With a smirk, Cassie continued, "Well, I guess introductions are in order, aren't they, father?"

Sirius froze, his sunken eyes widening in shock and disbelief at the revelation.

"Cassiopeia?" he whispered, his voice barely a whisper, disbelief evident in his tone.

The tunnel seemed to narrow around them, suffocating Cassie as she stood face to face with the man she despised. 
She had long thought of the moment she would meet him- but now words failed to come to her.

Sirius's throat worked, but no sound came out. His eyes, hollow and haunted, locked onto hers. "Cassiopeia... How-?" he croaked finally, his voice breaking.

"How am I alive?" Cassie scoffed, her voice dripping with scorn, her tone laced with venom as she confronted the man who had abandoned her.

Her grey eyes blazed as she continued, "How am I alive, after you decided to abandon mother and me while you left to live with those bloody Potters?"

Sirius flinched at her words,  He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Cassie's fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to contain her rage. 

"You left us, Sirius," she spat, each word dripping with bitterness. "You left us to fend for ourselves, to face the world alone...While you left to play hero"

Sirius hung his head, unable to meet her accusing gaze. When he finally looked up, his eyes flicking to the green and silver tie adorning her neck.  "You're a Slytherin?" His voice was filled with disbelief, the last syllable carrying a hint of disdain.

Cassie's lips curled into a bitter smile at the tone of his voice, the recognition of his disdain not lost on her. It stung, yet she refused to let it show. Instead, she met his gaze with cold indifference

"Really? That's the first thing you say?" she retorted,

"Yes, Sirius. I am," Cassie continued icily, her words dripping with contempt. "Not all of us can be disgraces to the most noble and ancient House of Black, can we?"

Her words hung in the air, her grip on her wand tightened, her knuckles turning white with the force of her anger

Sirius gasped for breath as the cords constricted around him, their grip tightening with each passing moment. His struggles only seemed to fuel Cassiopeia's rage, her eyes ablaze with fury as she glared down at him.

"Listen, Cassie—" he managed to choke out, 

Cassiopeia's lip curled in disdain at the nickname. "It's Cassiopeia to you," 

Sirius's chest heaved as he fought to draw in air, his body trembling with the effort. "Cassiopeia," he gasped, his voice strained. "I'm sorry..."

 "No, you're not," she retorted coldly, her grip on her wand tightening, the cords constricted even further, squeezing the air from Sirius's lungs. He wheezed in pain, his vision blurring as darkness threatened to overtake him.

"Cassiopeia," he pleaded, his voice barely a whisper. "Please... don't do this."

For a moment, Cassiopeia hesitated, her gaze flickering with uncertainty. Then, with a deep breath, she loosened her grip on the cords,

As Sirius took in a long, rasping breath, relief flooded through him. The cords loosened their grip, allowing him to draw in air 

Cassiopeia watched him closely, her expression unreadable as she observed his labored breathing. For a moment, she seemed to waver, her resolve faltering in the face of his suffering. But then, her features hardened once more, and she stepped back, her wand still held at the ready.

"I was surprised when I was told of the crimes you did," Cassie continued, her voice cold and unforgiving. "Didn't honestly think you had it in you, Sirius. Always loved those Potters more than your own blood, didn't you?" She paused, her breath catching in her throat before she continued, her wand still trained on him. "But I guess once a Black, always a Black, right?".

"Revenge will be sweet," she murmured, "When I watch the Dementors pull the soul out of you."

"Listen, Cassiopeia," he pleaded, his voice strained. "I am innocent."

Cassie's smirk widened, a cruel gleam in her eyes. "And that's the first time I've ever heard a criminal say it," 

"No, listen! It was never me—it was Pettigrew—"

"Pettigrew is dead. You killed him," Cassie interjected sharply.

"He isn't!"

"Please, let me explain," Sirius implored, his voice growing more desperate.

"Howdo I know you are telling the truth? Are you willing to swear on yourmagic?"

Sirius faltered, "What?" he managed to stammer out,

"You heard me right,"

 "Swear on your magic. If you lie, you die a quick but painful death"

Sirius's eyes widened in surprise,  "How do you even know about this? It was banned years ago," he protested, 

Cassiopeia's smirk only widened at his question, a flash of dark amusement gleaming in her eyes. "
"When did the Blacks ever care for the laws? So tell me, Sirius, are you ready?"

Sirius shakily nodded, his breath coming in short, uneven gasps as he braced himself for what was to come.

"Very well," Cassiopeia said, her voice cold and commanding as she flicked her wand, causing the cords to slither back and release their tight grip on Sirius.

Cassiopeia's wand remained trained on his hand

"Verum dicat mori," she intoned, her words resonating with power as a shimmering silver thread bound his hand, sealing his oath in the most ancient and sacred of magical bonds.

Sirius began, "I swear on my magic."

Cassiopeia's gaze bore into him 

"Speak,"

Sirius took a deep breath before commencing

"James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, and myself, Sirius Black, became illegal Animagi during our fifth year at Hogwarts," Sirius began, his voice steady 

 "I was a dog, James a stag, and Peter was a rat" 

"I persuaded Lily and James to use Peter as Secret-Keeper instead of me.... I'm to blame, I know it.... The night they died, I'd arranged to check on Peter, make sure he was still safe, but when I arrived at his hiding place, he was gone. Yet there was no sign of a struggle. It didn't feel right."

Silence hung heavy in the air as Cassiopeia absorbed his words, her expression unreadable. Sirius pressed on, 

"And when I saw their house, destroyed, and their bodies... I realized what Peter must've done. 

When I cornered him, he yelled for the whole street to hear that I'd betrayed Lily and James. Then, before I could curse him, he blew apart the street with the wand behind his back, killed everyone within twenty feet of himself -- and sped down into the sewer with the other rats...."

Cassiopeia's eyes narrowed as she listened to Sirius's account, her wand still trained on him, her expression unreadable. As he finished speaking, there was a moment of tense silence, broken only by the sound of their labored breathing echoing in the narrow tunnel.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" Cassiopeia demanded, her voice tinged with frustration and anger. "WHY ARENT YOU DEAD?"

Sirius gave a grim smile "I told you I was innocent,"

"For me, you aren't. You'll never be," Cassie spat, her words dripping with venom as she stared daggers at him.

Silence hung heavy between them,  Sirius studied Cassiopeia's face,

Her eyes, piercing and grey like his own

The twisted smirk playing on her lips, the mania , twisted hint of amusement and the glint of intensity in her eyes, bore an unsettling similarity to his deranged cousin.

"Where is Pettigrew?" Cassiopeia spat, 

Hogwarts," Sirius answered tersely,

"Fucking hell WHA-"

"Where?" 

"Weasley's rat," Sirius replied, 

"Of course,"  She abruptly turned on her heels,  "I'll kill that bloody rat," 

Cassiopeia glanced back one last time, searching for any hint of remorse in Sirius's eyes, she found none. Disgust twisted her features, her heart heavy with disappointment as she turned away, disappearing into the darkness below.

**********************************************
Verum dicat mori- means tell truth or die 

*********************************************

 "Where the fuck were you?" Draco shot

Cassiopeia remained seated on the isolated bench behind the Hog's Head, her wand twirling absentmindedly in her hand as she lost herself in thought. She glanced up as the group approached, noting Pansy's red eyes with mild interest. Had she been crying again?

Draco's anger was palpable, as he glared at Cassie. Beside him, Blaise appeared more composed, Theo, on the other hand, wore a look of concern, his brow furrowed as he regarded Cassie.

"Why does she look like she was crying?" Cassie asked, her voice casual as she observed Pansy's tear-stained cheeks.

"She thought Sirius Black took you," Blaise clarified, "We all did, actually."

Cassie smirked dismissively. "As if he could."

Draco's frustration boiled over. "It's not a joke, Cassie," he snapped. "You just disappeared for like an hour."

Blaise interjected, attempting to diffuse the tension. "More like 50 minutes, but yeah..."

Draco shot him a glare. "Not the point, Blaze. Why won't you say anything, Cassie? Where were you?"

Cassie raised a hand, silencing him. "Let me speak," she said calmly, her gaze steady as she addressed the group. "I was at Quality Quidditch Supplies. I spilled some Stinksap on the floor...The shop employees fell thrice trying to catch me"

Relief washed over the faces of her friend believing her casual lie

Pansy chuckled softly. "That's why you look like you rolled out of mud," she remarked.

Cassie nodded in agreement. "Mhm."

However, Theo's gaze remained fixed on Cassie, his expression unreadable. When she caught his eye, he simply shook his head

Draco, eagerly began brushing of this incident

 "Speaking of which, guess who we saw near the Shrieking Shack?"

"Who?" she asked indifferently

"Potter," Draco replied.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Is that even a surprise anymore? "

************************************************************

I HAD LITERAL BREAKDOWNS OVER THIS CHAP- COS I DINT LIKE ANY PART OF IT- AFTER REWRITING IT 3 TIMES- IM UPLOADING THE MOST BEARABLE ONE-

yes- thats it- AAAAAHHHHH- 

I WROTE- HAD BREAKDOWNS- REWROTE- AND REPEAT

LIKE PLS- THODA HONEST REVIEW 

also- a pigeon kept hooting at me while i wrote this-/

idk why i just wrote that but- PLS FEEDBACK GIVE

also- do u think theo knows cassie lied- also shud reggie know ? that siri is innocent-

ill go die thinking about this now

byeiii

mx riddle