Hello! I am posting this because I got a crazy fucking concussion at work (tanning beds are dangerous y'all) and have been told in no uncertain terms to… not think. Which is difficult, because all I ever do is think. My ADHD, autistic ass can't not think. But anyway! Here's a chapter because I'm not allowed to write right now.
Enjoy!
December 26th, 1998
Potter Manor
Cassiopeia woke up numerous times throughout the night despite the dreamless sleep she'd been given. It was at four in the morning that she officially gave up on sleeping and decided to get up.
It took her nearly ten minutes to convince herself to remove the heavy duvet lying over her for the pure fact that she didn't want to see her body. Once it had been removed, however, she hurried to the bathroom, bringing a towel and her wand and daggers.
The shower she took was a long one. Every time she so much as glanced at her body, she broke down. Touching it was ten times worse. At the same time, she wanted to scrub herself raw. She wanted to scrub her skin until it had shed and been replaced, and she felt like a new, better person.
After an hour and a half of that hell, she shut off the water and finally stepped out. She ended up in front of a mirror, one that was magically heated so it wouldn't steam up, and she found herself staring. The girl looking back at her was broken. She was scared, and she was hurt, and she didn't want to be there.
She'd done her very best to avoid looking at herself, and it had worked to an extent. Standing in front of the mirror, however, it was impossible not to stare. It was a full length mirror that left her entire body on view.
Finally, she took a grim look at herself. She started at the bottom, noting that her feet were possibly one of the only parts of her that hadn't been injured. Moving up her legs, she caught sight at black and purple bruises absolutely covering her thighs and hips. The sight made her sick, and she quickly found herself throwing up. It was an expected reaction - Snape had warned her that she might react harshly after the calming draughts had worn off.
After vanishing the vomit, her eyes drifted back to herself, still feeling sick. Her stomach had a few new scars as well, including one that was tight and deep. It had come from one of the dark curses that she'd been given, and it was one that she'd been told would cause her quite a bit of pain for a long time as there was no true cure for it.
There was, of course, a scar from the deep cutting hex Dolohov had used to remove her shirt and bra that sat just between her breasts. She moved her eyes to her arms quickly, unwilling to dwell on it. Her right arm was littered with random scars, a few of which were dark in color from cursed blades. The left arm, however, only held a small cluster of scars, and they were also dark in color. She let out a whimper as she read the scar that had been left - "pet".
After an eternity of staring, she continued on. She had bruises on her throat that hurt to touch from being grabbed there at the end. Bruise paste had been applied, and it had lightened the bruises slightly, but there was no bruise paste strong enough for them.
Her face held no physical markers of the trauma she'd endured, excluding the exhaustion and pain in it. She was pale, paler than usual, but otherwise, her face was clear.
The only thing left was her hair.
The long, black locks flowed all the way down to her lower back. They were still wet from the shower, so it was straighter than normal. Her hair wasn't the most painful thing to look at, but it did serve as a reminder.
It reminded her of when Dolohov had grabbed it when she'd first arrived and pulled her to her feet. It reminded her of when she'd struggled and he'd pulled aggressively at her hair until she'd stopped. It reminded her of when he'd stroked her hair gently, intimately, as if he cared for her.
It reminded her, and it was the only thing she could well and truly get rid of.
Cassiopeia grabbed one of her daggers from the counter and took it to her hair. Using a mixture of the sharp blade and magic, she cut it down in one swift movement until it laid an inch above her shoulders.
The abundance of wet hair on the floor was quickly vanished, and she set into drying off and getting dressed. She found herself suddenly unable to look in the mirror anymore, having already faced the demon that was looking in it to begin with.
She stepped back into her room and grabbed some clothes - a pair of jeans and a soft, thick sweater, along with some of her most comforting fuzzy socks. When she opened her underwear drawer, she winced at the sight of her pink and favorite bra missing and instead reached for a more suppressive sports bra instead.
After she dressed, she sheathed her daggers and wand and stepped into the hall before she could wonder if she actually wanted to leave her room. Outside was a sleeping guard of Tonks and one very awake Moody. She caught his gaze and felt her eyes widen in panic.
But Moody said nothing. Instead, he just gave her a firm nod. She took that as a sign that he wasn't going to follow her as she'd feared and quickly made her way down the stairs. Her body ached and the bruises on her thighs screamed in pain when she walked, but she ignored it in favor of getting breakfast. She hadn't eaten for nearly a full day, and she'd had a large plethora of potions the night before on an empty stomach that left her feeling awful.
The kitchen held Maria, who was working on making breakfast. Maria quickly shooed her into the dining room, so she went instead of facing her wrath. When she stepped into the large room, she found Daniel sitting with a mostly empty cup of coffee and a Daily Prophet.
"Oh," she stared at him, wincing at the sound of her voice. It was raw and she found her throat hurt, likely from the screaming she'd done so recently. "Lord Greengrass."
Daniel looked up at her and chuckled slightly, much to her surprise. "You're of age, Cassiopeia. I believe you can call me Daniel now."
"Daniel," she corrected herself. "What're you doing here?"
"Sirius asked me to stay the night," he explained. She took a seat next to him at the much too large table and took the coffee Maria popped in for her gratefully. "He's been out on… business."
"Sure," she muttered, sipping the hot coffee.
His eyes drifted over her hair only momentarily before settling on her face. "Slip your guard?"
"Moody let me go," she shrugged. "I wasn't exactly aware I had a guard in my own home."
"I was told Tonks was rather persistent."
Cassiopeia sighed and glanced at the paper. "Anything happening?"
"Seems to be a slow day," he disagreed, though he offered her the paper. "You were mentioned in the gossip columns, though. Something about running to Bulgaria?"
Cassiopeia scoffed and turned to the ninth page to look at it. "They're still on about Viktor and I. I haven't seen him in person in two years!"
"On a slow day, what else are they to do?" he pointed out, chuckling. She made a face at him.
"Talk about someone else for once. Harry's got- he's the Boy Who Lived! Why aren't there rumors about him?"
"Because he just wants to be a normal teenager," Daniel sighed. "You're fighting openly, loudly. More interesting to them, I'd guess."
"Fucking stupid."
The door opened and, as they glanced over to look, Snape strode in. He ignored Daniel in favor of coming to sit on Cassiopeia's other side. He set down nine potion bottles before her, and though she grimaced, she set into taking them.
"You should not have left bed," he told her, though he was surprisingly gentle about it. Daniel took a look between them and, with a supportive smile to Cassiopeia, grabbed his coffee and left.
"I don't want to stay there," she said quietly once she'd finished. "I don't- I just needed to move."
Snape met her eyes and stared for a long moment. "You must listen to us, Cassiopeia. You may not enjoy it, but we need to heal you. You were very badly injured."
"I know," she muttered. It made her uncomfortable, how serious he was. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I…." Cassiopeia looked away and squeezed her eyes shut. She was well aware of how uncomfortable what she was thinking and feeling would make him, and she wasn't sure she had the energy to deal with it.
"I cannot help you if you do not tell me," he reasoned. She looked up at him again and sucked in a short breath.
"I was so scared I was going to get you killed."
Snape had been prepared to deal with her guilt over herself being captured, or the pain at doubting Regulus, or even the aftermath of what had been done to her. He was not, however, prepared to deal with her fear for him. "You were in danger. I was not."
"But they know something," she pressed. "Pansy heard you send me to my dorm. They know you- you care for me, Professor. I thought maybe they wanted to… look in my mind, see more about you and- and I'm not confident enough in my shields. I thought he was going to see something and kill you because I'm not good enough to protect you."
"I am responsible for myself," he told her firmly as he tried to process how afraid she'd been for him. "And I am responsible for you. Should he have seen anything regarding myself in your mind, it would not be your fault. I am your Occlumency coach. Regardless of what could have happened, nothing did. If he had found anything, I would be dead."
"But he suspects you," Cassiopeia told him seriously. "You know he does, Professor. Please, don't- you can't go back."
Snape pressed his lips together. She had never asked him outright not to go back. In their brief conversations where they'd discussed anything emotional regarding their relationship, she'd expressed concern over him remaining, but she had never requested he leave. That, along with the fact that he no longer wished to give Dumbledore any information at all, had him considering. "I am the only spy."
"Who cares?" she frowned at him darkly. "You're no good as a spy if you're fucking dead!"
"If I remain, I may recover information that could save your life," he countered. "Attacks on you or your family and friends."
Cassiopeia stared at him with frustrated tears prickling at her eyes. "I looked at you. I thought- I wasn't sure if you were real. I thought you might already be dead, but you weren't. Don't go back. Next time, you could die."
Snape met her eyes again to show her how serious he was. "There will not be a next time, and that is because I will stay. Next time, we will protect you first."
"Not if you're dead!" she snapped at him loudly. Her hair began to spark and the tears began to fall as she jumped out of her chair and stalked from the room angrily, leaving him alone with only his thoughts, regrets, and empty potion bottles.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Regulus woke that morning at the kitchen table in Grimmauld Place. His head rested partly on his arm and partly on the hard wood, and there was a puddle of firewhiskey under his face and arm, and a tipped over bottle in front of him.
He groaned and lifted his head slowly, noting absently that he was still drunk. Despite that, he got up to figure out what time it was and what he'd been doing before he'd passed out. He quickly found a few rather destroyed heirlooms and was abruptly reminded of what had happened the day before.
Cassiopeia.
Guilt flooded him, as well as anger.
He wasn't angry with Voldemort - it seemed pointless to be angry with the monster. Instead, he was angry with himself. It had been his poor decisions that had caused everything. If he'd been braver, just as Sirius had wanted, none of it would've happened.
If he hadn't listened to his parents.
If he hadn't joined Voldemort.
If he hadn't betrayed Voldemort twice.
If he hadn't left Cassiopeia when she was a baby.
It all came down to him, he knew, and it ate at him as he moved into the sitting room down the hall. He'd never been angrier at himself. He knew she would not be injured, her mind a mess, and hurt in so many of the same ways she'd been hurt before had he been better.
He'd promised to protect her. He'd called her his Solis, and he'd sworn to protect her, and he'd failed.
The thought of returning to Potter Manor for any reason was one that pained him. He knew that seeing him would confuse her, hurt her, and it was the last thing he wanted. Their bond may help it, but it would only do so after so long together. Immediately after getting home, he couldn't do that.
The guilt that weighed on him was heavy, but the anger with himself was heavier, and it sent him into the same fury he'd been in before he'd passed out hours earlier.
He grabbed a vase nearby and threw it against the wall, cursing his five year old self that had decided to be so studious in the Dark Arts lessons they'd been given. The vase smashed loudly, throwing pottery pieces all over the floor.
He tossed a letter opener at the mirror hung on the wall, remembering the way he'd attached himself so heavily to the dark families Walburga had wanted him to befriend at Hogwarts. The mirror broke and fell to the ground.
He tossed a bombarda at the couch, thinking of the day he'd been approached by Voldemort over Christmas break in his fifth year. The couch blew to bits, some of which broke many other things in the room, a few pieces of wood even giving him splinters.
He lit the coffee table on fire at the memory of how he'd done every single thing Voldemort had asked of him, going so far as learning to torture from Bellatrix. The flames roared and spread down to the floor quickly.
He hit the wall to the left of him that led to the kitchen with a Flipendo Tria and tried to forget stealing the locket and, worse, being given Cassiopeia to torture. The curse, which could be described as a mini-tornado, began tearing up the rest of the room.
It was at that point that the door blew open and Sirius ran through, his wand up. "Motherfucker, Regulus!" he shouted. While Regulus didn't reply, or even stop throwing curses, Sirius began putting out the fire and calming the mini-tornado. It took him nearly ten minutes to do both things alone, all while trying to make sure Regulus didn't get hurt. When he was finally done, he disarmed his brother and glared at him. "Are you fucking stupid?"
"Go away," Regulus glared back at him. "Cassie needs you."
"Cassie needs us both, you fucking idiot," Sirius snapped. "She's at home, feeling your stupid guilt and anger and thinking- Merlin knows what she's thinking, but she's not doing great. You need to get your ass home and help her."
"I'm not going to do anything to help," Regulus denied. "I'm what got her hurt to begin with, Sirius. I thought you'd be the first to be pissed at me."
"I am," Sirius admitted plainly. Lying would've been useless, considering the younger man could already tell as much. "But Cassie isn't, and your guilt complex is just making things worse, so get your ass over there."
Regulus rubbed his face in frustration. "I can't."
"She wants to celebrate Christmas," Sirius stared at him. "You're going to make her spend her first Christmas with all of her brothers alive and free without you? What kind of selfish asshole do you have to be?"
"Christmas?" Regulus stared. "After everything she just-,"
"Yeah, we all think she's insane, too, but she insists. It's the only fucking reason I'm here. Narcissa's coming next if you don't get your ass over there and she's prepared to hurt you."
He quieted. "It's my fault."
"I know."
"How can I just go over there and see her despite that? Why do you even think I should?"
"Because she wants you there," Sirius said shortly. "And because it's your fault, but you're still… our brother, and a good person. You fucked up bad, and I want to curse you to hell and back for it, but I can't. We gotta do what she wants for now, got it?"
Regulus glanced around at the mess around them and grimaced. "I think I might need a sober up."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Cassiopeia sat on the floor next to the tree and waved some presents to the correct owners. Just as she set down one meant for Theo, the floo flared up and deposited her brothers. Her eyes settled on Regulus, and relief flooded through her at the sight of him. It took a concentrated effort to focus on the relief rather than fear, but as she met his eyes, she realized what he'd been doing, and she scowled at him. "If anyone gets to lose their shit, it's me. Sit down and open your presents."
"Cassie-,"
"She said sit down," Sirius reminded him, pushing him forward. "Get over yourself and open the fucking present."
So, he did.
It was nearly ten minutes later when Harry finally spoke to his sister, unable to hold it back any longer as they watched Tonks open a gift. "Why'd you go shopping?"
"Harry James-,"
"I don't know," she said quietly in reply, cutting off her eldest brother. Tonks' movements had stilled, and everyone was looking at her, though she looked to Regulus. "I just… I felt like I had to."
"You said you didn't have a gift for Theo," Regulus reminded her softly. She frowned at him.
"But I did," she denied. "I got him- well, he hasn't opened it yet, but I got him something months ago. I had to order it ahead. Why would I go to a muggle bookstore for his gift?"
"You insisted, Cas," he disagreed. "You said you'd completely forgotten. Remember? During that Order meeting, you told me you had to go immediately. I barely got you to agree to wait until yesterday."
She shook her head at him, getting upset. "I had a gift, Reg! I've had it wrapped. It's been under the tree!"
Snape, who sat to her left, raised his wand at her with a dark frown. When he waved it over her head, he stilled, fury filling him.
"What?" Sirius asked him anxiously. "Is she okay?"
"Multiple suggestive charms," Snape answered shortly. "Heavy ones, telling her to get Mister Nott a Christmas present in that bookstore in muggle London."
There was a heavy silence as everyone processed what that meant.
"So this was more than just a random chance," Tonks said, looking at her younger cousin in concern. "This was a very purposeful attack."
"Why just Cassie?" Daphne pointed out. "If someone managed to get to her, why just her? Why didn't they grab Regulus as well? Why not convince her to bring Sirius, too?"
"Yeah, Voldemort has a pretty bad grudge against all of you," Astoria agreed. "Why just Cassie?"
"Can you tell who put it there?" Draco asked his godfather nervously. "It had to be someone she can get close to. Someone she trusts."
The implications of what he said hit them all - there had to be a spy somewhere.
"Not again," Sirius growled angrily, his eyes flashing at the thought of another Wormtail. "We're not doing this bullshit again. Cassie isn't going to die, too."
Snape waved his wand again. When that didn't seem to work, he met her eyes and she nodded firmly.
"Go ahead."
A few long moments later, he pulled out of her mind, frustrated. "She has been Obliviated. It seems whoever did this did it during the most recent Order meeting before she was taken."
"So it's someone that was there," Blaise gathered. "Who was there?"
"It was a rather large meeting," Daniel reminded them. "It could be any Order member."
"Not any of them," Cassiopeia disagreed softly. "I trust everyone on the War Council. I trust the Weasleys."
"Emmaline and Dorcas are trustworthy, too," Sirius added. "I went to school with them. They were really close with Lily, and I know they see her in you, Cas. They wouldn't do it."
"That leaves the rest of the Order," Harry frowned darkly. "What about Dung?"
"Prohibited from leaving the kitchen in Grimmauld Place," Regulus spoke up. "After Cassie tried to suffocate him with the wards."
"Who else was there?" Narcissa questioned, eyeing her goddaughter in concern.
"Diggle, Doge," Sirius began slowly, thinking back. "Hestia, Abe, Albus, obviously. That was it, aside from us."
There was a beat of silence before Harry spoke again. "Well, we know the answer."
"Um, we do?" Tonks blinked at him. "Who was it?"
"Dumbledore," he said.
Sirius sighed and rubbed at his face. "He's a right cunt, sure, but I'm not sure he'd set Cassie up to be taken, Pup. He's old and dying. What would he get out of it? The war is our responsibility now."
"But you don't get it," Harry insisted. "He's always hated her. First year, he tried to sneak into her head! And didn't you say Orion put protections in her mind against Dumbledore? Obviously, your dad thought he was dangerous."
"Well, sure, but Orion never liked him," Sirius reasoned. "The number of times I heard him ranting about Albus- I just can't see him trying to do something so…"
"Well, then who else?" Harry wondered, frustrated. "He's the only person that we know has something against her."
"There's an explanation," Sirius assured him. "I don't think it's Albus, but you all need to be careful around him. Don't allow yourself to be alone with him ever. That stands for the other Order members, as well. We'll look into this."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
December 27th, 1996
Potter Manor
Cassiopeia sat in her bedroom with her book in front of her and her dagger in the hand that lay in her lap. She'd been in there alone for hours and had refused to come out for meals.
Her friends had decided to stay for the entire break, unwilling to part from her. That included Daniel, who had told Sirius in no uncertain terms that he would be staying to assist them in any way they might need. It had been deeply appreciated, and he was given rooms that would be reserved for him any time he decided to visit.
Despite the fact that there were so many people there for her, Cassiopeia found herself unwilling to see any of them until the more obvious injuries had healed up. Her friends being Slytherins, they didn't gawk at her. No one had even questioned her haircut, save for Harry, who had been smacked by Astoria and promptly changed the subject.
Her quiet time was interrupted by a hesitant knock on the door. It didn't surprise her, and she waved the door open with her dagger and glanced up at Regulus as he entered her room. She sat at the table by the window, and he came to sit with her quietly.
The pair took the moment to indulge in the bond, and she used it once more to remind her that he wasn't going to hurt her. Being able to see and feel his every thought left her feeling better, and she found herself relaxing.
He'd come to her room every time he felt her tensing in fear or anxiety or horror - any of the numerous things she'd felt in response to the fake memories that lay in her mind.
Cassiopeia and Regulus each felt a deep guilt. Regulus's guilt was for the fact that she'd been hurt because of him, while Cassiopeia's was because she trusted him, and it killed her that some fake memories could make her doubt that trust.
A stray thought of Regulus's startled her into frowning at him darkly. "Don't leave."
His wince gave away just how strongly he'd tried not to think about the idea, along with the pain he felt. "Cas, you were supposed to be safe. I was supposed to keep you safe. I haven't done that. I put you in more danger than you were in before you met me."
She shook her head quickly. "I was never going to be safe, Regulus. Having you here means I don't have to wonder about you, what our family would be like… I know Sirius is pissed at you for what happened, but I'm not. He's just got issues with his anger. You can't go."
"It would be safer for you."
"Bullshit," she snapped. "If you left, you wouldn't have to wonder over how I might get hurt, or that if I did get hurt, it could possibly be your fault. You'd be a coward. You don't get to leave us because you're guilty, Regulus."
"Cassiopeia, you're afraid of me."
"Because a maniac twisted my memories!" she glared at him angrily. "And guess what? They can be fixed. Snape's going to be here in an hour for our first session, and I know it would help for you to be here. You can't- I'm not going to be afraid of you forever. I sure as hell am not afraid now, because I'm just angry."
"Cassie-,"
"I'm angry because Orion gave me away," she cut him off. "I'm angry because the Dursley's hurt me. I'm angry because it took me so long to get to Sirius. I'm angry because I found you, and now you want to- to leave me. You can't just- you can't give me a family and- and take it away. You can't do that, Regulus, you don't get to."
"Okay," he said quickly when she began to cry. Slowly, he moved over to hug her, but he stopped hesitating when she tossed herself into his arms and cried against him. He held her tight to him and was assaulted by the aggressive release of emotions she felt. The pain, physical pain was unbearable, and it was accompanied by the complete self loathing she felt. Her disgust was prominent, as was the hatred toward the people that had hurt her. There was a sort of grief directed toward the person she used to be, the person who hadn't gone through so much. And there was just an overwhelming sadness that had him holding her tighter.
It was very clear that it was the first time she'd really let herself feel everything and let it out, and while he wasn't sure he was the right person to be there, he refused to leave.
She made it clear she needed her brother, so he held her and let her cry and resolved to focus once more on her instead of his own guilt.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Sirius rubbed his forehead tiredly, staring down at the parchment in front of him. The letter had barely been started and he already felt too exhausted to continue it. It had been a long two days and he wasn't sure how he could continue. It was possibly the first time he'd wanted to sit down with his grandfather and pay attention to the man's lessons on how to run a family in a time of war.
Since Arcturus was dead, he did the next best thing and sent off a message. Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Daniel made his way into the room. Grateful, he waved the door closed behind the other man and offered him a nod.
"I'm sure business can wait a couple of days," Daniel suggested, eyeing the parchment in front of him. Sirius looked at it and back at his friend.
"Not business. I'm… I'm pulling Cassie out of Hogwarts."
Daniel's brow furrowed. "Have you discussed this with her?"
"Of course not," he sighed. "She's fucked up. She doesn't need to be stressing over school right now. I'll tell her in a few days."
"So you made the decision on your own," he gathered with a sigh. "She's not going to like it."
"I don't give a shit anymore," Sirius said bluntly. "Kid keeps getting in danger."
"Yes. What makes you think you can keep her safer locked up here than at school with her friends?"
"She won't be in class with Death Eaters, for one."
Daniel shook his head. "She won't like it."
"I'm her guardian," Sirius said firmly. "It's not her decision."
"She's seventeen, Sirius," he disagreed. "It is her decision."
Sirius cursed and sat back in frustration. "She's my baby sister, Daniel. What the hell do you suggest I do? She's fucked."
"I suggest you let her go back to school, because she will return either way," the other man said slowly. "Don't damage your relationship with her because you're scared for her. She won't take it well."
"She's my sister," Sirius stressed. "I know what's best for her."
Daniel took a moment to gather his words, careful not to set off Sirius's temper in the time of little patience. "I met Cassiopeia when she was twelve. She has never been one to back down from danger. Asking her to do so will not end well for anyone involved."
"How did you do it?" he asked softly. "How'd you help her?"
"I guided her," Daniel said honestly. "I gave her the full truth of the situation and showed her the options available to her, as well as my opinion on what was best. Attempting to control her would never work."
"What if she makes the wrong decision and gets hurt again?" Sirius wondered. "How do I- I can't let her… die."
Daniel grimaced. "She very well may get hurt again, Sirius. We're in a war here, and the three of you are at the center of it. There's no going back on that anymore. You need to have open conversations with her, tell her what you're thinking and feeling, but make it clear that you will not control her. I'd guess she'll listen to you more if you try it that way."
Sirius looked down at the parchment before him and balled it up to throw in the trash can. When it settled inside, he let out a curse. "I was never going to have kids, you know. James and I talked about it when they got pregnant. The only kids I ever wanted to take care of were Harry, Cassie, and Tonks. It was never supposed to be- I never imagined I'd actually have to raise teenagers."
"I've found that the most important part of raising kids is remembering that they're actual people," Daniel told him. "That might seem obvious, but remember that she should have a say in things. Now that she's seventeen, any decisions you make on her behalf will only happen because she allows it to. Open up a good line of communication and you may find that you can work together to keep her safe."
Sirius gave a firm nod. "Right. Okay. I can… probably do that."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
December 29th, 1996
Grimmauld Place
It was the first Order meeting since Cassiopeia had been returned, and they were all on edge. There had been discussions on whether or not she should come, but she told them she would be, but that she'd stay with Tonks and Regulus both.
The meeting began with numerous members checking on her, and she'd taken the time to assure them all she was fine. It was a lie, of course, but she did seem relatively fine to them, so they moved on. Dumbledore led the meeting, as usual, and began with what had happened in the last few days, which wasn't much.
Snape had left early that morning for a meeting with Voldemort and only returned thirty minutes into the Order meeting. He wasn't given a chance to sit down and instead was requested to update them with anything new. The man glanced around the room until his gaze fell on Narcissa. "Crabbe and Goyle Jr were both killed on Christmas."
Cassiopeia's eyes shot to her godmother. "You… killed them?"
"I protect my family," Narcissa said firmly. While Cassiopeia was unwilling to hug the woman in front of everyone, she reached out and grabbed her hand to squeeze it tightly in thanks.
"Miss Black's escape has infuriated the Dark Lord once more," Snape told them, glancing to the three siblings. "She has a high price on her head, and the Dark Lord insists he be the one to kill her."
"Congrats, Cas, you're at my level now," Harry told her. She let out a snort and rolled her eyes at him.
"Just like I always wanted."
"I believe the Dark Lord is suspicious of me," Snape continued. "I was not given much important information, aside from those things. I intend to spend more time at Malfoy Manor to earn back his trust, but there is a chance I may be forced to leave the Dark Lord soon."
"Good," Cassiopeia muttered. Only Regulus and Severus heard her, and they both glanced at her for a moment. She had her arms crossed over her chest and looked deeply frustrated with the man.
"Well, thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said with a tight smile. "Now, if we can move onto family movements…"
OoOoOoOoOoOo