Wants of the Heart

Chapter 1

Finding out we were witches was the biggest shock of Hermione's and my life. Well, one of the biggest. Being friends with Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter had led to many more shocks; club-weilding trolls, possessed teachers, petrification, mass murderers, dragons, and visions from a dark lord to name a few. Said visions are what got us into our current mess: surrounded by Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries.

I brandish my wand in one hand, clutching the fabric of my twin sister's shirt in the other. Everything is happening too fast. I barely have time to process the fact that Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy are standing in front of us before all hell breaks loose. The glass orbs containing prophecies are crashing and we're all running, throwing spells in every direction. In the fray, Hermione, Harry, and Ron become separated from us. I run alongside Ginny, trying to keep up with Luna and Neville. A stray curse trips me up, causing me to stumble. This is my saving grace, keeping me out of the path of a falling shelf full of orbs. I push myself to my feet and keep running, now separated from my friends. A man in a silver mask is on my tail, corralling me with hexes and curses. I soon find myself cornered.

"Ready to give up yet, mudblood?" The Death Eater growls, twirling his oak wood wand between his fingers.

I bare my teeth at him, holding up my own redwood wand, not willing to go down without a fight. I sling a slicing hex followed by a barrage of Bombardas and Stupefies, hoping at least one will hit its mark. The attack seems to take the wizard by surprise, causing him to hastily throw up a shield, backing up a few steps. It's only a few seconds before I'm dodging and putting up a shield of my own. Purple, red, and green spells rain down on me. My eyes widen as a green curse slips past my shield, hitting my shoulder. We both freeze when nothing happens, the spell bouncing off harmlessly.

"Impossible," I look back at the man as he mutters, seeing his wide blue eyes through the mask. His gaze moves from my shoulder to my face, seeming to actually see me for the first time. "Cassandra... You're supposed to be dead."

Shouts a few rows away bring me back to my senses. Taking his confusion as an escape, I take off running once again.

"Rosie!" I see Neville waving up ahead, the other five with him as they sprint. I pump my legs harder to catch up, but stumble slightly when the Death Eater behind me gives a shout.

"Cassandra!" I glance back, glimpsing him running after me. "Stop!"

I can feel in my bones that nothing good awaits me if I follow his orders. Instead, I catch up with the others, taking the hand Hermione offers me as we rush through a door. Suddenly, we're falling. I hear the screams of my friends, feeling one rip from my throat as well. Seeing the ground coming closer, I brace myself for impact.

Thankfully, Hermione keeps her wits about her, swiping her wand through the air. We all freeze, inches above the ground. It only lasts a few seconds before we fall the rest of the way, though the impact is no longer fatal. The seven of us scramble to our feet, putting our backs to each other, wands out.

Death Eaters apparate before us and a scuffle ensues. In the chaos, my wand arm is wrenched behind my back and the tip of a wand is shoved into my neck. I feel myself being dragged a few steps back as the physical fight dies down.

"How are you alive?" The grip on my arm loosens the slightest bit, becoming less painful as the question is hissed in my ear. I stomp the heel of my muggle sneaker into his foot as hard as I'm able. His grip tightens once more, tugging my arm further up my back. Hissing from the pain of his actions, I scan our surroundings, seeing all of us but Harry are being held hostage. Malfoy Sr. stands before him, bargaining for the prophecy in Harry's hands.