Cordelia Lyra Malfoy had always been different from the rest of her family. Her family were blood-supremacists who tried to teach their views to their children. Cordelia never believed with their views and would be punished for it.
She never felt a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
TW: Mentions of abuse
The summer leading to her fourth year was very calming for Cordelia. Not having to go back to Malfoy Manor had taken a lot of stress off of her and she did not feel anxious for the first summer in a long time.
Amos and Adele Diggory loved having the girl with them, and they treated her as their own. She and Adele often worked together in the garden and Cordelia planted daisies. She and Amos read together in the living room. She and the Weasleys took turns visiting each other often. For the first time, Cordelia felt at home outside of Hogwarts
She and Cedric spent a lot of time playing Quidditch, swimming, and having fun.
Swimming was uncomfortable for Cordelia because her swimming suit showed off the scars she had on her back. The kids were shocked and sympathetic as they started to learn more about some of the abuse her father had inflicted on his daughter.
The boys encouraged her to talk to an adult about it as they thought someone needed to know about the abuse so they could make sure it would not happen again. The boys feared that Lucius would attempt to take her away again, and this abuse needed to be known in order to stop it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Cordi, you need to tell my mom and dad about this," argued Cedric as he tried to convince his friend once again.
"Ced, for the last time. I'm fine. It is in the past and there is no point in talking about it," she retorted. Cordelia was being stubborn and didn't want to burden anyone with her problems. She also didn't want the tears to come again, and ignoring the issue always seemed to be the best option for her.
It took a while of arguing before Cordelia finally gave in, holding Cedric's hand as they walked into the living room together.
"Mum, Dad... Cordelia has something to tell you," Cedric informed his parents as he looked down at the girl and noticed her hesitation when she gulped and shook her head before trying to back out of the room.
Cedric sighed as he gripped her hand tighter, pulling her back. "Cordi's father used to beat her. She has scars all over her back."
Adele gasped and hurried over to the girl, lifting the back of her shirt and gently running her fingers over the scars. "Sweetheart, you need to tell us how and when this happened so we can help. Please, let us help you."
Cordelia was hesitant as she looked at the ground, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Please," whispered Adele.
Cordelia forced her head to look up at Adele, her kind eyes making the girl feel at ease. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"It started the summer after our first year of Hogwarts," Cordelia started to explain with a shaky voice. "Father has always been cruel with his punishments, but it didn't become physical until I was sorted into Hufflepuff. He made me stay in my room when he was home... He-he would hit me with his cane... It has a silver snake on the top and the sharp fangs would go into my skin... Sometimes he used an old-fashioned whip that would cut my skin."
Adele frowned at the words as she inspected the girl's body. "Some of these scars look like they've been healed with magic," she observed. "Why not all of them?"
Cordelia took a deep breath before she continued. "Our house-elf, Dobby... He would take care of my wounds but sometimes he wasn't able to because my father would forbid him. My father only allowed Dobby to heal the wounds on my face and arms so that no one could see..." Codelia couldn't say anymore as she let out a sob and turned to cry onto Cedric's shoulder who wrapped his arms around the girl, stroking her back.
"Your father... Did he use any curses on you?" Amos asked with concern. Cordelia nodded her head and mumbled something that the adults could not understand.
Cedric heard due to his ear being so close to her face. "She said he used the Cruciatus Curse on her," he informed his parents.
Adele gasped as tears ran down her cheekd, her heart breaking for the girl. She joined the two on the floor and hugged the crying girl.
"How many times?" Amos asked. He hated pressing the girl for answers, but he needed to know in case it ever came up.
GCordelia kept her face buried in Cedric's shoulder, but held up four fingers to indicate the number of times her father had tortured her.
Amos' heart broke for the girl who he started to see as his daughter. He could not understand how a father could harm his child in any way.
"You are never going back to that place. I will never allow that man to touch you ever again, I promise you that." Amos joined his family on the floor as he held them.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
All of the emotions and crying had left Cordelia feeling exhausted. She fell asleep on the couch with her head on Adele's lap. The mother-figure stoked the sleeping girl's hair while reading a magazine.
Amos sat in an armchair, reading a book, while Cedric sat on the floor with this summer assignments.
Cedric couldn't stop the nagging feeling of curiosity and looked up from his assignment. "Dad? What's the Cruciatus Curse?" he asked, finally looking up at his father.
Amos sighed as he thought about what to say, closing his book and placing it on the side table. "It's a torture curse. Thank Merlin your mother and I have never experienced it and I hope you never do, either. It's extremely painful and too much of it will drive a person mad or give their body lasting symptoms to last a life-time."
Adele looked up from her magazine. "Cordelia is very strong for surviving everything she has been through."
Amos stood up and walked to a cabinet, pulling out an empty vial. He then tapped the tip of his wand to his temple and mumbled something under his breath. Cedric watched as what looked like a bright, glittery golden string was pulled from his father's head.
"What are you doing?" Cedric asked.
"I'm saving the memory of what she told us," Amos explained. "We may need it later on."
Cedric looked at the girl he considered a sister with a greater appreciation for her resilience. She had been through so much, yet she kept herself happy; she stayed loyal to her friends and continued to take care of them in any way she could. Despite everything, she stood her ground and kept her morals. He silently vowed to look after her and keep her safe.
