Post Tenebras Lux

Chapter Twenty-Eight

As Cassiopeia slowly made her way up to the castle she had once viewed with such awe, she wiped the tears off her cold, porcelain-like cheeks. She had missed the Hogwarts Express as her parents were far too occupied with the Dark Lord's requests and Narcissa with Lucius. Instead, the fifteen-year-old girl was forced to use the Floo Network to Hogsmede and then charmed her luggage to go up to her room as she was forced to walk up to the school. 

Loneliness consumed her as she realised she had no one. There was no Narcissa there to comfort her. Rabastan was becoming more like his brother with every growing moment. And her friends would be unable to understand the darkness she had witnessed over the summer. Even she was still in shock. 

Her feet felt heavy as she neared the large doors to the Great Hall. She had contemplated not going but the noises from her stomach said otherwise. In order to quash her hunger, she would have to put up with the stares and glares that she was bound to receive. 

As soon as she opened the door and slipped into the room, eyes were upon her.

Most of their expressions were of shock as her appearance had drastically changed since she was last at Hogwarts.

Cassiopeia Black had changed. 

Her hair that once been long and dirty blonde was now a dark brown that carefully lay on her shoulders as she pushed a few strands behind her ear. And now her once bright eyes looked lost as the confident aura she used to project was nowhere to be seen. 

Yet, she ignored their stares, with her gaze settled on the headmaster, who stared right back. He could feel the pain radiating off her but knew in this situation he was hopeless unless she asked for help. But Cassiopeia Black would never ask for help. 

Unbeknown to her, Sirius stared at her, with so much worry as he whispered to his friends that something had certainly happened and it couldn't possibly be good. 

Rabastan confidently strode over to her, calling out her name, but it wasn't until he was stood beside her that she looked away from Dumbledore. Immediately, she pulled away from her friend, moved so he was unable to reach out to her, and then slowly stumbled towards the Slytherin table. 

She paid no attention to what Dumbledore said during the banquet, it no longer seemed important. For she knew what her life was going to be and Hogwarts was simply a temporary refuge. It was only going to make what was to come so much harder.

When the banquet ended, she rushed away from her friends, ignoring their quizzical shouts, not stopping until she was near the Black Lake. The cold air had no effect, for she was already numb. She didn't care that she shouldn't have been there. The girl no longer cared about getting into trouble. Once she had managed to calm herself down slightly, she shouted, "Expecto Patronum."

The Marauders had followed her outside and stopped at a reasonable distance to see her constantly trying to perform the Patronus Charm. She was unable to do it which only frustrated her more. 

Cassiopeia erupted into loud sobs as she realised she was more like her family than she had thought. 

"Cassie," Sirius shouted as he cautiously walked towards her.

She quickly turned around and through her tears caught sight of the four boys staring at her pitifully. Anger replaced her sadness but she did not stop crying, "What do you want? Have you come to gloat that there's finally something Potter can do better than me."

James remained silent, as he continued to watch her, sadness overcame him as he had never seen her in this state. She had always been the strong girl without a heart but now she was breaking in front of him. 

"We can help you, Cassie," Sirius told her, in a bid to reassure her.

"Can't you see Sirius, I have no happy memories. I am doomed to be like the rest of our family. I can feel it," Sirius stared at her in pain as she stepped towards him, "The darkness, Sirius, it's pulling me down."

He wanted to take it all away, he wanted them to be children again, "You can be like Andromeda, Cassie. She was always your favourite sister."

The second he said it, he regretted it as Cassiopeia stepped back away from him and then coldly told him, "I have only two sisters."

"Then be like me."

Cassiopeia shook her head, "I can't be you. I am not brave, Sirius. I can never be like you. I'm a coward." 

"You're not a coward," Sirius tried to get his cousin to look at him but she had already gone, "I believe in you, Cassie."

"You shouldn't."

As Cassiopeia ran away from the group, Sirius shouted loudly, "Choose the light, Cassie."

She flinched as she was taken back in time to the last time she saw Andromeda. It had confused her back then but now she understood it perfectly.

She wasn't sure whether it was too late though.