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Chapter Twenty

The Phoenix Ascending

Cassie stood as still as if someone had put a full Body-Binding Curse on her. She saw the Death Eaters, saw Sirius and Remus, the wands at their throats, but could not comprehend a thing.

James was already in motion. He reached up and ripped the clockwork locket from her neck, muttered a hasty "Sorry" when she inhaled sharply from the chain biting into her skin, and pocketed the trinket in one swift motion. When she looked at him, panicked, he only held a finger to his lips.

The ballroom sweltered with silence. The crowd was motionless until one figure strode forward, tall and confident, wand drawn—Mr. Potter. James tensed beside her.

"Lestrange," Mr. Potter said, and Cassie shivered at his authoritative tone. It was so different from his usual kind demeanor, but she remembered that this man was an Auror, also, and a good one. "I know you're reckless, but you're no fool. Surely, you did not think you could break into my home and think there would not be dozens of Aurors in attendance tonight?"

As he spoke, other figures melted out of the crowd, wands out. Cassie recognized some of the faces as high-profile Aurors from the papers, and her mouth went dry.

Bellatrix laughed again. It echoed tenfold around the still room, high-pitched and mad. She wrenched Sirius's head back more, and Cassie gasped.

"Potter," Bellatrix greeted with a shallow curtsy, dragging Sirius with her. "I was so disappointed not to receive an invitation, so I spared you the trouble and invited myself." Her wandless hand combed through Sirius's hair carelessly as she shot the encroaching Aurors a wicked smile. "Come now; there's no need for such hostility. Especially when young Sirius is in the crossfire, hm?"

She pressed a chaste kiss to Sirius's cheek, and Cassie's stomach coiled.

"I also wanted to thank you for taking in my little cousin," Bellatrix continued. "After shaming his poor mother and disgracing the Black legacy so horribly, it's comforting to know he can still find a home among the maggot-infested blood traitors you call a family."

"Give it up, Lestrange," Mr. Potter said, his wand pointed directly at Bellatrix. Her eyes glittered out at him from behind Sirius's head. "You're surrounded. You're openly committing a crime in the presence of law enforcement. Even if you somehow make it out of here a free witch, you'll have a bounty on your head. Release the boy."

Bellatrix pouted. "I only came to deliver a message. Now, where is sweet little Cassie?" Her gaze swept over the crowd intently. "I know she's here. Would you like to tell me where, dearest cousin?"

She leaned close to Sirius's face, and he growled. "Go to hell, Bella."

She threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, what fire!" She jerked her chin at the man holding Remus. "Bloodbane. Bleed the half-blood, would you?"

Mr. Potter stiffened, and Peter gasped. Cassie's body went completely numb.

Bloodbane. One of the names of the Seven Elders. Which meant that the man holding Remus, the one about to slit his throat, was another descendant like her. But none of that mattered in the moment as the man readied his wand, laying it across Remus's neck—

"Wait!"

Cassie stumbled forward, her hands raised, ignoring James as she stepped out of his grasp. He followed right behind her, though, and Cassie heard Mrs. Potter's strangled cry of "James!" as he and Cassie came to stand by Mr. Potter.

"Wait," Cassie choked out. "I'm here."

"Cassie, James, stay back," Mr. Potter said sharply, his eyes never once leaving the Death Eaters.

"I'm here," Cassie repeated, locking gazes with Bellatrix. "Let's talk."

Bellatrix grinned, triumphant. "Hello, little doll."

"Get back, you two!" Mr. Potter snapped.

Cassie kept her eyes on Bellatrix. "You wanted me. I'm willing to listen to your message, on the condition that you let all these people go first."

She indicated the frightened crowd, and Bellatrix smirked.

"Quite the negotiator, aren't you?" she purred. She stroked Sirius's hair, thoughtful, and Cassie's blood boiled at the domineering touch. "Very well. I suppose the sheep can leave. But your friends stay. As insurance."

Cassie forced herself to nod and speak with some semblance of bravery despite her churning gut and weak knees. "Fine. But they're not to be harmed."

"Or what?" Bellatrix tilted her head, and her wildly askew curls shifted across her shoulders like a cape. "Have you ever been in a hostage situation before, little doll? The first rule is to never bargain for something you can't deliver on. So, what would happen if I were to harm dear Sirius, or your other friend? What would you do? Think carefully."

"Enough games, Lestrange," Mr. Potter cut in. "Speak."

She pouted and jabbed her wand further into Sirius's neck until he winced in pain. "Now, now, Potter, this is Cassie's time. Do your duty and remove these kind people while we chat."

Cassie spoke to Mr. Potter. "Please. I'll be fine."

Mr. Potter hesitated, his eyes flickering between Cassie and Bellatrix. Bellatrix fingered her wand and grinned. "Tick-tock."

"James." Mr. Potter spoke as if every word pained him. "Let's go."

"No," James said, his gaze trained on Sirius. "I'm staying."

"How gallant," Bellatrix cooed. "A true Gryffindor you've raised there, Potter."

James spared his father a brief glance. "Go. Please."

After an agonizing moment, Mr. Potter took a step back.

"Clear the room," he ordered the Aurors. There was nearly a stampede as the guests fled for the doors and the safety beyond. Cracks of Apparition echoed as the ballroom quickly emptied, until only Cassie, the Death Eaters, James, Mr. Potter, Sirius, and Remus remained.

Mr. Potter paused before leaving. "Five minutes. My team and I will be just on the other side of those doors." His eyes hardened on Bellatrix. "If anything happens to any of these children, my spells will be aimed to kill."

Bellatrix squirmed in delight. "I look forward to it."

Mr. Potter braced his hands on the doors and stared hard at Cassie. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Not at all, she thought, but she nodded. Mr. Potter shut the doors, and then Cassie was left to face the Death Eaters with only James at her back. She didn't know where Peter was, but at that moment, he was the least of her concerns.

Cassie commanded herself to take a step forward. "Well? What's the message?"

To her surprise, it was the man named Bloodbane who spoke.

"The Dark Lord wants to extend you an offer," he said. His voice was low and rasped with an edge, like a serrated blade dragging along a whetstone. She looked into his dark eyes and was met with nothing. No emotion flickered there, no feeling. Just nothing. "Work with him, and he has promised to free your brother from Azkaban."

Cassie's stomach plummeted. "Work with him how?"

"He sees you as a great ally, Miss Alderfair," Bloodbane said. "A pure-blood from an ancient house would be a helpful asset in recruiting more wizards to his cause."

She shook her head. "He asked me to join him once before and I denied. Why try again?" Her lip curled. "Especially since he was the one who forced my brother to murder our parents."

Bloodbane stared at her, unfeeling and unmoving. "His offer to free your brother is his acquiescence in putting him there in the first place. The Dark Lord can be merciful. He is willing to negotiate for your allegiance."

"And if I say no?" she asked, already fearing the answer.

Bloodbane shrugged a broad shoulder. "Nothing, for now. As I said, he can be merciful."

There was a catch somewhere—there had to be, but her mind was swirling with too much panic and too many questions to even fathom what that catch could be. She only saw Sirius and Remus held captive by Death Eaters, and all her fears of being useless, of being unable to save anybody, were threatening to devour her.

"Then no," she said hoarsely. James shifted beside her, but she spoke directly to Bloodbane. "I don't accept his offer." She swallowed, hard. "If he wants me so badly, he can come to me himself."

Bellatrix hissed. "Do you think the Dark Lord has time to waste on little girls like you?"

"Enough, Bellatrix," Bloodbane said tonelessly. "Miss Alderfair has given her answer. We should return to the Dark Lord at once."

"That's it?" James demanded, stepping up to Cassie's shoulder. "You crashed a party full of Aurors to deliver a measly message like that?"

Cassie gripped his elbow in fear. "James—"

Bloodbane's mouth curled in the tiniest of smirks. For some reason, this unnerved Cassie more than his flat, emotionless demeanor from earlier.

"The Dark Lord has interest in you, too, James Potter," he said. "You should rethink your role in this war more carefully. You could do a great many things with the most powerful wizard in the world on your side."

James's hands clenched into fists. "I will, at the side of Dumbledore."

Bellatrix cackled. "Dumbledore's time is coming, boy! Once he's gone, you'll be begging to join the Dark Lord's side!"

Cassie had to restrain James as he took an angry step forward. "No! Don't let her get to you." She turned from James's irate face to Bellatrix's gleeful one. "I've given you my answer. Let my friends go."

Bellatrix sneered, but Bloodbane sheathed his wand. "She's right, Bellatrix. Our duty is done. Let's return."

He released Remus, and the boy staggered forward, coughing. Bellatrix seemed perturbed, but slowly, she lowered her wand and stepped back.

"It was nice seeing you again, cousin," she said. She bared her teeth in a ferocious smile as Sirius rubbed his neck, staring murderously at the mad witch. "Next time, I'll finish what your mother started."

She Disapparated with a loud CRACK, and the other Death Eaters that had stood silent and motionless the whole time followed, leaving only Bloodbane.

He fixed his eyes on Cassie and touched two fingers to his forehead, right in between his eyebrows—the same place where Cassie's mark had manifested the night of her birthday.

"Until we meet again, Miss Alderfair,"he said before he was gone, just as the doors to the ballroom crashed open.

Mr. Potter stormed in, wand raised, with other Aurors behind him, but he rushed to Cassie and the three boys once he saw that the Death Eaters had vanished.

James and his father clasped each other in a hug while Cassie flung herself at Sirius and Remus, her heart lodged in her throat. She didn't even care that she was supposed to still be furious at Sirius as she embraced both boys at once, drawing them close to her and letting out a small sniffle at the feel of their arms around her. Alive. Unharmed.

"Thank Godric," she said. "I can't—I—" She squeezed them impossibly tighter. "I was so scared—"

Remus gently pried her vice-like grip off him. "I know, Cass, but we're okay."

"Thanks to you," said Sirius, reluctantly drawing away from her. His silver eyes blazed with pride when they took her in. "You were incredible."

She said nothing. Her knees still felt like jelly and she thought she might retch, but she was spared having to answer when Peter and Mrs. Potter dashed into the room.

Mrs. Potter made a beeline for James, but Peter joined Cassie, Sirius, and Remus, his round face shining with sweat and relief.

"Merlin," he said weakly. "I'm glad you two are all right. I didn't know what to do, so I left…"

Cassie put a hand on his shoulder when his lower lip trembled. "It's okay, Pete. I wouldn't have asked you to stay, anyway. Not when it gets as dangerous as that."

He nodded, though his eyes still swam with shame. "Professor Dumbledore just got here, along with some other people."

Remus's eyebrows shot up. "They must be in the Order."

"Cassie, boys," Mr. Potter said. They turned and met his grave stare head-on. "Come. Dumbledore would like to speak with you all."

Cassie and the Marauders convened in the grand study with the Potters, Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, and at least a dozen other wizards and witches Cassie didn't recognize. She expected Alastor Moody to be among the assembled, but the gruff Auror was nowhere to be seen.

While the adults stood in varying positions around the room, Cassie and the boys had been relegated to sharing the red-cushioned loveseat in the center. She was keenly aware of Sirius next to her and the warmth of his thigh seeping into her own, but most of her attention was on Professor Dumbledore.

He sat in Mr. Potter's winged chair behind the fine oak desk, his silver hair and beard gleaming in the light from the roaring fire across the room. His half-moon spectacles glinted when he finally tilted his head and spoke, finished with whatever thoughts had been churning in his head.

"Reports show that the Death Eaters have been steadily growing in number over the last months," he said. "And with their numbers, so, too, it seems, their boldness."

Mrs. Potter set down her tea with trembling hands. Her husband put a soothing touch on her shoulder as she tremulously asked, "But what did they want with Cassie? She's a child still—barely seventeen!"

"They wanted to give me a message," Cassie said, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I join Voldemort, and in exchange, he frees my brother from Azkaban."

A collective shudder went around the room at her use of the Dark Lord's name, but only Dumbledore remained unfazed.

"Did they offer a reason why he wants you to join him?" he asked.

"They said because I was pure-blood," she said. "That my name and status would lend credibility to the cause and persuade others to join."

"I hardly see why the Death Eaters would need to make such a daring and public house call to recruit one seventeen-year-old," interjected a dark-haired witch dressed head-to-toe in tight black dragonhide. "Even by their standards, this was almost too bold."

"It was a declaration, Sorcha," Dumbledore said. "They're announcing that the war is far from over. We've been working tirelessly over the past two years to stop the Dark, but tonight was their grand reveal that they are far stronger than we have been led to believe."

"So, what?" Sirius said, his voice raised in frustration. "What are you all doing to stop them?" He put his hand on Cassie's knee, and she jumped, but it was to the adults he spoke, his eyes as hard as ice. "This isn't the first time they've made a move on Cassie, and tonight proves it won't be the last. If you lot have been working so tirelessly, then why's Voldemort still out there? Why are the Death Eaters still after Cassie?"

The witch, Sorcha, drew herself up. "You accusing us of being incompetent, boy? Everyone in this room besides you kids has risked life and limb to fight the Death Eaters. Wars aren't won overnight. But I hardly expect a teenager still in school to understand that."

Sirius's grip tightened, and Cassie put her hand over his.

"Sirius, don't," she whispered. "Picking a fight isn't going to solve anything."

He glanced at her, his jaw tight, but she didn't meet his eyes. After a moment, he sat back, withdrawing his hand.

"And, Miss Alderfair, you said the unmasked man accompanying Bellatrix Lestrange had the surname of Bloodbane?" Professor Dumbledore asked, continuing on as if Sirius had never spoken.

She nodded. To her left, Dumbledore indicated another wizard, a gangly, blond man who looked as if he had tumbled out of bed minutes ago. He straightened at the headmaster's gesture.

"We suspected the involvement of a wizard named Amarion Bloodbane in association with the Death Eaters, but Miss Alderfair's account only confirms it," he said, nodding at Cassie. "I believe it's him, sir."

"Who's that?" James asked.

"A suspect in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Mr. Potter said swiftly. At James's outraged look, however, he glanced at Dumbledore, who only motioned for him to go on. He sighed. "There's not much about him, really, which is the problem. No evidence of having attended a wizarding school, no wand registration, and no public records. Not even a whiff of previous criminal activity. The only documentation that might exist—and that's a slim chance, considering that he's left no trace of himself anywhere—is kept under strict wards by the Ministry. But with the Ministry already infiltrated by the spies of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…"

"In other words," Sorcha said, "we have nothing on him except a name. And even that might be falsified."

"Maybe not," Cassie said, flushing when all eyes turned to her in surprise. "I, er, did a research project at school this past term, about some witches who called themselves the Seven Elders. One of the names of the witches was Bloodbane. If his name isn't false, then…maybe…there's a connection there?" She cringed. "I dunno, though. I could be wrong."

"The Seven Elders?" Sorcha said, baffled. She turned to Dumbledore. "I thought that was a myth?"

"It's entirely possible," he said. "But even so, the link between the names points to a possible connection. I'll leave that up to our archivist to solve."

The gangly man from earlier nodded once, curt. Mrs. Potter spoke up again.

"If that's all the information you need from Cassie, I think it's best that we send the children on their way," she said. Her face was still very pale, but her tone had regained its usual strength. "It's been a long night."

James shot to his feet. "What, kick us out so all the adults can decide everything? That's shit, Mum!"

"James Potter, don't you dare take that tone with me!" she snapped. "It's for your own good! The five of you are hardly old enough to sit in on such things—"

"Then make us part of the Order!" James said hotly. He spun toward Dumbledore. "Sir, you've known that we know about the Order of the Phoenix. We can help. In fact, we have helped. More than once!"

"Absolutely not, Potter," Professor McGonagall said, speaking for the first time since they had entered the study. Her lips had thinned into a white line, her expression mirroring that of Mrs. Potter's as James whirled on her. "You are still a student, and not even of legal age. It's out of the question."

James pointed to Cassie and Sirius. "They're already seventeen! And the rest of us will be this next year! That's a weak excuse, Professor, and you know it!"

"James!" Mrs. Potter admonished. "That is no way to speak to your teacher!" She turned to Mr. Potter. "Fleamont, please, speak some sense into your son!"

"You don't know what you're asking, James," Mr. Potter said wearily. "This isn't some school club. This is serious, and this is dangerous. Technically, we shouldn't even be speaking of the Order to you at all."

Before James could argue, Sirius sat forward again, his gaze on Dumbledore.

"I want in," he said. "I'm seventeen, and you know I'm one of the best students in the school. I can be useful to you—to the Order."

Cassie stared at his back as he implored the headmaster, her chest oddly tight. She looked at Dumbledore and found him regarding Sirius with a solemn expression, the familiar twinkle in his eyes replaced by shrewd, calculating intensity.

"Merlin, not you, too, Sirius," Mrs. Potter moaned. "Have some wits—"

Dumbledore held up a withered hand. Mrs. Potter fell silent immediately, but she seemed to be on the verge of spitting venom.

"I'm aware of your status, Mr. Black," Dumbledore said calmly, "but as Headmaster, I cannot allow you to affiliate yourself with this organization while still in attendance at my school."

"Then I'll drop out," said Sirius at once.

"That's out of the question!" Mrs. Potter nearly shrieked.

"Peace, Euphemia," Dumbledore said. He fixed his gaze on Sirius, then on James. "If it is your wish to join the Order of the Phoenix after you graduate, then I will be glad to accept your abilities. Until then, however, I'm afraid my answer is no. And that is final," he added, stern, when both James and Sirius opened their mouths. "I will speak no more on the matter."

After a long, tense moment, James finally nodded, but Sirius scoffed, flinging himself out of his seat before storming out of the room entirely. Cassie sat, shocked, and exchanged a worried look with Remus across the empty space Sirius had just vacated.

Mrs. Potter got to her feet, looking extremely distraught.

"James," she said, "come on, dear. Your friends need to be getting home."

"Actually, Euphemia," Dumbledore said, "if I could speak to Miss Alderfair alone for a moment?"

"Oh." She blinked. "Of course."

She looked at Cassie questioningly, but Cassie only nodded to show her agreement. James hesitated, his eyes darting between his mother and Cassie, but Cassie tried for a reassuring smile.

He jerked his head once, and Remus and Peter got to their feet. Remus reached down and squeezed her shoulder.

"I'll probably be gone by the time you're done," he said, his eyes full of concern. "I hate to leave you, but my dad's almost certainly gotten word of what happened here. My mum's probably worried sick—"

"Go," Cassie said, touching his wrist lightly. "Let them know everyone's all right. Be safe."

She thought she should say more, but with so many people around, she decided to hold her tongue.

Remus smiled and squeezed her shoulder once more. "You, too."

She wanted to ask if he and Sirius had gotten a chance to talk before the Death Eaters had arrived, but her questions could be saved for another time. Instead, she waved good-bye to Peter as he filed out of the room with James and Remus, followed by a frowning Mrs. Potter.

As if on some silent cue, the Order members shuffled out of the study as well, murmuring in low voices and casting Cassie and the headmaster curious looks. Mr. Potter caught her eye as he left and gave a wan smile before he, too, was gone. Professor McGonagall paused next to Cassie.

"Alderfair," she said, her voice oddly gruff, "I'm glad you're all right."

Cassie blinked, startled. "Thank you, Professor. Er, I guess I'll see you at school?"

Professor McGonagall gave her a curt nod, her lips pursed before she swept out of the room, and then Cassie was alone with Professor Dumbledore.

He broke the silence first.

"It's been quite some time since we last spoke, Miss Alderfair," he said. His tone was benign, but his eyes cut into her with razor-sharp focus. "I've heard you've been doing well, all things considered. It's fortunate that you were not harmed tonight after facing such wizards as Bellatrix Lestrange."

Cassie kept her eyes on the ornate carvings of bears etched into Mr. Potter's desk. "Yes, sir."

Professor Dumbledore sighed. "You are upset with me still. I cannot blame you—I was entirely at fault for what happened to young William."

"You told me you would find him," she said, her voice hollow. "You said you'd find him before Voldemort did. But you lied. Voldemort got to him first, and then my brother killed my parents."

Her eyes burned as she finally met Dumbledore's calm, steady gaze. It only angered her more.

"Of course it was your fault," she said. Her fingers shook, and she fisted them in the silky fabric of her dress. "If you'd gotten there first, then—"

She broke off when the headmaster's lined face blurred in her vision. She ducked her head and hunched her shoulders, the words screaming in her head: If you'd gotten there first, my parents would still be alive, and my brother wouldn't be in prison. I would still have a family.

"I truly am sorry, Miss Alderfair," he said. Every word sounded heavy out of his mouth, but it did nothing to ease the coil around her heart. "It is but another burden that I must bear the responsibility of."

She wiped at her face angrily. "What do you want from me?"

"You've expressed interest in joining my Order before," he said, following her segue easily. "Has that changed?"

"No," she said at once, "but I know your answer."

He seemed to hesitate briefly before shaking his head. "My answer to you is not the same as my answer to your friends."

This made her lift her gaze to his again. "Sir?"

"I've come to realize that you are in a delicate position, Miss Alderfair," he said, steepling his fingers under his chin. "Not only have you gained the trust of your fellow Gryffindors, but also of a select few Slytherins, as well. Slytherins with ties to the inner circle of Lord Voldemort's followers."

She wondered how he could possibly know of Regulus Black, or even Avery, but she kept her face neutral, saying nothing.

Dumbledore continued.

"After the events of last year with Claudia Carlisle, and now, with Voldemort's focus trained upon recruiting you to his side, I find myself wondering what role it is you play in this war—or what role you are going to play in the future."

Cassie sat, stumped, as his words trickled into her ears, dripping down to join with the unease curling in her gut. "Are you questioning where my loyalties lie, sir?"

She scowled when he didn't answer.

"I'm not about to flounce off and throw myself at Voldemort's feet, if that's what you're worried about," she spat.

He spread his hands in a peaceful gesture. "These are dark, perilous times, Miss Alderfair. You are not the only student I have seen pass through the doors of Hogwarts with mysteries and secrets trailing after them like fireflies. I can only wonder who or what is benefitting from these secrets."

Cassie had no idea what he meant by her not being the only student, but she looked him directly in the eye when she answered.

"I'm loyal to my friends," she said. "They're good, and decent, and they always try to do what is right, even if they stumble sometimes." She swallowed. "I would—and will—do anything to protect them."

"I see," said Dumbledore after a moment. "If I were to let you join the Order, Miss Alderfair, I would allow it on one condition."

With a deep sense of foreboding, she nodded. "Name it."

"You would have to swear your utmost secrecy," he said. "No one could know until I gave you permission to divulge that information myself. No one, Miss Alderfair. Not even your friends. The ones you hold so dearly."

She wavered. She'd made a promise to James, to Sirius—to everybody. No more secrets. She would always share everything. She would never again be a lone wolf.

What Dumbledore was asking her would make her break every vow she'd ever made. He was naming his price, and she would have to choose whether she would pay it.

"If I joined the Order," she said, "what would you have me do?" She remembered his words earlier and frowned. "Be your spy for the extremely few Slytherins who trust me? I should warn you that I can only count two, and even then, I'm sure I don't have their full faith."

"Voldemort wants you," he said. "For whatever reason, you are now something the Dark Lord covets. If you join, I would have you exploit that fascination."

"Use me to get to him," she surmised.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "In essence, yes. But you would hardly be involved yourself. There are many brave wizards and witches who would stand in between you and Voldemort every step of the way."

"And can you catch him?" She met Dumbledore's gaze challengingly. "Can you swear that you can get to him first this time? That my friends will be safe, no matter what may happen to me?"

"You know as well as I do that I can make no such promises, Miss Alderfair," he said. "The choice remains to you. Whatever your answer, I will accept it."

No more secrets, James's voice whispered to her. Promise?

Her eyes filled with tears.

I'm sorry, she said back. I will always put you and the others first. This is for you.

"All right," she said quietly. "I'll do it. I'll join."

Professor Dumbledore smiled, but she thought it looked quite sad. She bent her head again as the first tears began to fall.

"Then, Miss Alderfair," said Dumbledore, "I welcome you to the Order of the Phoenix."

Cassie slipped into James's bedroom after lightly knocking on the door and hearing the sullen reply of, "Come in."

James had shed his dress robes and now sat on his bed, shirtless and in sweatpants, hugging a bottle of firewhiskey to his chest. She wasn't surprised to find Sirius on the floor, leaning against the footboard and looking similarly mournful, his robes disheveled and gaping open at his collarbones, his hair askew as it was wont to do whenever he ran his hands through it in frustration one too many times.

"Hey," she said, taking a seat next to James on the mattress.

The bespectacled boy fished around in his pocket before setting the clockwork locket in her lap. "Here. Sorry for snatching it like that back there."

She shook her head as she put the locket back on. "No need. What you did was smart. The Death Eaters don't know I still have it. We should keep it that way."

He heaved a sigh. "Mum doesn't know what she's on about. Acting like we're still in diapers." He snorted. "Good Merlin, give me a break."

Cassie gently pried the bottle from his fingers as Sirius mimicked his snort. "Dumbledore, too. Like his word is law. Bullshit."

James turned to Cassie with bleary eyes. "Mum had the house-elves prepare a room for you if you wanted to stay."

She shook her head. "Thanks, but I should probably get back to Liv's. You know—tell her what happened before she reads the papers or something."

"Fair enough." He reached for the bottle, but she set it on his bedside table, out of his reach. He huffed. "Rude."

She ruffled his hair. "Get some sleep. You look like you need it."

Sirius glanced up when she got to her feet, his gaze dark. "You're leaving now?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He hauled himself up with a grunt. "I'll walk you to the fireplace."

She hesitated, about to insist there was no need, but when she looked at him again, at the shuttered and bleak expression on his face, all she could do was nod. "Okay."

She bid James farewell and promised that she would see him in a few days when they went back to Hogwarts before following Sirius down the halls. It was eerie, how only a couple of hours ago, the house had been sweltering with music and guests, and now it was as empty and quiet as a crypt. Mr. and Mrs. Potter had gone back behind closed doors with Dumbledore and the other Order members, so she and Sirius did not see a single soul on their way to the parlor where the Floo fireplace awaited.

They didn't speak, and this particular silence weighed on her more than the house's. Sirius walked a few paces in front of her, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slumped. Being held captive by his own blood seemed that it was taking a heavy toll on him, but she couldn't find any words to say that could possibly bring him comfort.

It wasn't until they reached the parlor that Sirius turned and faced her. She swallowed, bracing herself, but he only gestured to the fireplace.

"I know it's not really my place, but do you mind if I go first?" he asked. "I just…want to make sure that you're safe."

She nodded slowly. "Sure."

He grabbed a fistful of Floo powder and stepped into the hearth. Cassie took a step forward. "Sirius."

He looked up. Her heart ached to nearly breaking, but none of her thoughts made any sense, so all she said was, "Thank you."

He held her gaze for a long moment before throwing the powder at his feet. Instantly, emerald flames licked up his calves, and he declared "Hastings residence, 28 Oswald Street!" before disappearing in a roar.

Cassie waited for a minute before deciding she was in the clear if Sirius had not come rushing back. She grabbed the Floo powder, repeated her aunt's address, and was sucked away by a flaming tunnel of green.

She emerged in the Hastings' living room, blinking at the lights that were sure to be off at that time of night as she dragged soot all over the rug when she stepped out of the fireplace. She spotted Sirius, and Liv, while at the same time, noticing their rigid postures and pale faces.

"What's going on?" she demanded, straightening her spine. "Why—"

Her voice died in her throat when she glimpsed the third person in her aunt's living room—one of the last people she would ever expect to see.

"Cassie," said Edmond Avery. His pale eyes cut into her like daggers of the coldest ice. "It's good to see you again."

Oh, Avery. How I've missed you.

I promised a Book 3 title reveal when we got halfway through this story, so, here it is: The Immortal Curse. Thank you, all of you, for your continued support. There likely wouldn't even be a Book 3 without y'all, so I really appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart.

As always, reviews are welcomed and appreciated! Thanks for reading!

Next Chapter: The Vow

Until next time!