Bruises ~ In editing

~7~

I watch Hermione step to the side as he comes into view, his long, dark brown hair and pain filled eyes meet mine.

I feel tears start to pool in my eyes and I shake my head, blinking them away, "No, don't come near me!"

His eyes go from near joyous to concerned, "Cass?"

I quickly turn on my heel, trying to get out of the room when I hear footsteps after me and Sirius' voice, "Cassie, please wait! Let me explain!"

"No!" I yell, tears falling from my eyes, as I start to move toward the door but Remus Lupin steps in my way, blocking me while Sirius grabs my arm.

I turn to him, tears streaming down my face as he comes close to me, "Cassie please-"

"No! You left me with those monsters! I trusted you! You said 2 years ago you'd come back for me!"

At this point, I'm sobbing, my hands hitting hard on his chest, although I'm crying out in pain with each hit.

"You said you'd always be there for me! You said you'd take me away, you'd raise me, you lied to me!"

I feel him softly grab my hands as he tries to comfort me, "Cassie please."

"No! You left me with those terrible people who threw me into a home full of Death Eaters who've beat me and tortured me for years! H-How could you?!"

"They beat you?" he asks, his voice almost a whisper.

All I can do is nod as sobs rack my chest, soft whimpers escaping my lips, "Sirius, I just want to die. Please, just let me die already. I hate it there."

I punch his chest again, at this point, blood drips softly from my cuts onto his jacket and he looks down.

"My god, you're bleeding!" he grabs my hands and rips the gloves off, staring down at my hands, "What the hell happened?!"

"They made me get on my hands and knees and pick up broken glass," I say, tears racing down my cheeks, "and then when I got my blood on a glass he dropped it and spilled his drink and beat me with his belt. Sirius, I don't know what to do anymore."

I feel my knees give out as I start to slip, and both Sirius and Lupin reach for me to try to catch me from hitting the ground.

Lupin's arms slide under mine and Sirius wraps his arms around me carefully, both moving me over to the couch. I see Harry, Ron, and Hermione staring down at me, all their fears over the years finally confirmed.

And at this point, they've finally seen me cry, heard what's happened, so I just break down more.

For almost forever, Sirius holds me as I cry, stroking my hair, whispering in my ear softly.

I hear Harry speaking to Remus, telling him how for years, they've all suspected it, but I would never admit it to them.

Once I've finally stopped crying, I feel Sirius sit me up as he speaks.

"Where did he hit you with his belt Cass?"

I feel so tired and drained I can barely even hear myself as I whisper, "My back..."

I close my eyes as Sirius spins me around, motioning for Lupin to help.

"I'm going to pull your shirt up, okay?" Sirius says, looking at me carefully.

I swallow hard and nod, feeling Sirius' hand grab the hem of my sweater.

Suddenly I grab his and Lupin's arms, "W-wait. Harry, Ron, Hermione. This is... I don't know if this is something you'll be ready to see..."