As soon as she entered Grimmauld Place for the first time, she could perceive its deteriorated state. The place seemed to have been abandoned for many years. Cassi felt a slight irritation that no one had informed her.
Sirius seemed nervous to be there after so many years. He had been expelled when he was only 16. But he explained that it would be an ideal location to serve as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, due to the security measures his father had implemented during his time there.
Cassi noticed the heavy and dusty air that filled the space. The smell of antiquity and secrets kept for decades permeated the air. The tapestries hanging on the walls proudly displayed the Black family crest, but now they were faded and worn by time.
The corridors were labyrinthine, filled with portraits of Black ancestors who seemed to attentively observe any movement.
She walked alongside Sirius, while the portraits hanging on the walls watched them with curiosity.
Whispers spread among them until one of the portraits shouted:
"Look who's back... Sirius Black, the blood traitor!"
A woman with black hair retorted disdainfully, "Scum! How dare he set foot in this house again?"
"And who is this girl? A lost relative?" one of them asked, pointing to Cassiopeia.
"Oh, of course, Sirius drags his offspring here now. What a fine example of parenthood!" another snarled sarcastically.
Cassiopeia raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked at the portraits.
"Hello, I'm Cassiopeia, the daughter of Regulus Black," she said playfully.
The first man sighed in surprise, "Regulus' child? Well, that changes things... somewhat."
Others began murmuring among themselves.
"So you're the child that appeared on the tapestry? The one Gaunt carried when he disappeared?"
"It doesn't change the fact that Sirius is still a traitor!" one of them shouted angrily.
Sirius growled, tired of the incessant noise.
One particular portrait stood out with its shrill and authoritative voice. It was a woman with dark hair and cold, light eyes, and she did not hesitate to express her dissatisfaction with Sirius
"Youuuu! Blood traitor! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! You are a disgrace to this family!" the woman screamed furiously.
"Mother, shut up! YOU CRAZY WITCH! I'll burn you and this whole house if you don't stop screaming," Sirius growled at the portrait.
"You won't burn any property!" Cassiopeia snarled. She advanced towards Sirius and pulled his ear, reprimanding him.
The other portraits began to laugh.
"Look at that, Sirius is getting beaten up by his own niece! That's what he deserves!" one of them happily celebrated.
"Do not underestimate the child's fury, Sirius. It seems she inherited Walburga's temper," another laughed hysterically.
"Oh well, I won't burn anything. Promise," Sirius exclaimed.
As the commotion calmed down, Cassiopeia approached her grandmother's portrait.
It was impossible to ignore the striking resemblance between them. Walburga's eyes, full of disdain and determination, seemed to reflect the same piercing gaze of Cassiopeia.
"So, you are the daughter of my dear Regulus... The heir of the House of Black. Come closer, I want to examine you more closely," Walburga requested, calmer now as she attentively analyzed Cassiopeia.
"Pleasure to meet you, dear grandmother," Cassiopeia curtsied.
Walburga paused for a moment, her eyes widened. She seemed to want to say something but couldn't find the words.
"Your smile..." She said with a sigh. "You have Regulus' smile."
Cassi smiled even more, holding her amulet tightly between her hands.
"Everyone seems to say that. But apparently, I have your eyes too," she smirked mischievously.
Walburga seemed to scrutinize Cassi intently for a moment, looking at her as if assessing her.
"Are you at Hogwarts?" she suddenly asked. "Which House?"
Cassi laughed at the question. "Slytherin, as a Gaunt should be," she teased playfully.
Walburga appeared quite pleased and clapped her hands gleefully, shouting to the other portraits.
"Finally, finally. I knew my dear Regulus would bring honor to our family!" Walburga exclaimed excitedly, but her smile vanished as she saw Sirius again.
"YOUUUU! you traitor, you filth. Conspirator of the scum!" she yelled angrily.
Walburga continued to rant, expressing all her anger and disdain for Sirius.
"Do not speak to her! Do not you dare contaminate her, you blood traitor!"
Cassi decided to intervene.
"Grandmother, don't shout so much. If you were alive, it would cause terrible wrinkles," she joked, and the portrait suddenly stopped.
Walburga was momentarily confused by the statement.
"Wrinkles?" she asked, visibly concerned.
Cassi noticed the reaction and let out a soft laugh.
Sirius suddenly seemed very excited. "If I had known that's all it took to shut the old hag up, I would have done it sooner," he said, laughing.
Which earned him a pat from Cassiopeia. "Don't be so cheeky."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Got rid of one Walburga and got an upgraded version," he grumbled irritably.
Walburga was watching Cassiopeia attentively, but Sirius pulled her to explore the rest of the house.
"We'll see you soon, Grandma," Cassi said softly as she followed him.
The house was in urgent need of renovation, and Cassi decided that she would demand it out of respect for her grandmother and her family. As she explored the mansion with curiosity, her smile didn't fade.
Sirius went to check the condition of the rooms, and Cassi decided to explore. Her steps led her to a door that read "Regulus Arcturus Black." With a smile, she entered the room. To her surprise, she found a very well-preserved space, in contrast to the rest of the house.
However, something caught her attention as she turned around. A house-elf was watching her curiously from the left side of the room. Cassi approached the elf gently and smiled.
"Well, hello. Who might you be?" She asked, curious.
The elf seemed shocked for a moment, but then slowly approached her.
"Could it be that Kreacher is seeing correctly? Mistress would be so pleased to see that you have her eyes," the elf murmured to himself aloud. "I am Kreacher, miss," he said with a hoarse voice. "Is it true what the treacherous scoundrel said? Is it true that you are Master Regulus' daughter?" His eyes filled with tears.
Cassi felt the urge to laugh at how he referred to Sirius as a treacherous scoundrel, but she held back.
"Yes, I'm Cassiopeia. I am Regulus' daughter," she replied with a smile and a slight nod.
Unexpectedly, the elf began to cry.
"Miss has Master Regulus' smile," he sobbed.
"Kreacher misses Master Regulus so much."
Cassi smiled at the elf. "Are you the one who keeps his room like this?"
"Kreacher tries to save the treasures of the noble House of Black. Kreacher cleans and takes care of everything," he said with a bow.
Cassi thought to herself that not so much, as the house was in a rather deplorable state. However, she understood that the elf must be quite old and had spent years alone, taking care of what he could. She felt a wave of compassion and gratitude for Kreacher and the devotion he showed to the family.
She decided that, in addition to demanding the renovation of the house, she would also take measures to ensure that faithful Kreacher received the care and attention he deserved.
"Could you show me around the house, dear Kreacher?" Cassi asked gently.
"Kreacher lives to serve the noble House of Black," Kreacher said with a bow. With great joy, he showed her the entire residence.
At the end of the afternoon, Cassiopeia connected with Sirius for a moment.
"Your grandfather put every security measure known to wizards when he lived here," he said after a pause. "It's untraceable, so Muggles could never come and connect, as if they would want to. And if Dumbledore adds his protection, it would be hard to find a safer house anywhere."
Cassi pondered the proposal for a moment. However, she didn't want to be excluded or underestimated because she was younger.
"Alright," she said firmly. "I agree to let the House of Black serve as the headquarters of the Order, but on one condition: I want to participate in the meetings. I don't want to be treated like a foolish child. I have my own abilities, and I wish to contribute to the cause."
Sirius looked at Cassi hesitantly, but she continued without hesitation.
"No deal without that," she said, giving him a cold look and raising her chin.
Sirius winced. "Stop that, it's too much like her," he said, referring to Walburga.
With a sigh, he agreed. "You have my respect"
Cassi smiled, feeling very pleased with herself.
She was doing her best to put the place in order. But she needed help, and she didn't want Kreacher to exert himself too much due to his age. The elf expressed many times how he wished to be beheaded upon his death and have his head displayed on the wall next to his ancestors. Cassi found it a bit morbid, but she would ensure that the wish was fulfilled, which made Kreacher very happy and emotional.
Dumbledore added his own protective spells to the place. He wasn't very pleased with Cassiopeia's demands, but he agreed after a brief moment of contemplation.
She was in the room where the Black family tapestry hung, occupying the entire wall. Sirius tried to get rid of it, along with some other dark artifacts, but Cassiopeia wouldn't allow anything she liked to be removed. Much to Kreacher's great relief, as he always thanked her profusely.
The tapestry looked immensely old; faded and, from the looks of it, the Doxies had chewed on it in a few places. Nevertheless, the gold thread with which it was embroidered still had enough shine to display a massive family tree that dated back to the Middle Ages. It was retrieved with a spell, and Cassiopeia intended to restore it.
Right at the top of the tapestry, in large letters, it read:
The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black "Toujours Pur"
Cassi could see her name just below her father and mother's:
"Regulus Black"
She ran her fingers around her father's name affectionately.
Lost in her thoughts, Cassi didn't notice Sirius entering.
"There you are," Sirius sighed. "The Weasley family is downstairs. I would like you to greet them."
Cassi didn't pay much attention and pointed to Sirius' name, burnt on the tapestry.
"My sweet and dear mother blasted me off after I ran away from home..." Sirius grumbled.
"Kreacher really enjoys grumbling about that story," Cassi teased mockingly.
"That crazy rat," Sirius growled.
"Why didn't you ever go back, Uncle?" Cassi asked.
"Because I hated them all: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, thinking that being a Black made them practically royalty... my idiotic brother, foolish enough to believe in them..."
Cassi huffed and slapped him. "Stop. Calling. Your. Brother. Idiotic." She said, emphasizing each word with a slap.
Sirius laughed.
"He was a much better son than I was, my parents never tired of reminding me." Sirius said.
"And he died. An idiot... joined the Death Eaters." Sirius sighed, and Cassiopeia widened her eyes.
"Oh, come on, foxy, haven't you seen enough in this house to know what kind of wizards your family were?" Sirius said, annoyed.
"Were... my grandparents, Death Eaters too?" Cassi asked, now twiddling her fingers thoughtfully.
"No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort was right, they were fully in favor of purifying the wizarding race, getting rid of the Muggle-borns and handing power over to the pure-bloods. And they weren't alone, there were plenty of people before Voldemort showed his true colors who believed in him... they cowered when they saw the lengths he was willing to go to seize power. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was the perfect little hero when he joined in early on..."
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes.
"My mother told me that my father died as a hero," she said with conviction.
Sirius didn't say anything, looking very, very downcast.
"Still... I sometimes wonder, if it was Voldemort who killed him," Cassi whispered.
"You don't hand in a resignation to Voldemort and get away with it," Sirius reflected, melancholic. "Maybe that's why he asked your mother to flee. She wouldn't stay while carrying you."
Cassi looked at Sirius with tears in her eyes, but quickly composed herself. "Let's go before Molly Weasley take our heads."
Before leaving, Cassi found herself looking once again at the names of Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa.