Enemies Working Together

10

The next morning, Cassiopeia wakes up as early as she usually does and quickly wakes Ron and tells him to go back to his room before someone finds out. Ron groans but gets up. She follows him to the door and he stops in the doorway and wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into a passionate kiss.

"Morning, Cass." He whispers, smiling at her.

"Morning, love." She whispers back, leaning up to kiss him softly before gently pushing on his chest to get him to leave the room which he does. She quickly gets dressed and makes sure everything is packed and heads downstairs for breakfast. Not long after everyone else starts waking up, the chaos starts.

There are Weasleys running up and down the stairs and shouting as everyone tries to do their last minute packing. Cassiopeia is leaning against the wall by the bottom of the staircase, waiting for everyone else to be ready. Hearing footsteps, Cassiopeia looks up in time to watch Fred and George's school trunks collide with Ginny. Cassiopeia rushes forward to help Ginny while Molly comes into the room.

"Ginny! What happened?" Molly asks as she watches Cassiopeia pull Ginny to her feet. Ginny quickly snatches her hand away, glaring at the Slytherin.

"Fred and George's trunks hit her in the back and she fell down the stairs." Cassiopeia says. Molly immediately turns angry.

"FRED! GEORGE! YOU COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED YOUR LITTLE SISTER! YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO CARRY YOUR TRUNKS DOWN THE STAIRS!" Because Molly started shouting, so did the portrait of Wallunburga Black and Cassiopeia hurries off to silence her. When she steps in front of the portrait, Walluburga stops shouting and starts frowning at her great-niece instead.

"Cassiopeia." She says in a huffy tone, "I suppose you want me to be quiet, well I suppose I could for you. You look so much like my dear sister." Cassiopeia with a grim smile, closes the curtains and walks back to where her trunk is. Moody stares at her.

"You need to floo to your aunt and uncle's house and they will take you to King's Cross Station." Moody tells her and she nods her head and lugs her luggage to the fireplace.

'Hey. Where are you going?' She hears Ron think and turns around to see him staring at her with a confused look on his face.

'Was told my aunt and uncle are bringing me to the station so I need to go to their house. I'll see you soon, love.' Ron nods his head and she floos away. Ted looks up as she appears in their fireplace and smiles at his niece.

"Hello dear. Have a good summer?" He asks as they wait for Andromea to be ready to leave.

"An interesting one to say the least. What about you?"

"It was good." Before either of them can continue their conversation, Andromea appears in the doorway and smiles at her niece.

"Give your trunk to your uncle, he will apperate with it and I will apperate with you." Ted takes her trunk and Cassiopeia adjusts the strap of her bag and goes to stand beside her aunt and they all apperate to an alleyway not far from King's Cross Station and quickly head into the station and onto platform 9 ¾.

"You be a good girl okay? Focus on your studies and remember to not abuse your power as a prefect." Andromea says as she pulls her niece into a tight hug. Over Andromea's shoulder, Cassiopeia spots her parents and brother. Naracissa meets her daughter's eyes and frowns before looking away. Ted gives Cassiopeia a hug and a kiss to the top of her head.

Cassiopeia heads to the prefect compartment and sits down and waits for the rest of them to show up. Ron and Hermione show up along with the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and Draco is the Slytherin male prefect. Draco sits down beside his sister and Ron sits on her other side, out of habit. Thanks to Dumbledore's teaching, Cassiopeia is skilled at Occumenecy and is able to think about her mission without Ron finding out about it and it doesn't show on her face because of years of being the Ice Princess.

The Head Boy and Girl introduce themselves and explain what being a prefect means and gives each of the prefects their schudules for patroling the castle. Cassiopeia half-listens as she tries to figure out how she will convince her father that it was teenage rebellion and not the truth of her feelings. She thinks her mother might be able to help convince her father but she needs to convince her mother first. Maybe she will just believe her because she wants her daughter back.

"Come sister." Draco says when they are released and Cassiopeia wordlessly follows him.

'Cass?'

'It's okay. I have to patrol with him anyways so it's better if I go with him. See you later, love.' Cassiopeia feels guilt because she knows that soon she will have to lie to him and she doesn't want to. Cassiopeia follows Draco to an empty compartment, instead of the one with their pureblood friends in it.

"What was that all about?" Draco demands, whirling on his twin sister.

"What was all what about?" Cassiopeia says, sitting down, knowing this conversation was going to take a while.

"That stupid letter you wrote! Father said it was really your words!" It occurs to Cassiopeia that she should start sowing the seeds for the teenage rebellion now so it will reach her father faster.

"It was just teenage rebellion that I took too far, Draco. I have had perfect behaviour until this summer, I just wanted to rebel a bit. I took it too far. Please help me get Father to forgive me and let me come back home." Cassiopeia pleads her brother, tears gathering in her eyes. Draco stares at her.

"You definetly took things too far but I don't know that he will forgive you, Peia. I will see what I can do but I will need proof to give him." Cassiopeia nods her head and follows Draco back to the same compartment he always sits in and soon he goes to mess with Potter but Cassiopeia doesn't follow. She couldn't, not with Ron in that compartment. Cassiopeia tries to think of something she can do to help prove it but without damaging her reputation among the Weasleys, her future in-laws.

She decides to allow inspiration to strike her so it doesn't look planned. Cassiopeia listens to Pansy complain about how she didn't get prefect and how perfect Cassiopeia got prefect and how Cassiopeia shouldn't even sit with them as she techincally got disowned this summer. But when Draco returns, Pansy starts saying how cool of Draco it is to still hang out with his sister and how awesome he is.

'Wonder if I will lose my badge for hexing Parkinson's mouth shut.' She thinks at Ron, who in his compartment tries not to laugh out loud.

'Do it. I'll cover for you.' He thinks back, his anger at her twin brother forgotten about.

'You know, there is a number of broom closets at Hogwarts. And as prefects, we have to make sure that they are empty of students.' Cassiopeia thinks slyly.

'Cass! I am with my friends. I am trying my hardest not to blush right now.'

'Just saying, Weasley.'