Many thanks to Liza for reading through this first.

Subject: Myths and Legends

Task: Write about a cruel uncle or aunt.

Chocolate Frog: Bonus - Pius Thicknesse - Challenge - Write about the effects of the imperius curse

1000 Word Prompt Challenge: Spot

Gringotts: Charmed Season 1: Episode 4 – (Word) surprise; Charmed Season 1: Episode 15 – (Location) Basement; Episode 16 – (Word) Three; Emotion: Afraid – Scared; Emotion: Sad - Tearful ; Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season 1: Episode 2 – (Word) Pleasure, (Word) Unsatisfactory, Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season 1: Episode 4 – (Word) Slave; Episode 5 – (Word) Lucky, (Word) Scared

Word Count: 1407


Home For A While

Arabella clinged to her father's hand as he knocked on the door of her Aunt Evanna's house.

The ten year old girl loathed visiting her mother's sister, who had been treating her worse than something she trod on ever since it became evident that she didn't have a drop of magic in her.

And now with her mother hospitalised in St Mungo's, her father was bringing her to stay at the Rosier house, for the better part of three months.

Arabella still wasn't quite sure why she couldn't stay at home with her father. The only reason he had given to her was that her aunt would be able to take better care of her than he could, but even the young girl knew that was a lie.

He was leaving.

He was leaving, and he didn't want to take her with him.

What she didn't understand was why.

With tears in her eyes, she glanced up at her father, just as the door opened.

Without a word, her father pushed her towards her aunt and then disapparated from sight. Her eyes glassed over as she stared at the spot where her father had been stood a split second ago.

"Well girl, get inside," Evanna hissed. "You're lucky I'm allowing a filthy squib such as yourself anywhere near me let alone inside my house."

Arabella remained where she was staring at the interior of Evanna's three story, seven bedroom house. As always, it was absolutely pristine.

"Get in now before someone sees you," her aunt ordered through gritted teeth. "I cannot have anyone knowing that I am harbouring scum. The only reason I'm allowing you room in my house is because your mother is my sister."

The young girl bowed her head slowly, and picked up her small suitcase before ambling into the house she would be calling her home for the next few months.

"Eww, look who it is," sneered the eldest of her cousins, who she had taken to calling Cruella in her mind. "It's the filthy little squib. Quick girls, let's get away from her before we catch some hideous Muggle disease from her."

Her aunt barked loudly at her daughter's open taunting, and another one of her three cousins quickly joined in with the chorus of laughter. The only one who didn't join in was the youngest of the Rosier sisters who threw her a look a sympathy. It was a small comfort to the ten year old to know that not everyone in the household despised her lack of magical ability, but it wasn't enough to dull the cruel sting of their laughter.

Evanna pushed her on the small of her back making Arabella stumble and fall to her knees.

"You'll be sleeping in there," her aunt informed her, pointing at the door that led to the small, claustrophobic basement. "You'll be sharing with the house-elf too, and therefore I think it only right that you assume some of her duties whilst you're a guest in my home."

"Yes Aunt Evanna," Arabella whispered quietly, climbing back to her feet.

"You can start by cleaning the toilets," Evanna instructed her. "Merlin knows Zipley makes a habit of falling inside them every time she cleans them. It will be a refreshing change not having to stop what I'm doing to pull that thing out, because she's too hopeless to do it herself. Now get to work you disgusting creature before I throw you out of the streets where you belong."

Arabella bowed her head in agreement, and headed towards the miniscule basement she would be forced to call a bedroom. As she descended the unstable, rickety stairs, she wondered if this was the kind of treatment she would have to expect day in and day out whilst under her aunt's roof.

The young girl sighed as she deposited her suitcase in the corner by the pile of blankets, the place she assumed would be her bed for her stay at the Rosier house, before slowly trudging back up the stairs.

"You'll be needing these, Miss," squeaked a cheery looking house-elf, who was holding out a container full of cleaning supplies. "Madam Evanna likes her toilets to gleam and shine; if it is unsatisfactory she will have you do them again."

Arabella nodded her head slowly, and took the box from Zipley.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

As she made her way slowly to the downstairs toilet, Arabella couldn't help but feel as though her stay at the Rosier house would be a long and painful one.

XXXX

For the first week of her stay, Arabella's day consisted of waking up, preparing her aunt and cousins meals, dining on any scraps that were left over, cleaning, washing their clothes, and yet more cleaning when her aunt allowed her cousins to deliberately make extra mess for her.

It was hard work, but it kept her occupied and from thinking of her mother in St Mungo's; it was the only thing that kept her from vocalising how much she hated being little more than a slave.

So it came as a surprise to Arabella when she was summoned into the lounge on the eighth evening of her stay.

The ten year old promptly stopped what she was doing and quickly headed towards her aunt - in her short stay here she had already learnt that if there was one thing Evanna Rosier couldn't stand, it was waiting.

"You called, Aunt Evanna," Arabella whispered, making sure to keep her eyes lowered to the ground.

"Yes, your cousins and I would like some—entertainment," Evanna said in a sinister voice, "and we would like you to provide it."

Arabella felt as though her heart had dropped to the pit of her stomach, and she wondered what her aunt could possibly mean by this.

"Of—of course Aunt Evanna," Arabella reluctantly agreed. "What would you like me to do?"

The glance that her aunt and the eldest two of her cousins exchanged didn't escape Arabella's notice, and the worry that she was feeling increased ten-fold. It also didn't escape her notice that the youngest of the Rosier sisters was absent, and that increased the dread she was feeling substantially as Arabella always felt somewhat safer whenever she was around.

"We want you to dance, dance like a chicken," shrieked Cruella, at the same time her aunt cried, "Imperio."

Arabella quickly found that she had no control over her limbs any longer, and as her arms and legs began to move as her aunt willed them to, she realised that she nothing more than her puppet on a string and no longer had any free will.

She began to dance around the room, squawking like a chicken, whilst her 'family' burst into fits of laughter at her expense.

"Arabella," her aunt taunted after a few minutes, "walk upstairs to the guest bedroom."

Unable to resist, Arabella followed the strong will of her aunt and walked up the elegant staircase, closely pursued by Evanna and Druella.

Like a zombie, she pushed open the door, and headed towards the window. She flung it wide open, and as per her aunt's will she grasped hold of either end of the window frame and leant out.

"Jump, Arabella, jump," squealed the excited voice of her cousin. "Or would you like a little nudge in the right direction?"

She held herself in that position, and daylight faded into night time before her aunt finally released her iron clad grip on her mind and body.

"How did I get here?" Arabella cried, as she struggled to keep her balance on the window ledge. "Someone help me please."

Tears leaked from the scared child's eyes, her arms and legs quaked with fear as she tried to figure out how she could get back into the safety of the house.

Evanna Rosier stood there and laughed at her for a few moments, and then flicked her wand, sending the fragile girl flying against the wall, before sweeping out of the room, closely followed by her eldest daughter.

Arabella curled up into a ball and cried.

She cried for her mother who was too ill to care for her.

She cried for her father who had abandoned her without a second thought.

And she cried for her free will which she only now realised could be taken from her without a second thought by her Aunt Evanna for own vindictive pleasure.

A/N:

Let me know your thoughts in a review

All feedback is appreciated

xoxo