Her mark burned. Snape had fled.

It was time.

She met him in the clearing along with the gathering forces. They were converging on the school outskirts. Preparing. Waiting.

She had done everything she could. She had organised their allies and her army in the best positions. She had to be mindful of each species sensitivities, intelligence and role in the war. She also had to toe the line of incompetence. It couldn't be too obvious that she was undermining them.

It had been busy, hectic and she had to muscle her way through countless arguments Only time would tell whether it was enough to tip the balance.

She knelt on the ground, her eyes closed as she steadied her breathing. She practiced mindfulness exercises from that bloody muggle book Ted had gotten her all those years ago- adapting the methods and mixing them with the instruction Snape had provided her in Occlumency.

The Dark Lord spoke- and from the gasps of those around her, he spoke to everyone. She sighed, unable to resist the Pavlovian response to his voice in her head.

"I know that you are preparing for a fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

In and out she breathed. With every breath she let her madness spill in from the back of her mind. She let it mix with her carefully contained rage- the deep well that she kept locked up. She eased her usually tight controls and let the two emotions mix into something heedy and potent.

She had no time for thoughts. She needed to be instinct. She needed every advantage she could get. Madness and rage would fuel her future- it would fuel the rest of her life if she were lucky.

She hoped death was near. And she hoped she died bringing in a better world.

"Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded."

She adjusted herself to stretch, slowly and languidly. She needed to be limber for the battle.

"You have until midnight."

She heard the uneasiness around her, the muttering between her men. She barely tilted her head when they informed her of the children leaving through one of their blocked off passages. They searched for Potter amongst the students but she knew they would come up with nothing.

Potter was making his last stand.

She had made plans for the evacuating children. She had prepared for this, Hogwarts would try and spare as many children as possible and she was inclined to help them in this endeavour.

The wives took care of the children. The formerly battered women whom she had taught to defend themselves. The ones whose husbands she had intimidated and shamed. They would look after the children and guide them to the waiting train. It wasn't the Hogwarts express but it was a train with provisions, sleeper carts and protection. They would be sealed away from the fighting- safe and relatively unaware of the outside world for a while.

The air shimmered around the castle- they were preparing for the fight, using the castle's ancient defenses. The Dark Lord was still as a statue amongst it all, his eyes closed and his snake kept cose.

She drew her wand as the hours end drew near- carefully cracking every joint and taking care to rotate her wrists. It was always good to be properly relaxed and warmed up before a fight.. The air was cool and crisp and it was a beautiful night. The stars were shining brightly and the moon was half full in the sky.

She glanced at her mother- standing as near to the Dark Lord as she was allowed. Her eyes were shining madly and she kept licking her lips, twitching with anticipation. Her father and uncle stood not too far off, both of them looking surprisingly sober and present. They hadn't bothered her in months, not when it became clear they couldn't kill her without drawing the wrath of Bellatrix and the Dark Lord. She had placed them on the front lines of the main attacking force. Hopefully they were taken out early.

She cracked her neck, rolling her shoulders as she carefully adjusted her feet.

All the wives were looking after the children except Narcissa. She stood at the edge of the circle, looking regal and apart. Next to her was Draco. She had become his shadow, never far off from helping him. He looked green as he stared down at his school. He would be fighting his classmates, people he practically grew up with. Not even her protections could help him in this battle.

Finally the hour drew to a close and Potter had not appeared.

The Dark Lord inhaled and everyone held their breath, waiting for his signal.

"Kill them all."

She gave the signal and watched with satisfaction as her men acted as almost one to shoot the opening volley at the school's defenses.

They were thugs, imbeciles, and inbred idiots. But she had at least taught them some sort of discipline which was actually remarkable. It wouldn't though, she hadn't trained them that well.

She could feel the impact of their spells deep in her chest, a thousand explosions as magic hit the protections and the night lit up with the show. Their magic was mighty- but it was not enough to bring down the protections around Hogwarts. Not yet at least.

It wasn't until a single, blinding, neverending surge of power that sizzled through the air and singed her skin, overwhelming all others did the barrier finally collapse. The Dark Lord had done what hundreds of her men had failed to do. And he had done it in a single spell.

She let the madness in a little further as she inhaled, savouring the brief moment of shocked silence that overtook her people, before she roared into the air- a rallying cry that was echoed across the perimeter and was quickly overtaken from the sounds of hundreds of footsteps rushing towards their goal.

Kill them all he had said.

She would certainly try.

The gargoyles and the knights put up a good fight, but they were ultimately no match for their giants who led the charge due more to their large gait rather than any particular enthusiasm.

She was bringing up the rear and the battle was raging when she finally entered the fray. She could see Caecilius whooping with joy as he cast hugely powerful destruction spells that broke away the masonry and shattered windows. The Order was here and her mother was nowhere to be seen.

Her observations were interrupted as a volley of spells came her way from a few fresh faced students. Children.

She felt her rage bubble over as she crossed wands with the kids, letting the injustice of the situation fuel her. They should be worrying about exams, not protecting their bloody school.

She was careful though, never harming nor maiming. She redirected their spells at other Death Eaters, taking a few out. She aimed her spells to miss by mere centimeters. Enough to make them believe she was fighting but not enough to put them in any true danger.

There were two of them, Gryffindors and once she found the cadence to their spells she allowed herself to become distracted, looking around the battlefield, looking for openings to attack and looking for her parents.

There.

Rodolphus was fighting alongside his brother, back to back as they duelled Arthur Weasley and Pomona Sprout.

She stunned the children, careful to push them out of the way of falling debris and casting a quick shield charm around them as an extra precaution before training her eyes on her father.

The madness swelled even further, the battle faded away as she focussed on her target, her ears filled with a distant screaming that was not at all related to the battle raging around her.

She was efficient with those who stood in her way, cutting through the field stunning and knocking out all obstacles- Death Eater or not.

She didn't notice the flash of alarm in Arthur's eyes as he saw her approach- he was barely holding his own against Rodolphus and that was only because Rodolphus was occasionally assisting his brother Rabastian who was engaged with another witch who was exceptionally challenging. Rodolphus did not miss the alarm however- glancing quickly to assess the new threat.

He smirked when he saw his daughter approaching- assuming at first she was coming to his aid, as a good Death Eater and a good daughter ought to do. His smirk sharpened when he saw the look on her face and the madness in her eyes.

"Come to die?" He growled, tapping his brother and jerking his head towards Arthur, urging him to take over as he assessed the newest threat.

Rage battered her skull, a pulse of hot fire that raced through her veins and she snarled, not bothering to engage verbally before releasing wave after wave of magic at the man.

Rodolphus was many things, a bully, an alcoholic, and a wretch- but it could not be denied that he was exceptionally talented with a wand, even after his prison sentence. She had trained against him and Bellatrix. She couldn't beat the two of them together, she was certain of that. But with just him- it would be close but she liked her odds.

The battle was inelegant. It was savage, brutal as spells whipped between the two- each fuelled by the hatred and disgust that had been stoked to epic levels through their forced cohabitation and civility over the last two years. Every indignity this man made her suffer came to the front of her mind and powered her magic, her antipathy bringing her spells to new levels of power she was never aware she was capable of.

Her father too had been unaware of just how effective her anger was at powering her magic, and in the end, her antipathy was stronger than his. She went for the jugular, slashing him with a curse that would set his blood aflame and suck the oxygen from his system. The savagery of the magic shocked even Rabastian, who stumbled when he saw his brother fall with a sickening gasp and the gurgle of his last breaths. He faltered enough for Arthur to incapacitate him.

Capture wasn't good enough for Rabastian though and Cassiopeia cut him down too, a flash of green, sparing him the pain of a messy end like his brother. She could be merciful.

Arthur did not lower his wand when their eyes met, though his hands did tremble a bit and his face was pale with horror and disgust at the scene he just witnessed.

She nodded to him and moved on, she wouldn't fight Arthur Weasley. That wasn't why she was here.

She could feel the electricity in the air as she stalked the battle field, searching for either worthy targets or her family. She knew Remus was here and she had a sneaking suspicion Nympadora would be as well. Bellatrix was also here- somewhere and so was Draco.

She could feel the magic in the air- it hung heavy and heady, it filled her senses and filled her brain. She was a being beyond thought now- she was an agent of chaos. She felt the flow of power all around her as if she were in a river and she redirected the flow of magic as she pleased, walking in and out of fights, putting her hand on the scale in favour of those defenders.

She breathed in, pulling magic residue towards her, and as she breathed out it solidified. The air shimmered as she pulled on her environment, and soon the air cackled with electric power. She crafted a shield that did not block incoming spells so much as slow them down. She shrugged off her injuries, so far lost in her madness that pain barely registered.

Very few were brave enough to take her on directly, and the few that did only did so in partnership with others.

She had just knocked off Dolohov when she heard a familiar mad cackle break through the crowd.

Bellatrix.

She marched towards the cackle, her head nearly splitting open with the force of her madness and anger.

She grunted as the world imploded, her body slamming into a wall as the outer castle wall exploding, spewing shrapnel in its wake. She barely managed to disintegrate the larger life threatening chunks that came her way but the force of the explosion had barely been softened by her condensed magical shield.

She coughed wetly as she heaved spitting a gob of blood on the ground before standing once more and limping through her pain and injuries single mindedly towards the voice that had haunted her nightmares for years.

She pushed her way through the fights, no longer caring about careful spell redirection or pretending to fight. She even punched a few of her fellows, catching them by surprise as she kicked their legs out from underneath them and cracked their faces against her fists. It wasn't enough to seriously injure or incapacitate them, but it was enough for others to step in and finish her job.

She didn't find Bellatrix but she did find her victims. Knife wounds and bodies were left in her wake as she followed the trail.

Her hands shook as her eyes found the still form of Remus Lupin.

Her mind cracked and her world shattered when she saw the woman beside him.

"No."

All of the air left her lungs and a deep hopelessness filled her body. Her legs gave out.

"Dora," she said urgently, grabbing a fistful of the girl's robes. "Dora, don't be a prick. Dora wake up-" she shook the girl, felt around her face, frantically looking for a pulse, for any sign of life.

Her skin was cooling and her eyes were empty.

Cassiopeia lost herself entirely in her grief- numb to the battle around her. How could they still be fighting? How could any of this be happening? Didn't they know? Didn't they care that her best friend, her family, her sister was dead.

She screamed. She roared. And she raged.

They would tell stories about what happened next, though she had no memory of it so lost was she in grief and madness.

Spells flew wildly at every dark robe in her vicinity. She was out of vengeance, for blood in retribution for this crime.

It was the Dark Lord's voice in her head that brought her back to herself enough to regain a little control. He always did, she thought bitterly- letting his presence soothe her mind and chase away the worst of the madness.

"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste."

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my troops to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured."

"I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you needlessly rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the forbidden forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

She slumped against the wall- feeling the exhaustion of the fight nearly overwhelm her. Her limbs were shaking with exhaustion and she felt a deep emptiness in the pit of her stomach as her madness was chased away by the Dark Lord.

A reprieve. He had given them a reprieve and an ultimatum. She could give a troll's hairy arse because it was already too late. The war had already taken that which was most precious to her.

She ignored the looks of those around her, wary and terrified as she carefully lifted Nymphadora in her arms. She clutched her wand as she levitated her dead husband. It's what she would want. For them to be together.

She followed the others to the great hall, her eyes burning with tears. She barely spared a glance at the others being levitated, the grief mirrored on the others faces. Children. So many children were dead.

Her heart shuddered as she saw a mop of red hair set next to Lupin and Dora. One of the twins- barely out of their teen years, gone forever.

She had failed to protect him too. She sobbed silently, her whole body seized in pain and sorrow. Merlin. Their son. She let out an audible gasp as a fresh wave of pain lanced through her chest. Teddy was alone, an orphan. The last remaining Tonks.

She jerked when she felt a hand on her shoulder, startled and a little alarmed. Through all of her grief she still understood where she was and what she was. She would fight anybody who tried to break her away from her family.

"Cassiopeia-" it was Arthur Weasley, his face blotchy and eyes red as he looked down at her. He opened his arms wide welcoming her, sharing his pain with her and offering comfort.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Arthur. I couldn't protect him, I wasn't there- Merlin I wish I was there." She muttered over and over again shaking in his embrace.

He shushed her, his voice cracking as he thought about his son, whatever he was about to say lost in fresh sobs. She understood. She felt the same.

Arthur's embrace was replaced with another's and she clutched to these arms like a woman drowning. In a lot of ways she was.

"Charlie," she sniffed, wrapping herself up in his embrace. "I'm so sorry Charlie."

He was quiet as he held her, shocked and horrified. He kept thinking that this was all a dream or a joke. That Fred would just wake up- laughing at all of their faces.

But Fred was not cruel and reality did not play jokes on them.

"You're hurt." Charlie said finally, noticing how her sobs had turned into sickly sounding wheeze.

Hurt was an understatement. She could feel her injuries keenly and she knew that she was more than hurt. She was dying.

It hurt to breathe. She thought it was her sorrow and grief that caused it, but the funny high pitched wheeze that left her mouth and the throbbing pain suggested otherwise.

She tasted blood and she could feel it caked on her face and in her hair. She also felt faint. A deep exhaustion that she had only felt once before- when her magic was being sucked out of her being by a mad squib.

She wouldn't let Charlie move her from her sister though. She couldn't leave her.

He cursed and left her instead to find help.

"Cassiopeia, come on up you get. Sit." She was boneless in the healers hands, her vision beginning to swim.

She wasn't sure what happened in the afterlife. Clearly something if there were ghosts. After all of this she had hope though. If she could just give in, perhaps she could join Dora and Ted again. She wouldn't even be opposed if Lupin was there. She disliked him but he had been a fundamentally good person. And he made her sister happy and that was all she cared about.

Someone else sat next to her, wrapping their arms around her shoulder. "Don't give up now Cass- I still need you to sign some paperwork." She felt her lips pull upwards slowly.

Mira Lima. Her brilliant solicitor and stubborn friend who refused to leave the bloody country to safety.

"Don't be daft Cassiopeia. Sit up straight and follow my wand."

It was Lionel Spavin- her healer that Charlie fetched. "How did you two get here?" She wheezed, wincing as it caused a fresh pain to shoot across her chest.

"I listen to the radio." Lionel answered as he transformed his wand into a small hearing trumpet and ordered her to breath. She struggled- in and out. In and out.

"You've punctured your lungs- badly by the sounds of it." he said crisply. "Normally we would repair it slowly and send you straight to bed rest. However knowing you I expect that we will need you in this next fight and nothing I can say would convince you to stay away. This will hurt. Alot. You may find it a little difficult to breathe for a moment."

That was all the warning he gave her as he jabbed his wand right between her ribs. Her eyes bugged as she gasped, feeling every ounce of air get sucked out of her lungs. Her heart raced and she felt sweat bead her forehead as she gasped, trying desperately to find some relief.

When she was positive she was going to die of asphyxiation she felt the air suddenly rush back into her lungs, hyper inflating it and causing an equally painful pressure to shoot through her chest.

Lionel's eyes were already moving around the hall looking for his next patient as he pulled a few potions out of his bag, "take the blue one and then the red. Finish with the pink when the hour is up. Good luck. Don't die." He said already wandering away to treat a girl who was bleeding profusely from her head.

"Prick," she gasped, clutching Lima's hand.

Her vision cleared up and her chest pain nearly disappeared with the blue potion. She felt less woozy and felt her energy begin to return after the red potion. Her deep exhaustion had lessened to a very manageable bone weariness.

She eyed the pink potion curiously. After the hour he said. When it was time to fight again, she understood. .

The hour passed and in that time she withdrew into herself and focussed on her emotions. They were clouding her judgement and mucking up her focus.

She searched for them, naming and isolating each emotion. She felt each one deeply and fully- acknowledging them and then pushing them aside. She locked away those that were too raw, too painful to handle. The ones that pushed her into the wrong kind of madness. She harnessed those other feelings, bitterness, vengeance, and a fury that dwarfed any she had felt before. It lit a fire in her belly and she stoked it with her pain and with the injustice of the world.

How could someone like Bellatrix be permitted to live in a world where Ted and Nymphadora Tonks were not.

Not even the Dark Lord could calm her now, his message instead set her teeth on edge and her mania seeped through her mind, calming it and cooling her coherent thoughts.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone.

The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

She drank the pink potion- feeling electric energy jolt through her system as she exhaled smoke. Her pupils dilated and her pain faded. She was ready for round two.

The hall emptied, each person silent in their own thoughts. She stood tall, her wand clutched tightly in her hand with lightning running under her skin itching for release.

She stared down the oncoming force, her eyes flicking across the survivors. She made eye contact with Narcissa, who was pale and bruised. She shook her head slightly, her eyes flicking between Potter and her but whatever message she was trying to convey was lost as her attention was ripped away by a horrifying sound

Professor McGonagall let out a screech that was agonising to behold- a raw expression of anguish and despair.

Her eyes shot to the resounding laugh that echoed through the courtyard. Only one person would find such joy in the face of a true human emotion such as this. Her mother, standing beside the Dark Lord-looking dishevelled and a little bloody.

More cries echoed out as friends and family alike saw their dead friend.

"SILENCE!" cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!"

"You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" Ron Weasley shouted causing the crowd around her to swell in support.

"He was killed trying to sneak out of the castle grounds. Killed trying to save himself." He twisted the story. She may not know Harry Potter but she knew that wasn't true.

A boy ran forward with a cry and the Dark Lord disarmed him immediately.

"And who is this? Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

Her heart sank.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?" Her grin was sharp as her eyes sparkled with delight.

Stupid boy, he would die if he was lucky- or end up like his parents.

"Ah yes, I remember. But you are a pure blood aren't you brave boy?"

"You show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

"When Hell freezes over- DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY!" He shouted

"Very well"

She shivered as she heard the silkiness in his voice the preceded danger.

"If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head," he said quietly, "be it."

A distant window shattered and a brown shabby object came forward and engulfed Longbottom's head.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," said Voldemort. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor Salazar Slytherin will suffice for everyone, won't they Neville Longbottom."

She clutched her wand, helpless.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.

His screams were terrible and they were followed by that of his friends.

Through all of this he searched the crowd, pausing when his eyes met hers. She felt his presence, so delicious and so overwhelming as it filled her mind.

Come to me she heard him whisper in her head- a command.

Dora's dead face flashed across her mind and for the first time she resisted his pull.

Cassiopeia was intimately familiar with the Dark Lord's presence in her mind. He had lived there freely for years. Now she searched for them in her head and when she found him, she severed his ties efficiently and fully, finding every hook, every last trace of him in her consciousness and pushed him out.

His face twitched along with his wand. Her limbs felt light and a heady sensation filled her body as the Imperius curse washed over her. Her feet moved a mere centimetre before she dug in her heels and closed her eyes to concentrate. She pulled on her memories of family, of her friends- the lives she had tried to protect.

Her foot moved forward.

She struggled, thinking of Charlie, the Weasleys and their son. He must not die in vain. She inched forward.

Teddy. He was so small in her hands. She remembered the first time she saw him, how he had taken her breath away. She had been terrified of holding him afraid of hurting him. It was his future she fought for. The last living part of the Tonks bloodline.

She halted, shrugging off the spell with a gasp.

He snarled at her and she opened her mind, really opened it so he could see exactly how loyal she'd been.

He muttered something to Bellatrix before his attention was grabbed elsewhere.

She made eye contact now with her mother, her chin jutted out defiantly- high on her small success against the Dark Lord.

The glee from McGonagall's grief was gone and some of her madness had abated. Her face was steely, determined and deadly. It chilled her to the bones and she couldn't resist the shiver of fear at it. In all of her time, in all of her punishments, Bellatrix has never given her a look like that before. It was a look that meant death.

There was a distant thundering and she felt the ground beneath her feet shake.

"HAGGER!" A voice shouted at a volume she felt in her belly. A giant stumbled into view, looking around desperately.

The Dark Lord's giants responded, charging towards the one who made the interruption.

She ducked, breaking eye contact with her mother when she heard the soft twang of bows and arrows soared towards the Death Eaters. She looked around in shock, her wand reflexively moving to conjure wards around the group she was in.

"HARRY!" She heard Hagrid roar, "WHERE'S HARRY?!"

It was chaos. Centaurs attacked from one side and the giants fought on the other. Overhead thestrals and hippogriffs attacked and they were all forced back into the castle.

Through the frenzy she lost her mother, though she did manage to take out a few Death Eaters.

She grabbed Ginny Weasley by the robes, pushing her behind her into the school as she intercepted a curse coming her way.

The shop keepers of Hogsmeade appeared along with other wizards she did not know, more reinforcements. The house elves joined into the fray and she could hear the Dark Lord giving orders.

She blocked a few spells from those reinforcements, they very rightly saw her as a Death Eater and therefore a threat. She shrugged off their attempts, cutting through the pandemonium to find her mother.

Bellatrix was beside her master- duelling three children at once. Luna Lovegood, the Granger girl, and Ginny Weasley.

She felt her rage build and she pulled on it, she twisted it with her hatred and sorrow, turning it into a weapon as the Dark Lord had taught her.

She pushed Luna away, out of the path of a curse and took her place.

Bellatrix smirked as she saw her daughter join the fray.

"Little blood traitor finally shows her true colours," she mocked, focused entirely on her, batting away the other two as if they were gnats.

Bellatrix was relentless and it took all of Cassiopeia's skill and training to hold her at bay through her opening volley.

"Killing you should've been the first thing I did Cassie when I learned you had been corrupted by that filth. Then I should've tracked down every last bloody Tonks and extinguish them." Bellatrix shrugged off Cassiopeia's returning spells, redirecting the explosions into the walls.

"I almost have you know, exterminated the vermin you love so. Just one little baby is all that is left. Then I suppose I should prune my own family as well. Andy has remained unpunished for too long" Bellatrix taunted.

Granger and Ginny were mere spectators at this point, watching in awe as the two fought.

They were evenly matched, their wands a blur as their magic crossed paths, occasionally colliding in mid air. Both women had madness in their eyes, and each one anticipating the other's moves. It was clear they were related and clear they were intimately familiar with each other. The ground beneath them started to crack and the air grew hot and thick around them as the battle continued. She could smell the electric ozone as the residue of their magics hung heavily around them.

"Oh Cassie," Bellatrix sighed as she did before every one of her punishments. She paused for a moment to look at her daughter, "you truly are a waste of a brilliant soldier. So strong, so deadly. I did train you well."

Cassiopeia bared her teeth in a snarl as she used the pause to surge forward with a fresh burst of spells.

Bellatrix blocked them all without issue, but sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead. She was being challenged.

"Do you want to know the one thing you are forgetting dear Cassie?" She asked softly, a cruel manic smile growing in her face.

"What?" She huffed, unable to resist her mother's taunting any longer.

It was a lull in the fight- both women circled each other, stalking one another like predators- both catching their breath.

"You forget Cassiopeia who made you. I taught you everything you know darling. I know every move, every weakness, every thought that is going through your head. You can't beat me- you never have and you never will."

Cassiopeia realised with horror that Bellatrix had been playing with her this whole time. Sure she was challenged more than usual but she hadn't actually been trying to kill her.

That all changed.

Cassiopeia gave up ground as she fought to contain the burst of spells that came her way. She managed...just. She knew most of Bellatrix's tricks because she used them herself.

Bellatrix was quiet as they duelled, the time for mocking was over. She meant business.

She was relentless- punishing Cassiopeia for every little mistake. It was gruelling and she was losing to her mother, slowly but surely.

The beginning of her death knell came when Bellatrix capitalised on her biggest weakness- selflessness.

She did not forget Ginny and Granger were still there- silent spectators. Cassiopeia did- so engrossed with what was in front of her.

She barely had time to react when the first deadly spell flew to the Granger girl. Bellatrix was bringing her back into the duel. Cassiopeia strained to redirect the curses coming at them both- offence was now almost completely impossible. She was able to protect them both, moving closer to Hermione so Cassiopeia's spells were more contained. Hermione for her part tried to return fire at Bellatrix, taking cover behind Cassiopeia- she tried to help in the battle. Against any other it probably would've worked.

But Bellatrix was the best duellist second to the Dark Lord himself.

Cassiopeia was able to occasionally fire offensively but she was growing weary- whatever potion Lionel had given her was wearing off. She was treading water at this point- delaying the inevitable.

Bellatrix smirked, she knew victory was imminent, and she pressed harder- now attacking Ginny Weasley.

Cassiopeia went cold as she saw the familiar green curse fly at the teenage girl and images of the Weasley's grief flashed through her mind.

"No," she gasped, frantically casting a spell to knock Ginny out of the way.

She only had a moment to feel the relief as the spell missed Ginny by centimetres and hit another Death Eater.

To save her she had exposed herself, momentarily losing concentration on her shields and Bellatrix punished her for it.

She dropped to the ground with a curdling scream as her mother's curse hit her, her mind going white with pain.

A blood boiling curse.

Cassiopeia had felt a lot of pain in her life. She was often cursed by her mother and she thought she could handle it all.

Nothing she had ever felt came close to this pain. The battle faded away, she faded away- coherent thought no longer possible and she begged for the darkness to take her away, she begged for death.

And then it stopped- the physical pain but the memory lingered and she clutched her head and screamed. It was too much. The pressure in her head was too much, the death, the lies, the pain. Her mind shattered over and over again.

Cassiopeia would later recall snippets of what happened next- images more than anything.

Molly Weasley was shouting.

Cassiopeia felt her wand in her hand, she felt the surge of magic leave her.

Bellatrix could handle her and a few children. She could not handle her and an enraged Molly Weasley.

She pushed Molly away, causing her spell to go off course.

Bellatrix laughed in glee, a mad grin on her face when Cassiopeia's curse hit her squarely in the chest.

She remembered the look on her face, the shock mingling with her glee as she fell.

She remembered dropping her wand, utterly exhausted. She remembered looking an enraged Voldemort in the eye- grinning as he looked at his fallen soldier.

She giggled as he pointed his wand at her- relieved that it was over for her.

Her giggle turned into a cackle not unlike her mothers when the spell never came.

Molly Weasley caught her as she fell, looking pale and afraid as she continued to laugh hysterically.

Harry Potter was alive. Harry Potter saved her. And he was going to duel the Dark Lord.

She felt the pain still, the blood in her veins set alight. She heard the sounds of the final duel as if underwater. She felt the arms of Mrs Weasley, cold and shaking around her. She felt her own body trembling, heaving with silent sobs.

She felt an explosion like a cannon going off and a cooling on her arm, a gentle, soothing tingle as the dark magic dissipated around her Dark Mark.

It was over.

He was gone.

She was free.

She struggled with the onslaught of emotions, years of stress and locked away emotions rushing out.

She pushed away from Molly Weasley who was crying with joy and rushing towards Harry Potter.

She searched the celebrating crowd looking for someone, anyone who could help her.

She stumbled over to the tall dark wizard who was celebrating and hugging his comrades. One of the wizards who duelled the Dark Lord himself and survived. Kingsley Shacklebolt was standing beside Professor McGonagall and another older man in emerald pajamas. He was hugging McGonagall whose eyes glistened with tears of happiness. She tugged on his robes to grab his attention in his celebration.

Both Shacklebolt and McGonagall turned to her- his eyes shining with joy and relief, the grin wide on his face.

Cassiopeia held out her wand handle first, looking very solemn as she spoke

"Auror Shacklebolt- I, Cassiopeia Lestrange am surrendering myself and my wand to your authority. I am guilty of many crimes including, murder, torture, treason, and being a member of the terrorist organisation known formerly as the Death Eaters. I offer a full confession and my complete cooperation."

The joy on his face turned to disbelief as he gently took her wand from her. He became incredulous when she offered her arms up, ready to be arrested.

"Are you serious?" He asked, pocketing her wand and accepted the other weapons she had on her body. "We haven't even celebrated yet," he said, examining her closely. "The time for that will be very soon Lestrange- you'll get what's coming. You've surrendered your weapons but you look like death. Rest and dwell on what's happened. Get patched up and when the time comes, I'll fetch you."

She found a quiet place amongst the celebrating witches and wizards to rest. She felt hollow and her grip on reality was tenuous at best.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end. She was supposed to die today, she was ready for it, eager for it even. Instead all the wrong people died- those who were much better and nobler than she ever was.

She wasn't sure when Charlie Weasley came to sit next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. The two were silent and she fell into a fitful and exhaustion sleep.

Kingsley woke her up. The hall was comparatively empty and the sun was shining high in the sky- it must've been midday at least.

She extricated herself from Charlie's arms, blinking slowly as he awoke from his slumber.

"Wass'appened" he grabbed his wand briefly before relaxing when he recognised Kingsley.

"Cassiopeia Lestrange- it's time," he said grimly. She nodded, offering her hands once more. He waved her away, gently grabbing her upper arm as he prepared to apparate.

"Ready when you are," she said, giving him a nod.

"What's- you're not- Kingsley," Charlie said, sitting up in alarm.

"Cassiopeia Lestrange, I am bringing you to the Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Law Enforcement for holding and processing along with the other accused Death Eaters. Once processed you will be transferred to Azkaban where you will await trial. You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."

She nodded as he finished his caution eager to get this over with.

"You're bloody mad if you think-" by the time Charlie stood the pair were gone.

Xxxx

a/n phew! I think i re wrote this like four times- and had to read the book a few times to get some of the events right. There is one more chapter left and an epilogue. I hadn't planned on starting another story quite so soon after finishing this mammoth story- but well- quarantine and pandemics might lead to some stories coming out. All in all, all three parts we are looking at 832 pages thereabouts (about 374,500 words). Which is mental. This whole thing started after a bloody podcast (Invisibilia- Frame of Reference) and a oneshot inspired by it. Please let me know what you think of this chapter- of all of them I think this one is the biggest deal for me to write and I hope I got it right.

stay safe friends, stay healthy, and wash yer hands!

tibys