"Professor Slughorn!"
Cassiopea Black stormed into the Potions classroom. She realized there was those classes Slughorn made for students in 5th year and she mustn't come in right now, but Snape was nowhere to be found and she needed help with Draco.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I need some help," she said, taking deep breaths. She was exhausted by running around the castle, she realized that Kol and Daphne were still holding Draco in the Slytherin common room. "It's about my cousin and I can't find professor Snape and..."
"Oh, miss Black, don't worry. Tell me what's wrong with Mr Malfoy and we'll fix it!" Slughorn smiled at her.
Cassie looked around the room, realizing that Ginny Weasley was here and she would probably tell her big brother what had happened in Potions.
"He has drank some Love Potion, professor and... He is singing for Daphne Greengrass now in the Slytherin common room."
"Miss Black will stay with you," he told his students. "If there is any problem, ask her..." he looked at Cassie. "I hope you can help them while I fix Mr Malfoy. Until then, please, try to tell me the truth about how exactly you got a love potion."
And he left the classroom, leaving Cassiopea with 5th year Griffindors and Slytherin. She nodded to a few of the Slytherins, hissed at some Griffindors.
"What Potion are you making?" she asked one of the younger Slytherins.
"Erumpent Potion," he answered. "In my opinion it's not as good as the Bombarda charm."
"Yeah, I think so too," Cassie laughed. "I used the Bombarda charm on Umbridge on 1st September last year."
The Slytherins turned their heads to her, ready for her to tell them some stories of herself. But right now Cassie wasn't in a mood for stories.
So she looked at the students, making Potions.
Draco, Merlin, what an idiot! She had told him over and over again not to drink or eat anything that the Golden trio gives him. But suddenly he does. Of course he wouldn't listen to her...
Cassie took a deep breath and leaned back in Slughorn's chair. She looked around the classroom again. How many times she had been here with her friends? How many times they had laughed here?
And they were leaving Hogwarts next year. They could die.
She wasn't ready to say goodbye to Hogwarts. She wasn't ready for her plan. She wasn't ready for killing someone. She wasn't ready for anything. She wasn't a true leader to the Death-Eaters.
Cassie bit her lower lip.
What about her friends? Kol was Voldemort's son. He could take care of himself, but... So many things happen. Just look at Draco. He was a powerful wizard and yet he was tricked into drinking a love potion. And Daphne? She couldn't even imagine what would happen to her. She was dating Fred, but...
"Miss Black?"
Cassie looked up at Slughorn. She jumped from his seat and almost stared crying her questions.
"He is alright," the professor said before she could even open her mouth. "But... I talked to him and... Miss Black... I can't explain what had happened to your cousin, but the love potion must be really strong to cause this... Things he sees."
"What things?"
"Like Mr Greengrass' father. It's not possible to be Tom Riddle!" Slughorn even laughed. "I mean. He must be a close family, that will explain the similar looks, but... He is not his son! And you? Leading the Death-Eaters?!" Cassie froze. "The poor boy. Whatever was given him it messed up his mind..."
"But is he OK?" she asked. "Mind and body?"
"Oh, yes. Of course, he is. Just the love potion was really strong. Sometimes when the one that give us the love potion hates people, we start imagine things about them," Slughorn said calmly. "Like what Mr Malfoy has said about you and Mr Greengrass. Is there any possibility that you can tell me Mr Greengrass' father's name?"
Cassie rose her eyebrows. "Why is that?"
"Well, I am an concerned teacher. I have the right to know, don't I? I remember his mother. Lydia. What a beautiful girl. They were friends with your mother, you know?"
"Yes. She wasn't married to Kol's father actually. He is a... Bulgarian. I don't know the name."
Slughorn nodded, relieved. He looked at his class. Most of the students were looking at their textbooks, trying to figure out what they had done wrong. Others were looking at Cassie.
She was going to beat the shit out of Hermione Granger if the plan failed.
Cassie waved at the professor for good-bye and left the classroom, smiling only at a few of the Slytherins.
*******
Draco Malfoy, the third in command of the new leader of the Death-Eaters, was pressed against the wall with wand, pointing at his throat. "Now," Daphne hissed at him. "What do we say when a fucking muddblood gives us water and ask us to immediately drink it?"
"No," he responded immediately as Cassiopea came in the Slytherin common room. He looked at his cousin for help, but Cassie just sat down on the couch, smiling deadly at him. "Please, cousin !"
"We are not killing you!" Cassie said sharply. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if we called Snape instead of Slughorn? Or could have happened if you went to Potter and his friends today?"
Draco didn't answer.
"Seriously, Draco," Cassie stood up, "we are a team. A family. You said it yourself."
Daphne looked at her best friend, lowering her wand. Cassie took another step in their direction, while Kol was still sitting on the couch.
"I love you," she said when she hugged her cousin. "We are your family. If you don't tell us that something strange was happening how are we supposed to help you?"
He once again didn't answer, but Cassie felt him shaking in her hands. Then she heard him sobbing. "I thought... I thought she loved me!"
"I know," Cassie said quietly. She took Draco's face in her hands. "But she doesn't. She never will. And before you say that, no. Nothing is wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are. With your poems about war and death. With drinking on Friday night. With having fun and helping with great plans."
Draco's face was wet from his tears. He opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. "I'm sorry."
"There is nothing to be sorry about," Kol said. "Nothing has happened. Slughorn believed whatever Cassie has told him. But you have to be more careful. And let Hermione go. That's the only way."
"I... I can't," he said. "It's like you let go of Cassie."
"I have never given him a love potion," Cassie said. "And if there was a problem with Hermione, why didn't you tell us? You told us about the break ups."
"I had sex with her at the end of 5th year," he admitted. "She's not pregnant, don't worry, but... I liked it. Like I have never like anything else. And I have tried with other women. It didn't felt like this. Like Hermione. And..."
Cassie hugged him once again when he broke down in tears. She was going to hurt that bitch so badly that even her friends wouldn't find a way to help her. She was going to torture her just like Bellatrix did with the Longbottoms.
No one hurted her family lived long after. No one.
And then an idea appeared in her mind. She turned to Kol and Daphne with nothing but anger on her face. "What if we do something?" she asked. "Let's make a Slytherin gathering first. I want to hear our stories."
*******
At the end of the next week, the Slytherin common room was full with snakes from 1st to 7th year. Most of them looked tired as Cassiopea Black jumped on one of the coffee tables in the middle of the room and looked around the room.
"Silence!" a 7th year screamed.
"Thanks, James," Cassie smiled when her brothers and sisters fell silent.
"Always, princess," he said.
"So," Cassiopea looked around the room at the youngest children who looked so scared like they had done something wrong. "As you know, my cousin Draco Malfoy was given a love potion some time ago. From a Griffindor."
The crowd started whispering, but none of them looked surprised. Cassie looked at Draco with a silent question. Can I go on? Her cousin nodded.
"And that Griffindor was Hermione Granger."
The room fell silent. Like no one had expected it. Hermione Granger, the lioness.
James laughed. "Every friend of Potter's is our enemy! Malfoy should know that."
"How many of you," Cassie screamed, "have been hurt by a Griffindor? No matter if the hurt was physical or mental. You don't have to share what happened, but tell me if you were."
90% of the Slytherins raised their hands and Cassie froze. All of the 1st years, all of the 2nd years... Merlin, who was insulting children.
"Sweetheart," she turned to one of the 1st years - a girl with blonde hair, which was already crying, "can you come to me, please?" the girl nodded and went to Cassie. "What's your name?"
"Katherine Nott," the girl sobbed. "I-I'm Theo's sister."
"That's great, sweetie. If you don't mind, can I ask you what happened?"
Katherine looked over to her big brother, who nodded. "I... Some Griffindors made fun of me. And on the Sorting ceremony..." she cried and ran to her brother's opened arms. Theo shook his head as he whispered something is her ear. It's alright, he wanted to tell Cassie.
"Thanks, Katherine. You're a really brave girl," Cassie said as the girl turned around with a little smile on her lips. "OK. How many of you have been hurt or insulted by the Golden trio?"
Again most of the Slytherins raised their hands. Cassie raised her hand as well and looked around. James. Katherine. Theo. Pancy. Blaise. Draco. Kol. Astoria. Daphne...
"When I was still a Gryffindor," Cassie decided to share, "the Trio had this game. At the end of the week they say who had made more Slytherins cry and the one with the most wins. Maybe they are still playing it... But I think this has to end. The Griffindors and more importantly the Golden trio think they own the school. And they treat us like... Less human beings. But should I remind you which house has the best dorms? Which house has a basilisk... "
"It has killed..."
"A snake kills only when it feels danger," Cassie smiled. "We all do."
The Slytherins looked at one another, then they looked at Cassie. Theo was still hugging his sister when he asked, "What are you suggesting?"
"To fight back. We, the older students, know some protection spells, hexes and even curses, but we still have a lot to learn. Yet the younger ones don't know what we do. And there is a war coming."
She felt her heart skipping a beat as she looked at all of them-at the 1st years which faces paled, at the students on her age that looked at them, ready to protect, the older ones who looked around the common room like it was going to disappear. She looked at them all and her heart... It just stopped.
She figured out that it wasn't about her and Harry. That it wasn't just Harry who was going to die. There were hundreds, if not thousands of people who were going to lose their lives. Mothers and fathers who were going to lose a son or a daughter. Brothers and sisters who were going to lose their siblings.
She had to stop that. Now. Or at least make sure that the dead were as less as possible.
"So?" Theo asked. "You want us to do second Dumbledore's army?"
"Not Dumbledore's!" Daphne called out. "Slytherin."
"Think about it," Cassie said. "When it all starts they will blame us! They won't want us to fight for them. So we won't have another choice. Except for Voldemort."
None of them answered. Most of their parents were Death-Eaters during the 1st Wizarding War.
"But we will fight for Hogwarts," she went on. "And we have do our best to protect Hogwarts, don't we?"
And with that question the Slytherin army started making its plan and started their training.
*********
17th May, 1973
Narcissa was sitting alone by the lake, thinking about calling Bellatrix by the mirror. She knew she had to. But she didn't want to disappoint Andromeda. She did not want to tell Andromeda she had seen her with the muddblood. Kissing.
She took a deep breath and stood up. There was only one person who was going to listen just because he loved Andy just as much as Cissa did. And he would probably help her.
Narcissa Black knocked on the door of professor Slughorn's classroom. She opened the door, smiling nicely to the Head of her house. "Good day, professor Slughorn. May I take Sirius for a while? Professor McGonagall wants to see him."
She looked over to her younger cousin. Sirius froze next to his friends and the Snape boy, who was walking after Malfoy during the last year. Sirius looked at the Potions master like he knew what was coming and he was ready to beg for Slughorn to let him stay in class.
"Of course, my dear!" Slughorn smiled. "Come on, Mr Black, go with your cousin."
Sirius stood up carefully, taking his back, not looking away from Narcissa. Scared little lion. She almost laughed.
They went out of the room and Sirius stopped. "I am in trouble, aren't I? Father is her, isn't he?" he sobbed. Cissa fell down on her knees in front of Sirius. "Cissy, he is going to kill me this time!"
"No, little lion," she smiled at him, hugging him as tightly as possible. She thought for a moment to go inside and take a permission for both her and Sirius to go to Hogsmeade. "Everything is alright. I just wanted to talk to you..."
"But-But... I really did something, Cissy. And father is here and he is going to punish me..."
"Sh-h. We are going to Hogsmeade," she said. "I'll buy some ice-cream and we will talk. OK?"
Sirius nodded, trying to hide his tears. If he wasn't so big Narcissa would take him in her arms as she did when they were a little bit younger and she would carry him all the way. He would bury his face in her hair crying.
***********
"So Andy is dating that muddblood?" Sirius asked. Narcissa nodded. "And uncle and auntie want you to choose between them and Bella and Andy?"
"Well, they don't know yet," Narcissa said. "But they will want me to choose. And so would your father." She saw how he was shaking under the table and decided not to asked what had happened during the Christmas holidays when he and Regulus were with Orion. "The point is that I don't know what to do. I wanted to ask Bellatrix, but she would scream at me for hiding such a secret from her."
"And why don't you talk to Nana?" Sirius asked, putting another spoon of ice cream in his mouth. She smiled at how innocent he looked.
"She wants all of us to marry a pureblood."
"I know, but muddbloods aren't that bad. There is this girl in my year. Lily Evans. But I call her Red, because of her hair."
Narcissa smiled even more. He liked a girl! Sirius actually liked girls! Oh, Merlin, at least one of them was normal.
Oh, wait. The girl was a muddblood.
"Nothing like that," Sirius warned his cousin. "James likes her. Anyway. I have met Ted Tonks. He is nice. He helped me find Potions when Bellatrix decided not to talk to me and he convinced professor Slughorn not to take points from Griffindor for me being late."
"So you think we should choose her?" Narcissa asked.
"I love Andy," Sirius said. "I really do. She is my blood and I would never leave her alone... But Reg needs me more, Cissa. And mom. If I am not allowed to see them, how am I going to take care of them?"
Cissa nodded. "You're right. So we stay where we are, but we won't stop talking to her?"
Sirius nodded. "Can you buy me more juice, please? I kind of like it."
Cissa laughed and ordered some more juice and more ice-cream. She had forgotten how much she enjoyed this moments. Just her and another Black. When she was 11 and 12 Bellatrix used to take her to Hogsmeade every single weekend, telling McGonagall that their mother is in the village and she wanted to see them.
Just as she told McGonagall that great-aunt Cassiopeia is waiting for them in the Three Broomsticks and she was going to kill them if they were late.
"So," Narcissa said. "Is there a special girl? Or a boy? I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Count me in."
The two cousins turned around to see Bellatrix standing near them, looking at them with a soft smile. She sat down next to Narcissa and looked at both of their faces.
The new Mrs Lestrange was supposed to be on a honeymoon. Yet she was sitting on the same table as her and Sirius.
"I heard most of the conversation," she said. "And I also want to hear about the girl or the boy. Please tell me it's that half-blood. I kind of ship it."
"Who ?" Sirius asked. "Remus?" his cheeks turned red. "No, Bella! He... He.. He is my friend!"
"That's what Narcissa said about the Zabini girl and I still found the Zabini girl between Narcissa's legs, didn't I?"
Sirius laughed with Bella while Cissa was turning red. "You are the worst!" she almost yelled. "Be serious for once!"
"She is not Sirius! I am."
Cissa rolled her eyes with a smile. "Of course you are, sleepy head. Bella, why..."
"Malfoy came into my room while I and Lestrange were... You know what..."
"I thought you didn't even like him," Sirius called. "Why are you having sex with him?"
"Because sex is... You are 12," Bellatrix cut herself off. "On the age of 12 I didn't know what sex was."
"And I have a father who has brought a lot of girls in his bed. I have seen how he was having sex with two girls! It wasn't that disgusting, but he wanted me to join!"
Bella looked at her younger sister. "And our father is the messed up one?"