Cassiopeia, H.G Hermione, and Mia

Hermione ran. Her hair whipped at her ears as she sped through the trees and dodged the small explosion that someone - Dolohov, she thought - set off behind her. The sting of the fire distracted her as she carefully watched her footing. She felt a slicing hex slam into her back and blood seep through her shirt, settling into her jacket. She let out a scream as Ron ducked behind her while another hex hit a tree, sending wood flying into them, a small piece lodging itself into Hermione's leg.

Harry tripped in front of her as he tried to send back a hex, or a shield, or something else that didn't matter as he fell to the ground and rolled into the landing. He managed to pick himself back up with Ron's help, and they ran again, sprinting to catch up with Hermione, who was still ducking from curses Dolohov sent at her. She felt her back scream in pain with the constant movement, the injury likely worse than she wanted to imagine, but she had no choice.

They couldn't be caught.

Ron groaned as he was thrown to the ground, chains wrapping around his legs and stomach. He writhed, trying to free himself, but the more he moved, the tighter they got.

Harry ducked under twists of branches in the ages old forest, running in the tight space while a snatcher ran above him, throwing hexes and curses and charms at him as he went. As Harry cleared the small passage, the snatcher jumped down, his hand wrapping loosely around Harry's foot, pulling him down until he was on his back. He freed himself quickly and scrambled to his feet, running once more. Hermione's heart pounded in her chest as they ran. She'd heard of this, and she did the only thing she could think of to protect them - as she passed Harry, she shot a stinging jinx at his face and then dropped her wand on the ground so it couldn't be read for spells.

A bright, short flash of light appeared in front of Hermione. She mistook it for a spell and dodged to the left, but someone fell that way with her, and they both tumbled to the forest floor. Hermione hurried to curse the person and she'd barely managed to cast a spell when she and the woman to her left were wrapped up in ropes and pulled through the trees to where Harry and Ron had been taken.

"Don't- don't touch her!" Ron was yelling.

"Your boyfriend will get much worse than that if he doesn't learn-," Greyback cut off short, and Hermione's eyes snapped from Harry's swelled up face to the woman next to her. Greyback strode over to the woman and put his fingers under her chin. She struggled in Dodd's arms, but he didn't let up. "And who might you be? A Black, are ya?"

"Let me go," she hissed at him. "Or I swear to Merlin, I'll-,"

"You'll what?" he interrupted with a laugh. "What'll you do to me, huh? We've got you, missy. Now, tell me your name, and don't lie. I know you're a Black."

"No."

Hermione stared at her in fear. She shouldn't be here. Everything was already ruined, and now she was going to make things ten times worse. And she was right, because Greyback stepped forward and invaded her space until his mouth hovered over her neck. "Much less painful for you if you tell me the truth. I can smell your fear, and I can smell your lies. Tell me and I won't bite you."

The woman had tensed, and she stared ahead at a tree as she finally spoke. "Cassiopeia Black."

Greyback pulled away and stared at her. "And who the hell is that? I never heard of a Cassiopeia. How're you a Black, huh?"

Cassiopeia took in a slow, calming breath. She was clearly in pain somehow, but Hermione couldn't see any injuries on her. "Sirius and Regulus are my brothers. Orion and Walburga had me just before Regulus died, and Orion faked my death. He was a paranoid old man. I'm worth nothing to you. I was raised far away, I'm not involved in this war. Let me go and I'll pretend I never saw you."

He snarled and moved closer again. This time, he put his claws on her hip and pressed in slightly, threatening to scratch her. "You're lying. We'll take you to Malfoy Manor, see what Bellatrix wants to do with you. As for the rest of you…"

Cassiopeia's face cleared until there was no emotion, nothing visible. She watched the scene as Greyback looked between the trio, trying to determine who they were. Dolohov was holding onto Hermione, sniffing her and grinning into her hair. The sight made her sick. She tried to think about what she could control, but it was difficult.

"What's your name?" Scabior asked Harry. Greyback was now holding him, and Harry wavered slightly with the effects of the stinging jinx.

"Dudley," Harry replied quickly. "Vernon Dudley."

Cassiopeia did her best not to snort at that. Harry looked disgusting at the moment, so Uncle Vernon and Dudley? They were good options.

"Check it," Scabior ordered Dodd. The man readjusted, putting his arm around Cassiopeia's throat and using his hands to check a little notebook. He was squeezing a bit tight and she struggled to breathe until he lowered the notebook and let up on the pressure.

Scabior walked over to Hermione and smirked at her. "And you. How 'bout you? What do they call you?"

Hermione's eyes drifted to Cassiopeia and then quickly back to the Snatcher in front of her. "Adelaide. Adelaide Brown. Halfblood."

Scabior leaned in, touching her face, as if he were going to kiss her. Hermione was trying to back up, but Dolohov held her tight. Dodd spoke quickly, startling all of them, but mostly Cassiopeia, who knew he hadn't been looking at the notebook that he now held in the air. "There's no Adelaide Brown in here, or Vernon Dudley."

The wizard backed away from Hermione and made his way over to Harry again. He leaned in quietly, staring at him. "Change of plan. We're not taking this lot to the ministry. They're all going back with us. Back to the Apparition point! Now! Don't let that one go, Dodd, she's special."

Cassiopeia gasped as she was pushed lightly forward. They were at the back of the group that started trudging through the forest. As they walked, she tried to remember where she'd heard his name before. Certainly not in her universe. They had a good list of Death Eater names, and Dodd wasn't one of them. The last Dodd had died in the first war.

She also wondered at how she'd gotten there and how she'd get home. It was a slight problem because she didn't remember what she'd been doing or who she'd been with before moving universes. The last thing she'd remembered was going to sleep at four in the morning after a long night of searching for better ways of teaching the DA defense when her core was low.

Dodd grabbed her arm tightly when she tripped over a rock that was covered by some leaves, helping her remain upright. It was odd to her, but she didn't comment on it because they were far too close to other Snatchers.

The Apparition point was close by. It wasn't long before they reached it and were abruptly twisted to the side. The side-along was painful, but they landed soon outside of Malfoy Manor. Cassiopeia couldn't help but shake as they waited to be brought inside. Hermione was shooting looks at her every once in a while, but she didn't notice. The thought of going back in the place she'd been taken to after being captured was a terrifying one. She hadn't been back since Dolohov had hurt her, and she hadn't planned to go back.

The gates opened up with a loud groan. Bellatrix had come to escort them inside, and she walked quickly toward the large, black doors. They opened moments before she reached them. They didn't stop just inside - instead, they were led to a very familiar drawing room. Cassiopeia's mind flashed back to the day she'd been tortured in that room.

"Draco," she whispered as he walked in the room. He was with Lucius and Narcissa, and he looked awful. He looked sick and somewhat angry. He was distracted from Harry's disfigured face and his eyes shot to hers.

"Who is she?"

"Claims to be Cassiopeia Black," Scabior told him. "Your cousin, if she's tellin' the truth."

"Cousin? I don't have-,"

"Focus," Lucius hissed, grabbing his shoulder. "Well? Is it him?"

Draco hesitated, looking back at Harry. "I can't be sure."

"Draco, look closely, son," Lucius insisted. He held a drink in his hand that was almost certainly alcoholic, and accounted for the way he slurred slightly and was a bit too rough with Draco. "If we are the ones to hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything would be forgiven. A-All would be as it was, you understand?"

Scabior strolled closer cautiously. "Now, we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr. Malfoy."

"You dare talk to me like that in my own house?" Lucius roared, looking to the Snatcher. Narcissa hurried closer and hissed his name to calm him.

As they spoke, Cassiopeia closed her eyes and tugged roughly on the bond she shared. Hermione's head snapped to the side at the feeling. Cassiopeia took in a breath and tried for mental contact. "Hermione?"

"What the hell happened?" Hermione replied. "Are you hurt?"

"No. I'm not sure what happened, but I know what's happening now. This is what they talked about, Lexi, Mia, and Adelaide. This is your Malfoy Manor."

"Mine, but what about you? Did you-,"

"Yes," she interrupted tensely. "Yes, I did. It was different, but the same place. Look, I can cast the spell they gave me for an emergency pick up, but they might not be watching. It might take a while. We have to prepare to be tortured."

"Prepare to- no! We're brilliant, so let's think of a way out of here."

"I just have, it just might take some time. Look, we're stuck here, surrounded by Death Eaters. There's no way we can fight our way out, especially since Dodd took my daggers. Just try to stay calm and we'll see what-,"

"Was it one of you dearies?" Both women looked at Bellatrix, who was looking between them with her wand pointed in their general direction. Neither answered, so Bellatrix walked over and held out her hand. "Give me their wands. We'll see what their last spell was."

"Well, see, we only got this one's wand," Scabior said, nodding at Cassiopeia. "She's got some knives, too. The other one was unarmed."

Bellatrix held out her hand impatiently, so he handed the weapons over. She was scanning them quietly, and Cassiopeia shifted in Dodd's arms uncomfortably. She didn't even know what the last spell she cast was. Finally, her deranged cousin looked at her. "Who taught you this, hm? Trying to drop the world on someone?"

"The… Atlas curse?" she blinked in surprise. "I've never cast it before. I don't even know how to cast it."

"Liar!" Bellatrix screamed at her. Her eyes drifted to the side for a moment, and she froze in place. She turned to stare angrily at Scabior, nearly shaking in spot. Much to Cassiopeia's dismay, Bellatrix's hair began to spark, just as Lord Nott had once told her it did. "What is that? Where'd you get that from?"

"It was in her bag when we searched her," he said, nodding at Hermione. "Reckon it's mine now."

Bellatrix let out a furious screech and tossed Scabior over the railing behind him. She waved her wand at Cassiopeia and Dodd, sending them flying into a nearby room with the door slamming shut behind them. Cassiopeia, free of his grip in the sudden movement, ran to slam her fists on the door. She'd only just gotten to it when Dodd pulled her away from it roughly.

"Let me go!" she snapped, glaring at him furiously. "Or I swear to Merlin, Morgana, and Circe that I'll turn you inside out one piece at a time."

He struggled to keep her arms behind her back, and dodged to the side when she shot off a wandless curse. He barely managed to avoid it and decided to step in front of her instead. "Look- listen! Listen, if you go out there now, she'll kill you in a heartbeat."

"She can't," Cassiopeia snapped at him. She raised her hand in his face, shaking her ring at him. "If she tries to kill or even attack me, our family magic will kill her."

Dodd stared down at her darkly. She might've been a little witch, but she was fiery, and a Black to boot. He could tell she was dangerous, but he couldn't let her go out there. "There is no Cassiopeia Black. There is no Black heir, because there is no Black lord. The Black family is fallen. A stolen ring, however you got it, will not protect you."

Cassiopeia let out a frustrated groan and shifted on her feet. "Look at me! Look at my hair, my eyes, hell, look at the way I hold myself! I am Cassiopeia Narcissa Black. Sirius and Regulus are my brothers, Draco is my cousin, Narcissa is my godmother, Andromeda and Tonks- Nymphadora are my cousins. Orion and Walburga were my parents, and Arcturus was my grandfather. I know I shouldn't be alive here, but I'm here, and I'd be a bloody idiot to trust a Death Eater like you, so that's all I'll tell you. Let me go, do something good for once in your miserable life."

"Okay," Dodd frowned at her. "Look, I don't want to be here, either. Believe it or not, I'm trying to protect you. If you tell me what's going on, I might be able to help."

He looked honest. She didn't trust him, but she couldn't ignore that he genuinely seemed like he wanted to help. Aside from that, she could've sworn she knew his name from somewhere. Dodd. He'd died in the first war, but what else did she know about him? She knew his parents died when he was in school, he'd joined Voldemort shortly before they died, and… "Mia!"

"I'm sorry?" he blinked at her. She shook her head, staring at him in disbelief.

"She mentioned you once. I knew I recognized your name. You were one of her friends, see. I think you got her captured, tortured, and killed by Vold-,"

"Don't say his name!" he interrupted loudly. She looked confused, and he stared at her like she was stupid. "Outside these walls, his name summons Snatchers. Inside the walls, the name summons the Dark Lord himself. It is forbidden to us as well."

"Riddle," she said slowly instead. "But it was an accident. Then, when she got back to her own time, you came to the final battle and died. We all know how much guilt she holds over your death, but there's always more going on, so I totally forgot-,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked sharply. She blinked slowly and took in a slow breath.

"I don't exist here," she told him plainly. "Well, not as Cassiopeia Black. Here, I'm Hermione Granger. But where I'm from, there never was a Hermione Granger. I'm not meant to be here. I don't know how or why I came here this time. I want to get Hermione out before what happened to Mia and Alexia and Adelaide and me happens to her. I've already sent a message to someone who can come get me, but I don't know when they'll get it or get here."

Dodd looked over her as he took in her words. Finally, he gave a slow nod. "You're from another universe."

"Yes. Now, can I please go help her? My ring should hold up," she said. She paused, though, as an idea ran through her mind. "I'm the heir, but I'm running the family with my brothers… I wonder if…"

"What?"

Cassiopeia closed her eyes and called on the family magic. It lit up around her, dancing on her skin and calming her. She opened her eyes and let out a slow breath. "I, Cassiopeia Black, heir to Lord Sirius Black, do call Judgment on Bellatrix Nova Lestrange née Black."

The family magic flew off of her and through the cracks of the door. It was gone for a moment before it returned, this time with a large excess of magic that settled once more in Cassiopeia before disappearing. It left her feeling more powerful than before as the family magic danced around her core, ready to be used again.

She didn't wait. She slammed through the door and found Hermione on the ground, terrified. Across from her was Bellatrix, unconscious and also on the ground. As she ran to meet her friend, she pointed her empty hand at Bellatrix. "Avada Kedavra!"

"Cassiopeia how-,"

"Are you hurt?" she interrupted sharply. Hermione shook her head and she breathed out in relief. "Good. Go get Harry and Ron. Dodd and I are going to go find Draco."

"Malfoy? Why-,"

"He's not a bad person!" she called over her shoulder. Dodd followed her, guiding her through the Manor to the private rooms that belonged to the family. They were all in the sitting room, and she stunned Lucius on sight. Dodd put up a shield to block Narcissa and Draco's curses, and she held up her hands. "I'm not here to hurt you. I am Cassiopeia Narcissa Black. I want to get you to safety with them, away from Vol- Riddle."

"Narcissa?" Draco repeated.

"She's my godmother," she confirmed. "And I'm sorry, Cissa, but Bellatrix is dead."

A portal opened up before Narcissa could say anything. Much to her surprise, Alexia did not pop out, nor did her husband. Instead, it was Bertie Croaker and… James. The younger man caught sight of her and ran over to hug her, relieved. "He said you were in trouble! Lexi's on leave and Dolohov's out of the country, so- wait, are you okay? Where are we? Is everything- Dodd?"

"James Potter," Narcissa said, amazed. "How-,"

"We're in Malfoy Manor," Cassiopeia told the alternate version of her dad. "I'm okay. We need to get Hermione, Ron, and Harry and go. Dodd helped me. I told Draco and Narcissa to come with."

"And where will we go?" Draco asked skeptically.

"Our universe, of course," Croaker told him. "Come, come. We will take you all back and then come back for the others."

"I can't leave without Hermione," Cassiopeia denied immediately.

James looked at her with a frown. "Lexi would kill me if I left you in danger. Just go back while I go find them. We'll be right behind you."

"I refuse to follow you to be arrested," Narcissa told them, her chin tilted upward stiffly.

Croaker grinned at her crookedly. "Well, I suppose it's good that Dolohov worked so hard to get all of you pardoned. Especially that husband of yours."

"Go," James nudged her. "Dodd, I've heard you're a good person. Take her. You're dead at home so you can't be arrested."

"Fine, but find my wand and daggers. They took them."

After getting a nod in return, she walked through the portal with Dodd. Draco and Narcissa followed through after them, and they came out in the familiar room in the DOM. Cassiopeia shivered at the sight of the department. "Croaker, can I just take them to Potter Manor? I'm really not comfortable down here."

Croaker looked at her curiously. "Well, now, we may need to run some tests on you, of course. I'm sure they won't take long-,"

"I know better," she interrupted him sharply. "Alexia spent thirty minutes once making sure I knew to refuse testing from you. Raise your wand at me and my brothers will come curse you. I'm taking them to Potter Manor."

"Ah, worth a try!" he laughed. "I'll send Potter over when he returns. Take the floo in the office through that door."

She didn't hesitate to escape. Through the door was a spacious office filled with old oak furniture and bookcases filled to the brim, all of which had magical locks on them. The floo was to the right of the desk, and she went through first and let them follow behind her. When Dodd came through last, she let out a slow breath and relaxed a bit.

When the door to the floo room opened, Cassiopeia expected Harry or Alexia to be there. Instead, she found herself blinking in surprise. "Mia?"

"Cassie?" Mia raised an eyebrow. "I'm almost entirely certain Narcissa and Draco are already here. What's-." she stopped short, her eyes on the Death Eater at Cassiopeia's side, her breath catching. "Cassie…"

"It wasn't my intent to steal him," Cassiopeia defended quickly. She stepped slightly in front of the man, though he was a good foot taller than her. "We got captured by Death Eaters. He helped me."

Mia strode forward and nearly shoved Cassiopeia out of the way. Dodd rose his wand to protect himself, but Mia just poked his chest hard. "Dodd?"

"And you are…?"

"Merlin," Mia breathed, shaking her head at him. "This isn't fair, Cassie. You're not supposed to bring people back for me."

Cassiopeia grimaced and touched her arm. "Mia, he's not yours. He's Hermione's. He never knew you, you never changed his life."

"He never died."

"That battle hasn't happened yet," she argued. "He might still. You can't get attached."

Mia scoffed. "Like I had the bloody time to get attached in the first place! It was just… hi, I'm from the future, then he got me kidnapped except it wasn't really his fault, and then I went back to the future and there was the final battle and the bloody idiot came back!"

The door creaked open again, revealing Regulus and Avery. Cassiopeia stepped to the side knowingly, and Mia let her boys stand on either side of her. Regulus held her hand comfortingly. "Little Lion, this isn't the man you knew."

"That being said," Cassiopeia spoke up, thinking it out. "I mean, Dodd, if you want to leave the war, you could go to Mia's universe. It's finished there - the Light won."

"Dodd was given an Order of Merlin for coming back to help," Mia laughed slightly. "Didn't do him much good, did it?"

"We can escape the war?"

Draco's voice startled them. Cassiopeia answered him gently. "No, not you two. You're alive in… every universe I've been to, including this one, mine, and Mia's. Dodd can leave because he's dead in Mia's. Mine too, actually, but the war's still going for me."

"I see. And why, then, would you bring us here?" Narcissa asked coldly.

"To get you guys away and to safety until we can get you somewhere more permanent?" Cassiopeia stared at them. "Look, I've been tortured and worse in Malfoy Manor, so you'll excuse me if my thought process wasn't exactly clear while we were there."

Mia winced and grabbed her hand. "You okay? I know it wasn't too long ago for you, right?"

"I'm fine," she lied tensely. "I'd prefer to have my brothers here. Actually, I'd prefer to go home, but D-," she cut herself off and shook herself. "James went to help Hermione get Harry and Ron. I won't go home until I'm sure she's okay. Is Lexi here?"

Mia exchanged a glance with Regulus and spoke slowly, carefully. "No. Lexi's out of the country for a while."

She looked at her alternate self suspiciously. "Okay, why?"

"Work stuff."

She scowled. "James said Lexi's on leave."

"Damn," Mia cursed. "Look, it's a long and very uncomfortable story. Lexi went through some shit again, I was there, she deserves a fucking break, so she's taking it. Forget that, okay? Are you sure you're alright? I've got a calming draught in here, and-,"

"Occlumency would help a hell of a lot more than a calming draught, and since my two coaches are in a different universe, I'm gonna hold off," Cassiopeia snapped. Mia just stared at her, and the teen rubbed at her face tiredly. "I'm sorry. I saw him again. He was right there, holding her, sniffing her, staring at me. I just…"

"Yeah," Mia said softly. "Yeah, I know…. Well, would Sirius help? He's upstairs."

Her response was cut off by the floo flashing to life. James jumped through and relaxed visibly upon spotting Cassiopeia. "There you are. Are you okay? Croaker said you threatened him."

"I warned him," she corrected stiffly. "Because they would curse him. I'm fine. Can I go home now? We're leaving Dodd with Mia."

Dodd looked startled. "I have some more questions-,"

"I'll answer those," Mia decided. She waved toward the door, and the man followed them out hesitantly.

Once they were gone, James looked at Draco and Narcissa. "I'm not sure what to do with you. I can come with and try and open up a Potter home to keep you in until the war's over, but it all depends on what the Lexi of your world and Harry say."

"We would appreciate any safety you can offer us," Narcissa bowed her head slightly.

"Well, go on back to Bertie's office," James suggested. "The others are waiting there with him. I just need a second."

After two green flashes of the floo, James looked at Cassiopeia with a worried frown. "Do you know how this happened?"

"No," she shook her head. "I don't even remember what was happening. I just fell into the forest, and that's the last thing I remember. I don't know if I was in danger, or at school, or the Wizengamot, or home, or the War council, or bloody London."

James reached out and rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay. We'll get you back, and then I'll take care of them."

"Thanks," she said, not quite looking at him. His soft smile spread into a large one, and he waved her toward the floo. They returned to the office and then the multiverse room, where everyone was gathered.

"Cassiopeia!" Hermione breathed in relief. "I was worried something had happened. Why the hell did you bring them?"

Cassiopeia shifted uncomfortably. "Hermione, Draco's my cousin. He's my best friend, one of the people that know me best. I know who he is at his core. In my universe, he's going through hell. He's made some bad decisions of varying severity, but he's still a good person. This Draco may not have had me at the Welcome Feast to stab my hand and prove blood purity is bullshit, but I have faith in him. As for Narcissa, she's a Black, it's that simple. We protect our family and those we love above all else. She'll protect Draco, even if that means giving into her bastard husband's demands. As long as you don't threaten Draco, you'll be fine."

"Well, you can't really know she'd do anything to protect her family, can you?" Ron argued. "She's a Malfoy!"

She gave him an icy stare, her face void of emotion. "Narcissa snuck into Malfoy Manor, infested with Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, and saved me from Crabbe and Goyle before they could rape me. She then snuck me out, took me home, got me showered and safe in my own bed, and brought me Snape to be healed. I am her goddaughter - she protected and saved me. I know this family far better than you do, Weasley."

"I thought you said all your alternate selves were friends with me," Ron complained to Hermione, who had paled dramatically, along with James, Harry, and Draco. Narcissa only looked at her goddaughter curiously.

Hermione looked at Ron, annoyed. "Not all of us, clearly. For good reason, since that's the first question you bothered to ask after she told a story like that!"

"It's fine," Cassiopeia put her hand up. "But I want to go home, find my cousins or my brothers, and put this entire thing out of my mind."

"Yeah," James waved at Bertie, who pressed a large, green button. A portal popped up, and James held out his hand for Cassiopeia. She took it and only looked back when Narcissa spoke.

"Did she kill them?"

"Yeah," she answered softly. "I think she'd have killed Dolohov, too, if we'd had time. She made damn well sure they'd never touch me again."

"Good."

"C'mon," James said. He led her through the portal, and she nearly collapsed in relief when they came out at home. Though the portal was still open, he started to lead her to the door.

"What're you doing?"

"You wanted your brothers or cousins," he reminded her. "So I'm going to make sure you get to them before I go, aren't I?"

And who was she to argue? Feeling a bit needy, she let him guide her through the Manor. They went into the kitchen first and found it empty, so they continued to the library, which was also empty. After checking a sitting room next, they finally entered Sirius's office and found him pacing with Regulus sitting in his chair. Both of their heads shot up at the sight, and Sirius crossed the room in two long strides to pull her from James and into a hug.

"Fucking Merlin, Kitten, we were so worried," he breathed, stroking her hair. "Are you okay? Hurt? You look scared, what happened? Did someone attack you? Do you need potions or food or- or sleep, or-,"

"Merlin, Pads, slow down," James laughed. The man's eyes snapped to his, and he froze. James also froze as he remembered where he was. "Ah, I'm dead here. Right. Sorry. I'm Lexi's brother. I just wanted to make sure she got to you guys safely."

Regulus ignored him. He finally reached Cassiopeia's side, and she was promptly placed in his arms instead as Sirius stared at his long dead friend. While he did that, the two siblings made hesitant mental contact, as all mental contact was lately. They didn't speak as he updated himself on what had happened. She tried to use his memories to guess how she'd left, but it didn't do much to help.

"Can we talk? Privately?" Sirius requested. James nodded, confused by how stiff his friend was. He was led out of the room and after closing the door, the man spoke sharply. "Don't fuck with her head, James."

"Don't- what? I'm not-,"

"No, I know what you're doing," Sirius agreed. "You're a bloody good person. You always were. You loved Cassie to death, even before Orion… but you can't do this. Cassie's confused enough lately, and having you parade around like you're her dad is bound to make it worse."

James sighed and shook his head. Sirius was protective of the people he loved, he knew, but he'd never really seen the man be protective of anyone from him. "Look, Pads, I know she wants to have me in her life. Every time I see her, she hovers, but she's scared. She deserves to have me as some sort of father figure, or at the least, see that I care for her."

"I don't think you understand me," Sirius stepped closer, his voice low. "If Cassie goes through one more fucking tragedy, it's going to break her. I loved my James, my brother, but I know well enough that you can't stay alive in any universe, can you? So I don't want her breaking down those walls, trusting you, and then losing you."

"But you can't make that decision for her! She's her own person. You can't refuse a connection between her and someone else because of the mere idea of them dying or hurting her," James argued. "I know damn well how Lexi would react to that- hell, I did that to her, and she hasn't quite forgiven me yet."

Sirius clearly didn't care. "This is my sister. I lost her for twelve years, and I'm sure as hell going to do every single fucking thing in my power to protect her, which includes telling you to fuck off. Let her feel safe in the family she has now instead of offering her something we both know damn well you can't promise will be there forever. Understand?"

James stared at him furiously. "No. No, Sirius, I will not back off. You mean well, but you can't speak for her. As soon as she tells me again to stay the hell away from her, I will. As for now, she hasn't, so I won't. Are we done here?"

The door opened, and they turned to find Regulus staring at them with a raised eyebrow. "This door, it seems, is not as thick as you expected. I had to take her wand so she wouldn't hex you."

"I still can," Cassiopeia called from where she sat in the office with her arms crossed over her chest, irritated. "And for the record, right now, I don't want to deal with either of you. The others need to get somewhere safe, and Sirius, you're an arse. Regulus is going to take me for Occlumency, and if I see you before dinner, I will hex you."

"Cas-,"

"She means it," Regulus warned his brother. "Just go."

James sighed in resignation. "Feel better, Cassie. I'll see you."

"Bye," she called quietly. Shaking his head, he slipped back through his home and jumped through the portal. He had a lot of work to do.

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