CW: torture, major character death. I'm really sorry, folks.
As spring turned to summer and the days turned longer, I found my spare time occupied with my boyfriend, my friends, and my family. Outside of work, you would probably find me hanging out at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, the Leaky Cauldron, or listening to the radio in my bedroom at Grimmauld Place with Tonks. At the moment, it seemed like everything in my life was at it should be (which only made me feel like things were more likely to fall apart at any moment).
Things with the Order were as good as I could expect; since Daniel joined the Order, things between him and I had only improved, and it felt like we'd developed the kind of friendship I hoped we would have after our romantic relationship ended. All things considered, he was one of the few people in my life who really knew me, and I was grateful to have him around.
"Cassie? Shouldn't you be leaving soon?" Remus called to me from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yes! Yes, I'm almost finished, I swear," I called back. I was on guard duty tonight, and I needed to leave for the Ministry in the next few minutes. I finished fussing with my fringe, threw a knee-length jean jacket over my dungarees, and bounded down the stairs. Remus was leaning on the railing and beaming at me.
"As always, be safe," he said, his eyes tired and bleary. Tonight was the full moon, and he always looked haggard in the days leading up to and immediately following his transformation. I reached up to give him a quick hug goodbye.
"You too, Remus," I said. "You've taken all the Wolfsbane, haven't you?"
He nodded, reassuring me. I flashed him a quick smile and headed for the door, but turned around one final time, remembering something.
"Hey, you haven't seen Kreacher around lately, have you?" I asked casually. "It's just that I usually see him dusting on the third floor around this time, it's when he calls me a 'stain on the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black' or 'friend of filthy blood traitors'"
"Come to think of it, Cass, I haven't seen him," he finally said, the lightbulb going off in his head. "I'll ask Sirius if he's seen him – wish me luck with that, will you?"
I threw my head back and laughed before heading out the door, spinning on my heel, and disappearing into the air and toward the Ministry of Magic.
As I trudged through the atrium, shaking the toilet water off my boots, I looked around wildly for any sign of Dan from under the cloak. He was my guard duty partner tonight, but in typical fashion, we hadn't come up with a plan for where to meet. I could only imagine Moody scolding us for being unprepared and lacking 'constant vigilance,' but Dan and I usually got so carried away laughing and talking that we completely forgot to make more important plans.
Despite this, I decided to go the same route as when I came to find Mr. Weasley during my first night on duty. I followed about a dozen witches and wizards into the elevator and shuffled out behind them once we reached level two. Once I was out, I wandered down the hall to the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, where Dan would surely be. Before I could get too far, the door flung open, sending a gust of cold air in my direction.
"Goodnight, Perkins," I heard a familiar voice call ahead of me. Daniel suddenly came into view, pulling the door closed behind him quickly and quietly. I watched him look up and down the hallway, making sure no one was around and watching him. Before he could take another step, I took a fistful of cloak and threw it over him, barely giving him time to react.
"MERLIN-oh, it's you," he whispered, relieved that it was just me trapping him.
"'Oh, it's you'? You know, at one point I was your favorite person in the world, Light, I'm a little hurt at that kind of reception," I chided playfully. He rolled his eyes and put his wand back in his cloak, grinning slightly.
"I'm glad you found me," he said, starting to walk beside me. "All that time having tea and talking to your cousin until the wee hours, and we forgot to make a plan to meet up."
"Yes, well, don't feel too bad about it; it's not like anyone else remembered either," I countered jokingly. He rolled his eyes again, falling into step beside me as we wandered toward the elevator once more. Once inside (and stuffed into the corner by another dozen witches and wizards working the night shift), we headed for level nine: The Department of Mysteries and the Hall of Prophecy.
Once we arrived, I slid down the cold, black-tiled wall and leaned my head back. Dan followed suit, sitting down next to me and exhaling heavily as he did. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him studying me.
"What're you thinking about?" he asked quietly.
I considered, then turned my head lazily to face him.
"Dunno," I said. "I've been back here a million times since December, but I think this is the first time you and I have been back here together since…well, since Arthur's attack. Just kind of weird, you know?"
He nodded, his expression changing ever so slightly as he got lost in thought. Dan always got this faraway look in his eyes when he was deep in thought or pondering what he wanted to say next – a look I saw it quite a bit when we first got together, and he never knew what to do or say around me. I found it just as endearing now as I did then.
As time passed, I watched his expression turn from tired to contemplative to just plain lost in thought as we sat up against the walls of the Hall of Prophecy, watching, waiting.
"Now what's on your mind?" I asked, nudging him softly.
He twirled his wand over and over in his hands, as he always did when he was nervous or trying to choose his words carefully – which only made me nervous about what was running through his head.
"Just thinking, I guess," he said. "He's been gone almost a whole year. Can you believe that?"
Suddenly, everything came to a grinding halt as he said those words. I hadn't thought about Cedric in a long time, the burden of grief and guilt lessening with each day until I didn't notice it anymore. Taking the time to think about my grief – or the absence of it – sent that familiar burn creeping up the back of my throat.
"No," I said quietly. "To tell you the truth, I can't. Do you ever see Amos around?"
"Not really," he said. "He went on leave for a few weeks after it happened but came back in August or September. I visited them quite a bit over the summer, and I paid them a quick visit at Christmas. Their first one without him and all…"
I nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. I suddenly felt guilty for not trying to sneak out and visit his parents, to sit with them in their grief, to just be there for them. Thinking about our last meeting – the jumper they'd given me, the letter – made the burning feeling worse in the back of my throat, how I'd worn their son's jumper and not even thought about how they must have been feeling.
"I miss him, I do, but going to the Mind-Healer helps," Dan continued. "I've kind of dealt with a lot of things in there. Had a few breakthroughs. Now I think I know why Muggles call it therapy."
"Sounds like I could benefit from some of that," I remarked. "Not that I think it would help. I carry more baggage than the porters at Hogsmeade Station. They'd probably trip over it all and give up on me in frustration."
"Oh, I doubt that. In any case, they do ask about you. They miss you, you know," he said.
I nodded, once again unsure of what to say. I always wanted Daniel and I to be friends, but I never in my wildest dreams expected it to be like this; the two of us secretly standing guard in the Ministry of Magic, reminiscing on our dead friend who, in his death, mended our relationship far sooner than I ever expected.
I'd always heard that death had a funny way of bringing people together. Now I knew how true that statement was, and I had a sinking feeling that this wouldn't be the last time I'd experience it.
"You know," Dan finally said, shifting the topic and his weight as he moved around slowly. "I've worked here almost a full year…and I've never actually seen your father."
I snorted slightly in response.
"My father wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near a department that had the word 'Muggle' in it," I said brusquely. "Besides, he's hated your department for years; during my fifth year, they raided our house in search of any Darks Arts paraphernalia. Dad told them he'd sold them all to Borgin and Burkes or gotten rid of them some other way, so they left it alone. Little did they know he'd hidden everything in the floorboards of our cellar. I bet if I went back there now, I'd find all sorts of cursed jewelry or blood-stained objects hidden all over the house."
"Wow," he breathed, leaning back on the wall again. "I never knew that. You never said."
"Yes, well, you of all people knew I was never the biggest fan of talking about my family, particularly my dad," I said. "Besides, what do you care if you've never seen him?"
"I don't care," Dan countered, shrugging. "I've always just wondered what he'd do if he saw me. If he knew who I was. Just sort of a morbid curiosity, I suppose."
"My father would probably kill you on sight if he knew who you were," I said, rolling my eyes. "I swear to Merlin, that morbid curiosity is going to get you in trouble one day. You don't want to get on the bad side of some of the really psychotic blood purists, believe me."
"Oh, I know. Even though I was a prefect, your brother never missed an opportunity to call me 'Mudblood' when he saw me," Dan said softly, remembering the sting of the word. "He was, what, thirteen? Fourteen? And now he's a prefect himself? I'm just on their bad side by existing, Cass. What does it matter if they know who I am or not?"
"If," I began, but stopped short, inhaling as I considered what I was speaking into the universe. "When the war gets bad, they'll hunt you down. They'll kill you, or if they're feeling merciful, throw you in Azkaban. You'll have to hide, Annamaria will have to hide, your mother will have to hide, all because you're- "
"I'm what?" he hissed.
"Look, blood supremacists have always believed that Muggleborns stole magic or took it by force from wizards long ago. To them, you're a criminal. You've taken something that they think belongs to them – is their birthright – and they'll stop at nothing to take back what they think is rightfully theirs. This is what pureblood parents teach their children growing up – it's what my mother and father taught us. Them knowing who you are could eventually become a matter of life and death, if it isn't already."
He went quiet, his tan face going slack. He ran his fingers through his hair, and I could sense the tension radiating off his body. I put my hand on his shoulder and scooted close to him. He looked down at me, unsure of what I was about to do.
"And if that time comes," I said. "The Order will do its best to keep you safe. If I've learned anything from the Order of the Phoenix, it's that they take care of one another when they need it most. They'll do the same for you. And if they don't, I will personally see to it that you're safe and sound, Dan. I promise."
He smiled, a grateful, melancholy smile that told me he knew that I probably wouldn't be able to keep that promise, but he was happy I made the offer. It was true, though; I would do whatever I could to ensure Dan stayed safe if things really got bad. I couldn't protect him from my family once before, but this time I would be ready.
"I know, Cass," he said softly. "I know that. And I love you for it."
Those three words hadn't been said between us since the day we broke up on the Hogwarts Express, when he said them so freely, so certainly and I knew I couldn't. Ever since the moment I met Dan on prefect rounds with Cedric, I knew that I would probably always love him, even if I couldn't say it, and even if it wasn't in the way he wanted me to. Moments like this – when we sat together and reminisced on days gone by – were when I was certain of it.
"Yeah, I know," I whispered back, a grin creeping across my face as I reached across and squeezed his hand tight. "I love you too, Dan."
"I haven't seen you all day - how did it all go last night?" Sirius asked. "You and your former flame, on duty outside the Hall of Prophecy?"
"It was fine," I said, rolling my eyes. "Dan and I love each other like siblings at this point, and I've got Fred! No salacious details to report, thank you very much."
"I had a friend like that way back when," he mused, putting down his Daily Prophet. "Marlene McKinnon. We dated for a bit, until I finally came to my senses and told Remus how I felt about him. She was…well, she was like a sister to me. Until she died, that is. Next to James, she was my favorite person to go on missions with."
"Your favorite, eh? More like the most likely to come back to headquarters with their eyebrows singed off," Remus quipped from the hallway, wandering into the kitchen wearing a threadbare jumper and a smirk.
"That did actually happen, by the way," Sirius recalled. "Except it wasn't in a fight. We got Splinched when we Disapparated back. Each of us was missing half an eyebrow."
"Whose fault was that?" I inquired, cocking my very much intact eyebrow.
"Mine," he said, his pale cheeks turning pink. "Was too focused on getting home to Remus that night. I believe it was his birthday."
Behind me, Remus choked on his mouthful of piping hot tea. I let out a short laugh, then watched Remus weave his way out of the kitchen and toward the living room. I sat down slowly and poured myself a cup of tea, dripping the piping hot liquid onto the lace doily underneath. Sirius smirked as I continued to try and clean up the mess. I looked up at him and rolled my eyes.
"I know, I'm a klutz," I muttered.
"No, it's just that you've reminded me of myself just now. When I was a bit younger than you, I spilled tea across this entire bloody table one afternoon," he said, leaning back in his chair. "My mother really let have it that day."
"What'd she do?" I asked.
"What many pureblood parents did to…correct there poorly behaved children," he said, his voice low as his mind traveled back there. "Curses, but sometimes torture. Sometimes I can still hear her screeching Unforgivable Curses when I walk through the halls."
I opened my mouth to speak, then shut it promptly. My mother and father, awful as they were, never used Unforgivable Curses on us growing up. Thinking of Sirius at fourteen or fifteen, enduring the Cruciatus Curse at the hands of his own mother, made my heart ache.
"I don't know why I just told you that," he said, leaning forward now. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," I said quickly. "I don't mind when you talk about things like that. You forget my parents were awful, too."
"Quite right," he remarked.
We sat there in silence for the next few minutes, me sipping tea and him reading the paper. Sirius and I went through weird periods like this; one minute, we'd be laughing and talking and listening to music, and I'd feel like we were almost as close as Tonks and I were, and the next minute he'd be quiet and cold, making snide comments about how he would kill to be able to leave the house. Even after a year of living in his house, I still didn't really know how he felt about me.
"You know what I just remembered?" he asked abruptly, bringing me out of my thoughts and back to earth. "You moved in here just about a year ago. Can you believe that?"
Now it was my turn to lean back in my chair and ponder. Nearly one year ago, Cedric had died, we were finishing up school, and I received a cryptic letter from Andy and Ted that I'd be staying somewhere secret, somewhere 'hidden to wizards and Muggles alike.' Little did I know the sort of journey I'd end up on as soon as Tonks and Moody brought me to the front steps of Number Twelve, nearly three hundred and sixty-five days ago.
"No," I finally said. "I really can't, to tell you the truth, Sirius. It feels like I've lived here forever. Feels like I was a completely different person back then."
"Probably because you were. You'd just suffered a tremendous loss; you cried nearly every night, blaming yourself for your friend's death, and…well, I like to think I helped you work through some of that grief," Sirius said with a small smile.
I closed my eyes, remembering that fateful night Sirius and I sat across from one another at four in the morning, reading the letter from the Diggory's together, since I was too terrified to do it alone. His advice about grief had ended up being spot on; the pain didn't go away, but it hurt considerably less, and I was able to go about my life without feeling wracked with guilt, anger, or sadness. I never expected that I'd make it to this point.
"Yeah, you really did," I said. "I mean that, Sirius. I know things are far from easy for you and for Remus, but you two really have done so much for me in the last year. More than you'll ever know. I can't thank you enough, truly."
A playful grin snuck across his face and he ran his hands through his inky black hair, his eyes twinkling as I spoke. Seeing Sirius smile was rare, and I was glad to be the reason for it for once.
"Well, as Remus and I saved you, so to speak, you saved us," he said slowly. "With the exception of the Order meeting here every week and Dumbledore coming in and out every so often, we've never had too much company in this house. Not to mention my own…complicated feelings about being stuck here. But you've made things quite a bit brighter; I don't think I've heard more laughter in the halls before you came along, Cassie. Remus and I are all the better for you living here. Once Harry's finished with school, we'll be a proper family. The four of us."
My eyes widened in shock and surprise. It made my heart swell and my eyes sting when he said that; in this moment, I'd never felt closer to Sirius. I never knew he felt that way about my living here, and it made everything feel so much lighter.
"I know you have Fred and Andromeda and Ted and Tonks," he continued. "And I know you love London more than anything. But if I'm ever able to get out of this bloody house, maybe go somewhere in the country, you could come visit us. Maybe even spend summers there, if you wanted. Or long holiday weekends, perhaps, I don't know. I hadn't given it much thought- "
I sprang up from my seat and rushed around the table to where my cousin sat, wrapping my arms around his shoulders in a bear hug. I felt his whole body stiffen but relaxed after a minute or so, leaning his head against mine playfully as I hugged him tight.
"Thanks, Sirius," I whispered. "I…you really do mean a lot to me, you know."
"I do know," he said. "You're family, after all. I know Remus thinks so, too."
"What does Remus think?" Remus called from the hallway, wandering back down into the kitchen. I stood up and looked from Remus to Sirius and back, remembering the three of us sitting in the kitchen together after a few days of me living here. I gestured for him to sit down, pouring more tea for us as we continued to talk about days gone by and days to come, or country houses and being a family, and of all the ways we'd helped each other in the last year.
If you had told me back then that the mysterious man I met in Dan's house after I'd been kicked out would become one of my favorite people in the world, someone I'd regard as father, brother, and friend, I would've laughed in your face. Now, I was content in the fact that I was proven completely wrong about the whole ordeal.
We were vagabonds, that much was true. But we were family, and that mean more than either of us would probably ever know.
Instead of Tonks, Daniel, and I hanging around after the Order meeting on Tuesday, it was Tonks, Daniel, Kingsley, Moody, Remus, Sirius, and I all milling around, sipping tea and chatting quietly. It was rare that we all got together in a less formal setting than Order meetings, but I was glad of it.
"Cass, when're you starting as Mulpepper's newest assistant?" Tonks asked as she dabbed at some spilled tea on her robes.
"You got promoted? Why didn't I hear about this?" Dan asked playfully. I rolled my eyes.
"I've been a bit preoccupied, Dan," I said. "I'll start in August, I think. I don't think he's going to take on another apprentice, so it'll just be Mulpepper and Malfoy from here on out, I think."
"Mulpepper and Malfoy, eh? Look out, Diagon Alley," Kingsley chided in his low, soothing voice. "I don't suppose your folks would rather see you in Knockturn Alley, though."
"Fortunately for me, Kingsley, my folks don't give a damn what I do or where I go," I said. "I'll make a name for myself that's so far removed from them, they won't ever recognize it. Just you wait."
"I think you already have," Kingsley said with a wink, then went back to his tea and discussing Auror office business with Tonks. I turned to Dan to ask him about Annamaria and her Healer training when suddenly, the front door burst open and slammed shut, footsteps thundering down the hall.
"BLACK!" I heard someone bellowed. "SIRIUS, SHOW YOURSELF!"
"I'm right here!" Sirius shouted back, clearly miffed that someone was yelling at him. "What're you shouting about, Snivellus?"
"Quiet, Black! You'll find I bring information that very much concerns you," Snape sneered, his usually pale face tinged pink from exertion. He turned to face the rest of us, his eyes landing on me momentarily. I glared back at him, waiting to hear what he had to say.
"Potter believes you to be a captive of the Dark Lord, Sirius. He may be heading to the Ministry of Magic – to the Department of Mysteries - tonight. Apparently, Mr. Potter believes that he, along with Miss Granger, Mister Longbottom, the two Weasleys, and another student, can apprehend him on their own."
"WHAT?!" Sirius roared. "How did this happen? How did- "
"Sirius, calm down-" Remus warned.
"This is because YOU refused to teach him Occlumency, isn't that right, Snape?!" Sirius shouted, his voice teeming with rage and fear. "Harry couldn't keep him out, could he? Now he's walking into a death trap because YOU couldn't get over- "
"It's too late to air those grievances, Black. What matters now is getting to Potter and his friends before the Dark Lord does. You all must head to the Ministry immediately; Sirius, you are to stay behind and alert Albus to the current situation. He'll be along shortly."
"And where the hell are you going?" I blurted. "Off to fight alongside the Dark Lord yourself? Got to keep up when you're in the fold, after all."
"For your information, Miss Malfoy, I will be returning to Hogwarts to search the grounds for Potter in the event he hasn't left. For his sake, and for the sake of the Order, pray that he's seen sense and stayed put."
None of us had a chance to even respond or ask a question; we had sprung into Order mission mode. Moody rounding everyone up and doing a headcount of us all, Kingsley and Tonks wrapping their robes around their shoulders, and me grabbing any potions that might prove useful along the way. As we hustled and bustled around the house, Sirius paced up and down the hallway, his frightened face obscured by his unkempt hair.
"He's my godson! I'm the only family he's got left; you can't force me to stay at home while the rest of you save his neck!" he bellowed to no one in particular. Feeling guilty, I stopped in front of him and put my hands on his shoulders.
"We'll be back before you know it," I said quickly, pushing a hair out of my eyes and tightening my leather jacket around myself. "He's going to be okay, Sirius. I know it."
"Sirius, you stay put and tell Albus everything," Remus said firmly. "We'll be back soon. I promise."
Sirius's face hardened. He nodded, then put his head down as Remus gave him an awkward hug and kiss on the temple. I gave my cousin one last hug before dashing toward the door to the rest of the group.
"Alright, everyone ready?" Moody asked. "We don't have time to spare, so we'll have to Apparate there. Malfoy, Tonks will take you via Side-Along. Can't have you falling on your arse in the middle of this one."
I nodded, not daring to challenge him. With a grunt, Moody turned around and flung the door open wide, the rest of us pouring out behind him. On my right, Tonks gripped my arm as we prepared to Apparate. To my left, Dan squeezed my hand tight, reassuring me.
As I gripped Tonks's arm and prepared to be sucked into the air, I heard the door fly open again. I whipped around to see who was following out behind us when I saw Sirius, hair flying, eyes widen and murderous, charging toward Remus, whose foot was already turning on the pavement.
Before I could open my mouth to scream, Tonks turned on her heel and sent us hurtling through the air. The last thing I saw was Sirius latch onto Remus's arm, hanging on for dear life as Remus spun on his heel and vanished the two of them into the air without a trace.
THUD!
"SIRIUS, YOU CAN'T- "
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN'T DO!" he hissed at me as he and Tonks pulled me off the ground outside the quiet office building. Even during Side-Along Apparation, I still managed to topple over upon landing.
I still couldn't believe what had just happened; Sirius, the accused mass-murdered who'd been on the run and forbidden from leaving the protection of Number Twelve had made another desperate escape. When everyone got their bearings and realized he had joined us, Remus flew off the handle.
"Sirius, how could you?!" he asked. "You could be seen, you could be sent back to Azkaban, you could even be killed- "
"Remus, none of that matters to me right now," he growled. "Harry is what matters. I need to save him. We need to save him. I would think that you of all people would understand why."
Remus's face fell as Sirius's words pierced the air. Sirius wanted to protect Harry since he couldn't protect his mother and father; he told me so that fateful night at the kitchen table, days after I arrived. We've should've known that he would attempt something like this.
"Sirius, who's left back at the house?" Tonks asked hurriedly. "Someone's got to tell Dumbledore where we've all gone, especially you!"
"Well, for better or for worse, I've tasked Kreacher with that," he said, resigned. "Now, we've got to go!"
We all dashed into the building toward the bathrooms, splitting off toward the men's and women's doors. Once Tonks and I were inside, I grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her back toward me.
"Cass, there's no time to waste- "
"I know! I know that, but Sirius! He could get killed or sent back to Azkaban if he's seen, don't you think- "
"Cass, I know you know him better than I do, and I know you care for him a lot, but he made his bed the minute he ran out that door. He's here and we need to keep moving!" she exclaimed, pulling me toward the empty stalls and climbing into the toilet. Before she flushed herself down, she turned around to face me, her face softening.
"We're going to be alright, you know. They're going to be alright too," she said.
"You really believe that?" I asked hurriedly.
She shrugged.
"I'm not really sure, but what choice do I have?"
And with that, she flushed herself down and vanished from view. I climbed into the toilet immediately after, my mind teeming with frightened and intrusive thoughts. What if Sirius gets sent back to Azkaban? And Remus, what if he's spotted? What if we're walking straight into a death trap, Death Eaters waiting for us as soon as we get through the Floo?
There was no more time to waste. Before I could spend another minute panicking, I pulled the lever and flew straight down, sliding toward the Ministry of Magic and whatever horror awaited us there.
We rendezvoused in the atrium.
Moody, Kingsley, and Daniel stood by the fountain waiting for Tonks and me, Remus and Sirius following closely behind. Remus's eyes darted every which way, looking for other wizards, Ministry employees, security guards, anyone who might recognize Sirius.
"Don't you think it's a little odd that no one's here?" I asked. "Seriously, there isn't a soul around."
"I think that's probably on purpose, Malfoy," Moody said sharply. "Wands out, everyone. We'll head to the Department of Mysteries and look for them there. With any luck, Severus will have found Potter and his friends at Hogwarts and this will all have been for nothing."
We nodded and turned toward the elevators, wands drawn and eyes darting everywhere, keeping watch with every step we took. When we piled into the elevators, Tonks squeezed my right hand tightly, reassuring me. On my left, Dan squeezed my hand again, just as he did outside Number Twelve. Both were trying to reassure me, and probably themselves, that everything would be alright.
After a minute, the elevator came to a grinding halt, the sound of a women's voice filling the tiny box.
"Level Nine: Department of Mysteries," she said coolly.
As soon as the doors opened, we all piled out and split off toward each door; the Hall of Prophecy, Brain Room, Love Room, Space Chamber, Death Chamber, and Time Room.
"Alright everyone, pick a room and search. Malfoy and Tonks, you take the Hall of Prophecy. Remus and Sirius, you do the Love Room. Kingsley and Light, the Brain Room's yours. I'll take the Time Room and Space Chamber. Meet back here as soon as you're done; we'll do the Death Chamber together."
We nodded, then took off toward our assigned rooms. Tonks and I drew our wands and flicked them over the handle of the Hall of Prophecy. We tried to push the door open, but it was blocked by something, something heavy.
"Christ, who's in there?" Tonks muttered. I turned around and saw Dan coming out of the Brain Room looking completely bewildered.
"No one's in there, but it's a huge mess!" he hissed. "Brains literally everywhere, broken glass, blood. There's definitely been a skirmish in the last few minutes."
My heart sank. That could only mean one thing, but I pushed the thought aside.
"Dan, help us push the damn door open," I said. "Something's blocking it, but we don't know what it is."
He nodded, squaring his shoulders and running toward the Hall of Prophecy's door, attempting to break it down. While he was unsuccessful, his body weight pushed it open far enough that the three of us could get inside. The sight was like what Dan described in the Brain Room; broken glass and wispy, blue air floating all around us and broken prophecies cracking under our shoes.
With wands drawn, we wandered forward, searching the room for any signs of life, but found none. I turned back to Dan, who looked nervous and dejected.
"It's alright," I said. "We'll do the last room and then we'll go from there."
He nodded, then turned back toward the door. When we exited the hall, we found the rest of the group waiting for us.
"Nothing in there, Alastor," Tonks said. "I'm assuming the same for you?"
"None of us found any human life, but we did find a bloody mess in every room," Moody replied. "We'll do the Death Chamber together, but I don't know that we'll find- "
"Shhhh," Kingsley hissed, motioning toward the Death Chamber. "Do you hear that?"
We froze, listening closely. I heard sound of spells being shouted and screams of anguish. I heard a boy crying and a woman cackling maniacally. My heart nearly stopped. Beside me, Sirius was already running toward the door. Not having any choice, we followed him.
My heart pounded and my face felt cold, even though I was sweating more than I probably ever had in my life. Who was in the Death Chamber? And would we make it out unscathed?
Sirius flung the door open and we chased after him, entering the Death Chamber one by one from high above the dozen people dueling below. From what I could see, Ron, Ginny, and Neville were all there; Ginny unconscious on the floor next to Ron, Neville writing in pain and crying on the cold, concrete floor of the Death Chamber. My eyes landed on Harry, who stood in the center of the room, his arm outstretched, glowing prophecy in hand. The prophecy.
"Hand over the prophecy or watch your little friend die the hard way!" a woman shrieked.
My eyes darted over to where the voice came from and saw a woman with wild raven hair, her skin pale and her eyes wide. I recognized her from the photo Andromeda showed me two years ago, the same photo my mother kept in a hatbox beneath her bed, hidden from the world.
My aunt. Bellatrix Lestrange.
Suddenly, someone lunged at Harry out of the corner of my eye but stopped short when they realized that a dozen Order members were charging toward them. When I realized who it was, I realized that he stopped not because of the Order, but because of me.
There, reaching to snatch the prophecy from Harry's trembling hand, was my father.
His face went from sneering to murderous when he realized I was there. This was the moment he'd been waiting for, after all.
He turned and raised his wand when he saw me charging toward him, but Tonks was faster, casting a Stunning Spell that hit him square in the chest and sent him flying backward. Next thing I knew, Death Eaters and Order members were raining blows upon one another, bursts of red, green, white, and blue light weaving through the Death Chamber in a macabre kind of dance. Among the Death Eaters were my father, Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus (my uncle), his brother Rabastan, Walden Macnair, Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Trevor and Theo Nott's dad, and a few others I didn't recognize.
Bellatrix's eyes lit up, excitement dancing in her pupils as she took the chance to try and curse me.
"Well, well, well!" Bellatrix cackled as she threw Killing Curses at Tonks and I. "Little Cassiopeia's all grown up!"
"How was prison, Aunt Bella?" I shouted, dodging her curses as quickly as she cast them. "I see you've left Uncle Rod to fend for himself again; some things never change!"
"You DARE give me cheek?" she roared. "Your mother and father have told me all about your antics – maybe a little torture will convince you to see the error of your ways!"
Suddenly, a jet of red light from her wand hit me and brought me to my knees.
I'd never experienced an Unforgivable Curse, not even at the hands of my father. The Cruciatus Curse makes everything smell like charred hair and flesh. The whole world fell silent around me, as I could only focus on the feeling of a thousand white-hot needles piercing my brain as I screamed louder than I ever had in my life. No amount of grief or heartbreak could compare to the pain of this curse, a curse so horrifying I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. The only sounds I could hear were my screams and my aunt's rollicking, horrible laugh.
"That was only the beginning, traitorous, foolish child!" she sneered again.
She raised her wand again, but a pale hand knocked her out of the way. Suddenly, my father's face came swimming into view, his face back to sneering as he loomed over me. He looked very much the same as when I last saw him, black Death Eater robes, hair platinum and pristine, eyes as gray and soulless as ever. All style, no substance.
"After all this time, you disappoint me once again, Cassiopeia," he seethed. "I won't give you the chance to do it again."
He raised his wand as I fumbled for mine, trying to focus on where I was, what I was doing, and what needed to happen next. Before either of us could cast a curse, Sirius appeared out of nowhere, a Stunning Spell flying from the tip of his wand and knocking my father on his back once more. He sprinted to my side and scooped me up off the ground, trying to steady me as quickly as possible.
"Get to Harry!" he said urgently. "Get Harry, round up the others, and get out!"
"And leave the rest of you here?!" I snapped. "Not for a second, Sirius!"
I dashed toward Harry, who had just sent Dolohov into a Full-Body Bind. When he saw me running toward him, his lips curled up into a tiny smile. It was short-lived, though, because my father had regained his strength and began charging up to Harry, arms outstretched.
"THE PROPHECY!" he snarled, poking his wand between . "GIVE IT TO ME!"
"IMPEDIMENTIA!" someone bellowed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a jet of light burst from Dan's wand and send my father flying back. I turned to smile at him slightly as he rushed to my side.
"Now you've met my father, Dan!" I said as he and I stood back-to-back, and each dueled a Death Eater as we moved across the floor of the Death Chamber. I scanned the chamber and saw Tonks unconscious a hundred feet ahead of me, Kingsley fighting two Death Eaters at once, Moody's magic eye spinning across the floor, and Sirius now dueling Bellatrix. Suddenly, I saw my father charging toward us once more, but before he could strike, Remus jumped in front of me.
"Cass, Dan, Harry!" he bellowed. "Round up the others and get out!"
"Professor Lupin, we're not going anywhere!" Dan bellowed back. I tried to fight back a laugh but couldn't. Even in the middle of battle, of course Dan still called Remus 'Professor Lupin.'
After I cast a Full Body-Bind Curse at Trevor and Theo Nott's dad, I whipped around to face Harry, who was trying to help Neville Longbottom after a Death Eater cast a Dancing Feet jinx on him. Neville tried to run, but his feet tapped and danced wildly and involuntarily, making it nearly impossible for Harry, or anyone, to help him.
"Neville, it's alright, just try and move your- "
As Harry tried to move him along, the pocket of Neville's robes tore wide open, and the prophecy fell straight through the gaping hole, shattering upon impact on the hard floor of the chamber. Neville's face fell, then snapped up to face Harry, who looked equally stunned and terrified.
"Harry, I'b sorry! I didn't- "
"Neville, it's okay! It doesn't matter!" he cried. "You need to keep moving- "
"DUBBLEDORE!" Neville cried, pointing high above us.
"What?!" Harry and I asked in unison.
"DUBBLEDORE!"
I turned toward the doors above us to see Dumbledore, wand aloft and face furious, raining blows upon the remaining Death Eaters. When they saw he had come into the chamber, one of them ran, others screamed, and the rest attempted to fight him, but were quickly subdued by Dumbledore's power.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius and Bellatrix still battling, the two of them laughing and jeering, their eyes equally murderous. Part of me was impressed to see Sirius, who hadn't dueled in Merlin knows how long, going up against his cousin, one of the most powerful witches our world knew.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he bellowed, the light from their wands dancing in his eyes as he cast curse after curse at her.
The red light from her wand barely hit his shoulder, but the impact was enough to stagger him.
"NO!" I screamed, without realizing how loud and how desperate my voice was in that moment. In front of me, Harry watched intently as Sirius wavered in the air, mere inches from the stone arch in the middle of the room. His eyes fell on me and a smile crept across his face, a smile that told me I was about to lose another person who meant the world to me.
His body curved backward and his face relaxed. We waited with bated breath for something to happen, but it never did. Sirius's face turned from scared to surprised to resigned, as he fell through the archway and was lost forever.