metanoia ~ regulus black

watch and burn

The days that followed Matty's death were the worst days Cassandra Lupin had ever known. They were dark and dull and full of sadness, Cassie felt as though she would never be happy again, like the light in her life had left with Mateo. There was a small funeral the day before they went back to school. Cassie read a poem she had written at the funeral, it was about hope and staying strong in dark times but as she read it she felt like a fraud, hopeful and strong was then opposite of how she was really feeling.

The train ride to Hogwarts felt so wrong without him, the Maruaders offered to sit with Cassie but she refused, it felt like a betrayal to Matty sitting with anyone else on the way to the home they had shared together for six years.

When Dumbledore mentioned Matty in his speech all eyes turned to Cassie but she kept her eyes firmly on the empty plate infront of her. When she saw Mulciber and Avery sitting at the Slytherin table, laughing with their friends she felt a rage that she had never felt before. She hoped that they would never be happy again after what they'd done.

When the feast was over she headed straight to her dormitory not stopping to talk to anyone on her way. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling when she heard the door open.

"Hey Cassie," Lucy said softly. Cassie tried to muster a smile for her friend. "I was going to ask how you're feeling but I realised that's a stupid question. So I'm just gonna ask if you want to talk about it?" Lucy's straightforwardness was one of Cassie's favourite things about her.

Cassie didn't respond for a moment, "It was Mulciber, Avery and Bellatrix did you know that?"

Lucy's eyebrows shot up and her jaw dropped before a steely look went over her face.

"And his wand was downstairs, he had no way to defend himself."

She watched Lucy's expression, she looked calculating. "What are we going to do?" Lucy asked, hatred in her voice.

"I'm going to kill them." Cassie said simply, Lucy could see that she wasn't joking. "I'm going to kill all three of them. And then I'm going to kill all their dirty death eater friends. And then I'm going to kill Voldemort himself. Or I'm going to die trying."

Lucy took a moment to take in what Cassie had just said. "And I'll be there right next you." She said in support for her friend. Cassie nodded silently. "But for now we can't do that. I'm not having you end up in Azkaban for scum like that."

Cassie nodded, "You're right. We can't do anything that drastic in Hogwarts without ruining everything. I don't care but I know that's not what Matty would've wanted."

"For now, we'll just take their disgusting happiness away from them." Agrees Lucy.

Cassie stood up from her bed abruptly. "Are you serious about sticking with me?" She asked. Lucy nodded solemnly. "Then come with me." Cassie said danger in her voice.

Lucy did as she was asked and the two girls left the dorm, walked out of the common room and through the corridors until they reached the front door. They walked out onto the grounds in a dangerous silence until they reached the quidditch pitch.

"What are we doing here?" Asked Lucy quietly.

Cassie pointed to the Slytherin changing rooms, "They keep their brooms in there."

The two girls snuck into the Slytherin changing rooms and unlocked the door to a small store cupboard where the teams expensive broomsticks were kept. Of course the Slytherin team all had the newest broomsticks. Cassie and Lucy levitated all seven broomsticks out onto the middle of the pitch and piled them up quietly.

"Light it up Lucy." Cassie said dangerously.

A spurt of fire shot out of Lucy's wand and the brooms lit up like a bonfire, they burned slowly. Whilst the brooms began to burn Cassie shot more fire out of her wand onto the grass, making letters burn into the pitch.

M U R D E R E R S

When they were finished their task they sat down, dangerously close to the flames. They were warmed by the fire and the flames reflected in their eyes.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Said Cassie softy. Lucy nodded.

"Let's get out of here, in case someone sees the flames out of their window." Said Lucy.

The two girls stood up and left the pitch quickly, only pausing to take in the view of the last of the brooms crumbling into ash.

***

The next morning Cassie was at breakfast early for the first time in her life. She headed down, groggy eyed from lack of sleep, she hadn't been sleeping well since Matty died. The memories kept her awake, wondering about what could've been, what had been taken away from her.

Her and Lucy sat quietly waiting, Cassie didn't touch any food, she wasn't hungry. She was sipping a coffee to fix her tiredness.

The hall was slowly filling up and people came downstairs for breakfast but none of the people that entered were the ones the two girls were waiting for.

The great hall was almost full by the time the Slytherin team charged in. They seemed to be arguing angrily with eachother, Avery said something that seemed to make them stop and think and before long all of their eyes turned to Cassie.

Cassie loved how angry she had made them but she wasn't done yet. She looked directly at them and smiled at them coyly and sent them a wink.

This was all it took for Mulciber to break away from the group and storm aggressively over to the Hufflepuff table.

"You dirty fucking half blood," Hissed the tall boy as he neared her. Cassie didn't move whilst he neared, she didn't care to. However she was left with no choice when he grabbed her harshly by the shoulders and pulled her out of her seat. "You'll fucking regret what you've done!" He growled in her ear.

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Cassie said brightly. This angered Mulciber more.

"We both know it was you." He spat out. And then he spoke in a near silent tone into her ear so that nobody else could hear, "You should be careful who you mess with, or you might end up the same way as your mudblood friend."

His words hit Cassie so harshly she stumbled backwards but it took less than a second for her to take them in and throw them straight back out in the form of a hard punch in Mulcibers ugly face. There was a loud crunch and blood spurted out of his nose.

Mulciber grabbed his face in pain, "Fucking bitch you broke my nose."

Cassie cocked her head to the side, "Nose, foot... Next it'll be your fucking neck Mulciber."

"Miss Lupin!" Shouted Professor Sprout, Cassie's head of house, My office, now!"

Cassie felt every eye in the hall on her as walked, following behind Professor Sprout. The eyes she fought hardest not to meet trailed on her as she walked straight past the rest of the Slytherin quidditch team and smelt that once comforting smell of seasalt and cologne.