A/N: Updated as of 1/19/2014. I added a bit from the original posting. It's one of my favorite chapters! I hope you like it! R&R.
Y6: Follow the Light
Orion stood trying to contain his anger at his son. He took hold of both the back of their necks squeezing Sirius' a bit harder. He apparated the three of them to the Worthington's Estate. They arrived outside the door of Artemis Worthington's house. Orion pushed open the door and strut through the house.
A small house elf with a limp and swollen eye hobbled over to the Blacks, "Mr. Black, sir, I fear that my masters are too unwell to speak after your last visit, sir."
Sirius looked from his father to the elf. Orion, however, calmly ordered to the elf, "Show me where they are."
The house elf nodded and hobbled to a room at the end of the corridor. They followed after her, Sirius and Regulus both nervous for what they were about to see. When they came to the door way, Orion continued in but Sirius and Reg both stopped dead.
Artemis Worthington, a brick wall of a man, sat crumbled on the floor with a bloody head bobbing off the wall. Both eyes were swollen shut and oozing, his hands were cut open and his joints were disfigured. Octavia looked no better. The thin woman was swollen all over. Her hair was matted with blood and her nose looked seriously injured. Cuts ran all over her body and her clothes were torn exposing bruised breasts.
"What did you do?" Sirius breathed.
"Only what the Dark Lord ordered," Orion turned away from his sons, "Artemis!"
Artemis' head stopped bobbing and a whine escaped his swollen lips.
"Have you advanced any farther in your investigation?" Orion hollered.
Artemis cried and Orion whipped out his wand, "CRUCIO!"
Sirius and Regulus jumped back in fright. But then Sirius jumped on his father.
"STOP! STOP!" Sirius yelled but Orion's wand turned on him, "FATHER! How do you expect him to do anything when he can barely function?!"
"Step away, Sirius!" Orion yelled at his son, but Sirius did not, "Flipendo!"
Sirius flew across the room and with a crack to the wall, he crumpled to the floor unconscious.
…
She was still humming but now she didn't know any words. She hadn't been fed in two days, whatever torture was brought to her captors left them unable to care for her. Cara rolled on the floor laughing to herself and then crying and then laughing again.
The rug she laid on was soiled and so she didn't like to be near it now. The hard floor was uncomfortable as her bones poked out against it. However, she grew used to it and she sometimes talked to it like it was a friend.
Multiple footsteps sounded above her, and she frowned in confusion.
"Did the Other bring friends?" she asked herself aloud.
She listened to the Other's voice as he ordered around the house elf. More footsteps sounded and she looked up at the ceiling imagining they were directly above her. She heard another voice, soft and weak, but the Other's voice began talking again. Then she heard him yell and imagined the He rolling on the floor like He had made her do so many times.
Suddenly a familiar voice barked over top of the Other! She could hear them argue and she racked her damaged memories.
"Sirius," she whispered to herself.
"Sirius," she said desperately.
No answer. But a loud bang.
"Sirius, Sirius," she begged.
The Other continued torturing the He and She.
Cara pushed herself up. She moved dizzily, but dragged her weak body to the staircase.
"Sirius!" Cara yelled.
With no answer, she became frustrated.
"PLEASE SIRIUS!" She yelled as tears fell down her face.
The Other was quiet and another small voice piped up. But it wasn't Sirius.
"SIRIUS!" She screamed.
….
"Father," Regulus said quietly, "Is there someone screaming?"
Orion turned to his son frowning in confusion.
But what followed was an unmistakable scream for Sirius.
"It doesn't matter, Regulus, grab your brother and wait outside," Orion said as he stormed outside the room and to the basement.
Orion tossed open the basement door and grabbed the scrawny girl by the hair. He slapped her and tossed her to the floor. She cried at his feet but continued whispering his son's name.
"Shut up!" He kicked her and pulled out his wand, "Must I take out your tongue?"
She cried and kept whispering the name.
"Crucio!" he smiled.
Her body seized up and down slamming on the floor. The torture did not hurt as much because she was already living in pain. But she had something to hold on to now.
"No," She whined, "Sirius."
"Crucio!" He yelled again.
The name started to disappear but she searched for it.
"CRUCIO!" he screamed at the top of her lungs.
Her body was thrown about the room. She yelled in pain, a voice similar to her soprano hum.
When her body crumbled to the floor, the dark man leaned down to her.
She remembered the name but didn't remember what it meant. When she thought it, she saw this light. She wanted to say it again to feel the sweetness of the name on her lips. The man walked away from her and she lay crying on the floor.
Cara listened to him leave the house and she stayed on the floor for what seemed like a long time. But the name was in her mind and she couldn't shake the feeling of the light.
"Sirius," she whispered with a small smile.
The light shone but it started to fade.
She forced herself up though her body protested with every movement.
"Sirius," she yelled at the light.
It shone again and she moved to it.
"Sirius!" she said as she dragged herself up the steps.
All of a sudden, there was a door that separated her from the light.
"Sirius," she moaned but the light stayed on the other side.
She pushed her hands into the door and yelled, "Sirius. Sirius! SIRI-US!"
She was annoyed, not understanding why the door was there. Why wouldn't let her see the light whom she called Sirius? She just wanted to see the light.
She began pounding frustrated on the door; and started up her yells again. On her third yell, the door burst open and she fell on top of it. She cheered as she pushed herself up.
"Sirius," she smiled as she reached towards the light.
Slowly she was walking down a small hallway. She didn't notice the two moaning people, the He and She, who lay in the room she passed. The light flew behind another door.
Cara started to cry, "No Siry, Sirius. Come."
She knocked on the door as if that was what one does to a door. But it did not open. So she pounded on, and threw her mouth against it. She tried to gnaw through the door. Her arms flailed against it helplessly. Then her hand hit something on the door and she cried out in pain. She looked down at the evil thing that protruded out of the door; it was a knob. She stared at it confused. So she shook it like it was a hand. And then she pushed on it; and then pulled. After minutes of fiddling with it, she somehow turned and pulled. The door flew open.
Cara followed the light out the door of the house. The house elf watched her as she left but did not stop Cara.
The cold wind met her and she looked out as the sun began to set. The sky was pink and the light had gone everywhere. She smiled as she fumbled down the stairs. She walked out of the Worthington's Estate and around her was central London. People glared at her appearance mistaking her for a drug addict. She hummed as she walked a familiar route.
The farther she walked, the less strength she had. Her body ached and her breath was heavy; but she still smiled.
She stopped as she looked at familiar letters on a familiar sign but couldn't remember the name or how to read it. Cara walked over and pushed the door open. She tumbled in falling to the floor. All heads snapped to her. The muggles in the bar scoffed at her while the wizards stopped.
"Miss Connors?" Minerva McGonagall stood from her place amongst a few teachers.
Cara was unable to stand back up so she set herself down on a new hard floor continuing to hum. It wasn't like her hard floor, not her friend; but it was hard like that one was. Minerva breaking out of her shocked state ran for the girl.
She pulled Cara into her arms ordering, "Slughorn, inform Dumbledore! Hagrid, I want the children back at school!"
Without a word, the two rushed away to follow her orders. Minerva looked at the broken girl and a tear fell from her face on to Cara. Cara left it there letting it drip down her cheek, then looked up at the woman and hummed. Minerva had a soft smile and a tight throat as she apparated away leaving wizards in shock and muggles in disbelief as to what they'd just seen.