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"She was born from darkness itself, it was woven in her bones and carved in her heart. She was the Light born from Darkness, because all stars are born in the dark. She was Cassiopeia Lestrange."
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"Hi, I'm Cassiopeia, call me Cassi. My friends...
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THE MONTH WAS December and it was Christmas Holidays, not that you could feel any festivity in the air. The air was as cold as death and there was no happiness. Draco had returned to the manor for the Christmas Holidays. Christmas was approaching with death in the atmosphere.
Cassi had returned home after an unsuccessful search of the undesirable no. 1 (not that she tried hard). Only Narcissa and Draco were home, Cassi noticed, and both were in their respective rooms. Not wanting to disturb them, Cassi made her way into the kitchen to get herself some water.
She had only touched the glass to her mouth, when she heard the opening of gate of the manor and then heard some voices. Keeping the glass back in its place, Cassi made her way into the living room, where she saw Selwyn and Travers holding Luna Lovegood.
"What are you doing here?" Cassi asked moving in front of them.
Their attention shifted to her.
"Xenophilius Lovegood was writing in support of that Potter in his stupid magazine, despite our warning." Travers explained. "So we kidnapped his daughter."
"I believe my mother told you do that?" Cassi asked as she raised her eyebrow.
Both of them nodded.
"Give her to me." Cassi said. "I'll take care of her."
Selwyn smirked down as Luna, who was simply staring at Cassi like she was some interesting thing. "It looks like your aren't so lucky girl, are you?"
He pushed her toward Cassi, who caught Luna by her arm.
"You can leave now." Cassi ordered them.
When they both had left the house, Cassi turned to Luna with a neutral expression.
"Come on." Taking hold of her hand, Cassi made her way to the dungeons where the prisoners were kept. Luna didn't resist her and instead followed Cassi quietly.
"I didn't knew you were a death eater." Luna said in her soft and dreamy voice.
"There are many things you don't know." Cassi answered as the continued to move.
"Oh, but I do know that you support Harry Potter."
Cassi whirled around so fast that she was surprised she didn't lose her balance, and looked at Luna with wide eyes and in full panic. Luna unaffected by this, simply smiled at her.
"What -- what did you just say?" Cassi said in strained voice.
"I know you're friends with Hermione Granger." Luna spoke. "I also caught you with Harry a few times last year."
"Oh," Cassi wasn't quite sure what to say as she stared at Luna. "Did you?"
Before Luna could say something, Cassi dragged her to an empty room and shut the door behind her.
"Promise me you won't tell this to anyone." Cassi said in desperate tone. "No one should no about this."
"I promise I won't tell anyone." Luna said. "If I wanted to I wouldn't have waited until now."
Cassi let out relieved breath. "Thank you."
"You know I always suspected you were acting to hate Harry and others." Luna spoke. "Because whenever Draco Malfoy would bullied them, you would get angry. And also you never bullied anyone."
"Was I that obvious?" Cassi asked furrowing her eyebrows.
"No, you weren't." She shook her head. "But I'm a very observable person. I observe everything that others don't see. It's one of the positives things about being an outcast. No one notice you, but you notice everyone."
For a moment Cassi just stared at this dreamy-eyed girl. Cassi noticed that with her white blonde hair, Luna could have been Draco's sister or cousin easily. Only from the look, not from personality. From personality, forget being Draco's cousin, she was far from being even related to the Malfoys.
"I'm sorry," Cassi said sincerely. "That you got kidnapped. I'll try to help you as much as I can."
"I know you will." Luna said with a smile.
After that little talk, Cassi had taken her to the dungeons where Ollivander was already there and locked her there, not after giving her one last sorrow look.
December had passed again, with no celebration of Christmas or New Year, and they had entered into January. Things were as grim as before and nothing changed. Things turned more grim when Harry, Hermione and Ron were nearly caught by the death eaters at Xenophilius Lovegood's house. It resulted in imprisonment of Luna's father. He had called the death eater at his house, thinking that if he hand over Harry to them, he can get his daughter back. Cassi wasn't pleased to hear that he tried to sell Harry, but she couldn't even blame him. She had hid this news from Luna, whom she visited at regular intervals to provide her and Ollivander with food and water. She was afraid Luna might get sad if she knew that her father tried to sell Harry and also he was currently a prisoner of the death eaters.
January passed without any positive change. By the time February arrived many muggles had already died. Apparently killing muggles had become a recreational sports for the Death Eater; Cassi never took part in anything like that. Another tragedy had happened, Ted Tonks, Tonks' father, was murdered by a death eater along with another wizard named Dirk Cresswell. Cassi could imagine how much pain Tonks must be in, as she had too lost people she cared about. She wished she was there for her, so she could comfort her.
She had no news about any order member, she knew nothing, she didn't knew who was dead and who was alive. And that scared her. She was scared someone she knew will die and she wouldn't even know about it.
What worse was that she couldn't help them.
She knew nothing and she couldn't do anything. Cassi had never been so scared in her life ever before.
