Scars Of Cruelty // noble house of black

Prologue

1970

The screams of Druella Black echoed through the walls of Hawthorn Hall. The agony surging through her body felt never ending. She looked around the room disorientated, her second born child andromeda was crouched at the bottom of the bed towels and necessities at the ready, her current youngest Narcissa was clinging to her mothers side with a wet cloth on her forehead both of them hand in hand humming a melody to sooth her pain. Her dazed eyes landed on her eldest daughter, Bellatrix, standing at the window looking out at the clear night sky uninterested in the scene that was unfolding in the room.

"Bellatrix if your just going to stand there could you go and get some blood replenishing potion from fathers office in the village we've ran out of our home supply, and I don't like the look of this" andromeda spoke sharply shooting a glare at her sister.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and headed out the door with a solemn face.

Druella had now been in labour for 46 hours, the longest and hardest one yet though it was to be expected she was not as young as she was when she brought her three other daughters into the world. Her cry's lasted long into the night and through to the morning, the winter sky keeping a blanket of darkness washing over them.

Finally 11 minutes past the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month with one final pain fuelled push she was born, the chill of the November air made its way around the bedroom cooling the rising temperature in Druella's body. Andromeda's tear filled laughter filled the room as she cried out...

"A girl, mother a fourth girl!"

With a quick cleaning spell andromeda handed the newest addition to the black family to her mother with a smile on her face, just as Bellatrix returned with the potion vial and handed it to Narcissa. She placed a kiss on her mothers head.

"She should be named for the brightest constellation in the sky tonight" Bellatrix spoke sternly as her sister slid the potion into their mother's mouth.

"What constellation is that sister" Narcissa questioned trying to glimpse out the window.

"Cassiopeia" Bellatrix looked from the sky to the newborn in her mothers arms.

"Yes." Druella said studying her newest daughter, the black waves of hair on her tiny head, the full lips that let out gurgles of noise, the nose that was so dainty and button like. And the baby opened up her eyes, they were magical a rich brown with rivers of blue coursing threw and wrapping around the iris.

"Cassiopeia Vega Black, that will be her name" Druella spoke one last time before her own dark eyes rolled shut and her skin went cold.

Now it was Cassiopeia's screams that filled Hawthorn Hall, followed by the panicked cries of her older sisters. Andromeda had her wand over her mothers still body reciting every healing spell she could remember and Bellatrix had acciod a potions kit and was knelt on the floor rummaging through it quite unsteadily.

"Cissy take the baby, take her now, to the nursery" andromeda whimpered.

Narcissa did as instructed with silent tears in a constant stream down her face, as she took a left at the end of the hall and was passed by her father Cygnus with a blank stare on his face heading straight for the bedroom she had just left. Once she was at the nursery she heard her fathers scream and cast a silencing over the room holding a crying Cassiopeia in her arms.

"Shhh now sister, I'm here" Narcissa whispered trying to keep herself calm.

A loud bang made her jump when she looked around all of the draws and doors in the room were slamming and the flames of the candles on the table shot up high almost scorching the fresh wallpaper that had been put up only a few months ago. Narcissa's mouth dropped open as she looked at the baby in her arms who had calmed slightly and was looking back at her big sister. The room went quite again and Cassiopeia let out a soft gurggle and latched her hand around Narcissa's index finger.

Narcissa began to hum the melody she had sang for her mother only moments ago again, rocking the baby back and forth in her arms until she fell asleep. Such a cruel beginning for such a beautiful child.