Hello everyone!
This is the first fanfiction story I publish in English, which is not my mother tongue so please excuse my debatable grammar and possible misuse of some idioms.
This story is about growing up as a Black during a time where customs change in wizarding society. A time where Dumbledore gets headmaster and the dark lord rises.
The main character of this story will be an OC, Cassiopeia Black II, the younger sister of Bellatrix (Bella), Andromeda (Meda) and Narcissa (Cissy), daughter of Cygnus and Druella and cousin of Sirius and Regulus.
I would be delighted to receive constructive criticism!
/The story of Harry Potter and all of it's characters are the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. I do not make any profit by writing fanfiction about it besides the joy I experience while making up new plots./
A lesson regarding manners:
"Cassiopeia, how many times do I have to tell you to eat like a proper lady? You have to bring your food towards your mouth, not vice versa! Stop slouching!"
"But that's tough. I'll drop my food."
"You are more than old enough to get such an easy task right. Don't make such a fuss, you cannot be that inept. It is important to keep your upper body straight in decent company."
"Like this?"
"That's a bit better, but still not satisfactory. It has to be visible at all times that you've got manners. - And you are not holding your cutlery properly either. You have to change your grip on the fork when you impale something. I have shown you how often enough. Sometimes I get the feeling that you simply do not want to learn. Look how I do it once more. You have to do it exactly like that."
"- Is that better?"
"A little. Though it still looks too unfamiliar. - You hold your knife a bit incorrectly as well, although it's not as bad as your fork. Only one finger is to lie on top of the handle, not two. Moreover you should hold your cutlery further up. … Exactly like that. Now keep eating, you always take forever. Nobody wants to wait that long for you to finish."
"Yes, mother. I am sorry. It is just tough..."
"Spare me your excuses. You are seven years old Cassiopeia, you should be able to eat more civilized by now."
"I will try harder, I promise."
"The governess is way to lax with you. This dirty Half-blood shouldn't be paid considering that I still have to teach you everything myself. What was I thinking when I hired her? Obviously those of such dirty blood can not even be used for simple duties. I thought she would be at least capable of something so easy because her father is from a good family. But yet one can see once again how much blood matters. It's truly a pity that the governess of your sisters had a baby last year and is no longer available to teach you. Ensure that your behaviour is appropriate at the next family gathering. Otherwise your father will be beside himself with rage. He was understandably already appalled that we couldn't find a more pure governess for you on such short notice."
A lesson regarding social studies:
"You are late."
"I am sorry father, I forgot the time and fell down on the stairs while hurrying here."
"No skiving! I don't want to hear your excuses. As long as you can walk there is no reason to let me wait."
"I am genuinely sorry."
"And your curtsy while entering was disastrous."
"My knee hurts..."
"I've told you to stop conjuring up excuses! In decent company no one will ask why your curtsy wasn't proper. People will simply think that you've got no manners. Get out and enter appropriately this time."
"... Good evening father."
"There we go. Sit down. Your mother told me your lessons are progressing well. In how many subjects are you instructed by the Half-blood?"
"I get taught how to conduct myself, how to dance, play the piano, paint, speak french and spanish and about the history of Pure-bloods."
"Starting next year I will hire a second teacher that will teach you household spells. There are spells every Pure-blooded witch should master perfectly. Additionally you will start to learn Bulgarian and Russian. They are both languages many reputable wizards speak and you must be capable of conversing in them as well."
"I will endeavour to learn everything to the best of my abilities."
"Certainly you will do so. I expect nothing else. - Now, tell me what you have learnt. Let's begin with the history of Pure-bloods. What does it mean to be part of the noble and most ancient house of Black?"
"That one always acts worthily and surrounds oneself with the right people. It means that one deserves to be approached with utmost respect and that one treats other honourable Pure-blood families respectful as well."
"Is that all you know?"
"Of course not. A Black is part of the history if magic. It´s our duty as a family to continue said history in a noble way and to ensure that old traditions, laws and decency won't be buried in oblivion."
"It's a never ending battle to not loose our culture through dirty newcomers who simply ignore it. We have to do our best to not let them get away with it. Which measures are important to do so, Cassiopeia?"
"We have to show Mud-bloods, dirty Half-bloods and Blood-traitors their rightful place."
"Exactly. We won't permit them by any means to change the magical world to a second filthy Muggleworld. They want to impose their culture on us and hide that charade behind pretty words like tolerance or equality. But you mustn't ever let this scum lead you astray. Behind all their pretty words they want to weaken us true wizards, us Pure-bloods to overrule us in the end. They want to endanger the secrecy of our world to get even more power that they lack elsewhere because of their inferior magic."
A lesson regarding appropriate hierarchies:
"Thank you Minny, you helped me a lot."
"The miss does not have to thank me. It's my duty to assist her and I do so with zest."
"Listen to the house-elf Peia, the thing is right for once."
"She is not a thing Bella!"
"Of course it is. House-elves live to dance attendance on all our wishes. That's the only reason we bear their repulsive presence."
"Minny is not repulsive! She is my friend!"
"Should either mother or father hear you you will surely be punished. For such a reprehensible statement you definitely would deserve it."
"Please don't tell them Bella..."
"Just this once I won't, but you owe me. Be glad that you are my little sister, otherwise I would punish you myself."
"Why is it wrong to be nice to a house-elf?"
"They are exactly like Mud-bloods, beneath us. And we must ensure they never forget that. Else they might become as megalomaniacal as some filthy Mud-bloods and won't be content with looking up to us any more."
"I thought Mud-bloods are just bad because they want to change our world to fit their Muggle ideals. House-elves do no such thing."
"Mud-bloods are already revolting when they are born. They steal our magic by unjust means. It is unnatural that they have magic. After all they didn't get it from their dirty Muggle parents. They steal it from us Pure-bloods. That's why there are Squibs in old Pure-blood families, their magic was abstracted. There are other magical creatures that are like that as well. Something as pure as magic shouldn't reside in a dirty elf or a nasty goblin, they thieved it. Against nature they have internalised it."
"I don't think Minny would do such a thing."
"Sometimes I wonder whether you and Meda are truly my sisters! You can be as dumb as some Blood-traitors. Obviously it wasn't Minny herself, house-elves have had magic for hundreds of years. But a long time ago her ancestors have stolen magic from us."
"I am sorry that I am dumb Bella, but I don't understand how someone can steal magic."
"Unfortunately that's something no reputable wizard knows. Otherwise it would have been prevented ages ago. The ministry is currently mislead by Muggle-lovers, which is why no one searches how we can prevent this injustice. Though one day we will clear away all those fools and make sure that Mud-bloods will get their rightful punishment."
A lesson regarding appearance:
"Thank you Cissy, I would have never gotten my hair to look like that."
"It was no problem at all, you are indeed hopeless when it comes to adjust your outward appearance suitably. Until you get to Hogwarts you really have to learn to do it for yourself though, neither myself nor Minny will be able to help you then. At least not all the time."
"My hairs didn't look sooo bad before..."
"But definitely not good enough to be seen by others."
"There are only students at Hogwarts, no genteel society like on family gatherings or banquets."
"The children in Hogwarts are the sons and daughters of those people, you should always appear like the perfect lady in front of them. It is important to care for your looks as an immaculate daughter of the noble House of Black. You have to leave a good impression."
"Do I always have to be immaculate Cissy?"
"But of course Peia. The older you get the more important it will be. You do want to keep up our families reputation, don't you?"
"Yes, I do!"
"See? Then you should always be at your very best. Like this mother and father can be proud of you."
"Then I will do my very best! Will you be proud of me as well Cissy?"
"I am already silly."
"Do you think Bella will be proud of me too one day? Will she someday not just think that I am dumb?"
"... I think she will be one day. I am certain she does not think you are solely stupid at the moment either. Family is very important to Bella, even though she cannot show it."
"Do you truly think so?"
"Yes, she scolds me and Meda often too, but against others she always takes our side. She would do the same for you."
A lesson regarding magical transportation:
"Peipei wait!"
"No!"
"Listen to me!"
"No! Let go of me! You don't have to tell me that I am a disgrace for our family cos I always land wrong as well."
"Do you genuinely think I would ever say such a thing to you...?"
"... No. But you surely are disappointed in me too. Every child is able to get it right. It shouldn't be difficult for me."
"You are a child Peipei..."
"I am not! And stop calling me that Meda!"
"You are eight. Of course you are a child. And stop objecting that fact, there is nothing bad about being one."
"Mother and father think it's bad..."
"No, they don't."
"They always chastise me because I act too childish..."
"They simply don't want others to think poorly of you. The old Pure-blood families pay attention to each other, our parents want to prevent that someone judges us harshly. That does not mean they think badly of you themselves."
"Earlier they were quite angry..."
"They were worried about you. Perhaps they would never say so, but they obviously were. You landed in a different fireplace than we did, we didn't know where you were. Father immediately went to all fireplaces he knew had a similar name."
"When he found me he said he wouldn't search for me next time. - Why do I always miss our destination Meda?"
"You slur the words. Every syllable needs to be emphasized neatly. I know you are afraid to travel by floo network, since it is unpleasant, but you have to ignore your fear while pronouncing the toponym."
"How?"
"Concentrate on your destination and the marvellous things you can experience once you are there. Just think of the lovely day ahead."
"What do I think of if it won't be a lovely day?"
"Bear in mind that the faster you get there the faster it will be over. Focus on regular breathing and close your eyes, then try to say the destination as slow as possible and make a short pause after every syllable of the word. In a tick you will accomplish to travel with the floo network, I am sure of it."
"I will try it out the next time. Thanks for the advice Meda."
"You need not thank me for that Peipei."
"Hey! Stop calling me that!"
"Never. - Now come here and let me cuddle you."
"You are weird Meda! Why do you want to hug me that often?"
"You don't like it?"
"I do like it. But nobody else does such a thing willy-nilly..."
A lesson regarding Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore:
My sisters stood debating in the entrance hall as I went down the stairs to welcome them.
"This incompetent fool makes me so livid!"
"He wasn't that bad Bella..."
"What do you mean, he wasn't that bad Meda? His eyes literally sparkle when he looks at Mud-bloods and Blood-traitors! I had to constantly pull myself together the whole year otherwise I would have cursed him. It's a disgrace that such a man became headmaster."
"I have to agree with Bella.", Cissy interposed. "He pretends this scum is better than we are. He ignores us Slytherins for the most part."
Bella nodded eagerly and threw her hands up furiously. "He stands for everything that does not go right anymore in wizarding society, for all the progressive ideas, that want to undermine our culture. The values we grew up with will be superseded even faster with him as headmaster. We have to fight back."
"I just wanted to cry, when we celebrated Muggle feasts instead of Jul and Samhain this year.", said Cissy in a sad voice.
Full of questions I ran up to my sisters.
A lesson regarding Nobby Leach:
I sat quietly at the table. My grandparents were visiting us like every first Sunday of the month.
"...and finally this wretched Muggle is no longer minister of magic. Understandably Abraxas keeps silent regarding this affair, though if he truly helped ending his tenure I would very much like to thank him."
My grandmother nodded approvingly at my grandfathers words.
"Sadly just one eyesore of many.", my father said drily.
"I understand why you are so pessimistic son, but this is a moment of joy, we should relish such moments now and then. Salazar knows there are not enough of them due to the politics of the last years.", my grandfather responded. "Besides there is still hope..."
"Indeed there is. We can only hope that we don't invest in the wrong man. He has fine ideas but he couldn't yet gather enough support to achieve anything."
"Be patient Cygnus. All the right families back him. Together we will guide the magical society back to it's old glory."
I would have liked to ask who "he" was. "He" came up a lot when my grandparents visited us or when we paid a visit to the siblings of my father, unfortunately it was bad manners to talk unasked. And I was never asked during conversations between the adults.
A lesson regarding courtesy:
"Thank you, Kreacher."
"Odd Miss, equally odd as Miss Andromeda.", murmured the house-elf to himself before he disapparated.
I looked at the empty spot, where he had stood just a moment ago, in astonishment.
I heard soft, familiar laughter behind me.
"Don't sweat it, Kreacher thinks everyone who is unlike my parents is odd."
"Even when the person tries to be friendly?"
"Especially then. After all elves just fulfil their duties by serving us. It's not becoming to thank them for it."
"I know. My family says the same. I should break that habit...", I said and looked down at my hands uneasily.
Sirius expression seemed to shift to surprise at my words.
"I didn't mean it like that. In my opinion one should be polite towards everyone. I just repeated what he and my parents think."
"Then why don't you think the same?"
"Do I have to think like my parents?"
"... No, but you yourself said that it's not becoming to be polite to them."
"As far as I can see there is a difference between what's becoming in polite society and what's right."
"What do you mean by that?"
"That I question some of the ideals my parents teach me. Some don't seem morally right."
"Which ideals do you question?"
Sirius looked around the empty corridor, apparently nervous about something.
"We don't have enough time at the moment to list them all. We should head back downstairs."
"Will you tell me at another time?", I asked full of curiosity.
"Maybe."
A lesson regarding the mind:
I sank into my thoughts. I had the peculiar feeling of being controlled by an external force as I was drawn into memories. It felt as if my memories were surveyed in a way I myself had never observed them. Nearly forgotten images of my childhood surfaced in a seemingly haphazard fashion.
I stood on platform 9 ¾. Everything appeared to look substantially bigger than it had this year when I bid my sisters goodbye. My cheeks felt damp and my surroundings were slightly blurred. Apparently I cried.
Suddenly my field of vision was obscured by brown locks which were only slightly darker than my own. Arms enclosed me tightly. Meda was hugging me.
That must have been four years ago when she had left for Hogwarts with Bella for the first time.
The same pain I had felt then crept up inside me again. Back then I couldn't imagine how I would live without my favourite sister until Jul.
The hairs in front of me vanished. The stabbing pain in my chest stayed. But it was duller and accompanied by a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I walked alone through the dark corridors of the family wing in our mansion. After a short while I turned into the hallway housing my own room and the rooms of my sisters. One by one I pushed down the handles on their room doors.
But I knew I wouldn't be able to open any of them. The rooms were locked since all of my sisters were at Hogwarts. Now not even Cissy was here. From now on I would be alone for most of the year.
The portraits of my ancestors hanging in the spacious corridors and big halls would be the only friendly company besides Minny during the day. Inside me swelled the desire to accelerate the time. At least until the evening, so I could eat with my mother and father and the house would cease to appear so bleak.
"Wha... What was that?"
"That was legilimency. The ability to invade and read the thoughts and memories of another person. You are nine years old, old enough to learn the basics of occlumency. Through occlumency you occlude your mind towards other people who are capable of using legilimency. By doing this they won't be able to read your thoughts and feelings and it will be harder to manipulate your mind against your will."
"But how... What?"
"It's I beg your pardon. Quit mumbling and stuttering immediately! Henceforward I will instruct you how to order and protect your thoughts. Every son and daughter of the noble and most ancient Pure-blood families should know the basics of this art."
"O-of course father."
A lesson regarding expectations:
"I really want to curse this abominable Half-blood."
"I am sure father has already done his very best mother."
"You will be sorry if you keep getting cheeky right now! I swear by Salazar that you will feel the consequences for such untoward behaviour if you don't stop talking like that, Cassiopeia."
"I am sorry mother, I did not want to be disobedient. I solely wanted to point out that father surely has punished her suitably."
"He didn't do enough. I am in no way holding it against him as her father belongs to a respectable family, still, I don't like it. I know that if the curse had caused long-lasting consequences that would have been unseemly but how dare she suddenly elope with a wastrel! Now your lessons are interrupted although there is only one year left until you attend Hogwarts. I will have to spend my days teaching you everything, as if I didn't have anything better to do!"
"I am truly sorry that I deter you from your duties mother. I am sure I will be able to learn most of it by myself."
"No way! Can't you imagine the disgrace we would experience if your marks won't be outstanding in your first year? It would cast a poor light on our family if you don't rank among the best of your year! - No, I will teach you the essentials of your first year curriculum. But play up! I don't want to waste more time than necessary."
"I will. Should I keep practising all languages and the piano on my own?"
"Why certainly! What a silly question Cassiopeia, can you not think for yourself? Obviously you will continue all your lessons independently. Furthermore you will deepen all the knowledge I will teach you on your own as well. You got that?"
"Yes mother."
"Alas I don't want to take out my bad mood on you as it isn't your fault your governess disappeared. Just keep on doing your very best and impress me while learning your future subject material. Then our joint tuitions will certainly proceed harmonic."
A lesson regarding Lord Voldemort:
The dinner with my family repeated itself in my dream. Father had come home from work earlier than usual and mother had arrived around the same time from a meeting with friends. She had been uncommonly unsettled.
Once we had sat down at the table mother had looked at father briskly. "Is it true?"
"Yes. He has revealed himself. There was utter chaos in the ministry."
My mother opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted as Bella stormed inside the room. She wore black robes, her hair was ruffled and her eyes glinted.
"Did you take part?", my father asked her.
"Yes, it was breath-taking.", she said without sitting down. "I can't stay long, I merely wanted to confirm the news to you."
"So the rumours about how he revealed himself are true as well?", my mother inquired shakily. I couldn't discern whether she trembled in shock or excitement.
"Every single one of them.", Bella replied grinning. It was a grin I had rarely seen on her face, it was so broad. Bella normally contained her emotions very well, such an open facial expression was odd on her. Something truly marvellous must have happened.
"The dark lord..."
The whole evening I couldn't get the conversation at dinner out of my head. Bella had disappeared once more after relating all details to us. Apparently she was one of his faithful followers, a death eater.
My parents seemed to already know that. Just for me all that was new, maybe they had thought me to be too young to tell me more before today. So this, then, was the man I've heard so much of in the past years. The man who would fix our society.
He had to be incredibly powerful if my whole family believed in him.
My father had shown me an old picture of him before sending me to bed. He looked like an ordinary dark haired man. Only his eyes were peculiar, even though I wasn't sure why I thought so. Still, I couldn't comprehend entirely why the noble Pure-blood families were ready to accept him as their leader. What made him so special, that he could right the iniquities that plagued the current politics?
A task that must be arduous as my family and many others obviously had failed to accomplish it.
Despite my doubts I was curious what awaited us in the upcoming years.
I certainly hoped he would be able to fix something as my family had told me since I was small how Blood-traitors and Mud-bloods destroyed our world. Somebody had to do something!
Hopefully he would ensure that our culture wouldn't be threatened by the influence of newcomers and Muggle-lovers any longer. At the moment their impact was growing way to much. Maybe once that stopped my family would be happy again.
With that thought I spaced out even more and black enveloped me.
