Fate and Destiny

Chapter 9

Cassie had returned the book to Heinrich after the next meeting. She did not take much part in it and mostly just listened to the plans that were being developed and put in place. They were going to stage an event in Austria to gather more supporters for their cause.

Once the others left, Cassie looked over at Gellert. He would be taking her home again, to make sure she was safe. No one had seen him there yet but Cassie was worried someone would see them.

“What do you do?”
“Huh?” Cassie asked, looking over at him.
“As a job, what do you do?”
“Oh,” said Cassie. He hadn’t asked her that yet and she had been hoping he wouldn’t for some time. “I work in the Ministry.”
“The Ministry?” he repeated, eyebrows raised. “I didn’t know that.”
“Well, you haven’t asked.”

Gellert laughed as he walked over to her and sat beside her.
“What do you do in the Ministry?” he asked. Cassie felt her muscles tense. She didn’t want to lie, but she wasn’t sure she had much of a choice. But then, it wasn’t like anyone would know if she told him what her job was.
“I’m an Unspeakable. I work in the Department of Mysteries.”

His eyes widened.
“The Department of Mysteries?” he asked. Cassie nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “I can’t tell you what I do there and I don’t even know about the other parts of the Department of Mysteries. I’m not even supposed to tell you that I work there, I could go to Azkaban just for telling you. You can’t tell anyone, Gellert.”
“I won’t,” he said quietly, still a little in awe at what he had just discovered.
“You have to promise me,” she said.
He nodded. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”

“So how did you get that job then? You didn’t do very well in your OWLs, did you?” he asked. Cassie awkwardly laughed.
“No, I didn’t. But a family friend owed me a favour,” she said. He smiled and Cassie was certain he was happy.
“That’s wonderful though, Cassie,” he said. “They’re well paying.”
“They are,” she said. It was a dangerous job and highly classified which was why she was able to buy her own house.

“Would you ever tell me about it? About your work?” he asked. Cassie shrugged.
“Not right now. There are some things I’m curious about too but I don’t think I can say yet,” she said. “But if you do get the other two Hallows, I have something I want to try.”
“I’m curious, but alright, I can wait for it, if you ever decide to tell me,” he said, smiling. Cassie nodded.
“I will, I’ll tell you some of it eventually,” she said. “But just… not right now.”

It was risky, telling him. But being with him would land her in Azkaban anyway, telling him she was an Unspeakable wasn’t going to make things much worse. If she suffered a kiss from a Dementor, she probably wouldn’t know and nothing could be done to help her then. Not even the Elder Wand would be able to help her.

“You will?”
“Yes, if we get the Hallows… well, I have some ideas for my own experiments with them. Mostly involving things at the Ministry.”
“Then we’ll have to get the Hallows first,” he said. He was smiling again and looked excited. Cassie smiled back and nodded.
“Yeah, we do. But… I want to keep my job at the Ministry,” she said. She had been thinking about the answer to his question for a few weeks, between the meetings she had attended. “So I can’t stay with you, not yet. I’d love to… but the Ministry job… if we could get the Hallows…”

He looked away for a moment but looked back.
“I understand,” he said, nodding. “If I’d have known before, I would have understood how important it was.”
“You’re not supposed to know now,” she said. “And if there was a way I could have stayed with you and worked at the Ministry… I would. I’d do it, Gellert. But I don’t think there’s a good way too at the moment.”
He looked as though he was thinking but then shook his head. “No, apparating is too risky and portkeys are irritating without taking into account how many we’d need.”
“If we figure out a way, I’ll do it.”

She had wanted to say yes, and accept it. But her job was important and it was strange if she left. The Ministry would also keep her under surveillance if she left, at least for some time, and that would only complicate things.

“I will find a way.”

Cassie smiled and hugged him.