little miss black

-41-

Sirius and Cass stepped off the train nervously. Cass trembled slightly as they walked over to their parents. Regulas was waiting beside them with a smug look on his face. "So," Orion said softly. "Decided to grace us with your presence have you?" Sirius and Cass remained silent. Without warning, Walburga grabbed both their arms and they were in Grimmauld place.

"Wands." Walburga snapped, holding out her hand. Sirius and Cass stared at her. "Now!" Cass handed over her wand immediately. Sirius hesitated. Cass gave him a look. Sirius gave his wand over reluctantly. "Rooms." She said. Cass and Sirius hurried up the stairs. They didn't dare to talk. They made it to the top of the stairs.

"You'll be okay, won't you?" Sirius whispered. He knew Cass still struggled with locked doors. Cass nodded firmly. She went in to her room and heard the door slam shut and lock behind her. Her hands shook slightly as she changed out of her robes. She got some books out of her trunk and started to work on a Defence against the Dark Arts essay. Time passed agonisingly slow. The only way she could tell what time it was was bu looking out the window. It eventually got fully dark and Cass decided it was about 6 o'clock. She put away her school books and waited. She heard shouting from down the hall. Walburgas shrieks seemed to accompany Sirius' yells. Cass pressed her ear to the door but couldn't decipher what was being said. She heard the slamming of a door and then everything was silent. Her own door was flung open. Cass jerked back and rubbed her, now bleeding, nose. Orion sneered down at her.

"It's dinner time." He said coldly. Cass pulled herself up off the floor and followed him downstairs. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor. Her nose was bleeding freely. Everyone sat in the dining room in a stony silence. Cass glanced across the table at Sirius, who looked rather worse for wear. He had a nasty looking cut on the side of his face and he couldn't stop shaking. Cass tried to catch his eye but he was keeping his gaze fixed to his plate. After dinner Sirius went straight upstairs. Cass went to follow but Walburga held her back.

•••

Sirius tried not to listen to the commotion downstairs. He grabbed some parchment and tried to draft a letter to Remus. He couldn't drown out the sound of Cass' screams. He shivered. The quill he had been holding snapped in half. Cursing, he dug in his trunk for another.

Remus,
This may well be the last letter you get from me over these holidays. I'm in trouble with my parents, don't have my wand and I don't want them to find out I'm writing. I hope you have a nice Christmas, I'll send your present with this letter. You better not open it till Christmas Day!! I'm scared Rem, I've never seen them this mad before. It's worse than when we got sorted into Gryffindor. I'm trying to stay strong for Cass but it's rather challenging. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell James any of this, you know what he's like. He would probably get himself  hurt.
I miss you already
Love,
Sirius xx

Sirius folded the letter into an envelope and whistled for an owl. He struggled to open the window but succeeded and tied Remus' letter and present onto the owls foot. It flew off, leaving Sirius alone once more.

•••

Cass staggered up the stairs, gripping tightly into the banister for support. She heard a door open and looked up hopefully, hopeful that it was Sirius. It wasn't. Regulas came out of his room. He stared at Cass in horror. They had been home for a few days and Walburga and Orion hadn't stopped trying to teach them a lesson.

"Come to gloat have you?" Cass croaked. She lost her grip of the banister and fell back slightly. She held on to a portrait for support. Regulas didn't say anything for a moment.