HP • 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 ─ 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐱 𝐎𝐂

EXPECTO PATRONUM

Cassi was with her suitcases ready to return to Hogwarts. Narcissa spent the whole day making the most of every second she could to touch and kiss her whenever possible.

She definitely wasn't complaining.

When it was time to leave, Draco went to bid farewell to Lucius while Cassi observed from a distance. He truly adored his father; Lucius tried his best to show affection in his own distorted way, but he seemed too cold.

When they Apparated to the station, Narcissa grew increasingly anxious, holding onto both of their arms with an aristocratic posture, but her eyes betrayed her, showing her distress.

"My baby," she said to Draco, giving him a big hug.

"Mother, that's enough," he said, embarrassed, as he went to put his suitcases on the train.

Cassi lightly chuckled at her friend's flushed cheeks as he ran away.

"I'll miss you so much," she whispered anxiously, pulling Narcissa into a tight embrace.

"I'll miss you too, my dear," she gasped in her ear. "Keep me informed. I want at least three letters weekly on my desk," she requested, leaving no room for objections.

"I promise," Cassi smiled, yearning to kiss her, even though they couldn't do it in public. She made an effort, pushing away the dirty mental image in her head, and it seemed to work as Narcissa shuddered and gave her a stern look.

"Brat" She clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"You'll have to punish me next time then," Cassi teased with a mischievous smile, peppering the older woman's cheek with several quick kisses before moaning provocatively in her ear and then quickly stepping back.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Malfoy," she blew a kiss from a distance with a mischievous grin.

Narcissa shook her head, trying to snap out of her stupor, and pretended to catch the kiss while pressing her lips to her heart with a slight smile.

"I love you," she whispered with a movement of her lips, to which Cassiopeia responded in her mind

I love you

When they arrived at Hogwarts, it was already dark. Cassi found Minerva helping some students and ran to hug her.

"Oh, Kitty. How was it?" Minerva asked, examining her goddaughter for any injuries.

Cassi laughed at that and at Minerva's widened eyes when she noticed a dark mark behind the scarf around her neck.

"It was a little insect, Aunt Minnie," she lied with a smile. But she cursed Narcissa silently. Her neck was covered in love bites.

The next morning, Cassi was in the Great Hall for breakfast when she saw Draco buried in the Daily Prophet. Looking around, people were conversing calmly. What worried her was the look of panic on some teachers' faces as they read the newspaper.

"What's wrong, ferret?" she asked, intrigued.

Draco lowered the newspaper, looking paler than usual, and handed it to her.

Cassiopeia opened it, glanced at the front page, and her eyes widened. There were ten black-and-white photographs occupying the entire first page. Nine wizard faces and the tenth was of a witch. Some of them were silently mocking; others drummed their fingers on the picture frames insolently. Each photo had a caption with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban.

"Antonin Dolohov," read the caption under the wizard with a pale and twisted face, "sentenced for the brutal murder of Gideon and Fabian Prewett."

"Augustus Rookwood," read under the photo of the man with a face marked by smallpox and greasy hair, leaning against the frame with a bored expression, "convicted of passing Ministry of Magic secrets to Voldemort."