Chapter Text
I nervously waited for Harry to show up at the park. I realised I didn't leave a time in the letter for him to meet me, so I've been here since 5 a.m. and I really hope he shows up. I even told Kreacher to make us some lunch at 12, so we could eat lunch if he's here by then. Right now, it's almost 10 and there's still no sign of him. I laid down on the bench, looking around the park. I saw Harry walk over to the swings and look around. There were two other girls here and one boy. I waved him over to me and he smiled a relieved but nervous smile. He came over to me and I sat up so he could sit down next to me. "So, you're my Cousin?" He asked.
"Yep. Hi. I'm Cassiopeia but you can call me Cassie if you want, since we're family and all. So, what to you want to know first? It's... It's not really a nice story, Harry," I said.
"Can you... Tell me about them? I know you probably don't remember them--"
"I never met them but... I... Okay, we're both Wixen, Harry. You're a Wizard and I'm a Witch. I know things I shouldn't. I always have. Not all of what I know ends up being accurate but a lot of it is." His eyes went wide.
"Is this some sort of joke? If it is, it's not funny," he angrily said.
"I can prove it but not here. We're not supposed to do Magic in front of Muggles."
"Muggles?"
"Non-Magic folk. They call them No-Mag in America. Kinda more simple, I guess... I don't know where the word 'Muggle' came from. It's really weird. Your Parents, our whole family, really, were also Wixen." We stand up and go somewhere more private in the small park. I make some pebbles levitate and I turn one pink. He just stared.
"And I... I can do that too? My Parents could?"
"You can with practice. We're not supposed to do Magic outside of school, which we'll start attending on September 1st. You should get your letter soon, asking you if you want to attend, and to reply to it. Don't let the Dursleys see. They know about Magic and they hate Magic. It's why they hate you. Petunia wanted to be a Witch when she was younger and she was jealous of your Mom because your Mom was a Witch and she wasn't. She did love her Sister, still does, but she never really got over that jealousy." I told Harry as much as I could about his Parents and the Wizarding World in the next 8 hours. "And... Well... My Mommy, you know the one who carried me, she's... She's Voldemort." Harry immediately got mad.
"Your Mommy killed my Parents and tried to kill me!?" He yelled.
"Hey! That's my Mommy you're talking about! She... She hasn't been seen since... People think she's dead but I know she isn't! Look, if you want someone to blame, blame Dumbledore! He faked the prophecy! The prophecy is the reason she targeted you! Your Parents wouldn't've died if Dumbledore hadn't wanted to raise you as his child soldier! Yes, my Mommy killed them but she was trying to protect me... If you really were destined to kill her... Obviously, that would happen when you're older and not a baby... What would happen to the person know as her Heir? Her only child? If Hitler had kids, what do you think would've happened to them after he lost World War II? They would've forever judged and hated and blamed me for her actions... She didn't expect to lost but she had to prepare for the possibility of it... And she didn't want to die either. You may've lost your Parents that day but I lost my Mommy too. Whether she's dead or not, I grew up without her because of that day... And my Mom too. She wouldn't've gone looking for her hours later if that day hadn't happened and she wouldn't've ended up getting arrested. And... I agree with what they did. Muggles and Muggleborns keep taking more and more from us and it has to stop. Yes, they could've gone about it in a less prejudice, less violet way but their reasons were just."
"It's not my fault they... I was a baby. I didn't mean to..."
"I don't blame you, Harry... But you shouldn't blame me either... Or them. She only targeted you because of Dumbledore's so-called prophecy."
"Which was overheard by the man who was childhood friends with my Mom and had a crush on her?"
"Yes. He's the Head of Slytherin House and he'll be our Potions Professor in September... He kinda hated your Dad for getting the girl, though. He never even told your Mom how he felt, though, so really it's his own fault... But don't tell him I said that. He's mine and Draco's Godfather."
"And your... Your 'Visions' as you call them... The past ones are accurate?"
"Yeah. The future ones should be accurate unless I do something to change them and messing with time is... Dangerous. Besides, I don't get new ones anymore, even if I do things to change things. So, if I change something big, it could change the future in ways I don't know about and that could result in someone I care about getting killed. So, sometimes bad things might happen and I just let them but don't hate me for it... Worse things might happen otherwise and I will change the super bad things."
"I won't hate you, Cassie. You're my first friend and the first family member I remember meeting that hasn't tried to abuse me."
"Harry... I want to tell you that you can just come home with me and we'll find a way to make my Mama your guardian but... We have to stick to my Visions as much as possible. In your fifth year, it's important you're here for the summer... But, I guess, as long as we're in the Muggle World a lot during that summer, it won't matter... You'll have to spend at least a week there but after that... You could just 'run away' for the rest of the summer to my place or maybe even any other friends you make at Hogwarts."
"Wait, really!?"
"Yeah, you'll have to wait until next summer, though. This summer, it's really important that you stay. Oh, and make sure you don't let the Dursleys see your letter from Hogwarts and write back accepting your place and asking for someone to come to take you to Diagon Alley on your birthday. I'll be at the robes shop at some point during the day and we should run into each other then, okay? It's important that, if the person showing you around is there at the time, you pretend you don't know me... And my Brother's kind of a prat but don't take it personally or get offended. I'm working on it."
"Got it... I guess I should be heading back now..." Harry sadly frowned.
"Harry, if, at any point, you get hungry and they won't let you eat, summon Kreacher. He'll give you something to eat, okay? If they beat you, he'll heal your bruises... Well, the ones they can't see. If the ones they can see are healed, they'll probably just do it again but worse. Oh, and talking to Snakes is frowned upon in the Wizarding World because my Mommy and Salazar Slytherin were Parselmouths and could speak Parseltongue, Snake-language, so it's considered 'Dark'. Anything important to you, pack before your birthday. After your birthday, you won't be going back there for the rest of the summer. You'll either be coming to Malfoy Manor to stay with me and my Mama or to one of the properties I own, where Kreacher can look after you."
"Got it. Bye, Cassie. See you on my birthday!"
"Make sure you don't seem like you don't like Dumbledore if a guy named Hagrid is the one to take you to Diagon Alley and mentions that he's the Headmaster. He's a Dumbledore-worshiper. A Professor is always the one to take the Muggle-Raised to Diagon but I have a feeling Dumbledore will want one of his little followers to. Make sure to pretend you know nothing about any of this."
"Okay. Bye!" Harry walked off. Okay, start making Harry mine instead of Dumbledore's? Check. Make him hate my Mommy less? Check. Make him distrust Dumbledore and the 'Light Side' more? Check. Make him hate Uncle Sev less? Check. This has been a good day.
...
"Oh, hi," I said when Harry came in. I spotted Hagrid leaving through the window. "You found me, Harry. This is my Brother, Draco. Draco, this is our Second Cousin Once Removed, Harry Potter." Draco's eyes went wide.
"Hi," Harry said.
"So, it's true then? What they're saying in Diagon? Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts," Draco said.
"Yeah, so I just wanted to introduce you guys," I said. "Draco, please act normal with him. He's family and we've talked about what happened between our Parents... I'll tell you everything later but you don't mind if he stays with us for the rest of the summer, do you?"
"Of course not."
"Good. We'll bring it up with Mama and Lucius later."
"Father's not going to let it happen. He hates you and he won't stand for another kid that isn't his living with him. He doesn't even want you there still," Draco sadly said. "I just wish you'd get along. Sure, it's mainly his fault but you don't make it any easier."
"Don't start," I warned and Draco reluctantly nodded.
"Fine."
...
"Absolutely not!" Lucius growled when Draco and I brought up Harry staying with us. He agreed to summon Kreacher once he'd ditched Hagrid, so we could all meet.
"Lucius, we cannot leave an abused boy with--" Mama started but she was cut off.
"I will not take in another brat and if you want to take him in, you can do it somewhere else. The girl too. She's claimed her inheritance now. She can live somewhere else. The two can go live together in one of her properties because I will no longer tolerate your brat under my roof. So, you better get packing, Brat, because-" He cut himself off when Mama slapped him harshly.
"Draco, go to your room and pack. Cassie, you too. Kreacher and Dobby will move the stuff to Black Manor. We're leaving," Mama told us.
"You will not be taking Draco. He's my Heir!"
"He's my Son!"
"He's my Son too!"
"Well, we'll let him decide then." They both looked at Draco, who was trying to slip away.
"Er, well, I want to be with both of you but, er... I wanna be with Cassie too, so... I pick Mom." Lucius glared at him and he quickly rushed off to his room with me following close behind.
...
"So, that was... I told you ages ago you deserved better, Mama," I said to her before hugging her. "I'm proud of you, Mama." She chuckled.
"I'm your Mama, I should be saying that to you, not the other way around," Mama said. Draco and I laughed as Kreacher popped in front of us with Harry.
"Harry, you and Draco are on the left. Mama and I are on the right," I told Harry and I pointed at each of their rooms. "Kreacher and Dobby have put our stuff away. You can decorate your room however you want, Harry, okay?" He nodded with tears in his eyes and he quickly went into his room. Draco left for his room too and I pulled my Mama into my room. I locked the door and sat on my bed. "Mommy? Can we talk?" I checked our compatibility level again. Since my birthday, it's been at exactly 71%.