◣ 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧 ◥

𝗧𝗢𝗠'𝗦 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦

—"HOW WAS YOUR FOURTH YEAR?" ASKED TOM AS HE POURED HIMSELF A GLASS OF WHISKEY, LOOKING AT HIS GRANDDAUGHTER, WHO WAS SITTING BY THE FIREPLACE IN HIS OFFICE. Cassandra shrugged. "Fine. How else would it be?" She said as a reply, watching as he sat down across from her on a couch.

She had wanted to visit her grandfather as she missed him. And Tom, who was back from a meeting, was more than happy.

The manor was quiet, though. They were all on missions.

"Was it really fine?" He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Because I've heard there are some students that won't leave you alone."

"Who said that?" She looked at him in disbelief, then stopped. "Rabastan did, didn't he?"

"I'm just asking my granddaughter questions, Cassie." Tom sipped on the glass of alcohol. "If there are any problems, I would like to know."

"Thanks, granddad, but I'd rather not tell you and keep them alive." Cassandra mumbled, looking down and starting to fidget with her fingernails.

Tom stilled, then gulped down the rest of the glass and put it down. "Not that you're any less important, but sometimes I'm glad you're my granddaughter and not my daughter."

Her brows furrowed. She looked at him in hurt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tom stood up and shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face. "I just mean that if your mother refused to kill, I wouldn't have known what to do. I wouldn't have known how to deal with her."

"You could've just kept that to yourself," she said quietly, looking away again.

"No, Cassandra. It's getting ridiculous. Your fear of killing." Tom said firmly, but he didn't seem mad or angry. "You come from a family of the dark. You come from the family that rules the dark. Not only the dark, but also everything else. You should start acting like it."

"Just because I don't kill doesn't mean I'm not dark!" She stood up and finally lost her calm look. "I have a dark core, for Merlin's sake!"

"How many people know that? Almost zero." He shot back. "How many people have you proved that to? Zero. What's the point of having a dark core when you don't try to use it? Your mother had a dark core and look at her. Before that, Salazar Slytherin had a dark core and look at him. They both became powerful and feared."

"I don't want to be feared."

"And that's where your problem starts."

Cassandra looked at him in disbelief. "Just because I don't want to kill or be feared doesn't mean I'm light."

"Really? Because I'm not really sure of that, Cassandra." Tom said truthfully, taking a deep breath. "Look, all I'm trying to say is you should stop acting so light. It's not who you are. It's not where you've come from."

"Your words hurt." She said, her eyes tearing up. "But fine. Anything the dark lord says, he gets, right?"

"Don't be disrespectful," he mumbled, looking away from her teary eyes. "It's not wrong if I want to have a granddaughter that reminds me of myself."

"Why not your grandson? Why me?"

"Because you're the dark lord's heir after your mother, Cassie. And that's exactly how I want you to act like."

"What if I can't act like it?" She asked. "What if I can't be like her? Or you?"

Tom became quiet for a few seconds. Then, he replied, "I don't know, Cassandra. I just hope the right thing will happen. And I hope the right thing will be you being like me."

"I'm my own person. I shouldn't try to be like you or my mother."

"But you should have some of our traits. It's just how it is."

"Like going on killing sprees and missions?" She scoffed with a shake of her head. "Those traits?"

"Yes." He replied. "Why do you have that many daggers if you don't use them? Why do you think they're still being bought for you every holiday by your parents and everyone else?"

"Because even though I've made it clear so many times that I cannot do what you guys do, they wish differently." Cassandra said the answer herself, swallowing the lump in her throat.

He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Cassie. It was time you realized it all. You belong here in the dark."