My whole body was on fire. I was suffocating, being stabbed, burning, freezing, starving – every type of pain within the realm of possibility was upon me. But most of all, I was screaming.
The pain persisted for what felt like many hours, and I thought I felt dozens of dull blades saw through my flesh before the Cruciatus Curse was lifted. I looked up and saw the face of Druella Black, decorated with an expression of crazy satisfaction. The face of my mother.
"How does that feel, you traitorous squib?" she spat at me, throwing out her go-to insult.
I didn't want to give her that satisfaction of a reply, so I just glared at her nastily. Well, as nastily as a 13 year old in the fetal position can glare. I realized that I was in a position of weakness, so I sat up straight.
Dissatisfied with my lack of a response, she bent down until she was face to face with me. "Why did you have to feel that way? What horrendously traitorous act did you carry out this time, darling?" she hissed, adding a heavy dose of contempt to each word. I remained silent.
"You defended that Mudblood, Ted Tonks, didn't you, Bellatrix?" she yelled, "After everything we've gone through trying to teach Andromeda to see sense, you DEFENDED THAT SCUM!" Her yell turned into a hysterical scream, causing me to flinch involuntarily. She seemed to think that she got through to me, and looked like she was going to leave, but instead, she raised her wand and slashed it like a sword across my face. It felt like I was being whipped with a poker that had been sitting in a blazing fire for hours. I let out a yelp, unable to control myself, and watched her leave the room with a smug look on her face.
I cradled my face and wanted to cry, but I had to be strong. I held in my tears until I made it down the hall and into my bedroom. There, I could be vulnerable. There, I could let out my hatred for my mother with tears.
I fell asleep with an aching body and red, raised marks across my entire face. Not a bad day, I thought, hopefully she'll be this forgiving tomorrow.