✷ Chapter One, Stone By Stone
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CAPELLA LESTRANGE WAS SCARED.

Amidst the family, Capella found herself delicately balancing no between her father's stern mandates and Pandora's unyielding passion. The unfolding tableau resembled a poetic tale by a certain muggle author. William ShakyFruit, perhaps?

Pandora's voice, a serenade in the dark, and gloomy hallway. "Father, I love him. Purity holds no control over my heart!" Her words were sonnet of rebellion, and echoes through the castle.

Gaston, the patriarch, stood as a tragic figure, issuing ultimatums heavy with the weight of family honor. "Do as I say, or face banishment from this family!" The air was charged with the tension of abandonment and death.

Pandora's descent down the staircase, accompanied by the dramatic shattering of the Corvus Lestrange IV bust, was a poetic crescendo—an act symbolizing her shattering of familial expectations. Those shattered pieces narrated her story, piecing together the scarce happy memories and plucking out the pain of the unhappy ones.

In the poignant scene, Callum's proposal to employ magical coercion introduced a darker undertone. "Shall I obliviate her? Or, perhaps, subject her to a torturous sonnet?" His words, laced with despair, hinted at the possibility of desperate measures seeking conformity in the romantic ballad.

Gaston's stoic response, foretelling Pandora's destined suffering, wove a thread of fatalism into the romantic tapestry. "Let her tarnish our name. She will endure the consequences and suffer greatly for her defiance." It was a verse in the astronomic ballad, where family honor danced in rhythm with an inevitable fate.

Amidst the crescendo, Astra's comforting touch and wise counsel painted a serene interlude. "Darling," she spoke gently, "Pandora has composed her own melody. She is gone. Do not follow her." Her words refrained Capella from running after her sister, and begging for her to take her too.

Astra Lestrange, ensnared in the intricate web of her ill-fated choice, had indeed married into a family fraught with complexities. Despite her sisters' earnest warnings about the risks associated with such an alliance, love had initially blinded her to the shadows lurking within the Lestrange lineage.

The euphoria of her affection for Gaston, however, gradually waned, replaced by the somber realization of her misplaced devotion.

In stark contrast to Astra's tumultuous predicament, her sisters, Jupiter Max and Carina Astoncombe, reveled in the joy of unions with men of pure blood, untarnished by the messy intricacies that entangled the Lestrange family.

Their matrimonial bliss stood as a stark juxtaposition to Astra's own unraveling narrative.

Capella, seeking refuge from the discord that echoed through the halls, stormed into her room with caution, mindful of the clay shards strewn from the shattered bust of Corvus. Her sanctuary, distinctively pristine, offered solace amidst the darkness that pervaded the rest of the house.

Sharing a room with Pandora, the space spoke volumes of the sisters' diverging paths. Two twin beds stood on opposite sides, beneath the looming presence of the Lestrange Family crest adorning the wall. Pandora's side, draped in a white silk curtain stained with the passage of time, bore witness to the emotional remnants of blood, tears, and sweat—an unintentional canvas of the family's tumultuous journey.

Pandora's dressers, a reflection of her departure, stood open, revealing the void left behind, except for three black dresses that lingered as silent witnesses to her absence. On the contrary, Capella's side exuded a darker aura, adorned with a black bedspread, chiffon curtain, and a mirror ensconced in vines—a impression of the shadows that had gradually consumed the once-shared space.

With a swift snap of her fingers, Capella summoned Snappy, the loyal house elf who had dutifully served the Lestrange Family for decades. As Snappy materialized, ready to offer his services with the customary enthusiasm, Capella interrupted him abruptly.

"Snappy is at Mistress Capella's service. Snappy lives to serve for the Noble House of—"

"Shut it!" Capella ordered with a tone stark and unexpected, cutting off Snappy's usual ceremonial introduction. "Snappy, fetch the new architect from the dungeon. I want a new room."

The command hung in the air, surprising not only Snappy but also reflecting the sudden assertiveness in Capella's demeanor. Without missing a beat, the house elf bowed low, his demeanor indicating both obedience and a hint of apprehension.

"Yes, Mistress Capella," Snappy acknowledged, his head bowed in subservience, ready to fulfill the unexpected request.

"Mistress Lestrange, I was inquired you want a new room." The architect said from the door. Capella stood up, opened the door, and pulled the man in by the collar.

"Provide a couture room, fit for the Queen of the Bloody United Kingdom. Elegant, with a touch of 1978." Capella's demand hung in the air as she reached for her dagger. The architect, sensing the urgency and perhaps the potential consequences of delay, hastily backed away and began conjuring up a design.

As the ethereal blueprint took shape, Capella appraised it with a discerning eye. "I like it. Get to it!" she commanded, her tone echoing a newfound authority. With that, Capella left her room.

In the dimly lit corridor, Capella's eyes blazed with a mixture of fury and concern. The distant echoes of her sister Pandora's screams still lingered, haunting the air. She stormed towards Callum, her older brother, whose face bore the insidious smirk that had become all too familiar.

"What in the name of Merlin's beard do you think you're doing, Callum?" Capella's voice sliced through the tension like a blade, her anger palpable.

Gaston, their father, stood nearby, his expression a blend of satisfaction and indifference. "Capella, this is none of your concern. Your sister chose defiance, and consequences must follow."

"Consequences? Torturing her is not a consequence, it's brutality!" Capella retorted, her fists clenched at her sides.

Callum, with a cold chuckle, mocked, "She defied Father. She needed to be disciplined."

Capella's glare intensified, her eyes narrowing. "Discipline is one thing, but what you did was beyond cruel. We're family, for Merlin's sake!"

In that charged moment, Capella's anger clashed with the rigid traditions that bound their family. The air crackled with tension as she confronted the brother who had inflicted pain upon her sister. The family crest on the wall seemed to bear witness to the unraveling ties within the Lestrange lineage.

Shadows danced on the walls as Capella found herself the unwilling recipient of her father's stern disapproval. Gaston's voice, now resonated with disappointment, the familial tension palpable in the air.

"Capella, how could you defy our traditions? Your sister's choice reflects poorly on this family!" Gaston's words carried weight, reverberating against the polished walls of the room.

Capella, standing her ground amid the familial storm, met her father's gaze with a mixture of defiance and sadness. "Father, I cannot blindly follow traditions that cause pain to those we love," she argued, her voice steady but laced with emotion.

Gaston's anger, however, refused to be subdued. "You dare question the ways of our family? This disobedience will not be tolerated. It tarnishes the honor we've upheld for generations!"

As the exchange continued, Capella felt the weight of familial expectations pressing down on her. She took a deep breath, absorbing the harsh words, determined to stand firm in her convictions even in the face of familial censure.

From the shadows, a haunting creak announced the emergence of a woman who seemed to be but a mere echo of her former self. "My lord, forgive her; she does not know. But she will better herself," Astra Lestrange pleaded, her voice unsteady and shaky. Capella turned towards her mother, eyes widening in horror at the unexpected presence.

Astra Lestrange's once stormy grey eyes had transformed into a haunting dark brown, as if shadows had permanently eclipsed the clarity within them. Deep-set eye bags hinted at nights lost in turmoil, as if she had been swallowed by the very ground she walked upon. Her cloak, drenched and emitting an unpleasant odor, clung to her like a shroud. She, who was once the embodiment of calm and collected grace, now appeared as a mere shell, weathered by an unknown storm.

Capella, struck by the transformation in her mother, felt a chill creeping down her spine. The room, already laden with tension, now harbored an eerie silence as Astra's presence cast a shadow over the unfolding family drama.

Capella, with a mixture of concern and determination, walked towards her mother. She gently grasped Astra's thin arm and bony fingers, leading her up the grand staircase to her room. The weight of unspoken revelations lingered in the air as they ascended.

Meanwhile, the architect, sensing an opportune moment, attempted to announce the completion of Capella's new room. However, before a word could escape, Capella, her nerves already on edge, snapped, "Shut it!"

The architect, recognizing the urgency in Capella's tone, wisely held back, allowing the heavy silence to settle as mother and daughter retreated into the shadows of the ancestral home.

In the sanctuary of the room, Capella gently guided her mother to a bed, wrapping her in blankets with a tenderness that belied the turmoil within their family. With a soft mutter of an incantation, a cup of warm tea materialized on a nearby table.

As the tea coursed through her, Astra's features underwent a transformation. Capella observed, a mix of concern and relief washing over her, as her mother's face contorted, pulled, and seemed to suck in the weight of whatever had burdened her. Then, gradually, the lines smoothed, and Astra's countenance returned to a semblance of normalcy.

"Mother, what happened?" Capella's voice trembled as she addressed Astra, her eyes reflecting both concern and a dawning sense of dread.

Astra Lestrange, her gaze distant and haunted, seemed to wrestle with the words she wished to share. "Capella," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I ventured where I should not have. There are depths within our family's history that I underestimated."

Capella's brow furrowed, confusion etching her features. "What do you mean, Mother? Where have you been?"

Astra hesitated, her eyes briefly closing as if to shield herself from the memories. "I delved into forbidden realms within our ancestral archives, seeking answers to questions that have long haunted me. The cost of such knowledge, however, is more than I anticipated."

Capella, her mind racing with apprehension, implored, "What knowledge? What cost?"

Astra, her once steady demeanor now fractured, finally met Capella's gaze. "Dark secrets, my dear. Secrets that stain the very fabric of our family. I thought I could unravel them for the sake of understanding, but the shadows I encountered have left an indelible mark on me."

Capella, now gripped by a profound sense of foreboding, could only watch as her mother stood before her, a living testament to the ominous mysteries that lay buried within the Lestrange legacy.

✷

AUTHOR'S NOTE━━━━━━━
i twist , you turn , who's the first to burn?

HIIIIII
wait i actually love this plot

pleasepleaseplease read this !!