Black Blood

09 - Thought Crimes

'Why?!' she thought to herself, outraged at the unaddressed fact that the entire student body had practically been assaulted upon the Hogwarts Express by Ministry-backed monsters.

No matter how poorly she thought the staff at that moment for their lack of appropriate action, however, she held her tongue, knowing any outburst, justified or otherwise, would bring immediate and irreversible embarrassment upon her and her family.

'Ridiculous!' she silently spat as the song ended and the Great Hall thundered with appreciative applause, her angry eyes eagerly seeking the one wizard who would put a stop to the unaddressed affair. 'Surely the Headmaster will have words of solace for the atrocity that I...and the student body endured this evening! Surely so!'

She'd silently sat through the Sorting Ceremony, and she'd silently sat through the silly song that soon followed as well, and now, she felt certain, absolutely so, that it was time to address the dragon in the hall, and Albus Dumbledore would be the man to do it.

"Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" he shouted, his voice so light and filled with such joy that Cassiopeia scowled in his direction, feeling as though he was violating her in some strange way.

"Now, I'd like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast," he jested, causing the girl nothing but overt offense. "First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor!"

Turning, the ancient wizard waved at the aforementioned man, who stood and bowed towards the politely applauding student body and staff, and who seemed, to Cassiopeia, entirely too scraggly and scrawny, and with one too many a scar upon his gaunt face.

'This is not the time for introductions!' she silently screamed, although, deep down, the pureblooded girl knew there was always time for such an important formality.

"Potter! Potter!" Draco hissed from her right, forcing the girl's irate attention onto her blonde cousin, only to note that he was twisted around at the waist so as to face the Gryffindor table and a rather perplexed Potter. "Is it true you fainted?"

Cassiopeia felt godacked at his teasing query, and her mouth dropped open as his taunting words continued to spill forth.

"I mean, you actually fainted?" he asked, his tone full of spiteful mirth.

"Shove off, Malfoy!" Weasley hissed, grabbing his friend's shoulder and turning the scarred boy back to the front.

Grinning from his little 'victory', her cousin turned around and caught her expression.

"What?" he asked, his tone no longer amused in the least.

"Shove off, Draco," she coolly said, her gaze shifting from his gaping mouth to the Headmaster, who'd begun to speak once more.

"...our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs," the ancient wizard loudly said, not a hint of grimness within his tone. "Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid."

Cassiopeia held nothing personal against the giant of a man, but she didn't trust him after he'd essentially abandoned Potter and her cousin within the Forbidden Forest during their first year. He could be the sweetest, gentlest person alive, but trustworthy and responsible for the well-being of students, he was not, and so she frowned in dismay, suddenly wishing she'd chosen a different elective than the one he now taught.

"Woohoo!" a voice suddenly cheered from the Gryffindor table, one Cassiopeia easily recognized even through the clapping raucous that resounded within the Great Hall due to the large man's ill-conceived inauguration.

'Must you be so loud, Granger?' the girl irritably wondered, shivering as she remembered the voice on the train and why she'd been so eager to hear the Headmaster speak.

"Finally, on a more describing note, at the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the dementors of Azkaban," the old wizard stated, his voice becoming appropriately solemn, although Cassiopeia cared no longer for such a tonal change.

"Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the dementors of Azkaban..."

His words echoed within her mind, and she gritted her teeth at the outrageous unfairness of it all.

"Cass, what's wrong?!" Draco hissed, sounding both baffled and worried.

"My father will be hearing about this egregious failure on Hogwarts' and the Ministry's behalf," she quietly spat, her eyes glaring daggers at the old wizard who had caused her to feel such terrible violation.

"Until such a time as Sirius Black is captured."

And just like that, all her rage vanished as though it had never been, and in its place, something came into existence that made her feel far, far worse.

Something that made her feel as though she, herself, was the criminal at large.