The Girl Who Found Hope [2]

Year 4 - 35

"Pick up your wand, Potter." Voldemort demanded, while throwing Cassiopeia's to herself from the floor. Harry didn't move for a moment. "I said pick it up, pick it up, pick it up." Harry scrambled to grab his wand, while Cassiopeia began to walk over to him. Voldemort turned to face the pair. "You've been taught how to duel, I presume." Harry finally stood. "First we bow." He spoke, Voldemort bowed, followed by Cassiopeia- but Harry made no move. Voldemort looked back up to see Harry not bowing. "Come on, Harry. The niceties must be observed. Dumbledore wouldn't want you to forget your manners now, would he? I said bow." Voldemort then used his magic to make Harry bow. "That's better." Voldemort said before releasing the spell, Harry fell to the floor. "And now, Crucio!" Voldemort casted and Harry fell to the floor, withering in pain.

"Harry!" Cassiopeia cried out, rushing to Harry.

"Cass, leave." Harry told her through gritted teeth.

"I'm not going anywhere." She replied. She then put her hands on Harry's shoulders, easing the spell. Harry's twitching lessened, and he looked to see her hands glowing golden.

"What do you think you're doing?" Voldemort asked the girl.

"Easing your spell." She replied.

"Hmm, is that so?" He asked her. Cassiopeia didn't reply, she just focused on Harry. "Lucius." The Death Eater in question walked over to the pair.

"Don't you dare." Cassiopeia said to the father of her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Ms Reid." He spoke before grabbing her around the waist and pulling her way from Harry. Harry's twitching intensified, and once again he was yelling out in pain. Cassiopeia was fighting against Lucius, who was holding her hands behind her back.

"Harry!" She cried out, trying to get to her friend. Voldemort released the spell on Harry and he breathed out in pain. Voldemort then looked to Lucius and nodded; Lucius took this as a plea to shut her up. Lucius used his wand and muttered the spell.

"Silencio." He said, and with that Cassiopeia's voice was stolen. She looked to Lucius and glared, breaking through his walls of occlumency she spoke to him.

"How could you?" She asked him.

"He's the Dark Lord, my master. I have to obey his wishes." Lucius replied, Cassiopeia rolled her eyes and looked back to Harry. Harry was looking up at her, apology written across his expression. She delivered him a small smile.

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled again, and once again Harry was squirming on the floor in pain. Cassiopeia continued trying to fight against Lucius, but it was no use. After being in pain for a long moment, Voldemort pulled away the spell again. "Atta boy, Harry. Your parents would be proud, especially your filthy muggle mother."

"Expelliarmus." Harry incanted, sending the spell at Voldemort. But he deflected it and sent it back at Harry. Harry was spun and forced further away with the spell.

"I'm going to kill you Harry Potter, I'm going to destroy you. After tonight no one will ever again question my powers. After tonight, if they speak with you, they'll speak only of how you begged for death, and I- being a merciful Lord- obliged. Get up." Voldemort continued. He then used his magic to make Harry come to his feet. As Harry was up, he then took the moment that Voldemort turned away to rush behind the gravestone. Voldemort send a blast at the statue, making some rocks fly off.

"Don't you turn your back on me, Harry Potter. I want you to look at me when I kill you, I want to see the light leave your eyes." Voldemort spoke. Harry took a breath and walked around.

"Have it your way. But let her go first." Harry said, gesturing to Cassiopeia. Voldemort looked to Lucius and nodded, the Death Eater released Cassiopeia and her voice was returned. Cassiopeia rushed to Harry's side and held her wand in her hand. She looked over to Harry and they nodded to each other.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry incanted, a red beam of magic coming from his wand, towards Voldemort. At the same time that Cassiopeia incanted her own.

"Stupefy!" She incanted, and a blue beam of magic shot out of her wand and travelled towards Voldemort.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort yelled in response, the green beam crashing against the red and blue. Despite having two on one side, there wasn't one who was more in control of the spell. The place where the spells met was moving back and forth between the pair and Voldemort.

"Do nothing, they are mine to finish." Voldemort spoke to his Death Eaters. Just as he had, an arc of magic appeared. It's around the group, it looked as though either side was covered in a dome of magic. Cassiopeia and Harry watched in confusion as a ball of light came from Voldemort's wand. It travelled to the edge of the dome surrounding Harry and Cassiopeia, and it formed into the shape of Cedric, translucent like a ghost. Another ball came from Voldemort's wand, and the caretaker from their dreams was standing in Voldemort's arc. Another two balls and they travelled either side of Harry, changing form to show Lily and James Potter. Another two balls came and travelled to Cassiopeia's side, taking the shape of Amanda and Marc Lewis. Tears gathered in Cassiopeia's eyes as she looked to her parents.

"Cass, when the connection is broken you and Harry have to get to the portkey. We will delay for a moment and bring you as much time as we can." Marc spoke to his daughter.

"I'm sorry he killed you because of me." Cassiopeia spoke to the pair.

"Oh, honnie. We wouldn't have had it any other way if it meant that you could live." Amanda spoke to her daughter.

"I'm sorry for any wrong things you've seen me do." She replied.

"Gina, looking over you has showed us that you've done what it's taken to survive. Never forget that." Marc spoke.

"For what it's worth, you both are forever in my heart." Cassiopeia replied.

"And you ours." They replied in unison.

"Cass?" Cedric's voice called. Cassiopeia looked over to Cedric's spirit. "I've asked Harry to take my body back, but I just wanted to say thank you for trying to save me."

"I may have tried, but it didn't work." Cassiopeia replied.

"But you tried, and that means a lot. Can you tell my parents I love them?" Cedric asked.

"Of course." She replied.

"Cassiopeia, Harry. This has to be now." Lily Potter spoke to the pair.

"You're both ready. Let go, sweethearts, let go." Amanda Lewis spoke to the pair. Harry and Cassiopeia pulled the connection away and rushed back to Cedric's body One kneeling either side. Harry placed a hand on his body and the other holding Cassiopeia's hand. Cassiopeia grabbed Harry's hand and used the other to point her wand at the cup.

"Accio!" Cassiopeia yelled. The cup flung towards Cassiopeia's hand, and she grabbed it. Taking Harry and herself away from the graveyard, and to safety.

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Thanks for reading

-Zoe