting to see things more the proper Pureblood way... We'll have to see but I'm keeping my eyes on her. Lucius looked at the Weasels.
"Let me see," Lucius said as he appraised the Weasels. "Red hair, vacant expressions..." He picked up a book out of the only female Weasel's cauldron. "Tatty second-hand book, you must be the Weasleys." The Weasel Father came over.
"Children," the Weasel Father said. "It's mad in here. Let's go outside."
"Well, well, well..." Lucius said. "Weasley Senior."
"Lucius," the Weasel Father said.
"Busy time at the Ministry, all those extra raids? I do hope they're paying you overtime but judging by the state of this," Lucius said as he looked at the book he had taken from Weaselette. "I'd say not." He put the book on top of a glossy black book. "What's the use in being a disgrace to the name of Wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?
"We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of Wizard, Malfoy," the Weasel Father said.
"Clearly," Lucius said. "Associating with Muggles..." Lucius looked at the Grangers before dropping the two books in the Weaselette's cauldron and looking back at the Weasel Father. "And I thought your family could sink no lower." The Weasel Father briefly smiled at his family before glaring at Lucius. "I'll see you at work," Lucius said before he left. Harry followed him and Draco and I went to follow him too but Draco looked at the Weasel boys with a weird look on his face.
"See you at school," Draco said and we left.
...
Narcissa, Harry, Draco and I had just arrived at the Daily Prophet Offices. Narcissa had agreed with Lucius that she would take us with her and Lucius would go home as Lucius didn't want to be in Diagon Alley anymore after running into the Weasleys. Draco hadn't been too happy about his Father leaving but he'd still accepted it without complaint after Narcissa had glared at him basically daring him to argue with her. He had just scowled and turned away from her. Harry hadn't cared about whether or not Lucius was here. A blonde woman with bright green eyes and a green Quill and a Writer's Pad flying next to her walked over to us. She's as stunning as Narcissa is... She will be mine! "Ah, Mrs Malfoy," the stunning woman said. "Care to give an interview?" She noticed Draco first and then me (I smirked at her and there was a brief twinkle in her eyes) and then she noticed Harry. I knew immediately when she noticed his scar because her eyes went wide and she got a determined look in her eyes. It's kinda hot. "Or maybe you, Mr Potter. I'm sure the Wizarding World would love to know more about their Saviour."
"Not now, Rita," Narcissa said. "Please." Narcissa turned to us. "Harry, Cassie, this is Rita Skeeter, she's the Daily Prophet's most well-known Reporter." Rita's eyes sparkle at the compliment and she quickly hid her smile when she saw me looking at her only to replace it with a smirk.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Skeeter," I said with a flirtatious (only slightly so it could be easily missed by anyone not looking for it) tone. I could tell that Rita had picked up on it and so had Narcissa. Narcissa seemed to be slightly bothered by it. I clearly need to work harder on making Narcissa mine if she's only slightly bothered by me flirting with someone else. It does seem like Harry and Draco didn't pick up on it though.
"Yeah, it's nice to meet you, Miss Skeeter," Harry said.
"It's nice to meet you both too but both of you call me Rita, please," Rita said and Narcissa looked a little more bothered that Rita had looked at me while saying it with a smirk on her face.
"We're here to see Daniel," Narcissa said to her with a very slight impatience bleeding into her tone. Rita smirked at her. Daniel Lestrange is the owner of the Daily Prophet and the cousin of Rodolphus Lestrange (Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix, was married to Rodolphus).
"Of course," Rita said and she turned around. "Follow me." Rita took us to an office that had a plaque with 'Daniel Lestrange, Editor in Chief' written on it.
...
I know that meeting just cost me 500,000 Galleons (which even Draco and Narcissa had blanched at when Daniel had given me that figure) but it was definitely worth it given that I am now the new owner of the Daily Prophet. I'm still leaving Daniel in charge, though.
...