Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

89: A Fearful Memory

Cassiopeia beamed as she watched Harry expertly brew a potion. "You've developed a lot, Harry! I'm really happy to be your tutor."

"Thank you," he nervously chuckled. "Actually, I need to tell you something."

"About?" Cassiopeia's brows knitted together as she wondered what Harry had to say. "I hope it isn't about Voldemort."

"No, no," he shook his head as he placed the cauldron on the table, labeling it with his name. "It's about potions, actually, it's about a potion textbook."

"Go on," Cassiopeia crossed her arms over her chest, curious.

"I found this old potion textbook," Harry showed her an old, damaged textbook. "It's different from a normal one, with a lot of changes."

Cassiopeia explained, "Actually, Harry, when we're brewing potions, we can't always follow the exact instructions in the book. There are often modifications and variations based on experience and practice."

"I know, but there's something special about this," Harry said as he flipped through the pages of the textbook, which had various notes written here and there. "I'm curious about what it means."

He pointed to the words "Sectumsempra - for enemies," and Cassiopeia's eyes widened. She took a step back, her whole body trembling.

The spell Harry had shown her was the same one Bellatrix had used on her, nearly killing her. She hugged herself tightly, trying to hide her shaken state. Feeling lightheaded and anxious, she tried to calm herself. Her throat felt dry, and she gulped down her saliva. Her breathing was unsteady, and she had to count from one to five in her mind to regain her composure.

"Wa—what was it?" Harry stammered, concerned by her reaction. "Why do you look unwell when you see it?"

"Nothing," Cassiopeia shook her head, hugging herself more tightly to hide her shaky hands. "Don't use it on anyone, not even on an enemy."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Just do as I say, Potter," Cassiopeia's voice suddenly grew more forceful. She looked down and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry... I just don't feel well."

"Are you okay?" Harry approached her, taking one of her pale hands. He squeezed it reassuringly. "You're shaking."

"It's a terrible spell," Cassiopeia admitted. She bit her bottom lip and looked away. "I was once a victim."

"What was it, Cassie?" Harry asked, looking at her, but she shook her head.

"I think I should go," she said, gently pulling her hand away. "We can meet tomorrow at the same time."

Cassiopeia rushed to the door without looking back. As soon as she opened it, she found Draco standing outside, which startled her slightly.

"Why are you late, Cass?" Draco inquired, looking at Harry over her shoulder. "Potter, just learn faster and don't make her late for dinner."

"I'm alright, Draco," Cassiopeia said in a lower voice, stepping out of the classroom. "Have you eaten?"

"Not yet, we were waiting for you," he replied, his gaze falling on her hands that were hugging her upper arms. "What's wrong?"

Cassiopeia didn't answer, and they began to walk through the corridors towards the Great Hall. Draco noticed her pale knuckles and how she was hugging herself.

"Cassie," he called, pointing at her hands. "Are you alright? You look like someone used an unforgivable curse in front of you."

"I—I just remembered something," Cassiopeia sighed, coming to a stop. "I never thought I would have such fear, but I'm afraid of Bellatrix."

"What?" Draco stopped, looking at her with furrowed brows. "Why is that? Is it because of the dream you had?"

"Plus, the effort she made to kill me," Cassiopeia explained, looking away. "She nearly killed me with that spell. I still feel the number of slashes on my body bleeding out when I think about it."

"Take it easy, Cass," Draco said, resting his hands on her pale knuckles and gently pulling them down. "It's in the past, and you shouldn't stress yourself about things that happened back then."

"I know," Cassiopeia sighed, squeezing his hands back. "I can't get it out of my mind; I feel insecure. I feel like someday she'll come back for revenge."

"You trust Tom, right?" Draco asked, to which Cassiopeia nodded. "Then don't think like that, because he'll never let anything happen to you."

"I don't know," Cassiopeia sighed, looking at him. "He said the same thing when he read my mind to see what my dream was, but... I don't know, I'm just..."

"Cassie," he said in a low yet reassuring voice, "you know, not everything in life is as easy as we think. We have our ups and downs, our falls and rises. They're all part of life and can either make you stronger or weaker. It's something we can't help but accept."

Cassiopeia gazed into his silvery grey eyes, absorbing his advice.

"Trust me, everything is going to be alright, okay?" Draco raised an eyebrow, lowering his head to meet her blue eyes at her level.

"Okay," Cassiopeia nodded, her lips curving into a faint smile, which Draco reciprocated. "Let's have dinner, then."

He nodded and released her hands before guiding her to the Great Hall.

Author's Note

The cousins who are comfort zones of each other. Lovely, isn't it?

I also have a cousin like that, a girl. Since we're in the same boat, we always look for each other and console each other.

Let's see what will happen in the future!

Hope you will enjoy it too as you enjoyed this book :)

Stay safe and Love y'all <3

~ monoceros_x 💕