August 2nd, 1996
Grimmauld Place
"Nice tattoos, Cassie," Bill commented with a grin. She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. The room was mostly empty, and she'd gotten in there early to search for the locket, which they still hadn't found. She had one other idea for where it'd gone, and it made her angry every time she thought about it.
"Is Dung going to be here?" she asked, absently covering the bond mark on her middle finger. She'd forgotten to do so before going over to the dark house and while she trusted Bill, she didn't trust everyone else. Once that mark was covered, she quickly covered the one on her arm as well.
"You look a little evil," he noted. "Yeah, he is. Most of the Order will be. Charlie's officially moving back for a couple of years at least, so he'll be here, too."
"And the twins?"
"In attendance," he confirmed. "Somewhere here, I think. Mum told them to clean."
Cassiopeia blinked at him. "Does she- does she know we have an elf to take care of Grimmauld Place? She'd be hard pressed to find something that does need cleaning."
"You know my mum," he waved her off. "I think she's hoping to keep them busy enough that they'll miss the meeting."
Cassiopeia looked back to the cupboard she'd been in before, her lips thinning. "Is Dung here right now?"
"He's in the library if I remember correctly," Bill told her hesitantly. "Cassiopeia, you're not going to murder him are you?"
She scoffed. "No, probably not."
"Probably."
She got up and took the kitchen stairs to the third floor where the library was located, ignoring Bill chasing after her. When she got there, she caught sight of Dung eyeing a locked case of books and whipped her wand out, casting the spell that she knew would key the library wards to her signature. With that done, she focused all of the ward power in the library to that case, the strength of it making the wards somewhat visible. "Get away from there, Dung. We've got some talking to do."
"O- oh!" he gasped, taking a step back. She stalked over to him, her wand still out.
"Normally, I would give very few shits about you stealing from Grimmauld Place," she told him slowly. "But you stole something very fucking precious to us, not to mention this war. I know it was you. Kreacher's cupboard is empty now when it had all of his possessions before, and we sure as hell didn't clean that out. Where is it, Dung?"
"I didn't take nothing," he denied. When the wards tensed around him, he squirmed. "What're you lookin' for?"
"A locket," she told him, not relaxing the wards at all. "The locket of Slytherin."
"If it appeared in here by the end of the night-,"
"You will hand it directly to me and I'll ignore the fact that you just tried to steal from our library as well," she suggested. He nodded quickly, and she released the wards, turning on her heel to walk past Bill and out of the library, back down to the kitchen where her brothers were talking quietly.
"Holy shit, Cassie, that was scary," Bill told her with a startled laugh. She shrugged lightly.
"As a Black, I have equal control over the wards here. If they were just a little bit suffocating, he'd know I was serious. It's not my fault he squirms at any magic touching him at all."
"Ah, come on, Cas," Sirius sighed. "What did you do?"
"Mundungus stole the locket of Slytherin," she informed him. "I was just giving him good reason to return it. Also, we need to stop letting him free in here. He's taken so much of our shit."
"Yeah, but it's not like I want it," Sirius reasoned. "Are you telling me you bullied Dung into admitting he stole from us?"
"I convinced him to return something he'd taken without our knowledge."
"That's a yes," Bill told them. "She's bloody scary."
"She's acting like much more of a Slytherin than when we met," Regulus said with a laugh. She rolled her eyes and made her way over to the table, where her brothers sat on either side of her and Bill across from them.
"You three are terrifying," Bill told them with a grin.
"We've heard," Regulus replied.
"Tonks told Reg and I that we're intimidating," Cassiopeia explained.
"You are," Tonks said as she walked into the room. "But Sirius is just a big old dog, so he doesn't count."
"This dog can still bite," the man warned.
"Isn't there some old magical rule that you can't hurt your godkids?" Tonks replied with a grin, her hair turning blue. Sirius made a face at her, and she laughed, taking a seat next to Bill. Remus trailed in a moment later and sat next to her, making her hair turn pink again.
The rest of the Order made their way in quickly after that, including Dung, who walked past Cassiopeia and slipped the locket into her open hand. She grabbed it tightly within her own and glanced down at it only once before looking back up to see Dumbledore come in last.
"Ah, good, everyone is here," he said with a smile. "I'd like to welcome our new Minister for Magic, Amelia Bones." There was a smattering of applause for the woman, regardless of the fact that she'd been in the group since it had been reformed except for that first meeting when she'd been busy. "Severus, to you first. Do you have any news?"
"Voldemort is moving on Diagon Alley three times this month, though I'm unsure when. He has discussed attacking Hogsmeade during the first Hogsmeade weekend as well. Two students have received the Mark over the last week-,"
"Which students?" Dumbledore interrupted.
"Perhaps we can discuss that later," he ground out, irritated.
"It is important that we all know, Severus," Dumbledore disagreed sternly. Snape's eyes slid over Cassiopeia for only a moment before he spoke again.
"Crabbe and Goyle."
While Dumbledore acknowledged Snape, Cassiopeia felt her breath leave her. She paled, though she had no clue why she was reacting so strongly. She'd assumed they'd receive the Mark, especially soon, but hearing it had made her sick for a reason she didn't understand. She hadn't even reacted so strongly or clearly when seeing them in person.
"Anything else, Severus?"
"No."
"I believe you mentioned something else was-,"
"No."
"Severus," Dumbledore frowned at the man. "You cannot keep things from us. This is for the Greater Good, my boy."
The look on Snape's face told Dumbledore exactly what he should do with his Greater Good.
"Dolohov has been assigned to try and capture the Black siblings."
Cassiopeia wasn't sure when it had happened, but she'd stood and found herself rushing from the room until she reached the sitting room three floors up and felt hot tears begin to stream down her face. Her breathing was ragged and her shoulders shook as she leaned over, feeling her pain just a little too much.
"Cassie," Regulus said, waving his wand at the door to lock it and add privacy wards. "Cas."
She moved into his arms and let out a sob, the shaking only worsening. She wasn't sure why she was so upset by the news, but she was, and it pained her so deeply that she found herself falling into a pit of fear and despair.
"Shit," Regulus cursed, looking down at her hand, which had gripped the locket so tightly within it that her nails had dug in and made her bleed. He grabbed her hand and she let him, ignoring him as he tried to pry her fingers off of the locket. It was difficult to do without hurting her. Since she was already hurting herself, he tried harder and when he finally got it out of her hand, he threw it across the room. He pulled her into his arms, where she stayed and cried until her breathing slowed and her shoulders no longer shook. When she'd calmed down, he pulled back and grabbed her hand to heal it wandlessly.
"Why?" she whispered, her voice hoarse from the crying. "Why?"
"He wants to hurt you," he answered her honestly. "I need you to be prepared that he likely knows about Crabbe and Goyle, as well. They may try something again."
"I'm so tired," she whispered, wiping quietly at the tears on her cheeks. "I don't know why that… it just scared me so badly."
"It was the locket," he told her. "It heightened your negative emotions. They can do that. You were holding it so tightly that you bled, Cas."
Her mouth dropped open in surprise as she looked at her newly healed hand. "I… didn't even notice."
"I would love to suggest we destroy this tonight or tomorrow, but I think it would be wise if we held off. If so much of his soul is destroyed, he will feel it and he'll move the remaining ones."
"It's okay," she shook her head. "We can just put it somewhere safe and far away from us. Maybe Black Manor since the wards are apparently so serious."
"Maria!"
"Master Regulus?"
"Please put this somewhere safe," he said, removing his sweater and levitating the locket into it. "Somewhere away from all living creatures, please. It is a very dark object, Maria. Be very careful. Do not touch it with your skin."
She nodded once and popped back out, leaving them alone. As soon as she did, Cassiopeia felt her shoulders drop and a significant amount of her panic dissolve.
"Oh."
"Better?"
"Much," she agreed. There was a knock at the door and while Regulus was content to ignore it, she got to her feet and, after he removed the privacy ward, opened it, blinking in surprise. "Professor."
"I apologize," he told her slowly, entering the room. "I had hoped you would not join the meeting and I could tell you alone. You reacted very strongly. Everyone is very worried."
"It was a Horcrux," she explained. "Regulus sent it to Black Manor, but I was holding it when you told us… is the meeting over?"
"I am not needed for the rest of it," he shook his head. "It is only more information I would need to hide."
"I'll leave you two," Regulus offered. Cassiopeia smiled gratefully and watched him walk out quietly.
"Professor," Cassiopeia said quietly. "Am I going to be… do you think I'm going to live through this war?"
No empty words of assurance left his mouth. She stared back at him as he considered her question, and when he took in a breath, she prepared herself for his honest answer.
"There is a chance you will not."
"Thank you for being honest, sir."
"But that does not mean that you have any excuse to be reckless," he continued. "If you continue how you have been for the past five years, you will certainly die. You must begin valuing your life, Black. Stop being such a Gryffindor and protect yourself, even if it means killing someone else."
"I've killed before."
"For yourself?" Her silence was all the answer he needed. "Protect yourself, Black, and your chances of living increase greatly."
"Sir," she said before he could leave. "Please just… if it ever gets too dangerous, please leave. The war doesn't depend on you staying with Voldemort."
"We will see."
"I think that's bullshit. You owe Dumbledore nothing. Why would you risk yourself like this? You could die!"
"I do nothing for that old fool," he told her sharply. "Do not pretend to understand issues you know nothing about, Miss Black."
"I still think it's fucking stupid."
"Noted."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
August 20th, 1996
Potter Manor
Sirius had hoped to hold a full Alliance dinner since many people had recently joined it but it was nearly two months before all of their schedules lined up. He'd invited the full Alliance and all heirs. It held the Greengrasses, Longbottoms, Zabinis, Bones', Abbotts, Vances and many more. Only some of the family was there, Draco having chosen to go with Theo to pick up some more clothes from the American version of Diagon Alley. It had been a large argument that had resulted in getting a worldwide portkey so they could do their shopping.
The three siblings sat at the end of the table, Sirius in the middle. Regulus was to his right and Cassiopeia to his left. Harry sat on her other side next to Daphne, who sat next to her father. Astoria was on his other side, too, since he insisted the sisters run the family together.
"Thank you all for coming," Sirius said to them all. "Politics will be discussed after dinner - for now, enjoy your meal and the good company."
The elves popped the food in, and everyone began eating. Sirius was, however, mistaken if he thought that politics could wait until later. Everyone was very curious, given the new dynamic of the family with all three siblings back and clearly ready to fight the war. Many of them had already guessed that the three of them would be leading the family together if the way they sat was any indication. It was only when Cassiopeia removed her sweater that anyone became certain of that fact.
"Is that a bond mark?"
All three siblings looked to Emmaline Vance, who was looking at Cassiopeia curiously.
"It is," Cassiopeia confirmed easily, unwilling to hesitate while everyone stared at her.
"May I ask who you've bonded with?" Amelia wondered. Cassiopeia looked to her brothers, who only nodded at her.
"My brothers and I have performed a fratrem in perpetuum vinculum bond."
"So it's true, then?" Elora asked. "All three of you will run your House?"
Sirius spoke before they could. "Yes, it is. Cassiopeia is my heir, but this House needs all of us to restore it. The bond was a logical decision - the Dark Lord wants all of us, and if he does capture any of us, there is much less of a chance he will kill us."
"Damn, that's powerful," Elora said. "Who sealed it?"
"Narcissa," Regulus nodded at their cousin.
"That's even more powerful," Harris Abbott noted. "That is a pure Black bond."
"Wait, so if that's your sibling bond," Astoria said, leaning over her father and sister both to grab Cassiopeia's hand, despite the stares she received for being so casual with the Black heir. "Then what's that?"
"Oh my," Augusta gasped. Cassiopeia spared a glance at Regulus. She'd been glamouring the bond mark on her finger, but apparently, she'd forgotten to replace it before dinner with how rushed they were while getting ready. "That is a very old blood bond, dear. Who on earth would you vow to?"
"Vow what?" Neville questioned, looking at the typically innocuous band on her finger. "What is it?"
"It is a fealty bond," Augusta explained. "A blood bound fealty bond."
"We would appreciate if you all kept this quiet," Cassiopeia told them. "I did not mean to leave it uncovered."
"But who would you vow to?" Amelia frowned at her. "Harry?"
"No," Harry shook his head quickly. "I don't want her fealty."
"It does not matter who," she interrupted before they could continue to guess. She tugged her hand away from her friend with a small smack to her arm for asking in front of everyone. "It's been done. As I said, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone."
"If all three of you are running your House," Emmaline Vance said, changing the subject for her. "Have you agreed on your politics?"
"They're generally the same," Sirius answered for her. "As a group, we have not discussed them, but I've spoken to Cassie and Reg separately and know that they match up with my own fairly well. There will be no fighting between us."
"But you are Lord Black," Elora said. "How will it work for all of you to control the family together? Or will you be in charge of that?"
"There are, admittedly, a few things we still need to work out," Sirius told the woman, who was giving him a rather flirty smile, much to Blaise and Cassiopeia's horror. "But for most issues, all three of us can make decisions, separately or together, for the good of our family. I trust them both, and I know we will do good things for this House and, hopefully, the wizarding world as long as we work together."
"And now that Harry is Lord Potter, will you be working with him as well? Are you looking to lead the Potter Alliance with him now?" Augusta questioned.
"I was pretty okay with Cassie leading our family," Harry admitted, taking a moment to put his thoughts together. His sister had spent three hours earlier that day trying to prep him for the dinner and he felt rather confident after it. "But we talked about it. She can since she was adopted, but she's got a lot on her plate. I think it's important I understand the intricacies of our world and help change things for the better, so I want to help out as soon as I understand everything a little better."
"I do suggest you bring your heirs to our discussions," Sirius told the Alliance after a moment. "With the reformed alliance, they will someday be a part of it, and it is important that they know how to handle the Wizengamot and their House."
"Cassiopeia was raised by muggles," Elora said, earning a glare from her son.
"Mum, don't," he told her sharply. She ignored him.
"Does she really know how to handle your House?"
"With all due respect, Lady Zabini," Cassiopeia said with a polite smile. "I have been a part of this world for years now. My friends, your son included, taught me a lot about the pureblood world, even before I knew I was a Black. Lord Greengrass has been helping me handle this world since I was eleven in the name of this Alliance. Now with the guidance of my brothers, I am confident in my ability to help guide this family and our world to a better place."
"Good answer," Daniel told her with a smile, which she returned. She hadn't seen him too much recently, save for Alliance meetings and the Wizengamot. Her friends had told her he was struggling with the loss of his wife, and she wished there was some way they could help. She made a mental note to ask Sirius if he could think of something they could do for Daniel.
From there, the conversation moved back and forth from politics to polite chatter. When the meal was over, the adults as well as Cassiopeia, Harry, Blaise, Daphne, Astoria, Susan, Neville, and Hannah all moved to a room off the library that Sirius told her had been for alliance meetings when Charlus and Dorea were alive. The elves had fixed it up and added extra chairs for all of the heirs to sit next to their Heads. It was a very impressive room to sit in, and the seating was somewhat similar to dinner with Sirius at the head of the table and Cassiopeia and Regulus on either side of him.
The meeting went well and they'd agreed on a few different plans to try to handle the Death Eaters infiltrating the ministry. A few new, smaller families had joined the Alliance as well, and they were glad for it. The bigger the alliance was, the more power they had to help restrict Voldemort's movements.
"And the war effort," Augusta said. "I know you're a part of Dumbledore's Order. Is there anything we need to know?"
Sirius considered the question. "Does anyone know what Horcruxes are?"
"Ah, shit," Elora cursed. Only Amelia and Emmaline knew what they were aside from her, so Sirius set into explaining. When he finished, they were all horrified.
"And you're saying You-Know-Who has one?" Harris asked him. Sirius shook his head.
"Voldemort has many. We've destroyed three so far and are in possession of another. I believe we know where another is. One is, I believe, his snake familiar, Nagini. The last one… we are unsure."
"You have one?" Emmaline stared. "Those are dangerous. Too close to one, and you can have dangerous mood swings and change you."
"Believe me, we figured that out the hard way," Cassiopeia scowled. "It isn't here or anywhere we're staying. It was put somewhere safe."
"What items did he make Horcruxes?" Amelia questioned.
"Ravenclaw's Diadem, Slytherin's locket, Tom Riddle's diary-,"
"Who is Tom Riddle?" Harris interrupted.
"Voldemort," Cassiopeia answered when Sirius hesitated.
"What?"
She nodded. "He was born to a witch named Merope Gaunt who had given a muggle love potion to make him marry her. She stopped and he left her, so she went to an orphanage and gave birth there, where she died of complications. He was raised there, cruel, and then Dumbledore picked him up and took him to Hogwarts. He killed Moaning Myrtle at sixteen and made a Horcrux from her."
"Are you telling me that the Dark Lord is a half blood?" Elora stared. At Cassiopeia's nod, she let out a laugh. "Hypocrite."
"Yeah, so he made his diary a- oh my god," Cassiopeia gasped.
"What?" Sirius asked, startled. "Kitten?"
"I think I know where we might find another one," she told him. "We can talk about it later. We might need Snape's help."
"Snape? The Death Eater?" Elora questioned.
"Snape has taken care of me since my first class with him," she told them.
"Probably remind him of Lily," Emmaline told her. "You definitely remind me of Lily."
Not sure how to reply, she just nodded. The words made her extremely uncomfortable - she wasn't Lily's daughter, not really. She knew that no one saw her that way anymore, at least, and she was surprised to find how upset that made her. After actually meeting the woman, she had wished she could've been raised by her. "He's been very kind to me and has helped me with Occlumency. He is trustworthy and not loyal to Voldemort."
"How could you, of all people, not worry that Snape is digging around in your sister's head?" Emmaline asked Sirius. Having gone to school together and been friends because of Lily and Marlene, she knew just how bad Sirius and Snape had hated one another. "You were furious when he called Lily that word and you'll just let him touch your sister?"
"As much as this pains me to say," Sirius made a face. "I trust him. For whatever reason, he does care greatly for Cassie. She trusts him. When she was in danger a couple of years ago, she called him and he came and helped her. I think he might even abandon Voldemort for her."
"Why?" Harris questioned curiously.
"He was my first magical guardian," Cassiopeia explained. "He grudgingly cares for me. I think if I yelled at him enough, he might even admit he loves me."
"Yell at him?" Amelia raised an eyebrow.
"He's a stubborn man," she made a face. "He doesn't like to admit he occasionally has human emotions."
"For the record," Harry spoke up. "I'm still not sure he does."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
August 27th, 1996
Potter Manor
"He's dying?"
"Yes."
"Ah, come on," Sirius groaned. "That old geezer can't make it through this war?"
"It was a foolish mistake," Snape told them, ignoring Sirius's complaints. "Just as you did, he realized that it was likely the Dark Lord used his family to make a Horcrux. The Gaunt ring held a stone in it that he believes to be the Resurrection Stone. There was a compulsion charm on the ring, and he touched it before checking for any dark magic. He will be dead within a year."
"Has he destroyed it yet?" Cassiopeia questioned.
"No, not yet," Snape told her. "With the basilisk gone, he is struggling to find safe means to destroy it."
"Oh, good," she breathed. "Can you get it from him? We don't want to destroy anymore."
"There's a chance the Dark Lord would feel it if any more of his soul is destroyed," Regulus explained to his old friend. "We hope to round them up and destroy them at the same time when we are ready to kill him."
"I can retrieve it," Snape confirmed. "You have somewhere to put it? It is not safe to keep it on you."
"We're leaving the locket in Black Manor somewhere away from the elves," Cassiopeia assured him.
"I will have it for you by the end of the week," Snape told them. "I must return to Hogwarts. There is still much to do before school begins."
They said goodbye to the man and, with him gone, the siblings sat down in the library together.
"Is this going to be a problem?" Cassiopeia questioned. "Is there anything we really need him for?"
"At the beginning of the summer, I'd have said yes. Now, though, Amelia is Minister and wartime Chief Warlock, so we've got the Ministry well in our grips, especially now that Kingsley is officially Head of the DMLE. We've got most of the remaining Horcruxes in our sights - the only one we'll have issues with is Nagini, but that'll have to wait until whenever we fight Voldemort. No, I don't think his death will do much more than leave the Light vulnerable, at which point we can offer them help."
"Molly stresses me out," Cassiopeia made a face. "She's so… maternal that she tries to take everything over. If we offer her protection, we need to make it clear it's on our terms."
"I agree," Regulus nodded. "She has made it very clear she does not like or trust me, so the two of you will need to handle her."
"The problem with that is that she doesn't trust me, either, and she thinks Cas is just some kid," Sirius sighed. "We might need to demand to talk to Arthur. Make it House business."
"About that," Cassiopeia spoke up. "Are we going to help them get their seat back? I think it's a good idea. They are, for the most part, good people."
"After the war is over," Sirius agreed.
"Are you prepared for Hogwarts?" Regulus asked Cassiopeia, a worried frown on his face. She nodded a little.
"Theo is the other Slytherin prefect for sixth year," she told them. "He's going to help me out. Susan and Anthony Goldstein are the prefects in Hufflepuff for sixth year, and Cho and James Travers are Ravenclaw. I don't know James very well, but I'm hoping he hasn't been recruited by Voldemort."
"And Gryffindor?"
"Neville and Parvati. Ginny is fifth-year prefect and so is Luna and Astoria. I'm confident in our teams this year. I'm going to reform the DA - this time the Defense Association, because fuck Dumbledore - and we're going to make everyone take vows on their magic that they won't join Voldemort or betray us, things like that. I'd normally say that's a bit harsh, being on their magic, but I have no doubt we'll all be involved in the war, this year."
"Are you going to do anything for the younger years?"
"I've been thinking about that. I think I'm going to do separate sessions for them and have a few people from each House help me out. We'll meet twice a week, once for those that were in the DA last year and once for the younger kids. My hope is that we can teach them to protect themselves but overall, they won't be in the fight too much."
"Good plan."
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I've updated the DA coins. They're for general messages now, and if it's an emergency, we can push magic into them - just a little, anyone can do it wandlessly - and it'll heat up everyone else's coins until they notice it. Hopefully that helps this year. I've put them on chains so we can wear them as necklaces, too."
"Brilliant," Sirius grinned. "You might be the smartest of us all, kitten."
"And if you are in too much danger," Regulus told her seriously. "Leave. Come home. You are much safer here than with people who would turn you over to Voldemort any chance they get."
"If it really does get that bad, then fine," she agreed.
"Thank you."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
September 1st, 1996
King's Cross Station - Platform 9 ¾
"Maybe we can enlarge it," Sirius tried. Harry rolled his eyes at his godfather.
"I'll be with Neville, Ginny, Luna, and Ron. I'll be fine, Padfoot. Worry about Cassie. She is actively trying to sneak away."
Sirius spun around to see Cassiopeia trying to weave herself into the crowd. "Cassiopeia Black!"
She froze and spun around, a sheepish smile on her face. "You've told us the same thing five times, Sirius. We're going to miss the train at this point."
"Fine," the man sighed dramatically and pulled both teenagers into a tight hug. "I love you both. Be safe this year. Hex anyone that looks at you funny."
"That would be you," Harry muttered, pulling himself out of the hug with difficulty. "Bye, Padfoot."
"Bye, Pup."
Cassiopeia pulled out of Sirius's hug and wrapped her arms around Regulus, who had been watching quietly. "I'll be okay."
"Come home if you aren't."
"I will," she promised, pulling away. "I'll write you both tomorrow."
"Good luck, kitten."
"See you at Christmas," she called as she slipped away and onto the train. Her friends had gotten them a compartment while she was saying goodbye, and she found her way inside, sitting between Draco and Blaise. "They really don't want me to go."
"It's dangerous," Ginny shrugged. "I'm surprised they're letting you go."
"They don't let me do anything," Cassiopeia huffed before pausing. "Where's Astoria?"
"She wanted to sit with Luna," Daphne told her. The two were very close friends, and Cassiopeia knew it had bothered Ginny greatly when her oldest friend became close with a Slytherin that her other best friend was also close with.
"Are you two dating?" Cassiopeia wondered, nudging Draco's arm. He rolled his eyes at her.
"Courting, Black. Like you and Blaise should be doing."
Blaise snorted. "You really think she'd ever let me court her? It's like you haven't been friends with her for six years."
"If Blaise and I get married, it won't be because of some contract," Cassiopeia told him firmly. "It's an old tradition that I want no part of. There are plenty of pieces of the muggle world that I am perfectly willing to abandon, but the way they marry is not one of them."
"But how will you know who gets what money and property?" Draco wondered. She shrugged.
"I have full access to all Black vaults, and Sirius told me that he doesn't want Black Manor, so it can go to me. Regulus is wholly uninterested in it as well."
Her friends stared at her.
"You are inheriting the family property?" Draco asked her in disbelief. She shrugged. "That's not no big deal, Black! It almost always goes to the Lord of the family!"
"You weren't at that dinner," Daphne remembered. "Sirius announced that all three of them would be running the family."
"Why?"
Cassiopeia pulled her sleeve up and showed him the bond mark.
"Oh, Merlin," Theo breathed. "All three of you?"
"Yep."
"Hey, I meant to ask," Daphne said. "Who did you swear blood fealty to?"
"Oh yeah," Cassiopeia shook her head in surprise. Most of her friends had gone home for the end of August until school began after that dinner, so she hadn't gotten the chance to tell them.
"Wait, you what?" Draco gaped. She waved her hand over the glamour on her hand and showed him.
"So basically, when I was a baby, Regulus swore blood fealty to me, but I was too young, so he couldn't seal it. He swore it again and sealed it, and I made him let me do the same."
"Those are bloody powerful," Ginny told her. "It's sort of like a twin bond."
"How so?"
"Well," Daphne frowned in thought. "If it goes both ways, you can ignite a twin bond by touching one another's minds. That's how Story and I did it, although without the whole fealty thing. Then you can, depending on the strength, speak telepathically to one another. Feel each other's physical or mental pain."
"Mental pain?" she questioned.
"Like if someone enters your mind without your consent," Theo answered her. She winced slightly. She remembered that pain very clearly.
"But your bond as it is now, you should know when he's in danger," Blaise told her, waving his wand at her hand to cover it up for her.
"Well," she hummed. "That might come in handy."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Prefect duties meant escorting first years - of which there were very few - to Slytherin and showing them their dorms. After that was a meeting with their Head of House. Theo and Cassiopeia walked to the potions classroom together where they were surprised to find the room empty aside from Snape.
"Sir?" Theo said in confusion.
"The meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning," he answered, tucking his wand into his pocket.
"Is everything alright?" Cassiopeia asked, worried. He seemed to consider her for a moment before he shook his head.
"An emergency Wizengamot meeting was called. There are rumors that Dumbledore pushed one of his followers to request Regulus be arrested for his crimes in the first war."
Cassiopeia stiffened. "I'm coming."
"You cannot."
"The Black family stands together," she argued. "I am going, Professor. My brother will not be arrested for crimes committed twenty years ago."
"You are not supposed to leave the castle."
"Fuck that," she hissed, holding her arm up to show him the black band, her robes falling to expose it. "This means something. I have to be there."
"Fine," he agreed, waving at the door. "Mister Nott, if you will assure your friends she is with me."
"I will," Theo nodded, rubbing Cassiopeia's shoulder. "Good luck, Cas."
"We will need it," Snape replied shortly.
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"The fuck is she doing here?" Sirius hissed to his brother, pointing at Cassiopeia entering the room.
"Severus must have told her," Regulus replied softly.
"She does look pretty pissed," Sirius agreed. "We should probably take her wand."
"How are we going to handle this?" Regulus asked softly. Sirius could feel the guilt radiating off of his little brother and he wished he could comfort him, but he knew Regulus had likely committed the crimes accused of him. He'd certainly tortured and killed enough people that he should've gone to Azkaban.
"What the fuck happened?" Cassiopeia hissed to them as she got to them. Sirius wrapped an arm around her and she didn't notice as he grabbed her wand silently. Her daggers had already been taken by the guards and so she was left defenseless. "Snape said Dumbledore did this."
Sirius froze, his eyes meeting Regulus's. "We hadn't… considered that. Ah, shit."
"What are we going to do?"
"More importantly, how did you convince him to let you come?" Sirius questioned her. She shrugged.
"No one at school can prevent me from coming to any Wizengamot meetings. I'm the heir of the House. I looked it up and it's actually illegal to prevent me from coming. Snape knew that, so he didn't fight me too much."
"If everyone could take their seats," Amelia called. Before Regulus could move down to the floor where a chair waited for him, Cassiopeia grabbed him in a tight hug.
"It'll be okay. They wouldn't dare arrest you for crimes committed twenty years ago. As disgusting as it is, you're a Black and therefore somewhat untouchable."
Regulus nodded silently and made his way to the floor, and Cassiopeia took her seat at Sirius's side. Both of them didn't bother to cover the fury they felt as Amelia called the meeting to order.
"This is an emergency meeting to discuss the alleged crimes of Regulus Arcturus Black in the first war of Voldemort. The alleged crimes are as follows: torture by means of the Cruciatus curse of Mary Macdonald and the murder of Mary Macdonald by means of the Killing Curse. The charges are brought by Roger Macdonald, who is with us today. Prosecution may state their case."
Roger got to his feet, working with no lawyer because of the short notice. Cassiopeia hated herself for feeling such relief that the victim was a muggleborn girl - their chances of winning had greatly increased.
"On September 10th, 1978, my sister Mary was attacked in our parents' home. She was taken by a Death Eater who told us she would be tortured and killed because we're not magical like her and because she'd defied Voldemort. For six days, we didn't know what happened. On September 16th, 1978, her body was recovered in a nearby alley by Hit Wizards James Potter and Sirius Black. Sirius Black recognized the magical signature on her body to be that of his brother, Regulus Black. The evidence was given to Aurors and the case was lost. The next year, Regulus was announced dead. Now, he is here and for the past two months, no one has bothered to bring him to justice for the crimes he has committed. My sister deserves peace after these eighteen years and to know that the man that tortured and killed her will be in Azkaban."
"Thank you, Roger," Amelia said. "The Defense may now state their case."
Sirius and Cassiopeia got to their feet. As the Head and Heir of their House, they were not only allowed but expected to either defend him themselves or find someone better suited to do it. On such short notice, they were the only options. However, as Sirius had been one of the Hit Wizards to find Mary's body, he wasn't allowed to defend him and Cassiopeia was forced to handle her brother's defense.
"Regulus has made mistakes in his life," she began slowly. Her goal was to generally distract the Wizengamot and make them believe that if she of all people could forgive him, then perhaps he truly did deserve to be forgiven. "I more than anyone else know this. The war was a difficult place to be, especially in my family. I was born in the midst of it, but Regulus and Sirius both lived it out. Sirius rebelled and was punished badly for it. Regulus, having watched our brother be hurt for daring to disagree with our mother, decided to go the safe route. He kept his head down and did what was expected of him because if he hadn't, he could've been killed.
"I am not being dramatic. On December 24th, 1976, our mother, Walburga Black, along with Bellatrix Lestrange, tortured Sirius, attempting to force him to join the Dark Lord Voldemort. He barely lived and only because our father Orion shoved him through the floo to Charlus and Dorea Potter, who took him to St. Mungo's and adopted him. He was free of our family, but Regulus was not. He was alone with our parents, and they wanted to make him the new Black heir. Walburga pushed him to Voldemort and, fearing for his life, he went.
"As a Death Eater, there are certain things you must do to avoid Voldemort's fury. Regulus was forced to do things that will certainly haunt him for the rest of his life. For example, Voldemort tricked him into torturing me with the Cruciatus curse for three days before I managed to tell him who I am. Since we returned to my rightful time, I've seen the regret in him for the things he's done. I know he regrets more than just hurting me. Regulus is a good, kind person. If he hurt Mary Macdonald, he only did it out of fear for his own life. He is a Slytherin at heart, just as nearly all of our family is. Just because he looked out for his life first doesn't mean that he did any of the things he did willingly."
"Thank you, Miss Black," Amelia nodded. "I move we vote now and get this over with unless either of you have anything to add?"
"I think the facts speak for themselves," Roger said firmly, not worried at all by Cassiopeia's speech.
"No, the defense rests," Cassiopeia smiled at Amelia, who nodded.
"Those in favor of conviction," Kingsley said, looking around the room. A few from the Light raised their hands, as well as a few from the dark, and Cassiopeia breathed out in relief at the sight. "Those in favor of dropping all charges."
All of the new grey alliance raised their hands, as well as half of the light and half of the dark. It was an overwhelming win.
"Cleared of all charges," Amelia announced, slamming her gavel down to dismiss the court. Cassiopeia let out a sharp breath of relief. They hadn't even spoken to Sirius, much to her relief. Going off of facts alone, they'd never win.
The Wizengamot stood and began filing out, and Cassiopeia stayed where she was, sitting back in her seat to wait for her brothers as Sirius retrieved Regulus from the middle of the floor, speaking quietly to Kingsley. A hand touched her cheek and she flinched back.
"Get the fuck away from me," she spat, her hand moving to her pocket for her wand. When she couldn't find it, her heart rate picked up.
"I am so pleased that you're back," he told her, waving his wand around them. She wasn't sure what he'd cast, but it worried her greatly. "We have a lot of catching up to do, Cassiopeia."
"How's your shoulder doing?" she asked as casually as she could, despite her fast breathing and the panic crawling from her stomach to her throat. She didn't even notice as the band on her finger lit up.
Dolohov's eyes flashed angrily. "Fucking bitch. I'll get you for that." He pointed his wand at her but before he could cast, he was thrown over the chair behind her and crumpled to the ground. Cassiopeia let out a sharp, shaky breath at the sight of a panicked Regulus. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. She was wrapped in a side hug and pulled out of the wizengamot chambers, leaving Sirius behind to deal with Dolohov.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, looking her over. "Did he do anything?"
"Aside from threatening me again? No," she shook her head, letting him squeeze her gently in concern. She was shaking slightly when Sirius and Snape came out together, Sirius looking extremely angry and Snape annoyed.
"I assume you are fine," Snape said. She nodded a little, stepping back from Regulus.
"What happened? He cast something around us but I don't know what."
"The bond," Regulus explained. "The band lit up when you were in obvious danger, and when I touched the ward he put up, it fell, assumedly because the magic of the bond was stronger than that of his ward."
"Thank you," she offered him a small smile.
"Kingsley said we can't arrest him," Sirius growled, looking angrier by the second. "Because he didn't actually touch you."
"I mean, he touched my cheek," she said, shivering as she remembered it. "It's fine. I'm going back to school anyway and he can't get to me there."
"Not for now," Sirius muttered.
"Speaking of," Snape interrupted. "We must get back."
"I know," she sighed, hugging both of her brothers before walking over to the floo Snape was waiting at. "Please stay out of trouble, both of you."
"I'm supposed to be telling you that," Sirius laughed softly. "So stay out of trouble, and if you can't do that, then don't get caught."
"That is atrocious advice," Snape glared. "She more than anyone needs to stay out of trouble."
"I think I agree with Severus," Regulus said. Cassiopeia rolled her eyes and stepped into the floo.
"Okay, bye!"
"We love you, kitten," Sirius told her with a smile. "We'll see you at Christmas."
"I love you guys too," she promised before throwing down the floo powder and returning to Hogwarts, this time for good.
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