Hera

{Chapter Five}

Cassiopeia-Hera pulled her cousin aside, away from the crowd of their fellow first-year classmates who were on their way back into the castle. She pulled him towards the courtyard and behind a pillar where no one else could see or hear them.

"Draco, what on earth were you thinking?" She was furious.

Never did she think her cousin would go so far to do what he just did. Flying across the Hogwarts grounds without any supervision, chasing Neville Longbottom for such ridiculous reasons. "You could've gotten hurt, you imbecile!"

Draco just pushed off Hera's hands off of his robes, fury in his own eyes. "It's not like it's my first time on a broomstick, Cass."

"Playing quidditch with a remembrall that doesn't even belong to you, in an area you aren't familiar with, will lead you to your own injuries because you don't know how to think!" Her teeth was clenched as she whispered angrily to him. "Now look at you, you made an embarrassment of yourself!"

From a young age, they were taught to uphold the dignity of their pureblood status. To act accordingly as though they were royalty and never do anything to drag their name and status through the mud.

Everyone cheered for Harry's broom riding skills, whilst Draco had received detention for using a broomstick without any supervision. It was clear there was a bias, and Hera was furious that he picked up the broomstick in the first place.

"What would Uncle Lucius do when he hears of this? It hasn't even been a month since we arrived, and here you are causing a ruckus."

Draco scoffed.

It was their first time having as much freedom as they do now, without any of the adults watching over them like hawks, telling them what to do and what not to do. Now that they didn't have Narcissa and Lucius watching over them, it seemed that Hera decided to take that very same role.

"And why are you telling me what to do? We are not with them anymore, Cass! We can do what we ever want."

"The professor's will still contact Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa. They won't just let you do what you want!" Hera replied.

With that last statement, Draco just turned around and started to walk away. Hera called out for him, "Where are you going, I am not done talking to you!"

"Let's just forget this conversation happened, Cass." He mumbled and left her standing in the passage way, all by herself.

♧

Cassiopeia-Hera Lestrange stood by the large door in the infirmary. Nervous, she couldn't bring herself to walk in. She didn't even know why she was doing this in the first place.

There was a part of her feeling bad for what had happened to the clumsy boy, but that didn't concern her at all. So why was she there?

She wouldn't be able to give you an answer if you asked her to.

Just as she was about to turn around and leave, she heard someone. "Excuse me?"

Hera turned around to see that she had been caught by Madame Pomfrey, who was in charge of the Hospital Wing in Hogwarts. Like a deer caught in headlights, she gulped nervously. "I'm...I'm here to see Neville Longbottom?"

The elderly woman looked surprised but she smiled kindly at Hera, which was a first. She hadn't seen such a friendly smile directed at her since she arrived in Hogwarts a month prior. "Of course! He's just resting up now, but you're still able to go see him."

She pointed to the corner of the Hospital Wing where there curtains were drawn. "He's right over there, dear."

Hera nodded nervously and slowly made her way over to Neville. She drew back the curtains and saw that he was laying on his side that hadn't been hurt and his back was facing towards her. Seeing him lying there made her feel sorry for him.

"N-Neville?" She called out to him in a soft voice.

The boy turned his head to see who had just called out his name, but due to his hurt arm he couldn't see properly. So he sat himself up, looking to Hera who stood there awkwardly.

There was a silence between them. The two of them unsure of what to say, and Neville trying to figure out who she was. "Who are you?" He stuttered.

"Well, my name's Cassiopeia-Hera Lestrange..." She replied slowly.

That's when realisation came upon Neville as he finally recognised who she is. Her wild curly hair and the prominent white birthmark on her scalp, it was clear who she resembled.

"You... What are you doing here?" His voice started to shake.

"I just wanted to see if you were alright... I saw you broke your arm."

Hera took a step forward, but Neville shrunk back into his bed. "Stay back!" He stuttered once more.

She stopped in her tracks and saw the same look in his eyes that she was so used to seeing in people she comes across once they realise who she is.

"You..." He started, all he saw was red. He didn't dare look at Hera, he didn't want to see her face. "Get out."

Hera pursed her lips, not know what to do in the situation she found herself in. It hurt her, knowing that he hated her even though he didn't know her as a person, but as the daughter of the people who drove his parents into their demise.

"Neville-" She wanted to prove him wrong but he cut her off from continuing. "I said get out!"

She didn't know what else to do or how to show him that she wasn't her parents.

But she had her pride, so she turned around and left him behind.

Hera was not going to beg for forgiveness.