Change - James F. Potter

Chapter 6: Is There A Map Of This Place?

Song: Gone, Gone, Gone by Philip Phillips

The golden rays of the morning sun flooded through the window sill, lighting up the girls' dormitory. Now, you may be thinking "aw this is like something out of a book" or "that's so romantic and peaceful" and it would have been if the sun had not decided to shine directly onto Cassie's face. 

Cassie bolted uprights in bed, shocked by the sudden amount of light on her face. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by scarlet and gold stars spinning around her, how fitting. 

While wiping the exhaustion from her eyes, she looked around. There was no way she was at Grimmauld Place, it was much too... homey.

"Home," Cassie thought out loud, "This. Is home." 

She smiled at the thought of getting to spend the next 7 years of her life calling Hogwarts her home. She had only been here for less than a day and she already felt more at home than she ever had at Grimmauld Place. Wrapping her blanket around her, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped off. She made her way over to her trunk in hopes of finding her uniform so she could get dressed for the day.

Squinting, Cassie dug through the trunk that her mother had made her spend so long packing neatly, oh well she couldn't punish what she didn't know. 

Cassiopeia's head shot up so fast that she was sure that she had pulled a muscle in her neck. 

Her mother 

One of her cousins had surely sent her mother a letter about what had occurred at the sorting ceremony. The little pricks didn't know how to keep anything to themselves and would surely jump at the chance to get her and Sirius in trouble for their own gain. That was just something that the Black family did. Sacrifice the happiness of others for their own benefit. 

Someone's hand gently touched her shoulder and she instinctively closed her eyes and jumped away, expecting pain. When it never came, she opened one eye, expecting to find someone about to strike her. Instead what she saw was the outline of a redheaded girl with a confused look on her face. Cassie opened her other eye and by the look on Lily's face, she could tell that she was scared. 

"Lily... sorry, I didn't know that it was you. Sorry, again"

She released a breathe that she was unaware she had been holding. 

"It's fine" Lily began, choosing not to touch her again, at least for the time being. "I was just about to ask you if you knew how to tie a tie, if not that's okay, someone is bound to know..." Lily was trailing off by the end of her statement. Lily had been fiddling with the bottom of her dress shirt and was about to turn away when Cassie was finally able to respond.

"Uh yeah. I can help you tie your tie." 

Lily's face lit up, "really? oh, thank you thank you! I don't know what I would have done without you. I mean, I could have asked someone else, but I would have rather a friend due it, you know, less embarrassing and all." 

"Friend?" all the friends' Cassie had consisted of those her parents deemed worthy to be in her presence. It felt good to have a friend that her parents would never approve of. It felt good to have a friend who looked on the bright side of life and not how much money they could have before they died of riches. 

"Yeah, -I mean if you want to of course! You don't have to, I just thought after dinner--" 

"Lily"

"But you don't have to if you think I'm a freak, that's what Petunia says-"

"Lily! Cassie practically yelled to get the flame headed girl's attention, " I would love to be your friend. I was just shocked that you wanted to be my friend. The only other friends I have ever had have either been family or some pureblood supremacists. In my opinion, they are the freaks, not you."