Dumbledore bent down slightly, his eyes twinkling as he looked around the dark, damp cave. "You did get creative, Sirius," he said, taking in the makeshift bedding and the sparse surroundings.

Sirius grunted, leaning against the rough stone wall. "Not like the Ministry gave me many options," he muttered,

A heavy silence hung between them until Dumbledore waved his wand, conjuring a simple chair to sit on. The cave was cold, the flickering light casting long shadows as the two wizards faced each other.

"Why are you here, Dumbledore?" Sirius asked, suspicion in his eyes.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he folded his hands in his lap. "I was just curious, Sirius. You see, I happened to hear that you were spotted sneaking around the abandoned Flint residence. Quite a peculiar place to be lurking about."

Sirius's expression darkened, and he looked down at the ground, his jaw clenched.

Dumbledore watched him with a knowing gaze. "You're searching for Valerie, aren't you?"

There was a moment of silence before Sirius nodded

Dumbledore sighed softly. "Sirius... Valerie is gone. She died."

Sirius's head snapped up, his voice laced with disbelief. "No."

Dumbledore nodded sympathetically. "Yes, Sirius. Years ago."

Sirius stared at him, processing the information. His mind raced as he connected the dots. "Wait, that means... Cassiopeia lives with Cissy?"

Dumbledore immediately shook his head. "No, Sirius. Cassiopeia doesn't live with the Malfoys."

Sirius narrowed his eyes, confusion deepening. "Then where is she?"

Dumbledore's gaze softened as he explained, "Valerie made it clear in her will that Cassiopeia was to be raised by the Pierres."

Pierre?" Sirius echoed, the name unfamiliar to him.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, a trusted associate of Valerie's. He has been taking care of Cassiopeia. We've kept it discreet, as we didn't find any records by you—"

Sirius's mind raced, but his thoughts suddenly shifted, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "Speaking of that... why on earth is Harry living with that vermin Dursley fellow?"

Dumbledore blinked, visibly taken aback by the sudden change in topic. The lines on his face deepened, and his usual calm demeanor wavered ever so slightly. "Sirius—"

"Yeah," Sirius pressed on, his voice rising. "Why couldn't you have sent Harry to Remus? He'd have been far better off there than with those fucking Muggles!" Sirius paced back and forth, his movements restless, caged.

A tense silence filled the air,

Sirius stopped abruptly and turned to face Dumbledore, "I want him to live with me, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore's gaze softened, a flicker of sadness crossing his features. He held Sirius's gaze, "I cannot allow that, Sirius," Dumbledore said quietly

Sirius clenched his fists, frustration etched across his face. "I am his godfather, Albus! I swore to protect him!"

Dumbledore sighed, his voice barely above a whisper. "And I have my reasons, Sirius. Reasons that I wish were not necessary." He rose from his chair, the movement slow and deliberate.

 Dumbledore took a step closer to Sirius, his expression shifting to one of concern. "Sirius, I fear you are too focused on Harry. You've barely asked about Cassiopeia. She is your blood after all" 

Sirius frowned, the mention of Cassiopeia catching him off guard. " She's fine, isn't she? You said she's with some... Pierre fellow."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly in disappointment

 "Sirius, Cassiopeia stands on a precipice. The darkness she's been exposed to is consuming. She is closer to succumbing to dark magic than you may realize, and if she falls, she will not only be a threat to herself but to all of us. When the time comes, we cannot afford another enemy like her."

Sirius shifted uncomfortably, his bravado fading under Dumbledore's gaze.

Finally, Dumbledore straightened, his expression hardening as he switched topics. "I have come to warn you, Sirius. Do not go out in the open again. The Muggles spotted you last time. You must stay hidden."

 Without waiting for a response, Dumbledore turned and walked toward the exit. His long robes brushed against the floor, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet cave 

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

Back in Hogwarts

The next week passed without major incidents, though it dragged on painfully for Cassiopeia. Detention had her stuck tutoring the most irritating first years, a punishment she suspected was McGonagall's idea,  The final blow was when they confiscated her dagger after she tried to "motivate" a reluctant student. Apparently, threatening first years to study wasn't allowed.

Snape's mood was as foul as ever,  Cassie suspected it was Moody who had put him in this foul temper. Meanwhile, Draco was spending more time with that Ravenclaw third-year, Lyra Rose, which grated on Cassie's nerves more than she would admit. With her occupied in detention, Astoria had taken the opportunity to latch onto Theo, much to Pansy's amusement. She kept hinting that Theo didn't seem to mind Astoria's attention one bit.

The real dread settled over the Slytherins as Moody's first lesson loomed closer. They had to be quite literally dragged by Pansy towards the empty first row on the right side, which the Slytherins had intentionally left empty.

Cassie groaned and harshly sat down, watching the others settle in as well. Slowly, the class filled up, mostly with Gryffindors who showed up looking unusually enthusiastic. They took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection and waited, unusually quiet. Soon, they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor. He entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever, with his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.

"You can put those away," he growled, stumping over to his desk and sitting down. "Those books. You won't need them."

The class quickly returned the books to their bags.

Moody took out a register, shook his long mane of grizzled gray hair out of his twisted and scarred face, and began to call out names, his normal eye moving steadily down the list while his magical eye swiveled around, fixing upon each student as they answered. When he reached Cassiopeia, she was met with quite a nasty look, which she returned with a grin.

"Right then," he said when the last person had declared themselves present, "I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures — you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

There was a general murmur of assent.

"But you're behind — very behind — on dealing with curses," said Moody. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark curses."

That caught Cassie's attention. She straightened up instinctively, her interest clearly piqued.

"What, aren't you staying?" Ron blurted out.

Moody's magical eye spun around to stare at Ron, who looked extremely apprehensive.

"You'll be Arthur Weasley's son, eh?" Moody said. "Your father got me out of a very tight corner a few days ago... Yeah, I'm staying just the one year. Special favor to Dumbledore. One year, and then back to my quiet retirement."

He gave a harsh laugh, then clapped his gnarled hands together.

"So — straight into it. Curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves."

He gave the class a shrewd look. "He reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful."

Cassie's eyes gleamed with interest. This was the kind of lesson she could appreciate. Moody wasn't here to sugarcoat things; he was here to prepare them for the worst.

"So... do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?" Moody asked.

Cassie instinctively raised her hand, along with Hermione and Ron.

"Er," said Ron tentatively, "my dad told me about one... Is it called the Imperius Curse, or something?"

"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius Curse."

Moody got heavily to his mismatched feet, opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. Inside, three large black spiders scuttled around frantically. Pansy recoiled immediately, tilting her seat backward as if expecting them to jump out at any moment.

Moody reached into the jar, caught one of the spiders, and held it in the palm of his hand so that everyone could see it. Then he pointed his wand at it and muttered, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing backward and forward as though on a trapeze. It stretched out its legs rigidly, then did a backflip, breaking the thread and landing on the desk, where it began to cartwheel in circles. Moody jerked his wand, and the spider rose onto two of its hind legs and went into what was unmistakably a tap dance.

Everyone was laughing — everyone except Moody.

"Think it's funny, do you?" he growled. "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The laughter died away almost instantly.

"Total control," said Moody quietly as the spider balled itself up and began to roll over and over. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats."

Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius Curse," Moody continued, his magical eye rolling toward the Slytherins, who immediately looked away. 

Cassiopeia knew why. Almost all of the Slytherins present had parents who used this curse to get out of Azkaban, including Lucius Malfoy.

"The Imperius Curse can be fought," Moody went on, "and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he barked, and everyone jumped.

Moody picked up the somersaulting spider and threw it back into the jar. "Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

Cassiopeia's hand flew into the air again, along with Hermione's and Neville's.

"Yes?" said Moody, his magical eye rolling right over to fix on Neville.

"There's one—the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville in a small but distinct voice.

Cassiopeia's stomach twisted as Neville spoke. She knew that curse all too well. Her maniacal aunt had used it on his parents

Moody was looking very intently at Neville, this time with both eyes. "Your name's Longbottom?" he said, his magical eye swooping down to check the register again.

Neville nodded nervously, but Moody made no further inquiries. Turning back to the class at large, he reached into the jar for the next spider and placed it upon the desktop, where it remained motionless, apparently too scared to move.

"The Cruciatus Curse," said Moody. "Needs to be a bit bigger for you to get the idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider. "Engorgio!"

The spider swelled. It was now larger than a tarantula. Abandoning all pretense, Pansy pushed her chair backward as far away from the desk as possible, her face pale with fear. 

Moody's voice commanded attention once again. "The Cruciatus Curse," he repeated, his tone grim. "It's one of the most powerful and dangerous curses out there. Causes unbearable pain—pain that can drive a person to madness." He waved his wand, and the engorged spider twitched. "Crucio!"

The spider convulsed violently, its legs curling inward as it writhed in agony. The sight was horrifying, even to the hardened Slytherins. The room was silent, filled only with the sound of the spider's frenzied movements against the wood of the desk.

Cassiopeia's initial reaction was one of disgust, her stomach twisting at the sight of the spider's agony. The creature's frantic movements, the way it curled in on itself, and the sheer helplessness of its suffering were horrifying

Yet, as she continued to watch, a strange, unsettling sensation began to creep into her mind. The spider's torment, its desperate, futile struggle, sparked something deep within her. At first, she tried to push it away, repulsed by the very thought. But the feeling persisted, growing stronger. There was a sick kind of satisfaction in seeing something so utterly dominated, so completely at the mercy of another's power.

"Stop it!" Hermione's voice rang out, shrill and panicked.

Cassie tore her gaze from the writhing spider and looked over at Hermione, who wasn't staring at the spider at all but at Neville. Following her gaze, Cassie saw Neville's hands clenched tightly on the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and filled with horror.

Moody, seemingly unaffected by the tension in the room, raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it continued to twitch on the desk.

"Reducio," Moody muttered, and the spider shrank back to its original size. He returned it to the jar with a grim expression. "Pain," he said softly. "You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse. That one was very popular once too."

His words hung in the air like a dark cloud. The class was silent, the weight of what they had just witnessed pressing down on them.

"Right," Moody continued, scanning the room with his mismatched eyes. "Anyone know any others?"

Cassie's hand shot up before she even realized what she was doing.

Moody's magical eye swiveled to meet hers, and his regular eye followed. "Black," he acknowledged.

"The Killing Curse. Avada Kedavra," Cassie replied coldly, 

Several students exchanged uneasy glances at her tone, the lack of feeling in her words unsettling them.

"Ah," Moody said, a slight smile twisting his scarred face. "Yes, the last and worst. Avada Kedavra...the Killing Curse."

He reached into the jar once more, and as though it sensed its fate, the third spider scuttled frantically around the bottom, trying desperately to escape. But Moody's fingers were quick, trapping it and placing it on the desktop. The spider attempted to flee across the wooden surface, its tiny legs moving in a frantic blur.

Moody raised his wand and bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!"

A blinding green light filled the room, accompanied by a rushing sound that seemed to suck the air out of the space. In an instant, the spider flipped onto its back, its legs curling inward, lifeless and still. Not a mark on it, but unmistakably dead.

Several students stifled cries, the reality of what they had just witnessed sinking in. Pansy immediately buried her face in Cassie's shoulder, while Draco's grip on Cassie's hand tightened.

Cassie turned, her gaze locking with Theo's across the room. His expression was carefully composed, but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes as he looked directly at her.

"Not nice," Moody said calmly, his voice slicing through the tension. "Not pleasant. And there's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one known person has ever survived it, and he's sitting right in front of me." His eyes landed on Harry, 

But Cassie wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes remained fixed on the dead spider, her mind captivated, The green flash, the rushing sound—it was all so quick, so efficient. One moment the spider was frantically scuttling, desperate to escape, and the next it was lifeless, its tiny body curled and still. There was no struggle, no pain, just... nothing. The power behind the curse, its absolute certainty, sent a thrill through her, a fascination that was as chilling as it was undeniable.

The Killing Curse was the ultimate form of control, a magic that could end life in an instant without leaving a mark. The thought of wielding such power, of having that kind of control, was intoxicating

But as her gaze shifted from the spider to Moody, that fascination began to give way to something else. Suspicion. The way he performed the curses so effortlessly, the ease with which he demonstrated them, sent a cold shiver down her spine. For someone tasked with teaching defense, Moody seemed almost too comfortable with the dark magic he was showing them. It was as if he wasn't just teaching them about these curses—he was reliving them.

Cassiopeia's unease grew, a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. Why was he so at ease with something so dark, so deadly? 

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Moody roared, breaking Cassie's train of thought. The entire class jumped in their seats, 

"Now...those three curses — Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus — are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills...copy this down..."

The class obediently took out their quills and parchment, scribbling down notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. The atmosphere remained heavy, no one daring to speak until the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the lesson.

As soon as Moody dismissed them, the classroom erupted into a torrent of chatter. Most students were buzzing about the curses in awed tones.

"Did you see it twitch?"

"And when he killed it — just like that!"

"Well," Blaise began as they walked out of the classroom, "that was something."

Pansy still looked pale, her usual smug expression replaced by a haunted one.

"I like him," Cassie declared suddenly, her voice cutting through the chatter. "But I don't trust him. Did you see how effortlessly he performed all those curses?"

"He is Mad-Eye Moody," Theo reasoned, glancing at her. "He's fought more battles than you know."

Cassie nodded, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "That satisfied look he had...it was almost like—"

"You're just overthinking it, Cass," Draco interrupted, his tone dismissive. He squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her.

"Maybe," Cassie muttered,

"Anyway, I'll meet you guys for dinner. I have some assignments to complete," Draco said, setting off toward the library without waiting for a response.

Cassie shrugged dismissively, not thinking much of it.

Pansy, however, wasn't convinced. "Don't you see what's happening?" she squealed, 

Cassie frowned, tilting her head slightly. "He's probably just worried about his studies," she suggested.

Pansy rolled her eyes. "He doesn't have any assignments, Cassie. He's gone to meet Lyra."

Cassie crumpled her nose in distaste. "Lyra?"

"Yes, Lyra Rose," Pansy said, her voice tinged with irritation. "The third-year Ravenclaw. You know, the one who's always hiding behind her books."

Lyra Rose was indeed a pretty girl, with delicate features, soft brown eyes, and long wavy hair that always seemed to cascade perfectly over her shoulders. She had a shy, almost ethereal quality about her that made her stand out, even if she rarely spoke up,  but Cassie thought Draco could do far better. Someone with more fire, more ambition. more... Slytherin...preferrably pure blood

"Really, Draco could do better," Cassie muttered, her voice laced with annoyance.

Pansy smirked. "Why don't we go and see what they're up to?"

Cassie glanced at Theo and Blaise, who were both clearly interested in Pansy's suggestion. "Fine,"

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

The library was its usual quiet self, Cassie, Theo, Pansy, and Blaise slipped inside, careful to keep a low profile as they made their way through the rows of bookshelves.

It didn't take long to spot Draco and Lyra. They were seated at a small table in a secluded corner, close to the Restricted Section. Draco was leaning in slightly, a rare, gentle smile on his face as Lyra spoke softly, her cheeks flushed with a faint pink hue. He was being unusually attentive, listening to her intently, even reaching out occasionally to touch her hand in a way that made Lyra's blush deepen.

The Slytherins exchanged glances, clearly unimpressed. Pansy rolled her eyes dramatically, while Blaise raised an eyebrow, trying to hide his smirk.

Look at them," Blaze whispered harshly. "It's nauseating."

"They're being...cute," Theo observed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Are they holding hands?" Pansy whispered loudly, craning her neck to get a better view.

"Shh!" Blaise hissed, elbowing her in the ribs.

Theo smirked. "You're all hopeless."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Honestly, can you all keep it down? We're supposed to be eavesdropping, not announcing our presence to the entire library."

But it was too late. Draco's sharp gaze flicked in their direction, and his eyes narrowed when he spotted them. With a resigned sigh, he turned back to Lyra, who seemed oblivious to the commotion.

"You know we can see you," Draco called out, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

Pansy squeaked and ducked behind the bookshelf, but it was no use. They had been caught. With an air of forced nonchalance, 

Cassie stepped out from behind the bookshelf, arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips. "If you're going to sneak around with a third-year, Draco, at least pick someone interesting."

Draco didn't flinch, though his eyes flashed with irritation. "And if you're going to spy on me, Cassie, at least be better at it."

The others filed out behind her, trying to look as if they hadn't been caught eavesdropping

Lyra, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. "Is this how Slytherins show their cunningness? By lurking in the shadows?" Her voice was calm, but there was an undeniable sharpness that caught Cassie's attention.

Cassie turned her gaze on Lyra, sizing her up. She expected the Ravenclaw to shrink back, but instead, Lyra met her eyes with cool confidence. 

"We prefer to call it 'constant vigilance.' Just learned it in class."

Lyra didn't miss a beat. "Seems to me like you're more nosy than vigilant." She closed her book with a snap, her expression unreadable. "But if you must know, Draco was helping me with my Potions essay. Not that it's any of your business."

"Interesting," Cassie replied, her tone shifting from mocking to intrigued. "Most third years would be shaking in their boots standing in front of me."

"Cassie," Draco said warningly, his eyes narrowing.

Lyra merely shrugged. "I'm not most people."

A tense silence followed, the air thick with unspoken challenges. Finally, it was Lyra who broke it, turning back to Draco with a slight smile. "Should we continue, or would you rather entertain your friends?"

Draco's gaze flicked between Cassie and Lyra before settling on the latter. "We'll continue," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Unless you're done spying?"

Cassie didn't respond immediately, but after a moment, she gave a small nod of approval. "You've got some nerve, Ravenclaw. I like that." With a casual wave, she turned on her heel. "Come on, let's leave them to their 'studying.' We've got better things to do."

Despite herself, she had to admit the Ravenclaw had impressed her . Maybe Draco's taste wasn't as bad as she had initially thought. Plus, the idea of making Lucius livid by Draco's choice of company was a delightful bonus

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


A/n

so- starting off with sirius being a bitch and only caring abt harry and dumbledore being realy self concerned (like thats not even surprising ) at least he acknowledges cassie can be a really dangerous threat

second- cassie being weirdly attracted to the unforgivable curse (she might be psychotic atp i dont even know- am i going too overboard with it or do u guys like it?)


and lastly- second new oc intro- i dint wanna make lyra completly shy type- or else she wudnt have suited with the other charecters

so...im kinda confused with how to take everything about in cassie's pov (writers block incoming) but hope u guys are doing well!!

till next time

mxriddle