Chapter 1
A week before Voldemort fell at the end of the first Wizarding War, Regulus Black died. Many people assumed he was killed by Voldemort. What most didn't know is that it wasn't Voldemort that killed him. No. Voldemort was devastated when he received the news. He loved Regulus and his daughter, who had disappeared that same day. No. It was Dumbledore who had killed him because he had found out about Regulus' relationship with Voldemort and the heir produced. He had originally planned on killing the child but then chose not to. What would hurt Voldemort more than finding out one of the people trying to kill him was his own child? Dumbledore watched the child until the day after Voldemort fell. Then, he gave the child to Minerva McGonagall, one of his most trusted members of the Order of the Phoenix, to raise. He claimed she was a Muggleborn whose parents had died that had no family left. He told her that he didn't want the girl to be raised in the Muggle World as he was worried about how strong her accidental magic already was and he didn't want people getting hurt because the girl couldn't control it. He wanted McGonagall to raise the child for the light. Little did he know, she knew the truth about the child as she was one of Voldemort's many spies.
I opened my eyes and found myself in a strange room filled with gold and red. Yuck. It's a different room to the one my father's killer has been keeping me in, though. I really miss the black, silver, green and purple of my bedroom. The old guy who killed my father, he said his name was Dumble-something but I'm gonna call him Dumbles because I can't say his name out loud and I don't like him anyway, told me yesterday that my dad was killed by a boy called Harry Potter who will be in my year at Hogwarts. I'm supposed to become his friend when I'm older and help him to defeat my dad.
I know old Dumbles doesn't expect me to remember any of this but I'm really smart and I remember everything. Dumbles put him with his Muggle relatives yesterday night even though he knows they're going to hurt him. I heard him talking to himself about it. He wants Harry to be hurt so he looks up to Dumbles for letting him go to Hogwarts during most of the year instead of staying with his mean aunt and uncle and his cousin. Muggles like them are why we have to hide. I hate them! Dad was right about them. I saw an old woman walk over to me. "Hi, little one. My name's Minerva McGonagall, you can call me Minnie. I'm one of your father's spies--"
"Dad. Father was killed by Dumbles," I said, sadly. "Where am I?"
"You're very smart for your age, aren't you? You're at Hogwarts in my spare room. I'm Hogwarts' Transfiguration Professor and Deputy Head. I'm also Head of Gryffindor House, we're the ones with the red ties, and are supposed to be your new mother. However, I won't be anything you don't want me to be. Your father- Dad told me a little about you. He also told me that you consider Severus to be your uncle. He became Hogwarts' Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House, they're the green ties, as of yesterday. If you ever need any help here, ask any of the Professors and Gryffindors to help. You can trust them. All students should help you but try them first."
"Is it true my dad is dead because of a boy called Harry Potter?" I whispered.
"Yes, I'm afraid it is."
"Then, I'd love for you to be my mother. I don't have any parents any more and I've never had a mother before..." I burst into tears at the thought of losing both of my parents. Minnie held me close to her.
...
I've been at Hogwarts for a few months now. The Christmas holidays just ended and this is the first time I've been allowed to wander around by myself. I got lost. Of course. I should remember where I've been with how great my memory is but I started daydreaming so now I have no idea where I am only that classes are supposed to start soon and I can't see anyone a part from two groups of students. One was a group of three green ties and one was a group of five red ties. The green ties were closer and less scary but Minnie said to go to the red ties first. I ignored the green ties across the square open space (Minnie had told me what it was called but I can't remember... Court-something?). I walked over to the red ties but they didn't notice me so I pulled a little on the robes of the only girl. They all looked at me. "Hi. I'm lost. Can you help me find your Head of House, please?" A few chuckled and the girl scoffed.
"No. Get lost." She shoved me over and I fell on my arm. I heard a crack and my arm really hurt. The red ties laughed at me and left. I started crying and saw the green ties come over.
"Please don't hurt me," I whimpered.
"We're not gonna hurt you, kid," the only guy in the group said. "My name's Dexter Yaxley, you can call me Dex. This is Penelope Parkinson, you can call her Penny," the girl he gestured to waved at me. "And Katherine Travers."
"You can call me Katie, kid," Katie said. "We saw what those Gryffindors did to you. Daniels and her group are horrible. Best to stay away from them."
"But my mom, Minnie, is their Head of House and she said that the red ties should help me. Why didn't they?"
"Some Gryffindors are horrible. Some people in general are, regardless of their House," Dex said. "What's your name, kid?"
"Well, I have two different ones. Now that I'm adopted, I've been given the name Hermione Jean McGonagall but my name before was Cassiopeia Narcissa Merope Riddle-Black. My father, Regulus Black, died a few months ago." They looked shocked. "I go by Cassie. Dumbles can't know that I still remember my parents or he'll try to kill me again. But you're my first friends... I can trust you, right?"
"Yeah, you can, kid," Penny said. "You're dad is the Dark Lord, right? The name Tom Riddle was everywhere in the inner circle of Death Eaters... Can we tell our parents? How old are you?"
"You can tell them but don't let them tell anyone else. I'm two. My birthday was on September 19th."
"You'll be in the same year as my little sister, Pansy, then," Penny said. "Do you want us to take you to the Hospital Wing? Or to see your mother?"
"No. After what happened with those red ties, I don't want to be near her right now. She told me I could trust them and she was wrong. I haven't met any more staff yet, though... Maybe, uncle Sevy? He's your Head of House."
"Sure. Potions is our first class today," Katie said. They took me down to the dungeons and entered the classroom with me behind them.
"Yaxley, Parkinson, Travers, you're late," I heard uncle Sevy say. I ducked out from behind them and ran over to uncle Sevy.
"Uncle Sevy!" He looked shocked to see me.
"Cassie? You're alive?" He went to hug me but I stepped back.
"I think my arm's broken, Sevy," I said. "I got lost and Minnie told me to ask some of the red ties for help when I need it but they told me to get lost and pushed me over and I landed on my arm and I think I broke it and they were all laughing at me and then they left and then these green ties came over and became my new friends and they helped me find you and--"
"Cassie, calm down," he chuckled before turning to his class. "Start on your Amortentia potions. I'll be back by the end of the lesson and expect you've all made reasonable progress by then. Anyone who doesn't have a passable potion will be out of my N.E.W.T.s class." He took me to the Hospital Wing. "Poppy, this is Minerva's adopted daughter. She's been injured by some Gryffindors. A few of my sixth-year snakes brought her to me at the start of our Potions lesson. Can you take a look at her, please?"
"Are you sure they weren't the ones who hurt her and just didn't tell the truth?" Poppy asked and Sevy seemed to be mad.
"She's the one who told me who did it." Poppy looked me over and cast a spell on my arm. It hurt for a few seconds and then stopped.
"All better. What's your name, little one?" I thought for a second about a good nickname for Hermione... Maybe Mia?
"Hermione but I prefer Mia."
"Can you tell me what happened to you and who did it?" I told her what I had told Sevy.
"Katie told me that the only girl there was called Daniels but you'd have to ask Dex, Penny or Katie."
"Who?"
"Katherine Travers, Dexter Yaxley and Penelope Parkinson," Sevy said. "The Slytherins who brought her to me. Daniels must be Jessica Daniels. We could always ask Mia to check they're the right people after my snakes tell me who did it. You should get Minerva down here. I have to get back to my snakes." I later found out that the other four Gryffindors were Johnathon Taylor, Thomas Smith, Benjamin Thompson and Christopher Brown. The four of them and Daniels all lost twenty points each from Minnie and thirty points each from Sevy. Of course, all five of them were half-blood or Mudblood in their last year of school.
...
I finally get to watch a Sorting! Everyone refused to tell me how people were Sorted and, since I first came to Hogwarts near the end of October, I've had to wait ten months to find out! Minnie came in a put a stool in front of the staff table with an old hat placed on top of it. At least I'll have a good view from here. Usually, I take turns sitting at different tables and my friends move to whatever table I'm sitting at (unless I decide to sit with Minnie for dinner) but I have to sit at the staff table with Minnie for all the big feasts. She left again before coming in with the new first years. She faced the first years and stood with a scroll next to the stool. "Now, when I call your name, you will come forth, place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be Sorted into your Houses." Wait, what? How? How does putting a hat on Sort people? "Dennis Yaxley." I didn't know Dexter had a younger brother. Dennis sat on the stool and the hat barely touched his head before it spoke.
"Slytherin!" The Slytherin table started to clap for Dennis. I could see Dex, Katie, Penny, Will, Jack and Jas clapping really hard for him. Over the last few months, I'd made many more friends. William Taylor (a half-blood that's way more tolerable than his Gryffindor brother. I'm so glad I never have to put up with Daniels and her gang again), Jackson Hawke and Jasmine Abbott were my new Slytherin friends. Other than Jas and Jack, they were all seventh years now. Jack is a sixth-year and Jas is a fifth-year. Jacob Avery, Malcolm Bulstrode and Jennifer Wilson were my new fourth-year Hufflepuff friends. Collin Burke and Jason Cleaver were my new second-year Gryffindor friends and Terrence Lane, Randall Lestrange and Gregory Flint were my new third-year Ravenclaw friends.