Chapter 2
Pain.
Smack.
She deserved this.
Smack.
It was for the best.
Smack.
At least, that's what she tells herself.
"A bloody Hufflepuff." Uncle Nicholas spat down at her. Raven cried out in pain once more as the whip hit her bare back. "A disgrace."
"Please, Uncle!" She begged. She tried to fight against the chains that he had in his basement. Chains that were built into the house just for her, and for her older cousin, Christopher. Though, he wasn't that much older than her. Only by a year. "Have mercy!"
He stopped. Freezing upon hearing her words. The whip smacked onto the floor loudly, and Raven could hear the way it tightened in his hands. She didn't dare look back at the man, too scared that he'd get angry upon meeting her tear-filled eyes.
She should have known once he refused to see her over Christmas break that she'd be punished because of the hat's choice.
"What do you mean Uncle does not wish for me to return home for Yule break?" Raven asked her cousins. Christopher shifted on his feet, looking around the empty hallway for any signs of people passing by. He had a glare on his face, one that was a mirror to his fathers. Raven turned her gaze to her other cousin, Katherine, once she realized that the boy would not answer her. "Katherine?"
The midnight haired girl sighed before she crotched down onto her knees to not overpower her little cousin. Raven watched her carefully, and yet, her eyes were still full of curiosity.
"Raven—"
"Is it because I'm a Hufflepuff?" Raven exclaimed; her eyes began to glisten with tears at her own words. "Surely, Uncle isn't mad about that! I have no control over the hat! He has to know that."
"I'm sorry, Mari." Katherine whispered softly as she reached up and wiped a tear from the young redhead's eyes. Raven felt her lips wobble at her touch.
Mari was her nickname amongst her two cousins. Growing up, Christopher could never say Raven. It was always a struggle for him, so Katherine decided to create a nickname out her Raven's middle name, Mara. But Christopher did not like it, so instead he began to call her Mari and the rest is history.
"No." She shook her head, biting her lip to stop the lump in her throat from overpowering her. "It's not fair!"
"Cedric will watch over you." Her cousin whispered, not wanting to draw her brother's attention. Though, all three of them knew that he heard her loud and clear with the way he scoffed.
"Cedric's leaving tomorrow!" She cried. "Please."
"Maybe it's for the best that you stay." Christopher mumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest to hide the trembling in his fingertips. "You know that fathers rage can last a lifetime."
"I don't care." Raven grabbed onto her older cousin, wrapping her arms around the girls neck as she buried her head into her shoulder. "Please take me with you! I don't want to be alone. Not during Yule!"
"I'm sorry, Raven." Katherine said.
"I want to go home!"
Now, she wishes that she was anywhere but home. This was one of the worst whippings she had gotten in her entire life. He's been at it since she arrived home a few hours ago. Maybe 6? She lost track.
She's been hanging here in theses chains with her sports bra ripped to pieces. The only dignity she had left was the single wrap that held strong on her back. But pretty soon, that will rip too. Just like her back. Oh god, her poor back. It felt numb to her now after the first three hours. But she knew that once she left this dungeon, once she left this hellhole, that it would be scarred beyond belief. No amount of magic will be able to help heal all of them.
Not that her Uncle Nicholas was merciful like that. He loved to mark them all. He banned the used of healing magic after his final whipping. The last hour. Usually, he would heal them every hour so the marks wouldn't be as severe. He did want them to be able to get married. But he still wanted them to remember, wanted them to feel them every time they scratch their back, or anytime someone tried to sooth them.
He said it made them.. special that way. And who was Raven to argue with the man who took her in? Who raised her after her mother and father passed?
And he was a kind man. But even kind men have their limits. She doesn't get whipped as often, none of them do. The first time she had gotten whipped, she was practically asking for it. She was being kind to Mudblood and their family. She remembers that they lost their way, and had no idea where to go. She couldn't recall where she had this conversation, it was too fuzzy for her to remember, but she could see clearly what happened next.
He had found her, handing the Mudblood a pretty dandelion she had found that was blooming through the cracks of Dragon's Alley. She remembers that they were there for Katherine for her new robes since she started school at Hogwarts for the first time. He saw the way she had offered them a kind smile, showing her teeth and all unlike how her auntie taught her.
Then, he grabbed her and pushed her home. She could practically feel the way he gripped her arm. How bruising it was. And it quickly turned to whips as he led her down into the basement, pulled out chains that were in chest, and bounded them to the roof. She watched as he did so, not having a clue what awaited her.
But after she was tied, after the first whip hit her, she realized what pain felt like.
She was nine when that happened. Nine when she realized how filthy Mudbloods were. How wrong they were to be around. They must have been, right? Considering the punishment for going near one. For offering her kindness.
And it's not like her Uncle Nicholas didn't try to be merciful. That was her second time talking to a Mudblood, but the first time, he had sat down with her and explained how they were filthy and wrong. And being a child, Raven had not heard a word he said and then, she was being whipped.
And yet, she doesn't think she believes it all that much anymore. Even now, as she is getting whipped for being sorted into a Hufflepuff. If they were wrong, then why did Melanie bleed the same blood as her? Melanie, her mudblood roommate, who has been nothing but kind and patient with her, bleed red just like her back does now.
It didn't make sense.
Nothing did anymore.
"Have mercy?"
She stayed there for 2 more hours.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
"You shouldn't."
"I'll deal with father, Mari." Katherine spoke. Her and Christopher had snuck into Raven's bedroom. The three of them were trying to speak quietly as to not wake up their parents. Even though it will be unlikely for them to wake up, considering their room is across the manor, they were still paranoid. "Just rest."
Katherine looked over at her little brother, who was looking down at their little cousin with a glare on his face. It was as if he wanted to burn the world around her. But Katherine and Raven knew that wasn't the case. It was never the case when it came to them.
Christopher, or Toph as they call him, is just protective of them. Raven glanced down at his balled-up fist that was trembling with rage. He had his jaw clenched as he took in the sight before him. Raven's back was battered beyond anything any of them have ever seen. It looked as if she were being tortured, as if she had been through a war.
"I'm fine, Toph." Raven whispered to the boy. Her voice was husk, pained from the screaming. She attempted a smile, a kind smile. "It— It doesn't even hurt."
"Of course it hurts." He gritted his teeth. "It always hurts."
"Chris—" Katherine began to warn the boy. But he cut her off.
"No one will ever hurt you again." His balled-up hand was as white as a ghost. His eyes burned with fire inside of them. "I swear it, Raven. Not while I'm here."
"Thank you." Raven knew it was just an empty promise, but she continued to smile. She watched as he exhaled, his body relaxing as much as it can with her bare and bloody back exposed. Then, he walked over to her, beside Katherine as he gently brushed away a piece of hair tangled in her wound.
She tried her best not to wince at his movement. Tried her best to act as if it didn't hurt. She didn't want him to feel even worse then he already did. Neither of them had warned her about what was to come. About the whipping that was to take place in the house. And she didn't blame them. It's killed or be killed in this house.
If she did something that Uncle Nicholas didn't like, or something that Aunt Eleanor saw unfit, she'd have to pay the consequences.
Just like now.
"Damn." Katherine winced at the scratches on her back, smeared with too much blood for her back to fill. "He got you good."
"Yeah." Raven agreed. "He didn't heal it the last two hours."
"Two hours?!" Christopher exclaimed. "No wonder it looks so bad."
"Rosie." Katherine called out for her house elf. Rosie appeared in an instant, standing straight up on instinct before relaxing once she realized that it was just the three of them. A bright smile appeared on her face as Katherine called out for her.
"Yes, Madam Kathie?" She exclaimed happily. "Rosie is here to help in any way she can! Rosie is delighted to be helping my madam no matter the time!"
"Shhh." Katherine began to quiet down the elf. Rosie was buzzing with excitement. "Can you please heal my cousin?"
"I apologize, Madam Kathie." The elf stood straight, before looking down ashamed. "Rosie has been given strict orders by Master Nicholas to not heal Madam Raven."
"Bloody House Elf." Christopher glared at Rosie. "You're useless! Go away."
Rosie didn't hesitate to obey, leaving once he finished speaking. Raven sighed, hating the way her cousin treated poor Rosie when she was only following orders. She knew that he was just upset with his father, her uncle.
"Quit being a Hot Head." Raven said to him. He turned and glared at her before softening his gaze once he locked eyes with her. "She's just following Uncle's orders."
"I know." He sighed. "It's just frustrating."
Raven winced at the sudden brush of a thumb against her wounds. She balled her hand in the fabric of her bed as she buried her face into her pillow, shutting her eyes tightly. She was trying her hardest not to cry out in pain.
"I'm sorry." Katherine winced. "You have hair stuck on your back."
"It's okay." Raven exhaled shakingly. She turned her head to look at the two of them, who's eyes were filled to the brim with concern. She smiled, a reassuring smile at the two of them. And it was genuine like it always was when it came to the kindhearted girl. "Keep— Keep going."
And she did.
She continued to untangle her hair from the wounds. Continued to pull them out, continued to dig into the open cut and try and fish it out. And Raven, she couldn't quiet her cries if she wanted to. She buried her face into her pillow, biting her lip as whimpers and whines escaped her.
She hated it. She hates how much it hurts. It wasn't this bad last time. Last time, it burned. But this, it feels like an open flame was on her back, blazing into her skin for her to feel for the rest of her life. With every little graze, it felt like lava.
Christopher quickly reacted as soon as another whine escaped her lips. He crotched down beside her, and placed his hand over hers. She untangled her balled fist and intertwined their fingers, seeking comfort during this pained moment.
"Toph." She cried out. "It hurts, Toph."
He squeezed her hand tighter.
"I know." He said softly as he brought his free hand to her face, gently caressing it just how she liked it. "It'll be over soon. Just a little longer, okay?"
"Okay." Raven replied. She groaned, shutting her eyes as soon as she felt another hair being pulled out. She exhaled shakingly as soon as it was over, opening her eyes to look at her cousin. He was still caressing her face. "So, you do pay attention."
Chris stiffened, flushing at her words.
And even though a normal person wouldn't smile in this moment, she couldn't help it.
"Sometimes." He grumbled, embarrassed. Raven flashed him a teasing grin, before it fell from her face as another hair was pulled. She groaned, tightening her grip on his hand. He still caressed her face, almost worriedly.
Times like this is where she is remained that she is the youngest. With Katherine, it was blatantly obvious that she is older than her. The way she carried herself with such confidence, with such grace was unlike anything Raven ever witness before. It was as if she had practiced it until it was perfect. And it was the truth.
Raven had done so as well. The two of them were forced to take etiquette classes by Aunt Eleanor herself. She taught the two of them about posture, about weight, about having a perfect smile, a perfect laugh, and a perfect attitude. Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't laugh too hard, or snort. Instead, giggle, a small one that sounds pleasant to anyone ears. And when you smile, do not use your teeth. Smile a small smile, perfect.
If you failed to do so, or if Aunt Eleanor caught them slacking, no food for a week.
If you still fail, Aunt Eleanor controls their food for the rest of the month. Or longer. And you'll be forced to jog until she is satisfied.
But it's nothing either of them can't handle. They've had to grow up this way, just like the rest of the pureblood females. Like the Parkinson's and the Greengrass family. It was common amongst the pureblood family's.
Something Raven came to understand. It was necessary for them to have a husband. They needed the figure, the smile, the laughed. That was the point, wasn't it? To procreate, and expand their bloodline.
Aunt Eleanor says that at least.
Raven doesn't know whether or not she believes it. Her Roommates don't know about it. Neither does Cedric. If anything, only those who experienced it, Purebloods, truly understand. This was all of their fates.
And it's not like she can ask them. That's too much, even for her.
"Shh, Mari." Chris whispered softly. He was still squeezing her hand. "She's almost done."
With Christopher, he was practically her age. He was a year ahead of her in Hogwarts. He was a third year, while she was a second year. And Katherine was a fourth year. Raven has always clung to the two of them, almost like a parasite. She's surprised they haven't gotten annoyed by her presence. If anything, they seek her out as well.
He could be mean when he wants to be. Hell, he even insulted her a few times. But at the end of the day, he was protective of her. Something she quite never understands.
"I'm done, Raven." Katherine said softly, exchanging a glance with Christopher. "You're okay."
"It stills hurts." Raven cried out quietly, a few tears still trailed down her face. She looked at her oldest cousin, watched as a flash of anger waved over her eyes before it disappeared as soon as they locked eyes. Katherine leaned in, right beside Christopher as her hand replaced his. His hand was still clutching onto hers, but Katherine was caressing her face softly, trying to bring her comfort.
"I know." She said, biting her lip. To Raven, it looked pained, almost as if she were trying to control her emotions. "And I hate to ask this of you but.."
"You want me to use my magic." Raven concluded. Katherine nodded.
Raven has always been special. Different. It had became clear a month after she arrived at the Flint household. She made flowers appear out of thin air, made Katherine float because she was happy, and even turned a Lizard into a Bunny. She was little over half a year old when she did that. Ever since then, her Godfather Severous, or Uncle Sevie as they all like to call him, had been teaching her how to use wand less magic using a variety of spells.
Every summer, Raven and her cousins go to his house in Muggle London. Her auntie and uncle have no idea that they are amongst the muggles. If they did, they would have never allowed it. But, he teaches her. He has been ever since she was a baby. So, she knows varies of spell, and she is still learning.
But it was a secret.
No one beside her family was to know.
Having wand-less magic is rare, a legend. But once someone reveals that they do, everything changes. People begin to hunt for them, wanting to take their power for themselves. They have this insane idea that if they were to kill them, then the power would go into them and they would be able to use wandless magic. But of course, that is never the case.
Wandless magic is usually passed down by pure coincidence. Anyone is lucky to have it. Mudbloods, halfbloods, Purebloods, anyone. But some work hard for it. They train in order to be able to do a few spells with wandless magic. Raven would rather have no talent than be stuck with this fate.
Her magic was stronger, stronger than anything her Godfather has ever seen before. It can go off at even the slightest of emotions. One time she had gotten into a disagreement with Christopher, and she raised her voice, shutting her eyes as she did so. But when she opened them, he and everything around them had flown and hit the walls. She was 6 and he was 7.
Ever since, her Godfather taught her to control it.
"Are you insane?!" Christopher exclaimed. After the loudness of his voice echoed inside of the room, all three of them froze, listening in case their guardians awoke from bed. After a few moments, Christopher proceeded in a quieter voice. "Raven is barely hanging on as is! We shouldn't make her do a spell. You know how much they take out of her."
"I know, Chris!" Katherine whispered back. "But, what other choice do we have? If we don't do something, then her back will be stuck this way for the rest of her life!"
Chris remained quiet. His hand balled into a fist at his side. Raven was using her thumb to caress their intertwined hands, trying to bring him comfort. He looked down at her, biting his lip to try and control his rage.
"Chill out, Hot Head." Raven smiled up at him. "I'll be fine."
"You might pass out." Katherine interjected.
"I might pass out." Raven repeated, shrugging. She winced at her action as a wave of pain overtook her for a moment. "But— But who hasn't passed out here and there?"
"Normal people." Chris mumbled.
"This family is anything but normal." Katherine sighed, almost as if she were ashamed.
"Well, normal is overrated." Raven said before a sly, but pained smirk came onto her face. It almost looked strained. "Plus, pretty people like us can't afford to be normal."
"Raven!" Katherine gasped; a smile made its way to her face. Christopher snorted, laughing at Raven's words.
"You never fail to make me laugh, Mari."
"I was being serious." Raven tried to keep a straight face, but her smile gave her away.
"Sure." Christopher shook his head before softening his gaze once he glanced at his sister.
"You ready?" She asked Raven. The redhead took a deep breath before nodding. "Go ahead, Mari."
Raven glanced at her two cousins, who's eyes haven't left her face. She exhaled shakingly before she thought back to the spell her Godfather taught her recently. The spell her taught her after Christopher had tripped and cut his knee badly.
She moved her hand behind her and waved it over her back. "Vulnera Sanentur."
She groaned as soon as the spell began to pull her skin back together, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her hard. She felt herself grow limp as the sounds of those around her slowly grew muffled. She could feel the way Katherine had her hands on her back, using a clean rag to clean up the blood, while Christopher still held her hand tightly.
And then,
Everything went dark.
✦✦✦✦✦✦
Warmth.
Raven felt the familiar warmth of a spell spread throughout her body. Her eyes were shut, too tired to lift her eyelids and see whoever was healing her. A gentle hand placed itself on the back of her neck—their thumb gently caressing Raven between her shoulder blades.
A soft hum echoed inside of her ear, luring Raven back to sleep.
"Sleep, my love." The voice whispered. "I'll take the pain away."
Raven furrowed her eyebrows, a groan escaping her lips as a sharp pain shocked her for a moment. The thumb that had been caressing between her shoulder blades stopped at the sound. And after a few moments of silence, Raven began to assume she imagined the whole thing until a wooden tip of wand tapped her back.
"Vulnera Sanentur." They whispered. Raven whined at the feeling of her skin meshing together—completing the spell that Raven had been too inexperienced to do fully without passing out from her lack of strength.
"Goodnight, my sweet girl." Raven heard the sound of moving, her bed creaked ever so slightly before the gentle hand placed itself on the top of her head, caressing it as if she were delicate. Raven furrowed her eyebrows at the feeling, shifting a bit before the unfamiliar feeling of lips touched the top of her head. They lingered for a moment longer until all that was left was the warmth of where they once were—as if the entire thing never happened.
Raven felt herself being lured back to sleep, finally experiencing, a dreamless dream instead of her usual nightmare.