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     SOMETIMES, Cassia would wonder what her life would be like having taken magic completely out of the equation. Maybe instead of a large manor, she'd be living in some kind of quaint little house. A detached bungalow perhaps. With three bedrooms, and one which could be built into the attic. Two bathrooms at the most. A flower bed would be mandatory. Maybe dog.

     She'd still be going to school: maybe a prissy private school that had knee-length plaid skirts compulsory for dress code and people focused solely on one-upping the other, or maybe a public school where teachers would make students wearing their blazers at all times their biggest priority. She could walk to school every morning if she lived near, or if it was further away, take the train or bus. Maybe a friend's parent could give her a lift in their car.

Cassia already knows her father would be into his cars. He would invest in the most up-to-date sports car that he could zoom down the streets in, with an engine loud enough that neighbours can tell it's Phoenix pulling up to the driveway in the evening. From his job at the car dealership. He clearly adores his cars. She can see her mother running the nearby garden centre, and Cassia and her sisters would go there after school every day for some cake and coffee from their tiny cafe and go around watering all the plants for Marlowe. Maybe even get a shot of the till.

    Then there would always be that one employee of Marlowe's, the one a year older than the twins who seemed to always clean the tables near where Cassia would be eating her chocolate fudge cake. And whenever Cassia ran into trouble at the till, he would always be there to help, by coincidence. His name would be Noah or Leo and he had school too so came to work as soon as it ended, and they'd both see each other in their uniform one day after school and the shock they had in realising they went to enemy schools. They laughed about it afterwards. She figures he had a cute laugh. His messy, overgrown hair may also have taken her fancy.

Anyways. She might end up with a flip-phone that she'd use to call her only friend and her sisters and her parents and may eventually give Noah/Leo her number. She might also get her driving license. But Daphne would probably pass before her. Their father would be so enthusiastic on getting them sports cars as their first but they'd settle for something more low-key, but wouldn't rule the sports car out in the future. Cassia probably had a massive friend group at a time but soon realised she liked keeping her circle small. Astoria would also often end up dragging both her sisters to the charity shops to volunteer, to build up their CV's. And their good conscience.

     And eventually, she'd have to grow up too. Hit up university, or college, or work, maybe run the garden centre for a while to give her mum a break. Go on a massive world tour with her sisters and help Daphne get over her fear of airplanes. Date a wee bit here and there — try it out with Noah/Leo, and if it doesn't work, there'll be others out there, other guys and other girls, others who'll still have cute haircuts. Might settle down with Noah/Leo or some other guy or girl. She doesn't know what her future has in store for her.

     A life without magic, a life where she could create her own magic and not worry about all the evil interrupting it, that life where she'd grow up being just the same as every other kid on the street... it was the vision. It was idyllic.

     But it wasn't her life. It was anything but that.

Except the one similarity was that she still had no idea where her future laid.

     By the time her eyes opened, she was welcomed by the dull obsidian grey of the roof high above. And a pang in her heart. Her hand moves towards it, as if going through the movement for the first time. Unlike everything else, her arms weren't stiff. So she found where that pang came from easily. Her hand found it's way beneath her top to feel a patch of some sort, plastered to her skin. When she pressed down, it started to hurt.

     So she didn't.

     But as she twitches, she hears something. A dark, resounding sneer, echoing in her chest, stemming from her wound. The sound of the what she remembers as Nott's spine-curdling voice creeps through her like smoke along a chimney, tickling the line cast along her chest that once burned from bing alight. His poised voice mangles her ears and she has to squeeze a loud breath from her lungs to get it out.

You can't escape me, child.

     She doesn't understand why he's in her head, why his scowl wrings a shudder from her.

It was clear that it was late. There was nothing but darkness reflecting through the windows. She thinks she might be in the Hospital Wing. Back at Hogwarts. The strong tang of medicine hung in the air. She had no recollection of what happened before this rough, spongy bed. She'd been trapped, comfortable in that dream world for Merlin knows how long where she lived a life that was just that. A dream. And now she's brought to reality, where everything starts making sense again.

The day of her final exam, Cassia went to the Department of Mysteries. With Harry. And his friends. They ran into Death Eaters, she ran into Nott, and she ran into her father.

Her father.

And the last time she saw him, she was leaving him behind in that weird room with Sirius Black helping her limp out. Sirius Black.

     And Nott. What he had done, how he'd hurt her... she squeezes her eyes tight. That wound on her chest now made sense.

Cassia's mind felt as though it took a right beating.

She tried getting into a seated position but winced as she tried to move her knee. Then looked ahead and saw that same leg dangling in front of her. Yeah, okay, she was in the Hospital Wing. She didn't even want to think about the events that got her here in the first place. Nor the things she vaguely remembered doing. It was too late (or early) for this.

As far as her head could extend, a couple more beds were also occupied in the Hospital Wing. All still sleeping. On her bedside, there were cards and chocolates and flowers and teddy bears. On the other side, there was a flagon of water. And she suddenly remembered how thirsty she was. She thought she must have slept a long time, because she'd finished the whole thing in two or three chugs, holding the big jug from her face with both hands.

Waking up in the middle of the night having no idea what happened to her or anyone else was confusing as hell. But she didn't have the energy or could even be bothered trying to find Madam Pomfrey when she'd be sound asleep in her own bed. Doesn't want to deal with that sort of attention anyways. She had many questions. But they could all be answered in the morning. For now, Cassia could sleep some more.

She sure as hell needed it.

———

"I SWEAR it was full before we left last night."

"And why does that matter?"

"It means someone drank from it!"

"Who? Hogwarts' resident ghost doggy?"

"...Maybe?"

"You are full of bullshit. Why would you even notice something like this in the first place?"

"Not bullshit. Just because I pay attention."

"Just because you're tripping."

"Nope. Not tripping." The drowsy voice belonging to one hospitalised Cassia Greengrass cut in, interrupting the squabble undoubtedly between Maryam and Eva. She sits up, rubbing her eyes like she'd awoken on a regular old school day. Cassia gathered it was Maryam who'd spotted the empty jug on her bedside. "I drank it last night."

Maryam turns to Eva, hand gesturing violently. "See! I'm not tripping." Then she realises who spoke and where Eva's shocked eyes were laid upon, freezes, turns back to the hospital bed. "Holy fuck, Cass, you're awake!"

"I should hope so," says Cassia. "Feel like I've been asleep a decade."

     "Only three days." says Eva. She realises that the beds from last night, the ones she'd seen occupied in the dead of night, belonged to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They looked slightly startled at Cassia's sudden awakening but were watching her carefully as she conversed with the blonde Slytherin.

     "Three days." Cassia's eyes widen. She can't remember the last time she had eight straight hours of sleep, let alone three days. "Where's Maryam running to?"

     Eva looks over her shoulder where Maryam just disappeared. "To get Madam Pomfrey. And your mum. And sisters. And the rest of Hogwarts."

     Cassia raises an eyebrow.

     Eva grins as she takes Cassia's hand in both of hers. "Thank fuck you're awake. It was so... terrifying. You came in on a stretcher covered in blood and conked out. We all thought you were..."

     Helpless. "I know." She squeezes her hand.

In the mere second Eva returned Cassia's assurance with a nod, a pair of robes whooshed through the entrance of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey, stricken and hurried as always, arrived at Cassia's bedside in two strides, not looking the young girl in the eye once as she already began rummaging through her medicine cart.

"Your mother is on her way, Miss Greengrass." announces Madam Pomfrey. "It's good you woke up when you did. You were beginning to scare us all."

With the speed Madam Pomfrey was going at, Cassia barely had time to reply. A spoonful of sickly, thick liquid was shoved between her lips and she scrunched her eyes tight as she gulped it deep, gagging initially. The matron didn't seem to care.

Cassia grimaces with the aftertaste. "What exactly happened?"

"First, you went missing," says Maryam. Cassia hadn't noticed her reappear by Eva's side. "Then we asked Daphne, Astoria, and they didn't know where you were, but then it was Theo who we finally managed to get the words out of. Everything was total chaos not gonna lie, people were celebrating the end of exams, then the whole thing with Umbridge too—" Maryam jabbed her thumb at a bed towards the far end of the Hospital Wing and she realised it was in fact, Umbridge, trembling, paranoid, and frail as glass. Cassia couldn't say she was sympathetic.

"We waited for hours and hours, we honestly couldn't do anything," Eva continued, "then it got to about seven or eight in the evening and Daphne and Astoria got called up to the Hospital Wing and we followed, obviously thinking it was for you, and then we saw your mum arrive too and we hardly got let in because the Hospital Wing was already so crowded and it was family only so Maryam and I had to stay outside-"

"-Yuck, what is this?" Cassia had no choice but to interrupt Eva as Madam Pomfrey attempted to stuff another spoon in her mouth, had she not caught whiff of the smell in time to turn her head the other way.

Eyes impassive, Madam Pomfrey says, "Your only chance of being able to walk in the next half hour."

Cassia narrowed her eyes. But she wanted to get out of that bed already. So pinches her nose and gulps it down.

"Continue," She says to Maryam and Eva through her wince.

"Terrified," says Maryam, "We were so terrified. Your mum and sisters hadn't came out for a while and no one still wasn't allowed inside so all we had to do was wait. Then this girl with pink hair came limping out and she saw us and must've put two and two together. She was like, 'I don't mean to be like that, but are you friends of Cassia's?' obviously noticing our uniform and the fact you were the only Slytherin in there. We didn't care, so she went on saying how you fainted while she was trying to help you and the others out, and that you'd been seriously harmed and weren't waking up. She was being really assuring, bless her. Also forgot her name..."

"Tonks," says Cassia with no hesitation. She remembers Tonks coming, and helping her, and the last thing Cassia remembers before all of this is fainting.

"Yes. We didn't get to see you 'till the next morning, which was also when we found out..."

Maryam and Eva exchange looks.

"Found out what?" says Cassia.

Eva sighs. "We're sorry, Cass. Honestly."

The blonde digs into her handbag hiked up onto her shoulder, and brings out a smoothed copy of The Daily Prophet, passing it to the hospitalised girl. And a lump chokes her throat when a few words in particular stood out.

Phoenix Greengrass. Death Eater. Azkaban. To undergo trial.

"Oh my god," she breathes, barely audible.

She can't understand why she's surprised, because she foresaw something like this happening the moment she left that room with Sirius Black and leaving her father unconscious and wrists chained in a heap of rubble. She shouldn't be surprised. But she's just... shocked. Because the man whose face she saw in the Prophet, the one forced against a drab wall for a picture of no smiles, just pure anguish and sorrow - that man right there is her father. No matter what he's done, what he's had to do, because all he ever wanted to do is protect his family. And it cost him bad.

"Are... are you okay?" asks Maryam, careful. For a girl that's scared many with her extreme mannerisms and ambition, seeing her be so tentative may have came as a shock to some. She had to admire her for it.

"I-I don't..." Her voice cracks instantly, wiping tears that hadn't fallen yet, "I don't know. To be honest, I should've seen this one, uh, coming. I just-"

"No one would blame you for being upset." says Eva.

Cassia nods in response, pressing her lips together, biting back the tears threatening to fall. She didn't want to cry, not now, so she reads the full article. It spoke about Lord Voldemort being back, all the imprisoned Death Eaters, and then... Harry. Or, the Chosen One, as they now referred to him as.

Phoenix wasn't the only Death Eater pictured in Azkaban. Lucius Malfoy was there. So was Nott, Allegra, and seven others. Of all of them, with his hooded eyes and uneven, ragged stubble, Nott looked the most vacant, distant, the most... hollow. She didn't know what she did to him that day, but whatever it was, it didn't seem to be good. She wondered how Theo was doing. She hoped she'd see him soon.

Cassia looks to her left, seeing Madam Pomfrey a small stretch away. She probably heard the full conversation. "Madam Pomfrey, when can I leave?"

The matron turned to her right away. "Not for a couple days, 'till I know you're absolutely fine. Thanks to our advanced medicine, your dislocated knee is healed at almost three times quicker the rate a Muggle's would heal in. You'll need crutches for a week at the most. As for the wound on your chest, due to it evidently being done by magic, it may take a while longer. You can't sleep on your front for at least a few days and you shall need the bandage changed every couple days."

"Okay," says Cassia. "Thank you, Madam Pomfrey."

"Only doing my job," sighs Madam Pomfrey.

"By the way, um," Eva begins, "We won't grill you for the details just yet, while you're slumped and look like actual shit - no offence - but we'll be wanting an explanation at some point."

"Don't worry." says Cassia, "I won't forget. You deserve one."

She puts her fist out and Maryam and Eva join her for a three-way fistbump. Madam Pomfrey intervenes a few seconds later, saying, "Miss Ahmed, Miss Abercrombie, would you two be able to leave us and come back after a couple of hours? I still have some check-ups to do for Miss Greengrass and her mother will be here soon."

"No worries," Eva says.

"We'll see you later," adds Maryam.

Cassia nods. "Thanks for being here."

Maryam and Eva give her a smile, then disappear behind the big doors of the Hospital Wing. Leaving Cassia and Madam Pomfrey and what was left of Umbridge. And, as Cassia remembered, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger too, both sat up in their adjacent beds, staring across the room at her.

"Hey," says Ron, nodding his head at her in greeting.

"Hey," Cassia replies.

"Are you okay?" asks Hermione.

"As far as I know. Still breathing, and nothing major seems to be hurt."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Mostly. I blacked out, but before that my best friend's dickhead of a father decided to torment me. Hence me being here. What about you guys?"

"A tentacled brain tried to choke me," says Ron, "and I got spelled into insanity."

"I was immobilised by a giant magic whip," says Hermione.

"Huh," says Cassia, "at least you lived to tell the tale."

Ron shrugs. He shares a look with Hermione. "We still had it better than some."

Cassia furrows her eyebrows.

"Sirius never made it." Ron says, somehow managing to say without even a mere quiver.

"Oh my... No." Cassia's voice broke out.

But Ron's lowered head as he nodded and Hermione's glassy eyes were all the confirmation she needed.

"How... how did it happen?" says Cassia, struggling to get the fact in her head. "How... how's Harry? Did he get hurt? What about everyone else?"

"Um, Bellatrix did it. The spell. And then he fell behind a magic curtain." says Hermione.

"Harry wasn't hurt bad," says Ron, "But he's been a mess. Honestly, Greengrass, he hasn't been taking this well. Sirius was family to him. And between that, you being in a coma before and all the drama at the Ministry with them finally accepting Voldemort's back, harassing him in the papers-" he sighs. "I just think he'll be really happy to see you've woken up."

"I can't believe this," Cassia shakes her head, "why does the Ministry believe him now? After all this time?"

"Because they saw him," says Hermione. Cassia's eyes widen. "Voldemort came to the Ministry. After you must have fainted, Dumbledore came, and Voldemort, and he went after Harry and tried to beat him through their connection but it was Harry that won this time. Merlin, he... Harry went after Bellatrix. He was ready to kill her for what she did. But he was stopped."

Cassia bit down on her lip. "Was Bellatrix caught... for what she did?"

"No," says Ron, "She escaped. It seems... Bellatrix getting away wasn't the only unfair thing happening that day."

Cassia furrows her eyebrows, confused.

"I'm sorry about your dad. Ginny told me... about how you two talked while you were waiting for Tonks and that he was doing this whole Death Eater thing to protect your family. It must suck."

"Thanks," says Cassia. After a moment of silence, she includes, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Sirius. I would have bled to death had he not came in time. I owe him. Owed him. Oh my god, I..." She takes a deep breath. She's only been awake for half an hour at most, but she still hasn't seen any of her family. Not her mother, or Astoria, or Daphne, or Theo... she hasn't even heard from Daphne since they did that thing in the Department of Mysteries. Her legs physically itched to get out that bed. And the thought of Sirius... she's only met him once, but he saved her life, and now he was gone. And Harry has no other family left, and he probably has no idea of Cassia being up and talking again.

"It's a lot to wake up to." says Ron. "Must be shit."

"Seems there's been plenty of that going on," Cassia sighs. "How long have you both got in here?"

"It's my last night," says Hermione. "Ron's still here for two more."

Ron smirks. "Which means I can beat you in poker some more."

A light scoff leaves Cassia's mouth. "You're on, Weasley."

Her ears picked up scuffling and saw Madam Pomfrey beside her again, lifting the bandage off her chest slightly to inspect. She blinks, then goes over to retrieve a set of bandages and tape, pulling the curtain around Cassia's bed.

"You said my mother was coming?"

Madam Pomfrey nods. "I sent her an emergency owl. She'll be arriving through Professor Dumbledore's Floo Network."

"My sisters?"

"Them too," says the matron, changing her bandage. "I believe Miss Ahmed called them down when she came to get me. They should be here soon."

We already are.

Somehow, she knew Daphne was present before she could even see her. Something at the back of her mind, tickling her brain, soothing her mind - the same thing that happened when she was lying on the floor of the Department of Mysteries three days ago.

But then, Cassia was also able to physically hear the fast clacking of shoes against the hard Hospital Wing floor, growing louder and advancing towards her. Accompanied by a frantic, relatively high-pitched "CASSIA?" that belonged to who else but Astoria.

In mere seconds, Madam Pomfrey had finished replacing Cassia's bandage, and pulled the curtain back at the exact same time two young Slytherins rushed to the bed, both getting whipped in the face by the material.

Heads snapping back, going rigid and utterly baffled at being flogged by a curtain, Astoria and Daphne Greengrass face their hospitalised sister.

"Hi," says Cassia.

Still half-baffled, Astoria and Daphne were speechless. For the first time ever, given all that there was to talk about between them, the three sisters had nothing to say to each other. Because the only thing that could be said was something they did not want to address.

Astoria eventually says, "If you'd slept even a day longer, I'd probably have came and rag-dolled you back to consciousness." She didn't miss the large breath that deflated from Astoria on seeing her big sister alive and well.

"Somehow, I still don't think I'd look that bad being rag-dolled compared to now," replies Cassia.

"Nope," Daphne cuts in. "I think you've hit an all-time low with this look. I don't even know what your hair is doing at this point."

"Like you've never dealt with humidity frizz before. I'm sweating hard under this gown."

After a moment, Cassia grins. So did Daphne and Astoria.

"I have just the thing," Daphne says, and pulls out a small hand-comb from within her robes.

"Always prepared."

"You know it," winks Daphne, perching herself on Cassia's bedside and brushing the tangles smoothly out her twin's hair. She shares a look with Astoria, whose fingers were going to examine the sling Cassia's foot was in. Barely meeting Cassia's gaze, Daphne mutters, "We'll talk later."

Tilting her head slightly to look between them both, Cassia nods. Astoria starts delving into Cassia's sweet pile on the other side of her bed after mentioning that she can do so now that Cassia was awake and that it wouldn't be considered "stealing" from an unconscious person.

Cassia only says, "Pass me a sugar quill. I'm starved."

As Astoria does so, and while Cassia nibbles on the sugar quill, Astoria and Daphne fill her in on the details of Hogwarts the past few days. After the news of Lord Voldemort's return and the imprisoned Death Eaters, people were being colder to Slytherins than usual and warmer to Harry Potter than usual. Dumbledore was reinstated as Headmaster, teaching had ended for the most part now that exams were over and various parties were held, some in the Slytherin common room, although neither Daphne or Astoria, nor any of their friends, were in the mood to party.

Cassia was just happy they were able to detect that she wasn't in the mood to discuss anything that happened.

"I've decided I want to start playing Quidditch," Daphne declares, having stopped brushing Cassia's hair and making her way through a bag of fudge. "And try out for the team after the summer."

Cassia furrows her eyebrows. "Where did this come from?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Daphne shrugs, "These past few days, it's just been absolutely rough, between you and all this other nonsense - even though I knew you'd be alright - so I've just found myself tagging along with Maryam and Trace and going to the Quidditch pitch, which is empty most days now that the season's done. Terrence and Adrian have been there too, they've been really sweet lately. But Quidditch has become such an... outlet for me. I don't know, it's fun. I actually like coming off the pitch sweaty and out of breath and gross and... yeah, I want to try something new."

"Okay," says Cassia, "Count me in."

"Wait, what?"

"Someone has to be the coach, or opponent, or something?"

"Well, yeah, but, what do you even know about Quidditch? I mean, I'm not against it, the three of us would form a badass quidditch team, but no one can coach just like that."

"With the help of our extensive home library and my quidditch prodigy boyfriend, watch me." She sighs, "Look, I think I could also do with a distraction this summer."

Daphne nods, understanding.

Astoria was smiling. She didn't involve herself in the conversation, but her grin was knowledge enough of her excitement for the Greengrass sister's new summer project.

Astoria puts a fist in the middle. "All in?"

Cassia and Daphne exchange looks, then laugh and bump their fists with Astoria's. "All in."

It was at that moment that a woman appeared at the Hospital Wing entrance, black hair that was, a few months back, straight and shoulder length, now wavy and hanging below her shoulder blades. She wore a black blazer over her navy midi dress, and it was her heels clacking against the floor this time making her way through the room.

Marlowe Greengrass approaches Cassia's bed and as soon as she'd entered the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, her beating heart eased and she felt like she could breath again. Mostly. Cassia sees her mother making her way to her and freezes. Instantly, Marlowe places a hand on Cassia's cheek and bends to kiss her head.

"Sweetheart," breathes Marlowe against her half-embrace to Cassia. "Oh, my darling, you're okay."

"Hi, Mum," says Cassia, slightly smiling. Her Mum looked different. Still gorgeous, that's for sure, Cassia was glad she decided to let her hair grow in more. But she looked less... less. No jewellery, half-arsed makeup, and hair lacked it's usual volume, it's sleekness. But, again, like other things, Cassia wasn't surprised. Her husband was in Azkaban and one of her daughters were hospitalised. She just hoped Marlowe would be able to sleep better now that Cassia was awake.

"I'm so happy you're awake, sweetheart. I was so scared," says Marlowe after squeezing Daphne's shoulder, giving Astoria a side-hug and greeting Madam Pomfrey. "When did you wake up?"

"Last night, for water," says Cassia, "This morning, officially."

"And how long will you be staying?"

"A few more days." Cassia adds, more firmly, "Mum, I'm gonna be okay. I'm sorry for frightening you like that."

Marlowe sighs, smoothing down Cassia's brushed-out hair. "It's okay. I'm just glad you're getting better."

Cassia nods. "Are... are you okay?"

All three of Marlowe Greengrass's daughter stared at her, awaiting her answer. These were her daughters, the girls who could see right through her. She couldn't lie, but she couldn't put them down with her feelings either.

She rubs a hand over her face. "I'm... I'm holding it together. Having a bit of a rough time, but.. I just need to get on. I'll be glad when you three come back home."

"Can't you just take us out of school, like, now..?" asks Astoria. "I mean, exams are finished, there's really no point in staying."

"No, I think you should stay." says Marlowe. "See your friends a little more. Besides, this is the best time of year. No learning, just chilling and skiving about. Have the Seniors been throwing parties?"

"Every. Single. Night." says Daphne. However Cassia could tell it wasn't the parties that bothered Daphne, that made her want Marlowe to pull her out of school early. It was the constant judgement now that their father had been outed. The daughters of an incarcerated death eater. Eyes were now on them, for the bad reasons.

"It's only been three days," says Astoria, "You act like it's been three years."

"Feels like that. I haven't been able to get any sleep. And I do not want to be in the same room as Montague and Warrington when they're drunk."

From the opposite end of the Hospital Wing, a sigh is heard. "Wish we didn't have to stay here anymore so we could go to one of our parties."

"Speak for yourself," Hermione replies to Ron, "I value my sleep too."

Astoria calls out, "How's the brain, Ron? Still foggy?"

Ron shrugs. "A bit. Probably clear enough to beat your sister at Poker."

Daphne scoffs. "Weasley, you'd beat her at Poker even if your brain was going through a torrential hurricane."

Cassia looks to her mum, jaw dropped. "Mum, can you believe what they're saying?"

"Yeah, actually," Marlowe says without hesitation. "You are the worst board game player in the family. And the biggest sore loser. Your tantrums go on for days."

"This isn't fair. I'm pulling the injured card on all of you."

Astoria sniggers, "That's the only card you can pull, since your poker game is so bad."

"You are all terrible people." Cassia deadpans at the laughter resonating around the walls of the Hospital Wing.

When the laughter died down and Cassia eventually gave in, admitting she probably was a bit of a sore loser. Marlowe frowns and says to Cassia, "I saw Harry a couple days ago. Poor thing seems to be doing quite rough after his godfather's death. I told him he could owl me if he needed anything, but we both know he's too humble to ask for help."

"Yeah," she replies. "I can imagine. He had to watch as it happened."

"Did you...?" Astoria approaches carefully. "I mean, did you see it...?"

"Not from what I can remember," says Cassia. "I blacked out. But I did see Sirius. More than that. He saved my life."

That's all she could think about, because while her life was saved by him, his was taken in the end. It wasn't fair.

"After what..." she takes a deep breath, continuing. "After what Nott had done to me... if Sirius hadn't gotten to me in time, I may not have made it." She looks between Daphne and Astoria. "Have either of you seen Harry?"

"A couple of times," says Daphne. "Here and there. He just asked me how you were doing. I asked how he was doing. Told him he could come talk to me if he didn't feel weird about it."

"He also apologised about... Father." Astoria adds. "But he didn't really seem to be in a chatty mood. Didn't really want to be found by anyone either. Like I can blame him. The whole school has been shoving themselves down his throat. The stuff they've been saying."

"Yeah?" says Cassia. "Like what?"

"You know, all the sudden praise, acting like they've always worshipped him, asking him questions and..." Daphne sighs. "Stuff about the two of you."

"Come again?" says Cassia. But she knew she shouldn't be surprised. A situation like this would attract gossip like moths to a lamp. She shouldn't expect anything else, especially from the likes of a school like Hogwarts.

Astoria rolls her eyes. "It's either, you've manipulated him somehow into dating you for personal gain or he's just gotten with you to uncover secrets about Death Eaters from your father. People going up to him, asking why you're not in school, if you've broken up or not, if he never even knew... it's so freaking stupid."

"Wow," says Cassia. If they only knew.

Daphne scoffs. "It's funny how people named Slytherin the mean ones when the other houses take any chance they can to gossip about people behind their back."

"And in front." says Astoria. "Remember that sixth year Ravenclaw?"

"Oh, yeah!" Daphne looks at Cassia. "This Ravenclaw had the audacity to start talking about the three of us when me and Daphne walked by. Just chatting absolute shit, saying we were fake or us being nice was an 'act'... I physically had to hold Tori back from pouncing on them. Safe to say, that got people to avoid us a little."

"You should have let me go," Astoria shrugs. "She would've deserved the punch I was gonna give her."

"I'm absolutely sure she would've." Marlowe cuts in. "But it would've been you who'd have gotten penalised. That wouldn't be worth it."

"Fair." Astoria admits. "But they'd never expect it from me."

"Because of the 'act' you always put on?" says Cassia.

"Exactly." Astoria laughs.

Cassia's stomach grumbles. Marlowe's eyes dart to the half empty pack of sugar quills in Cassia's lap. She sighs.

"Is that all you've had to eat since you woke up?" Marlowe asks.

Cassia averts her eyes. "...Yes...?"

"I cannot believe you right now. You need real food."

"Since when? I went three days on nothing but air."

"Don't fight me on this. You know you're hungry. And you're not filling yourself up on candy."

"What then?"

An excited squeal leaves Astoria. "The kitchens!"

"Oooh, I'll come!" says Daphne.

"Eh - are you just gonna leave me here?" Cassia says, squinting her eyebrows.

"I mean, you can't exactly walk." Daphne motions to her elevated leg.

Cassia groans, but it really felt like a scream. She wanted to get out of this bed.

"Madam Pomfrey," she calls out, a little louder than she'd initially calculated. "Can I go for a walk?"

The matron approaches her bed, frowning. "Where to?"

"Kitchens. I'm hungry."

"No wonder." Madam Pomfrey mumbles to herself, walking around and examining Cassia's leg and her watch. "I suppose you can. I need to fetch you your crutches. You need help going down the stairs," she says in particular to Daphne and Astoria. They both nod. Madam Pomfrey re-emerges  with a pair of crutches that she hands to Astoria. Slowly and with a heavy hold on Cassia's elevated leg, Madam Pomfrey begins lowering it until it was resting on the bed. The joint connecting her leg hip and thigh cracks in doing so. Cassia grimaces. She's been laying down too long.

     They then help Cassia to change into a pair of sweat-shorts and a t-shirt, because she'd rather not walk around Hogwarts in a hospital gown. The tight support bandage around her knee was visible to all. Daphne goes over to Cassia's side where Astoria is and with Madam Pomfrey instructing them both, get Cassia to one foot, her other in hopping stance with a hand on Daphne's shoulder. When Astoria hands her the crutches, Cassia finds herself looping her wrists through and standing on her own.

     "Okay," says Madam Pomfrey. "You're free to go for a few hours. Kitchens and back, that's it. You must be here before sunset."

     Cassia nods. "Will do."

     Marlowe rounds on her. "I'll be back tomorrow. Listen to Madam Pomfrey, she knows what's best." She envelops Cassia into a hug, holding her head to her chest. Kisses her forehead. "I am so happy you're okay, sweetheart."

     Cassia manages to hug back with the hand that wasn't holding the crutch. Just as she does so, tension holds her still where her chest was, where she was being hugged. That talon is dragging along her chest again, her head a horror of screams, and she was in the air again, helpless, covered in blood, legs dangling high above.

     Nott's face was at the epicentre, sneering with pride. Elated as she was falling, falling fast and hard and-

     Her eyes open. A quick breath escapes her. She wasn't falling. Her wounds were healing. Her mother was there, and so were her sisters, and she was in Hogwarts.

     She was safe.

     "Honey, are you alright?" Marlowe says, her voice quiet, looking closely at Cassia having pulled away from the hug, a soft hand on her back.

     Cassia doesn't say anything. She presses her lips together and nods. "See you tomorrow, Mum."

     Marlowe wasn't convinced. She rubs Cassia's back however, then going behind Cassia to envelop Astoria and Daphne in a double-hug. "Oh, I wished it was the holidays," Marlowe says, her face smushed against a head. She pulls back. "House has been so quiet."

     "Just pull us out early then!" says Daphne. "There's a week left of term. No one'll miss us."

     Marlowe sighs, weaving a hand through her roots. "No, uh, trust me, girls. You don't want to be at home right now. Chaos, it's just... There's been a lot of shit happening. You don't... you don't need the stress."

     You don't need the stress either. It's what all three of the Greengrass sisters were thinking, looking at their exhausted mother.

     "Take care of each other, okay?" Marlowe smiles. "See you soon. I love you."

     "Love you too," the three of them say simultaneously, watching as their mother disappears through the Hospital Wing doors, keeping her head held high and walking with a purpose through it all.   

     Daphne sighs. "She's faking it. It's obvious."

     Cassia and Astoria's silence was enough agreement. With that, Cassia turns and gives Ron and Hermione a parting smile, and leaves the Hospital Wing with her two sisters.

     "Say, Cass, what do you fancy?" Daphne asks. "First meal after the big coma, gotta be something great."

     "French toast," she eventually says after pondering for a while. "With blueberries and plenty of maple syrup. Then a baked potato with beans and cheese." She's been asleep three days. That's a lot of food to catch up on.

     "Sweet and savoury," Astoria remarks. "I approve."

     Cassia hums to herself, her crutches clacking against the hard stone floor. Light spilled through the high-arched windows at Hogwarts, the summer light rays acting like transparent glitter through the glass. It seemed to be around lunchtime, but Cassia was glad she wasn't going to the Great Hall to eat. Already, she was getting stares from stray people dotting around the corridors, eyeing up the three Greengrass sisters whose father was recently incarcerated. Eyeing up the one sister they hadn't seen since the arrest, only for her to emerge from the Hospital Wing looking half-dead on crutches. And this was nothing compared to what she felt was coming.

     "Okay, I'm gonna say it." Cassia proclaims. "Where's Theo?"

     It's been on her mind for ages now, scratching and occupying a large cavity of space. Because he was her best friend, and she knew that in normal circumstances, he'd burst in the Hospital Wing the moment word got around about her waking up. She didn't care about that. She was worried about the fact it wasn't normal circumstances, because his mum was in the hospital and his dad was just arrested too and she just wanted to know how he was taking it. He may hate his dad, but this circulates around much more than just that, because he still shared a mind with him. Theo has been dealing with hate much longer, and this thing can take a toll on a person. Especially someone the likes of Theo.

      "I don't know," says Daphne. "I think he's been avoiding us. I haven't seen him much in the halls or common room and he hasn't came to the Hospital Wing, not since you were admitted. Something's up."

     Something is up, and Cassia had a vague suspicion it was to do with his father. Because Theo's connection to his father was more than just blood. Their minds were tethered, and Cassia had the feeling that when she had imploded on Nott, when she had... unleashed herself on him, that it had affected Theo in some way. Because it seemed to have broken Nott. She should be glad about that. But not if Theo was apart of the equation. The mere thought thudded in her chest.

     She was brought out of her thoughts by a nudge to her side. Astoria, giving her an understanding smile, gestures ahead. "Cass, look who it is."

     And as Cassia's eyes obscured in front of her, she saw who it was. And almost stopped in her tracks completely. Eyes half-trained on the floor living in an absent world of his own, his head an endearing mess of raven hair, Harry was walking towards the three sisters, with no idea Cassia was awake and walking in front of him. He looked the same as he always did, the same roguish, careless step to his stride. Hands in his jeans pockets, not paying attention to anything around him, he looked exhausted more than anything.

     Cassia picks up the pace. Not very well, given she was on crutches, but as they began to clack louder against the ground, Harry's head lifts eventually. He sees Cassia and furrows his eyebrows but when the realisation hit him, he physically froze. But his face eases off and he looks like a mountain was taken off his back as he broke into a jog towards her - much quicker than Cassia on crutches - and he nearly lifted her off her feet as he enfolded her into a hug, close and tight.

     Heart racing, Cassia suppresses the uncomfortable ripple that shook her chest when Harry pressed against it. She didn't need that right now. What she needed was him.

     "You're awake," he says, relieved. Almost disbelieving.

     "Clearly," She replies, smiling against his neck.

"I missed you," he whispers into her hair, fingers running through those auburn strands like holding her just wasn't enough. "When I... when I saw you, after the fight... you looked... Merlin, it was horrible. I was terrified, and after Sirius..."

Cassia pulls him in closer, her hand caressing the back of his head. "I know," she says softly, "I know. Weasley told me. I'm sorry, Harry... truly."

Nothing comes out of his mouth, so Cassia just lets him be. He trembles in her embrace, lost for words, and all she can do is continue to skim over his hair with a soft hand. She doubts he'd have gotten much of that in the past few days. When he pulls away from the embrace, his eyes were red beneath his glasses. She knew what Sirius was to him, and this broke her heart.

"I heard about your father," Harry mentions, downhearted.

"Yeah," she sighs. "Me too. Eva... she told me when I woke up."

He frowns. "I'm sorry."

Cassia shakes her head. "Don't be, please. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. It's just that people keep... staring. And the Hospital Wing is like, around the corner. And I've already been looked up and down by about two dozen people. I don't know how you do it."

"It does suck." He grimaces. "And I hate to be the pessimist, but I don't suppose you've been awake long enough to hear what people have been saying?"

"Oh, yeah. Daph and Tori were telling me." Cassia rolls her eyes, then looks behind to where Astoria and Daphne were in front of a painting, heads tilted looking at something. Giving Cassia some time with Harry. "I am now the evil seductress who is dating you for my own personal gain."

"Uh-huh," Harry agrees. "And I'm the weakling that fell for your god-awful charm." Grinning, he adds, "They got that last part right."

Cassia smiles, head tilting to the side, admiring his smile. She sure as hell missed it.

"We make quite the pair," says Cassia. "The Chosen One and the Devil-Spawn daughter of a Death Eater."

"Exactly." Harry adds. "Nothing like tragic family drama to bring two lonely hearts together."

Cassia laughs. Harry then steps forward, framing one side of her face with a hand.

"Look, it gets a bit of getting used to, but you'll soon forget about the stares. And people will fine something else to gossip and fascinate themselves with. They'll go away, with time. That is, if your unwavering confidence won't already scare them away."

She raises an eyebrow. "I'm a scary seductress now, am I?"

"Oh, right from the very beginning." He quips, smiling. "And if the stares don't stop with that..." His thumb skims under her chin and it's then she's reminded of how deprived she is of the feeling of his lips. Right before he kissed her, he said, "Then we'll give them a show."

When he pulled away, stroking her cheek with one hand, she was smiling. Cassia adds, "It is what we're best at, after all." They hear a light crash and look down to see Cassia's crutches on the floor, having fallen off her wrists. She internally smacks herself, because she'd have lost her balance otherwise.

"Graceful." As Harry picks them up for her and flashes her his charming grin, they hear footsteps approach them.

"Can't believe I actually missed seeing you two be so sickeningly cute." Daphne says, coming up beside Cassia on one side, Astoria on the other. "Hey, Hazza."

Hazza? Cassia thought.

Daphne's gaze shoots to the side to meet Cassia's. They share a look.

"Hi Daphne." He replies, eyes wide. Harry wasn't sure what to make of this new nickname. He looks to the youngest Greengrass. "Astoria."

Astoria nods at him, grinning. "You doing okay?"

Harry shrugs. "You?"

Astoria shrugs. "We were taking Cass down to the kitchens to get food. You wanna join?"

"Nah, you guys go on. I already ate, but I'm not too hungry. Was on my way to see Ron and Hermione."

Smirking, Daphne announces, "I have a question for you, Hazza."

Harry raises an eyebrow. "Shoot."

"How would you like to aid Cassia in teaching me quidditch over the summer?"

"Um, sure?" He looks at Cassia, confused. "You want to play Quidditch?"

"Come on, it can't be that surprising," she says incredulously at the mirrored reaction. "Daphne wants to join the team next year, and I want to try something new. Or a distraction. Or both."

Harry thinks for a moment. "Sure," he says with a light shrug. "You guys have a big garden? Wait, don't answer that. Of course you do." He shares a look with Cassia then admits, "I could also do with something to occupy my mind."

"Perfect!" Daphne claps her hands together.

"I suppose I should leave you three to get your food," Harry suggests. He points a finger in Cassia's face. "You, eat plenty. You certainly look the part of 'been in a coma for three days'."

     "I feel like I should be offended," says Cassia.

     He winks at her. "You'll always look stunning to me, darling. No matter how mangled."

     Cassia scoffs, poking her boyfriend in the leg with her crutch. "Get out of here, Chosen One."

     Harry sniggers and waves at them in parting. Before he steps away, he thinks twice and before Cassia can get away herself, he walks swiftly over to her, takes her face in his hands, and kisses her, short and sweet. When he pulls away, resting his forehead against hers, she grins.

     "You just couldn't resist?"

     "What can I say," he replies, "Seeing you has easily been the best thing to happen in these past  three days."

     In answer, she tugs on the hem of his shirt, pulling his lips down to her once more. "We'll talk later," she says firmly, giving him a quick, reassuring smile. "I promise."

     Harry nods, and at last, he parts. Astoria and Daphne had walked ahead but watched the two of them and when Cassia and her crutches join her sisters, Daphne says, grinning, "If you two keep doing that in corridors, people are gonna hate you."

     In response, Cassia says, "They already hate me. Evil seductress, remember?"

     "They certainly seem to be loving your boyfriend, however. And as your twin and protector, I have to be the one to inform you of this group of third year girls ogling their naïve little eyes at Harry."

     Cassia raises an eyebrow. "And I'm supposed to be intimidated by a group of third years?"

     Both Daphne and Astoria laugh, knowing that was a highly unlikely thing to happen.

     They descend the stairs and enter the kitchens, and soon after Cassia had both French toast and baked potato laid in front of her. Bless the house elves. They sat at a metal table near a fridge, but no other student was there and the house elves were busy as they were so they could sit and talk in peace. While everyone else was eating in the Hall or outside in the sun, they were down here, lodged away from prying eyes.

     With a bowl of mint ice cream in hand, Astoria sighs. "Do you think it'll last? All the judgement and... staring?"

     Daphne shrugs. "I mean, I hate averted attention just as much as you, Tori, but I have no clue. I mean, news of Dad gets out and everyone that's not a Slytherin avoids us. News of Harry gets out and everyone that hated and didn't believe him before are now willing to worship him at the altar. If you ask me, people at Hogwarts just look for the next best thing to gossip about and right now, it's us."

Staring down at the table, Cassia fiddles with her hands. Looks at the ring she feels saved her life. "I... I don't know what's it been like, for you two, and I'm sorry for doing all this... going to the Ministry without telling you first- you had a right to know, and I went anyways, I..."

     "You don't have to apologise, Cass. You were hurt, and now you're fine, and that's all we cared about."

     Cassia inhales deeply. She wanted to tell them everything, they deserved to know more than anyone else. But the mere thought of what happened that night... her eyes squeeze shut, the hold of Nott's magic so strong over her, the razor sharp pain of him slicing through her skin... Never in her life, had she feared Nott like this. She's disliked him, but she's never feared him. And now... his scowl made her quiver.

     It wasn't that she wanted to tell them what happened. She had to, or she'd be eaten up whole by this truth. When she told Ginny and Luna, she was still in slight shock that she'd made it out alive. Now that everything has sunk in... it's led her to doubt everything, from the moment she ran after Harry and his friends that night. Because she almost didn't make it, if Sirius hadn't came. Sirius himself hadn't made it, and he saved her. It almost made her wander if she should have been the one surviving.

     "Be.. before Nott did what he did to me..." She starts, voice trembling. She sees the look of immediate anger and worry on both of her sister's faces, but the look on Cassia's said she wanted to say more. So she did. About the thestrals, entering the Ministry, all those weird rooms. Getting cornered by Malfoy, Bellatrix and all the other Death Eaters. Getting identified by Allegra, then everyone splitting up, and Cassia ending up alone with Nott... She told them of Theo's hunch about Phoenix being there. And about Theo being right, because Phoenix was there.

     "He... he saved me." Cassia says. "Dad... he saved me from Nott. I didn't know if he would... But I suppose that's what I went there to find out."

     Astoria looks up from her ice cream. "He came for you?"

     Cassia nods slowly then smiles. "He did. Hitting Nott across the head with a pole while he was at it. But..." she sighs. "It wasn't enough. Nott still got back up and he had a go at both of us. In the end, I didn't think I had it in me to leave that room alive but..." She pauses. "Daphne, I think you were the reason I did."

     Daphne looks at her twin.

     "I felt you," Cassia explains, recalling everything. "You. I heard your voice too. In the Ministry. I don't know if I was going mad at the time, it was that bad. When I was lying on the floor, injured. Father was fighting Nott at the time. I didn't think I'd be getting up but somehow I heard you, and... and you gave me this energy, or power, or something, and it was what I needed. I defeated Nott because of that. Because of you."

     Silence. Astoria's face was about to fall off.

     Daphne inhales. "You weren't going mad," she confirms to Cassia. "So did I... that night. I felt you too. Your pain. Your thoughts. I don't know how I did it, but it happened when you'd gone missing and I was with Maryam and Eva and Astoria and Blaise and Theo and they were all panicking and I could hear this... shouting inside my head and it was so overwhelming so I just left. I went to my room and thankfully Millie and Trace saw I needed some space so they left me alone. There were flashes of a dark room, and a scream, and then your pain flooded through me and I passed out. It was then that I could see, like, a door to you and I could see your thoughts and, well, not see exactly but feel them. And I guess I could see you. Because I started calling out to something, what looked or felt like you, and then... you heard."

     "And you told me to fight," Cassia remembers.

     "Holy shit," breathes Astoria, hardly bothered she was dripping ice cream onto her crisp summer blouse. "You two are telepaths."

     Cassia and Daphne share a look, then glance back at their shocked younger sister.

     "Seems like we are." says Cassia.

     "It makes sense, I suppose." says Daphne. "The thing our friends used to say, that 'twin thing'. Where we would somehow have already formed a whole conversation between ourselves leaving everyone else confused. Or when I thought you said something but in actual fact you didn't say it out loud." The smallest hint of laughter falls from her, "Or when I could clearly hear your judgement regarding my new name for your boyfriend."

     "Okay, but in all honesty, Hazza?"

      "It makes both of you smile. You can't deny it."

     Cassia shakes her head, a smile tugging on her lips. No, I can't.

     "This is sick," says Astoria. "You two can read each others minds. And have conversations without others knowing-" She holds a hand up. "But don't you dare try using that one on me."

     "You know we'd never, Tori," says Daphne.

     Astoria shrugs. "I know. Besides, I can still read you two without telepathy. Well enough to know that you, Daphne, are still keeping something from us."

     Daphne's eyes widen. Cassia raises an eyebrow. "Is that so, Daph?"

     "Well-"

     "Don't even try and lie."

     Daphne sighs, raking a hand through her scalp. "It's nothing you need to know right now."

     "So you are hiding something," says Astoria contently.

     "Yes," admits Daphne. "But it isn't important. I'll tell you eventually."

     Cassia and Astoria corner Daphne with their stares. But they let it go.

     "What... what happened, then?" Astoria asks. "After Daphne... spoke to you."

     "Um..." Cassia rubs her eyes. "It's blurry. I attacked Nott, I did something and he ended up unconscious... then I think I blacked out again. When I woke up, Sirius was there. He saved me, and tried to get me out, and I saw Father.  He was also unconscious, and I tried to get to him, but Sirius said there was nothing I could do. That his fate was already sealed just by him being a Death Eater. I-" Her breath stops short, rendering her speechless. Elbows on the table, she puts her face in her hands.

     "I should have done more." She says. "All Father cared about the moment he'd seen me in the Ministry was getting me out. He was even willing to get Harry and his friends out, because that mattered to me. All he cared about was my safety - his family's safety - and now he's in Azkaban because of that. And Sirius..." She takes a deep breath. "Father and Sirius... in some of their last moments, what mattered to them was saving me. And look where that got them. And me... I was the one who went to the Ministry on an impulse. Out of stupidity. And their sacrifice wasn't worth that."

     "Not worth it?" says Astoria, quietly. "Cassia, you are worth the sacrifice. You went there for your family. You fought for your family, even when you thought you couldn't. And I know damn well father would have been proud. Because I certainly am - we both are."

     Cassia remembers it, the look on Phoenix's face. The way he stroked her face and said, I am so proud of you, sweetheart. It felt good then. So why didn't she feel that same accomplishment now?

     Biting her lip wasn't enough to keep the tears back. Astoria had her arms around her older sister before she knew it, and Cassia was left trembling in her embrace, clutching onto her arms, tears falling like a cascade of leaves. It was too many emotions and too many things happening at the one time. The sadness of Harry, her sisters, her mother, Theo, the hate they were receiving, her father in Azkaban, Sirius, dead... Cassia had no idea how she'd kept it in this long.

     A hand was on her face. Looking up, eyes bloodshot and wet, she was met with Daphne's firm face, Astoria's arms still around her. "Sirius's death shouldn't mean what he did was in vain," she says. "It's sad. Tragic, too. He saved you but couldn't be saved himself. That shouldn't mean saving you wasn't worth it. Take him with you, no matter how short you two knew each other for. If he made an impact like that on you in such a short time, that's worth something. And that's worth the sacrifice he made. He saved you for a reason. Not just because you're his godson's girlfriend. Because Cassia, you're worth it and so much more.

     "And Father... Father went to Azkaban for protecting our family. Mother's right. We have to take care of each other now. We have to protect each other, because we're all we've got." Daphne says, "Cassia, I'm glad that if any of us had to be there to find out the truth, it was you. What you did wasn't stupid, or worthless. You did what you've always been taught to do. Fight for your family. And you fought a good fight for us, and your friends too. Even if the outcome wasn't."

Wiping her eyes, hands blotched with tears, Cassia's gaze falls downwards. Then a finger slips beneath her chin and tilts her head up. She's met with Daphne's gaze again.

"Listen to me, Cass. It's okay. You're okay. It might not feel that way — I don't feel that way either, none of us do — but we have each other to get through this. You went through a lot that day. But it will be okay one day. You'll be stronger because of it. You'll grow. It might take a while, and you have absolutely every right to grieve for what happened. Just trust me in knowing that you deserve to give yourself the space and time you need to heal. Promise me that you'll let yourself heal. And let us help you."

Cassia clears her throat and looks at Daphne. Really looks at her. "I promise."

Daphne's lips stretch out a millimetre, into the faintest of smiles. She presses a kiss to Cassia's forehead and wraps an arm around Astoria and Cassia.

It didn't feel okay. Not right now. Cassia would much rather live the life with no magic, where no Dark wizards existed, where she'd be able to live an ordinary life in an ordinary bungalow in an ordinary school. Where her parents had ordinary jobs. Where they both would still be here.

But that wasn't the reality.

The reality was that she made a decision that day, a decision to go knock on the Death Eater's door in hopes her father could answer a question of hers. And she got the answer she needed, that through it all, mark or no mark, he was still fighting for their family. And that's what she had to do. With sisters and a mother like hers, she would fight, and protect, and be there for them because that's all they could do now. And she would fight for herself. She would fight for herself because like Daphne said, she was worth the sacrifices made that night. She might not believe it right now, but she'll go that extra length to make herself believe it because it's what she deserves. She deserves to heal, and grow, and become a stronger person that could protect others just like Phoenix and Sirius did for her.

With sisters and friends and a mother and a boyfriend like she had, Cassia hoped that eventually, the pain and the tears would stop.

***

***

guys ☹️☹️☹️ i hate seeing my characters like this plz why do i do this to them

but hey!! how have you all been??? it's been a hot minute since i've updated (been so shit at updating this year 🥴🥴) but happy halloween! and happy jily death day and happy bday to the main star of this fic herself danielle rose russell 🥺

life's been rough lately hahaha between all my uni work and personal stuffs my mental health has just been going 📉 lol. but i'm starting to get it together again no worries! uni has been absolutely exhausting oml like it feels good to say ur a stem student until you actually have to be a stem student... apologies if my english is shit in this hahaha like i've been working in terms of oxidative carboxylation and pyruvate dehydrogenase so i really don't know what a metaphor is anymore yikes...

i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, yeah ik sue me for all the pain :( but incase anyone's noticed i've sorta skimmed over cassia's physical injuries in this and made them straightforward and that's to do with it having affected her more on the mental side and that being the more complicated part, just bc i feel like in the books especially, their trauma was skipped over when they all harry especially went through SO MUCH at that time... at the end of the day they r just kids uno?

i'm def gonna try and balance out some time to write from now, i got my new laptop which is much smoother than my last yay! it also just feels good to have an outlet that doesn't relate to my core subject, the only reason I'm even still sane is bc of the gym/karate and reading books 😩

take care guys, ty for supporting me❤️

stephen 🥺missing my arrowverse babies😩 need to start watching again omg