Cassiopeia Black

## Cassiopeia Violetta Black

**Cassiopeia Violetta Black** (2 July, 1913 – 29 June, 1992) was an English pure-blood witch, the eldest daughter of Cygnus Black III and Violetta Black (née Bulstrode) and sister of Pollux, Marius and Dorea. Cassiopeia never married or had any children. She was the granddaughter of Phineas Nigellus Black, who was most famous for being the most hated Hogwarts Headmaster of all time.

Cassiopeia attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry herself from 1924 to 1931. Sometime between leaving school and the death of her father in 1943, she began living as a spinster in Devon. She died in her late seventies during the summer of 1992.

## Biography

### Early life (1913-1924)

Cassiopeia was born at around midday on 2 July, 1913 in Somerset. She had an elder brother, Pollux at the time, who was eleven years old at the time of her birth. When she was a year old, she gained a younger brother, Marius. When she was six, she gained a younger sister, Dorea.

Cassiopeia was a member of the traditionalist pure-blood House of Black, who looked down on any except other "respectable" pure-blood wizards and believed in pure-blood supremacy. Her father, Cygnus Black III, was the second-born son of Phineas Nigellus Black I, who was perhaps the most hated Hogwarts Headmaster in history. She had a paternal uncle, Sirius Black II, who would later become the Head of the House of Black in 1925, and an aunt Hesper, who had been born a member of the Gamp family.

Through Sirius and Hesper, Cassiopeia had three first cousins, all of whom were older than her. Arcturus, like her older brother Pollux, was a student of Hogwarts during the time of her birth. She had a cousin Lycoris, who was about nine years old when Cassiopeia was born, and a cousin Regulus, who was about seven years older.

Cassiopeia also had an aunt Belvina, who was married to Herbert Burke, then head of the Most Ancient House of Burke. Through her aunt Belvina, Cassiopeia had two cousins, both of which were considerably closer in age to her than the children of her uncle Sirius. Her cousin, Ulyssa Burke, was three years older, and her cousin Bartholomew Burke was her age.

Through her father's brother, Arcturus Black II, and her aunt Lysandra, Cassiopeia had three cousins, a cousin Callidora, who was only two years younger than her, and twins Cedrella and Charis, who were seven years younger. The cousins that Cassiopeia was closest to on her father's side were her cousin Ulyssa and her cousin Callidora.

Cassiopeia's mother was Violetta Black (née Bulstrode), who had been born into the House of Bulstrode. Cassiopeia's grandparents were Archibald Bulstrode and Euphemia Bulstrode (née Parkinson), a half-British, half-Belgian witch, who was once rumoured to be part-Veela.

On her mother's side, Cassiopeia had an uncle, Theodore Bulstrode, who was married to a witch called Petronia Flint. They only had one son together, Theodore Jr., who was a year older than Cassiopeia. She also had an aunt Elizabetha, who was the wife of Blaise Carrow. Through her aunt Elizabetha, Cassiopeia had two cousins, Esia Carrow and Viola Carrow.

In 1922, Cassiopeia's younger brother, Marius Black, who was a squib, drowned after her uncle, Arcturus Black II, pushed him off of a pier. The incident was mysteriously forgotten and shoved under the rug by many, all except Cassiopeia's niece, Walburga, who had interrogated the story out of her father, Pollux, on his deathbed in 1990.

Cassiopeia would not remember the incident, as well as many other younger members of her family, as they had been conditioned to believe that Marius had been cast out into the muggle world, alone, at the age of eight.

### Hogwarts years (1924-1931)

Cassiopeia received her Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1924. Before attending, she presumably purchased her wand, which was made of holly and dragon heartstring, at Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, London.

She was sorted into Slytherin House on 1 September, 1924. She shared a dormitory with her cousin, Viola Carrow, who would later become the wife of Abraxas Malfoy, and the two of them were very close friends and confidantes until they had a falling out in 1935.

### Later life (1931-1992)

Sometime between leaving school and the death of her father, Cygnus Black III in 1943, Cassiopeia began living as a spinster in Devon. She never married or had any children, and died in her late seventies during the summer of 1992.

## Etymology

Like many members of the House of Black, Cassiopeia is named after a constellation. The constellation is in turn named after Queen Cassiopeia of Greek mythology, a beautiful but vain woman whose arrogant boasting led to her downfall. The name is derived from the Greek Κασσιόπη, meaning "she whose words excel".