SECTUMSEMPRA

☆☆☆

The next day, Ron was all better. Cassiopeia that day never felt so trap, and the vanishing cabinet only needed one more thing until she could fix it fully. She walked into the Great Hall, emotions mixed...but she noticed her brother. She frowned, before she followed Draco's eyes and saw Harry who was talking to Katie Bell.

Cassiopeia watched silently, as she saw Harry turn around, his green eyes meeting Draco's.

And she knew this wasn't going to end well.

Cassiopeia's heart raced as she watched Draco slip out of sight, down to the dimly lit corridor. She followed, breathing heavily. He looked too troubled, and she wanted to confront him for his terrible plans that almost got Ron killed.

Draco was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his white-blond head bowed. Cassiopeia lowly approached him.

'Don't,' crooned Moaning Myrtle's voice from one of the cubicles. 'Don't... tell me what's wrong ... I can help you."

'No one can help me,' said Draco. His whole body was shaking. 'I can't do it ... I can't ... it won't work ... and unless I do it soon he says he'll kill me...'

And Cassiopeia realised, with a shock so huge it seemed to root him to the spot, that Draco was crying - actually crying - tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin.

Before Cassiopeia could utter a word of comfort, Draco caught sight of Harry's reflection in the mirror. Draco wheeled round, drawing his wand. Instinctively, Harry pulled out his own. Malfoy's hex missed Harry by inches, shattering the lamp on the wall beside him.

Cassiopeia instantly ducked down, away from the spells that was being thrown about. "That's enough!" She tried to yell, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Levicorpus!" yelled Harry. and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked the jinx and raised his wand for another. "Cassiopeia---move!"

'No! No! Stop it!' squealed Moaning Myrtle, her voice echoing loudly around the tiled room. 'Stop! STOP!'

When it came quiet, she could hear the grunts of Draco as he stood up, breath heavily.

"That's enough---" she said, standing up, looking at him. Moaning Myrtle, too, sobbing and shouting to stop. She turned to look at Harry, but she could not see him. So quickly, she ran over to Draco, grabbing his arm. "Stop it."

Draco sneered at her, his eyes blazing with fury. There was a loud bang and the bin behind Harry exploded; and a spell was thrown back, but backfired off the wall behind Draco's ear and smashed the cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle, who screamed loudly as water poured everywhere.

With a flick of his wand, he unleashed the torture curse towards Harry, his intentions clear. "Cruci---"

"No!" yelled Cassiopeia, and as she did so, she was about to move Draco's hand.

In a split second decision, Harry bellowed a curse. "SECTUMSEMPRA!" the words echoing in the air like a death knell. Cassiopeia's heart froze as she watched the curse hurtle towards Draco, her instincts kicking in as she rushed forward to push him out of harm's way. He fell on the ground with a grunt, and his wand flying out of his hand.

But it was too late. The curse struck Cassiopeia with brutal force, slicing through her flesh like a knife through butter. Blood spurted from her face and chest as though she had been slashed with an invisible sword.

She stagged backwards, and collapsed on the waterlogged floor with a great splash. Pain exploded across her body as she crumpled to the ground, blood pooling beneath her like a crimson river.

"No---!" yelled Harry.

"Cassiopeia!" yelled Draco, he staggered up and he knelt down next to her. His hand shaking, his eyes wide as he watched his sister lay in a pool of her own blood.

Slipping and staggering, Harry got to his feet and plunged towards Cassiopeia,  but he was met with Draco, who took Cassiopeia's wand and held it up to point at Harry.

"Stay back, Potter!" sneered Draco, with eyes so dark and furious.

Harry's face was now shining scarlet, "No-- I didn't---" he didn't know what he was saying, as he tried to approach Cassiopeia.

Her breath intake was heavy, but short. It felt as painful as the cruciatus curse. Her eyes were getting heavy, and she couldn't think straight; the pain so terrible. Her hand shook, her entire body shook uncontrollably as she lets out a painful sob.

"Don't you dare come near her, or I will kill you!" yelled Draco, his eyes glancing at his sister who was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of her own blood. He placed his hand on her chest, shoulders, trying not to touch the wounds as his mind raced.

Moaning Myrtle let out a deafening scream. "MURDER! MURDER IN THE BATHROOM! MURDER!"

"Cassiopeia!" yelled Harry, ignoring Draco's words and he stumbled down to her. Draco sneered, Harry shook his head repeatedly. "No...no...no...I didn't---I don't---Cass---"

"Stay back!" yelled Draco, throwing a weakened spell at Harry who was thrown back, but not as strong as Draco expected to since he was shaking in fear.

The door banged opened behind Harry, and he looked up, terrified. Snape had burst into the room, his face livid. Pushing Harry rougly aside, he knelt over Cassiopeia, drew his wand and traced it over the deep wounds that the curse had made, muttering an incantation that sounded like a song.

The blood seemed to ease; Snape wiped the residue from Cassiopeia's face and repeated his spell. Now the wounds seemed to be knitting. She lets out a breath, a shaky one.

Harry was still watching, horrified by what he had done, barely aware that he too was soaked by blood and water. Moaning Myrtle was sobbing and wailing overhead. When Snape had performed his counter-curse for the third time, he half lifted Cassiopeia, with the help of her brother, helped her into a standing position.

She felt so weak, and she didn't look at Harry. She didn't know what she was feeling at the moment, was it disappointment? Or pain?

"You need the hospital wing," said Snape. "There may be a certain amount of scarring. But if you will take dittany immediately we might avoid even that...come..."

He supported Cassiopeia as well as her brother across the bathroom, turning at the door.

"Cassiopeia..." said Harry, holding a hand out, wanting to take her instead. He has never felt so afraid in his life. He almost killed the girl he loved.

"You, Potter...you wait here for me!" sneered Snape, before he helped Cassiopeia out of the bathroom.

She didn't know what happened next when she reached the hospital wing, but she felt her vision darken and her eyelids drop. Cassiopeia tried to fight falling into the darkness, but she couldn't help it anymore.

Her blurry vision caught a glimpse of Draco who looked furious, but she couldn't see Snape's emotions. She shut her eyes, her eyelids dropping as she felt Draco pull her blanket up.