Cassiopeia Black was late, and it was entirely not her fault.
"Kreacher!" She called angrily, watching as the small, grumbling house elf scrubbed tirelessly at the already spotless picture frame.
While the portrait was mostly covered by a dark sheet, an attempt to keep the painting quiet, she could hear it's shrill voice complaining as Kreacher grumbled back to it.
"Kreacher, please," Cassie called from the bottom of the stairs, "I'm going to miss the train!"
Kreacher finally turned towards her, mouth turned into a deep scowl, as always, "Of course, Miss. Kreacher lives to serve the House of Black."
Cassie rolls her eyes with a huff, "Must you always be so melodramatic, Kreacher?"
He grumbles as Cassie grabs hold of her trunk, and places his small, cold hand on her arm. With a sharp crack, they are transported to Kings Cross Station.
Kreacher doesn't stay with her, as usual, and she boards the train in a hurry.
Cassie's stomach is in knots, it always is after she disapparates with Kreacher, but this time it's also because (as she narrowly boarded the train before it's take off) there is only one compartment left that isn't packed full.
Cassie looks in at the three Gryffindors, and the mysterious stranger sleeping against the window. They are all oblivious to her standing there, leaning forward with serious expressions, deep in conversation. Hesitantly, she slides open the door. The three look at her in surprise, like they've been caught doing something wrong.
"A-All the compartments are, um, full." She sputters out.
She isn't surprised when Ron Weasley scrunches up his freckled nose in distaste. She is a Slytherin after all.
"Of course," Hermione Granger replies politely, sitting up straighter and elbowing Ron as she forces him to scoot farther towards the window. He groans in response, giving Harry an incredulous look.
Harry Potter, she had to admit, didn't look like much for all the attention he was given. She'd had classes with him before of course, but they'd never spoken. Draco would have had her neck if she ever did. Up close, Harry's dark hair is untidy, and he is much scrawnier than she'd imagined. Wasn't he supposed to be some sort of hero?
Harry shrugged back at Ron and Cassie took a seat across from him, closing the compartment door.
Silence fell upon the four students then, and Cassie takes a deep breath. Ron and Hermione seem to be having a silent argument, eyes blazing, and Cassie takes to looking at the large, fluffy orange cat on Hermione's lap. It has an unpleasant, grumpy face that reminds her of Kreacher, except while Kreacher has a large, protruding nose and bat-like ears, the cats face seems to be squished in as if it had run into a wall much too hard. It looks at her with big, blinking eyes, as if asking who she was. Cassie turns away, carefully avoiding Harry Potter's calculating gaze.
To Ron's astonishment, Hermione turns towards Cassie, and instead of looking into the other girls eyes, Cassie focuses on her unkempt curls. Being raised by a house elf has its perks, but basic communication skills were not one of them, especially when it came to strangers.
"You're Cassiopeia Black, right?" She inquires.
"Yes," Cassie replies, looking back to the grumpy cat. "And you're Hermione Granger."
Hermione nods, "This is Harry, and Ron."
Harry nods in greeting, mumbling a quiet hello, but Ron completely ignores the girl. Cassie tries very hard to pretend it doesn't upset her, but how could it not? Perhaps the Gryffindor's are as snobby and self-entitled as Draco had said.
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The Grim - PoA
Fanfiction"So what was worse? Being a liar, a traitor, or being honest about what she was planning? Certainly the last, she thought. They could never know. She could easily imagine what they would think of her then, and perhaps it was selfish of her. But Cass...
