Squib On The Run (sequel to Squib In The basement)

29. Acceptance And Forgiveness

"Lucius? Lucius Malfoy? Draco's father? You're related to the Malfoys?" Questioned Harry.
"Almost all pure-bloods are related in someway. Lucius is married to our cousin Narcissa, so we are related through marriage" explained Cassiopeia.
"He hurt you. He committed a crime. You should've gone to the Ministry, and gotten him arrested" replied Sirius.
"It's a bit hard to do that when you are locked in the basement of an enchanted house, and chained to the wall. Especially when you don't have any magic. Besides, even if I had been able to escape, no one would have believed me. It would have been his and mother's word against mine, and no one would have listened to a stupid Squib like me".

"I'll kill him" growled Sirius.
"If you do that, you'll definitely get yourself re-arrested, and I don't want that... There was a time in my life where I wanted to kill him for what he did. The only reason I didn't, was because I care about Narcissa and Draco, and I don't want them to be hurt in anyway" explained Cassiopeia.
"I'm not going to let him get away with what he did to you" replied Sirius.
"What's done is done. Killing him won't undo what he did to me 12 years ago".

"How did it happen anyway? How did mother get her hands on you, when you were safe in our house? I placed powerful wards around our home, to stop her from getting in. So, how did she get passed those barriers?" Asked Sirius.
"She tricked me into going to the Ministry. I thought I was going there to help you and get you out of Azkaban. But the trial ended up being about me instead. Mother convinced the Ministry officials that you had kidnapped and brainwashed me. So, they handed me over to her for my own safety, and once I was back at 12 Grimmauld Place, she enchanted the house so that I couldn't leave... I was trapped in hell, and this time no one came to free me" answered Cassiopeia.

"What about Andy?" Quizzed Sirius.
"I don't think she knew where I was" sighed Cassiopeia.
Sirius turned his head to look at Remus, "What about you? You lived with us both, so you must have noticed that she was missing? Why didn't you try to find her?".
Remus averted his eyes awkwardly, "Well, the Prophet was telling the whole world that you were a death eater, so I wanted nothing to do with you. I thought you'd killed James, and Peter, so I avoided your house for quite a while, and stayed with my father instead".

"What about Cass? We both agreed to look after her if something happened to the other person. She was only a kid afterall. Why didn't you try to find her?" Demanded Sirius.
"She wasn't a kid, she was 18, and perfectly capable of looking after herself. I heard from people at the Ministry that she was back at Grimmauld Place. So, I just assumed that when you got arrested she made things up with Walburga, and moved back home" admitted Remus.
"But you knew what my mother was like. You knew she'd tried to kill her in the past. So, why in Merlin's name would you leave Cass with her?" Questioned Sirius.
"Well, I thought you'd lied about everything else, so I just assumed you'd lied or at least exaggerated about what life was like for you both in 12 Grimmauld Place. It is hard to believe that a mother would go through such lengths to hurt her own child".

Sirius turned away from Remus in disgust, to look back at Cassiopeia, "How did you manage to escape in the end?".
"I didn't... Mother let me go once I had given her what she wanted; a son" revealed Cassiopeia.
"Why didn't you come to me once you were free?" Asked Remus.
"Because I assumed you had turned your back on me, because of what you believed Sirius had done. And I couldn't be sure that you weren't also a traitor. I had already been betrayed by Peter, I didn't want another one of my friends to let me down" said Cassiopeia coldly.
"I'm so sorry, I should have done better" apologised Remus.

Cassiopeia looked away from Remus and back to Sirius, "Mother had forced me to do an Unbreakable Vow, so I couldn't just take the child back and run away. But I wasn't going to let an innocent child get raised by our mother. That's why I poisoned her. She didn't deserve to live. And I couldn't go back to a normal life while she was still alive. So, I had no choice but to kill her. I didn't mean to kill my son as well, it was an accident. Once mother was dead I planned on taking my son to Andy, so that she could raise him. But I never got that chance... I called him Alfie, after our favourite Uncle; Alphard. I never wanted to hurt him, but I suppose his death was the universe's way of punishing me for murdering my own mother... I've been on the run ever since then" admitted Cassiopeia.

Sirius placed his hand supportively onto her shoulder, "You don't need punishing, for you did nothing wrong".
"Thanks Siri" mumbled Cassiopeia.
Harry slowly stepped towards her with his head hung low, "I was wrong for what I said to you before. I don't think that you're a bad person, for doing what it took to survive".
"I'm glad to hear that Harry. It's been eating away at me these past few months, knowing that you hated me for one mistake I made over 10 years ago" replied Cassiopeia.
"I don't hate you. And I'm grateful that you spent so much of your time watching over me" admitted Harry.
"You're welcome" smiled Cassiopeia.

"As lovely as this little family reunion is, can we get back to the fact that we are trapped in a room with a werewolf and a mass murderer, who killed Harry's parents" announced Ron.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "I did not betray Harry's parents or murder a street full of Muggles. And I can prove it, if you give me your rat".
"What has Scabbers got to do with this?" Questioned Ron, as he held his rat tighter to his chest.
"That is no ordinary rat. Like the rest of our friends, Peter Pettigrew was also an animagus, and he could turn into a rat. That night 12 years ago, he shouted to the whole street that I had gotten the Potters killed, not him. He then blew up the street, and turned into a rat, before running off down a pipe into the sewers" revealed Sirius.
"You're mad".

Harry looked between the rat and Sirius, before stepping towards Cassiopeia.
"Is he telling the truth?" Asked Harry.
"Do you trust me again then?" Quizzed Cassiopeia.
"Yes" answered Harry.
"Well, I wasn't there that night when Sirius confronted Peter. But I was there in Godric's Hollow, when You-Know-Who came for you. I watched him kill your parents before he turned his wand on you, and ended up destroying himself. I then carried you out of the room when I heard footsteps approaching. I hid us in the bathroom and looked through the keyhole to see who the traitor was. I saw Peter coming up the stairs, wearing a death eater's uniform, and calling out for his master. Peter was the traitor not my brother".

Harry stared at her for a few moments, taking in everything she had said.
He then turned his head to look back at Scabbers the rat, "Prove it" he instructed.
Sirius smiled, "With pleasure".