Cassiopeia Black grew up with more on her plate than the usual teen girl. She didn't get to wear pink dresses or cry over boys who had broken her heart. No. She was stuck worrying about her brothers and what the future holds.
James Potter never real...
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( chapter ) one hundred and fourteen
PLATFORM NINE AND THREE QUARTERS was just as busy as it usually was - everyone squashed onto the platform, bumping into and apologising to people that they would probably never see again; people tripping over the feet and trunks of students that they have classes with; people talking to their friends parents about their summers.
Normally you couldn't hear the train as it let out billows over smoke because the bustle of people standing on the platform created so much noise that it was blocked out; people talking to their friends that they hadn't seen all summer; students calling goodbye to their families and loved ones as they made their way onto the train.
But this year it was quieter than usual - almost as though there was a sense of dread that lingered in the air.
"Right, Reg." Cassie said as she stood in front of her brother. "You're a big boy now. The world is a big place and going out in it for the first time can be scary."
Regulus blinked down at his older sister, a look that was a mix of amusement and embarrassment on his face as she continued to speak. He looked at James and Sirius (who stood to the side of Cassie, watching while holding onto Regulus' trunk and the cage which held his owl) with a help-me look, however they both shared a look before shrugging.
"I'll only ever be one letter away-" Cassie pulled a tissue out of her pocket and she sucked on the end of it for a moment before using it to wipe at the invisible dirt that was supposedly on Regulus' cheek. "-you say the word and I'll be there as soon as I can be. But if it's because you dreamt a giant marshmallow ate you again, then I'm not coming. Okay?"
At this point, Regulus really wished that James and Sirius had interrupted Cassie - but by their laughter, it was obvious that they were grateful that they hadn't.
"You had a dream that a marshmallow ate you?" Sirius asked through his laughter, this only made James laugh harder and he had to lean on Regulus' trunk to stop himself from falling over.
Regulus let out an exasperated sigh and turned to look at Cassie, who was finding it hard to contain her own laughter.
"Yes. He had very teeth and his stomach smelt funny. Then he began to digest me and I lost the skin on my arm."
Regulus really wished that he hadn't opened his mouth when James, Cassie and Sirius all burst out laughing once again. James almost fell over and this time Cassie wasn't even trying to hide the laughter that escaped from her lips.
The worst thing was, it wasn't even a lie. He had woken up in cold sweat after being eaten by a marshmallow - it was one of the nights where Cassie had stayed over at the Potters and had caught him as he got some water, he was so certain that she was going to wake someone up with her laughing after he had told her.
