The Unforgivable Family Ties [CLOSED] [T]

Casey's POV - 7th Year Ravenclaw

17 years old.

May 7th had come and gone, leaving a now legal adult in its wake. Caius was still his father, still very much the one who took care of him no matter what. Casey felt safe in that it didn't matter his age, Caius would be in his life.

Something his birth mother and father could no longer do.

He missed them. He truly did. Everyday he'd wonder how his baby brother would do at Hogwarts, how his big sister would've done in the muggle world. It hurt, to think everyone was gone. That if it weren't for Roz and Caius, he'd be all alone. Not a single person in his life.

Thankfully in truth, he wasn't.

Casey sat on the rocks by the lake of Hogwarts, looking out with glasz eyes glossed over in thought. As such, he failed to see the person coming upon him until he heard a muffled spell and suddenly.

Nothing.

---

When he awoke again, it was to a place that he realized immediately. The place that had haunted him in his nightmares for years since the day he'd run away.

Aldridge Manor. The home of his former grandparents.

"Good evening Casey."

Stunned eyes of the young adult found himself looking at his once grandfather, the man's wand raised towards him.

Crucio.

Roz had been running late. She was going to meet him to go flying or wander the grounds after her lessons with Professor Flitwick, but her books had broken her glasses and as such, it was a slow search for her wand to repair them. Now she was ten minutes late to their agreed time.

“Casey! Casey, where are you?” She stopped at the rock, looking around....something was wrong. He'd been out here all day, came out in the morning....where was he? “Casey, this isn't funny, where'd you go....” Looking around. Surely he'd left a hint for her if this was a game?

–

Caius had been working with Aidan today, studying and setting up for the next few months. He was working on making his calming tea. “I don't know, Aidan, I thought it was just a matter of time until Miss T----”

The teapot crashed to the floor as Caius went rigid, a cry of pain escaping him. Something felt off, and his shoulder was rent with pain he normally only got when overdoing magic...what in the world!?

Aiden looked at Caius in alarm as he suddenly let escape a cry of pain. He hadn't heard the man let loose anything resembling that sound since they were somewhat younger, when Caius was an auror. What on earth could cause that pain? He gave little regard to the teapot and raced to his friend's side, healer-instincts kicking in.

"Cai?" Aiden asked in concern. "What on earth is wrong?"

---

Pain. Absolutely nothing but pain. He couldn't tell what time it was, how much had passed, or even what time was at this point. Everything ached, feeling like his bones were breaking and being stabbed at. It was so excruciating he honestly preferred death as his mouth ripped open, letting loose screams of pure torture.

Then suddenly, it stopped.

"You're going to pay for costing me so much time spent on you. Worthless. Mudblood. Loving. Trash." Came the snarl before something stomped -hard - on his hand. Casey cried out, still trying to catch his breath from the crucio.

Physical blows to his person came next. Casey didn't know if Crucio was gentle in comparison, but it almost felt the same.

His throat began to grow sore from the screams and yelling out in reaction to the kicks and punches he received.

Nothing. There was no sign of anything here, just an unfamiliar sense of magic....Roz, confused, focused her efforts and cast a Tracking Charm; she was close enough to Casey she could pick out the strands of magic familiar to her.

....a manor? She tried to gauge where it was....that was a big space, quiet. Nothing there but ----

No.

NO.

Roz's eyes snapped open, and she felt an immense surge of rage; she turned on her heel, taking off into the sky on her broom. She had to get out of the circle to where she could Apparate!

They couldn't have him.

---

"Aiiii...." it was pained, and it was constant, but slowly he gained control. "Something...something is wrong.....it's not me, but my magic, it....knows...." What could be wrong?! Who was his magic reacting to....? He gripped his shoulder, surpressing another cry of pain.

Aiden suddenly realized what could have caused pain of that magnitude. "Casey! Your magic is tied by the adoption ritual. Your magic is trying to take some of his pain, because it's too much for his body." That meant the boy was in danger. They needed to locate Casey immediately.

The headmaster made his way back to his desk and dug in a drawer before withdrawing a trinket, a gift from former headmasters. This one could track a student that he'd keyed to it, should he feel they were in danger. When Casey first came to stay with him before Caius, Aiden had keyed him to the trinket.

Aldridge Manor.

"Shit," cursed the headmaster. "He's at the Aldridge Manor. We need to leave. Now."

Though with Caius in pain, he knew this would be harder. "I know you don't want Casey to get the full brunt, but you need to force your magic to reject the pain. It'll go back to him, but you need to function if you want to help him." He didn't want to force that boy to experience even more pain, but he needed Caius to be able to come with him.

He also knew he needed to find Roz. Just in case she'd been taken too.

Roz tore through the air, leaning close to her broom so as to narrow herself, increase aerodynamics and FLY there! Apparating was too shaky, she didn't trust herself to make it fully the first time so FLY girl FLY!

They can't have him. He's not theirs!

–

Caius looked up at him, biting firmly into his lip. “No, I've got it. I've....I've dealt with worse.” Internalize it, hold it tight inside him. Deep breaths. “....I've got it. Aidan, we've got to get to him, I know that pain. I think they've at least used Crucio....”

He looked to his companion, quiet. He was not forcing it back into Casey. If it was this bad on him, it must be already worse for his boy.... “Aldridge....so they went and did it. C-Call my old team, they'll back us up....a-a-actually, I'll send my Patronus. You need....Roz, where is she...?”

A great, bright Eagle soared out of his wand tip, streaking off to find his old team.

Casey was positive that more than five bones were now broken in his body, and about three ribs were cracked or broken as well. His torturer -he refused to call him grandfather- let up with the beatings and curses, staring down at him.

"You could have been perfect, idiot child. You had everything set to be treated like a prince when you finally listened to us. Instead you ran off and became nothing but a rejected, worthless brat." sneered the man as he closed the door to the room, Casey's former room that he'd spent hours in when he lived here. Studying so much, hiding under his bed as days got worst, looking out his locked window with desire to leave back to Hogwarts.

He waited, making sure he was gone, before he slowly shifted. He stifled a gasp of pain, feeling his arm disagree with moving. Nevertheless, he did his best to keep going, refusing to make more noise, as he slid underneath his old bed. Like he used to. Habits were wanting to fall back on him. He wanted to curl up and shake, knowing more was to come soon.

"D-Dad," he cried silently, wanting both his birth father and the man who was his only real family left in this world.

---

The team had come easily enough, Caius' back up team from long ago. They recognized him as not just headmaster, but Caius' personal healer and best friend. Explaining the situation, that Caius' son was kidnapped, had not been easy.

He'd have to find Roz later, he mused, as they took off for Aldridge Manor with an emergency warrant and wands at the ready.

Roz was, of course, knocked out of the air by the wards. She landed hard, wailing as she felt something snap but now was not the time. She leapt to her feet, going to the gates, feeling the wards. Casey...! NO! No no no no---

"NOOOO!" She shrieked at the manor, setting to blasting the wards with every charm and hex she could think of. "HE IS NOT YOURS LET HIM GO! POLICE! POLICE HELP! THERE'S BEEN A KIDNAPPING! GIVE HIM BACK!" She kept screaming as she charmed, hexed, jinked and spelled the wards as fast and hard as she could.

If she could get someone to hear, anyone!

---

Caius flew alongside, at the ready - he'd gone to Flitwick. "Roz was in lessons until about an hour ago," he said quietly to Aidan and the others. "She may have been taken with Casey, we don't know. But we need to rescue both if that's the case. These monsters abused Casey before I adopted him, to the point of severe mental harm. I don't put physical harm past them." He twinged, feeling roiling pain deep in his chest.

"...Casey, son...I'm coming. Just hold on...."

Mary Ann Alridge knew immediately that their plans had been revealed. No doubt through some spell the mudblood lovers had cast on the boy they once called a grandson and potential heir. She heard the chime of arrival from, no doubt, someone here to see that wretched boy.

"Ma'am, where is he?" An auror spoke. So tempting to lie, to fake ignorance. They'd not find him easily, the room he once lived in (and now was punished in) several floors above them in a far enough corner. But that would be foolish. She'd tried to warn Roger that they'd be caught if they hadn't moved fast enough. Roger had already planned for this downfall of theirs to end with a broken boy found later, hopefully on the brink of the reaper's door. Alas, they might be able to save him. Such a pity.

"The fifth floor to the second door, third hallway," she merely said, giving the headmaster of Hogwarts, and no doubt, the boy's guardian (she'd read the papers of how a Hogwarts professor had adopted a student) a smile. One with no true pleasure in it.

---

Aiden had found Roz, thankfully, on their way towards the building. Snatching her by the back of the robes, he'd dragged her with them. No use letting her try to get in otherwise. He knew she'd come along, if she was already here. At least this way she could be protected to some degree. He was relieved this blasted woman gave no resistance to their questions.

"Do not make any move against them, or you'll be grounded until you're 50," Aiden made sure to warn his niece as the aurors took Mary Ann Aldridge out of the room. A few stayed behind to back them up as they approached Casey's imprisonment.

Caius glared daggers at the woman before following Aiden, trusting his old team with her. “Make sure she does not leave. She and her husband are under arrest....and I'm pressing all charges.” He said darkly, then followed Aiden completely.

“Aiden, watch out – they may have house elves or guards of some sort.” He had his wand at the ready.

–

Roz had been glad to see them, though her hair tips were a solid crimson – a color they'd never been before. She wanted to make them pay for hurting him, but more importantly, she had to -find- him. She didn't want him to hurt, not now, not ever.

"....I guess I'm lucky. To not have a sadistic sonovaHippogriff for a grandpa, or a cold mean old toad for a grandma." She said lowly to herself, watching Mary Anne....grounding versus finding Casey.....nope. Sorry, Uncle Danny, but she was an adult. And she was not going to just stand here and let him HURT!

Roz waited until the Aurors with her were distracted with Mary Anne, then the blonde girl ran off, taking another flight of stairs separate from her uncle and Caius. She had to find Casey! Following her senses, the charm she'd cast on Casey and just her awareness of this house....

"Lumos." Her wand lit, and she ran as fast, as hard as she could into the dark manor.

Aiden nodded alongside Caius' words, his wand firmly in his hand. He was reminded of many raids that Caius went along to, requesting a healer be present when there was suspicion of extreme torture. The reminiscent wasn't pleasant in anyway, so he tried to force the thoughts away.

As soon as Roz shot off in the direction they were headed, he cursed and ran after her as well. He should have put a child-leash spell on her or something. That girl was going to be the death of him.

---

He could hear voices, and pounding of feet. Were they inviting people here? A wave of fear crashed into him, a small noise of that emotion echoing in his quiet prison. He squashed himself further under the bed, eyes widely staring at the door as it slammed open minutes later.

Roz glanced back at the following footsteps. No! “Uncle Danny go away! Protego!” A shield spat out of her wand, blocking the hallway. She knew it would not hold him long, but it would be enough to hopefully lose him in all these halls. Didn't he understand?! She had to find Casey! She couldn't let him hurt anymore, she'd promised....

Roz bolted into the mansion, trying to follow her spell as well as possible, though it was difficult with hallways containing her.

---

Caius looked about the room quietly. He could already tell something was wrong, and panic grew in his body, making him feel weak...but he couldn't give in now. This room...looked like a child's room. Was it possible Casey was somewhere around here?

“...spread out to the rooms around h-here and ss-s-search,” he gasped out quietly to his team. “If you find Casey, please come get me immediately....” He waited for them to go. “Casey? If you're in here...” They could have sealed him in the walls, or done something idiotic....tread lightly, careful, examine everything for a clue of where the boy was....a groan of pain escaped him, feeling Casey's fear and pain...

Aiden bit back a groan of annoyance when he nearly slammed right into the erected shield from his niece. Bloody stubborn child is what she was, and he knew he was going to send her back to her father's for a week as a means of grounding her. She had no idea what sort of hexes and curses could be ingrained in these halls. He only prayed she didn't run into any of those spells as he undid her shield charm as best he could and continued after her.

---

Casey tried to control his breathing, but it was getting hard to when he saw multiple feet. He almost lost his breath entirely when he heard talking and someone approaching his bed, before he heard his name called. A familiar voice. One that was so... safe to him.

"D-Dad?" Casey squeaked out, hopeful it was him. But this could be some trick! It had to be! Caius couldn't have found him this easily, could he? He pressed himself further under the bed, against the wall.

Roz continued through the halls, she was going to have to fight with Aidan later she knew....this would not end well for her. But it was all worth it, so long as they got Casey out....she continued, pausing a moment before ducking into a hallway, straining her ears for anything, anyone....

–

Caius froze, then gave a soft sound of relief. “Casey...Casey, son, it's me.” He could tell it was coming from under the bed....slowly the man edged to the ground. “Don't attack me, it's me. I'm just going to look for you, I know you're scared and hurt, Case....it's okay, it's me...”

He lowered himself fully to the floor, dark eyes looking towards Casey's voice, searching. It was surely Caius, down to the scar going down his cheek to under his cloak. “I'm sorry for all the p....all the people," he winced in pain, taking another moment to get it under control again. "They're my old team of Aurors, they're helping me to find you. We got a warrant, son....we're arresting your grandparents right now.”

Roger had heard the aurors as they approached his wife. He'd been walking near the foyer. Seeing as they hadn't noticed them, he'd walked off silently, opposite of where that vermin for a grandson would be.

He heard running footsteps, too loud and quick to be that of an Auror's skillful stride of caution. Hmm... He looked around the corner before seeing a silhouette ducking into a hallway that lead to the ballroom. How interesting this was turning into. He readied his wand and followed after this person.

---

Aiden turned a corner to find that Roz was nowhere to be seen. Cursing, he murmured "Point me Roz Turner!" and was nearly yanked to a corridor off to the left. He immediately ran in this direction, hoping no one spotted his niece.

---

Though he heard Caius' voice, he still felt slightly panicked, slightly fearful. Soon enough, glasz eyes peaked out of the shadows to see the eyes of the man who adopted him. Was it an illusion? He was scared, terrified even, to find out.

"H-Hurts D-dad," he stuttered out hoarsely. He didn't think he had much energy left to move, after all that screaming and painful torture. He knew several bones had to be broken. Moving sounded like he'd experience more pain, which is something he refused to let happen right now, no matter how childish.

Running erratically, the girl darted from hall to hall. She tripped, catching herself on a pole; her wand was out, and she pointed it in front of her as she headed towards...a dead end, dang. She paused to catch her breath, then heard footsteps; she whirled, lifting her still Lumos-lit wand.

Her eyes widened a little. “You....”


Caius winced a little. Oh Casey....

“I know, kiddo....I know. I can feel it too, I'm sorry Casey. I'm sorry it took us so long...” He scooted a little closer. “Can I get you? If not, I'll stay here....I'm not leaving you, Casey. We'll go see Aidan and Roz when you're ready.”

His son, so sweet and well mannered, in such pain....it broke Caius' heart to hear it, see it. He wanted to gather him up. Cradle him close. Never let anyone hurt him like this again.

Roger was intrigued to see it was that brat of a child. The one he'd seen with that pathetic boy through the years, besides the Grace girl. His wand was aimed at the girl, studying her.

"Useless excuse for a living being," he said lowly. "You're one of the reasons he was tainted. So completely wrapped in his little pathetic dreamland that muggles were good. I should kill you... but little fun in that," He gave her an almost musing expression, as if contemplating what he should use. "That brat was the perfect... experiment for some suitable spells I could use on you."

---

"Uh huh," he mumbled in consent, slowly uncurling his body a little. "Don't think... I-I can m-move." He wanted badly to just say he was okay, but he wasn't. He was most certainly not alright. He wanted to act like a child and just cry and hide away against his adopted father's shoulder. The emotions weren't ready to come boiling, too overwhelmed with relief that Caius was here and the pain of his injuries.

Roz froze a little, eyes widened as he kept his wand aimed at her. The insults hurt, it sounded so much like...so much like....she shook them off a little, pondering what to do for a split second. Aidan, she'd blocked him not once but many times through her route.....how fast he'd get through she didn't know, so she'd....

Have to stall.

Her grip firmed on her wand, and her hair tips tinged crimson and black. Rage and fear. “I'm one of the reasons he smiles, one of the reasons he is good....and one of the reasons you're going to jail, Mr. Aldridge.” She said back, venom in her voice. “He was no experiment – Casey is wonderful and amazing and you hurt him. I won't let you get away with that.” Her voice rang brave and angry - she wasn't backing down.

–

“It's okay, Casey....let me just....Wingardium Leviosa.” He gently levitated the bed off of Casey....and gasped a little at seeing his adopted son's condition. No. What had they done to him!? Caius wanted to rip them limb from limb....but no, Casey was here and more than his rage he felt sorrow, pain, worry.

“...Casey, oh Casey I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Roz and you vanishing didn't tip us off, I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner....I'm sorry it took so long to get to you.” He gently shifted over, lifting his son into a gentle embrace, careful of his wounds. “I'm here now, I'm here. I've got you, Casey.”

Such foolish bravery from a foolish little girl. Roger listened to the hatred from her, the bold statements. Pity she was of the wrong sort. She'd have made an excellent housewife to mould one day. Forcefully of course. A spitfire like her would have had to be broken in immediately to get her acting correctly. Nevertheless she needed to be taken care of, if for her cheek if nothing else.

"Cru--"

---

Aiden heard Roz talking, making his blood run cold as she talked. She couldn't have run into Casey's grandfather, could she? Wasting no time, he sprinted towards the sound and came into a corridor where the stuff of horror movie-worthy nightmares was seen.

An elderly man pointing a wand at Roz, halfway to speaking the unforgivable spell.

"Expelliarmus!" He thundered, spell slamming into the man and causing the wand to soar towards him. "Roger Aldridge you are under arrest!" He cared little for the fact that he wasn't an auror. Only that this man would pay for even trying to hurt Roz.

---

When light shined on his face, Casey squeezed his eyes shut, having hidden under the bed for longer than he thought. He heard a gasp before his father was gently trying to lift him up, saying something about-- wait what!?

"Roz vanished!?" He immediately gasped, squirming against his father as soon as he realized what had been stated. He couldn't rest! Not if Roz had been taken too! Oh dear Merlin! Had she been kidnapped alongside him!? Where was she!? Casey began hyperventilating, chest wheezing in pain as he started struggling to breathe and to calm down.

The shape of his mouth was recognized, but Roz knew she wasn't going to be able to block it. Her eyes widened and she looked at Roger, wand still raised as her body locked. She would not, could not scream. She would not give him that pleasure...!!!

Aiden's shout made her heart stop as the anticipated pain never came. She felt the beginnings of it welling in her body, but it didn't come fully and the edges faded. It was almost horrible enough, the feelings....the knowledge of what he'd been about to do to her, what had been about to occur...her breath caught, and she shut down a little.

Her wand dropped some as she stared at the man, frozen despite the spell having made him stumble closer to her; she didn't know what to say, to do....she was just....frozen.

--------

“Casey! Casey no we found her she's okay! She followed you here, she must have realized what happened – she ran off in here to find her, Aiden's with her!” Lie a little, Aiden wouldn't let her get hurt, right?

“Shhh, you're only going to make yourself hurt worse, Casey, please! It's all right, it's all right....Aiden has her, it's all right....”

Before anything could happen, Aidan threw up a stunning spell at the man before running towards his niece and drawing her into an embrace, hugging her tightly. "Merlin, you are completely and utterly grounded when we get back. Don't ever scare me this badly ever again."

As he was talking, a patronus -one he recognized from an auror on Caius' old team- appeared. "The boy has been found. In critical condition, but alive and conscious". Thank merlin for small mercies it seemed. He looked at the girl, frozen no doubt from what had been about to happen. Just the thought made his blood boil.

Aidan sent off his own patronus, telling them the location of the wayward torturer.

---

Hearing the assurance slowly calmed him down, but left the young adult utterly exhausted. He slumped against his father heavily, hearing one of the aurors in the room mutter a feather-weight charm on him, no doubt for Caius' shoulder.

Energy spent, he brought his only uninjured arm up and let his hand grip tightly to Caius' shirt, as if afraid to be seperated. His eyes started shutting before he snapped them back open, afraid to sleep now.

Roz was frozen even as he hugged her. He'd been about to....he was going to, and she had...she had accepted it. She had to, to save Casey, but oh Merlin, had he done this to Casey...!? The Hufflepuff was quiet in his hold, stunned silent and still.

She couldn't move, just released a garbled, sob-like sound at the mention that Casey was alive and awake. The girl was in shock in her uncle's embrace, face blank and eyes dull, zoned out. For the first time, her hair tips were a blank, translucent kind of color. Don't think about it. Don't think. Don't.

–---

Caius cradled him closely, lifting him with the help of the featherweight charm. He needed to get him out of here, and quickly.

“We need transport to St. Mungo's. Now. Aidan will look at you, Casey, help however he can. Roz's here too...”

“Sir, we've received word that Roger has been Disarmed and Stunned. Flemwood and Hookbill went to go pick him up.”

“Good....” Caius sent another Patronus, this one to Aidan with a simple message. -Help, hurry please.-

Casey nodded against Caius' shoulder, the pain still as present as ever, but overrode by the sense that he was safe again. They couldn't hurt him again. He gave a faint tremble as he almost thought about what had happened to him today, but he forcefully tried not to think about it. Instead he let his eyes fall closed as he heard voices, so long as he could still hear his father talking.

---

Aidan had to work on getting both Roz and himself out of the area when the aurors arrived. He knew Casey would be in a terrible condition, so he closed his eyes and took Roz with him, only to the apparation point. Forcefully, he quickly apparated Roz back to her father's home.

"You need to stay here. Just until I can get Casey looked over. Trust me on this Roz. I don't want you to see this part. He's safe. That's all you need to know right now." He told her before quickly apparating away to tend to the boy. Em didn't have a floo in the main part of the house, he tried to assure himself. She'd find her way back somehow, but by then maybe they'd be out of there already.

He didn't want Roz to see Casey so beaten, as he was suspecting would be the case.

Caius held him close, gently getting him to the meeting point. He was glad Casey was alive, though he knew there would be a lot of fallout from this. He just...needed to be there for his boy.

“Aidan,” he said in relief as he came to them. “...where's Roz? Nevermind, please help me help him....” Roz would be fine, if Aidan wasn't worried then neither was he.

---

Roz jerked through the Apparition with her Uncle, still blank and silent. She barely heard his words. Barely heard what he commanded. There wasn't anything to hear.

Roz quietly left the house, though where she was going she didn't know. The Aurors had her broom still, and she couldn't apparate or use Floo Powder...not in this state. She just...followed the blank slate of her mind, let her feet take her where they wanted to go.

There was a little playground she'd spent a lot of time as a child. In the woods behind it was a playhouse she and Willie had built together, years ago. When everything was bright and easy. When there wasn't hatred or fear, and when this pain she felt didn't even exist in her world.

Casey. He was hurt. Someone so precious to her...and if Uncle Danny, a healer, wouldn't let her see....it meant...it meant...what did it mean? Too much.

It was here her feet lead her, the old dilapidated fort that had once been her safest place in the world. And it was here she sat, on the dirty floor, blank and quiet as tears streamed down her face.

Part of Aidan had been surprised by her lack of reaction, but the other part was concentrated on the fact he had a very injured child to tend to. Seeing Casey's injuries up close made him want to hurl those bastards into a wall and turn them into insects so that he could step on them. They couldn't apparate. Not with Casey in such a messy state.

"We're going to have to operate here. I need an auror to go to St. Mungo's and request aid. Tell them former Healer Turner is here with a 17 year old injured with possible internal bleeding and definite critically broken bones." He ordered an auror. When they did return, he was already tending to Casey with a diagnostics charm cast immediately and his hands reaching to survey the damage.

"Patient's right hand is completely shattered, upper right elbow broken. The wrist is fractured on the same arm." He actually wanted to vomit. They'd never seen that much damage done to one single arm. Not on a young adult. "Three fractured ribs," he looked deeply at the charm lighting up with colors on the boy's body. "Severe residue of the cruciatus curse," here the other healer who was now assisting him grimaced. "It looks like..." He trailed off in his diagnostics, seeing the deep orange color on the side of the boy's face. He peered closely and nearly gagged.

"A muggle branding mark, coupled with several curses, have been put on the side of his neck, underneath the ear," he near-whispered.

Caius followed, staying close and keeping his boy in his arms whenever he could hold him. If he wasn't, he was holding his good hand, soothing and gentle. Oh, Casey.... He was going to make sure those abusers got the treatment they deserved....they'd be in Azkaban if he had his way...

It was pretty endless, these injuries. After literally three hours of potions and counter-casting found them able to heal the majority of Casey's arm, put on a muggle splint to his arm because the elbow had been crushed by a dark curse, and undo most of the curses on the brand mark. The family crest of the Aldridge family had been branded on the boy's face. Merlin.

"He won't be able to use that arm for a solid two months. Some of the curses won't be able to be cured, so we'll have to let him ride them out. It'll be an ugly battle for the next few months. That brand... it might be a permanent scar to his neck." Aidan finally revealed to Caius as the healer helped him get things set to transfer the now safe victim towards Hogwarts for further recovery. They didn't need to go to St. Mungo's now with Aidan around, thankfully.

"This isn't going to be easy at all for him, Cai," Aidan said grimly. "You might not be able to get him to sleep or even react as he normally would for awhile. One day of torture, but it looks as if he'd been here for days with those injuries. They didn't mess around with this torture."

Caius was quiet, gently watching over his boy. "I'll make sure he keeps all these rules, though it may help if you write them all down for me...I'll watch over him, Aidan."

He was quiet for a moment. "Remember when I nearly died? You stayed with me and made sure I picked myself up out of the darkness I wanted to let myself sink into. I'll do that for Casey now, and Roz will too I'm sure....he went through torture, yes, but we'll show him all the love and care he deserves...."