"Professor Dumbledore!" Tonks gasped, jumping to her feet. "Hello!"
A small smile was playing at the older wizard's lips. "Miss Tonks, I trust South America has been treating you well. Have you been fortunate enough to gain experience in your Auror training?"
"Yes, loads!" Tonks replied enthusiastically. She seemed thrilled that Dumbledore had traveled that far to see them. Cassie, however, couldn't help but feel apprehensive.
"And Miss Black," he said, turning to her. She had stopped pacing when he had made his presence known. Now she was standing still with her arms crossed across her chest, and when she realized that she was communicating her skepticism by her body language alone, she shifted a little. "Have you been doing well?"
Biting down a snarky retort, she let out a defeated sigh before she spoke. Now, in front of Tonks, was not the time to start a row. "Sure, Headmaster." Tonks' head snapped in her direction, and she didn't have to look at her cousin to know that she was looking at her in disapproval.
"I insist you call me 'Albus', as I have told you before."
Cassie stared at him for a few seconds. "What are you doing here, Albus? Is everything alright at Hogwarts?"
"I see no reason for you to worry about that," Dumbledore replied smoothly. "You have enough to busy yourself with here."
"Except for the fact that I have loved ones there," she retorted. His non-answer of an answer was only aggravating her further.
"The situation is being taken care of." There was no use questioning the Headmaster further. She knew he wasn't going to give her much more than that. The two of them were staring each other down for a few moments, Dumbledore with an air of mirth as Cassie glowered at him when Tonks spoke.
"Professor Dumbledore - "
"As you are no longer my student either, Miss Tonks, I must insist that you call me 'Albus' as well."
"Okay! Um, sir...Are you here to catch Sombria?"
"The dark witch's escape is the reason I am here, yes," he said, "Although I have no intention of apprehending her myself." Tonks looked over to Cassie as if she expected an explanation out of her. She couldn't offer her one.
"You're the best one for the job," Cassie said quietly, not sounding confident in her statement as the words left her mouth. Even though she knew what she was saying was true, there would be no convincing her Headmaster of that. He had an agenda.
"I don't believe that to be true," Dumbledore mused, his tone light and carefree as if they were debating which flavor of tart was most palatable. "I think the person most appropriate for the task is standing right in front of me." Tonks looked between the two of them, her mouth hanging open slightly in confusion. Cassie was about to ask her to give them some privacy, but Dumbledore beat her to it. "Nymphadora, if you could excuse us for a few minutes. I have an inkling that your cousin has a few choice words to say to me, but hasn't yet for your benefit."
"Oh, Professor, of course," Tonks said quickly, going to exit the tent. "I'll go find Mad-Eye. Is it okay that he knows you're here?"
"Even if I didn't want him to know, I'm sure he already does. Not much slips past Alastor Moody," the older wizard said kindly. With that, he gave Tonks a single nod, and she exited the tent. "I want you to feel free to tell her anything you wish, Miss Black. I just presumed you would rather have this conversation in private."
"Well I can't judge how I want this conversation, considering I don't know what it's about," Cassie said bluntly.
"I suppose that's fair." He gestured to the couch that Cassie was standing in front of as he took a seat at the table. "Have a seat, Cassiopeia." She obliged, her eyes never leaving him as if he would try to do something sneaky if she wasn't watching every move. "How has your work here been going?"
"Da Gama hasn't filled you in?"
"I have not spoken to him for some time."
"So he doesn't know you're here. Does Martese?"
"Not yet," he replied calmly, eyeing the bowl full of Sonho de Valsa that was in the middle of the table. Cassie waved to the candy nonchalantly to indicate he was free to help himself, eager to get to the point of this discussion. "This is the first stop I have made since arriving."
Cassie nodded, watching as he unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth. He made no indication that he was going to continue talking once he was through chewing, so Cassie conceded to answering his original question. "It's been going well. We only had three people left to go after. Until Sombria escaped, that is."
"So you've been rather successful," he mused, sitting back in the chair with his hands folded neatly in his lap.
"I suppose you could say that."
"And how has your cousin been performing?"
"She's a talented Auror," Cassie told him truthfully. "Headmaster - "
"Please, call me by my given name."
"Why does it matter? Because you want me to feel like you don't have authority over me, even though you clearly do?"
"You came here of your own accord, Cassiopeia. I don't think I have to remind you that you quit Master Machado's academy without consulting me, as well. I do not know of the authority that you speak of," he responded quietly.
"So that's why you're here? To scold me for quitting Academia de Luta?"
"Cassiopeia," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "I find it disheartening that would expect that from me. You are an adult who makes her own decisions. Have I ever made you feel otherwise?"
"You made me feel like I had to come here to complete that training, that it was so important. Now you're telling me that leaving the program is nothing?"
"What answer are you expecting me to give you?"
Cassie sighed. "I'm trying to figure out why you're here!" she said, standing up again. The urge to start pacing again was overwhelming. "If it's not to catch Sombria, and it's not to try to convince me to go back to Martese, then what is it?"
The silver-haired wizard was silent for a few moments as he contemplated her. As she moved about the room, his blue eyes never left her. "I suppose it would only irk you further if I didn't enlighten you." She shot him a glare. "While I knew training with Martese would be beneficial for you, I must admit that completing his program was not my true intention for having you come here. The skills you learned were a happy happenstance, you might say."
Cassie let out a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment as she prepared herself for Dumbledore's confession. If he was actually going to be honest with her for once, she told herself. "Then what was your intention?" she asked, forcing her voice to remain even.
"To make friends from all over the world. To plant the seed for future alliances, ones that will help you greatly in the future."
"Help me? Why does it seem like none of this has anything to do with me?"
"Think of your peers, Cassiopeia. Even though you haven't stayed the full two years for your training, do you think you could call on these powerful witches and wizards in the future? And if not them, then how about the magical governments here! Have you not aided them greatly? If you need help in your own struggles, they would be foolish to deny you assistance."
"So you sent me here to gain political ties," she muttered quietly.
"As you and I have discussed before, another war is inevitable."
"Why didn't you tell me this from the beginning?"
"I'd prefer it if you would sit back down, Cassiopeia - "
"I'm fine where I am!" she snapped. "Just tell me, Headmaster."
"While it's true that I sent you here to gain allies through your training," he said softly, and for the first time he seemed truly hesitant, "I also sent you here to gain them in another way. If you can do this successfully, no one on this side of the ocean would ever deny you help in the future." He eyed the candy dish again, and Cassie snapped her fingers to demand his focus. For a moment she contemplated throwing the bowl across the room.
"So what is it?" she asked.
"I sent you here to kill Sauda Sombria, Cassiopeia."
The words hit her like a ton of bricks. She sat down finally, her legs feeling wobbly underneath her. "You what?"
"You have already faced her once and won," he pointed out.
"That was my second time facing her," Cassie argued. "The first time, Martese had to get me out of there! And I had help when I captured her, if Severus hadn't been there who knows what would have happened!"
"You will have help the next time you face her," Dumbledore responded. "You have the Aurors, your cousin, Alastor - "
"And you?" she said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you just do it yourself?"
"If the deed is done by your hand, then people will have an inordinate amount of loyalty to you."
"You already have people's adoration," she countered. "When the war is here, you can just call upon them!"
"I won't always be around, Cassiopeia. I don't think I have to point out my age."
Cassie shook her head in disbelief. "So this entire time, for over a year, you've been hoping for me to come here and murder someone?"
"Don't tell me you haven't desired to do it. With the amount of pain and suffering you've seen her cause first hand - "
"Desire to do it, sure! But actually kill her?"
"Is that not the form of justice you've been hoping she would receive for her crimes?"
"By the Ministry's hand, in a legal manner!"
"If you think you will be punished for it, I assure you that won't be the case."
"You don't get it!" Cassie hissed. She fixed her eyes behind Dumbledore, unable to look at him now. "I would be killing someone, Headmaster! Are you able to accept that fact so easily? I'm eighteen years old, for Merlin's sake!"
When her eyes shifted back to the wizard, she almost gasped. In the past, every time he had revealed something upsetting to her, his blue eyes had shown sympathy, regret. But now, all hint of consolation was missing. He looked at her with determination and harshness, as if her emotions disgusted him at that moment. "It might be the first time that you take someone's life," he said, "But I assure you, it will not be the last."
Cassie left the tent abruptly after her conversation with Dumbledore had ended. She needed time to be alone, and he had not stopped her. Multiple people stopped her and asked what was wrong, but she ignored them and kept going. As she trudged through the trees, a million thoughts were running through her mind.
Dumbledore was not wrong when he had suggested that she wanted Sombria dead. The witch was responsible for so many deaths that no one really knew how many people had died either by her hand or by the actions of her followers. She was the personification of evil, she deserved nothing less than what Dumbledore suggested.
The idea of actually killing someone, that was what Cassie was struggling with. As much as Sombria deserved it, she didn't know if she could be the one to go through with it. Would extinguishing someone's life and feeling justified in doing it change her? Would she get a taste for it, grow so accustomed to it that she could do it again without a second thought? Those were attributes that she would be sharing with her parents, killing without remorse. She shuddered at the thought.
After an hour or so, she debated finding Tonks and talking things through with her. But she assumed her cousin would be biased, having worked with Moody. The famed Auror had been granted the use of Unforgivable Curses on Death Eaters in the past and had used them quite willingly when the situation called for it, she knew. When she decided against finding Tonks, she wondered if seeking out Romily and Alex would be beneficial, but she realized that the academy students were having enough of their own problems, anticipating Sombria attacking them at any moment.
She wanted to talk to Severus. Her heart ached when she realized yet again how far away he was, how inaccessible he was to her while she was in South America. She wondered what he was doing at that very moment, if he was dealing with some unknown horror at Hogwarts. It was then that she realized that the sooner Sombria was dealt with, the sooner she could go home to him for good.
She wondered what he might tell her if he was there with her, and she recalled their disagreement about him spying when her father came back. 'The issue of it bothering me or not is irrelevant,' he had told her. 'I'm doing what I need to for our cause, just as you are with your training.'
Although Dumbledore had deceived her once again, she started to realize that his logic, while in its very nature cruel, was sound.
When she walked back into her tent, she wasn't surprised that it now contained Tonks and Moody in addition to Dumbledore. All three of them stopped speaking abruptly, looking at her in anticipation.
"Hey," Tonks said softly, standing up and taking a few wary steps toward Cassie. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she said, and she actually believed it. Tonks closed the gap between them and embraced her tightly.
"Have you had enough time to think, Cassiopeia?" Dumbledore asked when they pulled away.
"I have," Cassie told him quietly. "I'll agree to it on one condition."
Moody's false eye stood still, trained on her. For once, it didn't make her squirm. "What might that be, Black?"
"We find out who taught Sombria the art of Roubando," she said. "If we don't, taking her out might be a temporary solution. Who knows how long it will be before the next practitioner shows up."
"And how do you propose we do that? Torture? Who knows how powerful she is now, if we'll be able to contain her long enough to find out that information," Moody countered.
"We won't need that much time," Cassie said. "I'll just need her immobilized for a few minutes, long enough to use Legilimency on her."
Tonks gasped softly. "Cass, I thought you weren't ever going to use it! You swore you would never do it, it reminded you too much of your father."
"I never thought I would be agreeing to anything of this nature." Cassie turned to Dumbledore. "What do you think, Albus? Can we come up with a viable plan to make that happen?"
His blue eyes were twinkling. Whether it was with satisfaction or pride, or both, she didn't know. "I think with the people in this room, anything is possible."
"I need to control my power," Cassie told Dumbledore. It was early the next morning, and he had come straight to hers and Tonks' tent as soon as the sunlight started to break through the trees. Where he had slept, she had no clue. "It's the only way I can win against her."
"You don't believe that you can control it?"
"I know I can't," she said, shaking her head. Woken up to their voices, Tonks started to stir, yawning loudly as she stretched her arms over her head. This morning, her hair was shoulder-length and neon orange.
"You know?" Dumbledore countered softly. "You sound very sure of that."
"I tried with Martese. The few times I brought it forth, it was completely out of control."
He looked at her with interest. "Cassiopeia, I suggest that you eat a hearty breakfast. After, we will address your concerns." He left the tent almost abruptly as he had entered. Tonks looked to Cassie with confusion.
"He's a tough nut to crack, isn't it?" she mused as she took a seat at the table.
"More like impossible," Cassie muttered. Even in her doubt, she did as her former Headmaster suggested. She ate with Tonks even though she was feeling slightly nauseated at the time, and then she left the tent to find him. She came across Maria when she was making her way through camp. "Any news on Sombria's whereabouts?"
The Auror shook her head. "None. It seems like she has been laying low since she escaped. Probably trying to gather what little cavaleiros she has left before she makes a move."
"Fine by me," Cassie said. "The second she starts terrorizing people again, the more rushed we'll be. I want to make sure we have a solid course of action first." Maria nodded enthusiastically. "Bianca hasn't had any premonitions?"
Maria's face darkened slightly at the mention of the seer. "I'm sure she has. She's just choosing not to share. Said something about us making the wrong move if we knew."
Cassie snorted. "Some help that is."
She found Dumbledore on the outskirts of their camp. He indicated for her to follow him, and they ended up in a small clearing that contained a large boulder. It reminded her of her favorite spot in the Forbidden Forest. It made her wonder if he knew about her going out there all those times when she had been a student.
"Please, have a seat," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the large rock. Cassie eyed him warily but did as he asked. Just as she was settling onto the smooth stone and crossing he legs, he conjured a rickety wooden chair from thin air and sat down. "I find being in nature can help clear the mind. This is a beautiful spot, don't you agree?" She nodded. "I found it this morning while you were eating your breakfast."
"It does seem peaceful out here," she told him. "What did you have in mind? If I'm to practice using my power, we aren't far enough away from camp for it to be safe."
"We are not practicing," Dumbledore corrected her calmly. "Rather, we are out here to discuss what is holding you back."
"You mean, why I can't call that destructive power forth?"
"Call it forth at will, control it, stop it with ease. It all comes down to your fear, my dear girl. It is evident even in how you refer to your gift."
Cassie shook her head. "It's not a gift. It's catastrophic!"
"Not when putting it to proper use."
"You mean when I use it to kill someone," she said frankly. "Then it's considered...what?"
"Warranted."
Was this wizard talented at manipulating emotions, or what? Cassie shook the thought from her head. This was no time to criticize him. She had to learn from him, and quickly. "Okay," she said after sucking in a shaky breath. "I'm listening, Albus." Even though he had continued to insist that she use his first name, it felt so foreign on her lips. Even when she despised his actions, she felt the need to show the powerful wizard respect.
"It seems, Cassiopeia Black, that you fear many things, even after all of your incredible endeavors. You fear your own power. You fear that you will turn into your parents. You fear the public's perception of you, even though you have been nothing short of virtuous in your young life."
Cassie almost snorted in laughter at the suggestion that she was virtuous. If Dumbledore knew that she had started her romantic relationship with the Potions Master while she had still been a student, he was choosing not to let on. She pushed the thought from her head. "I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for a reason," she said lightly.
"Don't misunderstand me. You are not cowardly, Cassiopeia. Not at all."
"Okay," Cassie said, feeling razzled. "So I'm fearful, but I'm not? I don't see how this is helping."
"I knew a Slytherin student long ago, many years before I was Headmaster at Hogwarts. Tom Riddle was handsome, charismatic, talented. One thing that was constant within him, was that he had unwavering control of his abilities. Not once did I witness or hear of him unable to reign over his immense power."
Cassie couldn't help but feel a bit defensive. "Okay. So Lord Voldemort was stronger than me. Still doesn't help."
"No, Cassiopeia, no! He was not stronger, nor was he brave. He was conceited and unrealistic at best. That's the point that I am trying to make to you. He didn't fear his power, because in his arrogance, he knew he could wield it without issue. That is the difference! You need to embrace your abilities and along with it, yourself. Only then will you be able to use your gift at will."
"That's nutty," she said, huffing. "If it was that simple, I would have been able to do that ages ago!"
"But it's not simple! In fact, it is quite the opposite. Have you ever tried to accept who you are, celebrate it, even?"
"Who I am is a monstrosity. If I hadn't had the right people in my life early on, influencing me to not be my parents, who knows how I would have turned out?" At her declaration, Dumbledore sighed wearily.
"I see we have done you a disservice over the years, Cassiopeia. In hoping that you would not follow in Lord Voldemort's footsteps, we have stifled your self-worth tremendously." He reached into his robes, producing a small vial of silvery liquid.
"What is that?" she asked.
"Spiritus Memoriae." Dumbledore didn't need to explain further. It was an elixir, one that helped the drinker relive a memory in detail, to the point that most forgot they were in a memory. All they had to do was think of the past experience, and it would come back to them in full force.
"Did Severus make it?" It was a trivial detail, one that didn't matter.
"Yes, it is from his stores. I brought it in case it would be useful," he told her. Knowing that her lover had crafted it at some point made her feel hopeful.
"What memory do you think would be best? I still don't think I fully understand what I need to do."
"That is something I must ask you to come up with, I'm afraid. Something that will help you fully appreciate who you are."
Cassie spent several long, perplexing minutes trying to think of something that would fit Dumbledore's standards. He seemed infinitely patient, sitting in his magically-produced chair with his hands folded neatly in his lap, looking around the greenery that engulfed them. "Okay, I'm ready," Cassie told him after a while. With a small smile, Dumbledore made the vial float gracefully to her. When it was in her grip, she uncorked it and lifted it to her lips. Dumbledore gave her a small wink just as she downed the smooth, surprisingly sweet liquid. Its effects hit her within seconds. Thankfully, she already had her chosen memory at the forefront of her consciousness.
A large, dimly lit room formed around her. She recognized it instantly, as it was the drawing room at Malfoy Manor. She had been spending most of her time between this estate and the Lestrange mansion, as it had only been months since Minister Jenkins had sent Aurors to try and take her from her family. Those were the only two places that Lord Voldemort had deemed somewhat safe enough to keep her.
Having just been forced to watch the torture of a Muggle-born wizard until he had crossed over into insanity, six-year-old Cassie was crying. Bellatrix, who was not skilled at comforting her small child, was bent over and stroking the girl's raven locks with a slightly repulsed look on her beautiful features.
"Shush, now," Bellatrix said, looking worried as she glanced up at the door that led down to the cellar. "If your father sees you in this state, he will be displeased."
Cassie sniffled. Even at her age, she understood fully what her father's unhappiness could consist of. If she didn't stop crying, he would punish her by either forcing her to watch him inflict pain on another innocent person, or inflict pain on her instead.
"Now, that's better," Bellatrix cooed as Cassie grew silent. Her mother used her wand to clean her tear-stained face, rather than using her hand or a tissue. "There's my stoic girl."
"Bella, she can't possibly be expected to not react when she sees this sort of thing," Narcissa said. She was exceptionally pale and shaken-looking herself.
"It's what my Lord expects of her," the brunette witch hissed.
"She's only a child! It's not healthy," Cassie's aunt argued. "It's going to traumatize her - " Narcissa stopped speaking, as approaching footsteps could be heard. The Dark Lord had returned from viewing his collection of prisoners that were being kept downstairs, a small group of Death Eaters following behind him. He looked pleased with himself until he spotted Cassie's reddened eyes.
"What's this?" he hissed, sneering at his child. "Has my heir been crying?" Bellatrix stood up straight, her hand moving from Cassie's head to her side as if to distance herself from the girl. Narcissa took an instinctive step forward as if to protect the child, but forced herself to stop.
"She was upset, my Lord, but only for a moment," Bellatrix said.
"Such a fragile, pathetic thing." Voldemort was staring at Cassie with slitted eyes.
"I can take her to her room, if it would please my Lord," Narcissa said quickly. Lucius shot her a warning look.
"No," Voldemort said, his expression fading from annoyance to one that was unreadable. "My daughter needs a lesson."
"My Lord - " Narcissa said, but her husband silenced her by squeezing her arm.
"Leave us," Voldemort commanded. Death Eaters started to leave the room without a second command. Young Severus, who had been watching the scene unfold with an unrecognizable expression, stopped to glance back for a moment before stepping over the threshold. Apparently Narcissa wasn't the only one concerned with what was going to happen to Cassie.
Only the Dark Lord, Bellatrix, and Cassie remained in the now nearly-empty drawing room. Bellatrix stood glued to her spot, looking unsure of what to do next.
"Cassiopeia," Voldemort addressed the child, his cold voice echoing around them. "Were you upset by what you saw?"
Cassie looked to her mother, but she gave her little guidance in her silence. Slowly, she peeled her gaze away from Bellatrix, her eyes going to the floor. "No, Father."
"It seems you were crying. You are lying to me."
She remained silent. She knew that he was upset, that she should say whatever she should to try to get out of the situation. She just didn't know how.
Voldemort must have been in a generous mood that night, perhaps refreshed from the recent torture. He didn't insist on making her watch anyone else suffer as punishment, and he didn't raise his wand to her either. Instead, he asked her a question. "Do you know who you are?"
"Yes, Father."
"Who are you?"
"Cassiopeia Black."
"Whose daughter are you?"
"Yours, Father."
"Yes, yes," Voldemort said. "You are correct in that you are my daughter. Who am I?"
Cassie glanced up at her mother again. This time, Bellatrix gave her a small nod to encourage her to answer his question. "The Dark Lord."
"You are correct again, child. But do you know what that means?" Her blue eyes went down to the floor again. "Hmm?"
"No, Father." She had many words she could use to describe him, but even at her age, she knew most of them would make him angry.
"Good, we're getting somewhere. At least you are not lying again." He turned away from her in a swirl of black robes, raising his incredibly pale arms to the ceiling as he spoke. "You are the offspring of the greatest wizard of all time! I will triumph over all who oppose me, and crush all of the Mudbloods and Muggles and creatures that are below me." he declared. "I am Lord Voldemort, the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. You and I, Cassiopeia, are the only two people alive that can boast that honor. Take pride in this fact, girl. Do you know what gifts Salazar Slytherin passed on to me, the most powerful wizard alive?"
"No, Father."
Suddenly, his words sounded different to her, as if he were hissing, but she still understood him. "He gave me the gift of speaking Parseltongue, and that has been passed on to you. We are the only two people alive that speak the language. Did you know that, Cassiopeia?"
"No, Father," she hissed back. Her mother seemed delighted as she watched her.
"You will be powerful. Perhaps you will grow to be nearly as powerful as me," he continued. "When you have reached that point, then you will rule by Lord Voldemort's side." Cassie's eyes were still trained on her feet, and he clicked his tongue. "Look at me, daughter." She hesitated to obey his command, but only for a split second. Forcing herself to look up at him, a renewed sense of fear ran through her when blue eyes met red. "Exult in what runs through your veins, Cassiopeia. So many witches and wizards would do anything to be in your place."
"Yes, Father."
"Good," Voldemort said, a will-o-wisp of a smile playing at his mouth. "Then there will be no more crying when you see Lord Voldemort do his work. You will learn to take pleasure in it, as my other followers have."
Cassie didn't respond this time, the very notion of what he said stealing her voice. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice as he turned to leave the room again. "Bella, take her down to the cellar. Show her the filth that she will learn to despise."
Bellatrix bowed her head slightly. "My Lord."
Cassie pulled out of the memory abruptly. Even without the influence of the potion, she remembered vividly what happened next. She couldn't stand seeing those bloodied and maimed prisoners, not again.
As the image of Malfoy Manor faded away, the forest around her took shape. Dumbledore was still seated in front of her, looking relaxed as he examined a heliconia flower in his hand. "You have finished your recollection?"
"Yes." She shook her head slightly, trying to get rid of the image of her father's serpent-like face. It kept swimming in the forefront of her mind. "What's next?"
"I want you to meditate on what you just saw. Focus on the purpose of reliving it until you are satisfied."
"But how will I know?"
Dumbledore didn't answer. Cassie sighed, already feeling drained from having seen her parents so vividly. But she obeyed. For what seemed like hours, she closed her eyes, mulling over Lord Voldemort's words. She hated them, almost as much as she hated the person that spoke them. But finally, something seemed to click.
Cassie looked at Dumbledore, feeling a renewed sense of understanding. "Tell me," he said softly.
"I am Cassiopeia Black. I am the daughter of one of the most powerful wizards of all time, the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Because of my lineage, I can speak Parseltongue and am inherently skilled at Legilimency. Few can boast the gifts that I possess."
"Good. And you understand that just because of these truths, it does not mean you will follow in your ancestors' paths. You can use your abilities to forge your own."
"I think so," Cassie breathed. "So that's what you wanted me to learn? You think that will help me control my power?"
"Do you still fear it, Cassiopeia?"
Cassie was silent for a few moments as she took in the beautiful scenery around her. They must have been in this spot for hours, as the songs coming from the infinite amount of birds were significantly different than when they had started. The sun was still high in the sky but was shining through the trees from a different vantage point. "No," she said softly. "I don't think I do."
"If a small part of you still does, I think there is another aspect that we can use to your advantage."
"What would that be?"
"Something that could take away all doubt, and give you the reassurance that you will successfully use your gift will take away all fear of it." Cassie looked at him, perplexed for a moment. "I believe Severus painstakingly bestowed that advantage upon you, my dear girl."
"Liquid Luck," she whispered.
"Precisely."
Days passed, and they waited for news of Sombria's whereabouts. There were no reports of any activity from her, no attacks or deaths that were typical of her past behavior. Bianca denied having any visions or hunches of where she was, something that Cassie didn't quite believe. So they were forced to wait for any rumors, any signs of where she could be.
Cassie was chomping at the bit. After spending time with Dumbledore and listening to his advice, she felt more ready for this confrontation than she ever thought would be possible. She almost looked forward to it.
"We need to find her," Cassie declared one morning. She, Tonks, and Moody were seated in the tent with nothing more to do than wait.
"And how do you propose we do that, Black? We still have nothing to go on," Moody said gruffly. "Do you suggest randomly moving around the continent, hoping we happen to run into her?"
"She has to want revenge on me for capturing her in the first place," Cassie replied coldly. "Maybe we need to make my whereabouts known and she'll come to me."
"We still wouldn't know when she would seek you out," Moody countered. "That puts us at a disadvantage."
"We have a plan in place!" Cassie snapped. "We've had the same plan for a week, we're ready for her!"
Moody seemed like he was about to argue when Tonks jumped in. "Felix Felicis," she said, her eyes looking at nothing as if she were lost in thought.
"Yeah," Moody said, giving her a side glance. "What about it?"
Tonks shook her head as if she were clearing the cobwebs from her brain, and she met his gaze. "I know we've been planning on Cassie taking it when we knew she'd be facing Sombria...what if we use it to find her first?"
Cassie looked at her cousin, dumbfounded. "Dora," she said slowly, letting the suggestion sink in. "That just might work."
"How?" Moody asked. "How will it work? Because if it doesn't, that will be a waste of an extremely useful potion, one that we can't replace anytime soon."
Cassie patted the pocket on her jeans, ensuring that the little bottle of golden elixir was still on her person. "It's Liquid Luck, Moody. It just will." Tonks beamed at her.
"Are we going to do it now?" Tonks asked, getting to her feet.
"Make sure the Aurors are ready," Cassie said. "I'll tell Dumbledore, make sure he's on board. But yes, I would like to do it now."
"You're ready, Black?" Moody questioned.
"As ready as I'm ever going to be."
Moody and Tonks made their way through the camp, making sure everyone was filled in and ready for action. Cassie found Dumbledore in the same clearing where she had taken the Spiritus Memoriae. When she told him of Tonks' plan, he merely smiled and nodded.
"So you think it's a viable plan, Albus?"
"I think it's brilliant."
They went back to camp. Da Gama's Aurors were standing at the ready with wands in hand as Moody double-checked that everyone had their wits about them. Tonks was finishing placing a rather tricky charm on everyone, so that when Cassie Disapparated, they could follow without having to know the destination. "Okay," Cassie said, taking the vial of Felix Felicis out of her pocket. The gold liquid shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. "Here we go."
She met her cousin's determined gaze before uncorking the top of the potion. Then, before she could have the chance to cop out, she lifted the bottle to lips and drank.