Ever the loyal daughter, Anastasia Black is focused on pleasing her parents and holding the together the crumbling relationship between her brothers. At first, she does not think the scarred and quiet Remus Lupin will put a rut into these plans. Tha...
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Ana winced as her mother brought her hand back down to her side. The girl held her cheek in one hand, cradling the stinging skin.
"Does your reputation mean nothing to you anymore? Does this family mean nothing to you anymore?!" Walburga spoke in a low voice. Her usually ivory complexion was pink in fury.
She yelled for Kreacher and ordered him to take the children's trunks to their rooms. The poor elf could barely scurry up the stairs with the weight of three bags. Regulus stared after him hopelessly.
Ana was pulled by her wrist to the most isolated room of the house: her father's study. She and her brothers had never been allowed in- ever. She quickly glanced back at her brothers, who were just as wide-eyed and confused but followed her and her mother down the hallway.
Walburga pushed her children into the room before entering herself and slamming the door shut. The whole room shook with the impact.
Orion Black was already in the room, sitting at his desk. The walls were painfully dull. The fireplace tucked into the corner did little to heat the room. Many file cabinets and folders were placed around the room and organized perfectly. Ana didn't even know what her father did for a living. All the paperwork strewn around the desk made it more confusing.
Orion just stared at the three children with an unreadable expression. He hadn't changed much since the summer, save for a few more gray hairs. He stood and slowly walked over to Regulus. The boy looked straight ahead, not daring to make eye contact. Ana could see his hands shaking at his sides.
"Regulus."
"Yes, Father?" His voice was quiet.
A pause.
"Crucio."
Anastasia held back tears as she heard her twin's screaming. She couldn't bear to look at him, instead focusing on the pile of paperwork on her father's desk. It was piled high in a perfectly straight stack.
Her mother grabbed her chin tightly and forced her to look at Regulus, who was writhing on the floor.
When Ana squeezed her eyes shut, Walburga dug the tip of her wand deep into her rib cage and growled into her ear, "Open your eyes, or you'll be on the floor next to him."
She reluctantly opened her eyes, and let out a silent sob at what she saw. Her father had lifted the curse, but Regulus still laid on the ground, coughing up what looked like blood. Her mother's sharp nails dug into her jaw.
The Cruciatus curse could affect people in all sorts of different ways. For Anastasia and Sirius, it usually caused external wounds, like a cut or a bruise. Regulus was different. For him, the curse tore up and twisted his insides. He had side effects for days after being cursed. Most recently it was vomiting blood and residual nosebleeds.
