¤It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves.
The love, life, and lies of Cassiopeia Vulpecula Rosier
"The Dark Lord took a particular interest in me I couldn't have escaped his service if I had tried....
...I must apologize, for I...
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I could still feel the heat, even as my feet hit the floor and I stumbled into Sirius's small flat.
I could feel the scorching in my bones, smell the burning flesh and the singed hair. I could still feel the ashes falling around me.
They were dead. My mother and my father.
Gone.
Engulfed in the fiery inferno I had created. I knew it from the sound of their screams. The agony. The sound of death. Attacked by the flaming dragons that had erupted from my fire.
I clutched my chest and nearly fell against an armchair in the middle of the room. Small gray flecks of ash fell from my hair as I moved.
The thing that scared me the most was knowing that I had been in complete control of the fiendfyre. It had only done my bidding.
And the truth was that I wanted them to burn.
I wanted them to suffer for making me the monster I am. For the years of abuse and neglect. And now there was nothing left. Rosier manor was destroyed. My mother and my father were gone. Both of my brothers and my husband were dead. And my child was mine no longer. I was alone in the world, and the feeling was agony.
But I couldn't let myself dwell on it. Not now. I shook my head, forcing myself out of the daze. Forcing away the soul crushing despair that threatened to swallow me.
"Sirius." I called, wincing at the hoarseness of my voice. I had inhaled a lot of smoke.
The small living room was quiet. A black owl sat in the corner of the room, its yellow eyes glowing in the dim light. Muggle motorcycle magazines were strewn over a small table in front of the sofa. But there was a bright fire crackling in the hearth, so I knew he was home. Most people didn't leave a blazing fire going while they were out.
He appeared in the doorway that connected the living room to the bedroom. Annoyance etched into his face. His hair was in a state of disarray, and his shirt was missing.
"Is nothing sacred anymore?" He said, unable to suppress a yawn. "I need my beauty sleep. I had just managed to drift off when you came banging in here. I swear, giving you the address was the worst decision I ever made."
I might have laughed at the absurdity of it all if not for the growing panic inside of me.
"Sirius." I crossed the room to him in three steps and pulled on his arm. "You need to leave. They're coming for you."
He seemed to finally notice my disheveled appearance- to smell the smoke that clung to my clothes and see the ash that had fallen around me in small piles.
His eyes darkened immediately, and he flicked his wand. He was very suddenly fully clothed and on full alert.
"What happened?" He asked, his voice grave as he pulled me down to sit on the sofa next to him.
