Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

68: Professor Slughorn

Cassiopeia's gasped as soon as she laid eyes on the teacher standing before her. It was none other than Professor Slughorn, a figure who had previously appeared in her dreams. The coincidence was uncanny. Why, after all these years, had he suddenly returned to her life? He appeared older than in her dreams, as one would expect over the span of fifty years. No one could defy the relentless march of time.

Professor Slughorn's eyes widened in astonishment when he saw Cassiopeia. She abruptly stopped, causing Draco to collide with her from behind, muttering curses at her sudden halt.

"Am I dreaming, Cassiopeia Lestrange?" Slughorn gasped, taken aback by her presence. "What on Merlin's beard do I see?"

"I—I'm Cassiopeia Black, sir," she corrected, moving forward to find her seat in the same spot she had occupied alongside Tom Riddle years ago. This time, Draco Malfoy sat beside her, not Professor's favored student, Tom Riddle.

Slughorn's gaze remained locked on Cassiopeia, mirroring her own sense of surprise and wonder. The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment, and her attempt to break the silence was appreciated.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, sir," Cassiopeia said, sensing the tension in the air.

Professor Slughorn was her favorite teacher from the beginning. He was genuinely kind and deeply cared for his students, particularly his favorites.

"Again?" Draco interjected in disbelief. "Have you met him before?"

Cassiopeia nodded in response, her eyes still fixed on the bewildered Slughorn.

The entrance of a few more students into the classroom finally disrupted the awkward silence. Professor Slughorn reluctantly tore his gaze away from Cassiopeia as the classroom began to fill with students, one by one. His mind was in disarray, and Cassiopeia could tell that he was struggling to regain his composure.

"Good afternoon, my dear students," Professor Slughorn greeted the class, doing his best to mask his surprise. He gave Cassiopeia more glances than the rest of the students. "We seem to have a new student in the class."

Cassiopeia interjected, "I'm not a new student, sir. I started my sixth year a month late."

Professor Slughorn seemed to gather himself, giving a nod of understanding. "Well, I hope you have your reasons for the delay."

He then turned his attention to the class. "Does anyone know what Veritaserum is?"

Cassiopeia, with her heightened interest in the subject due to her favorite professor conducting the class, quickly responded, "It's a powerful truth serum." She was aware of Hermione raising her hand in the corner of her eye, but chose to press on. "The potion effectively forces the drinker to answer any questions put to them truthfully, although there are certain methods of resistance. The use of this potion is strictly controlled by the Ministry, and there are limitations as well."

Impressed, Professor Slughorn gave her a warm look. "Does anyone else know at least one limitation? Yes, Miss. Granger."

Hermione, given the chance to speak, replied, "The drinker only states what they believe to be true."

Slughorn nodded in acknowledgment and proceeded to the next question. "Who knows the methods of resistance?"

Cassiopeia answered, observing that no one else seemed inclined to respond. "Antidote and Occlumency."

Professor Slughorn couldn't help but express his admiration. "Great, the first day of Miss. Black is really impressive," he complimented, and Cassiopeia responded with a small, appreciative smile. "Now, we are going to brew Veritaserum today. I will come and check each, like other days."

Once the professor finished his instructions, students hurried to collect their ingredients. Cassiopeia and Draco, on the other hand, took their time, calmly gathering what they needed.

Draco's curiosity got the better of him as they approached their table with handfuls of ingredients. "So, how do you know him?"

Cassiopeia explained, "Well, he was teaching Potions fifty years back, Draco."

Draco chuckled at his own forgetfulness. "Oh, how could I forget that? He did mention knowing my grandfather, but I forgot."

Cassiopeia proudly remarked, "Abraxas is quite good at Potions, but me and Tom were the best," earning an eye roll from Draco.

As they began to brew the potion following the instructions in their books, they engaged in conversation. Cassiopeia's remarkable memory, influenced by the knowledge from her dreams, allowed her to work efficiently without frequently checking the instructions.

Draco found the situation peculiar. "It's weird, really. When you call my grandfather 'Abraxas' and my parents 'auntie' and 'uncle.'"

Cassiopeia laughed at his observation. "Oh, my Draco, do you expect me to call your parents 'son' and 'daughter,' then?"

She shook her head, amused, and continued her work. Draco's next comment, however, piqued her interest.

"You could call my father 'son' if you weren't with Tom. Then I could be your grandson," he smirked.

Cassiopeia stopped what she was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I hated him from the beginning," she replied firmly. "For your information, Abraxas was a good person in the beginning, but he began to change when I started dating Tom because of his pure-blood mania."

As they continued to brew, Draco tried to offer some perspective. "It's because you hurt his feelings."

Cassiopeia's anger flared. "Stop defending your grandfather. He's a murderer."

Draco, however, made a pointed argument. "So is your fiancé, Cassiopeia. He killed countless people, including your parents. Don't you agree?"

"I'm done with this argument," Cassiopeia responded, shaking her head, unsure of how to continue.

Professor Slughorn arrived at their table, seeing that Cassiopeia had successfully let the mixture cool. "Oh, my dear, you've done it perfectly."

"Thank you, Professor," she smiled in return, and he reciprocated.

"Anyways, I would like to see you at dinner tonight," Slughorn remarked, leaving Cassiopeia wide-eyed.

"The Slug Club still exists?" she exclaimed, remembering her dreams.

"Why not?" Slughorn replied. He seemed more at ease now.

"Of course, I would love to," Cassiopeia accepted his invitation, causing him to nod in satisfaction before moving on to inspect Draco's cauldron.

The professor expressed his disappointment as he examined Draco's work. "I still can't believe how you missed some instructions, son. Abraxas was good at potions, unlike you."

Cassiopeia chimed in, defending her own prowess, "But Tom was the best."

Slughorn was surprised to hear Tom Riddle's name mentioned by Cassiopeia, and it momentarily took his breath away. He had never expected to hear his favorite student's name spoken by her.

Cassiopeia casually inquired, "Isn't it, sir? Tom Riddle was your most favorite student, am I right?"

Slughorn nodded, visibly uncomfortable. "Ye—yeah, and Cassiopeia Lestrange too. I suppose I have a lot to untangle by talking to you after dinner."

With that, Professor Slughorn left Cassiopeia and Draco to their work, leaving Cassiopeia to wonder what might happen if he discovered that Tom was no longer Voldemort, but his beloved student once again.

Author's Note

Editing marathon isn't easy as updating chapters and writing them. If you find any mistake or anything, do not hesitate to point it out. I really appreciate it.

With Love,

~ monoceros_x  🌹