"What do we do, Professor?" Neville asked.
"Blow up the bridges leading to the Quidditch pitch," Minerva repeated simply as she continued her march.
"Let me get this straight, Professor. You're giving us permission to do that?"
"That's correct, Longbottom."
"Blow everything up? Boom?"
"Boom!"
"Wicked," Neville sighed in admiration. "But how do we do that?"
"Why not ask Mr. Finnigan? If I recall correctly, he has a penchant for setting things on fire and blowing things up," she cast a sly look at Seamus, raising an eyebrow.
"Especially his own eyebrows," Cassie playfully quipped.
"Hey!" Seamus nudged her with a scowl but was smiling. "Don't forget the back of my hair. I can bring down the whole lot."
"That's the spirit, off you go," Minerva dismissed, surveying the surroundings.
"You do realize we can't stall You-Know-Who forever," Professor Flitwick sighed.
"But that doesn't mean we can't delay him," Minerva asserted with conviction. "And his name is Voldemort. You can start calling him that. Start using it, he'll try to kill you anyway."
She sighed in resignation but then turned her attention to the statues and exclaimed, "Piertotum Locomotor!"
Along the corridor, statues and rmor jumped off their pedestals, and from the deafening sound on the floors below and above, Cassiopeia realized that similar companions all over the castle had done the same.
An army of statues was ready to fight.
Countless towering figures marched towards the front gates, passing through them as Minerva shouted, "Hogwarts is threatened! Man the walls, protect them, fulfill your duty to our school!"
Amid deafening roars and shouts, the moving crowd of statues passed Cassiopeia like a tsunami. Some were small, others colossal. Animals also advanced, and the armor clanked as they wielded swords and maces with determination.
Professors and students rallied at the gates, all raising their wands to the sky as they cast every known shield to protect the school. Soon, a chorus echoed from all sides: Protego Maxima, Fianto Duri, Repello Inimigotum.
Cassiopeia held Minerva's hand, her eyes welling up with unshed tears.
"If we fail..." Minerva sighed, her own eyes filled with sorrow. "You will be severely punished."
"We all will be," Cassi dismissed, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. She sighed before smiling at Minerva. "Either way, I'll be able to say that I fought bravely alongside my second mother."
Minerva couldn't hold back the tears that streamed down her cheeks. A slight twitch between a frown and a smile as she unsuccessfully tried to brush away the tears.
"Oh, Kitty... You've always been like the daughter I never had."
Cassi smiled tearfully before hugging her godmother. Both side by side, watching the shield encircle the school.
It was beautiful.
A barrage of spells began to rain from the sky, attempting to breach the shields. Minerva squeezed her hand tighter, the hand holding her wand gripping so hard that her knuckles turned white.
She knew Narcissa was on the other side, Bella and her mother as well. She silently pleaded for their safety, that they wouldn't be harmed.
None of them. None of the ones she loved.
(...)
The shields were falling. It meant that in a matter of moments, a horde of dark creatures followed by Death Eaters would be invading the skies, walls, and gates from all sides.
And her conclusion was correct; numerous giants, Death Eaters, and massive spiders began their attack. Many of the statues managed to bring down the enemies, but their numbers were far greater.
Minerva began calling everyone inside the Castle; they needed to retreat from the entrance as quickly as possible.
Enormous bombardments were being hurled at the school, and the walls began to crumble. Screams and lights emanated from wands, creating a chaotic spectacle.
Cassiopeia ran and stopped near Dolohov. She had no patience when she shouted, "Diffindo" so quickly that he didn't have time to raise his shield as a massive gash tore through his neck.
That's for that little stunt, clown.
Beams and structures exploded around them, hurling debris in all directions. She returned to the Castle, dodging the falling fragments, and went to find Harry, who was already accompanied by Ron and Hermione.
"So?" She asked eagerly, but before she could hear the answer, an explosion echoed above them. The four of them looked at the dust falling from the ceiling and heard a distant scream.
"I know what the diadem is and I know where it is," Harry hurriedly said. "He hid it exactly where I hid my old Potions book, where everyone has been hiding things for centuries. He thought he was the only one who discovered this place. Let's go."
Amid shaking walls, Harry led his friends through the corridors and descended the stairs towards the Room of Requirement. The place was empty, except for two figures: Ginny and an old witch with a hat chewed by moths, very similar to what Neville described when repelling a Boggart.
"It's Mrs. Longbottom!" Harry exclaimed as if expecting their arrival. "Can you update us on what's happening?"
"Is everyone okay?" Ginny asked, anxious.
"As far as we know. Is anyone else heading to the Hog's Head?" Harry inquired.
"I was the last to pass through there," Mrs. Longbottom replied. "I sealed the passage. I think it's foolish to keep it open now that Aberforth has left the bar. Have you seen my grandson?"
"He's fighting," Harry informed.
"Certainly," the elderly woman said, proud. "Excuse me, I need to help him." With surprising agility, she climbed the stone staircase.
"Hold on a moment!" Ron exclaimed energetically. "We forgot someone!"
"Who?" Hermione asked.
"The house-elves, they must be down in the kitchen, right?"
"You mean we should make the house-elves fight?" Harry asked.
"No," Ron replied seriously. "We should tell them to get out. We don't want them to get hurt. Right? We can't let them die for us..."
Cassi was stunned. "Is Dobby...?" She asked anxiously.
"He's okay," Harry assured, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
A crash echoed as the basilisk fangs cascaded from Hermione's arms. She ran to Ron, hugging him by the neck and giving him a kiss on the mouth. Ron dropped the fangs and the broomstick he was holding and returned the kiss with such enthusiasm that Hermione was lifted off the ground.
"Is this appropriate now?" Harry timidly asked, and as the scene remained unchanged, except that Ron and Hermione were embracing so tightly that they were swaying, even Cassiopeia felt uncomfortable.
"Now I understand Draco," she muttered to herself. "Hey! There's a war going on here!"
Ron and Hermione separated, still holding each other.
"I know, guys," Ron said, looking dazed. "So, it's now or never, right?" Harry gave him a scathing look.
"Right... sorry," Ron said, and he and Hermione began collecting the fangs, visibly embarrassed. It was clear when the four of them returned to the upper corridor that the situation in the castle had seriously deteriorated during the minutes they spent in the Room of Requirement. Walls and ceiling were shaking even more than before; dust filled the air, and through the nearest window, Cassi saw green and red flashes so close to the castle's base that she assumed they were already invading the main halls.
Looking down, she spotted Hagrid's giant brother wandering aimlessly, swinging what looked like a gargoyle stone torn from the roof, bellowing in discontent.
"I hope he steps on half of them!" Ron exclaimed as they heard other shouts nearby.
"As long as none of them are ours!" Tonks commented from behind them.
Cassi turned and saw Ginny and Tonks, both wielding their wands, watching the window ahead, which was missing several panes. The moment she looked, Ginny cast a precise spell at a group of fighters below.
"Good girl!" A figure ran through the dust towards them.
Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother, his grey hair fluttering, leading a small group of students.
"Looks like they're breaking through the northern battlements of the castle, brought allied giants!"
"Did you see Remus?" Tonks shouted to him.
"He was dueling Carrow," Aberforth shouted. "Then I didn't see him anymore!"
"Dora," Cassi approached her friend, touching her wrist. "I'm sure he's okay..."
However, Tonks had already dashed through the dust in Aberforth's wake.
Cassi turned helplessly to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
"They'll be fine," Harry said.
"Ginny, we'll be right back, stay out of the way, don't take any risks... let's go!" He began running, calling the others, but Cassi stayed.
"You guys go! There are too many down there, I'll help."
"Are you sure, Cassi?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Yes! Go, quickly."
She turned around and in the main hall, Bill Weasley was with Fleur, sending some Death Eaters flying. Ginny was helping, and damn, she's really good.
Cassi crouched and yelled, "Stupefy," when Fenrir tried to attack Lavender from behind.
"Thanks."
"Pay it forward," she smiled, heading back down the stairs.
But she felt someone grab her wrist and pull her into a doorway leading to a room that used to be for Muggle Studies.
Bellatrix.
"You scared me!" She shouted in irritation, slapping the older woman.
"Shh! Stop that!" Bella scolded, gripping her wrist. "Listen to me! You coming here... Princess, he knows you're here. He suspects Draco, suspects you."
Cassi's eyes widened in panic.
"Don't worry, he sent a group of Slytherins after Potter, and Draco is following them. The boy's a good Occlumens, truly Narcissa's son," Bella smiled proudly. "But Noctua, the Dark Lord. She's in the front line, but she doesn't want to fight. I practically had to slap her. If Potter fails and Noctua's betrayal becomes obvious, I don't know what he'll do to you."
Cassi nodded, she and Narcissa had prepared a series of plans from A to F in case of failure. That's why Narcissa was without a wand, so she wouldn't have to fight or harm anyone. She also wouldn't be accused when Voldemort fell since she hadn't raised her wand to harm any of them in battle.
"But what about you? Bella, won't he know if you don't attack?" She asked anxiously.
"Not if they don't see me attacking. I just protected a Weasley, and believe me, he was so shocked he dropped his wand."
Cassiopeia held back a laugh. An explosion next to them caught their attention back to the battle.
"Please," they both spoke in unison.
Bella smiled sadly.
"Stay alive."
Cassiopeia gently touched her cheek, the older woman leaning into the touch with a sigh.
"I was about to say the same thing."
Bella swallowed as if gathering courage before kissing her intensely. Cassi gasped in surprise but embraced her, holding her close.
"Go," Bella whispered softly, and she left through the door, casting one last glance over her shoulder.
Cassiopeia followed shortly after, dodging debris, and saw a Bludger flying overhead through a window, barely avoiding it before the wall collapsed.
She helped two Ravenclaws to their feet.
"Thank you," Cho sighed, looking quite dazed.
Cassi didn't respond, just nodded before continuing.
She paused for a moment, surveying the Great Hall.
Her fellow students and some professors were there. Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin, side by side with wands raised, not caring about their differences, all fighting for Hogwarts, fighting for a greater good, for all of them as it should have always been.
Cassiopeia looked around and didn't spot the troublesome Gryffindor trio. She grew worried; they were taking too long.
She hurried back to the Room of Requirement, and as she approached, she saw all of them flying on a broomstick, with a huge fiery figure destroying everything behind them.
She screamed in alarm when she saw Draco land from the broomstick with Harry, both crashing to the ground. The others landed, covered in smoke and struggling for breath.
"Crabbe... Crabbe..." Draco sobbed, looking back.
"He's dead," Ron hissed sharply. "He nearly killed all of us."
Cassiopeia looked in shock. She helped Draco and then Harry to their feet.
"You saved me! You saved me, Potter!" Draco cried, hugging him.
"Well, you saved me twice now. Once by pretending you didn't know who I was, and now by trying to stop Crabbe and Goyle from killing me. I owe you," Harry smiled awkwardly.
Draco smiled awkwardly, then composed himself and extended his hand. "Can I help you with that?" he said hopefully, his breath caught in his throat.
Harry stared at him before smiling. "I always know the right kind," he said, shaking his hand.
"You guys... seriously!" Cassi exclaimed exasperatedly.
But then a loud noise was heard, and a herd of ghosts rushed towards the battle. She saw the Bloody Baron running with the others, his chains trailing behind him.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked abruptly. "She was here. She should have gone back to the Room of Requirement."
"Damn, do you think it will still work after this fire?" Ron questioned, but he also got up, rubbing his chest and looking around.
"She didn't go back there. I saw her fighting in the main hall," Cassi explained. "Your sister's amazing, Ron."
He nodded, partly worried and partly proud.
"Harry, what's that on your arm?" he asked, looking at the silver object.
"Oh, it's..." He pulled the object from his wrist and showed it to them.
"The diadem," Cassi gasped, approaching. It seemed to have blood on it.
Tiny inscriptions were engraved on it: "The limitless spirit is man's greatest treasure."
Then Harry shuddered, and the thing fragmented.
"It must have been Fiendfyre!" Hermione murmured, her eyes fixed on the pieces of the diadem.
"Sorry?"
"Fiendfyre is one of the substances that destroys Horcruxes, but I never, ever would have dared use it, it's so dangerous. How could Crabbe have...?"
"He must have learned from the Carrows," Harry said, somberly.
"Too bad he wasn't paying attention when they taught how to put it out, too bad," replied Ron, whose hair, like Hermione's, was singed, and whose face was blackened. "If he hadn't tried to kill us, I might mourn his death."
"But don't you see?" Cassi smiled. "This means that if we can get Nagini..."
However, she fell silent when shouts, screams, and the unmistakable sounds of battle filled the corridor.
Draco and Goyle were without wands. She pushed them against a beam to shield themselves.
Death Eaters had penetrated the corridors of Hogwarts. Fred and Percy had just appeared, dueling, both fighting against the masked and hooded men. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Cassi ran to help: jets of light were flying in all directions, and the man Percy was fighting with quickly retreated. Then his hood slipped, and they saw the high forehead and white-streaked hair...
"Hello, Minister!" Percy shouted, accurately casting a spell at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clutched his robes in extreme embarrassment. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"
Cassiopeia smiled.
"You're joking, Perce!" Fred yelled, as the Death Eater he was fighting collapsed under the effect of three distinct Stunning Spells. Thicknesse had fallen to the ground with spikes sprouting all over his body, apparently turning into some form of sea urchin. Fred looked at Percy with satisfaction.
"You're really joking, Perce... I don't think I've heard you joke since you were..."
The air exploded. They were huddled together, Cassi, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and Percy, the two Death Eaters at their feet, one stupefied, the other transfigured; and in that fraction of a moment when danger seemed temporarily contained, the world split apart. Cassi felt like she was flying through the air, and all she could do was channel her magical core with all her might and extend her hand while shouting: "Hexa Protego Maxima!"
And instinctively, a bubble formed around the group.
She heard screams and shouts from her companions, with no hope of knowing what had happened to them.
Then, everything was reduced to pain and darkness. If it hadn't been for the spell, they would have been buried under the debris of the corridor that had suffered a terrible attack. The cold air made her realize that side of the castle had exploded.
When she looked at Harry, she saw blood on his face from the impact. She realized that he might be injured, given the pain in his temple. She understood that, without the spell, they would all be dead beneath the wreckage.
A terrible scream tore through the air, a sound of agony that fire and curses could not cause.
And Hermione was trying to stand amid the debris, and there were three red-haired men on the ground, who had been together when the wall exploded. Harry held one side of Hermione's hand, and Cassi held the other, and they stumbled and staggered over rocks and sticks.
"No... no... no!" Someone was screaming.
"No! Fred! No!" Percy shook his brother, Ron knelt beside them, and Fred's eyes were almost closed, weak.
Cassiopeia instinctively knelt down. Everything she had learned from Madam Pomfrey flooded her mind in flashes of light as she examined the wounds and closed them without uttering a word. The hand holding her wand was shining brightly with blue light. A dizzying sensation overtook her as her magic flowed into the body in front of her.
Fred gasped, his eyes widened, and he sat up suddenly before falling again, weakened. Ron sighed, a mixture of relief and emotion, and Percy shed tears, the two brothers hugging Fred tightly.
"I thought you..." Ron cried, holding his brother. "For a moment..."
Cassi, still dizzy from the intensity of the healing, was surprised when Percy jumped on her, embracing her warmly and lifting her off the ground, repeatedly saying "thank you."
Weakness overcame her, and she felt as if she had donated part of her own magic.
She remembered Madam Pomfrey's explanation from years ago. Healers really channeled magical energy, which is why they usually work in groups — it's safer that way.
Harry helped her stay on her feet when she almost fell, concerned about her condition.
Draco emerged from the shadows and knelt down, also concerned.
"Cassi, that's enough. You can't fight like this," he pleaded, distressed.
"No... No... I have to protect the Chosen One," Cassi tried to get up, but her vision blurred for a moment. It took a few seconds for her vision to readjust.
"What are you saying?" Harry asked, confused by her statement.
"My prophecy, you airhead," Cassiopeia replied, almost in a whisper. "My role is to ensure your victory. And something else about being a leader of nations, but it doesn't matter now."
Harry gasped in shock before smiling at her and taking her hand. But then a wave of spells passed over their heads, and everyone threw themselves to the ground.
Fred was still very weak, he needed to rest.
"Let's get him out of here," Cassi requested, helping Percy on the other side as they carried Fred down the corridor.
Draco looked scared, and Goyle disappeared into the corridors.
"Stay close, Ferret, you're without a wand," Cassiopeia worriedly requested.
Ron positioned himself between Hermione and Draco and seemed to have taken on a bodyguard role, as he watched everything around them, shielding Draco from approaching spells.
They entered an empty room and sat Fred down.
"You stay here!" Cassi instructed, seating him in a chair and checking his forehead.
"I'll take care of him while you go," Draco offered, taking Fred's wand and standing protectively in front of the door.
"Are you sure, Malfoy?" Ron asked, seeming emotional about the help to his family.
"Yes, go, quickly!" Draco yelled, and they hurriedly left.
Percy sprinted off, shouting with anger at a wizard who was chasing some Ravenclaw students. "DON'T CHASE LITTLE CHILDREN!" he yelled in pursuit.
"Let's fight!" Ron urged.
"No, we have to find the snake. Only we can stop this," Hermione reminded him.
"Harry, focus. Try to get into his mind, look for Nagini," Cassiopeia gently requested, touching his shoulder.
It felt like minutes passed. With a gasp, Harry opened his eyes.
"He's in the Shrieking Shack. The snake is with him, it's somehow magically protected. And he just sent Lucius Malfoy to fetch Snape."
"Voldemort is sitting in the Shrieking Shack?!" Hermione exclaimed, outraged. "He's not... he's not even fighting?"
"He thinks he doesn't need to fight. Thinks I'll come looking for him."
"But why?"
"He knows I want the Horcruxes... he's keeping Nagini close to him... obviously, I'll have to go after him to get to that thing..."
"Right," Ron said, straightening his shoulders.
"So, you can't go, if that's what he wants, what he's waiting for. You stay here and look after Hermione, and I'll go get..."
Harry interrupted him.
"You two stay here. I'll use the Invisibility Cloak and come back as soon as..."
"No," Cassi disagreed. "Don't you dare!"
"Don't even think about it," Ron said firmly.
Before anyone could respond, the tapestry at the top of the stairs they were on was torn.
"POTTER!"
Two masked Death Eaters stood there, but before they could finish raising their wands, Hermione ordered, "Glisseo!"
The steps beneath their feet flattened, forming a slope down which she, Cassi, Harry, and Ron slid, unable to control their speed. They slid so high that the Stunning Spells from the Death Eaters passed well above their heads. The wizards crashed through the tapestry that concealed them and tumbled onto the opposite wall.
"Stupefy!" Cassiopeia cried, pointing her wand at the tapestry, and they heard two loud and sickening thuds as the tapestry turned into stone and the pursuing Death Eaters collapsed upon impact, unmasked.
"Back!" Ron shouted, and the four of them flattened themselves against a door just as a thunderous herd of cabinets galloped past, herded by a speedy Minerva.
She apparently didn't notice them; her hair had come undone, and there was a cut on her face. As she turned the corner, they heard her order, "ATTACK!"
My godmother is amazing, Cassi thought, filled with pride.
"Harry, put on the cloak," Hermione said. "Don't worry about us..."
He, however, threw the cloak over the four of them; Cassi was astonished, as everyone's feet were exposed.
"No, protect yourselves. There isn't enough room for all of us," she panted, pushing them. "I'll follow behind."
Harry tried to protest but fell silent when he saw her gaze.
They descended the next staircase and encountered a corridor full of fighters. The portraits on either side were full of figures shouting advice and encouragement, while Death Eaters, both masked and unmasked, dueled with students and professors.
Dean had acquired a wand and was face-to-face with Amycus; Parvati was facing Travers.
Peeves was flying overhead, throwing dung bombs at the Death Eaters, while shouting, "Evil invaders at Hogwarts! Only I should cause chaos around here!"
Cassiopeia raised her wand and began firing spells at the Death Eaters. If the flashes of light beside her were any indication, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were attacking as well.
The brilliance traveled down the corridor, and she knew they were leaving the entrance hall.
Students were running all over the school, defending themselves while helping fallen and injured classmates.
Hagrid seemed badly hurt in a corner against the wall, but there was no way to get past to help.
When they reached the gates, things were even worse. Many people were down and injured. A wave of Dementors was approaching them, and a large group raised their wands at the same time, sending their Patronuses with all their might.
It was an incredibly powerful wave of light. A large portion of Dumbledore's Army was there with wands raised.
Harry pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and looked at all of them. He seemed lost in thought, but Cassi grabbed his wrist, reminding him about the Shrieking Shack.
"The Whomping Willow! Now!"
Everyone had to wait, as they had to run, they had to get to the snake and Voldemort, because it was the only way to end this.
They ran swiftly, ignoring the jets of light flying through the darkness around them, the sound of the lake breaking like the sea, and the creaks of the Forbidden Forest, even though it was a calm night; through the gardens that seemed to have rebelled themselves.
Cassi ran faster than she had ever run in her life, and it was her who first saw the great tree, the Whomping Willow that guarded the secret within its roots with branches that cut like whips.
Breathing heavily, Harry almost stumbled over her.
Circling the Whomping Willow's thrashing branches, examining its thick trunk in the darkness, trying to locate the unique knot in the old tree's bark that would freeze it in place.
Ron and Hermione caught up, so out of breath they could hardly speak.
"How... how do we get in?" Ron gasped.
"Could... see the place... if only we had... Crookshanks..."
"Crookshanks?" Hermione exclaimed, doubled over, clutching her chest. "Are you a wizard or not?"
"Well, you've got an Animagus," Cassi joked before transforming into a fox and darting into the hole beneath the tree. The Whomping Willow abruptly stopped, and she followed the tunnel. Her friends following closely behind.
They moved in silence. Cassi reverted to her human form with her wand raised, eyes fixed on the flickering light of her wand tip. Eventually, the tunnel began to slope upwards, and ahead, she saw a crack of light.
"The cloak, Harry," Hermione whispered. "Put on the cloak!"
Harry pulled the cloak over his shoulders, and they all murmured "Nox," extinguishing the wand's light and continuing to crawl as quietly as possible. All their senses were on edge, waiting every second to be discovered, to hear the cold, clear voice, to see a flash of green light.
Then, they heard voices coming from the room directly ahead, muffled because the tunnel's end was blocked by what looked like an old crate.
There was a small crack in the wall where they peered through.
The room was dimly lit, but they could see Nagini, coiling and twisting as if under water, protected within her enchanted sphere of stars, floating unsupported in the air. They could see the edge of a table and a pale hand with long fingers playing with a wand.
Then Snape spoke, and Cassi was relieved to see the professor was alright: the wizard was just inches from where he was hiding.
"My Lord, the resistance is collapsing..."
"And it's doing so without your help," Voldemort retorted, his voice clear and sharp.
"Even as a competent wizard, Severus, I doubt you'll make much difference now. We're almost there... almost." He turned and walked away.
"Lucius tried to make me retreat. Worried about his brat. Fool."
"Let me search for the boy. Let me bring Potter. I know I can find him, my Lord. Please," Snape moved in front of the crack, and they all shuffled back slightly.
"I have a problem, Snape," Voldemort said softly.
"My Lord?"
Voldemort raised the Elder Wand, holding it with the delicacy and precision of a conductor's baton.
"Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?"
Oh no... Because the wand belongs to the wizard who kills its previous owner.
Snape...
But something is wrong
"My Lord... let me go to the boy..."
"You have been a loyal and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen. The Elder Wand cannot truly serve me, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its previous owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. As long as you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine."
"My Lord... My Lord!" Snape protested, raising the wand.
"It cannot be any other way," Voldemort replied. "I must master the wand, Severus. I master the wand, and I master Potter at last."
And Voldemort slashed the air with the Elder Wand. It didn't affect Snape, who, for a split second, seemed to think his execution had been temporarily suspended, but then Voldemort's intention became clear. The cage around the snake spun in the air, and before Snape could do more than let out a single cry, it engulfed him, head and shoulders, and Voldemort began speaking in Parseltongue.
"Kill."
A terrible scream echoed. Cassi saw Snape's face lose what little color remained, grow pale, and his black eyes widen as the snake's fangs sank into his neck. He hadn't managed to repel the enchanted cage in time, and his knees buckled as he fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry," Voldemort said coldly.
The Dark Lord turned to leave, devoid of any sadness or remorse. It was time to leave the house and assume command, with the wand that would now obey him perfectly. He pointed it at the starry cage containing the snake, and it rose, moving away from Snape, who lay motionless on the ground, blood spurting from the wounds on his neck. Voldemort left the room imperiously, not even glancing back, and the massive snake floated alongside him in its protective sphere.
Cassi waited a few seconds before rushing to the professor.
She pulled out a kit from her pocket.
Come on, come on, come on. Desperately searching for the antidote to Nagini's venom, she tried to stem the flow of blood from Snape's neck.
Snape was in tears as he looked at Harry.
"Get the, get the," he pleaded, pointing to his face.
Cassi grabbed an empty vial to collect it. Her hand was bloody as her other hand finally found it.
"Do not you dare die, Professor. Don't you dare!" She shouted at him, her own tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Look at me, Harry," Snape asked softly.
No, no, no.
Cassi held his face and forced the antidote into his mouth.
He trembled in agony but swallowed. She raised her wand, trying to close the wound on his neck as she remembered seeing Andy do on her shoulder.
It didn't look great, but it would have to do. Then she used what she had seen Draco do.
"Professor..." Harry murmured, kneeling and holding his hand.
"Go to the Pensieve," Snape whispered weakly.
"Go."
Cassi turned to her friend. "Go ahead. I'll take care of him, I'll follow you later," she practically pushed him and handed him the vial with the tears.
Harry snapped out of his stupor and followed Ron and Hermione anxiously.
"You've always been my favorite student," Snape whispered with a weak smile. "The most talented."
She tearfully returned the smile.
"You're my favorite teacher. But now, shut up and don't strain yourself," she ordered, searching for something to cover the wound.