"Take my hand, Cassiopeia!" Harry shouts, looking at her with pleading eyes. "I can help you!"
"I'm sorry, Harry..." she shook her head, looking away as tears fills her eyes. "You cannot help me."
"I can. And I won't stop until you've finally realis...
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TASTE OF POISON
☆☆☆
As the echoes of Christmas break faded away, Hogwarts buzzed with the energy of returning students. Among them were Harry, Ron, and Hermione, their faces drawn with weariness and sorrow, their hearts heavy with the weight of recent tragedy.
Cassiopeia's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of Harry, his familiar form approaching her beneath the leafless branches of a winter-bare tree. Despite the somberness of their surroundings, a sense of warmth filled her as he drew near, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of relief and longing.
"Harry," Cassiopeia whispered, her voice barely above a breath as she reached out to him.
Harry's arms enveloped her in a gentle embrace, his touch a balm to her weary soul. "Cass," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so glad to see you."
They sat together beneath the tree, the cool night air wrapping around them like a comforting blanket. Harry's words spilled forth in a torrent of grief and anger as he recounted the attack on the Burrow, the flames that had consumed the Weasley family home, and the senseless loss that had left them all reeling.
Cassiopeia listened in stunned silence, her heart breaking with each word that fell from Harry's lips. The thought of the Weasley family's suffering filled her with a deep sense of sorrow, yet she found solace in the knowledge that they were together, united in their grief and their determination to fight against the darkness that threatened to consume them.
"You're lucky no one was killed," she said, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked at Harry. "Bold move trying to go after Bellatrix."
Harry pursed his lips, staring into the black lake. "I want her dead." He said, his voice low.
Cassiopeia looked at him silently, before she took his hand. It felt great to have Harry again, after weeks of him not being there. He was after all, the only reason why she is still here.
She looked at him, caressing his hand as she sighed. "You have to realize who you are, Harry."
"I know who I am, Cassiopeia, alright?" He said sharply, but he sighed afterwards, not meaning for that tone.
"Tell me what Arthur Weasley said," she said, frowning.
"If Dumbledore’s traveling places, it’s news to the Ministry," he explained. "Dobby tells me that Draco's been up to something, have you noticed?"
Cassiopeia pursed her lips, lying. "I have. Though, I don't care enough to wonder."
Cassiopeia watched as Harry lets out a breath. "He looks ill, don't you think?"
"Who could tell the difference?" She asked, biting the insides of her cheeks. She knew damn well she too, looked as ill as Draco...but she knew Harry wouldn't quite notice that.
