Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

29: Dreams and Reunion

"I think your half-blood prince won't be able to save you from that," a menacing voice sneered.

"Touch her once, I'll kill him twice," another voice, filled with protectiveness, countered.

"I'll be your Horcrux," a third voice offered solemnly.

"Are you going to leave me forever?" a worried voice inquired.

"I will never hurt you, Cassie," a gentle voice assured.

"If it was used by a filthy half-blood, I can ruin it rather than using it," a determined voice declared.

"Avada Kedavra," a deadly curse was uttered.

"No, Don't," Cassiopeia's eyes fluttered open, watching the man who had awakened her.

"You alright, Cass?" Sirius, who had already settled down on her bed, asked. She nodded, sitting up on the bed, still groggy from her nightmare. It took a few seconds to realize that she was not in Malfoy's Manor.

"Kreacher told me you were mumbling in dreams with fear," Sirius added. "Are you alright, my dear?"

"Y-yeah, it was just a nightmare," Cassiopeia replied, forcing a smile. "They are usual, uhmm—yeah, usual."

She contemplated how to address him. Even though he was her uncle, she wasn't comfortable with the term, having never used it before. He gently patted her shoulder and smiled.

"Come down for breakfast," Sirius stood up and headed to the door.

"Uhmm—" Cassiopeia cleared her throat awkwardly, unsure of how to address him. He quickly turned to face her, raising a brow. She gulped before speaking. "Ca—can I call yo—you, uncle?"

Silence hung in the air, and Cassiopeia feared she might have offended him.

He approached her with quick steps and chuckled. His hand gently rested on her head, and he began to speak.

"If you're comfortable with that, I always love to hear you call me uncle," he said with a nod, and Cassiopeia couldn't help but smile.

"Alright... uncle."

Once he left her alone, she quickly washed up and headed downstairs, taking a moment to observe her surroundings. She found a hall with couches and a piano in the corner.

Cassiopeia walked to the piano and opened it before settling down. Her aunt had taught her how to play it when she was small. Her fingers began to press on each key, creating a melody. She played a muggle song, 'Stuck on You,' her favorite, singing it and losing herself in the music.

"Whoa," a familiar feminine voice exclaimed, making her stop playing. Cassiopeia turned around, standing as Hermione gave her a tight embrace. "Oh, I missed you, Cassie."

Hermione pulled away, looking at her with concern.

"Are you alright now? Last time, I saw you were unconscious on the Quidditch field... and how did you learn to play?"

"Hermione, just let her breathe. You asked countless questions at once," Ron appeared behind her, shaking his head, and smiled at Cassiopeia. She reciprocated and nodded.

"I just asked only two questions, Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "How are you, Cassie?"

"Uhm, all good, 'Mione," Cassiopeia smiled. "I was unconscious for four days and—"

"You said four days?" Ron's eyes widened, and Cassiopeia acknowledged it, nodding.

"Yeah, I coughed blood when I woke up due to the dry throat, and now I feel better," she explained. The three of them headed to the table where the meals were already prepared.

"Good morning, Cassiopeia," Mrs. Weasley greeted as Cassiopeia stepped in after Ron and Hermione.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Cassiopeia replied and greeted the same to the rest. Mrs. Weasley quickly filled her plate, and she noticed that the rest of the Weasley children were already there.

"When did you all come?" Cassiopeia wondered out loud, as she hadn't seen the twins the day before.

"Well, we arrived here late last night," Fred replied.

"We didn't want to bother you since you were asleep," George added. Cassiopeia nodded and continued her meal.

"So, how's life at Malfoy's Manor?" Fred asked, holding his fork in the air.

"Honestly, all was well until I woke up after four days being unconscious," Cassiopeia shook her head and sighed.

"What happened?" Hermione's concerned eyes locked onto her.

"Actually, Uncle Lucius arranged Draco's marriage with me. I strongly refused it," Cassiopeia explained, and everyone's eyes filled with shock.

"How can he do that? Both of you are cousins, and it is a type of incestuous marriage!" Ron blurted out, his words coming out rapidly.

"That's what I'm saying, he's insane," Cassiopeia rolled her eyes while continuing her meal.

"Nothing will happen like that until we are alive," Sirius reassured her. "Does Narcissa agree with that?"

"She said nothing; I think she doesn't accept that either. Uncle Lucius wanted it because of that—" Cassiopeia paused, gathering some confidence to speak. "Blood purity."

"Malfoys are really insane," George remarked, tilting his head to either side.

"Absolutely," both Cassiopeia and Fred added at the same time.

After finishing breakfast in silence, Cassiopeia headed back to her room, feeling lost about what to do. She thought about joining Ron and the others, but the idea didn't quite appeal to her.

"Miss. Arctula, may I come in?" Cassiopeia saw Kreacher at the doorway.

"Come in, Kreacher," she smiled at the elf, who was holding a massive book. He walked towards her and stretched the book called, 'Same Soul, Many Bodies.'

"I found this in a muggle library, Miss. Arctula," Cassiopeia took the book and observed it. Finally, she could conduct her own research on this topic. "And, I think this should be yours, miss."

Kreacher stretched a photo frame to her. Cassiopeia took it, looking at him with confusion before her eyes met the people in the photo. A pretty tan-skinned girl with blonde hair and blue eyes was smiling, giving a kiss on a boy's cheek. The boy had raven hair and light skin with dark eyes. They appeared very young, perhaps sixteen or seventeen. The smiles on their faces radiated happiness, as if they were made for each other.

"That is my master and his to-be-mistress, Miss. Arctula," Kreacher stated. Cassiopeia was already entranced by the picture.

"They are beautiful," she murmured as tears welled up in her eyes. "I wish they could be here with me."

Cassiopeia wiped her tears before they could fall.

"Thank you very much, Kreacher. This means a lot," she smiled at him gratefully. "Can you close the door and sit with me? I also owe you a story, remember?"

"As you wish, Miss. Arctula."

Kreacher snapped his fingers to close the door and settled on the bed next to Cassiopeia. She noticed that he was not as uncomfortable as he had been the day before, which gave her some relief. She placed the photo frame on the nightstand and turned to Kreacher.

Then she began to narrate her story, sharingeverything with him, leaving nothing out. Kreacher was the first person to hearthe entire tale.