Chapter 3
"Yes, she's starting her first year at Hogwarts with Draco, Lucius," Sev said. "However, Minerva adopted her so she's lived in the castle since she lost her fathers. Minerva knows the truth. She was another spy for the Dark Lord, just as I was. Cassie's already very talented with wandless and non-verbal magic. She's a Parselmouth and Metamorphmagus and could very easily get Outstandings on her N.E.W.T.s at the end of the year but Dumbledore refuses to allow her to skip even just one year. But Minerva and Rolonda argued with Dumbledore a few weeks ago demanding that she have a place on the Quidditch team of whatever House she's Sorted into because of how talented a flyer she is."
"Uncle Sev, we're here!" I grabbed Draco and Sev by the arms and pulled them into the shop. "What animal should I get, Draco?"
"Well, I have an owl. They're very useful but cats are quite useful too. Especially Kneazles as they're very intelligent... Definitely not a toad, though."
"Yeah, they're all boring and yucky."
"Minerva said she got you permission for a cat and an owl, if you want," Sev said.
"Okay, owls first." We looked at the owls but only one seemed to interest me and that was a black eagle owl. "This one." I pointed at the owl. "Is it a boy owl or a girl owl?"
"Boy," the shop owner said.
"Then, I think I'll name him Reggie. After my father," I whispered.
"Cats, next?" I nodded at Draco's words but when I looked over to the cats I immediately saw the cat I wanted. It was a small black kitten.
"That one."
"That's a kitten, not a cat."
"Kittens are baby CATS, uncle Sev. It may be a baby cat but it's still a cat."
"That one's a girl," the shop owner said.
"I want to name her... Athena." I felt pulled towards something at the back of the shop. I started walking towards it and Sev started freaking out when I didn't respond to him calling me. I'll talk to him after I find whatever is calling for me. When I reach the back of the shop, I find out the thing calling me was an egg. A large, shiny, gold and silver egg. "I want this." The others came over but I didn't look away from the egg.
"What is it?" Lucius asked.
"I don't know," the shop owner replied. "I brought it 23 years ago. It still hasn't shown any signs of hatching. It was found hidden deep inside an underwater cave somewhere in Germany."
"Cassie, I don't think you shoul--" I cut Sev off.
"How much?"
"For a one-of-a-kind item? 1,500 Galleons."
"What? You don't even know what it is!?" Sev complained. "You'd take that from a child?"
"For the kid... 1,250 Galleons is the lowest I'm willing to go. I paid 1,000 Galleons for it myself."
"Deal," I said. Everyone looked shocked that I said that. "I want it and it's not like I can't afford that, uncle Sev. We will have to go back to my vault first, though."
"I'll throw in the stuff for the owl and the cat too." The whole time Sev and I visited my vault, he tried to convince me to change my mind but I refused. I ended up paying the shop owner 1,300 Galleons as Athena was 20 and Reggie was 30 Galleons. We made our way to the broom shop with Narcissa, Lucius and Draco who had waited for us to get back from Gringott's.
"I can't believe you just did that," Draco said. "Even I think that's way too expensive." We spent half an hour in the shop even though I already knew I was getting a Nimbus 2000. It's the fastest model yet!
"Hey, Draco?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you wanna come and meet my friends? We're all going to go to my house, McGonagall Manor. It'll be good for you to know them as they all already attend Hogwarts, apart from Ron Weasley but he won't be there. It'll be good for you to know students in the years above."
"You're friends with Blood Traitors?" Lucius asked.
"No. Only Ginny Weasley and the Weasley parents are Blood Traitors. And I don't like any of them and they don't like me. I'd never befriend a Blood Traitor."
"Can I, dad? Mom?"
"Sure, my little dragon," Narcissa said and I snickered. That boy will never live this down.
"Bye, mom, dad," Draco said.
"Bye, Narcissa. Bye, Lucius," Sev said.
"Bye!" Sev took us to the Leaky Cauldron where we met up with my friends. We took turns using the Floo Network to Floo to McGonagall Manor (Minnie connected the Leaky Cauldron's Floo to ours for today only).
"Bye, Sev!"
"Bye, Cassie. Bye, Draco." Sev Floo'd to his house. We all went into the Parlour.
"Everyone, this is Draco Malfoy." I pointed at Draco.
"Hi."
"Hi, Draco. I'm Dexter Yaxley. I go by Dex."
"Dennis Yaxley. People call me 'D'."
"Katherine Travers. Katie."
"We've already met before," Penny said. "I'm Pansy's sister."
"Penelope who prefers Penny. I remember," Draco said.
"William Taylor. Will."
"Jackson Hawke. Jack."
"Jasmine Abbott. Jas. My sister, Hannah, will be in your year."
"Jacob Avery. Jake."
"Malcolm Bulstrode. Mac. My sister, Millicent, she prefers Millie, will also be in your year."
"Jennifer Wilson. Jenny."
"Collin Burke. Cole."
"Jason Cleaver. Jace."
"Terrence Lane. Terry."
"Randall Lestrange. Randy."
"Is your father Rabastan Lestrange?" Draco asked.
"Yeah," Randy said.
"Gregory Flint. Greg."
"Nymphadora Tonks. Never call me Nymphadora if you know what's good for you. I go by Dora. I'm your cousin. My mom's Andromeda Bellatrix Black but she goes by Andy. She was Tonks too but she divorced my father when I was five when his love potion wore off. She's been trying to contact your mother since but she's been refusing my mom's owls so she doesn't know my mom was under a love potion. She would never willingly be with a Mudblood."
"Oh. I'll try to talk to mom about talking to aunt Andy," Draco said.
"William Wealsey. Bill."
"I'm going to be a third-year Gryffindor. I'm Lee Jordan."
"Fred Weasley. George and I are Beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. We're also going to be third-years."
"George Weasley. Our brother, Ronald or Ron, will be in your year and our horrible sister, Ginny, in the year after yours. Our brother, Charlie, also wanted to be here but he's training dragons in Romania."
"Oliver Wood. Ollie. I'm going to be a fifth-year, a Keeper and Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain."
"Percy Weasley. Perce. I'm going to be a fifth-year this year and a Gryffindor Prefect."
"Mary Macmillan. I'm going to be a second-year Hufflepuff. My brother, Ernie, is going to be in your year."
"Cedric Diggory. Ced. I'm going to be a third-year Hufflepuff and I'm a Seeker."
"David Cruz. Dave. I'm going to be a second-year Ravenclaw."
"Cho Chang. I'm going to be a second-year Ravenclaw and I'm going to try out for Seeker."
"Ruby Lockwood. I'm going to be a fourth-year Ravenclaw and I'm a Chaser."
"Penelope Clearwater. Pen. I'm going to be Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain, a Chaser, a fifth-year and a Prefect."
"Lucas Rosier. Luke. I'm going to be a second-year Slytherin and I'm going to try out for Beater."
"Lucian Bole. Luce. I'm going to be a fourth-year Slytherin and I'm a Beater."
"Abraxas Fenders. Brax. I'm going to be a fourth-year Slytherin and I'm a Keeper."
"Marcus Flint. Mark. I'll be Slytherin's Quidditch Captain, a Chaser and a fifth-year this year."
"Fennick Rowle. Fen. I'm going to be a sixth-year Slytherin and I'm a Chaser."
"Hendric Nott. Ric. You know my brother, Theodore but goes by Theo. I'm going to be a seventh-year Slytherin and I'm a Seeker."
"So, next year you won't be at Hogwarts anymore and Slytherin will need a new Seeker?" Draco asked.
"Yeah. Why? Thinking of trying out?" Ric asked.
"Yeah. I love flying and Quidditch... Hey, Cassie? Does that mean if you're a Slytherin, you're going to be a Chaser as it's the only empty spot left?"
"Yeah, Draco. It does," I said.
...
Draco and I sat by ourselves on the train. Our friends told us we can sit with them if no one comes to sit with us and we don't want to sit by ourselves. They wanted us to have a chance to make friends with some of the kids in our year. Draco's already friends with Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Daphne Greengrass, though (I've already met Theo and Pansy but we're not really friends). "So, Cassie... Have any advice for me?"
"Yes. Get yourself some minions."
"What?"
"You want to be a Slytherin, right? All the Slytherins that are taken seriously are in a group. You'll either be a minion or have minions. Which one do you want to be?"
"Have minions not be one... Although... I wouldn't mind both if I was being your minion. You're a natural leader and the Dark Lord's heir so I'll end up following you eventually."
"Okay, how about this... Find yourself some minions and then, if we're both Sorted into Slytherin, you can also be one of my minions... A second-in-command sort of situation."
"Okay, cool. I already know who'd be perfect for that. I'm going to go and offer an... 'Alliance'... Of sorts to Crabbe and Goyle. Hopefully, it goes well and they'll be with me when I come back." Draco stood up.
"Good luck! See you soon." Draco left the compartment. A few minutes later, a boy knocked on the door.
"Hi. Can I sit here? Everywhere else has too many people in there," he asked.
"Sure." The boy sat down. "What's your name?"
"Harry. Harry Potter."
"Hi, Harry... Do you want to be friends?"
"Yeah... What House are you aiming for?"
"Slytherin. But I have friends in every House so I don't mind. My uncle is Head of Slytherin House, my mom is Head of Gryffindor House and another uncle of mine is Head of Ravenclaw House and another aunt of mine is Head of Hufflepuff House. I was adopted by my mother on November 1st 1981 after my father and my dad died. I've spent every school year at Hogwarts with her since but this'll be my first time as a student. I can show you all the cool secret passageways and stuff."
"Cool."
"Oh, by the way, I was sitting with a friend of mine, Draco Malfoy. He'll be back soon with two of his friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle but they go by Crabbe and Goyle."
"Oh. I can leave..."
"No. Stay."
"Why'd you want to be in Slytherin? They're all bad people."
"Now, who told you that?" I told him about what happened with Daniels and her group. "The Slytherins were the ones who helped me."
"Oh, well, Hagrid told me--"
"When did you meet Hagrid?"
"He's the one who took me to Diagon Alley."
"What!? It's supposed to be a Professor, not the school's Gatekeeper!" It's clear Dumbles is behind this. I told Harry everything about me, my life at Hogwarts before now and about my father and my dad. He was shocked. "Harry... Dumbles has already continued on with his plan to manipulate you into being a child soldier. Do you have any idea how many light families would have been willing to adopt you? Mom would've. Some Dark families would've been willing to adopt you just to prove they were not on my dad's side. Purebloods NEVER abuse their kids, Harry."
"Okay... So, if I convince a Pureblood to adopt me... Dumbledore can't do anything about it and I won't have to go back to the Dursleys?"
"Exactly... I'm sure Minnie, my mom, would definitely be willing to adopt you, Harry."
"Really?"
"Yeah and I'd love a brother," I told him.
"I'd love a sister."