I want to thank those who have followed, favorited, reviewed, and kept going with this story. it feels great and I appreciate you all! I know this might feel like filler but its been a while since I posted and I dodnt want anyome to feel as if Id abandoned this story. i promise i havent and I hope you enjoy it

Cassia's hand rested gently in Cedric's, with her back against the stonewall and her DADA book propped on her lap. As he continued to draw small circles on her palm, Cassia attempted to keep her thoughts on studying and not on the flutter of her own heart at her boyfriend's affection.

Boyfriend. She smiled at the thought. Her very first boyfriend. And to think it had been two weeks since he'd asked her. Cassia remembered that night vividly…

Cassia gasped at the area around her. Somehow, Cedric had charmed the fireflies to surround them. Circling the two of them as if they were the earth orbiting the sun(she knew she'd have to ask him to teach her later). Grabbing her hand, Cedric twirled Cassia around, causing her to laugh in surprise.

Looking down in her eyes, Cedric brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. Cassia held her breath as she remained perfectly still, ready for what she hoped he was about to do. Hoping for her very first kiss.

"I really like you." He said softly.

Her smile seemed to expand ten fold. "I really like you, too." She responded.

"Cassia Picquery, would you go out with me?" He said with a bashful laugh, before continuing. "I mean, would you be my girlfriend?"

With a gleaming expression, Cassia stood on her tiptoes. Grabbing Cedric by the shirt she jerked his face down to her level, boldly kissing him on the cheek. "Most definitely." She answered.

Cedric hadn't expected Cassia's actions at all, which had only made it even more exhilarating. Her bold move had given him the confidence he needed and before she knew it, Cedric had captured her lips onto his own. With one hand on her cheek and the other laying firmly on her back, Cedric moved his lips softly over Cassia's before gently pulling away. Though their kiss was short lived, both had felt the sudden rush that seemed to envelop their very core.

As her legs began to feel wobbly, Cassia felt a little like bursting into song, and had she been in a musical this would be the part with her big solo. She'd waited thirteen years for her first kiss and Cedric Diggory had made it absolutely perfect…..

"Oi! Diggory!" William Vanderbilt, Cedric's best friend, shouted from across the courtyard. "Can you take your tongue out of your girlfriends mouth for half a second so I can talk to ya?"

His outburst caused several others in the courtyard to turn and stare at the couple, as Diggory let out a groan of embarrassment before rising to his feet. Cassia, who giggled at the thought of such a display, rolled her eyes and continued taking notes.

"Thank for that, mate." Cedric said sarcastically.

"What'r friends for?" William replied with a wide grin.

William was tall, matching Cedric in height. His dark complexion and black hair complimented his chocolate eyes. He was handsome, playful, and kind to everyone at school. There wasn't a student that could say an ill will toward him(except a bitter Slytherin who hated that his pureblood family was kind to even muggle-borns).

"Cedric treating you right, Picquery?" He said with a wink.

Peeking over her book, Cassia smirked, already used to his flirtatious ways. "Always." She answered.

"Well, you let me know when you've come to your senses and need someone who can match your good looks."

With a laugh, Cassia shook her head. "Will do." She replied.

"Other than trying to steal my girlfriend, what can I do for you, Will?" Cedric said, giving William a shove on the shoulder.

"I was headed toward Charms class and just making sure you showed up." He pointed a stern finger at Cedric as if he'd ever missed a class in his life which considering he was one of Hogwarts finest students was pretty far fetched.

"Always the do-gooder." Cassia started out. "Thank goodness you're here to keep us all in line."

"So true." William replied.

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Shouted a third year Gryffindor who gripped a Daily Prophet in his hands as he ran toward a group of his friends.

Cassia's eyes caught glimpse of Lucius' face on the cover before an ache seemed to build inside her chest. Rising to her feet, she looked to Cedric who nodded, knowing perfectly well she would be looking for Draco. With a soft smile, she waved before turning to leave.

-0-0-

Hermione felt a new wave of anxiety sweep over her as she stared down at the paper. She'd already been worried for Harry as his interactions with the dementors seemed to be getting worse and had it not been for Professor Lupin's agreement with Harry to teach him the Patronus charm she would have been seriously reeling. But then news that Lucius had been spotted once again had her worrying both Harry and Draco would go looking for the one person they should be staying miles away from.

The moment she'd seen the paper she'd gone straight to the Great Hall looking for the boys. When she'd spotted them, the two were already stuffing their faces.

"We've got to talk" she said, as she approached their table.

Harry smiled at her, taking another drink of his juice. "Morning. I suppose whatever it is can't wait til I've finished my breakfast?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Granger, I already saw the papers. It's old news." Draco said before taking another bite of his breakfast.

"That's not the point." She said, getting ready to clarify before Draco interrupted.

"I told you, once we get the polyjuice potion then I'll go after him. Since I don't have it, I'm not going anywhere."

Hermione sighed. "Draco, I'm not helping you get the ingredients from Snape's potion supplies. Honestly, why would I help you so you can leave the safest place for you? "

Draco shrugged. "Not going to lie." He started out before taking a bite of the apple in his hand and rising to his feet. "Would have been easier with your help, but still not impossible."

Giving Hermione a derisive sort of wink, Draco turned on his heel, making his way out of the Great Hall.

Facing Harry, Hermione shook her head in disapproval. "He's impossible."

Harry took another bite of his breakfast. "He's especially touchy these days. With Cass dating Diggory and all."

Seamus, who had become friends with Draco and Harry over the years, let out a snort having overheard Harry's last words. "That's not even the half of it. Yesterday he came this close to bitin' my head off. We've got to get the bastard a good shagging."

Hermione's face scrunched in disgust. "Oh, that's just grotes." She said ready to leave before the conversation could get any worse. "After your class, meet me in the library. I think I've found something important but I need to be sure."

"Okay." Harry replied, curious as to what she'd discovered.

Reading his face, Hermione moved to whisper in his ear. "I think I found some information on Aduna's family history. It might help us discover what she's after."

Immediately turning to face her, Harry nodded. "See you there."

Hermione turned with a final wave, heading straight for the library. Considering her choice to take on extra classes, it was lucky that she wouldn't have another class that day. Her afternoon could be devoted instead to discovering what Aduna was after. Hermione thought if she was worth something to her group of friends, it was definitely her keen ability to research and find credible answers. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

-0-0-

"So tell me, Bernard." Aduna said, touching the tip of her blade in her hand. "What did you learn during your Hogsmeade?"

"Exactly as you predicted, my lady." Frederick replied with his head tilted in a slight bow. "There were many individuals to protect it and charms over several businesses that took a great deal of effort to break. By the time we could burn several down many of those you instructed were already apprehended."

Aduna nodded, pointing the blade at Frederick. "Exactly."

Lucius, who sat comfortably beside the large stone fireplace, turned to face both Aduna and Frederick. His dark suit was regal and obviously expensive and something in his manner made it clear he wanted others to notice that fact.

"And there were those who claimed to have seen my son?" He asked with authority.

"Yes Lord Malfoy. Though I didn't see him myself. I was told that when many of the students fled, he turned to fight, even managing to disarm a witch among our troops. Before getting away."

Aduna smirked. "My my, it seems your son is quite talented."

"That was never in question." Lucius stated boldly.

"My lady, if I may?" Frederick asked. When she motioned for him to speak he continued. "Why did you ask your followers to attack Hogsmeade, knowing it was too well protected to cause any true harm or gain any true ground?"

Holding her blade she raised it above the no-maj she'd been torturing for fun. Tiring of his scream, she dug the blood deep into his chest, penetrating his heart. Both Frederick and Lucius remained quiet, used to her bloodthirst. When she finally rose, she wiped his blood on a cloth.

"Because, Frederick. Only a mad woman would think they had the chance to infiltrate Hogsmeade or Hogwarts." Pausing, she smiled deviously. "And people always underestimate madness; thinking I will simply do foolish things for madness' sake. I give them what they believe I am. When I am so much more."

-0-0-

Draco walked the length of the hall with his eyes fixed straight ahead. Several students watched him pass as they looked above the Daily Prophet in their hands. He didn't have to hear their words to figure out they were wondering if Draco would eventually wind up like his father. His skin grew hot as he held onto the mask that hid his emotions so well.

Just as determined as he always was, Draco remained stoic. Doing his best to show the world he was nothing like his barking mad father.

"Draco." Cassia shouted from behind him.

Grateful for the distraction, he paused, waiting for her to reach his side. Her dark hair was fastened in a braid that fell over her left shoulder with a few escaped curls that seemed to bounce with each long stride.

"Draco." She said again, once she'd reached him. Her eyes were sad and he sensed she was going to bring up his father.

"Save it, Picquery. I'm not in the mood to talk father issues with you."

Cassia rolled her eyes. "You can play tough with everyone else but I know you and this shit sucks big time. So talk to me."

Draco laughed, enjoying when her accent came out fully like it had then. "There is something I needed to talk to you about?"

"Okay, shoot."

Draco's eyes scanned around them before he spoke. "Not here. It needs to be alone."

Cass looked around, taking in the few students nearby and those that were passing. "Okay, where and when?"

"Tonight. 1 AM. In your common room. Take the mirror."

"Draco, what's going on?" Cassia asked, suspiciously.

"Did you hit your head this morning?" He started derisively. "I just said not here, Cass."

"You're the one getting all Barney Collier with your covert mission." Cassia's arms raised above her head in dramatic fashion. "But fine I'll be there."

With that Cassia stomped off, mumbling incoherently to herself. A few students stopped and stared, raising their eyebrows before it caught her attention. "No worries, just talking to the voices in my head." She said with an overzealous grin, clearly unaffected by what they thought.

Draco smirked before heading to class. Shaking his head, he spoke to himself. "I never get her references."

-0-0-

Cassia paced Ravenclaw common room, gripping the two way mirror in her hand. Occasionally, she would glance toward both the girls' and boys' rooms, worried someone might wake up. It was now 1:20 and Draco was late.

With an exasperated sigh, she fell onto a plush blue chaise that faced a glass-paned window. It was a place she often sat when studying or reading a good book.

"Cass." She heard come from the glass. With a jolt, she sat up and held the mirror before her.

"What took so long?" She said, annoyed.

"Got held up " He replied, his tone coming off short. When he could see she would press it further Draco sighed. "There was others in the common room, I had to wait for them to finally head up."

"So what is it?" Cassia asked, wanting to get right to the point.

"I'm leaving Hogwarts tonight and I want you to come with me."

Cassia's mouth fell open in shock. "What?"

"The other night I was trying to get into Severus' potion supplies to make polyjuice. I wanted to become Frankfort Fink, the auror."

"Why?" Cassia asked, interrupting.

"I have a feeling he's the one informing Aduna of everything-

"Why Frankfort?" She interrupted again.

Draco scoffed. "Can I finish a bloody sentence?"

Cassia rolled her eyes. "Go on then."

"When I was five and had visited mum, there was a box hidden beneath the floorboard of my father's den. I don't think even my mother knew of its existence. It contained nothing but a small piece of parchment with what I've always assumed were initials and the dark mark. Everyone i've been able to give a guess as to who they were. a Goyle, a Lestrange and a Crouch. Except F.C.F. When I found out that under Douglas' command was a man named Frankfort Charles Fink, I knew it must be him that's the traitor."

"Please tell me you told this to Sirius or Remus." Cassia's eyes were closed in hope, though she was certain it was in vain.

"If I had, I would lose my chance to confront my father."

Cassia sighed, taking in everything Draco was telling her. "That's why you wanted the polyjuice." All the pieces were fitting together like a puzzle now, as the wheels in her head began to spin. "You wanted to become Frankfort and meet your father under disguise."

Draco smirked playfully. "There's that Ravenclaw brain. I wondered when it would make an appearance."

Disregarding his sarcasm, She continued. "Draco, even if you're right, how will you get him to meet you? You don't know how or what Frankfort does to set up a meeting, and again that is if you're right."

"You didn't think I"d do this without Harry, did you?" Draco started out. "He has his invisibility cloak. We can follow Frankfort. He's bound to lead us to Lucius."

Cassia's hand went over her face. A groan escaped her lips, knowing Draco wouldn't back down even if she'd listed everything that could and likely would go wrong.

"Cass." Draco started out softly. "This will be easier with your help." He smirked as he seemed to be considering something. "With you and Hermione things are always a little less dodgy. But I'm going with or without you both. I managed to get the potion alone, I'll manage this as well."

"Wait, are you telling me that there was polyjuice potion already put together?" Cassia asked, sounding surprised.

Draco nodded. "I thought I'd have to make it but there was several bottles labeled and everything."

"I wonder why Snape has that stored." Cassia grabbed a strand of her hair, twisting it around her finger as she paced the common room. "I doubt he would make it for shits and giggles. Someone needed it and for what I'd like to know."

"We're getting off topic, Cass. Are you helping me or not." Draco glanced up as Harry entered the room. He had a single bag packed and his invisibility cloak in hand, along with the Marauder's map that Sirius had informed Harry of how to get it back from Filch.

'Are they coming?" Harry whispered, only loud enough for Draco to hear. At first, Harry had told Draco to leave the girls out of it and there was no point in putting them in danger(Harry was always willing to sacrifice himself but never others). Then Draco reminded Harry that Cassia would not sit idly behind and likely search for them, just as Harry had warned him prior. Realizing his mistake, Harry couldn't deny their intelligence and things were always easier with Hermione and Cassia by their sides. Though it could be argued that Harry and Draco were better with defensive spells in a pinch, the girls were brilliant.

Draco raised a hand as if to signal for Harry to wait. "So what will it be?" Draco asked, slightly impatient, as Cassia's face was scrunched with indecision.

"Give me ten minutes." Cassia answered.

"What will happen in ten minutes?" Draco asked with a raised brow, seemingly unsatisfied with her vague reply.

"I need at least that much time to explain everything to Hermione and get enough shit together before we leave." Cassia released a long and irritated breath. "Where do we meet you both?"

Draco smirked. "We'll come to you. With the invisibility cloak. You'll have to ride my back, at least until we get to the secret passage we took."

She thought back to that day Draco had returned for her as her stomach did a sudden flip. She'd never felt guilty before regarding the way she felt for Draco. A little bit silly, sure, but never guilty. Now, with Cedric, it didn't settle well and she hoped that with time her crush would fade.

"Fine." Cassia said, before stuffing the mirror in her pajama pants pocket, ending their conversation.

Walking straight to her room, she quietly approached Hermione's bed, grateful her friend had always been a light sleeper. With a single tap, Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She could see Cassia's frustration as the sleep began to fade from her mind. Sitting up, she yawned. "What's wrong?"

"We're leaving Hogwarts.,"

Come again?" Hermione said a little too loudly.

"Shh." Cassia started out. "Draco has this elaborate plan and of course Harry agreed to go along and if we don't go they'll just go anyway, and if we tell someone that won't stop them. Besides, I won't let him face his father alone and I know you won't either."

Hermione stared blankly at her friends, taking in everything she'd just said. As usual, if Harry or Draco needed her and were about to do something truly reckless, she couldn't let them face it alone. She cared for them too much. Realizing the magnitude of danger involved her hand covered her face. "Oh Merlin. We'd better leave prepared." She said, wondering if she'd agreed too easily.

Cassia nodded. "I agree." She started out. "If I get expelled I'm going to break their noses."

-0-0-

Cassia kept her legs tightly secured around Draco's waist with her arms clinging to his shoulders. They'd made it to the passageway easily avoiding others with the help of the map. He smelled of bergamot and lemon with a dash of guaiac oil(which she recognized as his cologne) and ash from a fire(which he often did as Draco seemed to enjoy doing most of his schoolwork and thinking near an open fire). Breathing him in sent a pleasant chill down her arms and back that she couldn't shake. It seemed no matter how much she tried to get passed her unrealistic attachment to a boy that was by all rights her brother, the feeling wouldn't go away.

Hermione, who clung to Harry, blushed at the feel of his chest and the muscles he'd developed over the years of intense quidditch play.

Cassia released her grip on Draco as he uttered the password to the statue. Though he didn't show it, Draco felt a wave of disappointment when she was back on solid ground.

Harry pulled the cloak off them and set it back on his bag as each of them entered the secret passage, still a little weary of someone spotting them, despite the map showing they were safe.

"Lumos." Hermione said, lighting the way with her friends following her lead.

Hermione turned to each of them before speaking. "When we get to Hogsmeade, we'll have to be careful exiting the passage. And we won't have the advantage of the map."

"But we do have my cloak." Harry said with a proudful grin.

"It's not Hogsmeade I'm concerned with, it's what's to come after." Cassia said, not holding back her annoyance.

Hermione sighed. "One problem at a time."

-0-0-

Hogsmeade had been so quiet, one could have heard the squeak of a street mouse, which made Cassia's words in the passageway all the more true.

Just as Draco had stated, he'd stashed four brooms behind a crooked fence post that followed the road outside Hogsmeade. They would fly to Oliver Wood's home(who was Draco and Harry's Quidditch Captain and the only home in Scotland they knew the address of) and use the floo network to travel the long distance. Draco, as luck would have it, had overheard Oliver mention his parents had gone on holiday and wouldn't be back for several weeks. From there, the four would travel to London and follow Frankfort until they could get to Lucius.

"I hate flying." Hermione exclaimed with a pout. She ran a hand through her brown curly locks as Harry placed a hand on her shoulder with a side grin. "It could be worse." He started out. "You could be trying to catch a snitch at dangerously fast speeds against opponents three or four years older."

"I'm not sure if you say that to brag or to give me perspective." Hermione replied.

With a wide grin, Harry hopped on his broom. It rose with effortless ease from the ground, as he hovered several feet above her head. "Both. Definitely both." Harry gave her a wink, waiting for Hermione to join him in the air. As she flew to his side, her lack of confidence in flying was evident by the way her broom seemed to slightly wobble as she stopped beside him.

"Relax." Harry said comfortingly. "Do you honestly think I would ever let something happen to you?"

Something in Harry's meaningful expression and softness of his words caused Hermione cheeks to burn. Turning away from him for a moment, she tried to distract herself by concentrating on flying.

Cassia, who held her broom, released a deep breath. She felt her nerves begin to affect her as the realization of just how much trouble she was about to end up in with her mother began to set in. As she gave a slight hop to lift off, her broom shifted back and forth- proof that she hardly chose to practice flying.

"Don't worry." Draco started out. "I'll spend every holiday for the next five years telling your mum it was my idea."

She rolled her eyes."And she'll say for five years that only makes me easily influenced."

With a smirk, Draco moved his broom beside her. He was a much better flyer and as he began to circle her, it was obvious he was enjoying that fact a little too much. "You're only easily influenced when it comes to my smooth and irresistible charm."

"Stop flirting Malfoy, and let's get going." Harry said with a grin.

"Flirting with Cass?" Draco snapped. "That's complete barmy."

Hermione held back her giggles as Harry shrugged with an overly smug expression. "If you say so."

"Let's just get to the Wood's." Cassia said, feeling slightly flustered. The idea of Draco flirting with her was absurd. She knew that as well as everyone else. And yet, having him say it was barmy still managed to feel like a punch in the gut to her.

As the four of them flew off, Cassia felt another sting of guilt fill her lungs as she huffed out the cold air. She was, afterall, upset about a boy not having feelings for her that wasn't her boyfriend. Scrunching her face, she focused on the task hand. No matter what Cassia might face, at least she was with her friends, she thought to herself. She just hoped if shit got out of control, she could be enough help to save the day and not hinder it.

A/N

Thank you for reading! The next chapter wipp be when Draco finally comes face to face with his father! DUN DUN DUN(CUE THE DRAMATIC MUSIC).

I'm excited for that!

thanks!