𝓢𝓾𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮

VI

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Frowning somewhat, Cassiopeia looked up at her younger brother, who was sat on the leather sofa opposite the armchair that she resided in when in the Slytherin common room. Much to the Malfoy siblings relief, it was barren, so they could discuss more freely than usual.

"And this was all said by Ronald Weasley?" Cassiopeia asked, leaning forward, prompting Draco to nod in response.

"Yeah, just after you left. Potter didn't seem too convinced, though, so nothing major to worry about." the platinum blonde shrugged.

His sister, however, shook her head. An expression of worry spread across her face. "No. No, it's definitely concerning. If I slip up even once, he'll use it as proof that I'm not... well, you know. No, I have to talk to Ron. Or his brothers, they'd spread the word to him and Potter."

Suddenly, Cassiopeia stood up and approached a large mirror that stood proudly over the fireplace. Analysing her face, she was agitated that she looked as put together as normal.

"Draco, how do I look when I'm upset?"

The boy blinked, but cooperated. "Drained, I suppose. And your hair becomes sort of... askew. Especially your fringe."

Taking her little brothers words as gospel, Cassiopeia flicked her hair up and down a few times before taking a hairband off her wrist and tying her fake blonde hair into a low ponytail.

Picking up her wand (sage green with golden lines that carefully twisted and decorated the wand, willow wood, basilisk horn core, 11.5 inches, slight flexiblity), she silently demanded 'Aquamenti', and pointed her wand into the palm of her left hand. A gentle stream of water flower out of the wand, stopping before it came in contact with her sleeve.

"Since when could you do nonverbal magic?" Draco asked, eyeing his sister curiously.

"Towards the end of last year. It's always been something I'm interested in, I suppose. After all, why would I scream my spell when I can surprise my opponent? It's logical." she shrugged, and Draco raised and eyebrow.

"Didn't know you were smart." he quipped, and Cassiopeia smiled as she used the water to smudge her mascara slightly.

"Oh, please. How do I look?" Cassiopeia asked, turning to her brother. She ruffled her fringe slightly, and looked as though she'd been dragged through a bush.

"Miserable."

Cassiopeia grinned. "Perfect."

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Harry and Ron, who were walking with their new acquaintance, Hermione Granger, had just come back from the library. Both boys tuned the girl out as she spoke about a stone she had read about in the large book she was lugging alongside her.

"Merlin, do you ever stop talking?" Ron asked, causing the girls cheeks to flush red in embarrassment.

"Yes!" she paused slightly. A silence fell among the three.

"Do you hear that?" Hermione asked for a moment. Ron went to criticise her, but before he could, he heard a soft, sobbing noise.

"Where's that coming from?" the ginger boy asked, and Harry frowned as his ears tuned into it.

"The stairs?" Harry gestured towards the noise, prompting his friends to all look at each other before running towards the moving stair case.

As they emerged, Harry's eyes scanned the stairs before landing near a wall close to the staircase, and spotting a familiar blonde girl, curled up in a ball.

"Cassie?" he asked, grabbing his friends attention.

The girl looked up at the three, and appeared to be utterly miserable. Her hair was askew, and she had cried nearly all of her mascara off.

"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked harshly, earning a glare from Harry and Hermione.

"She's clearly upset, Ronald!"  Hermione huffed.

"I don't want to be seen like this." Cassiopeia said suddenly, getting the attention of the three first-years. She went to stand up and leave, but Harry and Hermione rushed to her side.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

Blinking slightly, the Malfoy girls eyes filled with tears. She looked up at their ginger friend, before whispering "People have been saying some really nasty stuff about me.".

Hermione could relate to that, and softened immediate. "What sort of things?"

"That I'm some machiavellian, cunning witch. That I'm faking who I am to everyone to get ahead in life. I'm just worried... is that how people see me?" Cassiopeia lamented, before hugging the muggle girl, cringing to herself as she did so.

Harry looked sharply at Ron, who was hanging back from the Malfoy, and the two best friends silently communicated with one another.

Harry jerked his head towards the third-year, as if to say talk to her. Ron wrinkled his nose and shook his head - no chance, absolutely not. The Potter boy rolled his eyes, come off of it.

Sighing, the youngest Weasley boy sullenly made his way over to the pretty older girl. "Umm... if it helps, I've never heard anyone say that stuff. If that's what people thought of you, my brothers would've said." he said awkwardly.

Cassiopeia looked up at him and unwrapped her arms from the frizzy haired Gryffindor girl, walking to him slowly. "Do you mean that?"

"Yeah." Ron nodded, though he was somewhat uncertain about this.

Rubbing her under eyes, the Malfoy broke out into a small smile. "Well, I appreciate that. Thank you, Ronald. These two are lucky to have a friend like you."

And with that, Cassiopeia smiled at the other two Gryffindors before walking away from them. None of them caught the smile that danced on her lips.

It had worked. Harry felt sympathetic towards her, she had managed to give Ronald the attention he clearly desired and, as an extra bonus, she hugged the mudblood, thereby ensuring that Granger would be certain that she wasn't prejudiced.

Salazar, this was easy.

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