The Oracle in the Night

chapter 3 - the letter from no one

TW: In about the middle of the chapter there is talk of rape/sexual assault/abuse. This is an original warning. I will include another one when the topic is brought up.

'The Letter From No One'

Bellatrix began and curious faces filled the hall

'It had been nearly 5 years since the Dursleys had left Cassiopeia at Wools Orphanage.'

Many frowned at the reminder of Cassiopeia's living conditions.

'When Cassiopeia first arrived at Wools, she thought she was escaping a hellhole, but  really she was just plunged straight into hell.'

Many concerned faces turned to look at Cassiopeia, none more than her parents and grandparents, but she was fast asleep in Perseus' arms. He had a protective arm wrapped around her waist, daring anybody to come near.

"How bad was it?" Sirius questioned.

Perseus' winced slightly and replied tensely, "You'll see."

People in the hall figured that they were going to hear that a lot.

'She was quicker to anger at the orphanage. Cassiopeia was no stranger to having a bad temper, but it worsened at the orphanage. And the angrier she got, the more her magic lashed out. The matron and the other kids hated strangeness even more than the Dursleys did. Often after fits of accidental magic Cassiopeia would be locked in a small, dark closet for the night without dinner. Or she would have to sit in the corner and balance two large bibles on each of her arms. But the worst of all was the exorcisms.'

Half-bloods and muggleborns gasped in horror at the thought of Cassiopeia going through an exorcism. The purebloods looked around confused at the terror-struck faces.

Bellatrix spoke up, "What's an exorcism?"

Lily answered in pure anger, "Exorcism is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other spiritual entities from a person, or an area thought to be possessed. It's supposed to be horribly painful."

The purebloods adopted looks of anger, sadness, and loathing. 'How dare those filthy muggles harm a magical child.'

Bellatrix hastily began again before anything else could be said.

'They would tie her to the bedpost, pour boiling hot water over her 'to purify her soul', and chant bible verses until she was sure that she could recite them all from memory. Her magic would heal her injuries so the matron and the nuns and the pastors all thought that the exorcisms weren't working. And like the idiots that they were they thought that doing it over and over again would make a difference. But it just made Cassiopeia angrier, and her magic was almost erratic. But at other times her magic protected her, kept her safe.

When she was nine, a cruel boy named Davy Jones and a few of his friends didn't like her eyes.'

The adults and upperclassmen in the hall shared confused looks, what was that supposed to mean.

'So, one of them took a steak knife from the kitchen, the others pinned her down behind the orphanage and tried to cut through her eyes.'

Lily started crying slightly, muttering about how she should have been there for Cassiopeia. Other members of the hall traded glances, how much had this girl gone through, and how sick could muggles be.

'Luckily enough they only cut through the skin around her right eye before her magic kicked in.'

James and the Marauders straightened up at the mention of accidental magic.