Welcome back to the strange and silent world of Cassandra Evans-Black. Not just on time, but actually earlier than promised. Shocked? I know that I am.
To those of you stumbling on this story for the first time my apologies. It's going to make little to no sense to you unless you've read the first volume, The Silent World of Casandra Evans. If you want to know what's going on and why these odd people are being as weird as they are then read that first. If you don't care and just want to have some good old fashioned AU fun then crack on.
I have the first three chapters done and ready to go and a vague plan in place for where I want this story to end up ... but ...
This fic needs YOU!
If you have ideas, suggestions or want to see something happen then put it in a review or give me a PM. As you have seen in Silent World I am more than happy to adapt it as we go if I find something that you've suggested helpful, useful or just plain amusing.
As suggested by the ever helpful VonPelt we will be kicking things off with a couple of chapters of mainly fluffy goodness before getting back to our more usual dark and dangerous path. There's going to be lots of intrigue, plots and menace in this year ... and of course ... murder. First though. Shopping.
Enjoy.
I still don't own Harry Potter otherwise I'd be writing all day instead of working to pay the bills.
Dylan the Rabbit. xx
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Season of The Witch.
.
1. Handbags and Gladrags.
.
The portrait of Walburga Black watched from her place of honour on the sitting room wall of Twelve Grimmuald Place as her descendants, natural and blood adopted alike, took their morning coffee and discussed their plans for the day. Well some of them discussed it. The old matriarch of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black smiled indulently as her blood adopted grand-daughter leaned back in her high backed armchair and regarded her family with those cold, creepy, killer's eyes. Cassandra Evans-Black the not quite fifteen year old de-facto head of the family peered over her dark rimless glasses, gave a shark like grin and winked at her grandma Walburga. It gave even the formidable old dark witch in the painting pause and she could not imagine what it did to the girl's enemies.
Actually she didn't have to imagine it. The whole of the wizarding world had seen the pictures from last year's Tri-Wizard Tournament when she had become the under-dog and unexpected fourth champion. Cassie, as she liked to be called, had then taken the dangerous contest by the throat and displayed the kind of power, grace and murderous will that made men weak at the knees and had the girls wetting their knickers. 'The Black Witch' as she was now known in the press had become the dangerous darling of wizarding Britain. The mystery of her mutism, the horrific scars, the incredible tattoos, her preference for short and tight in the clothing department which showed these last two off to great advantage, even her unabashedly 'out' lesbianism. It all just made her legend stronger. Everyone wanted to be her or to be with her.
All Cassie herself wanted to do right now was to take her new sisters shopping.
The relative mid morning peace of Diagon Alley was spectacularly shattered this late July Saturday Morning when the group of five young witches, clad in robes the colour of midnight burst through the magical barrier and into the strengthening sunlight. They strode down the cobbled street five abreast and arm in arm scattering the early shoppers and inquisitve stall traders from their path. The newly minted Black sisters were going shopping and the whole of the Alley was excited and apprehensive about what would happen.
The shop keepers of the magical shopping district were torn between being afraid of the approach to their establishments of the black clad young witches and rubbing their hands together with glee. Most of them remembered the previous incarnation of the Black sisters and the all out chaos that Narcissa, Andromeda and Bellatrix had caused on their frequent shopping trips was only out-done by the obscene amounts of gold that they had spent. Still none of those girls were quite as famously violent as Cassandra Evans-Black. It was true, of course, that Bellatrix had been rather bad tempered and a bit too quick with her wand on occasion but she at least hadn't managed to kill people while still at school like Cassie had. The new Black heiress' body count was impressive for a twenty year auror let alone a short, fifteen year old school girl. In the end, however, avarice won out and the proprietors and their nervous staff welcomed them in with open arms.
The first to have to deal with this phenomenon was Twilfoot and Tattings where things were almost, but not quite, civilised until the arrival of the rest of the Freaks and the squealing and screaming that this seemed to prompt. The influence of an over excited Luna Lovegood on the younger girls in particular was the match that sparked the flame of mayhem that was encouraged and then fanned into an inferno by a smirking Cassie. With the matching colours that they selected for their bridesmaids dresses it could almost be considered a uniform if it weren't for the subtle differences in design and the amount of material used. It wasn't a conscious decision by any of them. If asked they would all say pretty much the same thing, that it was Cassie's favourite colour and that they wanted to look good for their sister/friend/leader. And it certainly made for a striking appearance as the nine black clad witches strode, skipped and in Luna's case hopped like a bunny along the paved section of the alley towards the Ice Cream Parlour.
"Hello Mister Fortescue"
Florian Fortescue beamed at the arrival of this rather famous group of young witches welcoming them in with alacrity but then he was considered rather strange among the adult section of the wizarding community. I mean what kind of grown man spent his life making and selling ice cream. Not that any of these mature folks seemed to be able to pass his Diagon Alley shop by without wanting to find out just how tasty his latest iced confection was mind you. It was a little remembered fact, due to his advanced age, that he had been one of the finest potioneers that the grand old Hogwart's house of Slytherin had ever produced. And there was his where his genius lay. The cunning old confectioner had, for many decades, been lacing his desserts with highly addictive (and highly illegal) potions of his own making in order to garner long lasting repeat and year round business for his shop. He was worth almost as much as Cassie by now.
The elderly proprietor with the kind eyes and devious mind smiled at his latest customers with real pleasure and insisted on treating these wealthy and influential new patrons to his newest line free of charge. There was no greater advert at the moment than having the most famous and idolised young witch in the country and her family and friends sitting outside his shop remarking on how magnificent his wares were.
After they had eaten their fill they indulged in a small but vicious food fight which required a laughing Cassie to go around cleaning them all up with her wandless scourgifys until she reached her girlfriend Susan. At which point she pinned the embarrassed red head to the chair by straddling her and had simply used her wicked little forked tongue to lick the sweet, sticky cream from her face. Much to the amusement of everybody who wasn't currently Miss Susan Bones. This task completed she waved a cheery and heartfelt goodbye to Mister Fortescue before leading the sated little witches off to the pet shop to look around for a post owl/familiar for her smallest (and most favourite) Hogwarts house mate. That this ended up being a very intelligent looking and very bad tempered raven surprised no-one in their group. Like the rest of them Cerys Williams had hidden depths.
Their important task accomplished they split up again only this time along age lines, the five younger girls leaving for the Black residence at Twelve Grimmuald Place while the four others headed off to the Leaky Cauldron. Upon reaching the grimy pub they had a fortifying glass of butterbeer each while shedding their outer robes to reveal spectacularly scandalous muggle clothes hidden away beneath. Cassie was in her habitual very tight leather trousers, combat boots and a vest top and on the others' insistance a light, black jacket, Susan and Charli favoured blue jeans and T-shirts while Hermione was looking very pretty and girly in her short, yellow sundress. There was total stunned silence from the patrons as they gave the shapeless wizarding robes to a hastily summoned Winky for her to take home for them. Conversation didn't start again until they were on her way out of the pub and onto the streets of muggle London only to stop abruptly as Cassie poked her head back in and gave them all a little wave and a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Twenty minutes and one very exciting (for Susan and Charli anyway) bus ride later and they were all stood gazing in wonder at the entrance to a shop with sumptuous curtained windows and a bright pink neon sign. Hermione bustled them all inside and their wonder gave way to awe.
"Who exactly is this Ann Summers and why does she have her own shop."
"It's a ... ummm ... specialist shop ... for girls."
Cassie, Susan and Charli all knew something was up as Hermione was flicking her eyes around and hopping slightly from one foot to the other, which she only did when she was nervous or embarrassed. Even knowing that their bushy haired friend was up to some kind of mischief, none of them were quite prepared for the sight that greeted them when they walked further inside.
"This is a ... sex shop." The way that Susan Bones whispered the offending word and gave it air quotes reminded Hermione so much of her determinedly middle class mother that she nearly burst out laughing before giving her justification of their visit.
"It's not a sex shop it's a women's intimate emporium."
The sales assistant who had spied the small group of pretty teenagers walking in giggled into her hand at their mostly shocked reactions before making her way over to them. It was abundantly clear to her that they were all under eighteen but as it was a slow day and the manageress was away today she decided to help them anyway. Especially since the one with the startling emerald green eyes was so stunningly beautiful that she could very well be a model. Kate Moss had been younger than this when she had started in the fashion world and there was no way that she was letting this and any future possible commissions go if the gorgeous young woman did turn to be the next 'London look' supermodel. Her opinon soon changed as the girl shrugged out of her jacket and she saw the large and stunning tattoos that shimmered in front of her eyes and almost seemed to move. Not a model then. More like a rock star. Addressing the most sensible and responsible looking one with the bushy brown hair she asked.
"Was there something that I can help you with ladies?"
"Um yes. Do you think we could see your ... downstairs items."
The three girls who were not conversant with this 'women's intimate emporium' were dreadfully confused as they were led not down some stairs as they were expecting but through a beaded curtain and into a large back room. A back room that was full of strangely shaped plastic things that none of them were exactly familiar with. Even Cassie who had access to her dad's vast array of smutty books and Charli who was a connoisseur and avid reader of 'Witches in Heat' magazine were stumped as the wizarding world was far, far behind the muggle one in terms of sexual enlightenment. And things like sex toys were almost unheard of. The girls set about discovering this fascinating and brave new world with extreme enthusiasm and purpose.
"What the feckin' feck is a rampant rabbit."
Cassie and Susan were poking about in the 'clothing' section when they heard the Irish girl's exclamation and drifted over to her in order to hear the shop assistant give her a slightly more than standard sales pitch for one of their top selling items. They smirked at the dark and dangerous expression that flitted across Hermione's face as her girlfriend was given an extremely thorough over the clothes demonstration of how to use it which still left Charli red faced and squirming. After this a very interested Susan Bones dumped the collection of silky, shiny and most worryingly furry and feathery 'play wear' into Cassie's arms, collared the assistant and dragged her off requesting more information on the various 'toys' on display.
"I think you're fucked."
Raising one eyebrow at her sister's brilliant observation Cassie smiled serenely and pointed behind her to where the clearly still grumpy 'Mistress of Pain' Hermione Granger was swishing a whip violently around and eyeing up a display of collars, straps and gags. She moved her hands to quickly sign out.
I'm sorry sister dear, who did you say was fucked?
There was a heavy sigh and a muttered expletive as Charli's eyes followed her emerald eyed sibling's extended finger to it's bushy haired, brunette, target and her head dropped in resignation and defeat. Hermione Granger, the shy, sweet and bookish young woman who she had fallen completely and utterly head over heels in love with within about thirty seconds of meeting her, had turned out to be a massive pervert with a penchant for pain. Not that Charli minded that too much. Being disciplined by her super intelligent, super sexy girlfriend had quickly become one of her favourite past-times. Yeah and she called Hermione a pervert. Seeing Cassie watching her closely with an amused expression on her gorgeous face prompted her to poke her tongue out and say.
"Oh like you can bloody talk."
The two sisters sniggered at each other and tuned in to Susan just as the red head pointed at Cass and embarrassingly proclaimed her the 'cunnilingus queen' while admitting that the two of them had never used anything larger than fingers on each other. The embarrassment and fascination continued unabated for another hour before the four girls hurried back to the magical district weighed down by a huge number of plain brown bags, desperate to go through and perhaps even try out some of their fun new purchases.
.
(((((((((x))))))))
.
Rather than use the Head of House's private study, which he hated, Lord Sirius Black had decided to get the RSVP's for his upcoming wedding sorted out and written at the kitchen table. He and Remus Lupin were for once, however, being extremely careful. Getting the smallest of imperfections on any one of these invitation cards would result in some properly upset females in Twelve Grimmuald Place, all of whom were willing and able to give him a great deal of serious punishment. As Sirius had learned to his cost over the last year, you really didn't want to piss off any of the women in his life unless you were a very big fan of pain and humiliation. So yes, careful was definitely the order of the day.
"Okay so read me back what we've got so far."
"Right; Lovegoods, Williams, Jones, Diggorys, Tonks, Delacours, Fudge ... and Malfoys."
The two former marauders gave identical grimaces at the last name.
"Are you sure about that one. I mean even if they weren't bloody Death Eaters they're still awful bores."
"They're family." Sirius shrugged resignedly. "At least they're marginally better than who Cassie wants me to invite."
Remus Lupin raised an enquiring eyebrow, a habit that both he and his old friend had picked up from Sirius' mute daughter, and waited for what was bound to be bad news.
"Sinistra, Flitwick, McGonagall and ... Snape."
The middle aged former marauders shuddered at the thought of having to spend an entire day with the greasy dungeon bat. I mean Fudge was bad enough but Snivellous. More shuddering ensued. Of course neither of them were stupid enough to actually consider not inviting him. For some bizzarre reason their little Cass had a bit of a soft spot for the dour potions professor and to go against her wishes was something that they simply could not do. There were two very good reasons for this, firstly because she was their 'perfect princess' and they would do literally anything to make her happy and secondly because if they didn't do what she wanted Cassie was very likely to become ... upset. This was not something that anybody who wished to keep their full compliment of limbs wanted to happen.
Having at last buckled down and finished writing the invitations (all of them) a small flock of owls were draughted in to deliver the nuptial notices to their intended targets and in various parts of Britain and France they were read out.
.
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Lord Sirius Orion Black and Madame Amelia Bones.
This happy event will be held privately at Bones Manor on the First day of August and your aceptance by is required by return owl in order for you and a guest of your choosing to be added to the wards for the day.
.
The follow up owl from the primary heiress to House Black was brief and to the point.
You're coming. No excuses. C.E-B.
None of the recipients of this stark missive were stupid enough to believe that were going to be let out of it now. Not after reading that. Those like Severus Snape who had been half way through scribbling out their instantaneous and somewhat vehement refusal were brought to a shuddering halt by the commanding tone of the scary young witch's note. Not that everyone had been given this special treatment by Cassie just those select few that she knew would be less than enthusiastic about attending the social event of the summer.
On the balcony of the Delacourt villa in the South of France, overlooking the crystal blue waters of the Meditteranean Fleurdamorte was considering what to do about the card in front of her. Although it would be dangerous for her to interract with the Bones woman and the suspicious and paranoid Black family it was an opportunity for her to find out just how 'dark and dangerous' her short enemy really was. She had spent a good few days delving through the now silent and uncommunicative Fleur's memories of last year's Tri-Wizard Tournament and was actually impressed by the Evans girl's performance. Of course her minions had told her about the tasks but there was nothing quite like seeing it for yourself. Even through borrowed (stolen) eyes.
Cassandra Evans-Black was a magical powerhouse with huge reserves of energy for someone of her age and as for her temper, oh how deliciously explosive and violent that was. The way that the poisoned and injured girl had exacted her excessively bloody and thoroughly entertaining vengence on those mermen warriors had her giggling and snorting with amusement. Which was an entirely new experience for the former Lord Voldemort and currently secret Dark Lady Fleurdamorte. The 'girl-who-lived' was turning out to be an absolute hoot and for the first time she believed that it may be possible for the two of them to exist in the world together without attempting to kill each other now that she was actually Fleur Delacour. Officially speaking at any rate.
Meeting the psychotically protective young woman was becoming rather high on her list of things to do. Also it wouldn't do her position any harm if she were seen to be the dutiful and attentive daughter and sister before the terrible tragedy that would be occurring a few days afterwards. It made attending the Black/Bones wedding worth the risk and she headed inside to tell the elder Delacours that she would indeed be accompanying them and Gabrielle when they left for England next week.
.
(((((((((x))))))))
.
It was Two in the morning and Amelia Bones couldn't sleep. Which meant that Sirius wasn't allowed to sleep. Her baby bump wasn't even showing yet but still her hormones were raging and she was hot and uncomfortable and eager to take out her resulting bad mood on the black haired man once again snoring next to her. Smug bastard. She reached for her wand and poked him in the back. Hard.
"Oi. Sir Snores-a-lot. I'm thirsty."
She smiled grimly as the now thoroughly house trained man immediately fell out of their bed and struggled into a robe while mumbling.
"I'll make you some tea dear."
Amelia shook her head in wonder as the still half asleep Lord Black led his fiancee down the stairs to the kitchen in almost total darkness. She supposed that he was used to operating in the pitch black after his decade long stint in Azkaban and it was this thought along with the fact that he was being rather sweet to her that thawed her out a bit. Once seated and with a steaming cup of camomile tea in her hand she watched her darkly handsome lover bustling about the place making himself some particularly strong coffee and smiled as she realised that the silly old fool had only made it so that she could smell it. Hermione had provided her with a worryingly long list of food and drink that she wasn't supposed to have and had, unfortunately given a copy to Sirius and Kreacher and neither of them was going to allow her any lee-way when it came to the health of herself or their baby. Meddling bastards.
She was quite surprised to see Sirius' first and favourite adopted daughter wander into the kitchen at this point all bright eyed and ... tailed?
"Hello Cass love. What's up, can't sleep?"
Amelia tried very hard not to laugh out loud as her fiancee nudged her gently and drew her attention to the fluffy cat ears poking mischievously out of the messy, raven hair of the primary heiress to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Someone had clearly been playing some rather adventurous bedroom games and forgotten to take them off. She was actually pretty impressed that Susan could manage to persuade the headstrong young woman to dress up like a kitty for her but stopped short of imagining the precise methods that she had employed to achieve this feat. Her stomach was weak enough as it was at the moment.
Have we got any bananas?
As Cassie bent over to rummage around through the lower cupboards in the kitchen the newly enchanted tail that was attached to her in an internal and overly intimate manner twitched wildly causing the back of her t-shirt ride up. Sirius was about to turn around and respond to his daughter when Amy grabbed his face between her hands and kept the inccorrigible flirt away from the sight which might even have managed to scar him. She stuck his head in her cleaveage to give him something else to look at instead.
"Just look at me love."
"Do I even want to know?" Came the muffled reply from the mop of black hair between her tits.
"No sweetie you really don't."
Slipping back into the huge bedroom a few minutes later Cassie shrugged off her oversized T-shirt, crawled stealthily up the enormous bed and stroked the cheek of her lightly slumbering lover with a cool banana. She was rewarded for her efforts by the fluttering eyelids and a sultry smile.
I'm back.
"Yes I can see that." Susan purred out. "And what, pray tell, do you have there Miss Evans-Black?"
Reaching behind her the raven haired girl grinned lasciviously and laid out three bananas, a squeezy bottle of clear, golden honey and a huge bowl of whipped cream.
How would you like a bit of a ... show.
"Eeeep."
The suddenly wide awake Susan Bones, or Cuddles to her girlfriend, clapped her hands excitedly and let out a delighted squeak as the gorgeous and almost entirely naked primary heiress to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black dropped cat like to the floor. Her eyes followed her swaying hips and the cute swishing cat tail butt plug as Cassie sashayed her way across to the gramophone smiling enigmatically. As the needle hit the grooves of the record her eyes closed and the smile became a sexy pout while the toned, sinewy, tattooed witch turned to one side and raised her arms above her head. The music started and Suzie drooled in anticipation as her sweet, sexy Cass began to dance. Just for her.
.
"Pour some sugar on me,
Oh in the name of love,
Pour your sugar on me,
C'mon fire me up.
Pour some sugar on me,
Oh I can't get enough.
Pour your sugar on me,
Oh in the name of love."
.
Outside in the hallway the gathered members of the rudely awakened household stared at the tiny, stern elf guarding the entrance to her mistress' rooms with a strange mix of emotions. Consternation and a small amount of fear from little Tilde, annoyance at being woken so early from her pleasant Luna filled dreams from Ginny and something ranging between amusement, jealousy and frustration from Charli. As for Sirius and his wife to be their reaction was one of mostly horror. What was most likely happening behind the dark oak double doors of the Head's suite was yet another thing that the older couple really didn't want to know about.
Amelia hit the door with the strongest silencing charm that she could muster up at this time of the morning and chased the girls back off to their respective bedrooms before dragging Sirius off to their own room. That raucous, pumping and rather dirty rock song had messed with her all over the place hormones again and had given her ... needs.
.
(((((((((x))))))))
.
Ensconced in the headmaster's office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Albus Dumbledore was scowling at the morning paper. As usual it was full of the hated and hateful Evans brat, the illegitimate, half blood daughter of his brightest star from the original Order of the Phoenix, James Potter and that damned mud-blood whore Lily Evans. Of course now that she had been blood adopted by Sirius into the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black she was even more of a pain his arse as he now had to behave to her as befitted her station rather than the nasty little temperamental skank that she actually was. His mood darkened even further as he read about the Black sisters of Psycho Freak House and their shopping trip to Diagon Alley to prepare for the wedding of the year between their new adopted father Sirius Black and Amelia Bones. A wedding to which he had not even been invited let alone asked to perform the bonding as was the usual case by such a politically powerful couple. It was an obvious slight to the old man and it was quite clear to him who was behind it.
He would admit that his poor relationship with his most dangerous student was probably as much his fault as hers. Albus had segregated, vilified and then ignored the 'girl-who-lived' since the first day that she had set foot in the castle, set her up and encouraged a massive school wide bullying campaign against her and not even spoken to her until about half way into her fourth year. Of course if it wasn't for her being such an annoying little half blood, dyke, bitch by turning up at his school in the first place then none of that would have been necessary. If she had just stayed where she was in her obscure South Wales orphanage and waited until he was ready to come and kill her they would have gotten along just fine but no, she had to come and make his life miserable.
Like with this 'fifth house' nonsense. Hogwarts itself had apparently decided that his treatment of her was enough to warrant setting the dirty little slag up with her own bloody House and so the ancient school had created Psycho Freak House. Soon enough all of the other wasters and deviants had found their way there and she now had a support system and friends to count on. What was more was that it had sparked an investigation of his leadership by the Ministry who were sending some awful bloody troll of an over-seer here next term in the guise of a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor to 'assess' his competence. It was all terribly vexing to him.
She didn't even have the common decency to die when she was bloody well supposed to and when he had gone to such trouble setting up the conditions for precisely that to occur. Cassandra Evans-Black, although she had become much more amusing in the last year or so, was a major pain in his arse and he could not wait until she and Tom Riddle had fought each other to a bloody standstill so that he would be able to swoop in and save the day. It was unlikely now that this would happen any time soon due to his old Head Boy's insistance on turning himself into a pretty young witch and taking a decidedly more careful approach to the next great revolution but he could wait. If there was one thing that Albus Dumbledore had in abundance it was patience.
The Black Witch and Fleurdamorte. He couldn't quite decide which one of them he wanted to win their inevitable confrontation. They both had wonderful 'bad guy' Dark Lady names already and either would put up a decent fight but on reflection he just favoured the 'girl-who-lived' as the elemental magic that she would bring to the battle would be spectacular for those watching. He would still win of course, the elder wand and his vast experience guaranteed that, but it was always nice to put on a bit of a show for the sheep. It made him look so much more impressive when he 'beat the odds.'
.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
And we're off.
Your reviews are oh so precious to me but not necessary. I'm certainly not going to hold you guys to ransom over them.
Good? Bad? Leave your thoughts although you can always PM me with ideas, suggestions, comments if you want. Dylan the Rabbit. xx
