Orphic » Sirius Black

Chapter 35 - Cassia's Telltale

Cassia walked out of the Floo Network's fireplace, and began her way up to the Auror Office. Her breathing was uneven, and her knees trembled with every step she took. She gawked at the statue in the middle of the ministry from top to bottom with fidgety eyes, and a shaky bottom lip.

Her shivers did not cease when she got into the lift, nor when she got off on the second level. She stood in the middle of the hall, in front of the Headquarters' front door, and entered after letting out an almost inaudible sob. The door opened for her when she took a step forward, and every Auror turned to glance at her from their desks as she walked up to the front one, where Frank Longbottom was.

"Auror Callister, good morning," he said with a surprised tone, "I thought you weren't coming back until next Monday."

Cassia gulped, finding it hard to find the correct words. "I need to make a statement."

Frank's astonishment increased, and he stood up slowly. He reached for his wand in his pocket. "What for?"

"Death Eaters," she said, a coy smile on her face hiding the shame and pity growing in her eyes.

Frank looked at her in the eyes and nodded once. "Follow me, please."

If it was possible, Cassia was even more distressed than before. She tried to hide it as she followed Frank to the interrogation room, and after he took her wand as a procedure, she was left there, alone. Soon, he came back with fellow Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt, though she was sure there were many more, including Alastor Moody, looking at her from the other side of the room.

Kingsley and Frank made her sign a few sheets, so that when she finally did, she was magically bound to tell the truth. There was no coming back.

"Cassia Callister, you can start whenever you're ready," advised Kingsley, setting up the magical quill to write everything she said.

"I'm going straight to the main reason I'm here," she began, after taking a deep breath and interlocking her own fingers above the table, "I need help to keep my daughter safe.

"Back in July, a certain Death Eater came to my house looking for my daughter, Juniper Callister. She wasn't at home that day, as he found out after dismantling the whole house. We duelled, and he hit me with a couple of curses. He made me swear I would bring her back so he'd take her. And of course I wasn't doing that. Then, he walked out of the house and Dissaparated.

"When Juniper got home, I tried to get her out of there as soon as possible. As soon as she left, he came back, and I got severely cursed. I ended up in Saint Mungo's for almost six weeks."

Cassia took a pause, thinking of what to say next. Her eyes shot up, trying to push the tears back in.

"How is this relevant to your statement, Callister?"

"The Death Eater. He's been wanting Juniper to join him for a while now, since she was a little girl. At this point, I'm sure he is part of the closest circle of Voldemort. If we get him, we'll get other wizards too."

The Aurors stared at her, wary, as Cassia gathered herself.

"It's my fault, because I didn't believe he would come back for her, as we had agreed after my daughter and I left the house. He contacted me not a while ago, and we spoke. He wanted her to come with him. I refused. And in July, he came to our home, looking for her... I wasn't smart enough, and I sent her away, to hide."

"Callister, you sound like you have a connection to this person," Kingsley began. By the look on his face, he already had a very accurate guess in mind.

"Unfortunately, yes." Cassia's mouth got dry. "It's my husband, Marcius—last time I saw him before that was back in 1965."

Silence engulfed the room, thick and profound. The truth was out.