little miss black

-109-

tw- mention of sexual assault

Sirius tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for someone to come and tell him that he was finally allowed to see Cass.

Three days.

That's how long it had been since the wedding. Sirius was confined to the ward he was on with Remus, Grace, Noah, Lily, Alice and Marlene. James and Dorcas were in separate rooms as they were getting more treatment and Sirius had no idea where Clarisse or Regulus were.

"Would you stop that?" Marlene said. "It's intensely irritating."

Sirius' shoe was making a loud tapping noise as it bounced up and down on the polished floor. He smiled sheepishly.

"Right, sorry Marls." He said. "I'm just-"

"Worried." Marlene said. "Yeah, we know. Just find something else to do than tap your foot."

"Right." Sirius muttered. He stood up and started pacing instead. Marlene rolled her eyes, picking up her magazine.

"Good morning everyone." Peter said cheerily, coming into the ward. His arms were laden with various pastries and bottles of juice. "I brought you all breakfast, I figure the hospital food is a pile of shite."

"Thanks Wormy, you're a lifesaver." Sirius said, helping Peter lay everything out on a table.

"I stopped by Prongs' room already, he's bored. He requests company." Peter rolled his eyes.

"He can bloody well come and see us." Sirius said. "He's always moaning about being bored."

"You know he isn't allowed to leave his bed." Remus said. "The healers say it could worsen him, it's already a miracle he doesn't have any brain damage."

"Prongs doesn't have a brain to damage in the first place." Sirius sniggered. Peter snorted loudly.

"Oh for heavens sake, I'll go and see him then." Lily said. Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Finally going to confess your undying love for him are you?"

Lily didn't even warrant him with a response, sticking up her middle finger as she left the room.

"Hope she does." Sirius said. "I quite fancy my five galleons Marlene."

•••

Cass sat curled up in the armchair in the corner of her hospital room, her nose buried in Alice in Wonderland. She wished that she could just fall down the rabbit hole and forget about her problems. She had refused to see any of her friends, not even Sirius wasn't allowed to see her.

She knew that Gwen had told them that the healers were the ones keeping them from seeing her, but that was a lie. Cass was crushed by an insane amount of guilt. All of them had ended up in St Mungos because of her. Clarisse had lost her husband, because of her.

Cass jumped violently as the door opened, dropping her book to the ground. Regulus nervously entered.

"Look, I know you don't want to see anyone but I thought I should say goodbye before I go back to school." He said. Cass flung her arms around her younger brothers neck.

"I'm sorry, you shouldn't be here in the first place." She murmured into his chest. "I don't know what to say."

"Bellatrix is a psychopath, what else is there to say?" Regulas chuckled lightly. Cass sighed. "And before you say it is, it's not your fault."

"But-"

"I know that's why you're isolating yourself. Andromeda told me that you were the one who asked the healers for no visitors except her and Mr and Mrs Potter." Regulus said. "That's not going to help you get better."