Beloved - F. Weasley

9.

{.9. Cassiopeia and Andromeda}

Growing up Carina Bella Zabini had always looked to the stars at night when she couldn't sleep. Without her mother knowing she'd open her balcony doors and take her favourite blanket and wrap herself in it and she'd try to read herself the stories behind each star — it rarely worked as she couldn't read too well as a child but she'd remember the way that Blaise told her the stories and would try her best to recall from memory.

She used to love the story about the Draco constellation as obviously her friend was called Draco — she thought it was amazing how Lucius paid to name a constellation after him when she was younger until she had realised that Draco was named after it not the other way around — and the story behind it of how he could protect and guard the treasures, she felt like Draco had always protected her and most definitely lived up to the constellation story.

But her favourite story had most definitely been about Cassiopeia, Queen of the Night Sky, mother to Andromeda, Cassiopeia had boasted about how beautiful she was and how she was the most beautiful in the kingdom and even the world. The God of the Sea Poisedon had taken offence to this, he created the most beautiful creatures in the form of sea nymphs. In his rage of anger Poseidon had also created a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the seas and kill the sailors and damage their ships. When people asked what could be done Poseidon had told them that Cassiopeia had to admit that his sea nymphs were more beautiful otherwise he would not stop. Cassiopeia would never admit this so the only other way, according to Poseidon, was if her beautiful daughter Andromeda was sacrificed to Cetus then and only then would he stop. The villagers took Andromeda and chained her to a rock, this projected out into the sea for Cetus to come and get her. Andromeda however was rescued by Perseus and Cetus was turned to stone.

Due to her actions Poseidon and his brother Zeus decreed that Cassiopeia was to be placed in the sky as a constellation as punishment for being so conceited about her looks and she would be suffer the humiliating fate of being hung upside down.

Carina loved this story. There was not really a reason why she specifically loved it. She just always thought that it was the most interesting and it always taught her the message to not be conceited and to not be up your own arse — even though she claimed at every opportunity that she was beautiful and had the Zabini Beauty. Obviously when she was really young she didn't understand but as she grew older she realised the message and she also saw how the relationship of Cassiopeia and Andromeda could be similar to the relationship between Eleonora and herself.

Eleonora was known for her beauty and she embraced it, she walked around like she was the most beautiful woman in the room. She most certainly acted as if she knew that she was too. She knew that the story of Andromeda was a lot better in the end as she married the handsome Perseus and became the Queen after Cassiopeia was banished but Carina couldn't help but relate. She felt chained to pure blooded society and she felt like she was shackled under the pressure and was being sacrificed to Nott for her mother to keep up appearances. She felt like it was a good metaphor anyway.