The Mediwitch Is In
Chapter Three
Cassiopeia willed herself to lock her raging emotions behind the sleek walls of her mind, a steel trap prison-like place where she could school herself and sort out her feelings at a later time. Now was not the time to rage war against the muggles who dared to deprive this magical child of the most basic necessities in life. She would fix that. There would be restitution of the highest order, she would make sure of it. Cassiopeia had a few people to contact. The first letter would absolutely have to be to her head goblin, the one in charge of the Black accounts and estates. She would be requesting an heirship test while they were in Diagon Alley and she would be requiring a meeting with Muknax at the earliest possible moment after they left St. Mungo's the next day.
"Thank you again for coming so quickly. I am sure now that you understand the delicacy of this situation. I wouldn't trust anyone else with the care of this young lady other than you." Cassiopeia said calmly to her good friend, not betraying the fury she felt.
"It is never a problem. I am here to care for and protect those in need, and this girl definitely fits that criteria. Floo me at once if anything comes up, even if you think it to be inconsequential. Also, owl me a copy of the results from St. Mungo's once you receive them; we will set up a potion regiment once we figure out what grounds we are standing on. St. Mungo's will have the proper medical scans that I suspect she needs in order to properly identify any ailments so she can thrive. Poor child, what those disgusting muggles did to her is a crime. I hope that they pay?" Healer Gavina gave Cassiopeia a knowing look. She was good friends with the Black’s, and Cassiopeia hadn't gotten her reputation for nothing. The Black family could be as dark as they came when it warranted it, and Cassiopeia Black was no exception to the rule. Gavina checked over the young one more time, just to reassure Cassiopeia that the girl was breathing and wouldn't drop like a fly at the very moment, and then made her exit into the fireplace, who's dying embers flashed into life once more when she tossed in a handful of the floo powder.
Cassiopeia turned her full attention to her new ward, and noted that the young girl was once more entranced into the children's book. She made a mental note that she would have to find out what interests the girl had. When she was around that age, she liked playing with enchanted stuffed animals and her china dolls, but Dorea and Arcturus were both more interested in reading books at the time. Only time would tell, because Cassiopeia had no intention of letting the little girl ever return to where she had come from. She was a Black and Black's protected what was theirs. Azalea Potter was her heiress and she would have physical proof tomorrow, and then no one could contest her guardianship, not even Albus Dumbledore himself. Heirship came higher over any unhinged thoughts that the old kook could cook up in a deluded attempt to regain control of whatever she didn't know. She knew he had schemed up something but she wouldn't let anything come to fruition at the expense of that unfortunate little girl.
"Azalea, dear, would you come over here please?" She called out gently to the little girl, trying her hardest not to startle the child. She could only imagine what was running through the little girl's head right now. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, with such drastic changes to her life happening right before her eyes. She watched as Azalea jerked her head up at the sound of her newly discovered name, and locked eyes with Cassiopeia for the first time.
"Yes ma'am?" Azalea asked hesitantly. Cassiopeia could tell that the child was unsure of what to do in this situation now that they were alone once more and reality was beginning to set in.
"I'm sure you must be uncomfortable in those clothes. They don't seem to fit you well at all, dear. Healer Gavina has provided me with a draft to put into a drawn bath for you. It will sooth your muscles and aches, even the ones you won't say that you have my dear. Why don't you go with Zilly, and get freshened up a bit. It will make you feel much better." Cassiopeia said gently to the girl, noticing the fatigue in her eyes. Azalea was fighting to stay awake, the stress and adrenaline of the day finally wearing her thin. She silently urged the child on not to be stubborn; she had remembered both of the girl's parents and their temperaments. Lily was a known firecracker and James was the son of a Potter and a Black, enough said.
"I-I.. I think i would like that. I've never had a bath before!" Azalea said, mustering up a smile for her new.... person.
"Zilly!" Cassiopeia called out loud to wherever the house elf was within the manor. The elf would hear her master's call no matter where the elf was located on the grounds, as was how they were bound. Once the elf popped into the room, she gave a direct command to the elf. "Please prepare a warm bath for Azalea here, and add half of this vial into the water." She handed the glass vial of greenish blue liquid to the elf. "Make sure she soaks for no less than a half hour and she is thoroughly washed up. Rosen! Clenty!" Two more house elves popped into the room at her command. "Have the room across from mine prepared within the half hour. You may gather and assign other house elves if you feel it necessary to complete the objective within the timeframe, if needed. Have it decorated with the cherry wood furniture that is in the northern wing. Rosen, I am counting on you to get it done." She said firmly but not in a scathing or hating manner. She needed to show Azalea that while she did have house elves, they were in no way treated in any way of how the Dursleys treated her in her stay there. If Cassiopeia could, she would erase the memories from the poor girl's mind so she wouldn't suffer.
All three house elves bowed at their master's orders and moved onto their different directions. Rosen and Clenty popped out to go somewhere else in the manor while Zilly stayed in front of Cassiopeia and Azalea. "Zilly is here to be bathing Missy Azalea! Please follow Zilly; come this way!" The house elf chirped and motioned for Azalea to follow after her. The child hesitated, looking clearly torn between staying with Cassiopeia and following the house elf at the tempting idea of a bath for the first time.
"It is okay Azalea. I am not going anywhere. I will be right here the entire time, and if you ask for Zilly to call for me, I will be there in a moment's notice, I promise." Cassiopeia reassured Azalea, which seemed to do the trick, as she nodded gently and turned to follow the elf further into the manor. This left Cassiopeia alone to plot and plan, where she could make the appropriate actions for the night, considering the time of night it had already become.
"Miffy!" She quietly called out, not feeling the need to shout in her own home. A plumply elf, almost motherly looking in nature appeared. "Miffy, bring me three sets of my fine parchment and my favorite quill and ink. I have letters I must send out before the night is over." She requested and the elf left momentarily to gather and return with the items. Cassiopeia waved her dogwood wand and conjured a temporary writing desk within the free area of the room, and a chair to match, before she sat down and penned out three letters.
Muknax,
I am in need of your services in regards to my account and according properties. It seems I am in a bit of a unique situation, and find myself unsure of what move to make. I will be in Diagon Alley tomorrow and expect to have a meeting with you no later than by three past noon,
Lady Cassiopeia Black
Most Ancient and Noble House of Black
Theodore Twilfit,
Prepare me a private room, and your best tailor. I require the highest level of privacy, and require an executive room. Expect me tomorrow at high noon.
Lady Cassiopeia Black
Most Ancient and Noble House of Black
My Dearest Brother Arcturus,
It seems that I have encountered a unique... situation. I have come within contact with the heiress to the Black estate, one Azalea Dorea Potter. Her living situation is appalling and tomorrow I will be acquiring guardian and custodial rights of the child. Please come tomorrow to Black Manor at your convenience.
Cassiopeia spelled the parchments to be dry, before she folded them up neatly and sealed them with her signature onyx black wax, pressing her Black insignia ring into the cooling puddle to signify that it was her who had written the missives and not anyone else. She put them in her pocket to send off later. She would have to call upon her personal bird, Hel, as well as two other owlery birds. Her bird, Hel, was a beautiful red and brown red tailed hawk, not a common bird to see in Scotland at all.
In the meantime while little Azalea received her first proper bath, she made her way to her own room and pulled out a pale green acromantula silk shirt, some black cotton slacks, and charcoal grey outer robes, as well as a pair of very soft white egyptian cotton pajama tops and bottoms. The pajamas were very comfortable, they were the same style as her favorite blue pair, and the the subtle stripes on it stood out against the candle light of her bedroom chandelier. Cassiopeia placed the clothing down on her bedding and cast shrinking charms on the fabrics, making them to become the relative size that Azalea was at the moment. Cassiopeia knew she was small for a six year and it had truly been awhile since she had even been near a child. James, her late nephew, was the last time she had been around anyone that small actually, when she stopped to think about it. Her heart panged, part of her always had wanted a family of her own but she had been too wrapped up, too entranced by the ways of potioneering to even consider settling down at the time. Maybe this would be her second chance? She stopped that thought the moment it budded in her mind. She could not afford to engage in that kind of thinking, not at the moment.
The shrunken clothing would make do for the night, she had already made plans to fully furnish the child's wardrobe with properly fitting well made clothing, a reservation made at the tailor in Diagon Alley for the next day. Cassiopeia cast a tempus and nodded at the time; Azalea should have just about finished up her bath and would hopefully be in her newly furnished bedroom across the hall, in the private bathroom attached to the bedroom. Each of the eight bedrooms in this wing had their own fully provisioned bathrooms en suite.
"Daemon!" Cassiopeia called out softly, not wanting to startle the child across the hall. Her personal house elf appeared moments later before her.
"What can Daemon be doing for Mistress?" He asked her, ever with his exemplary manners. He had been hand reared by Cassiopeia's mother's house elf. Her mother Hesper had been gifted a personal house elf in the dowery when her father Sirius had become betrothed to her mother. Her grandfather Afton Gamp had been hesitant at first to even accept the offer the betrothal contract in the first place but her father Sirius's parents had made an offer that the Gamps could not refuse. Grandpa Phineas had written the contract so well that it was basically air tight. Grandpa Phineas was a headmaster at Hogwarts and Grandma Ursula was a wizarding lawyer who specialized in binding contracts. Of course it helped that the Blacks had drawn up a betrothal contract with the Gamps from since before her mother was even born.
She handed the house elf the neatly folded pajamas, shirt, slacks, and robes, and explained, "These are for young Azalea to wear tonight, and the clothing she will be changing into tomorrow morning. Inform Zilly please that Azalea will most likely need assistance on getting dressed in ready tonight and tomorrow morning. Have Rosen wash the child's undergarments so that she might wear them tomorrow morning. It will be her last time putting those clothing on." She informed the house elf, who nodded and disappeared away to go do as she asked without a word.
She made her way to the owl room, where nearly a dozen owls of various species roosted for the night, and went into the corner cove where she knew her bird had made a nest of sorts. Spotting the bird, she smiled softly. Hel was a unique bird... She wasn't a pure hawk, as she was taken from an illegal breeder, who had somehow cross breed wild birds with phoenixes. Hel was one of the results of that, a hybrid bird who never quite aged fast. "Hey beautiful," She said as she held out her arm for the bird to climb onto her, where she cooed over Hel.
"Hey girl, I need you to send off a letter for me, it's quite urgent. Can you fly this to my brother Arcturus? There's sensitive information that he needs to know about, as soon as possible. Can you do that for me, pretty girl?" She spoke gently to the creature. She had had Hel for over a decade and the bird hardly looked more than a hatchling sometimes. She wondered if the bird would outlive her one day.
By the time she made it back to the hallway with her and Azalea's bedrooms, she figured that Azalea would be dressed and in her room, and her hunch was right. Cassiopeia stood in the doorway taking in the entire room. The house elves had really outdone themselves in the time it took for Azalea to get bathed and soak in the potion. They had changed the faded green wallpaper to a beautifully done powder blue, in almost a shimmering color. Splendidly plush ivory carpet lined the floor, and in the center of the southern wall was a massive four poster bed, decorated with a deep atlantic blue with accenting silver sheets. The bed posters were draped in a sheer ivory curtain that gave the bed such an elegant feeling, definitely exuding the richness that was the Black estate. The bed frame was made of solid cherry wood, and as were the nightstands on either side of the bed, or the wardrobe or bookcases that lined the northern wall.
The ceiling of the bedroom was enchanted to display a calm night sky, where the stars twinkled and faded in and out. Windows lined the wall to the east, which led onto the balcony and she just knew Azalea was going to love sitting on the chaise lounge or the matching chairs with whatever friends she made in life. Cassiopeia knew that from that particular balcony, you could see directly over to the forest and beautiful lake in the northeastern corner of the property. The western wall was decorated with a bare weapons wrack that she didn't know that the house
"Daemon!" Cassiopeia called out softly, not wanting to startle the child across the hall. Her personal house elf appeared moments later before her.
"What can Daemon be doing for Mistress?" He asked her, ever with his exemplary manners. He had been hand reared by Cassiopeia's mother's house elf. Her mother Hesper had been gifted a personal house elf in the dowery when her father Sirius had become betrothed to her mother. Her grandfather Afton Gamp had been hesitant at first to even accept the offer of the betrothal contract in the first place but her father Sirius's parents had made an offer that the Gamps could not refuse. Grandpa Phineas had written the contract so well that it was basically air tight. Grandpa Phineas was a headmaster at Hogwarts and Grandma Ursula was a wizarding lawyer who specialized in binding contracts. Of course it helped that the Blacks had drawn up a betrothal contract with the Gamps from since before her mother was even born. elves had put in there, it sparked ideas for Cassiopeia in training the girl when she got older.
Azalea was sitting at the bench that was along the western wall, with Zilly gently fussing over the child in question. It looked as if Zilly was trying to unstick a comb from the poor girl's tangled hair, and neither of them looked very happy.
Cassiopeia quietly walked into the room, enjoying the look of complete and utter awe that was displayed on Azalea's face as she gazed around the room herself. She knew for a fact that the child had never seen such a decorated room, most muggles couldn't afford to have such a resplendent home, let alone dream of one. What she remembered of Vernon Dursley and Petunia Evans, neither of them were the sort to afford such luxurious homes. She smiled at the girl. "Hello little Azalea, did you enjoy your bath? How are you feeling now after you soaked in the potion?" She asked as she walked over to the bench seat that Azalea was sitting on while Zilly attempted to comb out her hair, which was a wild nest.
"Azalea, would you mind if I took over combing out your wet hair? My sister Dorea had just the same kind of hair type, and I would always help her untangle it before bed time so it didn't become unmanageable." She asked softly. "I promise to be gentle, and I won't hurt you. Here, let me show you what to do." She waited for the child to agree and when Azalea gave a hesitant nod, Cassiopeia beamed at the girl. It was a first step, she had gained a small bit of the abused child's trust already.
"I have a special comb, one that was Dorea's, your grandmother's. It's in my room in a jewelry box, I will be right back, I'm going to go get it. You'll see; it's a special comb." Cassiopeia explained before she momentarily left Azalea in the hands of Zilly to go back to her own room.
Cassiopeia quietly walked into the room, enjoying the look of complete and utter awe that was displayed on Azalea's face as she gazed around the room herself. She knew for a fact that the child had never seen such a decorated room, most muggles couldn't afford to have such a resplendent home, let alone dream of one. What she remembered of Vernon Dursley and Petunia Evans, neither of them were the sort to afford such luxurious homes. She smiled at the girl. "Hello little Azalea, did you enjoy your bath? How are you feeling now after you soaked in the potion?" She asked as she walked over to the bench seat that Azalea was sitting on while Zilly attempted to comb out her hair, which was a wild nest.
It was an expertly forged mithril comb, with emeralds, topaz, blue sapphires and rubies encrusted on the swirling crest of the comb itself. The light sparkled spectacularly off the gemstones, glinting in the light. She held it in her hands for a moment. On the comb's front was an inscription, a magical enchantment, that read enodare ac protegere, which translated to untangle and protect. Cassiopeia had bought the comb with the help of her mother at a bazaar in France all the way back when she was a child herself, to give to her older sister. It was a family heirloom that when Dorea had passed away herself, she had left this back to Cassiopeia. This girl meant the world to her. If Cassiopeia's hunch was right... She was the heiress to the Black line, there was no doubt that this was actually Azalea Dorea Potter. Dorea was her grandmother, James her father. It was only right that the comb be passed on down the line, really.
Quietly, she shut the jewelry box back up and made her way to Azalea's new bedroom, where the child was sitting patiently under the supervision of Zilly. Cassiopeia had commanded the house elf to watch over the child while she was in Cassiopeia's custody and the house elf took it very seriously. She was proud. She came to a stop in front of Azalea and smiled down at the young girl.
"I want to give you something but you must promise to me that you will be very gentle with it." Cassiopeia said almost in a reverent tone. "This was my older sister, your grandmother's, hair comb that I gave to her for her eleventh birthday, a few months before she left for her own Hogwarts departure. Dorea had wild untamed curls just like you have. It's most likely where you inherited your hair from, dear Azalea." She smiled fondly at the memory of how excited Dorea was to open her gift. Cassiopeia had always doted upon her little sister, giving her beautiful things and shiny treasures, some expensive, some plain but Dorea cherished them all the same.
"I do believe that Dorea would have preferred for it to get used, rather than it just sit and collect dust in my trinket box. Your grandmother would have wanted you to have this, I bet, if she was still alive. Here, sit in front of me. I'll run the comb through your hair while it's still wet, and I'll show you how to untangle it. WIld curls like that take work and effort to manage, but you'll learn fast I bet." Cassiopeia said as she sat on the other end of the vanity bench, where she patted the space in between them. "Sit in front of me dear. Yes, that's it."
Cassiopeia started from the very bottom of the long wild locks, slowly running the enchanted comb through the wet hair, taking care not to miss any snarles or tangles. The poor child, Cassiopeia could tell that her hair wasn't properly taken care of, if ever. The ends were damaged and her hair was brittle, a true reflection of how poor her physical health actually was, and a warning of what would have been to come if intervention didn't happen.
Slowly, Cassiopeia worked the enchanted comb through Azalea's wild hair, taking care to be extremely gentle as she worked her way through, parting the hair into sections as she went along. Quietly, she noticed as the girl gradually began to relax in her presence, and Cassiopeia was almost completely sure it was in an unconscious reaction that the child's rapidly paced breathing had slowed down into a calmer, steady pace. By the very end of Cassiopeia's methodical movements, Azalea was almost all but leaning against Cassiopeia's chest as she finished the final parted section of her now clean and untangled locks.
"Azalea, would it be okay if I braided your hair back so it won't tangle again in your sleep? I promise that I will cause you no pain." She quickly added when she felt the girl tense up as quickly as she had opened her mouth to speak.
"If I braid your hair back into a simple braid, it will keep it out of your eyes and won't let the hair tangle again. It would especially benefit you until I can have someone help manage and repair your hair. Azalea turned her head to look at the woman in honest confusion. What was wrong with her hair? She had never noticed anything bad about it, but then again, it was almost always a madded mess for the entirety of her life, so she wouldn't know otherwise.
Cassiopeia saw the confusion and continued to explain. "As I was combing out your hair, I noticed that the ends of your hair are damaged and have many splits, a very clear sigh that you are in need of a hair trimming. Your hair is also brittle, a physical symptom of your... mistreatment by the hands of your previous guardians. That will be fixed in time with a regimen of healthy foods, nutritional potions, and physical exercise. It will be healed with time, and a good bit of hard work and patience, dear child." Cassiopeia added in at the end when she saw the distress on the child's face. She was unsure of if it was the mention of her previous caregivers, the mention of a haircut, which could potentially be a trauma trigger for the child after how Azalea mentioned that Petunia had cut off the girl's hair to leave her nearly bald. It was a bad enough experience for the girl that she had triggered a massive bout of accidental magic, enough to regrow her hair entirely. It could have also been the reminder at the mention of her poor physical health, or even a combination of all of it.
"It is alright Azalea, you can talk to me. Tell me about what is upsetting you so we can talk it out. You can always come to me when you have a question, or when you are confused and especially when you are upset. It's my job now to take care of you, and I will always be one hundred percent honest with you should you ask a question. You've been mistreated and lied to by enough people in your short life time already, I refuse to be one of them. Now, will you please tell me what I said that upset you little one?" Cassiopeia asked gently, pushing ever the slightest to have the girl open up to her. It would most likely take a bit of time for the the little girl who has already gone through so much, to open up to her even the slightest but Cassiopeia wouldn't back down so easily. She was Cassiopeia Lyra Black after all.
"I-i... Do I really need my hair cut? Aunt was so rough and she cut it so short. It was so awful..." Azalea said, nearly I tears at the memory of how her Aunt had yanked her hair so hard that she swore to herself that it would simply rip out from the scalp. She was forced to sit absolutely stone still when Aunt found the dullest, rustiest shears that Azalea had ever seen. The scissors ripped at her hair rather than cut and she has been nearly in tears the entire time. Of course Azalea knew what would have happened if she actually cried, at least in front of her Aunt. She felt her face heat up and her heart began to race, as if she was back at that absolutely terrible house with her Aunt cutting her hair all over again. She flinched when she felt the kind woman who was most definitely not her Aunt place a soft hand on her shoulder.
"While it is absolutely and always will be your decision on what happens to your body, I honestly would recommend that at the very least you have your hair trimmed, at least at the ends. The tips of your hair are damaged. That means that your hair's ends started to split at the tips, which makes it a lot easier for your hair to tangle together. Trimming off the split ends at the very least would help your hair become healthier, and proper management and upkeep of your hair will make it stronger, healthier, and will help it grow longer too. It is one hundred percent your decision, one that I won't take away from you, but I do recommend it. Azalea, I would never let anyone hurt you, if that is what you are concerned about." Cassiopeia said gently, meaning every single word of it.
Azalea took in everything that the woman was telling her. She tried to think clearly but she was still scared. Aunt had hurt her when she mangled Azalea's hair, but Cassiopeia had done the complete opposite. When Cassiopeia combed her hair out, it hadn't hurt a single bit. Not a single thread of her hair had been ripped or yanked out one bit. She knew she could trust Cassiopeia's words. The woman had not lied to her once ever, not since she had literally ran into the woman. It had only been two days but Azalea felt so safe in the woman's presence. She felt like she could trust the woman, a completely foreign feeling for the child.
"I... I would like my shirt it be healthy. If it means that I need a hair trimming... I'll allow it. Where would we get it done? Uncle took Dudley to the barbers once but I've never been anywhere to have my hair cut. Aunt did it that once time and she never tried again, or took me anywhere to have it done either. Is there a special place that we go?" Azalea asked curiously.
"There are magical and muggle hair Cuttery places that I can take you to. Which would you rather prefer?" Cassiopeia asked calmly, although inside she wanted to dance with joy. This was absolutely a major breakthrough. The child has shown an act of trust in the way she talked with Cassiopeia and had told the woman what was bothering her.
"What are the differences? I don't know which one I should choose..." The girl trailed off.
"A muggle hair Cuttery is a place where you make an appointment, and when it's your turn, you have your hair washed and dried, and then they put you into a chair facing a mirror and they put a special cape around you to make sure your outfit doesn't become a mess. They use scissors and a comb to cut layers of hair off at a time, to achieve the hair cut that you describe to them that you would like. Sometimes you tell them how you want it to look, and sometimes you can pick from a book or magazine of pictures of other people's hair cuts. It takes up to a few hours sometimes, and it's a slower process." Cassiopeia describe her experience of when she had been a curious young adult and had gone to a muggle hair cutting place for a change of how she looked. It had been quite the experience in her eyes. She didn't know if she personally would ever repeat the action, but if the child wanted to go through that experience, she would absolutely say yes and schedule an appointment for her to have it done.
"What's a magical hair cuttery like? Is it the same?" Azalea asked, eyes full of curiosity.
"A magical hair cuttery is quite different in a way but the general idea of it is much the same. You schedule an appointment in advance, and you usually pick from a picture book, or otherwise you describe to the stylist what haircut you desire to have. Instead of scissors, the witch or wizard uses their wand and a mild cutting hex. Of course it would never harm you even if it ever hit your skin. They use a specially created one that never allows any harm to come to you. They would be out of business so fast that you wouldn't see it coming otherwise." Cassiopeia explained the differences.
"Some witches and wizards prefer to do it themselves, with the same spell. I have a few memories of my mother trimming mine, my sister's, and my brother's hair at times over the holidays when it became a tad bit too long or unruly for her own liking." Cassiopeia smiled at the memory of her childhood.
"I... I don't know what option I shod go with honestly. Might you make me an appointment at a magical hair cuttery? I would rather have healthy hair and if this will help it... I will do it." Azalea said, eyes blazing with conviction. She would fix all of the damage that her Aunt and Uncle had done to her. She knew the truth now; she knew better.
"Excellent. I will send an owl in the morning to the Hair Cuttery in Diagoneh and correspond with them to schedule you an appointment at a reasonable time and date that won't interfere with your recovery. Now, come. Lean forward and look ahead, so that I can braid your hair, little one. It's becoming time for you to settle in and retire for the evening. We have much to do tomorrow, after all.
Cassiopeia waited patiently as the child moved herself into the position that Cassiopeia had requested and began to section the hair into three separate and equal portions, moving in a repeating pattern of weaving the locks of hair in and out into a simple but effective braid, and she summoned an elastic from her vanity across the hallway in her bedroom, and fastened the braid securely as so that it wouldn't slip out and become a tangled mess again in Azalea's sleeping process.
"There you go little one, your hair is combed out and braided now. You won't have to worry about it while you sleep." She smiled at the girl who had turned to face her, but Cassiopeia's smile dropped into a frown at the vision of the purple and blue mottled bruise that spanned across the girl's face, in the disturbing impressions of a large handprint.
"Azalea dear, let's take care of the bruise on your face, yeah? It must be bothering you. I have just the thing to soothe that down. It's a salve that will heal up bruises and small nicks in no time at all. You just gently rub it into the area of the skin and it simply knits up the injuries as if they were never there. I had my house elf go to my apothecary storage closet and bring me back some so that I can heal up that basically bruise of yours, if you would let me. Would you like that, Azalea?" Cassiopeia asked gently, trying hard not to pressure the already stressed child.
"Yes please. Would yo-ou apply it to my face? It is stinging a bit, and it's uncomfortable to talk a lot." The girl confirmed after thinking it over for a moment. Cassiopeia stored that bit of info away for further examination when she had a moment alone. She would have to bring out her pensive and examine every memory of interaction with the child for a better insight into how to handle her. The child was clearly being abused, and Cassiopeia was not unfamiliar with the effects on child abuse in witches and wizards, unfortunately. Cassiopeia would have to carefully make the right next steps to help the child heal properly on all aspects.
She gently unscrewed the glass jar that the salve was stored in, and dipped two fingers into the cool silky cream, before she rubbed the almost translucent cream into the vivid bruise that had bloomed across Azalea's face. She took extra time and care to make sure she got a heavy even coat on the darkest parts, especially the one around her eye socket. When Cassiopeia was absolutely satisfied that the bruise would heal and fade away without leaving a trace, she nodded to the girl who she could see was clearly tired, but was fighting her hardest to stay awake.
"Dear child, you look like you're exhausted, would you like to have a glass of milk before bed?" Cassiopeia asked the exhausted girl. She looked up, confused at first before she finally said, "I've never had milk before. What does it taste like?" There was a almost curious hint to her voice and Cassiopeia would take it as a victory of bringing the child out of her shell. It would take time and patience, but Cassiopeia would never give up on Azalea.
"Well, it's cold and sweet, but kind of bland. There isn't a lot of flavor to it, but at the same time it's a very distinct flavor in of itself. Would you like to try some? You can have anything you like, Azalea. I will never tell you no unless it would hurt you to do otherwise." Cassiopeia reassured her.
"Yes please! I've always seen Duddley drink milk at home but Aunt and Uncle never let me have a sip!" Azalea agreed to the offer.
Cassiopeia called out for Pepper, a house elf that worked in the kitchen. The elf in question popped in, wearing a small red and black checkered apron on top of her uniform.
"Yes Mistress?" The house elf asked.
"Bring Azalea a glass of to me please. Freshen up her linen and put a quarter vial of dreamless sleep into the milk, mix it well enough. Azalea needs to rest and it's hard enough under normal circumstances for someone to sleep in an unfamiliar place, let alone everything that has happened to her in the past twelve hours." Cassiopeia quietly instructed the house elf who nodded at her command and popped away. Moments later the elf returned with a tray and a glass in hand.
She picked up the glass and turned to face Azalea. "Are you ready for bed little one? We are going to have a busy day tomorrow and I need you to get as much sleep as you can. Here, why don't you drink up? There's more of that, don't you worry. You'll never want for food again Azalea." She silenced the unvoiced worries of the child that she knew Azalea would never have announced.
Azalea hesitantly reached out for the glass, and took it into both of her hands. She had never had milk before and she was very curious. She took a small sip from the glass, feeling the cool liquid in her tongue. It was sweet, and very.... something. It was like it had a flavor but it didn't at the same time and it was the most pleasant texture she had ever drank before. She was used to stolen sips of water from the garden hose or bathroom faucet but this.... This was down right luxurious. She instantly fell in love with it. "C-can I have more please?" She asked once she finished the glass in record time. But she felt her eyelids drooping and the exhaustion she had been fighting off for hours was finally starting to win.
"Azalea, of course you may have more, but I think it's best if we wait until morning. Why don't you lie down in the bed and close your eyes. You'll be asleep before you even know it, little one." The kind woman said but Azalea was already halfway into the land of slumber, tucked into her extraordinarily soft blanket with fluffy white pillows.