The Oracle in the Night

chapter 1 - the end of an era

The next morning, Cassiopeia awoke from her sleep, next to Perseus, laying in their shared bed, set the Room of Requirement. Cassiopeia was not nervous for her family's reactions to her past. At least that's what she told herself. 'Why should I worry about their thoughts of me, they didn't raise me, they never knew me, they don't have the right to judge my decisions,' she thought. 

Perseus stirred next to her and slowly woke up as well. 

"Good morning, darling." Perseus drawled from beside her, pressing a lazy kiss to her cheek. He grinned at her small smile. He knew it took her a long time to accept affection, but he wouldn't change her for the world. Perseus knew that Cassiopeia would burn down the world if anyone she loves got hurt, even if she can't express her affection in many ways. 

"Are you ready for today?" He asked. 

Outwardly, Cassiopeia seemed fine, but there was slight worry in her eyes. 

"I'm fine, there's nothing to stress about." She replied tensely. But under Perseus' worrying look, she sighed. "Okay, maybe I'm a little scared about what my parents are going to think about the person I turned into. What if they don't love me as much as Remus and Sirius said they would? What if they hate me?"

Her voice wavered ever so slightly on the last question. Cassiopeia had never truly experienced having a mother and a father. Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy were the closest things she had to parental figures. She had seen how her friends interacted with their own parents and it was peculiar to her, because for the first 11 or 12 years of her life she had no loving parents to dote on her. 

Perseus smiled sympathetically, not with pity (Cassiopeia hates being pitied), and kissed her deeply. He had his own share of mommy and daddy issues. When they broke apart, he noticed that Cassiopeia's cheeks were slightly flushed and she her eyes were smiling. Perseus internally cheered, he had taken her mind off those pesky troubles. 

He smiled serenely, "Everything will be just fine. Fuck you're parents if they don't love you exactly the way you are. If they won't be the family their supposed to be, you can just stick with our little family of Draco, Daphne, Ginny, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, and I. We love you. I love you, darling."

Cass slowly nodded and gave him a small grin. She rose from the bed and quickly got dressed. She turned and pressed a teasing kiss against Perseus' lips and whispered against them. " I love you too, my star. Thank you for always knowing exactly what to say. I'll meet you outside the Great Hall, behind the Salazar poster before breakfast." She hosted a satchel on her shoulder, and prepared to leave. 

He nodded dazed and gave her another slow kiss, pecked her forehead, and proceeded to get dressed. 

Cass made her way down to the entrance of the Great Hall and crept towards a portrait of Salazar Slytherin a few hundred feet from the doors. 

"Open,"  she hissed in parselmouth, after checking to make sure no one was around her. The portrait gave her a slightly surprised look before swinging open. Cassiopeia waited for about five minutes before Perseus joined her. As soon as he walked through the opening, Cass pressed him against the wall, and gave him a good and proper snog. 

Perseus was slightly red in the face and breathing heavily after they separated. 

"What was that for? Not that I didn't enjoy it thoroughly." He asked, still dazed in the head. 

Cass smirked cheekily and replied, "That was because I love you and you are the greatest husband anyone could ask for," her smirk faded and was replaced by a loving smile. She rested her forehead against his, "I'm so glad you approached me all those years ago. I know I might not always show my appreciation in the best ways, but that was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. And I am so happy with how my life ended after I got my Hogwarts letter."