Together

Chapter Thirty-One - Candice

Green flames absorbed the worried brunette. She arrived in the dirty fireplace she used to stare at daily just to pass time. She cautiously stepped out, dusting herself off. The whole place seemed silent, as if noone was home. By the look of the living room, her uncle hadn't been home for a long time... It was a great mess: furniture turned over or to its side, the television (which had never actually worked) was smashed up to pieces, and the wallpaper was ripped off the walls and scattered around the room. Candice sighed.

She trusted him. She had put her faith in him, for him to be taking care of himself. For him to not go running back to his drinks once she boarded that train at King's Cross. The girl blamed herself of course; that was no question. She was the one who left him when he need her the most.

It was silent. Too silent. The Slytherin pulled her wand out as a precaution. She wasn't the weak girl anymore, who her uncle had sent off to Hogwarts. She had changed. Okay maybe not much, but she tried to gather up all the confidence and bravery she had. So good she wasn't put in Gryffindor! The girl inwardly chuckled at her stupid joke and made her way to the kitchen.

"Mistress Black! You're not supposed to be here!" a voice cried as soon as she stepped in.

Candice jumped in fright and pointed her wand at the creature, then quickly lowered it as she saw it was Kreacher. The house-elf decided to move from Sirius' old family home to theirs once he knew that she existed. His loyalty always lied to Regulus in the past, and so his grumpiness was only to Sirius and not her.

"G-good Gods! You scared the l-life out of me, Kreacher!" she put a hand against her rapid heart.

Kreacher however ignored her comment and limped towards her. Limped? Candice was furious that her uncle ever dared to lay a finger on her friend, however the guilt of she-should-have-been-limping overpowered it.

"No! No! You must go Mistress Black! You're not safe here!"

Candice stepped back as the elf reached out. She knew what he was trying to do: apparate her away from there. But she wasn't ready yet. No. She had to see her uncle first.

"Kreacher, w-where is Sirius?"

"You must get out! He will hurt you again!"

Her face scrunched at the words, and she took another step back. Silence. Too much silence.

"I don't c-care, Kreacher! W-where is he?" she raised her voice slightly, and the sound bounced back at her.

"Hush Mistress! He'll hear you!"

Candice listened knowingly for a moment. No sound came from upstairs. Adrenaline fizzed in her blood as she jogged up the stairs without giving it a second thought. This was a stupid decision, she thought once she reached the landing. Her wand was held tightly in front of her, like before. She considered going back while she could. Who knows what state her uncle is in at the moment! The girl selfishly wished to be back in Severus' quarters; away from this dirty house, away from the mess.

Despite that, her concern for her only living family member dug deep, and she needed to see if he was... still alive. Silence. Why couldn't she hear him? Snoring, breathing, yelling, anything! Her hand shook as she saw the first room: the plain white door hanging half off its hinges, the wooden bed frame snapped into uneven parts and the duvet teared up with soft feathers to be found around the room.

That was her room, Candice thought. It took a moment too long for her to note the obvious: Sirius really didn't want her back. Stupid girl, she scolded herself, such an idiot you are. Of course he didn't want her her! And now she might end up losing Severus too, as for him not being very happy at being abandoned. She needed to go back to Hogwarts; fast.

Lost in her thoughts and the eerie atmosphere, the girl never took notice of what - or rather who - stood behind her. Her yelp sounded muffled as one of his hands went over her mouth. The sea-green eyes widened as the other wrinkled hand moved down her right arm and slowly removed her wand from her possession.

The air around her alerted her of his movements, yet she couldn't hear him. It was silent. Did he use magic on himself perhaps? She didn't know. The only thing she did know is that all the courage she had dispersed. She attempted to open her mouth but he felt it and strengthened his grip on her face. She could smell the lack of hygiene of his sully fingers that were placed just under her nose (her only free airway). Candice waited for him to speak or push her down, but instead a voice she didn't expect came from downstairs.

"Candice?"

The Slytherin could have cried out of joy hearing her beloved. He was here? She wasn't sure if he was. His deep voice echoed for mere seconds, before the unbearable silence refilled the house. She felt her eyes tearing up, as she feared what was to happen next. She watched as his hand dropped her wand to the floor, letting it roll freely. Yet she couldn't hear the wood as it landed, nor as it rolled. What was wrong with her?

"What are you doing here, ey?"

He was not shouting, even though it felt like he was. Candice let a single tear roll down her cheek and when it reached his hand, he immediately pulled it away and backhanded her. She fell from the sudden impact and her old instincts kicked in as she scrambled out of his reach on hands and knees.

For the first time, she was faced with her uncle. Although, she would not call this version of him 'uncle'. No. This was her 'monster', the one she couldn't escape until he passed out. Sirius was drunk; a simple passer-by could take notice of that. One thing however, that was different this time - compared to all her past experiences - was that he had his wand in his hand.

Magic. He had magic, not just his muggle way of letting his anger show.

Silence.

He cast a spell.