Cass jumped over an overturned chair as a loud explosion sounded behind her. She didn't look back, even when she heard blood curdling screams. Her heart was pounding, as she tried to search out for her brother. She rounded a corner and in the distance she could see Theo and Hermione. A wave of relief washed over her, but it was short lived, because the ground at her friends' feet erupted sending Hermione and Theo flying into the air and crashing back down. She ran towards her friends as shrapnel rained down on them.
Cass could see Hermione struggling to stand, but Theo didn't move. She pushed herself to move faster when a spell flew towards her from seemingly nowhere. She threw up a shield and spun in the direction she thought the spell had come from. A tall figure stalked towards her donning the Death Eater uniform. Shock jolted through her when the wizard cast a curse towards her. She deflected the curse, and was about to yell at the man that her mother was going to skin him alive, when she realized that with her mask the Death Eater didn't know who she was.
Another curse sailed towards her and she deflected it back, sending several cutting curses at the wizard in quick succession. He must not have expected a teenager to curse him back because the first two hit him and he staggered backwards. Cass used that moment to send a blasting curse at him, and the Death Eater went flying backwards, crashing through a window and sending glass cascading down onto the snow.
Cass spun back around, and her eyes searched frantically for her friends. She could no longer see Hermione, but her eyes landed on Theo who still hadn't moved. Cass' stomach jumped into her throat as she ran towards her friend. She pushed past screaming children, and dodged flying debris.
Cass tripped over a fallen bucket and landed a foot away from Theo. She looked up and froze. A killing curse could've sailed straight at her and she wouldn't have noticed. Her eyes were transfixed on Theo, not on his ashen face, but on the foot long piece of wood that was sticking out of his chest. His white shirt was stained with blood, and his chest wasn't moving.
A loud crack broke through the screams, and dozens of pops could be heard, breaking Cass out of her shock.
"Theo," Cass said urgently.
Cass grabbed Theo's arm, and his head lolled to the right. His eyes open, but void of any life.
"No, no, no," Cass pleaded.
She could see that the blood had stopped coming out of his chest, and she knew what that meant. With a shaking hand she cast a diagnostic spell and a sob tore through her body when her fear was realized. Not caring about anything, Cass pulled Theo tightly against her body, oblivious to his blood staining her dress. She rocked back and forth, her eyes glazed, and her hands entwined in Theo's shirt.
"Theo," Cass repeated over and over again.
Sobs racked Cass' body, and a pain so intense it threatened to obliterate all thought consumed her. She lost a brother she hadn't even got to know, and now one of her best and oldest friends was dead, at what appeared to be the hand of Death Eaters. Cass shook her head in denial, as a chill coated her like a second skin.
Cass thought an eternity had passed, but was in reality only five minutes when a pair of strong arms pulled her away from Theo. She didn't look to see who it was. Death himself could come for her, and she wouldn't care. Theo was dead. She didn't know where her brother was. Or Harrison. Or any of her other friends. What if they were dead too? What if they were lying all alone somewhere, their bodies twisted and mangled. What did living matter without the people she loved?
"Breathe," a deep voice said.
A hand stroked her hair, and Cass recognized the arms that were cradling her.
"Daddy?" Cass said in a small voice, the word coming out choked.
Cass hadn't called her dad by the childish name in years, but in that moment she felt as if she were two years old again. Sobs racked her body as she spun around in his arms, winding them around his neck. She was sure she was cutting off his circulation, but he didn't move away.
"He's d-d-dead!" Cass wailed. The word tasted foreign and wrong on her tongue.
Cass' body shook with a force she didn't think was possible, as Rodolphus picked her up.
"I know," Rodolphus said gently.
Cass opened her eyes at her father's words, and barely registered that she was no longer in Hogsmeade, until she saw a figure sitting with his head in his hands. Cass extricated herself from her father and ran at the figure. Strong arms wrapped around her, and hands dug into the fabric of her dress.
"I couldn't find you," Cass whimpered.
The hold Leo had on her tightened.
"I'm here now," Leo whispered so only she could hear.
Cass continued to cry into her brothers shoulder until the door slammed open, and Leo pulled away.
"Mum," Leo said.
Cass couldn't remember the last time she had heard so much relief in her brother's voice. Although, she had to admit, hearing her mum's voice made her feel for a fraction of a second, as if her world wasn't crumbling. Bellatrix marched in, a tiny cut on her right cheek. Her eyes were glowing with anger, and a worried looking healer trailed behind her.
Bellatrix engulfed the twins in a hug, and Cass could feel the relief pouring off of her. Cass knew her mum wasn't into showing worry, so Bellatrix had to have been extremely worried. Cass felt a fresh wave of tears roll down her cheeks. Bellatrix pulled away and her eyes narrowed on the blood covering Cass' dress.
"Examine my children immediately," Bellatrix snapped.
Cass didn't move, or even think, as the healer cast diagnostic spells over her and Leo. She barely heard the healer tell her parents that they were fine, only in shock, and to get plenty of rest. Cass didn't even notice when the healer left, or when her mum magicked the blood on her dress away, or opened her mouth and made her drink a calming draught.
Cass stared blankly into the roaring fireplace, as Leo wrapped his arm around her shoulders. After twenty minutes her tears slowed, until they stopped completely. Occasionally a dry sob would escape her throat, but other than that she made no noise. She didn't know how long she had been staring ahead, when suddenly images of sitting in the Slytherin common room with Theo and her friends flashed into her mind. Everything came back into focus and her head snapped up to her parents, her red rimmed eyes sharp and focused. She couldn't believe she hadn't asked. They had been all she could think about, yet she didn't know if they were ok.
"Where's Harrison?" Cass asked quickly. "Where is everyone else?"
"Harrison was injured," Rodolphus said, but quickly went on when Cass and Leo went deathly pale, "but the healers fixed him right up, although they did tell him to rest for a few days. The others had injuries as well, but nothing permanent."
Bellatrix looked sideways at Rodolphus and Cass swallowed thickly. She felt Leo's arm around her tighten.
"Who died?" Leo asked.
Cass was grateful that Leo asked, as she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"The Dark Lord called for a meeting in twenty minutes, we'll be informed of the final deaths then," Rodolphus said, "but there were two Slytherin deaths that we know of besides Theo."
Cass's breathing sped up, and she felt Leo stiffen.
"Miles Bletchley and Odette Warrington," Rodolphus said gently.
"No!" Leo said.
Cass didn't outwardly react, she was out of tears to cry. Instead her mind flashed to images of Miles flying around the quidditch pitch with Harrison, winning the Quidditch Cup for Slytherin, and of Odette running around the Slytherin common room, talking to everyone about anything. Their families were going to be devastated. Cameron Warrington doted on his twin sisters, and Odette had been inseparable from her twin Ophelia.
"Astoria and Carina are going to be crushed," Leo said quietly.
Cass closed her eyes, she had forgotten about Odette's younger sister, and Astoria and their cousin Carina's best friend, Melody. She adored her big sisters.
The pain Cass was feeling was eating her up inside. Miles had recently gotten a job at the Ministry of Magic, and now he would never reach his full potential. Odette would never fall in love and Theo…. Theo would never make her laugh again. She would never see his brown eyes dance with amusement when Blaise arrogantly boasted, or Draco knocked Ron and his friends down a peg or twelve.
"I can't do this," Cass said, as she bolted from her seat.
Cass ran from the room, and as she rushed down the hall she heard her dad say, "Leave her be."