A Star Too Far | Sirius Black

Chapter 24

 The marble floor was cold against Cassiopeia's skin. She couldn't move. Her small body was too exhausted, it was in too much pain. The eleven-year-old girl lay sprawled on the cold floor of Atticus Caddel's office.

She didn't know how long she was lying there, but she knew she couldn't move. The pain had been going on for merlin knows how long, but it felt like hours. Cassiopeia had watched her father curse her, then her mother, and even once or twice they shot the curse at her at the same time.

"Get up! You pathetic little girl! Look at you!" Celeste's voice boomed after a few minutes of silence. Cassiopeia didn't move. A tear fell from the corner of her eye, over her nose, to the other side of her face, reaching her ear, and dropping to the marble floor.

"Your mother ordered you to get up!" Atticus crouched next to his daughter's body. "So, you get up," Cassiopeia let out a cry of pain when her father yanked her up by her hair. "-or have the few months of being a blood traitor made you forget your manners?"

Cassiopeia's knees were shaking hard, her entire body was trembling, her eyes bloodshot red, and her throat felt so raw from screaming. Atticus shoved her hard which made her stumble to the floor.

"So pathetic! So weak!" Her mother spat. "You dare correct me back at the station!?"

"What's that about, Celeste?" Atticus frowned at his wife.

"Cassiopeia," She started, circling her daughter's body that was on the ground. ", had the nerves to defend her mud-blood of a friend," She laughed. They both laughed.

"A mudblood, eh?" Her father mused. Cassiopeia felt her throat tighten, her eyes felt like lead, she was losing consciousness. "What do you say? One more round?" Cassiopeia could make out her father's face, staring over her with a raised eyebrow.
She didn't respond.
She couldn't.

"I say one more round." He nodded to himself.

"Crucio!" Two voices rang through the walls. Cassiopeia didn't even get the chance to scream, whither, yell, protest, run, hide or do anything before her eyes closed, and she saw black.

"Mistress! Mistress!"

"Mistress wake up!"

"Mistress Cassiopeia!"

Eyes open, Cassiopeia sat up instantly but groaned in pain. She was on her bed, two elves around her. Her body was in an intense amount of pain. She looked from one elf to the other.

"Master Atticus has ordered your presence, mistress," One of the elves squeaked. Her heart dropped. 

"What time is it?"

"Master ordered Zori not to answer any of mistress Cassiopeia's questions!"

"I am ordering you to tell me the time," Cassiopeia felt her anger flare up.

"The time is twenty-two hundred hours!" The elf, Zori squeaked again.

"Thank you. You may leave now." Cassiopeia got out of bed, checked under her bed and sure enough, her secret stash of healing potions was gone.
She stormed down the stairs and found her parents sitting at the dinner table.

She stood at the entrance, just glaring at her parents with an amount of hatred she never felt before. Cassiopeia was so angry at her parents and at herself.
She was angry at herself for not being able to defend herself, to stand up for herself.

Celeste's eyes widened when she caught sight of her angry daughter, which confused Cassiopeia. "A-Atticus!" She breathed in horror.

Cassiopeia was even more confused when she saw her father's eyes widen as well, he stood up and stormed toward her. Cassiopeia instinctively raised her wand at him.
"Keep away from me!" She said, emphasizing each word.