the seven devils [completed]

chapter thirty-nine

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The fortress had always been morose. It was made of only one tower, and it stood in the obscure shadows of the Austrian Alps, dominating over the forests that surrounded it. They called it a castle, but it was more of a secluded prison for Grindelwald's enemies, and there was never anything imperial about it. There had been balls or meetings— that is where the Alliance met, but since they declared open war on the wizarding war, it became a detention center more than anything. The mountain terrain made it hard to access, and that guarded it against the constant attacks of opponents.

Varya had her own room on the sixth floor, and it had a balcony and a few windows, but they were all sealed with charms. They did not want her jumping off. Her time at the Nurmengard Castle was one of the most somber of her life, and it had been filled with days of torment and punishment.

She was only seven, and she should not have felt what she did— the need to end it all, to jump off of the building, to be with her parents again. God, the things they did to her, and the agony of it all. It was so sadistic in nature that eventually, her mind had started shutting it off, and that only angered them more. As long as she remembered, it would thrive.

Now, they were carrying her luggage to a carriage at the Grand Entrance, and the girl was dragging her stuffed bunny along the dirty pavement, catching the dead leaves in its ears and dusting its white fur. Her caretaker, an old lady so bitter she put lemons to shame, was waiting for her out front, tapping her foot impatiently.

Miss Pichler was not the kindest woman the world had seen. As a matter of fact, she had little compassion for those around her, and had immediately grown to hate the young child when Grindelwald had brought her to the castle.

"Why can I not use a broom?" Varya asked quietly, eyes downcasted in obedience. She did not want to travel in a moving cage for so many days. They were sending her away to a school, and she could not understand the reasoning behind it. She was never allowed to practice magic in the castle, so what would she do at Scholomance?

They never allowed her to practice anymore, not after killing so many staff members of the castle. Her Obscurus was tethered to her emotions, and when the girl realized what was happening, she tried the best to suppress the parasite that had been placed inside of her.