Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

58: The Battle in the Department of Mysteries

"Get behind me," Harry insisted, and they all stepped behind him, wands at the ready, facing the source of the mysterious sound.

In the blink of an eye, thick black smoke enveloped them, disorienting them. Cassiopeia felt someone grabbing her and pulling her away, all happening in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by Death Eaters near the archway. Harry was on the spot they had stood seconds ago, holding the prophecy tightly.

The Death Eaters pointed their wands at their necks, leaving them no chance to escape.

"Did you actually believe or were you truly naive enough to think that children stood a chance against us?" Uncle Lucius said, his calm demeanor in stark contrast to the tense situation. He walked calmly, his cane clicking against the stone floor. Harry didn't flinch, but he held the prophecy and his wand more tightly, silently determined.

"I'll make this simple for you, Potter," Uncle Lucius offered, standing in front of Harry. "Give me the prophecy now, or watch your friends die."

"Don't give it to him, Harry," Neville shouted, but Bellatrix, with a deeper warning, pointed her wand at his neck, silencing him.

"Get away from my godson," Uncle Sirius's voice echoed, and suddenly, a group of people, who were at 12 Grimmauld Place appeared. Spells were cast against each other, and Cassiopeia managed to break free from the grip of a Death Eater. She nodded at Professor Lupin in gratitude and pushed him aside.

The place was in chaos, with spells flying everywhere. Cassiopeia took cover behind a stone, panting.

"Damn it, this is the first time I've fought," she muttered, and she quickly cast a spell at a Death Eater. "Petrificus Totalus."

As she saw the frozen Death Eater, her eyes darted to Sirius and Harry casting spells on Lucius near the archway. She wanted to help, but her feet seemed glued to the spot. Her gaze was fixed on Bellatrix as she cast the Unforgivable Curse.

"Avada Kedavra."

Cassiopeia's eyes widened, and she followed the trajectory of the spell. In an instant, she saw Sirius freeze, his eyes meeting Harry's and then finding Cassiopeia behind Lucius.

"No. No," Harry yelled with agony, and Professor Lupin held him tightly from behind.

Cassiopeia's eyes remained locked on the archway, on her kneel where she stood, her heart aching. What about the family Sirius had talked about having after all this was over?

Harry was the first to sprint after Bellatrix, and Cassiopeia followed suit.

"I killed Sirius Black," Bellatrix sang happily, running along. "You coming to get me?"

"Crucio!" Harry yelled in anger, casting the Cruciatus Curse. Bellatrix fell to the floor, writhing in pain as a red light emitted from his wand. But nothing happened; she was unharmed, tauntingly looking up at Harry.

"Crucio!" Cassiopeia cast the same spell, making Bellatrix struggle with pain. She remembered reading that to use this curse effectively, you should have the saddest memory. But she lowered her wand, realizing that she didn't want to become like Bellatrix, something her parents had never wanted. Harry's wand still pointed at Bellatrix.

"You've got to mean it, Harry. She killed him. She deserves it," Cassiopeia heard a faint, rough male voice behind them. "You know the spell, Harry. Do it."

Bellatrix's laughter made Cassiopeia realize that Voldemort had arrived. She attempted to turn around, but she was thrown into the air, crashing into a cold tile and leaving her back aching before she could process what was happening.

Harry tried to cast a spell, but Cassiopeia saw the figure wearing a cloak move his hand in the air to disarm Harry, sending his wand flying.

"So weak," the monstrous voice of Voldemort echoed as Cassiopeia struggled to move to get a proper sight of the person. He had a bald head, white skin, and a tall, imposing presence.

The pain and sorrow swirled in Cassiopeia's head. This was no one else but Voldemort, the same person she had loved years ago, the one she had hoped would return to the man he once was.

"It was foolish of you to come here tonight, Tom," Dumbledore's voice filled the room as he appeared through a floo network behind Harry. "The Aurors are on their way."

"By which time I shall be gone, and you shall be dead," Voldemort retorted, pointing his wand at them.

Dumbledore and Voldemort engaged in a powerful magical duel, using non-verbal spells. Cassiopeia leaned her back against a wall, trying to block out the cacophony of shattering tiles around her.

She couldn't bear the turmoil in her heart. On one side, her kind uncle had been killed by a Death Eater who followed the man she had once fallen for. But this person was no longer the same; he had become a monster, a vile half-being who killed for pleasure and power.

Cassiopeia doubted herself, wondering if she had failed to give him enough love or inspire him to be different, to love and care rather than becoming the monster before her.

The sound of shattered glass caught her attention. She raised her head, her cheeks wet with tears. Moving to the side, she saw the noise had ceased. She looked to where Voldemort and Dumbledore had fought just moments before.

There, she saw Dumbledore kneeling in front of Harry, who lay on the ground, struggling. Cassiopeia hurried toward Dumbledore.

She met Dumbledore's gaze, and he gave her no expression, suggesting he wasn't sure what was happening to Harry. Her eyes fell on Harry.

"You've lost, old man," Harry spoke in a raspy voice.

"Harry," Dumbledore called him gently. Harry continued to struggle, as if trying to break free from some unseen force. His movements were unnatural, like a serpent, turning his head from side to side.

"Harry, it isn't how you are alike; it's how you are not," Dumbledore pleaded, trying to reach Harry.

"Harry?" Dumbledore called again, hope in his voice. Harry let out a scream of pain and collapsed, his gaze shifting weakly to Dumbledore's side. He was looking at his friends, who had already gathered behind Dumbledore, several feet away.

"You're the weak one, and you'll never know love or friendship," the real Harry's voice spoke, relieving Cassiopeia. "And I feel sorry for you."

Harry screamed in pain, turning his face upward. A black, smoke-like substance was drawn from his chest. His breathing was erratic.

"You're a fool, Harry Potter," Voldemort said, standing next to the weakened boy and looking down at him. "And you will lose everything."

Cassiopeia found her voice, strained but determined, and gripped her wand tightly. "You are the fool, Thomas. You are the one who lost everything."

Voldemort's scarlet eyes met hers, widening in surprise. Cassiopeia gulped, unnerved but resolute.

"How?" Voldemort asked before vanishing into thin air, as people started arriving through the Floo network.