The end of the summer holidays came quickly, much to Cassiopeia's joy.

The Burrow was great, she had lots of fun coming up with prank ideas with the twins and playing with Ginny. She even enjoyed speaking with Percy and learning more about the Wizarding World. And by her side was Harry. It was perfect.

Well, almost.

Mrs. Weasley made her displeasure with Cassiopeia known, albeit in subtle ways. She liked to pretend Cassiopeia wasn't even in the room and oftentimes Cassiopeia caught the older woman sending disgusted looks in her direction.

This type of behavior wasn't new to Cassiopeia. She got enough of those looks and behavior at Wools, but at least there Cassiopeia knew it was because they thought she was different.

"Devil Child!" a matron had screeched at her when she had been drowning - er - bathing a five year old Cassiopeia only for the water to disappear from the tub.

Mrs. Weasley, however, had no reason that Cassiopeia knew of to be treating her in such a way.

In all, Cassiopeia was excited to go to Hogwarts. Harry and Ron spent hours on end detailing the castle to Ginny and herself. They told her of walking armor, talking portraits, and described all the professor's they'd have classes with.

"Professor Flitwick is great, he was a dueling champion." Ron had told them, helping Ginny separate her course books.

"He teaches charms. Professor McGonagall is the best," Harry continued, flicking Cassiopeia on the nose and laughing at her cross-eyed look.

"She's strict, mind you, so you'd do your best to stay out of trouble with her," Ron advised, nodding his head. Ginny and Cassiopeia exchanged bemused glances and giggled. They had heard about their brother's antics last year and found it ironic they were warning them to not get into trouble.

"I'm sure we won't be the ones getting detention for being out past curfew," Ginny retorted, giggling at the flush growing on Ron and Harry's face. One good thing, Cassiopeia noted while she giggled and stuck her tongue out at the two older boys, was that Ginny had come out of her shell since the incident at Flourish and Blotts.

Thinking of it, Cassiopeia subconsciously rubbed her abdomen. She hadn't told anyone of the strange connection she had felt to the blonde boy, Draco Malfoy, in the bookstore. It was strange, not uncomfortable, but a foreign feeling nonetheless. Now that she had felt some type of bond to him, she couldn't help the slightly empty feeling she now experienced. It felt like part of her, part of her soul or identity, was missing. With the connection no longer there tugging at her core, there was a cold shell she felt inside.

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The morning they were scheduled to board the train was one of the most hectic days of Cassiopeia's life. They were all up at cock-crow, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do.

Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood looking for spare socks and quills - Cassiopeia steered right around the woman, not wanting to draw her line of fire onto her. People kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands, and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

Cassiopeia couldn't understand how nine people, seven large trunks, two owls and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. She had tugged onto Harry's sleeve, gesturing for him to crouch down a bit and had asked him as much.

Harry reckoned that Mr. Weasley's special features were what would aid them during the journey. Proven right when they gone outside to ask if Mr. Weasley needed any assistance with the luggage.

"Not a word to Molly," he whispered to the two of them as he opened the boot and showed them how it had been magically expanded so that the trunks fitted easily.

"Wicked," Cassiopeia breathed in awe, beaming up at Mr. Weasley as he ruffled her hair and winked at Harry as he nodded in agreement.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Cassiopeia, Ron, Fred, George and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?"

She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench.

"I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Mr. Weasley started the engine and they trundled out of the yard, only to return as soon as they had passed the front gate. George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick.

They had almost reached the motorway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary.

By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear -"

"No, Arthur."

"No one would see. This little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed - that'd get us up in the air - then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be the wiser ..."

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight."

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year and had explained the entire process of crossing the platform to Cassiopeia.

The tricky bit was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed that they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

"I'll take you along Peia," Percy said, holding a hand out for the slightly pale girl.

The boys had discussed this the night before. As much as Harry wanted to be the one to take Cassiopeia onto the platform, Percy was better suited for the job. The Weasley sons were well aware of the dislike their mother showed Cassiopeia, and they wouldn't put it past her to have the youngest of their group enter the platform last and alone.

"Hold onto the trolley, yes, strong grip" Percy maneuvered Cassiopeia in front of him. "Now close your eyes, we'll run on three."

"Close my eyes?!" Cassiopeia nearly shrieked, whipping around to stare incredulously at Percy.

"It'll be okay," Percy reassured her, "I'm right here with you. Ready? One. Two. Three!"

Together they both ran, Cassiopeia bracing herself for the inevitable crash when they hit the wall, only they didn't crash.

A whistle sounded and chattering was heard.

Cassiopeia opened her eyes, feeling Percy pull them to a stop and stared. A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock . Glancing behind them and around Percy was a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been.

The magic felt more alive to Cassiopeia than it had anywhere else. Colors, all types, blues, greens, yellows, reds, purple, silver, and so much more, zoomed around adults and children alike, swirling and dancing in the air. A gold stream twirled around Cassiopeia before shooting off across the platform making her feel warm and cozy.

"Whoa" Cassiopeia whispered, glancing at Percy.

"Welcome, to platform 9 and three-quarters," Percy smiled down at the ravenette.

"Peia!"

"What do you think?!"

"First time through and everything!"

Fred and George cheered, halting their trolley besides them.

"It's beautiful," Cassiopeia whispered, awe-struck.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny soon crossed the platform and Cassiopeia watched as the matriarch said her goodbyes, shuffling slightly in her place. Where are Harry and Ron?

"C'mon Peia," Ginny tugged on the younger girl's arm, ushering her forward while the twins and Percy loaded their trunks.

"What about Harry?" Cassiopeia bit her lip, staring at the archway, willing the two boys to come stumbling out. "Ron?"

The train whistled again and students were rushing to board.

"Quickly now!," Percy found them a compartment. "I'm sure Ron and Harry will be fine. They'll probably search the train for their friends and come find you later."

"Do you-"

"Want us to-"

"Stay with you?" Concern reflected in Fred and George's eyes after Percy bid them his leave to meet with the other prefects.

Cassiopeia breathed and exchanged a look with Ginny. It's Hogwarts. Harry will be fine. He'll find me in the compartment. I'll be okay. I'll be okay. I'll be okay.

"We'll be alright," Ginny told them, sitting on the bench across from Cassiopeia.

"Yea," Cassiopeia shot them a small smile. "We can't have you two here scaring everyone away." She and Ginny giggled.

The twins smirked, exiting their compartment after reassuring them that they would only be three away from them.

"Are you nervous?" Ginny questioned once she felt the train begin to move.

Cassiopeia looked up from the charms book she had pulled out of her satchel. "A little," She admitted. "Are you?"

"Not really, everyone in my family has only ever been sorted into Gryffindor." Ginny explained, having Cassiopeia's full attention.

"Excuse me, can I sit with you?" a soft voice cut into their conversation. It was soothing, despite how quiet it was and Cassiopeia immediately shifted, feeling a light caress of magic against her core.

"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed brightly, welcoming the girl into the compartment. "Peia, this is Luna Lovegood, she lives over the hill from the Burrow. Luna, this is Cassiopeia Doe."

"Nice to meet you," Cassiopeia smiled, curtseying at the girl who smiled warmly back. Cassiopeia had never been more glad for the etiquette book she had picked up in Diagon Alley. It listed many of the Noble families and the correct way to interact with them. The Lovegoods were both an Ancient and Noble family.

"You too," Luna took a seat next to Ginny. "Lucky, isn't it? I don't see many Wrackspurts around you."

Cassiopeia blinked. Then blinked again.

Ginny facepalmed.

Tilting her head, Cassiopeia stared at Luna in fascination. "What are wrackspurts?"

Ginny groaned and resigned herself to a train ride discussing all of the creatures Luna believed in.

Why did Peia have to be so insanely curious?!

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Thankfully Ginny had been wrong.

Luna had been thrilled to entertain Cassiopeia and answer her questions about Wrackspurts before moving onto Nargles and Blibbering Humdingers before Ginny was able to steer the conversation back to the sorting.

"I think I'll be a Ravenclaw, my parents were both in there." Luna had hummed, biting into a licorice wand she had bought when the sweet trolley stopped by.

"I think I'll be in Slytherin," Cassiopeia cast a side glance at the two girls. She hoped Ginny wouldn't mind her house because she had grown to like the friendship she had made with the girl and Luna fascinated her. She couldn't wait to do more research about the creatures they had discussed so far.

"I think you'd be a great Snake. Or you could even join me in the Raven house!" Luna exclaimed with a smile.

Cassiopeia relaxed a fraction of an inch before looking at Ginny.

Snorting, the red-headed girl smiled fondly at Cassiopeia, "of course you'd be a snake, you're the only person I know who can out prank the twins," Ginny laughed. "That has to count for sneakiness."

Cassiopeia erupted in giggles as the two began to describe the incident after Diagon Alley to Luna.

Fred and George had thought it would be a good idea to wake her and Ginny up with a water prank. In retaliation, Cassiopeia had asked to assist the twins in making one of their rudimentary potions for one of their slime pranks. What they hadn't realized was that Cassiopeia had memorized everything they had used and re-made the potion in Ginny's room. Together, the two girls had planted the potion above the twins' door and watched as they had been covered when they left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'll be back," Cassiopeia stepped out of the compartment, needing to stretch her legs.

She took down a corridor, observing the students passing by her. She waved at one compartment that held the twins and their friends. They had looked at her questioningly, but understood when Cassiopeia explained the need to walk around a bit.

Continuing on, Cassiopeia was just about to turn back around when she felt a tug at her core. It made her stumble, the intensity. It was like the one she had felt at Diagon Alley, only stronger. The ache she had felt before was gone, warmth seeping into her very bones. The tugging was more pronounced, drawing Cassiopeia towards the end of the train.

It was enthralling, beckoning her to move closer. And the closer Cassiopeia came, the more magic seeped into her. It was a sense of familiarity, of a missing piece of her.

"Oomph!" Cassiopeia stumbled back, falling onto her rear.

"Whoa, are you alright?" The voice was a rich tenor, soft and warm with a slight rasp to it. The figure kneeled, holding a hand out to help her up.

"Sorry," Cassiopeia blushed, looking down at her feet. "I wasn't paying attention." The tugging was still guiding her, pulling her towards the end compartment, but it'd be rude of Cassiopeia to leave right away.

"It was no problem," the boy said, brushing off his slacks. "Heir Theodore Nott, pleased to meet you." He bowed at the waist.

Cassiopeia's eyes widened. She knew of the Nott family, they had a whole chapter in her book. Without thinking, "I loved the publication your grandfather made about integration of Olde Ways!" she blurted before quickly covering her mouth with both hands, face aflame. Way to go Peia. Embarrass yourself in front of the first Heir you meet.

Theo's blue eyes widened and he quickly schooled his face to cover his shock, though he was still taken aback.

"Sorry!" Cassiopeia hastily said. "I'm Cassiopeia Doe, pleasure to meet you." She curtseyed. There, do something right.

Theo smiled, Cassiopeia was obviously a muggleborn, but she was one of the few muggleborns that had bothered to learn about Wizarding Culture. Glancing at her uniform he took note that she was a first year.

"Were you going anywhere in particular?" Theo asked, beckoning the girl to walk alongside him back to his compartment. It was all too well that it was the direction Cassiopeia was aiming to go.

"Not exactly," Cassiopeia shrugged. "Just exploring the train."

"Ah, well, you'll find that most of the Slytherin's get compartments back here." Theo explained. "We usually sit amongst ourselves."

"Why? Don't you want to meet with friends in other houses?"

The naivete of the question, so pure, made Theo want to simultaneously chuckle and cry. His heart ached a bit because here was a child so untouched by the biases in the Wizarding World that she thought Slytherins would have friends outside of Slytherin.

"Many of us don't have friends outside of the House." Theo explained patiently. "Those that do are usually older years and those friendships are with allies."

"Allies?"

"Of their House. Alliances that go back centuries."

The discussion continued until they stood in front of Theo's compartment. Cassiopeia had to pause in her step, the tugging intensifying so much that she felt as if her core was being yanked out of her body.

"Would you like to meet my friends? There are two others in the compartment that will be first years as well."

"Sure!" Cassiopeia chirped. Anything to relieve the tugging she felt.

Entering the compartment, Cassiopeia took notice of the occupants.

There was Draco Malfoy, the blonde boy from the Alley. His hair was slicked back, so much that Cassiopeia wondered if his head hurt from how sleek it appeared.

Two other boys sat near him. One was a tanned-skinned boy with ruffled black hair that was wavy and had sparkling violet eyes. Cassiopeia was already enthralled and wanted to look closer, were they really purple? Or was it a refraction of light?

The other boy was smaller than Draco and the violet-eyed boy, but still bigger than her. He had straight, shoulder length brown hair that framed an already pronounced aristocratic face. His eyes, like Draco's, were a light gray.

He, and Draco, were the source, Cassiopeia found, of the tugging. Draco was no surprise, but who was this mysterious person?

Opposite of them sat three girls. Each held a certain air of elegance around them. The only brunette in the group was gangly, with pale skin and hazel eyes. The other two were blondes with identical blue eyes, although the older had her hair falling in ringlets and the younger's hair was pulled into pigtails.

"This is Cassiopeia, Cassiopeia Doe," Theo waved a hand at her as she curtseyed to everyone in the compartment, gaining many raised eyebrows. "We bumped into each other and began talking about traditions."

That seemed to be of some influence to the group as they all relaxed in their seats, Cassiopeia taking the offered space next to the younger blonde girl.

"Cassiopeia, these are Heir Draco Malfoy, Heir Blaise Zabini, Heir Corvus Lestrange, Heiress Pansy Parkinson, Heiress Daphne Greengrass, and Astoria Greengrass." Theo introduced in order, smirking at the way Cassiopeia's eyes grew wide. "Corvus and Astoria will also be first years."

"N-nice to meet you all," Cassiopeia stammered. Holy hell! She was in a compartment filled with future Lords and Ladys.

"Are you excited to be at Hogwarts, Cassiopeia?" Draco asked, eyes fixated on her form.

Cassiopeia's magic sung with the recognition, fluttering in her. She noticed the warmth she felt only increasing as the tugging finally stopped.

Despite this ease, Cassiopeia had not forgotten his rude behavior at Diagon Alley and answered shortly, "I am. It was a surprise when I got my letter."

"I can't imagine," Pansy added. "You live with muggles?" Her voice wasn't dismissive nor rude, Cassiopeia noted. It was filled with unveiled curiosity as she turned to stare at the younger girl.

"Many of them. I live in an orphanage." Cassiopeia made no effort to hide the disgust in her voice at the word orphanage

The others took note and it was Blaise who changed the subject. "Are you not scared of sitting with a bunch of Slytherins? Surely you've heard of our reputation by now."

"Blaise!" Daphne hissed towards the violet-eyed boy who simply shrugged in response.

Cassiopeia, who had heard nothing of his question past the first few words stared at him in glee, which after several minutes made Blaise shift uncomfortably.

He has an accent. He has a cute accent. He has an awesome accent! I want an accent. Can I have an accent. What accent is that?

"Cassiopeia?" Theo broke her train of thought, startling her as she found the entire compartment staring at her and Blaise observing her appraisingly.