It didn't take Cassiopeia long to realise that she had reappeared in Draco's life, too late, for he was already exactly like his father.
Lucius had succeeded in turning his son into a miniature version of himself.
And even though Cassiopeia could tell that Draco had a heart, underneath it all, she feared that there was too much darkness on top of it, stopping the goodness from shining out.
It was almost like her godsons were complete opposites. Draco had been raised with everything, and it had made him cold, whereas Harry had been raised with nothing, which had made kind.Cassiopeia realised that she would have to spend a lot more time with Draco, if she wanted him to turn into a decent human being in the future, and not a copy of his father.
Luckily, Narcissa was not adverse to the idea of Draco spending more time with Cassiopeia. And she promised to bring Draco to see Cassiopeia as often as she could during the school holidays.
This meant that during the summer when Harry was home, Cassiopeia would have to split her time between both boys.When the boys first year ended, Cassiopeia didn't go to King's Cross because she didn't want to risk being recognised by both of them at once, as that would raise a lot of questions.
But the following day she headed straight to Privet Drive to reunite with Harry, whom she hadn't seen in person, since September the 1st, the previous year.
"You've grown" exclaimed Cassiopeia, as she hugged Harry tight.
"Well, it has almost been a year since you last saw me" reminded Harry."That is true, but I didn't want you coming back here during the holidays. I knew you'd have a much better time at Hogwarts, since my brother always seemed to do so. And I have nothing to offer you here. Even though it means I have to go months without seeing you, Hogwarts is the happiest and safest place for you to be" said Cassiopeia.
Harry chuckled, "Sure".
"What do you mean?" Frowned Cassiopeia.
"Nothing. I just find it funny that you and Hagrid call Hogwarts the safest place on earth, but I nearly died like a dozen times this past year" explained Harry."I don't remember you saying any of that in your letters" said Cassiopeia.
"Well, I didn't want to worry you, so I didn't tell you everything that I went through at Hogwarts" admitted Harry awkwardly.
"What exactly happened to you this year, that you didn't want to put in writing?" Demanded Cassiopeia.
"Well, during my first Quidditch game, my broomstick tried to throw me off, because one of my teachers was hexing it"
"I always knew Quidditch was dangerous"
"It is. But I love it"."So did your father... What else happened to you?" Asked Cassiopeia.
"Well, two members of staff spent the whole year trying to get me expelled. Snape and Filch really seemed to hate me" admitted Harry.
"Luckily they failed though, right?" Questioned Cassiopeia.
"Yeah, but I might have been safer if I'd been expelled, because a troll tried to kill me, as did a giant three headed dog and a baby dragon, but these events just made me closer to my friends if I'm being honest" answered Harry.
"I see. Anything else happen that I should know about?"
"Well, yes... At the end of the year You-Know-Who tried to kill me again and bring himself back from the dead"
"Say that again"."Well, it turns out that You-Know-Who has been possessing my teacher Professor Quirrel all year, to try and get close enough to me to kill me and steal something called the Philosopher's Stone, which was being kept at Hogwarts. Long story short, me, Hermione and Ron figure the stone stuff out and go through a bunch of trials to try and get the stone first. We nearly get killed by Devil's Snare, flying keys, giant chess pieces, another troll, and dangerous potions. But in the end, I made it to the last room and managed to stop You-Know-Who from getting the stone" revealed Harry.
"Merlin's beard! Where on earth was Dumbledore during all this?" Demanded Cassiopeia.
"Well, when I asked him that, he made it sound like he kind of wanted to test me, to see if I had what it takes to get through all the trials. Which I did, and he said he was impressed with me. But he did show up at the end to scare off You-Know-Who, so that I didn't have to face him. And he's destroyed the Philosopher's Stone for good, so that You-Know-Who can't use it to come back to life" answered Harry.
"Dumbledore is supposed to be protecting you, not throwing you into dangerous situations. If I wasn't on the run, me and him would be having some serious words" announced Cassiopeia.Harry grinned, "I'd love to see you take on Dumbledore".
"Don't think that I won't. He may be an old man, but I won't let that affect how hard I punch him in the face" informed Cassiopeia.
"Please don't hit Dumbledore, as he did save me several times this year" admitted Harry.
"It sounds like you were the one saving yourself. He was about as useful as a chocolate fireguard this year. Maybe I should send him an anonymous letter, warning him to take better care of you next year".
"No, I don't want you to risk doing anything that might get you sent to Azkaban"
"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself"."Yeah I know... You're looking a lot better than I remember" commented Harry.
"Thank you. I've recently taken a cash in hand job, so I have some money coming in, and that has enabled me to take up a permanent residence nearby. I can also buy myself food and clothes, which I couldn't really do before" explained Cassiopeia, twisting the truth slightly.
"So, you're not living on the streets any more?" Asked Harry.
"Nope. But I have recently reduced my hours, so that I can devote all of my time to you this summer"
"I don't want you to lose your job, because you are spending time with me"
"You come first Harry, never forget that. You come before any job or any task that I might have. You are my number one priority"."I still don't want you to go back to living on the streets, because of me" Harry said awkwardly.
"Don't worry little one, I've got it all sorted out. I will make sure that even though I am spending almost every day with you, I still have time to spend time on other important things in my life" replied Cassiopeia, who's thoughts were on Draco.
"I just don't want you making any more sacrifices for me" admitted Harry.
"I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe and looked after, as that is what I promised your parents I would do... Now, let's go and get some ice cream, to make your first day back with the Dursleys a little more bearable"
"That sounds good to me".

YOU ARE READING
Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)
FanfictionAfter living what she thinks is the worst life ever, Cassiopeia Black is determined to make sure that Harry Potter's life is not as bad as hers. She spends her days watching over him from afar, never revealing herself to him, in case he ever told an...