Author's note: I know you hate author's notes, but I'll make it quick. Ok. I am Liz, and I'm 14 so please be nice in your reviews, no flames! I accept criticism because it helps me, but don't be rude. I know that there may be a little bit of Mary Sue in my story, eep. Please R/R and let me know if I should continue writing. I've been writing since I was 13 and so some things are bad, but eh please be lenient on your criticisms.
Ms- Music sphere. It's like a CD in the muggle world, except it is a sphere and it is played on a music player called a Sphere Bowl. This is not explained in the story, as a MS and Sphere bowl is common to wizard life, as a TV is to muggles, and you wouldn't explain what a TV was in your story right?
Her room was lit by the dying sunset from outside her window. The mirror on her vanity reflected its eerie glow causing it to spread through the room. The room had no signs that anyone lived there. The bed was made; no clothes lay on the floor, every corner was clean. Even the birdcage in the corner of the room by the window was empty. It was pristine; not a feather lay there. There was no decoration in the room of any sort, not even a poster, or portrait. Yet somebody did live in that room of 2243 Yew Lake Avenue, Bristol, England.
Lucreisia Black lay face up on her bed, examining her reflection through the Black Family knife. She was an average height girl with an egg-shaped face; her jet black hair extended to a little below her shoulders, adorned with bright copper steaks near the front of her hair. Though her streaks were eye-catching, it was nothing next to her dusty gray eyes. Though it was slightly haunting, it stood out well on her face. Lucreisia had a slightly-thin build and a very fair complexion that gave her a pale look. Her jeans were torn, and her shirt was plain white besides the fact that it bore the band name 'Weird Sisters' in black letters. Dangling from her ears were silver crescent moon earrings, and two silver hoop ear-cuffs rested on her left ear. Lucreisia was a rebellious girl with a personality almost nowhere near amiable at times.
Turning over the knife, she stared at the words engraved on the blade, 'Toujours Pur'. Every time she gazed at the knife, she would always wonder what that phrase meant, but she never bothered to ask anyone. The knife had a diamond encrusted handle, decorated with the letter 'B' in gorgeous emeralds. A serpent was emblazed on the other side of the blade. Lucreisia had always marveled at the knife, even though it had a slight slytherin feel to it.
As the diamonds twinkled and reflected vibrant colors, her eyes blurred in a trance. Lucreisia started to sing a song that she had in her head. It was a song she had listened to on the MS she bought the other day. It was the Weird Sister's newest MS, and she being an avid Weird Sisters fan, bought it as soon as it hit stores.
"So far away. I reach, you run farther from me. I reach farther, and I become lost in your dreams. I try so hard. You don't notice. I try to give, but you push back. I don't know what to do.
I try to do what's best for you yet you turn face and fall away----"
The door opened with a click and Circe looked at her from the doorway, her black hair messy and long. Lucreisia quickly hid the knife under her back, though a dangerous place to conceal a knife, she had to hide it. For, it wasn't exactly Lucreisia's knife. Luckily she was lying on the bed, as the knife sank into the bed, causing it not to slice her back open.
"That was pretty; did you make up that song?" Asked Circe earnestly. Lucreisia shook her head and turned slightly red. She hated anyone listening in on her singing, maybe it was because--
"You could be a singer like your mother!" said Circe beaming. Maybe it was because it brought up the topic of her mother. Lucreisia's mother was a singer in her favorite band, Weird Sisters, before she became a solo singer. But later Adea had died giving birth to her, to the grief of her father, Sirius. A year later, Sirius was in Azkaban for being convicted of murder, she had no choice but to live with her grand-aunt, who won custody over her, to Lucreisia's displeasure. Circe was an ex-death eater, though bringing up any topic concerning death eaters in front her would mean several weeks of confinement to her room. Though she was a death eater, she didn't have the attitude and personality of one, when she was in front of Lucreisia, however she had a strong Black family pride, and a strong hate for muggles, muggleborns, and half bloods. She would occasionally nag at her for being friends with the 'bad kind'. But Lucreisia could honestly see no bad in her friends Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Harry being a half-blood, and Hermione being muggleborns. Lucreisia and Ron were purebloods though.
Lucreisia always despised Circe for acting like a mother to Lucreisia, as though she is trying to replace her real mother. Though Lucreisia never met her mother, the last thing she wanted was an imitation mother.
"Well you could!" said Circe again after Lucreisia remained silent for a minute.
"I don't want to be a singer." Snapped Lucreisia with a tone of finality, hoping to end the subject. Circe, having taken the hint, remained silent.
"Well, go eat dinner, we're having chicken noodle soup." Circe said after a short awkward silence. Lucreisia rolled her eyes and got off the bed, forgetting that the knife was below her. Circe's eyes traveled from Lucreisia to the knife.
"Lucreisia! Where did you get that knife?" Demanded Circe. Lucreisia knew she was in trouble; she stole the knife from Circe's bedroom three years ago; it was Circe's prized possession. Circe walked over to Lucreisia with her hand outstretched.
"You've been snooping in my closet haven't you? I'll just have to lock it up from now on. Give it back, and don't you dare steal anything of mine." Said Circe calmly, thrusting her hand under Lucreisia's nose. Lucreisia grabbed the knife and in one swift move she chucked it, blade first so that it flew and hit the door with a thud, where it remained stuck, the blade and handle quivering. Circe screamed, and Lucreisia bared a sinister grin.
"There...take it!"
Circe's face grew white in amazement and shock
"ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU COULD'VE HURT SOMEONE!" roared Circe, running to retrieve the knife, though she was having a hard time tugging the knife out of the door.
"The only person in here besides me is you."
"Do you have any idea how valuable this knife is?" shouted Circe choosing to ignore Lucreisia's last comment, her face flushed with fury.
"Probably nothing after you've touched it." said Lucreisia furiously, grabbing a pillow and squeezing it tightly, only wishing that it was Circe's neck.
"You don't need to get pissy about it! I asked you for the knife back and you threw it. I'll give it to you one day for you to pass on to your children, but not now. It was my sister's. It's important to me, because she gave it to me after she died."
"Whatever." Lucreisia said clutching her pillow tighter and turning away from her. She wanted nothing more than for Circe to just leave.
"I hate your attitude, I've always hated it. You are so stubborn! You won't change---"
"Good because I hate your attitude too."
Circe let out an exhausted sigh and scowled at her. Lucreisia could care less, the more angry and irritated she made Circe, the happier it made Lucreisia.
"You know very well Lucreisia, I try. I try to care. I try to take care of you and give you what you want." said Circe defensively. Lucreisia faced her and scowled.
"That's not true. You don't care. I'm just one of your chores on your 'To do' list." shouted Lucreisia, tossing her pillow aside, where it landed on floor. Apparently, Circe abandoned her attempt to tug the knife out of the door.
"How can you say that? I treat you like my own daughter, even though you're not. I've never been able to have children, so I treat you like you are one of mine. To me, you are my daughter." said Circe softly, as she sat down next to Lucreisia on the bed, and put her arms around her. Lucreisia gave Circe a threatening face before shoving her arm away.
"Get your hands off me. I'm not your daughter." drawled Lucreisia as she moved away from her. Circe sighed again and got up from the bed.
"Alright fine," Circe said finally, after accepting defeat. "Just go downstairs and eat alright?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I'm not hungry."
"You look hungry."
"I'm not hungry."
"Yes you are."
"Whatever."
"Is whatever your favorite word or something?" muttered Circe disapprovingly as she walked over to the door, probably hoping to pry the knife from the door.
"Sure----why----not?" grunted Lucreisia leaning off her bed to heave up her pillow that she had thrown aside.
"Okay, 'whatever'---"
"Don't imitate me!" growled Lucreisia her temper rising.
"I'm not imitating you. Who'd want to imitate you?" said Circe, her hand tight around the knife handle, giving it a smart tug. Before Lucreisia could even glower at her, Circe spoke.
"Go downstairs and eat, I don't give a damn if you're not hungry. I cooked dinner for you, and you're going to eat it. I hate wasting food, so you're going to eat it."
Circe turned from her and gave the knife another tug but it refused to budge. Circe dug her hands in her robe pockets, obviously digging for her wand.
"Damn it, must have left it downstairs--" muttered Circe as she opened the door. Lucreisia listened as Circe's footsteps thundered down the stairs.
"You know, you could always let me cook! Then I'll eat when I want!" Lucreisia shouted after her, though she knew Circe would either not hear it, or not listen to it.
Defiantly not wanting to go downstairs to eat, Lucreisia walked over to the window and opened it, in hopes that an owl would fly in with letters from her friends, or for a cool breeze to calm her down. Breathing in the fresh air, she longed to transform into her animagus form, a raven. How wonderful it could be just to fly out, away from this wretched house. Circe had told her that it was best for her to stay in the house, though Lucreisia could never ask why, as she hated to be asked questions that had to deal with any of her decisions. And if she ever dared to ask, her temper would hit the roof. Lucreisia knew very well that the fight she had just now was nothing compared to how Circe reacts when Lucreisia asked her questions on her decisions.
Tearing herself away from the window, she frowned sadly at her raven's empty bird cage. Kopaku was out delivering letters that Lucreisia had written a week ago, though the week seemed to last as long as years. Kopaku seemed to be the only companion Lucreisia had at this house, but now with her gone, she felt as lonely as ever. And Lucreisia wasn't about to socialize with Circe. What she wanted dearly was to see her friends, and her father.
Lucreisia missed her father, though she was scarcely allowed to visit him. The last time she visited him was last year, on a snowy hogwarts holiday break. It was Christmas then, and she spent Christmas with her father in Azkaban for a few short hours. She longed for the day where she could leave Circe's for good and live with her father. Though it was impossible, he was serving time in a maximum-security cell in Azkaban, known to be one of the tightest prisons ever. Sirius was convicted and sent to prison for the murder of a wizard and thirteen muggle bystanders. Lucreisia knew very well that Sirius was innocent. After visiting him for the past years, Lucreisia could not see how a person like her father could kill all those people. But then maybe Lucreisia didn't know her father as much as she thought; her father never gave her a clear answer whenever she asked her father about the crime he was convicted of, and Lucreisia learned it was better not to ask.
Lucreisia was overdue for a visit to her father. However Circe would only let her visit if she had 'behaved'. 'Behave' was not in Lucreisia's vocabulary, but she managed to scrape several visits. Though not much happened in the summer that was worth telling to Sirius, she had much to tell her father, including the incidents about the Chamber of Secrets from her previous term, and several other things that she wanted to share.
Circe would probably not let her go, Lucreisia thought as she walked over to the door, trying to tug the knife out herself with no avail. To her surprise, the door opened with such force, causing her to be pushed to wall, the knife handle narrowly missing her head.
"Lucreisia?"
Lucreisia pushed the door from herself. Circe gave her a befuddled look.
"What were you doing behind the door?"
"I'm trying to pull the knife out." Lucreisia said plainly as she walked away from the wall. Circe tapped her wand on the knife and the knife shot out of the door, nearly missing Circe and Lucreisia. The knife fell on the carpet with a soft thud. Lucreisia grabbed it and Circe repaired the hole in the door with another tap of her wand.
Feeling slightly brave, Lucreisia took a dare and asked Circe a question she already knew the answer to.
"Circe, can I visit my dad. I haven't seen him in a while, so I was just wondering if....you know...if you would let me go."
Circe turned around and gave her a face that clearly told her the answer; she didn't even need to say what she had to say next.
"Definitely out of the question! Especially after your attitude towards me earlier." snapped Circe almost as soon as Lucreisia finished her question.
"Then you won't get your knife back." said Lucreisia grinning, holding the knife's handle in her right hand.
"Fine, you have to make it that difficult."
For a moment, Lucreisia actually thought Circe was letting her go, but a split-second later she was proved wrong.
"Accio knife!" shouted Circe, pointing her wand at Lucreisia's hand. She felt the handle of the knife slip out of her hands as though a string was tied to the blade, pulling it away from her. It hovered over to Circe, where she caught it by the handle.
"Now, go downstairs and eat now, I already re-warmed your soup, it got cold." said Circe, who looked quite happy now that she got her knife back.
"No. Not unless I get to visit my dad." said Lucreisia flatly, folding her arms.
"Fine. I don't care, we'll talk bout' it at dinner, now go eat."
Lucreisia shrugged and ambled past her idly, and sped down the stairs, knowing that Circe would not let her go no matter what. Circe followed her downstairs.
The chicken noodle soup tasted strange for some reason. Probably because Circe put an exotic spice like she usually likes to do with all her food, but whatever it was, it gave it an unfamiliar shrimp-like taste.
Everywhere around her, she could find the Black Family crest on everything, including the bowl from which Circe served her soup in, to the spoon. Circe had told her that it was from the finest goblin-wrought silver and that her sister duplicated her set of tableware for her.
Lucreisia looked at Circe's meal, which lay at the other end of the table, and it seemed to be a big, chicken, mashed potatoes and corn meal. Lucreisia looked at her own bowl and rolled her eyes. Then Circe entered the room and sat down in the chair next to her meal. It was a long table with three chairs on each side, and a single chair at the end. Circe almost always had guests over, and if Lucreisia was lucky, Tonks, her favorite cousin would come over. However there were no guests that evening.
"So can I visit my dad this Saturday?" asked Lucreisia as she ladled up soup on her spoon.
Circe glanced at her before letting her eyes fall back on her meal, and she continued to eat as though Lucreisia had said nothing.
"Well?" persisted Lucreisia.
"Don't speak when you're eating..."
"Ok, I'm done eating... Now---Can I visit my dad?" Lucreisia asked again fifteen minutes later, putting her spoon down after finishing the last of her soup.
"Why so soon? Why do you want to visit that dreary old place so soon anyways?" asked Circe, after finishing the last of her corn.
"Erm---I just do? I'd kinda miss my dad in case you haven't caught on..."
"When are visiting hours?"
"I think they are one to seven on weekends."
Circe got up to look at the calendar by the sink.
"I may not be off work--one second."
"Er--ok."
"Hmm, nope. I'm not off from work."
"Well can't you ask for a sick-leave?"
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"Ok! Sorry!"
Lucreisia scoffed and folded her arms.
"You know, I wish that you'd give me the same respect you give your good for nothing father!" snapped Circe irritably.
Lucreisia shot up from the table.
"He was not good for nothing!"
"Oh yes he was!"
"You will never get the respect that I give my dad, because I don't need you, I want my dad!" roared Lucreisia pushing her chair aside and ran out of the dining room. She ran into the den and threw herself on the couch. And it wasn't long before Circe tagged along.
"Your father was nothing more than a common prisoner! A murderer! And you'll turn up just like him, I know you will. He's a murderer, yet you give him respect and not me! He's a murderer!"
Lucreisia would of died to have said that she was a murderer too, but bringing up any topic dealing with Circe's times as a Death Eater would not be wise.
"He's not a murderer, he's innocent!" Lucreisia blurted out without thinking.
"HA! I bet he told you that he was innocent. That's what they all say!"
"So? At least he cares for me!"
Circe made a rather nasty, derisive laugh.
"HA! Cared? When has he ever cared? Was he ever there for you when he needed him? Was he there to raise you? Who bought you clothes? Who fed you? He had to land him self in that damned fortress when he had a daughter to raise. And to me that shows he didn't give a damn about you!"
"SHUTUP!"
Lucreisia found herself on her feet again, more furious than she has never felt before. He had to land himself in that damned fortress when he had a daughter to raise. And to me that shows he didn't give a damn about you! The thought kept echoing through her head menacingly. She never thought about that before...
"Don't you dare tell me to shut up!"
Circe's fist was shaking as though she'd have loved nothing more than to have rammed it into Lucreisia's stomach, but by the looks of it, she decided against it.
"ENOUGH! JUST....LEAVE ME ALONE! I'm going to see Dad whether you like it or not!" shouted Lucreisia.
"Oho! And who's going to take you, missy?"
"I'll take myself!" said Lucreisia saying the first thing on her mind, though she didn't exactly know how'd she'd ever get from Bristol to the the North Sea by herself.
Lucreisia strode away from Circe as fast as she could, ignoring her shouts from behind. She ran up the stairs and opened the door to her room, escaping from the fray. But when she went in side, she found....