arcane | j.potter

chapter one

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*one*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The smell of burning flesh filled the air in the dining room of 13 Grimmauld Place, as tortured screams echoed in Cassiopeia Black's ears whilst she watched her older brother lay writhing in agony on the cold marble floor.

"Crucio!" Walburga Black shouted after the burning charm she'd placed on her son had worn off.

Cassiopeia looked on, not a muscle moved in her face as she stared at her twin, watching as a tear fell down his face as he watched their older brother, slowly dying under the extreme torture.

Cassiopeia had known it was going to happen. Sirius had been pushing their parents all night, baiting them with talks of muggles and anything that Walburga and Orion Black deemed beneath them. Eventually they were going to snap and it seemed like that was what Sirius was aiming for, because no matter how many times Cassiopeia had kicked him subtly under the table or tried to send him a look, he never even bat an eyelid in her direction. That was until their mother threw the steak knife in his direction, narrowly missing him.

It was like the bomb Sirius had been planting all night had erupted in an explosion of Crucio's and Hexes, with malicious and deadly intent behind each cast. Regulus, glanced pleadingly at his twin, terror taking over his pale face as Sirius began to froth at the mouth under the intense torture. Cassiopeia was the only one who could ever stop these situations, Regulus tried to step in sometimes but never got anywhere, although there was always a cost whenever either of them interrupted. Not that Sirius would ever know that.

"Mother." Cassiopeia interrupted, abruptly causing her mother to lose concentration and turn to her daughter with a face like thunder.

"What?" Walburga spat at her daughter, furious to have been interrupted. Whilst she was distracted, Cassiopeia wordlessly and wandlessly, sent a rejuvenating spell over to her brother, slowly healing him. It was a spell that made the utter agony dull to a bearable ache.

"I was just thinking, if you continue on for much longer, he'll still have tremors for our luncheon on Friday. Whilst I'm sure people will understand, him being a blood traitor and all. However there will be certain individuals coming that may frown upon your methods of punishment." Cassiopeia offered in a sickeningly innocent tone dripping in her voice.

"The Luncheon?" Walburga questioned, briefly confused. "Oh yes, the luncheon. Well, I suppose that's enough for today. Get up, boy." She instructed Sirius as she turned her attention back to the beaten boy. How the woman expected Sirius to get up after that ordeal without an aid was beyond Cassiopeia. Sending a prayer to Merlin, Cassiopeia stood to her feet.

"Mother. I think you may have gone a bit overboard. He's gonna need-"

"Overboard?!" Walburga fumed, turning her fury onto her only daughter. "Overboard you say? That filthy blood traitor wants to ruin us all and you think I'm going overboard?"

"What I meant, is that I think in order for him to be well enough for the luncheon and appearances, maybe we should just leave him to fester and think about his actions. And his loyalty." Cassiopeia prayed Sirius kept his mouth shut as he slowly sat up, resting his back against the wall. She turned to glance at her twin, sending him a flash of a comforting smile before turning her attention to the situation at hand.

"Watch your tone, little girl. I'll decide when and what is enough."

"It's never going to be enough is it?" Sirius coughed out as blood trickled out the corner of his mouth. Cassiopeia sent him a pleading look from behind their mother but as usual, he ignored her. He'd never understood why she went along with their parents ideals and attitude, how she could prevent a session of abuse but in the same breath reinforce such crooked ideals. Of course he'd never given her a chance to explain herself either. "It's almost like a sick part of you gets off on torturing us." The beaten boy smiled as blood coated his otherwise perfect teeth. He stood to his feet cautiously as the effects of Cassiopeia's spell had fully fallen into place.