"You alright?" Pansy rubbed Cassiopeia's back soothingly as she nodded. "I'm sorry for what happened to you. I never expected him to break up with you."
"You don't need to be sorry, Pansy," Cassiopeia forcefully smiled. "At least I'm happy to have good friends like you and Blaise."
The days passed faster than they thought. Tom ignored Cassiopeia as if she never existed. She switched to her dorm with Pansy, and Blaise returned to his. She was upset that they couldn't spend time together because of the situation.
A few days ago, they received news that a Gryffindor named Katie Bell was cursed and was now in the hospital. Harry met Cassiopeia to talk about Voldemort once again. He strongly believed that there was someone in Hogwarts who supported him. He didn't directly accuse Draco, but Cassiopeia could feel that Harry suspected him for the incident.
Cassiopeia knew Draco had no reason to do it. He was now free from the killing task, and his relationship with Astoria was going well, which made Cassiopeia relieved. She was happy to see that he had explained everything to Astoria, and she understood, which meant a lot to Cassiopeia.
"Katie Bell is recovered," Pansy chimed in, looking toward the front of the Hall. Cassiopeia stopped chewing her mashed potatoes and let her gaze fall on the girl. She had seen her many times but had never spoken to her.
Cassiopeia noticed Harry talking with Katie. She diverted her gaze to her plate and continued eating. Pansy stayed by her side the entire time she was eating, knowing that she lost interest when she felt down.
Suddenly, her eyes scanned the Hall, looking for Draco, who had been missing from lunch for the past few days. She couldn't talk to him properly since he was always asleep when she went to his dorm.
Then, the familiar blonde hair caught her eyes. Draco had a horrified look on his pale face as he stared in Katie Bell's direction. Cassiopeia gulped, wondering what had affected him so deeply.
"I'm going to meet Draco, okay?" Cassiopeia finished her meal and pecked Pansy on the temple before rushing to him.
Draco saw her, but he turned and hurried away. Cassiopeia frowned and followed after him. He was quick with his long strides, and she had to run to catch up with him.
He turned a corner and entered the boys' lavatory. Cassiopeia followed him and entered, looking at his stressed state.
She wasn't sure what had caused this stress. She had never seen him like this. He was staring at his reflection in the mirror, his hair messy, his breathing audible, his face pale, and dark circles under his eyes.
"Draco," Cassiopeia called to him, and he flinched at her voice. "What happened?"
"Go away, Cassie," he spat without turning to her. He clenched the sink tightly until his knuckles turned white.
"Draco, look at me," Cassiopeia's shaky hand reached his shoulder. "What's going on? You can talk to me."
She was afraid of when his anger might explode, but she finally gripped his shoulder, turning him to face her. Cassiopeia gasped as she looked at Draco's disheveled face, clearly in distress. She couldn't fathom what was happening to him, and why he hadn't confided in her.
"Draco," she gripped his upper arms, desperately trying to make him meet her eyes. "Talk to me, what's going on?"
"I—I can't," he sobbed. "I cannot let anyone harm Mum."
"Draco, no one is going to harm Auntie," Cassiopeia reassured him, still bewildered by his statement. "With us as her children, no one could lay a finger on her, okay? We're there to protect her from anything."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she saw him in this state. She loved him like a brother and valued him deeply. She never wanted to see him sad.
"Please, tell me what's going on," she begged, her gaze fixed on his exhausted face. But before she could get a reply, she heard someone's presence behind her.
"I know what you did, Malfoy," Harry's voice snapped their attention. "You hexed her, didn't you?"
"Hexed who?" Cassiopeia scowled, puzzled by Harry's accusations. "Don't say nasty things about him without knowing."
"Tell her, Malfoy, that you hexed Katie Bell," Harry spat, and a faint laugh escaped Cassiopeia's lips. "Cassie, don't trust him. He's not the person you think."
"Are you mad, Harry?" Cassiopeia fumed, growing tired of Harry's wild accusations. "First, you said he's a Death Eater, and now he has hexed Katie Bell. Do you really think he had nothing better to do than hex a Gryffindor he never even talked to?"
"Tell him, Draco," she looked at Draco, who remained silent all this time. His grey eyes met hers with a hint of regret. She felt a heavy sense of dread wash over her. "Draco?"
"Sorry, but I cannot see my friend blinded by someone's lies," Harry's words left Cassiopeia feeling torn. In an instant, she was thrown backward, hitting her head.
Draco and Harry began casting non-verbal spells at each other, their wands flashing as spells collided in the lavatory. Water flooded the space, likely from damaged pipes.
Cassiopeia, her head throbbing from the hit, struggled to her feet. She was relieved to find that her head wasn't bleeding, but her world was in chaos. Spells flew back and forth between Draco and Harry, their breaths echoing in the lavatory.
Then came a spell that struck fear into Cassiopeia's heart. "Sectumsempra!" Harry's voice pronounced the curse. She watched helplessly as Draco's body crumpled before her, his skin slashed with deep wounds, his blood mixing with the water flooding the lavatory.
"Draco," she knelt beside him, her voice trembling. Her hands trembled as she touched his chest, his once-white shirt now soaked with crimson.
"No, don't leave me," Cassiopeia sobbed, patting his cheek desperately, trying to keep him conscious. Her heart ached with the pain she saw him in.
An onlooker, a Gryffindor, stood a few feet away. Cassiopeia turned toward him, anger burning in her eyes. "What the hell have you done? Call Professor Snape, now, before I hex you."
She shrieked as the boy recoiled and Snape entered, striding past the Gryffindor. The potions master stood opposite Cassiopeia, looking down at the tragic scene.
"Please, do something," she cried, her gaze filled with anguish as she saw him glaring at Harry, who stood behind her. "He's going to be—"
Cassiopeia couldn't complete the word, feeling her throat pain at the word she was about to utter. Snape quickly knelt down, taking his wand to cast the counterspell on Draco's body.
"Vulnera Sanentur," Snape chanted it three times as Cassiopeia carefully watched him draw his wand on Draco's wounded body. As he chanted, the blood mixed in the water gradually rejoined his body, fading the crimson that had stained his white shirt.
"What happened?" Snape asked as he lifted Draco in his arms.
"Both began to cast spells, and Harry finished it with a fucking dead spell," the rage built in Cassiopeia's body as she thought of how easily Harry had used the spell.
"Language, Miss. Black," Snape warned as they hurried to the Hospital Wing. "Just because your cousin was hurt, you cannot use foul language."
"If I were you, I wouldn't care about the boy's cousin's language, but the condition of the boy who is still unconscious," sarcasm dripped from Cassiopeia's voice, and Snape didn't reply to that.
They entered the Wing as Madam Pomfrey ushered them to an empty bed to lay Draco. She checked his pulse and informed them that he was alright and would wake up soon. She put some drops of liquid into his mouth and left Cassiopeia and Snape alone.
"Thank you," Cassiopeia blurted out, taking the seat next to the bed. "If you weren't there, I don't know what could have happened to him."
"What made the two of them fight suddenly, Miss. Black?" Snape inquired. "And what were you doing in the boys' lavatory?"
"Harry said that Draco hexed Katie Bell," Cassiopeia sighed. "I scolded him, saying it isn't true, and out of the blue, Harry cast a spell at me, knocking me down. Then both began to cast spells until Harry used a harmful spell."
"Draco would never hex a person," Cassiopeia added, seeing Snape remain silent while looking at the boy who lay on the bed. "You know that, right?"
"Has he ever mentioned anything?" Snape asked, and Cassiopeia's brows furrowed at his words. "Anything related to You-Know-Who. I know you are aware of everything happening in the Malfoy family."
"Are you asking about the mission he was ordered to carry out? To kill him?" Cassiopeia raised her brow, avoiding mentioning Voldemort by name, knowing that the walls had ears. Draco had once told her that Snape was a Death Eater spying on Hogwarts.
Snape nodded as Cassiopeia completed her answer. "I'm aware of that, but it's not necessary anymore since Voldemort is dead."
"How can you prove that he's dead?" Snape's sharp voice asked.
Cassiopeia stood up and folded the sleeve of Draco's shirt, revealing his forearm. Her brows knitted together as Snape examined the plain, pale arm, which had no mark at all. Even though it had been healed by her, she needed to prove that Voldemort was dead, ensuring Tom would be safe with a different identity.
"Is this enough for you to believe?" Cassiopeia raised her brow as Snape said nothing. "Why do you ask like that?"
"Curiosity never hurts, Miss. Black," he answered, stepping back. "Take care of him."
Then the professor left the Wing as Cassiopeia stared at the unconscious boy. She sat next to him, waiting for him to wake up. She had many questions to ask him, but first and foremost, she wanted to see him open his eyes and assure her that he was all right.