Chapter 59:
TRUST IS EARNED

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.•°★ THE air in Malfoy Manor was thick with anticipation as the Death Eaters gathered in the grand hall. Voldemort had arrived, his presence casting a palpable shadow over everyone present.
Narcissa had taken Cassiopeia out of her room, and the blonde haired girl just realized her hands was bleeding from the glass she had shattered and thrown on the wall. She stood beside Draco, her mind still reeling from the events of the day.

Voldemort's red eyes glinted with malevolent glee as he addressed them. “Dumbledore is finally dead,” he announced, his voice a chilling whisper that echoed through the hall. “A great victory for our cause.”

The fire was blazing, and his large snake slithered next to Voldemort. The Death Eaters (Bellatrix, Fenrir, Lestrange, the Carrows) present in the room cheered, their voices a cacophony of dark triumph. Voldemort's gaze fell on Snape, who stood stoically by his side. “Severus,” he continued, “you have done well. Your loyalty and skill have brought us this great success.”

Snape inclined his head, his expression unreadable. “Thank you, my Lord.”

Voldemort's eyes then scanned the room, landing on the Malfoy twins. Cassiopeia felt a shiver run down her spine as his gaze lingered on her. “And what of the rest of you?” he asked, his tone dangerously soft. "The Malfoy twins have greatly...failed the task I handed to them."

Cassiopeia felt the entire room shift, and eyes staring at them. The Carrow siblings laughed, and Bellatrix narrowed her eyes. Cassiopeia swallowed hard as her eyes turned to Voldemort. His eyes were red slits, much like a snakes.

"My lord, we managed to lead death eaters into the castle," she said, her voice emotionless. Cassiopeia kept her mind shut. Snape stared for a moment, he didn't want her to say the wrong thing.

"Your point is?" He questioned, walking over to the chair, his slender fingers gripping the chair as if to examine it. "You failed your task in killing Dumbledore...Severus had to do it himself."

Cassiopeia sighed, swallowing hard. "I managed to gain Dumbledore's trust," she added, "and Harry Potter had given me great information---"

"Such as?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes. He turned to face Cassiopeia, he was a few feet away from her. She swallowed hard, her eyes glancing at Snape who merely nodded for her to continue.

"That he is going to look for...horcruxes," she replied. Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and he sneered. "As I have said to you, My Lord...the inner eyes does not fail to see what the future holds."

“What part did you play in this victory?” he asked, suddenly. "Other than that...hmm...my dear?"

Before Cassiopeia could respond, Bellatrix stepped forward, her voice filled with eager excitement. “My Lord, Cassiopeia was instrumental as well. She threw the Killing Curse at Dumbledore and missed him by mere inches.”

Voldemort's eyes narrowed as he regarded Cassiopeia. “Is this true?”

Cassiopeia nodded, her throat dry. “Yes, my Lord. I did.”

Voldemort's lips curved into a cruel smile. “It seems that Cassiopeia is proving herself to be a valuable asset,” he spoke in a almost mocking tone. "Your ability to see the future, to give me information...to have the guts to kill Albus Dumbledore..."

Voldemort sneered, and he took more steps towards Cassiopeia, his snake hissing at his side. Nagini slowly moved towards Cassiopeia, wrapping herself around her leg threateningly. Cassiopeia couldn't help but shudder.

"You have earned my trust," said Voldemort, stepping right in front of Cassiopeia. He placed his finger on her chin, lifting it up. He tilted his head. "Although you failed to kill, nonetheless you are learning, my dear. There is no harm in that."

Voldemort let her chin go, and he whispered something to Nagini in Parseltongue and Nagini slithered off her leg.

Fenrir Greyback let out a low growl, his eyes fixed on Cassiopeia. “She's got fire, that one,” he said, his voice a mixture of respect and resentment. “Almost as dangerous as her aunt.”

Bellatrix laughed, a sound that grated on Cassiopeia's nerves. “Oh, Fenrir, you give her too much credit. She's still young."

Voldemort raised a hand, silencing them. “Enough. What matters is that we have achieved a significant victory. But there is still much to be done. The war is far from over.”

He turned to address the rest of the Death Eaters, his voice rising. "But we do understand what happens when you are to fail a task that I have given?"

Draco watched as Voldemort walked around them, like eyeing his prey. "As for you, Draco...oh but you are as useless as your father."

Voldemort pointed his wand at Draco, before hissing: "Crucio..."

Draco fell on the floor, groaning in pain as Cassiopeia could hear Narcissa's gasp. Cassiopeia remained silent, as she did not turn to look at her brother at all, his grunts and groans of pain did not . It lasted for a few minutes before Voldemort sneered and stopped the curse. He turned to Cassiopeia, his wand pointed at her.

"As I have said," whispered Voldemort, "I trust you, Cassiopeia. I entrust Hogwarts to you and to Snape to take care of."

"I do not understand, my lord?" questioned Cassiopeia, as Draco lets out a grunt. Narcissa in an instant moved to help up the boy. Cassiopeia and Snape took steps forward.

"Now that Dumbledore is gone, do you expect me to take over that school?" spat Voldemort, turning to face Cassiopeia, tilting his head. "Of course not! You shall ensure that there is dark magic taught, mudbloods to destroy, and to ensure that Harry Potter does not enter the grounds."

Cassiopeia's eyebrows furrowed for a while before she nodded. Snape nodded as well.

"We shall do what we can, my lord." said Snape, as he walked over near Cassiopeia.

The Death Eaters murmured amongst themselves, their gazes shifting between Cassiopeia and Snape. Bellatrix’s eyes gleamed with pride, while Fenrir Greyback looked begrudgingly impressed. Narcissa watched her daughter with a mixture of relief and concern as she held Draco.

As the meeting concluded, Voldemort disappeared with a crack, leaving the Death Eaters to disperse. Bellatrix approached Cassiopeia, her eyes gleaming with a twisted sort of pride. 

Cassiopeia inhaled deeply, as she walked away, her eyes glancing at Snape every now and then.

She had earned the dark lord's trust.

And it felt as though she had drank a whole bottle of Felix Felicis that she wasn't tortured for failing the task in killing Dumbledore, and the trust that she earned from Voldemort.

Snape watched Cassiopeia for a moment, and he nodded his head.

a/n:
Hello! I have currently no idea how to continue this, my ideas seemed to have vanished lol do you guys have any ideas, plot suggestions, or things that'd happened to Cassiopeia and Snape? I'd love to add them to the story, it'd be great help! AAA drop your ideas on what will happen to Cassiopeia 💘💘

(please uwu)