Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

51: Black Family Christmas

"Miss Arctula," Kreacher called her name as she gazed out the window, captivated by the snowfall. Her thoughts were consumed by Tom Riddle, and she missed him dearly. When she had awakened that day, she found the diary on the nightstand, but Tom was absent. Physically, she had returned to her usual state of health, but emotionally, she was far from well. Christmas had arrived, and she was back at the Black House.

She turned to see Kreacher, the kind elf, standing at the doorway. A smile brightened her face as she saw him for the first time in a while.

"Hello, Kreacher, Merry Christmas!" she greeted him, and a small smile appeared on the wrinkled elf's face. He was the first person she had encountered on this Christmas day.

On her way home, she had managed to craft a Christmas gift for Kreacher, remembering Draco's advice about making gifts for house elves. With limited time, she had employed a touch of magic. Since her return, she had sketched a portrait of Sirius to give him as a gift.

Cassiopeia opened her locker to retrieve a wrapped black box and then turned to Kreacher, who still stood in the doorway. He observed the box and then met her gaze. Cassiopeia knelt in front of him, aligning her eyes with his.

"This is for you," she said, and his eyes widened at her words. Slowly, his eyes brimmed with tears. She encouraged him to open the box, and he did, revealing a jar filled with glittering dust and a black painting. The jar featured shadowy depictions of Kreacher on both sides. It didn't shine much in the light but was designed for a more impressive display in the dark.

"In pitch darkness, it will create a beautiful sight," she explained, watching him rotate the jar.

"Thank you, my mistress," Kreacher said with a strained voice. "You're like your parents, even though they never had the chance to see you grow up."

A tear trickled from his eye, and she wiped it away, smiling at him.

"To me, you're important, Kreacher," she reassured him, patting the bridge of his long nose and smiling. "By the way, I need to tell you something. Come in."

Kreacher moved into the room as she closed the door. She opened her wardrobe and retrieved the wooden box, which she had transfigured into its true form at Hogwarts since magic was restricted here.

"Come, sit," she gestured to the bed next to her as she settled down. "I've found two more Horcruxes."

"How?" Kreacher asked, his eyes widening in surprise. She opened the box and showed him the diary and the diadem before she began to recount what had happened at Hogwarts.

———

Cassiopeia ventured downstairs to find her uncle, eager to give him her Christmas gift. However, when she couldn't locate him, she stumbled upon a door she had never entered before. Slowly, she opened the door, revealing a room she had never seen.

The room had green walls adorned with names and portraits. Cassiopeia curiously read the names etched on the walls.

"It's the Black Family tree," Sirius's voice answered her unspoken question in her mind. She turned and smiled at him.

"Merry Christmas, uncle," she said, her face beaming. "This is a small gift, but—" She shrugged and stretched out a rolled parchment tied with a red ribbon after he released her from their embrace. "—I hope you like it."

"I cherish any gift you give me. You're like a daughter to me," Sirius said, patting her head as he accepted the parchment.

"I've never seen this," Cassiopeia remarked as she strolled further into the room and examined the family tree. Her eyes fell upon her father's name, as well as her own and her mother's, and a charred area nearby—it was where Sirius's name had been.