After they left Twilfit and Tattings, the two of them together made their way to The Leaky Cauldron, where they flooed back to Black Manor.
"Pepper!" Cassiopeia called out very soon after they arrived back at the manor.
"Yes my lady?" Said house elf appeared, popping into the room at the summons.
"Prepare a light lunch in the Green Parlor. Enough food for two people, and perhaps some afternoon tea as well." Azalea watched in curiosity as Cassiopeia dictated to the house elf what they would be eating for lunch. Her stomach rumbled in agreement. She was a bit hungry, not that she would ever admit it. It just wasn't cared about by the Dursley's, and she had been punished enough times for sneaking food to know better.
"Right away madame." The house elf popped out of the room at the order. Cassiopeia led Azalea through the manor, and they soon arrived at the green parlor room.
Azalea had not been in the green parlor before. In fact, she could count on one hand the amount of rooms she had been in the Black Manor. It was a grand room with soft sage green walls and a soft brown plush carpet. The northern wall was lined with four windows, as was the eastern wall. The windows allowed a large amount of natural light to shine through. In the northeastern corner was a grand piano and matching bench made out of varnished red oak wood. The south facing wall was lined with bookshelves, also made out of red oak. All the furniture in the room was red oak, as was the theme of the rooms in the manor. At dusk, the room was lit by two chandeliers hung from the very tall ceiling.
Azalea followed Cassiopeia to the tan leather club chairs in the center of the room and gently sat down in one of the comfortable seats. Moments later, food was in front of her as the house elf had returned, a silver tray floating closely behind. Today's lunch was fresh fruits served up into a salad, cucumber and turkey finger sandwiches with soft cheese, and fresh grape juice for her. Lady Cassiopeia was having the same with some strong Earl Grey with lavender tea.
They were almost done with their afternoon tea and light lunch when a tall man with collarbone length curly black hair and alabaster skin stood in the doorway in shock. He locked eyes with Cassiopeia for a solid minute before the child in the room turned to him. She was playing with a very familiar baby doll. He recognized that it used to be his older sister Dorea's. This child looked exactly like a miniature version of her... He locked onto incredibly green eyes and curly black hair and was flooded with instant warmth as his magic registered another family member's new magic. The sound of the girl's startled gasp at the strange man snapped him out of his stupor. He rushed further into the room and right up to Azalea, moving to pick her up and swing her around.
Azalea shrunk back in fear. Who was this strange man? Was he going to hurt her? She looked to Cassiopeia, but it was too late. He picked her up and was swinging her around into the air. As she was panicking in terror at the strange man holding her, his reaction was very different. He had found her. This had to be Azalea. Who else could look like such a pocket sized Dorea Black? His sister Dorea! He started to pepper the girl in hugs and kisses.
"Oh my god, it's you! "You're so cute! You look just like her." He cooed at the girl in his arms.
"You look just like Dorea! Oh, how I adore you already." He was snapped out of his amazement by Cassiopeia commanding, "Arcturus Black, you put her down right this minute. She is not some toy to swing around!"
He froze, still holding the small child up by the waist, before he gently put her back down.
"Cassiopeia explains yourself at once. I heard you were at St. Mungo's and came to see if you were alright. And here I find you with Azalea Potter? How did this happen? What did you do?"
"I did nothing... Yet. Sit down and I'll explain. Daemon! Fetch me my pensive" Cassiopeia exclaimed.
The house elf popped in and out again at the command.
"How did you know where we were in the manor?" She asked in the meantime.
"Rosen led the way. I was concerned, I thought something might have happened to you." He said, emotion thick in his voice.
"Oh Arcturus... I'm fine. She's not, but I'll explain later."She said, and then,
"Azalea, this is my older brother Arcturus. I know he gave you a big fright, but I promise he's a giant teddy bear. Right Ari?"
"I'm very sorry, dear, I was just overwhelmed with emotion. You look to be the spitting image of my older sister Dorea."
"Who's Dorea?" Azalea asked, confused.
"Dorea is our oldest sister and your grandmother, little one." Cassiopeia explained to the little girl.
Just then, the house elf returned with the pensive. It was a wide and shallow stone bowl, filled with glowing white and silver wisps of memories that Cassiopeia had extracted.
She drew her wand and put it to her temple, extracting three different memories for him to view. The silvery wisps drifted from her wand point into the overflowing bowl.
"Here is my personal pensive. View the three memories, and you will see for yourself. In the meantime, it's time for her first dose of afternoon potions.
"Potions?"
"Yes, it's all explained. Just watch the memories, and I'll do my best to explain more if you need it afterwards."
Upon entering the pensive, Arcturus was shown how Cassiopeia had met Azalea. He saw just how the Healer did the first scan and the results were extensive. He saw the entire trip to St. Mungos and how Azalea had used the floo all by herself for the first time. Arcturus was enraged beyond comparison at how she was abused. Finally, he saw the third and final memory of Gringotts Bank, on how Dumbledore put magical blocks on such a young girl's core to make it end up so unstable. Thank Merlin for goblins and their attentive potions care.
When he emerged, he was as white as a ghost. Rickets. This poor adorable girl had rickets because of those damned muggles. They would pay.
By the time he was done with the memories, it was almost evening. He decided to stay for supper before he confronted Cassiopeia about the muggles.
"Are you or are you not a Black? What are we going to do about those muggles?"
"Yes Arcturus I know, they need to be dealt with. I plan on going tonight. Care to join me?"
"Why, I thought you'd never ask." he replied.
"It'll have to be after I put her to bed. I'm going to slip in another dreamless sleeping potion in her coco tonight. She's had a long day and I suspect she would be having nightmares otherwise."
Later that night, when it was time for Azalea to go to bed, Cassiopeia approached the girl, who was now dressed in the supple white pajamas that the house elves had cleaned and returned to her and made a mental note to check the attic for some of Dorea and hers childhood clothing for pajamas.
"Here Azalea, I thought you would like to try this. It's something called hot chocolate."
"Ooh, what is it? I've never had anything like it."
"It's a mixture of hot cream and chocolate."
Azalea took a small sip from the mug and let out a giggle.
"I love it! It's so sweet and creamy!"
As she finished the mug of cocoa, her eyes began getting heavier and heavier before she snuggled back into the bed, and drifted off into a deep slumber. Cassiopeia felt bad about potioning the girl for the second time, but the child needed sleep uninterrupted to heal. She walked back out of the room and gently shut the door.
"Zilly." she called out and waited
"Yes Lady Cassiopeia?"
"I need you to watch over Azalea. Do not let any harm come to her, if she needs something, see to it right away."
"Yes, Lady Cassiopeia, I will guard her with my life!" the house elf squeaked, a determined look on her face.
She walked down the long hallway to go to a room that was rarely used, the war room. It was located on the second floor of the manor and was in the very center of the building itself. It was a heavily warded room with blood wards keyed in so that only she, Arcturus or Dorea would be able to enter. Inside, Arcturus was sitting at the head of the long wooden table, waiting with his hands steeped.
It was a circular room with four doors, one facing each direction of the manor. In the center of the room was a large heavy U-shaped table, with a round table on the interior of the U with a topographical map laid into the top. The map was of all of Europe, pointing out the magical enclaves, with pins on Godric's Hollow, London, Hogsmeade, among others.
"So, what's the plan?" he asked her as she made her way over to him.
'"We're going to investigate four Privet Drive. Prepare yourself, we leave in 15 minutes."
"Daemon!" she inquired.
He popped into existence. House elves could go anywhere in the manor, after all.
"Yes Lady Cassiopeia?"
"Bring me my spare wand. I think that I will have need of it tonight."
Arcturus raised his eyebrows at that.
"Wand? Planning a little torture, are we?"
"Maybe, we'll see if it's as bad as I think it is."
"What do you mean?"
"She's never had milk or even an apple. She had muggle rat poison in her blood system. Arcturus, she flinches whenever I so ever raise a hand or even my voice. She's a skittish, abused child, and I WILL get them back for this. No one should abuse a child, let alone a wizarding one. There's so little of them, each one is to be cherished and nurtured!" She passionately exclaimed.
"Okay, I concede your point. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, let me just transfigure my robes. I suggest you do the same. We will need to blend in with the muggles after all."
They both changed their black outer robes to long sleeve black button down shirts and dark wash blue jeans. They changed into nondescript clothing that would blend in with both the darkness outside, and to look like common people. When they were ready, they made their way out of the war room and down the spiral staircase to the grand parlor on the first floor, preparing to aperate.
They would meet up down the street from the targeted number four Privet Drive, in the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. Arcturus left first, casting a notice-me-not charm on himself so no one would pay attention to the loud sound of a backfiring car, the sound of him aperating. She followed suit shortly after.
Once they arrived at the street of Privet Drive, they counted the houses down until they reached number four. Waiting outside the property, just in the street, Arcturus began to work on the wards. He let out a soft curse.
"Bugger all!"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"The wards. There were never any. The blimey git put her here with no protections whatsoever."
"Well, it makes sense that there aren't any blood wards. Lilly wasn't Petunia's blood sister. She's a Rosier, after all."
"Too true." Cassiopeia nodded in agreement, face set in stone. They quietly continued, walking past the car and up the gravel driveway, they entered the backyard. From there, they snuck in through the back door, the very one that Vernon Dursley tossed the crying child out of two nights ago. Oh, there would be hell to pay for him tonight.
They could see the light of a telly on though the back window, as well as a light on from the window upstairs. Arcturus cast alohomora on the back door, and they entered silently as always. Casting a quick tempus, Cassiopeia saw that it was approximately 8:00 PM. Vernon Dursley was in front of the telly with beer in hand, watching the evening news. Petunia had just come down the stairs from putting Dudley to sleep in his bedroom.
She waited until Petunia was in the room with him before they stuck.
"Where is that freak? I thought she would have come back by now."
"I know. The garden is suffering poorly because that wretched girl just had to run off."
"We're better off without her, Pet. She was a good for nothing freak."
Hearing all she needed, she warded the doors so no one could enter or leave the property except her and Arcturus and put up silencing charms so no one would hear the screaming. Sneaking up the stairs, they checked each bedroom, inspecting it for any signs of life. The first room they found was full of broken toys and splintered furniture. The second room had to be the parent's as it had a king-size finally got to the last bedroom and found it over filled with toys and trinkets, with a bed with a sleeping child in it. He was severely over weight, to the point that it would be considered child abuse.
Cassiopeia cast a stunner on the sleeping child, and levitated him and his blankets out of the window, gently lowering him down to the ground far away from the house. They didn't want harm to come to him, they were Blacks, not monsters. When they were done, they snuck back down the stairs and finally entered the living room.
Cassiopeia snuck up behind Petunia and Arcturus snuck up behind the whale of a man, of them drew their wands and pointed it at the back of the two muggles' heads. It was time to strike.
"Immobulus!"
They walked around the couch and into view now that the two muggles could not move to get away or attack them.
"Hello, you pieces of filth. It's time we had a little chat."
"What? Who are you? Get out of my house now before I call the police!" Vernon shouted, his face going purple.
Petunia on the other hand was deathly pale and very quiet. She saw the sticks in their hands and knew this day would come.
"Quiet, you stupid man." Arcturus snapped.
"We're here about 'That freakish girl' you were talking about. You know who I'm talking about."
"Who are you?"
"YOU! You two are freaks like her, aren't you?! Get out of my house this instant, you freakish people."
"Vernon, do shut up." Cassiopeia commanded. He sputtered in rage at how he was being talked to.
"Yes, Vernon, please do shut up. It will make this go by so much easier than if you fight back. Although, that would take all the fun out of this now, wouldn't it?" Arcturus taunted the frozen man, knowing all he could do was yell.
Arcturus turned to Cassiopeia and asked, "Shall we begin the fun?"
"How dare you hurt my grandniece? Contendo Talus!"
She shattered the bone in his left arm with ease, using a dark curse. She smiled. It had been quite awhile since she was able to practice dark magic freely.
"That's for hitting her every day and breaking her bones."
"Altero Telum!" And with that, the muscles and bone in Petunia's right arm were destroyed. She screamed in pain; it was music to their ears.
"Don't you worry, you won't ever have to take care of Azalea again, not that you did from the start."
"Ardor Castro!" Arcturus cast upon Vernon. He screamed in agony as he was castrated with fire.
"Scream all you want, it's music to my ears. No one will hear you."
"Contendo Talus!" The bones in Petunia's knee shattered.
"Contendo Talus! Contendo Talus! Contendo Talus!" Both of her knees and both of Vernon's knees were completely shattered. There was no way they would ever be able to move now, stunned or not.
But they weren't done.
"Diripo! Diripo!" The flesh and skin started to peel off of Vernon's legs, exposing the bone to the air.
She turned to point her wand to Petunia next.
"Comburo Sanguis!" Her blood began to boil.
"Latus Destructus." Her lungs were crushed.
And so on, an hour had passed while they took turns torturing the two muggles.
When they were finished, the two were barely conscious.
"We can't have you passing out now, can we.
"Surgere Iam!" Both of them were panting from pain, wide awake again.
"I hope you rot in hell, you freak!"
"You're really going to start on this again?"
"Tempus."
"It's time, Arcturus, we must leave soon."
"Alight."
He turned to the two of them, kicking Vernon as he walked out of the room. Cassiopeia followed.
"You really need to think about your life choices, honestly."
Petunia tuned to Vernon, and cried out
"I think they left. We're alive, I just have to get to the phone and call for help."
"Pet, what's that smell?"
"Really Vernon, with all this going on, that's what you focus on?"
"No, really, Pet, I smell smoke."
They began to scream for help, but no one would ever hear them until it was too late.
Cassiopeia and Arcturus walked away from the burning down house without looking back.
The next day, Dudley would be found alive and unharmed in the neighbor's backyard garden, swaddled in his blanket, much like how Azalea was found on the doorstep of number four Privet Drive all those years ago.
They walked back to the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk and aperated back to Black Manor, just in time for Zilly to alert Cassiopeia that Azalea had woken up.
"Good Morning Azalea."
"Cassiopeia, why do you smell like smoke?" she asked tiredly, rubbing her eyes.
"It's of no matter, I will join you at breakfast momentarily. Go on without me, I will be right there." Cassiopeia said softly.
"Oh my god, she's so adorable!" Arcturus crooned. He whipped out a piece of butterscotch candy as soon as Cassiopeia left and handed it to the sleepy child and patted her head.
"Don't tell Cassiopeia. Call me Grandpa Arc from now on. No, go on, go eat breakfast. We'll join you soon enough." He said, before disappearing to go clean himself up, as he had dried blood and smoke sticking to his skin and clothing. It was a good thing they transfigured their clothing back as soon as they returned, as to not draw any suspicion with the observant child.