#tpoe i

[cesqdarque]

Through the Shadows of the Night

Her loyal soldier. Her dark knight. 🖤

⏳ Timeline: Summer after 5th year. Back home at Val d'Aosta. After Seb left.

read the scene under the cut.

He found her where the shadows grew thickest. Curled against the base of an old tree, as if the shadows of the night itself had taken her in.

Cass’s chest rose and fell in quiet rhythm, her skin kissed by the soft moonlight, pale as cold porcelain.

Zacharias sank to his knees, listening to the silence between her heartbeats.

He had seen her sad before, often, in the wake of everything she had lost. But this... this was different.

There was no anger, no tears. Just absence. The absence of everything she had once carried as defiance.

It was as if someone had taken the light from a moth and left it to drift, aimless in the dark.

For a moment, he hesitated — held his breath, as though his presence alone might wake her. But she didn’t.

And as he watched her fragile frame, he remembered. The nights she wouldn’t sleep. The quiet desperation in her voice. The stubbornness that had once held her together like string pulled tight. Now she looked... lost.

When she didn’t stir, he lifted her into his arms, pressed her firmly against his chest as if she might slip through his fingers if he let himself hesitate.

Quietly, he rose — the motion like a prayer — and carried her home.

To the place where her heart might remember the light.

Because even if she had forgotten, she didn’t belong to the shadows.

[cesqdarque]

The Cost of Loyalty

After more then a year I finally got to the point I decided to share the keypoint of Zach's lore. Because he's part of my lil universe for a reason... and oh boy, it did hurt a lot to take these screenies 🥲

⏳ Timeline: The Beginning. Before Hogwarts. Before Cass even set a foot on her grandmother's manor.

read the scene under the cut.

The stone was cold.

It pressed against his knees, rough and wet with old rot.

The door groaned open again.

Heavy leather boots struck stone.

He didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

Harlow.

“Still alive, I see.”

Zach stayed silent.

“You’ve been rather… stoic. Impressive, even. Your mistress certainly formed a true soldier. I’ll grant her that.”

The toe of Harlow’s boot nudged his ribs.

“I don’t know who you think I am,” Zach replied, voice low and even, “but clearly, you’ve mistaken me for someone who gives a damn about your theatrics.”

That earned him a dry chuckle.

“You’re clever,” Harlow murmured. “And loyal. But loyalty’s only useful when it’s pointed in the right direction, yeah?”

Zach finally looked up, eyes sharp. “Is that what this is? A job offer? Forgive me if I’m not exactly leaping at the chance to serve under a greasy halfwit with a God complex.”

The spell hit without warning — a flash of red, unyielding and searing. Pain ripped through his spine like a burning wire. His vision flickered. Darkness crept at the edges.

But he didn’t scream.

He wouldn’t.

The pain subsided. Zach exhaled slowly, jaw clenched, breath uneven.

Harlow straightened, brushing imaginary dust from his lapel.

“Oh, I think you will, Boniface. Because somewhere in that cold little brain of yours, you’ve already figured it out. You’re not getting out of here. Not alive. Not whole. Unless…”

Zach raised his head. His voice came sharp, unwavering.

“You can curse me. Beat me. Bleed me for hours.”

He spat on the stone between them.

“But I am no traitor.“

Harlow paused for a second. Then smiled wickedly.

“What you don’t know,” Harlow continued, “is that your little mission was pointless. We dealt with the parents. Sloppy of them, really — hiding out in the mountains like sheep. Thought silence would keep them safe. Fools. But the girl….”

His tone shifted, darker now.

Zach’s attention snapped into focus, gears turning. A girl? Mrs. Montague had never mentioned a child. But if she was truly Augustina’s heir…

His orders were clear.

“What‘s the deal?” he asked at last, voice flat.

“Ah, finally. There he is,” Harlow laughed coldly. “It’s simple. Your life, in exchange for the Montague heiress.”

He stepped closer, eyes gleaming.

“And all I need from you… is your word. A vow.”

[cesqdarque]

The Fairest Rose in the Garden

The Fairest Rose in the Garden. (Part Three)

📍 Montague Manor. Val d‘Aosta, Italy. ⏳ Before Hogwarts. ⚠️ TW: attempted SA

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Read the scene under the cut.

She wanted to step back, to put distance between them, but he held her in place. His smile turned cold as his fingers slid to her back.

“So young. So innocent,” he whispered into her ear. “So desirable.”

Nausea welled up inside her and she tore herself free from his grasp. Disgusted, she stared at him.

“My father may not have considered it until now, but the price your grandmother — that you — will have to pay for the protection of that delightful and inquisitive little mind of yours,” he closed the distance she had tried to build and ran his hand through her hair with a treacherous grin, “has just gone up.”

She slapped his hand away from her face.

“Whatever it is you intend to negotiate for, to take — I forbid it!” Cassandra hissed.

Rage contorted his features. He grabbed her roughly once more and pulled her toward him.

“That decision is not yours to make. Your grandmother may still hold her protective hand over you — for now,” he whispered coolly. “But we live in a man’s world. You’ll learn soon enough what it means to submit, you stubborn little thing,” he growled through clenched teeth.

She fought against his grip but couldn’t break free. She could scream for help — but she had lured him into the most secluded part of the garden. Her mistake.

“Let go of me! This instant!” she ordered.

His laughter rang cold through the warm summer air.

“I take what I please, darling. We always do,” he sneered and leaned dangerously close.

She struggled in his grasp, but it was useless. She had overestimated herself, and now she could do nothing but endure, disgusted and horrified, what was about to unfold. She shut her eyes, bracing herself to have her first kiss stolen — by a monster clad in fine fabrics.

“Monsieur LeNôtre!” a deep male voice cut through the fields like fire, not far from where they stood.

[cesqdarque]

Cross Me, Bury Yourself (Part Two)

⏳ Timeline: After Seb's return. Between 5th year and my Dark! Seb Series.

Read under the cut. And for the vibes 🎶

Part One | Part Two

The force of the spell hurled Sebastian backwards; he slammed against a standing stone with a heavy thud.

Before Seb could recover, Zach was already on him, seizing him roughly by the collar, yanking him forward until their faces were inches apart.

His voice was a lethal whisper.

"I’m no man of faith. But I firmly believe the Norns intertwined our threads as delicately as veins running through flesh. So tell me, Sallow - when you kissed her... did you taste my lingering shadow on her pretty lips?"

Sebastian, still slightly dazed from the impact, let out a low, mocking chuckle, even as Zach kept him pinned by the collar.

"You think you're some kind of ghost on her skin?" he spat, voice dripping with venom. "Newsflash, Boniface — she never once moaned your name when she came undone beneath mine."

For a split second, Zach froze.

Then something flickered in his eyes, something dark. Something murderous.

He leaned in just enough that Sebastian could see the steel-blue of his eyes flashing cold and furious behind the tinted lenses.

His whisper was pure death.

"Another word like that, Sallow and I'll carve out your tongue so precisely you'll live just long enough to regret every letter you've ever spoken."

[cesqdarque]

Cross Me, Bury Yourself (Part One)

⏳ Timeline: After Seb's return. Between 5th year and my Dark! Seb Series.

Read under the cut. And for the vibes 🎶

Part One | Part Two

"Does she know?" Seb asked, his voice cutting through the heavy air.

"What exactly should she know?" Zach hissed back, anger flashing in his eyes.

Sebastian glared, dangerous. "The whole story of why I left her?"

Zach let out a bitter, hollow laugh.

"You left because you wanted to leave. Nothing more, nothing less."

"That's not the whole truth, and we both know it," Sebastian growled in response.

"You're no good man," Zach snapped. "And if you still don't grasp that, then our conversation in the hospital wing bore no fruit, Sallow."

Sebastian scoffed under his breath.

Zach turned away from him sharply, his body taut with fury, forcing himself to breathe.

"Go on, prove me wrong," he muttered, voice low and dangerous. "But your actions speak for themselves. You only came back to use her magic once more. You're a fool if you think I'd let that slip."

Sebastian smirked, his voice a blade. "You're not her dark knight, Zach."

"Neither are you, Sallow," Zach threw back over his shoulder without looking at him.

"Unlike you, I never claimed to be. She's tough. She doesn't need one," Sebastian said, almost laughing.

Zach exhaled a bitter chuckle. "And that's where you're even blinder than Gaunt. You wouldn't survive a single day in her shoes. She needs a man who will stand by her, come what may - who knows how to tame his own needs and ego. Qualities you don't even know how to boast about."

Seb shook his head, a cold smirk curling on his lips. "And you really believe you are the embodiment of those qualities?"

Zach's voice dropped to something grim and final. "I'm already hers. She knows where my loyalties lie. That's what makes us different."

Sebastian's gaze hardened. "Loyalty is not love."

"Bold statement from a man who knows neither." Zach snarled through gritted teeth.

Sebastian responded only with a low, scornful scoff.

That was it. The final thread of Zach's patience snapped.

"Depulso!"

[cesqdarque]

The Fairest Rose in the Garden

The Fairest Rose in the Garden. (Part Five)

📍 Montague Manor. Val d‘Aosta, Italy. ⏳ Before Hogwarts.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Read the scene under the cut.

Silence settled over the secluded corner of the garden. Then Zacharias turned to Cassandra, his deep blue eyes softening, concern replacing anger.

“Are you alright?”

“Perfectly,” she replied dryly. “Just a lesson in how to handle toxic things. Nothing more.”

A frown formed on his forehead.

“A lesson?” His brows drew together. “I’d prefer your lessons remained limited to the ones we share. Concerning toxic plants, not toxic bastards. Does your grandmother know what’s going on here?”

Cassandra stared at him incredulously. “My grandmother? Who do you think put me in this hideous dress?” she hissed angrily.

“Hmmm,” Zach murmured.

“You won’t tell her about this — do you hear me?”

“Cassandra, I don’t think you understand the severity of—”

“I don’t understand?! Why do you think I had to hang around with that French prick? Do you think I haven’t noticed the stream of high-ranking visitors lately? Here, at the estate — not at her town house, where she usually does business?!”

“I am aware of that. What I meant was—”

“I know what you meant. I had everything under control.”

“That’s what you call control? That bastard had his filthy fingers—”

“That’s none of your concern, Zach.”

“I think your grandmother might see that differently—”

“You’re not my minder.”

“I’m whatever you need me to be.”

Cassandra was just about to draw breath for her next verbal strike when a loud crack announced the sudden appearance of a house-elf at her side. She startled and stepped back.

The elf smoothed his violet rags, wrapped like a toga around his small body.

“Miss Darque, your grandmother sent me to remind you of dinner,” he squeaked.

Then he turned, hand outstretched toward Zacharias. “And you, Mister Boniface. Study. Immediately.”

Zach nodded. Then he bent down, picked up Cassandra’s parasol, and handed it to her before adjusting his glasses and looking at her through the tinted lenses.

“I meant it,” he said, gesturing to her pastel summer dress. “Clothes make a statement. Remind him who he messed with — or I will.”

A loud pop. And the house-elf and Zach were gone.

[cesqdarque]

The Fairest Rose in the Garden

The Fairest Rose in the Garden. (Part One)

📍 Montague Manor. Val d‘Aosta, Italy. ⏳ Before Hogwarts.

Cassandra Darque, the granddaughter of matriarch Lady Montague, entertains guests from abroad at her grandmother's country estate. A flashback from my MC's life before Hogwarts.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five

Read the scene under the cut.

The summer sun burned hot over the fields of Val d’Aosta. Stalks, bronzed and ripe for harvest, swayed in the gentle breeze drifting through the Alpine valley.

In the ever-blooming rose garden of the Montague estate, Cassandra wandered beside her grandmother, bored, shaded beneath her parasol. As often in recent weeks, the matriarch was entertaining guests. This time, they were visitors from the nearby French borderlands, come to negotiate with her grandmother. About money, territory, and influence — the same tiresome games Cassandra had long since ceased to care about.

Nothing appealed to her less than joining such stiff company. But her Nonna had insisted, that her granddaughter accompany the group.

So, she hadn’t protested when Alfie the houself had brought her the afternoon’s wardrobe selection after the midday rest: a pastel pink, delicate summer dress. Complete with hideous frills and a hem far too revealing — in short, everything that clashed with her usual taste.

“Topolina,” Augustina’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Monsieur LeNôtre just asked you a question,” she scolded in a saccharine tone.

It would have been a fatal misjudgement to call her grandmother’s soft smile affectionate. It was nothing short of a warning.

Cassandra barely suppressed a sigh — one that would only have further provoked her grandmother’s displeasure. Playfully, she let the stem of her parasol twirl between her fingers, casting dancing shadows across the grass beneath her feet, before turning to the gentleman to her left.

“Forgive me, I was just so taken by the beautiful blossoms. What was it you said?” she lied with perfectly practiced innocence.

Her companion overlooked her brief lapse and flashed his dazzling white teeth in a smile no less insincere than her own.

“No need to apologize, Mademoiselle,” he cooed, his words coated in honey. “I wouldn’t be my father’s son if I didn’t appreciate fine horticulture. And your grandmother’s rose garden truly deserves an award. A feast for the eyes. Though not the only one in these fields,” he added with an unmistakable wink.

Cassandra shivered.

Entertaining this pompous noble’s son was not to her liking. But she knew her role well. While Grandmother Montague worked the frail old Monsieur LeNôtre in matters of business, it fell to her to amuse his son.

She chose to ignore his flirtations and instead recalled what Zacharias — her tutor and Potions Master — had taught her about the botanical world.

“Flowers are certainly delightful, no doubt,” she said, turning her back on the blooming roses and walking toward the bushes at the end of the garden path. “But what truly fascinates me are the brews one can make from them.”

Her companion followed her sudden change of direction silently, though with a puzzled expression.

[cesqdarque]

Torna a casa

⏳ Timeline: After Seb left in the end of 5th year.

Read the scene under the cut. And for the vibes 🎶

Inhale. The long wooden tables, four by number, had been cleared. The festive banners that had hung low from the ceiling just a few days ago had disappeared. The enchanted mimicri of the evening sky glowed a deep orange between the beams above them.

Exhale. Where was he now, she wondered silently. Did he see the hills of the Highlands clouded in the same glow? Or had his journey - no, his flight, for no less was it in truth - already taken him to distant lands?

A clearing of one's throat tore her from her musings. Caught off guard, she ran a hand through her hair before turning around to face the inevitable.

Zacharias looked at her with a gentleness as if he feared she would break at every blink.

He extended his hand toward her. His voice carried his request to her softly. "It's time to return home, love."

Her eyes reflected the flames of the fire in the fireplace behind them. Something held her back. She didn't want to leave this place. Not giving up on the hope of seeing him again. Not forsake him.

"Cassandra." Zach whispered softly. "There's nothing keeping you here anymore."

Carefully, he reached for her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers before bringing it tenderly to his lips.

Eyelids closed to prevent tears from falling.

A gentle tug, the glow of green flames. And Hogwarts blurred in a swirl, carrying the past. The melancholy, however, traveled with her.