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chapter forty-five. ( nine lives are a feeble belief )
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ASCELLA BLACK WASN'T USUALLY SO AFRAID. She was a Gryffindor — which, she mused, was rather cliche of her, but that was the general gist of it. Four years ago, a nearly-twelve Ascella sat on the old, rickety stool, and was sorted into Gryffindor, and was labelled as brave. It was odd to be anything but courageous if you were a Gryffindor — you were out of place, peculiar, different. There wasn't a place for someone in the house of lions who wasn't valiant. Ascella Black had to have valour, it was what made her her.
But, right in that moment, Ascella was scared.
Merlin, she was so terrified she could hear her heart pounding within her sternum, the receptive thump echoing in her ears, the only sound she could focus on. Her hands trembled in the restraints, the shakiness of her slender fingers almost alarming, as though she were falling into some sort of fit — something that was the result of the man behind her, the one who had her life in the palms of his hands, and could extinguish it at any, given point.
Like the cat, Ascella used to think she had nine lives. She thought so when she survived her first encounter with Voldemort at twelve, the demon disguised as her Defense Against Dark Arts professor. She thought it when she entered the Chamber of Secrets at thirteen, and conversed with Tom Riddle, who was the puppeteer to Ginny Weasley's life. She even believed it when she followed Harry and Hermione down the rabbit hole to save Ron's life, someone she'd follow into war for, all unaware of what lay ahead. Ascella used to think she was invincible.
Ascella's belief about having nine lives dwindled away when Peter Pettigrew smashed her head against a tombstone to revive his previous Dark Lord. The silly, childish idea began to wither when Voldemort used the Cruciatus curse on her so mercilessly, and she truly knew what pain felt like. She fully understood what it was like to know how easily your life could be stripped from you, and the recognition almost tore her heart out.
