Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

66: The Return of Cassiopeia

Hogwarts, Cassiopeia's second home.

The Great Hall was just as she remembered it, filled with students enjoying their dinner. When she arrived at the school with Kreacher, she paused at the doorway, taking in the familiar surroundings.

Her gaze soon fell on her old friends. Blaise and Pansy were engrossed in a cheerful conversation, while Draco sat quietly opposite them, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Goyle sat beside Draco, talking animatedly, though it was clear that Draco wasn't paying much attention.

As Cassiopeia stood in the doorway, Goyle suddenly noticed her. He stared at her for a moment, seemingly in disbelief, before confirming that she was indeed real. He nudged Draco, directing his attention toward her. Draco initially glanced at her and then averted his gaze, but his eyes quickly returned to her with a look of astonishment.

Without warning, Draco hurriedly got up from the bench and walked rapidly toward her. Cassiopeia gasped in surprise, her initial thought being that he might scold her or express anger. However, she was completely unprepared for what happened next.

Draco enveloped her in a tight, bone-crushing embrace that caused her to stumble back in astonishment. Her momentary confusion gave way to a warm feeling as she wrapped her arms around him, returning the embrace.

"You missed me that much, Malfoy?" Cassiopeia teased as he finally released her.

"Where the hell were you? You lied about staying with the Weasleys," he complained, though there was a faint smile on his face. Cassiopeia chuckled in response.

"Well, anyway, I'm doing well, as you can see," she replied. "Thank you for caring."

"I always do, even though you wanted me not to," Draco admitted, a small smile gracing his lips. "Come on."

He gently guided her into the Great Hall, holding her upper arm. Cassiopeia couldn't help but notice the curious stares from their fellow students, not only from the Slytherin table but also from other houses. Ignoring the attention, she kept pace with Draco's quick steps.

"You shouldn't lie to me," he scolded as they reached their seats. "You lied to Potter too, saying you were staying with me."

"You know I'm good at lying and keeping secrets," Cassiopeia smirked. Draco raised an eyebrow, and she rolled her eyes playfully.

Sitting between Goyle and Draco, she filled her plate with food.

"Cassie, you scared all of us," Blaise's voice reached her ears. Cassiopeia raised her head, silently asking if he was referring to her. "Don't look like that, Cassiopeia. We do care about you."

"But last year, you guys didn't act that way," Cassiopeia quipped, beginning to eat.

"We're sorry about that. It hurt when you hid that from us," Pansy added, and Cassiopeia met her gaze.

"How could I tell you, Pansy?" Cassiopeia asked, glancing at both of her friends. "Umbridge caught us the very first day I joined them. I didn't even have time to discuss it with you guys. Draco knows, Harry took me when I was with him."

"Seriously?" Blaise furrowed his brow at Draco, who continued to eat in silence. "He didn't tell us about that."

"I didn't have time," Draco shrugged his shoulders.

Cassiopeia turned to Goyle, who had remained quiet throughout the conversation.

"Well, where is your other half, Goyle?" She teased, shifting her attention to him.

"He was expelled in the first week," Goyle replied without making eye contact. There was a hint of shame in his tone.

Cassiopeia was intrigued by the news of Crabbe's expulsion and couldn't help but wonder about the reason.

"Why?" Her brows furrowed at Goyle, who stopped eating and finally met her gaze. She noticed that he had hazel brown eyes.

Cassiopeia had never liked Gregory Goyle from the beginning, largely due to her suspicions regarding Vincent Crabbe's influence. She recalled unsettling jokes Crabbe had made when they were in their third year, which led her to keep her distance from both of them, as they were always together.

Goyle hesitated for a moment before revealing, "He tried to abuse a third-year girl. I'm sorry." Cassiopeia, Blaise, and Pansy wore shocked expressions as Goyle continued, "I later found out he tried the same thing with you. I may mock people and bully them, but I would never harm girls against their will, of course."

Cassiopeia was taken aback. It seemed that Gregory Goyle was offering a genuine apology. She couldn't ignore it, even though she had been hurt by his harsh comments in the past. She was left in a state of confusion, wondering if she was being foolish for forgiving him.

"How did you know that Crabbe attempted something against me?" Cassiopeia inquired, her tone gentler now that Goyle had genuinely apologized.

"When the girl reported it to Professor Snape, he denied it," Blaise explained. "Crabbe didn't confess, so Snape used Veritaserum to uncover the truth. That's when he admitted everything."

"I'm relieved that the dumbass isn't here," Cassiopeia shook her head as she continued eating.

Blaise frowned and reminded her, "He tried something that day, didn't he, Cassie? The day you came to our dorm in fourth year."

"Kind of," Cassiopeia admitted. "He tried three times, but I managed to escape each time. First, because of you and Draco; second time, Professor Binns; and third, Filch."

Pansy chimed in, complaining, "You're hiding so many things from us now."

Cassiopeia grinned mischievously. "Not at all, I'm just waiting for the right time to reveal them."

Blaise noticed the ring on her left hand and asked, "You disappeared for just a month. Are you engaged?"

Cassiopeia decided to drop a hint, keeping the truth for a later reveal. "Let's just say that the boyfriend I thought was dead is still alive."

"Seriously?" Pansy exclaimed, almost dropping her spoon. She eagerly inquired, "What's his name?"

Cassiopeia glanced at the letters engraved on her ring and decided on a name. "Thomas Raven."

"Stunning name! I only knew him as Tom," Pansy remarked, continuing her meal.

Draco, who had been quietly eating, occasionally sending side glances Cassiopeia's way, suddenly found her leaning closer to him.

"For your information, you don't need to kill him or fix the vanishing cabinet," she whispered in his ear.

Draco's eyes widened as he turned to her, and she nodded in confirmation.

"I think there are a lot of things I need to tell you," Cassiopeia said, looking at him. "This past month has been incredibly memorable."

"Does that mean you're aware of what happened to me last month?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

Cassiopeia nodded. "I found out yesterday. I'm sorry for not being there for you when you needed me the most."

"It's alright. It was a challenge to handle it all alone," Draco sighed, shifting his gaze to his empty plate.

Cassiopeia offered him a comforting side hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She knew that he had been able to free himself from Voldemort's mission.

"I hope we can be good friends from now on," Goyle remarked, surprising Cassiopeia. What had changed in the month she had been absent from Hogwarts?

Cassiopeia gave him a small, genuine smile and called him by his first name. "Hope so, Gregory."

"Thank you, Cassiopeia," Goyle chuckled as they all finished their meals.

Author's Note

In this chapter, I decided to give Gregory Goyle a different character and removed Crabbe from the story, as he wasn't present in the movies and wasn't well-liked. Your comments and votes encourage me to continue this story, and I'm glad to see you all enjoying it. Stay safe, and see you in the next chapter! <3

~ monoceros_x 💕