When we align; a Neville Longbottom fanfiction

14. The discovery

"Did you go through my stuff? What's wrong with you?" She snatched the letters from him.

"Why are you writing to him about the Dark Lord?"

"It's none of your business!" Theo had taken a letter from her hands and started reading it. "Give me that!"

"He sent you a birthday present? Wait... school starts soon? Is it Neville Longbottom?" His icy blue eyes darted between her and the parchment.

Cass froze. He was going to tell their father about it and her plan would fall apart. At that moment, she didn't care about her punishment. All she wanted was for Neville to be safe, and she had just shattered his safety. "No. It's someone from Durmstrang I met last year." She tried to lie, albeit not very well.

"Don't lie to me, Cassandra."

"And stop calling me Cassandra! Merlin, you're so much like Father!" She snapped, taking the letter from his hands and putting all of them back in her walnut chest.

Theo fell silent. He had started to make his way to the door when he stopped, turning around to face her sister. "Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

"What are you talking about?" She responded with a sigh, her eyes still on the bejewelled chest.

"You've been avoiding me all summer. Father's been asking why I never invite you to visit the Malfoys, and we both know full well that it's you who's been refusing to come."

She looked at him. "Did you tell Father?"

After a moment, he shook his head. "I've been covering for you, but I don't know what you're up to." He lowered his voice. "You know you can trust me, right?"

Cass felt her throat close up and the corners of her eyes started to sting. She hugged her brother. "How about we go and have a chat?"

It was the right moment. Their father was out, no one else was around. For the moment, Nott Manor was as safe as Hogwarts.

They reached the private drawing room and plopped down on the couch in front of the grand fireplace.

Taking a breath, Cass struggled to form the words. She told him about their father, how he'd been trying to separate her from the family, how she was trying to fool him. Once she'd started talking, the words flooded from her mouth. She was talking fast, wanting to remember every single detail, becoming short of breath. It was as though she had eaten too much and was now vomiting all back. Sharing her thoughts with her brother was emptying her mind, momentarily relieving her pain.

Theo listened, observing her with furrowed eyebrows, sprawled on the couch with his head on her lap. Profiting from a moment of silence, he spoke up: "You didn't have to do this by yourself." He raised a hand and caressed her cheek.

Cass shook her head. "I have Neville. Neville Longbottom. We've been friends since the third year." She explained, straightening a line that had formed on Theo's forehead. "What has Father been telling you?"

"Nothing much, to be fair. I know he's trying to recruit people, which is why he's always gone. But, apart from that, he said that the Dark Lord is trying to find something that's at the Ministry of Magic. Father's been trying to get into the Ministry again."

He hadn't worked in Law Enforcement for at least eight years, she wasn't sure if she was six or seven when he retired. Cass wondered under what pretext he wanted to join. The Ministry was in no immediate threat as far as they were concerned, and they wouldn't let him join their ranks again easily.