BLOOD MAGIC | G. WEASLEY

39 - Defender of House Elves

musical mood: daddy issues – the neighbourhood

"Cassiopeia! Cassiopeia! Please wake up! Cassiopeia!"

Cass felt stiff hands shaking her back as her eyes fluttered open, taking in her surroundings. She was on her stomach, there was an ache in her head, and trees stretched for what seemed to be miles ahead of her. When her fingers went to gently graze her left temple, they came back coated in thick, hot blood. She must've hit her head on a rock.

"What...where..." She frowned, using her good hand to push herself onto her back, and face to face with her father.

Oh yeah.

Everything that had taken place came back to her in a whirl. The Death Eaters rioting, losing Cedric, Barty casting the spell. Had he stunned her? He must've. How did he get to the match in the first place? Did Bartemius know?

"He's escaped." Both Cass and Bartemius said at the same time. His hand reached out to grab hers, though she flinched at the contact, pain searing through her right hand – her bad one.

Well, that answered her main question. He did know.

"How...how did this happen?" She sputtered out.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later, but now you need to get out of here. There's a search party happening, and if you're found at the scene of the crime, they'll blame you. They'll always blame this family."

"What-"

He stood up, pulling her up with her. "I got his wand, but he disapparated, I don't know where to. I'm going to put the blame on Winky. It's her fault he got out in the first place, she was supposed to be watching him. Can you find your way back to the tents?"

"Yes, but-"

"Go, now! And keep low, in case he's still lurking."

Usually, she would've objected, both to leaving the scene and putting the blame on Winky, but she had no desire to do either. Winky had been guilty, she'd been complicit in the lies told to Cass her entire life. Why should she sympathise for the elf? At least if Winky went down, Bartemius would stay out of Azkaban.

The Dark Mark still loomed in the sky, making any remaining desire to stay next to none.

"Okay." She turned to run, but before she did, Bartemius called her name once more.

"Cassiopeia." His voice was softer, this time, the strain and worry in his voice far more clear than the hurried anger he'd held just moments prior.

"What?"

"I love you."

She took off, sprinting into the darkness.

*

It took at least an hour for Cass to find the tents again, and everything was in chaos. While the Death Eaters had left for the time being, having either fled or been captured by the Ministry, there were still crowds of people freaking out, running around like their lives depended on it (chances are, they believed it did). The twins and Percy were with Ginny, Percy holding his little sister's hand as they waited outside the tent, identical brown eyes searching around. Arthur and Ron were nowhere to be seen, nor were Potter and Granger.

By the time Cass reached them, she was nearly doubled over from exhaustion, having ran as much as she had without being very athletic, she wasn't sure how she'd managed to not collapse prior.