2000
Voldemort bashed Cassidy's head against the wall. She moaned painfully. Her head began to pound. Voldemort then took her into a room off the cellar, which contained a lone wooden chair. She began to breathe rather heavily and even her vision was blurred and she was feeling rather dizzy. Voldemort threw her in the chain in complete disdain. The chain automatically chained her into place. Her head was ultimately bowed in defeat. However, Voldemort raised her head with his hand, so their eyes met. His eyes scolded hers intensely. Cassidy knew better than to blink so she just looked back. It was frightening, she would admit it, but she knew better than to just look away. When he had done, he dropped her head and she couldn't raise it. He rolled up her left and right arm sleeves.
"Why did you do it?" he asked her, looking at her self-harm scars.
"Pain became my ally," she said simply.
"Yet, I've been using it against you for so long, I would've thought you would be afraid."
"It became comforting when I needed a mask and a knife seemed to only understand," she replied darkly.
"Does it understand now?" he said, bringing the knife onto her left cheek, 2mm from her left eye, he cut it down to 7mm above her chin. She felt the hot blood streaming down her face. And the pain spread through her body. Voldemort knew her answer immediately.
"Pain will never truly leave you, Cassidy."
Then, a Death Eater came in.
"This better be good," said Voldemort coldly.
"My Lord, the Muggle Minister has fallen."
Voldemort's mouth curved into a smile and apparated away.
x
When Voldemort had gotten back from the meeting with Death Eaters and decided who should be acting as Minister, Cassidy was still in the chair but the chains dug into her wrists and they began to bleed.
"I would've thought that the Muggle Ministry might've fallen sooner," said Cassidy rather weakly. Blood trickled down her wrists.
"I know," said Voldemort, exhausted.
He conjured a bed our of thin air, which he slept in.
In her opinion, she had never seen him look so vulnerable.
x
When Voldemort woke up, he saw Cassidy sleeping. Or unconscious. Either way, her wrists were throbbing around the chains. She had lost a lot of blood. With a flick of his wand, the chains loosened. He could already tell that Cassidy was grateful.
x
When she woke up, she was back in the neck chain. She was quite pleased that she could move her hands once more. However, her wrists looked bad. Yes, they caused her discomfort yet she somehow felt 'free.' Even though she wasn't. She felt the cut on the left side of her face. It was starting to heal, but may leave scarring. She decided it wasn't the most important thing right now.
Why did it take so long for the Muggle Minister to fall?
She had no answer to her own question but she can only assume it was because the Muggles were so separate from the Wizarding World or they didn't want to take over their world so soon.
