Cassia still felt slightly out of place at Shell Cottage.

She was sat at the table with Ron and Hermione, both of whom she'd just spoken to. She hadn't told them the full story, but they'd both told her they forgave her.

Cassia had said sorry to Hermione, knowing she'd been in the room whilst Bellatrix was torturing her and had done nothing.

"It's okay," Hermione had told her, a small smile on her lips. "There's nothing you could've done."

But in Cassia's mind, there was.

As of now, the three of them were sat at the table, not speaking as Hermione read a book Cassia didn't catch the name of.

Her head jerked up when she heard a chink sound, and she saw Luna across from them, at the door, touching a seashell mobile hung in the corner.

"It's beautiful here," she commented.

"It was our aunt's," Bill, who was drying dishes with Fleur in the kitchen across from them, explained. "We used to come here as kids. The Order uses it now as a safe house."

He and Fleur exchanged a look. "What's left of us, at least."

Luna nodded, looking back at the mobile. "Muggles think these keep evil away, but they're wrong."

And then there were footsteps heard on the wood, and Harry was suddenly in the room, looking only at Bill.

"I need to talk to Griphook," he told him.

Bill looked at him, frowning. "Right now?"

"Yeah, with Ron and Hermione and Cassia, as well."

Cassia's head jerked up. "Me?" She asked Harry, a shiver going down her spine at the intense look in his eyes when he turned his gaze upon her.

"Yeah," he nodded. "And then we'll tell you everything, but we have to do this first. And talk to Ollivander, as well."

It appeared Ron and Hermione had no idea what he was talking about either as they got up, confused looks on their faces. Cassia joined them, her legs feeling like jelly.

But Harry gripping her hand and squeezing it tightly on the way up the stairs helped a lot.

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Griphook was sitting on a chair in his room, hands held together in a ball as he sat still with closed eyes. When the door opened and the four of them walked in, he didn't react, staying still. Cassia saw the small slash on his face, still bright red.

The blonde girl stood with Harry, their hands still intertwined, as Ron and Hermione stood back. Cassia felt very uncomfortable - the other three all knew what was going on, but she didn't.

However, she trusted Harry with everything, so she stayed silent.

"How are you?" Her boyfriend asked, his voice soft yet straight to the point. Griphook's eyes opened, and he shifted slightly, before replying in a simple, single word.

"Alive."

I'm with him, Cassia thought bitterly as Harry squeezed her hand again, and she squeezed back.

The boy sighed heavily before replying. "You probably don't remember that you-"

"That I showed you to your vault the first time you came to Gringotts? Even amongst goblins, you are famous, Harry Potter," Griphook's voice was monotone and almost bored. Cassia didn't trust it.

But then again, she was in no position to talk about trust.

Harry slowly let go of Cassia's hand, walking past Griphook over to the window, looking out of it.

"You buried the elf," Griphook commented.

"Yes," Harry turned back, looking at him.

"And brought me here," the goblin observed. "You are... a very unusual wizard."

"What, because he dug a fucking grave by hand?" Cassia snapped. She didn't like this goblin much, and even though she felt sorry for him, that didn't give him the right to be rude to Harry.

Griphook didn't reply, he didn't even look at her. Harry did, though, a flash of thankfulness in his eyes. Just seeing that made Cassia glad of her actions.

Griphook, meanwhile, pointed a gnarled, long pointy nailed finger at something Cassia hadn't noticed in the corner, a certain ruby encrusted, shining silver something. "How did you come by this sword?"

Harry looked at the sword, and back at the goblin. "It's complicated."

"The question is, why did my lovely Aunt Bellatrix think it should be in her vault?" Cassia cocked her head.

This time, Griphook did turn to her, bearing his teeth. "It's complicated."

Cassia felt like fucking him off, but by the look on Harry's face, he wanted something. And she wasn't going to hinder his attempt.

Her boyfriend stared straight at the goblin, saying. "The sword presented itself to us in a moment of need. We didn't steal it."

Griphook nodded slightly. "There is a sword in Madam Lestrange's vault identical to this one, but it is a fake. It was placed there in around October."

Cassia and Harry spoke at the same time.

Harry said. "And she never suspected it was a fake?"

Cassia said. "When, exactly? What time?"

Griphook answered Harry first. "The replica is very convincing. Only a goblin would be able to tell that this was the real Sword of Gryffindor."

He then turned to Cassia, saying. "Mid October. I can't remember exactly."

"But who put it there?" Cassia demanded.

"A Hogwarts professor," Griphook told her. "As I understand it, he's now headmaster."

"Snape?" Ron demanded. "Snape put a fake sword in Bellatrix's vault?"

Meanwhile, Hermione asked. "What's wrong, Cassia?"

Cassia was stood, lips pressed together, hand on her forehead.

"Oh my god," she murmured. "It all makes sense now... we were wondering where it went..."

"Where what went?" Harry asked, looking at her fiercely. "Cassia, what's going on?"

"We tried to steal the sword," Cassia answered, looking straight at him. "And- we were caught, but- but that's what Snape must've done with the sword, and that's why Bellatrix thought you'd stolen it, but- but wait, that sword's a fake?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "Harry found the real one just after Christmas, and we know it's real because-"

"The point is, our sword's real," Hermione said with a pointed look at Ron.

"But I thought that one was," Cassia frowned heavily. "Wh- what-?"

"We think Dumbledore switched them," Harry told her. "We don't know when, but we think he replaced the real one with a fake when he realised- well, when he foiled your plan."

Cassia looked down, pursing her lips.

Harry looked to Griphook. "What if I told you I needed to get into Gringotts? Into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault?"

Cassia inhaled sharply. What the fuck?

W

hat was he doing? She had absolutely no idea what was happening, and on top of that, Griphook just stared at him and murmured. "Impossible."

"Alone - yes," Harry nodded, his words slowing down. "But with you... no."

Cassia looked at Ron and Hermione, wide eyes, but they gave her nothing but blank looks.

Griphook clenched his hands together. "Why should I help you?"

"I have gold," Harry shrugged. "Lots of it."

"I have no interest in gold," Griphook sat back.

"Than what?" Harry asked, somewhat desperately.

Don't beg, Potter.

Then Griphook slowly raised his finger, pointing at something Cassia had already anticipated.

"That."

The Sword of Gryffindor.

"That is my price."

He was pointing at the sword.

As far as Cassia was aware, he could have it. It was just a sword, right?

But Harry was glancing at the sword and then back at Griphook, shaking his head.

"We can't let you have that."

Griphook sat back, crossing his arms.

"Then you'll have to find someone else to help you, Harry Potter."

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Outside the room, in a hissing voice, the four of them spoke. Or rather, three of them spoke, and a certain blonde girl listened.

"Are you thinking there's one in Bellatrix's vault?" Hermione whispered urgently to Harry.

"Well, she was terrified when she thought we'd been in there, she kept asking you what else we'd taken," Harry shrugged. "I bet you there's one in there, let's find it and kill it, and then we're one step closer to killing him."

"And what happens when we find it?" Ron asked. "How are we supposed to destroy it without the sword?"

"I'm still working on that," Harry sighed.

What the-?

Cassia was done.

She needed answers, and she was going to get them.

"What the fuck is going on?" She hissed at Harry, turning on him before anyone could speak some more. "First, you tell me to be patient, then, you say we're gonna break in to Gringotts, and then, you don't even let him have the sword, which is the one thing he wants-"

"Cassia, listen," Harry grabbed both her hands, silencing her as he looked her in the eye. "You need to trust me, Cassia. We'll tell you everything, I promise, but we need to speak to Ollivander first."

Cassia sighed, staring at him as she bit her lip.

"You better be right about this, Potter," she told him. "Cause I'm about two seconds from losing my shit."

It was just then that Fleur came out of Ollivander's room, which was across from Griphook's. She took a look at the four of them, huddled at the top of the stairs, and told them. "He's weak."

She and Harry stared at each other for a second, before she stood to the side and let them past. Harry gripped Cassia's hand again as they entered, squeezing three times and then letting go gently.

Ollivander was sitting on a chair in the back corner of the room. His hair was matted and his eyes dark. His body was frail and skinny, and he looked defeated. Cassia's heart broke for him.

"Yes?" He asked, his voice rough and gritty.

Harry stepped into the room, the other three behind him, pulling two wands Cassia hadn't spotted out his pocket.

"Mr Ollivander, I need to ask you a few questions," he told him hesitantly, going over and sitting on the edge of the bed Ollivander was facing. "Would you mind identifying this wand? We need to know if it's safe to use."

Cassia was absolutely floored as her boyfriend handed Ollivander Bellatrix Lestrange's wand. Clearly, when he'd wrestled all the wands away, he'd picked up a few that he hadn't meant to.

Ollivander took the wand in his hands, twirling it slightly and sighing. "Walnut... dragon heartstring... twelve and three quarter inches... unyielding," he looked at Harry. "This belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange. Treat it carefully."

He handed Harry the wand back, and he in turn picked up the other one. "And this?"

Ollivander did the same thing, frowning as he poured over it. "Hawthorn... and unicorn hair... ten inches, reasonably pliant... this was the wand of Draco Malfoy."

Cassia had known it was coming, but she inhaled a sharp breath at the statement.

"Was?" Harry asked with a heavy frown. "Is it not still?"

"Well, perhaps not, if you won it from him," Ollivander held it to his ear. "I sense its allegiance has changed."

Then he slowly handed the wand back over with a shaking hand. Cassia was expecting Harry to get up now, to walk back over to them.

He didn't.

He took a deep breath and said. "You talk about wands as if they have feelings. Can think."

Ollivander leaned forward as much as he could, whispering. "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr Potter. That much has always been clear to those of us who have studied wandlore."

And then Harry asked. "And what do you know about the Deathly Hallows?"

Ron shifted on his feet. Hermione took a sharp breath. Cassia was just super confused.

The Deathly Hallows.

She knew the Deathly Hallows. She'd heard the Tale of the Three Brothers about a thousand times by now, back when she was her mother used to tell her and Draco stories. The Deathly Hallows were comprised of three objects; the resurrection stone, a stone able to bring loved ones back from the dead, the cloak of invisibility, a cloak able to conceal someone from the world, and the elder wand.

An unbeatable weapon.

But why is Harry asking about them?

Ollivander seemed just as confused, frowning as he told Harry. "It is rumoured that there are three, the elder wand, the cloak of invisibility, and the resurrection stone. Together, they make one the master of death."

Cassia hadn't remembered that part, but her memory was jogged as Ollivander mentioned this.

And then the wandmaker shrugged. "But few truly believe such objects exist."

"Do you?" Harry posed the question. "Do you believe they exist, sir?"

"Well... I see no reason to put stock into an old wives' tale," Ollivander shrugged.

But Harry just looked him dead in the eye, and said. "You're lying. You know one of them exists. You told him about it. You told him about the elder wand and where he could go looking for it."

Ollivander looked down, his face flashing with horrors as he murmured. "He tortured me. Besides... I only conveyed rumours. There's... there's no telling whether he will find it."

Harry shook his head. "He has found it, sir."

Oh, shi-

Voldemort had the elder wand.

An unbeatable wand.

And Ollivander realised it too, looking up at Harry with a horrified look on his face.

"We'll let you rest," Harry said, standing up and taking the two wands with him.

But, as they opened the door, the wandmaker left them with one last comment.

"He's after you, Mr Potter," he told Harry. "If it's true, what you say, and he has the elder wand, I'm afraid... you really don't stand a chance."

Harry faced Ollivander, suddenly gripping Cassia's hand again.

"I guess I'll just have to kill him before he finds me, then."

❦︎❦︎❦︎

Cassia dragged Harry out the house. They'd agreed to have this conversation outside without Ron and Hermione, where the wind could carry it away and they could both forget about it.

"Right," Cassia said, sitting down against the back of the cottage, Harry sitting next to her and taking her hand. "Tell me what's going on, Potter. You've kept it from me long enough."

"I'm sorry about that," Harry said. "But I needed to speak to them, because Griphook's going to need talking round."

"Okay, so why do you need the sword? What are you doing?"

Harry took a deep breath.

"Okay, have you ever heard of horcruxes?" He asked her, looking her dead in the eye.

Cassia stared back. "No, what's that?"

"They're... objects," Harry shrugged. "A book, a ring, they can be anything, really. But what makes them important is that they conceal part of a person's soul, effectively making them immortal."

Cassia couldn't speak as she trained her eyes upon him, her lips moving but no sound coming out.

"And Voldemort has them," Harry said in an exhale. "Seven of them, to be exact. Well, seven including himself, the bit of soul still left in his body."

Cassia's eyes widened.

"And that's your mission..." she gasped. "To find and destroy all of them so that you can destroy-"

"Destory him, yeah," Harry nodded. "That's why we broke into the ministry, because we were trying to find one, and we did."

"But the paper said-"

"We replaced it with a copy," Harry told her.

"So wait, how many are left?" Cassia asked.

"Three," Harry answered. "We've found Slytherin's locket, and Tom Riddle's Diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring were destroyed by me and Dumbledore before we realised what they were."

"So, how do we destroy them?" Cassia asked. "You know, you've done it."

Harry took a deep breath. "Listen, you can only destroy them if you break them so badly, the soul can't find a way to fit it together again. Burning doesn't destroy it, stunning won't destroy it."

"But the Sword of Gryffindor does?" Cassia raised her eyebrows, suddenly coming to the realisation.

"Yeah," Harry just nodded. "I-I know you didn't see it, but in the Chamber of Secrets I stabbed the basilisk with the sword-"

"If you're trying to get me to revel in the image of you doing that, forget it," Cassia rolled her eyes.

"No, I know you already revel in the image of me, anyway," Harry smirked. Cassia shoved his shoulder before he said. "But my point is, basilisk venom destroys horcruxes, and that sword's impregnated with basilisk venom."

"Holy shit," Cassia shook her head. "So now I know what you've been doing, care to tell me about your journey?"

Harry sighed heavily, then began to speak.

He told her of how after they left the wedding, they ran into two death eaters in a coffee shop on Charing Cross.

"What the f-?"

"I know, and we had to wipe their memories because we didn't want them telling Voldemort where we were..."

Then, they'd gone to Gimmauld Place, which was their sanctuary until they broke into the ministry.

"And when you all came back to Hogwarts, I watched your name on the map almost every night," he told her, looking her in the eyes.

Cassia smiled slightly, her lips pressing together.

And then he told her that after they broke into the ministry, they accidentally let Yaxley into the house, and therefore couldn't go back.

He spoke of how they spent at least a couple of months in the woods, absolutely stranded. They had no idea what to do, no plans, no ideas.

Then Ron left.

"The fight was... it was terrible," Harry recounted with a pained expression. "We, um... we both said things we regretted, but... it's over now. It's sorted."

Cassia gripped his hand tight.

Then Harry told her how they went to Godric's Hollow, to see his parents' grave. However, they ended up going into a woman called Bathilda Bagshot's house, and her body was possessed by Nagini, so Voldemort almost showed up and got them.

"Harry..." Cassia said in a warning tone.

"We got out," Harry assured her, his face hard. "I-it was tough, but we got out."

Cassia bit her lip, nodding. "Carry on."

They went to the Forest of Dean, he said, and set up camp there. They stayed there a while, as well, and in their time there, Ron came back. Cassia listened to Harry tell her of this silver doe he found out in the woods, leading him to where they found the Sword of Gryffindor.

"And I thought it was you," he told her, looking at her intensely. "I thought you were the one casting it, and I was so so happy-"

"Harry..." Cassia said with a gentle chuckle, butterflies stirring up her stomach.

Harry looked back at her, smiling as well as he told her how Ron saved his life and destroyed the locket in one night, before going back to Hermione who beat the shit out of him.

Cassia giggled slightly, and to Harry, it was like the sun came out. He hadn't heard her laugh, her genuine laugh, in so long.

"Oh, and then we almost got caught again, going to see Xenophelius Lovegood," Harry continued. "We went there to try and see what the Deathly Hallows were, because we didn't understand what they were and they kept cropping up."

Cassia nodded. "And did he try to sell you out because of Luna?"

"Yeah," Harry sighed. "He knew that he could hand us over to the death eaters to get her back."

Cassia sighed, just glad that he hadn't been brought to the manor when she wasn't there.

"And then we landed ourselves in trouble with the snatchers, and er... you know the rest," Harry bit his lip, turning his body to her. "I'm... I'm still sorry about that, by the way."

"Don't be," Cassia shook her head dismissively, turning to him. "So what's the plan now? Break into Gringotts to steal a horcrux you don't even know is there?"

"She was terrified when she thought we'd been in there," Harry repeated. "And if we can get Griphook onside, we'll be able to do it. Especially cause of the polyjuice potion Hermione has."

"Polyjuice potion?" Cassia raised her eyebrows.

Harry nodded. "And Hermione has Bellatrix's hair on her sweater."

Cassia's eyes widened as she looked down, saying. "I'm not sure if I'm ready for this."

Harry sighed. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to, Cass. I'm not going to force you."

"No, I'm coming," Cassia said determinedly, looking straight at the green eyed, black haired boy in front of her. "You're what's got me through the past year, the past two years, actually. Just waking up this morning knowing I'm going to see you... it means more than ever, and I'm not giving that up now."

"I love you," Harry told her, bringing a gentle hand up to cup her face.

Cassia smiled at him, and for once, there wasn't tears in her eyes. "I love you, too."

They looked at each other for a second, eyes flitting down to each other's lips.

Then they kissed, sparks flying between them. Cassia's lips moved against Harry's, her whole body shifting closer to him.

"You're amazing," Harry whispered against her lips, in the second he could spare not kissing her. Cassia just launched forward again, her eyes fluttering shut as she kissed him again, and again.

She knew he needed to speak to Griphook. She knew they needed to make a plan.

But right now, she drew herself even closer to him, almost on his lap by now, and kissed him again.

To hell with everything else.