Normally when summer came it was like life returning to the Burrow. There was love and laughter, occasional yelling, but mostly joy. Life hadn't returned to the Burrow that summer. In the spaces laughter once filled now hung an impenetrable silence. Mr. Weasley was almost always gone at work, trying in any way to help the efforts to find Clione. The Ministry labeled Clione as a runaway, most not believing Voldemort had returned in order to have taken her. He and Mrs. Weasley were gone nearly every evening to meet with the Order, leaving the quiet younger kids in their even quieter home.
Bill was home more now that his job was closer, and he took Percy's now empty room since he'd moved out. He couldn't bring himself to take back his old room, as if it was saying he didn't think they'd get Clione back. So her room sat dark and lonely, its door always shut because Mrs. Weasely couldn't bear to see it. Ron snuck in sometimes when he missed Clione, and Fred slept in her bed every night. But it was empty now.
A sudden pop and loud thump shook the floor above the kitchen and below the twin's room. Fred sat up in his bed knowing which room that'd come from. A sudden array of voices began shouting and the wood below them splintered from something hitting the ceiling. Fred tore out of their room launching himself downstairs.
"Merlin's beard," Mr. Weasley exclaimed at the commotion as he started upstairs. The door to Clione's room shook as though something had struck it. "Stay back, Fred," he warned pulling out his wand.
The wood split as a large body was hurled into the wall next to where Fred stood with George on the stairs, who kept Ginny and Ron back enough they wouldn't see. From that dark room emerged Clione, her face gaunt and sallow, her once dark hair now stripped to the skin. She was hunched forward dragging something behind her. But her black loathing eyes were fixed on the deatheater she'd thrown, now trying to gain his footing. She reached out her right hand with her sharp thin fingers pointed like knives.
Fred watched the man's eyes bulge as he suddenly stopped breathing. Then as Clione jerked her arm up all the blood in his body was pulled out of his eyes, nose, and mouth. Fred watched him crumple at the foot of the stairs, his blood raining over him and painting the wall.
No one moved, no one even breathed. Clione stepped forward reaching that cruel hand to Fred, her eyes far gone and unseeing. Behind her she was dragging another deatheater by the back of his head, the tips of her first two fingers just barely visible within his dead eyes.
"Darling."
She froze at that familiar gentle voice. Turning towards it the shadow in her eyes shifted.
"It's alright, you're safe now," Arthur told her. He watched whatever had taken hold of her leave her as her scared pained eyes found him, and he gave her a quick smile. "It's me, my darling, you're home."
She let go of the deatheater and his body slunk to the floor. "Dad?" she croaked in a ragged broken voice.
He stepped forward and she wilted against him. She sank into his arms as the last bit of strength her rage had gathered seeped away. Arthur's eyes rose over her shaved head to the two lifeless deatheaters strewn about her wrecked room. A third stood at the far wall with dark messy curls and a stream of blood from his nose to his soaked shirt - that Clione had drawn out before she recognized him.
"Can you take her, son?" Arthur asked the wide-eyed boy.
"Yes sir," Cassius said and moved to his side. He grabbed Clione's arm and tossed it over his shoulder as he pulled her up into his arms. While Mr. Weasley turned to go back downstairs, Cass stepped backwards towards the other set of stairs.
Fred stepped down reaching a hand to where Clione's head lay limp on Cassius' shoulder, pressinga kiss to the top of it. "Thank you," Fred breathed against her scalp.
Cass heard him sniff and nodded without looking at him. "Didn't do it for you, Weasley," Cass told him. Though he waited for Fred to let her go before following Mr. Weasley downstairs.
With the two of them gone to take Clione to Grimmauld place, Molly came up seeing the mess Clione had made. She paused a moment taking it all in, looking from her stunned children to the blood soaked in the walls and floors. "Fred, George, help me take them to the garden. Ginny and Ron help clean the blood."
...
A loud thump muffled beneath layers of wood had Clione jolting awake. Tired sunken eyes blinked slowly against the soft pale glow of sunlight streaming in through the glass ceiling. Green filled every inch of the space in front of her. Trees and bushes and potted plants lined the walls and hung from the glass above her, flowers bloomed under the warm sun, a brook babbled against the far corner of the room. Her lungs had never known such clean air.
She sat up slowly looking down at the wrists holding her up not recognizing them. The purpled sallow skin stretching over sharp bones looked ready to tear. Looking down at herself she saw the same bruising around her ankles peeking from beneath ill fitted pajama pants. Her feet carried her across the stone path to the thick wooden door, behind which she found dark gothic design that smelled sweet with rot and looked faded with time. As she left the sun behind she felt cold, and her spirit so very heavy.
Voices carried up the tall landing and she followed them down to the first floor. At the foot of the stairs she paused: there were more stairs going down to the basement, to her left and beyond that was a dining room she could hear the voices coming from, and to her right a long dark hall with peeling wallpaper and cobwebs. She poked her head past the doorway to the diningroom and her cautious expression settled at the four figures sitting at the end of the table.
Her knuckles wrapping on the doorframe had Arthur, Molly, Remus, and Sirius looking up, and relieved smiles spreading over their faces. "Darling," Arthur said as he came around to her with his arms raised to hold her. Her back hit the doorframe from how quickly she lurched backwards, her caged eyes gaping up at him wildly as her breaths grew short. His arms hung at his sides as he stood back giving her room to breathe. "Clione?" This close he could see one of her eyes was darker than the other. And he knew at once what Cassius had done to bring her back.
She looked at his kind pained face knowing he'd never hurt her. But her body didn't believe it. "I'm okay," she told him, her voice sounding too high. She felt a sudden rush of tears flood her eyes as she tried to catch her breath, as she tried to convince herself she was safe.
Molly blinked too quickly looking more at the table to hide the tears in her eyes, Remus was looking at her like she was some sad injured pet, and Sirius was looking at Arthur who'd moved first like Clione was his daughter. Clione stepped back into the hall with the sudden urge to run away from this. It felt too close, too gloomy and heavy and she wanted the sun. She felt like she couldn't breathe.
Movement out of the corner of her eye had Clione's hands curling to fists as she turned, and the swelling rush of panic whooshed out of her in a heavy sigh at seeing it was Cass. She looked at him seeing one of her own eyes staring back at her, a warmer shade of brown where his were dull and dark. He felt her breathing slow and the claw around his chest loosen to where he could also breathe easier. "You good?" he asked, letting her decide if she was.
She nodded stepping into the hallway after him as he made his way back to the basement. "Where are we?" her parents and uncle heard her ask softly as she timidly followed him. They hadn't been sure of this boy, not with who his father was and the mark he now had on his forearm. But they were sure of him now at seeing how quickly he'd calmed Clione.
Cass explained it was Sirius' family home as they walked downstairs, which was technically her family home too, and now his because Sirius was his unofficial guardian. The rest of the Weasley kids were at the table looking happier than they had all summer. Fred was on his feet the second he saw Clione's thin shape behind Cass, but Cass was quick to shake his head.
Clione stood at the wall next to the kitchen counter Cass was fixing her something at, trying not to notice how fast they'd all quieted and now sat turned to look at her. She crossed her arms holding herself, finding she was trembling. George went upstairs, giving her a wide berth when he saw her press further into the wall to stay away from him. Ginny moved to the other side of Cass cutting bread to go with last night's stew that he was scooping into a bowl for Clione. Ron shrugged out of his sweater and stood an arms distance away from Clione holding it out to her. "I'm feeling a bit warm," he told her softly.
Clione looked at his sweet face feeling her mouth twitch. She pulled his warm sweater around her as she made her way to the table. She sat at the head of it where there was space to breathe without someone crowded next to her. Taking a breath she turned to where Fred sat on her right, finding tenderness and love in his eyes as he smiled.
"Hi gorgeous," he told her gently. He'd spent all summer desperate to get her back, he hadn't thought about what state she'd be in when he did. It hurt to look at her, at the heavy bruising and signs of starvation. He'd take all her pain if he could.
Her chest sunk with her sigh and she leaned back in the chair settling in the warmth of his presence. She took what felt like her first real breath since she'd woken, not having to remind herself she was safe. Because he was here. "Hi," she whispered back.
George came back down and took the seat next to Fred, sliding an old knitted hat down the table to Clione. Ron sat by him trying to act like he wasn't cold. Cass came around to sit at Clione's left, setting a bowl of stew and piece of bread in front of her as Ginny sat beside him. This is what Molly found when she came down a few minutes later to check on them. Clione was eating small bites of bread with soup bundled up in a too large sweater and hat, listening to them all give her their best pitches for why she should repeat her last year at Hogwarts. And Molly smiled, because they were alright. Her kids were alright.
...
Molly told Gail to bring a bottle of Manegro Potion before coming to see Clione. Noemi didn't come when Molly warned Gail that Clione wasn't in a good way, not wanting to overwhelm her. Now Clione stood in front of the mirror looking at herself in its reflection. Her hair was long and dark as it'd once been. Mrs. Weasely was trying to fatten her up and she'd regained her coloring, but her cheeks were still hollow and her dual colored eyes were dull and held no light. She looked down at the chiffon scarf Mrs. Weasely brought her withan under cap to match it. It used to make her feel beautiful and safe, and looking at herself now she felt neither of those things.
Gently Gail came up behind Clione reaching a hand to her hair. "Maybe we could try something different," she offered in a delicate voice. "A bit lighter."
Clione turned to Gail feeling like it was hopeless, but she nodded. She followed Gail downstairs and quickly out onto the street she was supposed to be hiding from. She'd gone from a prison to that decrepit moldy house made stale and dark with generations of hate. They walked slowly as Clione breathed fresh air for the first time in months.
Clione had loved her hair, it was long and lush and her grandmother had trimmed it only every once in a while. She hadn't cut it once since they disowned her. Now for the first time in her life Clione was sat in a barber's couldn't close her eyes during the shampooing but Gail saw the heavy breath she let go of seeming to shrink back into herself. She let Gail choose the style and sat back letting a loud woman wearing too much makeup take care of her. At the way Clione winced at her hands coming too close, the hairdresser slowed down and touched her gently. A subtle kindness that had Clione's eyes dampening.
An hour later Clione was turned round to the mirror and she blinked at herself a moment. Her hair had been cut just above her shoulders, and since it was thick a lot of layers had been added making it bouncy as she moved her head. And finally, a smile spread over Clione's face.
"You like it?" Gail beamed coming up behind her.
Clione reached a hand to fluff it and nodded. "Yeah," she agreed with less luster but there was a faint shine to her eyes.
The pair walked back with Gail chattering on about her and Noemi searching for where to put their small village and that they still needed a name for it. "I wanna be near home," Clione added, her first contribution. She was quiet a moment before adding, " if travel -" She broke off, took a few steps in silence and tried again. "If apparating or floo is -" Her voice fell away again as though her mind was too scattered to stick to a sentence. But still Gail waited. "I wanna be able to go home."
"Okay," Gail assured her. "That gives us a good idea where to start. Maybe we'll have a home by Christmas."
In a very small voice Clione said, "you could decorate."
Gail grinned and hugged herself instead of looping her arm through Clione's. "Christmas is my favorite," she agreed.
They were ushered inside Grimmauld Place sternly and almost reprimanded for worrying them, before Mrs. Weasely saw Clione's hair. "Oh, it looks lovely," she told her seeing Clione's faint smile. She squeezed her hands together in effort not to reach for her. "Lunch is ready, you need at least a few bites."
The girls made their way to the noisy dining room. Sirius, Remus, Bill and Arthur were at the head of the table discussing Harry's upcoming hearing, while the kids were huddled together telling Hermione everything she'd missed now that she was here. It was like the noise was sucked out of the room as Clione entered it, she tried not to notice.
Hermione made to stand so she could hug her but Ginny held her down in her chair. "You look beautiful, darling," Mr. Weasley told her warmly.
Sirius could hardly take his eyes off her, seeing so much of his mother's beautiful angular features in Clione's once sweet face. Remus offered a kind smile and a gentle, "it looks very nice."
Clione thanked them quietly and sat at the farthest chair closest to the door. They tried not to notice.
"It really does look nice," Ron told her offering her half his sandwich.
Hermione was swallowing thickly at the heavy bruising she now saw around Clione's neck. "It's good to see you," she told her in a small voice. Clione's eyes rose to Hermione's strained smile and quickly fell to her plate.
Gail sat across from Clione, watching her stiffen out of reflex as someone came up behind her, though she relaxed at finding it was Cass. "Is it not good to see me, Granger?" he teased in a perpetually bored tone.
Hermione blinked at him catching her staring. "Of course," she stuttered quickly and lowered her gaze. He had a scar over his right brow from last year, but around the left was another and it seemed to circle over his cheek under his eye where his jagged skin was still pink along his cheekbone. She took a drink, looking at the round shape of her glass in understanding.
In the middle of the table Fred was watching Clione take no more than three bites before giving the rest to Cassius. Then she sat listening to the three kids across from her, a faint smile at the corner of her eyes. Until all at once her face smoothed and her gaze fell as her mind drifted away. She sat that way a shell of a girl until someone laughed a bit too loud making her flinch.
Her eyes rose seeing Fred's sweet face as he stood over her. "Done eating?" he asked casually with a grin. He saw it tug at the corners of her mouth as she nodded. He followed her upstairs to the attic, keeping his hands in his pockets.
They stood in the gentle blue glow of her room as calm seeped into her. "Do you like it?" she asked, her voice soft and almost sweet.
He reached a hand to her hair brushing back the shorter front of it, seeing her first lean into him before recoiling. "I love it," he told her gently letting his hand fall back to his side. "You like it?"
She touched the end of it having never felt it so short. She felt naked, but it was lighter, and it was different enough for her to not feel like she was drowning in who she used to be. "Yeah," she answered on a quiet breath.
She blinked those doe eyes up at him with the quaintest curl to her mouth. And he gazed warmly down at her grinning. The attic door was slowly opened and a head peeked in to see how things were going. Spotting Clione and Fred standing together, George ushered the rest of them in. Clione sat on the chair in the far right corner, and Fred tossed a blanket over her as he sat on the couch against the wall beside her. George sat next to him as they showed Clione the new ailment sweets they'd made over the summer. Ginny and Hermione sat on Clione's soft bed. Ron and Cass were on the other end of the couch talking about quidditch.
Gail came up several minutes later after discussing with Mrs. Weasely the best place she and Noemi should start looking for their home. Gail stood over where Clione sat, her face now frozen in a partial smile, her eyes unfocused and far away. "How long has she been gone?" Gail asked sadly.
Fred glanced at Clione's blank face hiding his worry with a loving grin. It didn't stick long. "Maybe five minutes."
Gail could see how much this was hurting him, at how hard he was trying to hide it. "Would you tell her bye for me?"
"Course," Fred agreed. His eyes fell from Gail to Clione and his smile slowly shrank. Sometimes he worried what he'd do if her mind didn't come back. If whatever was left of her got lost somewhere he couldn't find her.
But she blinked and turned to him and he gave her a lopsided smile. "Hi gorgeous," he told her again though it was quieter this time.
A small smile quirked on her mouth without reaching her tired eyes. "Hi," she whispered back. She sat with her head resting on the back of the couch facing Fred, not noticing the way her shoulders jolted as though she were shivering. She listened without really paying attention to whatever he and George were going on about.
They heard the arrival of a few Order members as the day turned to night. Without word of courtesy Clione stood and made her way downstairs. It left Fred to pick up the crumpled blanket that'd fallen from her lap and set it back on the chair.
They filed out of Clione's room with Ginny following the twins while Ron and Hermione went to his room to talk about Harry. It's where Harry found them not long after, having been brought here by the members currently shut in the dining room. He wasn't happy with the lot of them for keeping him in the dark all summer. The twins popped into Ron and Harry's room offering a way to listen in to the meeting, though Crookshanks put a quick end to that by stealing the other end of Fred and George's extendable ears. The meeting concluded shortly after and Harry had learned nothing new, but it had at least taken some of his anger.
The kids filed downstairs, the twins apparating behind their mom to startle her. Fred went down to the kitchen spotting Clione at the counter chopping vegetables. He snuck a carrot earning a small grin from Clione.
Harry came down last and paused at the foot of the stairs gaping at where Clione stood in an apron with her hair cut short. "Clione?"
She turned to him with suddenly bright eyes and a warm smile. "It's good to see you, dear."
A wave of relief crashed over him so heavy he could've sunk in it. With a relieved smile he stepped to her raising his arms to hug her. But a strong hand set on his shoulder jerked him back so he stopped a handful of feet away from her. "Lovely as always, isn't she?" Fred said steering the boy further from her.
Harry blinked seeing Clione's features up close. He'd mistaken the glow of the yellow light above her for warmth but her smile was nothing more than a spasm in her gaunt cheeks. And up close he could see her eyes were two different shades of brown, and they both looked dull and caged.
Fred pushed him towards the table where the other kids had all chosen their seats. "Don't touch her, mate," he whispered letting him go. Harry nodded understanding Clione wasn't any more okay than he was. "Did this lot tell you she's coming back to school with us?"
"Really?" Harry asked feeling a twinge of hope at having her with him at least one more year. He claimed a seat and glanced at Clione's small quiet form, seeing a bulkier shadow had slunk beside her. "Warrington, what are you doing here?" Of all the people that might've been there this dark looking boy was one of the last Harry would've expected to see. His stare fell to Cassius' arm spotting the Dark Mark on his forearm, and Harry immediately bristled. He looked up at Cass seeing the same strange two-toned brown eyes, a mirror of Clione's those his were colder.
"He's the one that found her," Ron explained. They still had no idea what he'd gone through to get her back to them. He was as sullen and quiet as she was.
There were more feet on the stairs as the adults came down. "And we are eternally grateful," Arthur said reaching a hand to the boy's shoulder. "Good man you are."
"Thank you," Cass told him quietly, a bit awkwardly. He kept his place against the wall by Clione, watching her stiffen at the familiar thump of metal on the stairs.
Dark loathsome eyes found Moody as he limped down last. His eye normally whirled on a constant pivot searching for danger, but it was stuck still on the greatest danger in that room. "Try it again, girlie," he warned in a low graveled voice.
Her hand tightened on the knife and the light above her glowed brighter at the swell of energy surrounding her.
"Clio," came Fred's worried voice, hearing a familiar whine in the air as it was all pulled to her.
Harry sat with wide eyes watching Clione closely, seeing unbridled rage lurking beneath the surface. It suddenly felt like the room might burst.
Behind her Cass pushed from the wall ready to grab her again, but it was Sirius who stepped in front of his seething daughter. His eyes were stern as he held her darker glare, feeling the hair on the back of his neck raise. "To your room, since you still cannot behave," he told her sounding gentle, but his expression wasn't.
She took a heavy breath through her nose and all the air in the room seemed to be sucked out, then she let it out in a long irritable huff that had them relaxing as they all felt like they could breathe again.
Molly had ushered Moody to the far end of the kitchen away from her murderous daughter and came back shouldering Sirius out of the way. "It's alright, dear. I'll send supper up." She raised an arm to the stairs and turned with Clione shielding her from where Moody glowered behind them. She turned to the quiet boy making to follow and offered him a kind smile. "I'll send it up for you too," she told him hearing his quiet thanks.
Her smile fell to a stern frown as she whirled on Sirius. "She's hurting, you could show her a bit more patience."
Sirius shook his head but left it. It was an argument they'd had before and would again. But Clione didn't need or want to be coddled. She needed rigid structure and an intolerance for her inconsolable temper. It's why they were forcing her to go back to school, it was either that or she had to be admitted to St. Mungo's.
Cass climbed into the attic and glanced from the bed in the middle of the left wall, then to the couch stretched across the back wall with the armchair set in the corner beside the right end of it, all of which sat empty. He sighed giving her the space and quiet she needed and went back downstairs with the others.
When he was seated Harry leaned over and asked quietly, "what happened between Clione and Moody?" Harry himself found it strange to see the man he thought he knew but in reality had been a deatheater. But while Harry knew Moody's face, he didn't know Moody. Surely Clione understood it hadn't been him that gave her to Voldemort.
Cass didn't look up from the table as he answered. "He was here when we first brought her yesterday. She was out cold til she heard his voice." His memory of the rest was foggy, like a bad dream he didn't want to remember.
But Fred was looking at Bill expectantly. Bill was surprised at the weight and severity of his brother's stare. "Yeah, she tried to kill him. Cass got her to stop, everyone's fine." He shrugged leaving it there, not wanting Clione's worst moments to be helped against her. None of the kids needed to know how close she'd come to killing Cass before he convinced her to stop boiling Moody's blood. Cass had blood coming out of his eyes and ears, he'd passed out not long after Arthur got her upstairs.
From what Fred had told him about Clione, and from what Sirius told him about Talibah, Bill thought the Ayad's were exceptionally gifted in Earth magic. But the Earth was stable and controlled, it was a symbol of growth. Clione's line came from the god of darkness and chaos. It was clear their endowment was blood magic, and Clione excelled at it. And worse, she couldn't control it.
It was straying on late when the kids filed upstairs for bed, though not too late with Harry's hearing tomorrow. "Leave her alone, Ron," Ginny hissed when he went up to the attic.
She still hadn't come out from wherever she'd tucked herself. They had her back and he still missed her. "Night Clio," he told her sounding for a moment her sweet young Ron.
He was easing the door shut when he heard her softly reply, "night dear." He was still smiling as he went to his and Harry's room.
Harry was looking at the stairs leading to the attic when Mrs. Weasely came up. "She'll be better in the morning. The day takes a lot out of her."
He went to bed with the rest of them, but when the house had grown quiet and still Harry snuck upstairs. He climbed the stairs to the attic and stopped in the doorway gaping open mouthed at her room. It was more a greenhouse from the glass ceiling or a forest from what looked to be a brook against the far wall. Crickets were chirping somewhere from the gently swaying grass in the wallpaper, and butterflies twinkled like stars fluttering among the flowers that glowed a serene blue.
Even then as it was turning into tomorrow, she still hadn't come out. Harry looked down as Fred rolled out from under the bed with his brow raised in question. "Need something?" he asked like it was his room Harry had snuck into.
Harry looked down at the quirked brow he could see from the soothing blue glow of the plants. "Uh, no, I guess not," he said not caring that his tone showed his disappointment. Fred gave him a passive night and rolled back under the bed. Harry hesitated a moment hoping her head might pop up, because she'd know what to say to make him feel better and if she didn't just the love in her smile could. But she didn't come out.
Fred lay on one of the three pillows he'd set between them hearing the door shut as Harry went back to bed. Clione lay with her face tucked into the same pillow he lay on, knocked out from the sleeping draught Snape made her. He reached a tender hand to brush her hair back, to smooth the wrinkle in her brow. Even in sleep she recoiled from his touch. He rolled onto his back looking up at the wood of the bedframe, feeling the pain of it all slip out of the corner of his eyes.