Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

126: Tom Riddle's Return

"Good evening, Draco," he greeted, though his voice was weak. "What brings you here on this fine spring evening?"

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" Harry spat in disbelief, considering their recent friendship. Draco's betrayal must have sunk in Harry's head.

"Just stay there, Potter," Draco's face was becoming paler. When Harry was about to raise his wand, Draco was quick enough, "Expelliarmus."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and gave a small nod, as if to say, "Stop being impatient; I can handle it." Then he turned to Draco with kind eyes.

"Draco... you are no assassin," Dumbledore stated with complete calm.

"How do you know what I am?" Draco's voice was desperate, as if he had no choice. "I've done things that would shock you."

"Like cursing Katie Bell and hoping that, in return, she'd bear a cursed necklace to me?" Without breaking the calmness in his voice, Dumbledore continued, "Replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison? Forgive me, Draco. I cannot help feeling these actions are so weak your heart can't really have been in them."

Cassiopeia covered her mouth in disbelief at what she had heard. She didn't know how to express these feelings, the fact that Draco had tried twice to kill him and came by himself to do it.

"Let me help you, Draco," when Dumbledore tried to raise his wand, Draco took a quick step, disarming the wizard, who was impressed.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Draco....," Dumbledore called nonchalantly. "Years ago, I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices... Please let me help you."

Cassiopeia was relieved to see how calmly Dumbledore was acting, trying to help the boy.

"I don't want your help, Don't you understand?" Draco's voice became weaker and more sorrowful with each word. "I have to do this. I have to kill you, or he's going to kill me and my mother."

At that moment, Cassiopeia knew he was about to break down. She couldn't wait any longer to enter the situation.

She apparated opposite of Draco, with Dumbledore standing behind her.

"Don't do this," Cassiopeia pleaded as Draco shook his head. Draco wasn't surprised when she appeared, as he solely focused on the man behind him. "I know everything, don't let him ruin you, Draco, when you're trying to become a better person."

"Let him do it, Cassiopeia," the headmaster spoke as Cassiopeia stepped aside to look at him. He didn't meet her eyes but fixed his gaze on her helpless cousin.

Suddenly, footsteps interrupted the whole scene, distracting Draco. Cassiopeia raised her wand to disarm Draco when his head turned towards the sound.

But her raised wand automatically slipped from her fingers when she met those dark brown eyes she had fallen for. His appearance had changed to his original form, with the same black curly hair and chocolate brown eyes, wearing black attire just like Draco.

A smirk played on his lips as he stood behind Draco.

"Do it, Draco," Tom hissed at Draco's ear. But Cassiopeia was too distracted by the sudden appearance and also Harry.

"How are you, Tom?" Dumbledore spoke to his old student, who had chosen the dark side, breaking all the rules of the wizarding world. "It's quite surprising to see the boy I taught years back standing exactly the same, while I'm getting older."

"We didn't come for a tea party, Albus," a fake pout crept over Tom's face. "It's either you two or me?" He paused, leaning to Draco's ear. "Do it or your—"

"Avada Kedavra."

Everything happened so quickly. Cassiopeia didn't have time to think but blocked the curse before it hit Dumbledore. She had never wanted to make Draco a killer, even though he was an arrogant boy.

The green light shot towards her chest as she looked at Draco with wide eyes. For a moment, she felt relieved since she had given her word to Narcissa and Lucius that she would never let Draco kill Dumbledore.

However, Cassiopeia was still trying to process why nothing had happened to her. Normally, it was just green light and then pitch black. It was a coincidence that she was hit by the same spell from the Malfoys.

With wide eyes, she was still looking at Draco, watching his wand slip from his hand.

"Cass," he said, still looking at her, as well as Tom. He didn't even panic. Instantly, Cassiopeia felt something liquid flowing from her nostrils.

"Cassiopeia, are you alright?" she heard Dumbledore's disbelieving voice as his hand rested on her shoulder. She nodded, slowly reaching her fingers to her philtrum.

She gasped, seeing the dark, reddish-black on her fingertips. But more than that, she saw her veins becoming visible, black against her tan skin.

"Something is wrong with me, Professor," Cassiopeia turned around to show her forearm. "What's happ—"

Before she could even complete her sentence, her head became dizzy, causing her to collapse onto the ground. Someone quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

Cassiopeia raised her head to see Draco, whose eyes were watering.

"I'm sorry, Cassie," his paler face looked more miserable before her vision became blurry. "Sir, wa—why does she have dark lines on her skin?"

Cassiopeia closed her eyes for a brief moment, attempting to feel the rhythm of her own breath. The looming threat of a killing curse weighed heavily on her, a curse that was typically associated with only one name – Harry Potter.

As she focused on her breathing, she suddenly felt her breath slowing, as if she needed more air to survive. Paralyzed and unable to move, she sensed a hand placed gently on her pulse.

"Do something," Tom's voice urgently pleaded beside her. "Do something, Dumbledore, or I will unleash destruction upon the world."

Cassiopeia felt as if she were on the brink of exhaling her final breath. It was a destiny she had never envisioned –willingly embracing death. Yet, in that moment, it felt like she had no other choice. She had protected a monster, and now, it seemed that karma was swiftly closing in on her.