It all begins
by Viata Visatori
Prologue: Cry out
A woman's wretched screams bounced off the freshly cleaned tiled floors of number twelve Grimmlaund Place. Following the stretch hallways lit by lamps hanging on the once elegant walls, which now consisted of long, torn pieces of wallpaper. The tears lead to the kitchen. Another horrid scream left the mouth of an aged woman sitting on the cold floor, back against a cabinet. She hugged her knees as close as she could without putting too much pressure to her enlarged stomach. The woman was Cassiopeia Black. She panted heavy before another loud cry ripped from her throat and shook her entire body.
Her deep green dress, which was snug around her belly, was being ripped more along the sides as she moved her knees further apart. Thinning black hair draped over her face as she threw her head forward in agony, covering the tears streaming down her face. Cassiopeia began to push, making another cry through clenched teeth, she pushed again...and again...once more. Suddenly, a deep sigh escaped her lips, followed by the high pitched cries of an infant. Letting her legs limply fall to the floor, Cassiopeia weakly pulled herself up straight and looked over her now flattening stomach, where a small infant laid crying. She reached towards the crying infant when a sudden pain in her abdomen halted her movements. Cassiopeia screamed in pain causing the infant to cry louder. There was a sudden burst of green flames and a women walked in to the kitchen with a house elf following close behind. Another scream filled the room this time coming from the women as she looked to see Cassiopeia lying on the ground bleeding and the infant covered in blood.
"Kreacher grab some towels anything, quick" she all but screamed at the elf. Kreacher was back in seconds with a load of towels.
"Go get help" she yelled again.
"Ah Kreacher don't...Walburga" came Cassiopeia's weary voice causing Kreacher to stop and Walburga to look at her.
"Your going to die, we have to hurry!" cried Walburga desperately.
"Shh child your too noisy...let me see my baby" she said straining to get a hold of her child.
Walburga placed the crying infant in Cassiopeia's arms and silently cried as she did so.
"My baby, my little girl" Cassiopeia cooed hushing the child. She was dying anyone could see that. Her breathing was ragged and harsh. Her skin pale and cold. The exact opposite of the crying infant covered in blood.
"Kreacher...go get a Healer" said Walburga crying silent tears for her Aunt. "What is her name Aunt Cassiopeia".
"…..." she said smiling and then suddenly she stopped moving. Walburga hurried to catch the bloody infant. Then seconds later Kreacher showed up with a very confused looking healer from St. Mungo's.
"Oh dear!" shrieked the Healer and hurried to Cassiopeia's side only to realize she was too late. "What happened?" asked the Healer after a moment of silence had past.
"She died giving birth obviously" spat Walburga angrily.
"...but that's impossible she is much to old to have had a child...its impossible" she said.
"Well it happened" Walburga yelled handing the crying infant over to the Healer. The Healer looked at the child for a long time and then its hair changed color.
"What in Merlin's name" said the Healer astonished.
"What! Whats wrong!" Walburga yelled scared she would lose the baby her Aunt painstakingly brought into this would only moments ago.
"Her hair it changed colors?...and its still changing colors!" said the Healer. "We should go to St. Mungo's so we can clean her up and fill out the necessary papers" she spoke once more before rushing to the Fireplace.
"I'll be right there" Walburga said before turning to Cassiopeia's body and noticing that the Healer had placed a sheet over her.
Walburga once again fell to her knees crying for her Aunt. The woman who had loved her more than her own mother had. The woman who had given everything to her.
"I'll swear to take care of your child as if it were my own. I will your child the best life it could have" she quickly tried to compose herself and stopped crying. Walburga then rose to her feet and called for Kreacher.
"Yes, Mistress" said Kreacher popping out of no-where.
"Clean up" was all she said as she walked to the fireplace and entered along with the Healer
"St. Mungo's" said the Healer, throwing down the purple powder and engulfing them in flames. Walburga felt the sudden draining feeling of the floo that she oh so hated. She was lucky that she had set up the floo network to her house earlier so she could do errands.
It all seemed to go by in a haze for Walburga one minute the Healer was in front of her cleaning the baby. The next she was being asked questions by a Trainee Healer. Walburga thoughts however were on the child and if she was healthy or not. She was very proud to say that she knew the child would be a powerful witch if she was already turning her hair different colors. She had great expectations for her. She would be an exceptional witch like her mother.
"What is the infants name?" asked the trainee breaking Walburga from her thought.
"Its Laniya, Laniya Circinus Black" she said with a proud voice. The trainee scribbled it down.
"What is your name and relation to the infant?" she asked.
"Walburga Black and she is my cousin" said Walburga as if were perfectly normal.
"…...but she...she isn't your granddaughter or something?" asked the confused trainee. Before Walburga could explain to the young Trainee, the Healer from earlier had come back and explained it to her and gave the infant to Walburga.
"She's a Metamorphmagus" said the healer.
"A what?" asked Walburga confused.
" A Metamorphmagus" she said again.
"And what pray tell is that?" she asked.
"A Metamorphmagus is a witch or wizard born with the ability to change his or her physical appearance at will, rather than requiring Polyjuice Potion or a spell like the rest of the wizarding population. They are extremely rare." chimed in the trainee as if she were reading it directly from a book.
"I see, well she is a Black after all." said Walburga proudly.
"So there are more Metamorphmagus in your family" she asked.
"Technically yes, but I refuse to acknowledge it" stated Walburga.
"What did you mean by you refuse to acknowledge it?" asked a very confused trainee.
"The child I speak of, her mother was a Black before she married a muggle-born and sullied the Black name" said Walburga.
"What does that have to do with anything," said the trainee hotly "I'll have you know I'm a muggle-born."
"The most Ancient and Noble house of Black," said the Healer "am I correct".
"Yes, we keep our blood pure and get rid of those who sully the name" said Walburga.
"Well the paper work is done you can head back home now" said the trainee with a hint of malice.
"I'm sorry for your loss" said the Healer.
Walburga nodded her head and left. She wanted to get home because she had a lot of planning to do.
Authors note
The end so what did you think...review, comment, subscribe, and favorite. I get motivated by reviews! I would love to hear some of your ideas too. Please help I also draw art for the story, so if you have a suggestion...I might just do it. :D