Robbie was busy getting a few things done before she could go back to her apartment. All the while trying to avoid Josh and her boss. It was not going well, but she was trying to make the most of it. She was trying to be a good employee regardless. Picking up cover projects and smaller projects. Anything they would let her do so she could seem busy.
Her phone rang and the picture of her brother flashed across the screen. She picked it up and a feeling of relief washed through her. She was happy to talk to him. She missed him so much. “Hey Marc, sorry I didn’t call yesterday, I’ve just been busy at work and with calling the insurance company...”
“Robs.” Her brother said in the stern voice. The voice she had probably only heard him use twice before.
“W-what. Is everything okay? Are you okay? Is dad okay?” Her mind raced through the million and one things that could be wrong. Her father was drinking again, her brother was sick, someone got hurt.
“Dad’s fine, I’m fine, we just...we got a call this morning.” He said still in that voice. It was a voice that made Robbie feel totally and completely hollow. Like he had sucked everything out from inside so there was just empty left. She clutched the phone tighter to her ear as the weight of the silence stayed between them. “Mom’s dead. She was in an accident last night and...”
Of all the things that rushed through her mind, of all the things he could have said, that had not been any of the ones she anticipated. She had not spoken to her mother in years. Her mother was this woman who was far away, someone who broke her heart and showed no interest in her what-so-ever. This stranger who was meant to love her unconditionally but never had the ability to do so. Robbie hated her, she tried never to think about and most days she did that easily. So why upon hearing this news did it feel like someone had dropped the floor from under her.
“Oh...” was all she could manage.
“Listen...the funeral is monday and me and dad are planning on going. It’s up to you, if you wanna go or not. But I just...I thought you should know.” Her brother said in a somber tone.
“Yeah...right...” she managed with a nod of her head.
They said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone. She wasn’t sure what to do or how she was supposed to feel. But right now, it was all numb.
The past week had been nothing less than a whirlwind of insanity. To say otherwise would be a lie and then some. Fiona wasn’t getting any sleep, the most she’d gotten was four hours from a potion she’d taken the night before, and even that had been restless. Not to mention, her husband to be was getting more and more impatient and testy with every passing minute, and Fiona was throwing herself at every problem before it got a chance to really become a thing. That meant spending more time in Ethelbert’s bed in the last week than she’d spent in the whole rest of the time they’d known each other combined. It was a dirty job, but if it meant keeping his temper at bay while she stressed about the final details, she’d do it.
Fiona rolled out of Ethelbert’s bed the morning of her wedding bright and early, though she felt anything but bright. He was already gone for the day, presumably day drinking with his groomsmen, and honestly, Fiona didn’t care. Normally, she had a beef with how much he drank, but today, it meant he was out of her hair, and she could get ready in peace. She made her way down the hall to her rooms, the place she’d moved into when Ethelbert had all but forced her to move out of her apartment earlier in the summer. She stared into the full length mirror beside where her wedding dress was propped on the mannequin, looking more beautiful than she could have ever imagined. She had to admit, as much as she didn’t want to do this wedding, she definitely loved her wedding dress, and Ken had done an amazing job working on it with her. She really wouldn’t have been able to do it if not for him. Sighing softly, she pulled her gaze from the dress’ reflection and back to her face. Her skin was dull and lifeless, like she hadn’t seen the sun or happiness in a year, and she poked at her cheeks and prodded at the skin at her temples, hoping to bring some life back to her face. She’d frowned so much in the last few months that she was pretty sure she needed a facelift to bring her features back to where they were meant to be.
Fiona took her seat at her vanity and gave all of the products she’d pulled for her big day one more once over before starting in on her routine, wanting to get a good portion of it done before her bridal party showed up to get ready as well. Only relying on the early morning light streaming through the windows, she started with the moisturizer, hoping that it would help brighten up her pallid complexion. As she worked, her mind drifted to what else needed to be done that day and the last minute details that she needed to assure got completed before she walked down the aisle. She was prepared for a beautiful ceremony, but she knew that unless everything else went perfectly at the reception, her non-pureblood guests would send Ethelbert into such a tizzy that he would probably ruin the night for everyone. As much as she wanted to set him on edge, she didn’t want everyone else’s night to be ruined.
It wasn’t much longer before there was a knock on her door, followed by some talking and then rambunctious laughter, and Fiona had to resist rolling her eyes. On the other side was her bridal party, the people that were going to stand beside her while she married one of the worst men she’d ever known. Of course, they didn’t know he was awful, they’d only met the guy once and he’d been on his best behaviour, but still. It hurt to know that they were so excited and she couldn’t find in herself to be.
Plastering a smile on her face, she opened up the door wide and greeted the glowing girls who pushed their way into her room and pulled open more curtains and opened a few of the windows to let in the crisp morning breeze. Fiona couldn’t help but shiver as the cooler air hit her skin, pulling her robe tighter around her.
“Oh, Fiona, you shouldn’t be getting ready in the dark like this, why aren’t any of your lights on?” one girl asked in a rather motherly tone, flitting about and turning on every light she came across. “Fifi, this dress is beautiful!” another spouted, fawning over the creation in the corner. “Thank you,” she said quickly before returning to her vanity. “Shouldn’t you all be getting ready too?” she asked with a teasing smile before gesturing to the room across the hall. “Your dresses are in there, and if you need anything at all, just holler. We’ll have one of the house elves get it for you,” she continued as she looked back into the mirror. After a chorus of excited squeals and a flurry of hugs, the girls were gone, the door across the hall shutting behind them.
Fiona let out a huge sigh of relief, physically deflating. It was easy to pretend with other people around. Much easier, really, but it always left her exhausted. Still, she figured she had a solid hour before they started making their way back to her, and she was going to use it not pretending.
After a few minutes of sitting in the silence, Fiona reached over and put some music on, wanting to try and bring her mood up. This was her dream wedding, after all, and girls were supposed to be excited for their big day. Three songs in, and she was already feeling better, like maybe today wouldn’t be the worst day ever after all, and then she heard the light knock on her door, spotting a familiar face in the mirror, one she sure wasn’t going to show.
“Gracie?” she breathed out, her face lighting up with a genuine smile for the first time in what felt like years. Fiona turned in her chair to see her best friend standing there with a smile on her face, and it didn’t take long for her to stand up and bolt to the other girl, nearly crying at the sight of her. “I can’t believe you made it! I thought you were going to be too busy,” she said curiously, the smile never leaving her face. “Did you really think I was going to miss this day of all days? C’mon Fi, you know I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Fiona hugged Grace again and pulled her into the room, “Come in, come in, I’m in the middle of getting ready, sit with me while I do?” it was really less of a question and more of a command. “How are things going? Are you happy? I have missed you so much, you have no idea. It’s just not the same without you.” It felt like they had eons to catch up on, but really, Grace looked happy and healthy, and suddenly, she didn’t have to pretend that everything was going to be fine.
“Yes, we’re really busy, but things are going well. I’m so happy, Fiona. We have a big house and we’re planning on lots of babies, and it’s going to be wonderful. You should come visit us someday.” The idea was nice, and Fiona would love to spend time with them when she needed to just get away. “I might just take you up on that,” she agreed, looking at Grace through the mirror with a smile. “You’ll stay for the ceremony, right? Please...I don’t want to do this without you.”
“Of course. We can’t stay for much longer after that, but we’ll be here as long as we can. Shang has a game in the morning, and he needs to get sleep, and I don’t want to be cranky in the morning.” Grace explained with a laugh, and Fiona nodded in understanding. “I’m just glad you’ll stay. Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” she repeated, still feeling the excitement from first seeing her in the doorway.
They continued talking for the next hour, catching up on everything that had happened in the last few months and beyond, and Fi regaled how she met Ethelbert, which earned a laugh from Grace, calling his name completely ridiculous. Fiona couldn’t argue it, either. She could try to defend it, but his name always kind of made her laugh. As time passed, her bridesmaids started trickling into the room, looking bright and ready for the day’s events. They milled about and joined in on the conversation between Grace and Fiona, and it wasn’t until all the girls were back in the room that Fiona was finished with her makeup. With a wave of her wand, her hair smoothed out and laid in perfect loose curls down her back. And then it was time to get into the dress. It was beautiful, and it fit Fiona like a glove. It took two people to help her into it because it was so tight, but once it was buttoned and zipped up, there wasn’t a single spot that didn’t fit her perfectly. She’d definitely have to give Ken major props for making it so perfect. She’d thought it many times leading up to the big day, but seeing it on right before her ceremony, it brought tears to her eyes.
Her bridesmaids gathered around her, and Grace stood beside her, and she felt complete. Like today was going to be one of the best days of her life after all. “Okay, girls. Let’s do this. Would one of you go and check to see if my future husband and his band of goons is ready? We have to leave soon if we’re going to get there on time.” The girls all rushed off to gather their things and check on the boys, and Fiona was left standing there with Grace. “I’ll see you there, okay?” she said thickly, the lump of emotion still in her throat as she leaned in and placed a kiss on either side of her friend’s face. “You and Shang are front row beside my dad. Thank you so much again. This means the world to me.” Grace squeezed Fiona’s hands and bid her goodbye before hustling off to get her husband and heading to the church.
Rather than apparate or try to take portkeys and risk ruining her dress, the entire wedding party took flying cars to the cathedral. It took longer, but they’d timed everything out perfectly that they weren’t late, and people were still showing up for the ceremony. Fiona could see from the other side of the door down the aisle, and she spotted Grace and Shang sitting just down the pew from her father, and a shared smile helped calm her nerves. One of her bridesmaids fussed over her dress, making sure all the feathers laid straight. Ethelbert came down from a side door to stand at the end of the aisle, looking annoyingly perfect in his gold-toned tuxedo that matched the gold lace in her dress. He was handsome, but that arrogant smile on his face that was meant just for her made her heart skip a beat, but not in a good way. He was getting everything he wanted, and she was getting nothing in return, really.
As each bridesmaid walked down the aisle, arm in arm with a groomsman, they dropped a kiss on her cheek before walking through the doors. The undying support from her friends made her nerves slowly dissipate, and when her musical cue came, she was ready. Everyone stood as she stood in the entryway of the door, and her gaze flicked from face to face, realising she really only knew less than half of the guests in attendance. At least the reception had more people she’d know there. Hopefully. Fiona held her bouquet in front of her and began her walk down the aisle, the music feeling painfully slow. She wasn’t in a rush to get to the end of the aisle, but the longer it took, the more she wanted to turn and run.
As she walked past people, pictures were snapped, and Fiona’s smile never once wavered. The metaphorical crown she wore on her head felt heavier on her head with every step, but she showed no outer signs of her inner turmoil. Her real, actual tiara, however, made her feel more powerful and like an actual crown, like she could make any other royal wedding jealous of her own. As Fiona approached the end of the aisle, her father stood from his seat and met her at the end, smiling wide at her. She could see the pride in his eyes, and it further solidified the fact in her mind that she was definitely doing the right thing here. He passed her hands to Ethelbert’s, and passed the bouquet to her maid of honor. Again, Fiona glanced at Grace, and she gave her a subtle thumbs up and a big smile as she took Shang’s hand in her own. She glanced at Shang who gave her a small wave, and she smiled in return before turning her attention back to Ethelbert. Purposely, she avoided looking at Denahi who was just on the other side of her father, knowing that he didn’t approve of the wedding, and not wanting to have anything sway her from this.
“You look beautiful,” Ethelbert said quietly, and Fiona gave him a small smile and a quiet thanks as they both looked at the minister.
“Ladies and gentlemen, family and friends, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the joining of Viscount Ethelbert Cavendish and Miss Fiona Babette in marriage. With love and commitment, they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife.” The minister’s voice boomed through the cathedral, and while he couldn’t me more wrong in his statement, the reality of the day finally hit her. She was getting married right now, and this was her day. The part of her that always wanted to get married and be happily in love hoped that this would be good for her and for them and that things would be okay after this, and that when they said their vows, it wouldn’t be lies.
“True marriage is more than simply joining two persons together through the bonds of matrimony. It is also the union of two hearts and the blending of two families. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but also thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is, and should be, an expression of love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to also share those moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding.”
Here, Fiona and Ethelbert shared a look, knowing full and well that this was nothing more than a business transaction. It broke her heart to hear those words when she knew that he had no love for her. He’d never once humored her and tried to make her feel love. He’d never so much as told her that he cared for her, and while she didn’t feel love for him, she wanted to think that she was more than just a warm body to him.
“Ethelbert, if you would repeat after me?” His gaze never moved from hers as he nodded once in understanding.
“I, Ethelbert Cavendish, take you, Fiona Babette, as my lawfully wedded wife,”
“I, Ethelbert Cavendish, take you, Fiona Babette, as my lawfully wedded wife,”
“To have and to hold from this day forward,”
“To have and to hold from this day forward,”
“For better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,”
“For better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,”
“Til death do us part.”
“Til death do us part.”
Ethelbert turned to his best man who approached with a box which housed her wedding ring and pulled it out, his attention moving back to her. “With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, my heart, and my hands.” The words almost sounded sincere as he slipped the ring onto her finger. His hands were gentler than usual, and as she looked up at his face, she could have sworn she saw real emotion on it. Before she could really dwell on it, however, the minister was calling for her attention. “Fiona, if you would repeat after me?” She nodded slightly, the smile coming to her lips again subconsciously. She wanted to believe he did care. She wanted it so desperately, and she thought maybe giving her vows would bring the emotion back to his face.
“I, Fiona Babette, take you, Ethelbert Cavendish, as my lawfully wedded husband,”
“I, Fiona Babette, take you, Ethelbert Cavendish, as my lawfully wedded husband,”
“To have and to hold from this day forward,”
“To have and to hold from this day forward,”
“For better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,”
“For better or worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,”
“Til death do us part.”
“Til death do us part.”
Here, her maid of honor stepped up, offering the wedding band they’d gotten to match her ring. Fiona’s hand was trembling a bit as she picked it up, clearing her throat a bit as she turned back to Ethelbert. "Through this ring, I accept you as my husband, now and for all time,” she said with a returning smile and slipped the ring onto his finger with minimal trembling. He noticed it, though, and laced their fingers together with a reassuring squeeze. This time, her heart skipped a beat in a good way. Maybe he did care after all.
“With the exchange of vows and the physical promise of these rings, I declare you Mr. and Mrs. Cavendish. Ethelbert, you may kiss the bride.”
With those words, he all but swept her off her feet, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle but passionate kiss. It took her by surprise, he’d never been this gentle with her before. He’d never shown any sort of emotion toward her besides anger or annoyance or carnal hunger. This was entirely new, and it blinded her. When he finally let her go, she held onto him until she was steady on her heels again and looked out towards the cheering crowd. She could see a few familiar faces that weren’t nearly as pleased as the rest of them, but she could hardly blame them. One of those faces was Denahi. She knew how he felt about her new husband, and she’d have to spend some time assuring that everything was fine. She’d hoped that he’d be too distracted with his rooming situation to be bothered by this, but that had been too much to ask for. If anything, she had a feeling it would amplify his disapproval with the whole thing. As they exited the church, Fiona reached out and squeezed his shoulder, her face showing no hint of her previous hesitation.
This was a new chapter. Maybe it would be better now. If she could convince herself, she could convince anyone.
Children’s laughter rang through the air, Malinda’s voice among them as she sat on the swings, watching her brothers try to make each other sick on the merry go round. Her mother sat off to the side on a bench in the park, a small ways from the playground, and Malinda hopped down from her swing and ran over to her, climbing into her mom’s lap. Her mother looked down at her with a warm smile and pulled her into a snuggly hug, at which Malinda let out another peal of laughter. “Momma, can we get some ice cream today?” she asked, bouncing excitedly in her mother’s lap. Her mess of long dark waves fell into her face, and Aleena pushed her hair back with a smile. “How about we get some after we have dinner. You still wanted to go to that taco truck, didn’t you?” Malinda’s eyes widened at the mention of the taco truck, getting excited about it all over again. “Yeah! Everyone loves tacos, even sissy!” Elaine was known to be rather picky about what she put in her body, but tacos never failed to get her excited too. “Then we’ll do tacos and ice cream for dinner tonight, my little dormouse,” Aleena assured her daughter. “Just don’t tell your father or he’ll be so sad he missed out on it having to work late tonight,” she added in a conspiratorial tone. Malinda giggled and nodded once again before bounding back over to the playground to where her brothers had started tackling each other while Elaine sat off to the side, yelling at them to stop fighting...
The memory faded away, and once again Malinda was left in the darkness. This time it didn’t feel like a dream, it felt real, it felt tangible, it felt warm. She felt warm for the first time since she’d entered the forest the week and a half before. Outwardly, in St. Mungo’s, there was a sign that Malinda wasn’t as catatonic as she once had been, as tears started to fall down her cheeks. “Call in the healer, Joseph. Now.” Aleena moved from her seat by the window and came to perch on the edge of the bed, taking one of Malinda’s hands in hers. “Mally, honey? Can you hear me?”
“Maliumpkin!” Joseph boomed as he entered the home, the one they’d just moved into in a suburb of London. Boxes were still everywhere around the house, and each of the Upton children had only just claimed their bedrooms the week before, Malinda completely fine with getting the smallest one because in her opinion, it had the best view. She bounded down the hall and then the stairs to the front door to greet her father with as big of a hug as her little eleven year old body could manage. “Welcome home, Daddy!” she cried happily, the biggest smile on her face. “Guess what came in the mail today, honey,” her father said in an almost taunting tone, waving an envelope in the air. “Is it my letter?!” she all but shrieked and jumped up to try and reach the mail in her father’s hand. “Go get your mother first, then we can read it over together,” he instructed, and with an excited squeal, Malinda went bolting into the kitchen where her mother was cooking dinner and tugged on her apron. “Mom, mom, mom! Dad’s home! And my letter came! The one from Hogwarts!” Aleena knew exactly what letter it was that was coming, it was the reason they’d moved to London in the first place, and while she’d been a little worried about moving so far from their home, she was excited for her daughter to get seven years of schooling at what was argued to be the best wizarding school in the world. Being a muggle, Aleena didn’t really understand what the difference was, but she did like being closer to the school should anything happen. Having to send her older three children to Salem before they’d moved had been hard each year since it was so far from Amherst.
Malinda perched in a chair at the dining table, her feet on the seat and bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her knees bumped the edge of the table constantly as she tried to keep herself balanced, too excited to sit properly. Joseph placed the letter before her carefully and sat in the chair across from her, his wife taking the seat beside him. “Okay, you can open it now,” he said, and Malinda ever so carefully opened the seal and pulled the letter out, unfolding it even more carefully than the envelope, reading it to herself first then reading it aloud. With it was a list of the things she would need for school, and Malinda got excited all over again. “I get to get an owl!” She paused and looked at her parents with wide eyes. “I get an owl right?” Her father laughed lightly and looked over at his wife who looked rather perplexed. She’d never understood why witches and wizards had owls when the post worked just as well, but what was one more owl? Thankfully, Elaine had opted for the cat option, so there would only be three owls in the house instead of the four it could have been. “Yes, you get to get an owl. Hold on though, we can’t afford to get all new things, so you’ll have to use some of your siblings’ old books and things.” Her father’s warning fell on deaf ears, though, as Malinda was already jumping down from the chair and running back up the stairs to tell her Elaine all about her letter and what kind of owl she thought she should get.
“Mr. and Mrs. Upton, please calm down. I can see what you’re talking about, but there is nothing that I can do yet. Her vitals are still strong, and she is still doing well. Her brain activity is growing, her body just needs a little more time to catch up. Let me know when she starts moving, okay?” With that, the chief healer on Malinda’s case left the room with a small nod, leaving her parents in their distressed state. Joseph recovered first and rolled the chair over from the window beside Malinda’s bed, gently pushing his wife into the seat. Aleena’s gaze never once left her daughter, waiting for one sign or another that she was waking up. Her hand still squeezed Mal’s, but there was no squeezing back, her skin still as cold as it had been when they moved her to St. Mungo’s. The only sign of movement was the visible shiver that ran through her body, though the healers had already declared that a symptom of the dementor attack.
Malinda was fifteen and she had just seen her big sister graduate from Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her spell was hardly impressive, and she swayed a bit on stage before being shuffled off and back into her seat while she waited for the rest of her class to finish their final examination. To her right, Malinda could hear hushed whispers of her parents, but she wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying. She was still staring in awe at her big sister. That was going to be her in two years. She was going to be sitting where Elaine sat, doing what Elaine did, and becoming an adult. She was scared and excited all at the same time. Elaine turned to look back at her family, and Malinda waved enthusiastically. She got nothing in return except a faint smile. It was like Elaine wasn’t even looking at her, like she was looking through her. She’d seen the same glassy look in her sister’s eyes a lot more often in the last six months than the last two years combined, but Malinda didn’t think there was anything wrong. There couldn’t be. Elaine was her big sister, she was almighty and strong and impressive and amazing and everything that Malinda wanted to be one day.
Malinda shivered in her seat, and she looked around again, wondering if anyone else had felt the cold that was starting to sink into her bones. This wasn’t right, there was something wrong. A little voice in the back of her head nagged at her to get the memory right, that there was something off about it, but Malinda genuinely couldn’t figure it out. Everything seemed normal, but the day wasn’t as happy as it should have been, it wasn’t as happy as Malinda remembered it to be. Maybe this was a dream after all. She stood from her seat and excused herself to go to the bathroom, and no one even looked in her direction. This was wrong…
In her room, Malinda’s brow furrowed just in the slightest, and if her mother hadn’t been looking at her so carefully, it probably would have gone unnoticed. Another few tears slipped free, and Aleena leaned up to wipe them from her face. “Joseph, should we get a nurse at least? I think she’s having some sort of fit in there,” she said worriedly, but her husband shook his head. “Give her time, Ally,” he reassured her, and stood behind her, gently massaging her shoulders, hoping that would make Aleena relax a little. For as worried as he was about his youngest daughter and now youngest child, Aleena was easily ten times as worried. It had been an hour from the first tears to the change in her facial expression, at this rate, logically, she wouldn’t be waking up for a while, and Joseph didn’t want to add more stress to the healers trying to wake her up or Malinda’s fragile state of mind and soul.
Time flashed again, and Malinda was standing in Hogsmeade. It was hotter than hell, and here she was, standing in a flannel and black jeans. What had she been thinking? Right. It was laundry day, and this was all she’d had available. “I know it’s summer and all, but we’re in the British Isles, isn’t it always supposed to rain? Where’s the cold?” she grumbled, rolling up her sleeves as she did so. “Seriously, could do with a little cold right now,” she heard a boy mutter, presumably meant to be under his breath, and she chuckled a bit. “I don’t think you sounded bitter enough there, buddy.” She shook her arms a bit to settle the sleeves and checked the time before looking back at him. “You wanna go get some ice cream or something? Cold to combat the unnecessary heat?” Food had been her number one priority after waking up from her nap and someone just as displeased with the weather as her had to be good enough company. “U-uhm...uhm sure,” came his answer finally. When he agreed, she smiled wider and nodded her head once in approval. “Great! I’ve been wanting to try out this cute little parlor for a while,” she said as she started down the street, waving for him to follow her. “I’m Malinda, by the way. What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? My mom always told me you can a lot about a person by what kind of ice cream they like.”
The boy tugged at his sleeves a lot, but Malinda didn’t make a comment on it. “Oh, uhm, salted caramel,” he got out. “Salted caramel? Really? I definitely would have pegged you as a cookie dough or moose tracks guy. But salted caramel is definitely a good choice. Personally, I’m a big fan of birthday cake, but only when it’s not my unbirthday. On my birthday, anything with fudge or brownies is my favorite,” she responded cheerily. “Oh, uhm, I’m PJ...by the way…” It almost sounded like he wasn’t sure about his own name, and her head tilted a bit in interest. “PJ. Is that short for something or did your parents jump on the bandwagon a while ago with the two letter names that don’t actually stand for anything? Not that that’s a bad thing, of course, I’m just curious.” That was when she saw the sign for the ice cream parlor, and she got a bit of a skip to her step. “I’m really glad you agreed to come with me. Ice cream is so much better with company.” Malinda was getting a bit of a sense that she was kind of bombarding the boy with her presence, but he hadn’t run yet, so that had to be a good sign, right? “PJ is, uhm… They’re my initials. My, uhm...my full name is Pete Jeterson, but… everyone calls me PJ,” he explained, and she nodded her head. “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, PJ.”
It was weird, this memory was more distant than the other once, more like a dream like the last one had been. Instead of Malinda seeing through her own eyes, she was watching it unfold before her as though she was just a spectator. It made her feel like she was watching someone else’s memories. Another shiver ran through her as she realised she was intruding on her own memories. She wanted to be a part of the scene that unfolded before her, she needed to be a part of the scene that unfolded before her. That was her memory, and it felt like it’d been ripped from her.
Another visible shiver ran through her body. It was happening more often now, and even Joseph had agreed with his wife and said that they should call in a nurse to keep an eye on her if she made any progress. It wasn’t much longer before Malinda’s hand twitched in her mother’s. “I’m going to go get the healer, Mrs. Upton,” she assured Aleena before she had a chance to say anything and darted out. “It looks like she might be waking up, honey,” Joseph said reassuringly, taking a seat in his seat again. He was visibly relaxing, glad that something finally seemed to be going right after nearly two weeks of no information. Aleena, however, was more alert than ever, making mental notes of any changes that happened in her daughter.
Malinda needed to wake up, she was sure of it. This was all a dream, it wasn’t memories anymore. They weren’t hers, there was something wrong. She knew her sister’s graduation had been nothing but happiness, she remembered her father being there in the park with them and for tacos and ice cream later that night. She remembered zero hesitation in her parents’ eyes when she asked about owl. They were the smallest details, but she knew they were wrong. Deep down, she knew. If she hadn’t felt so disconnected, she wouldn’t have thought to delve deeper, but there was something wrong with the latest memory. It was right, there weren’t any inconsistencies, but it hadn’t been hers. She had just watched it happen. She needed to wake up, she didn’t want to be here anymore.
She closed her eyes tight and waited a few seconds, hoping that when she opened them again, she’d be in the real world again and she wouldn’t be stuck in her own head anymore. But instead of being awake, she was in the dress she’d worn to the Wizard Olympics Ball, the one that was far too stuffy, but honestly, it did look good. She made her way toward the hall where it was being held and met PJ just before heading it. “You, uhm, you look good,” he commented with the smallest hint of a smile, to which Malinda nodded her thanks and responded in kind. As they headed inside, he felt like too many eyes were on her all at once, and she wanted to shy away, hide against the wall and drink everything that was in the flask hidden in her purse. She’d come here for PJ, and she’d be damned if she left him alone. Besides, he didn’t seem to be all that opposed to spending time with her. Standing off to the side honestly felt more awkward than being in the middle of everything, so they made their way out to the dancefloor. It was clear that PJ was in his head still, but Malinda was determined to try and get him out and into the real world with the rest of them. “So how are you faring with all of this?” she asked, hoping that talking would help bring him to the present. “Honestly? Not great, but I’m making it work,” he assured her as they continued to move to the music. It was hardly the first time they’d spent time together, but for some reason, it felt different this time. She felt more at ease and relaxed around him, and more like everything was starting to fall into place. It was like she’d all but forgotten that he could die still in this stupid tournament. For a brief, beautiful moment, it was just the two of them, talking, smiling, dancing. And then he took her hand. He took her hand. And Malinda felt her heart swell in her chest. The PJ she had met only a month or so before had grown to trust her and be her closest friend. And deep down, a part of her acknowledged more.
“It feels good to do what you want, doesn’t it?” she asked as they escaped the stuffiness of the ball and headed outside. “What do you want to do now?” Malinda looked at him expectantly and a bit hopeful, looking forward to spending the rest of the evening with him. Except he wasn’t looking at her. He wasn’t holding her hand anymore, he’d pulled away completely. And when he did look at her, she wilted. There, plain as day on his face, was the expression she’d seen before from a few people when she’d first started going to school. That she was “less than” because of her family’s middle class status or the impurity of her blood or the reputation that her siblings had left behind them. “We can’t be friends, Malinda. Do you have any idea how much of a mistake it was for me to be seen dancing with you tonight? It was because I pity you, of course. It’s not your fault you were born a halfblood.” It was PJ’s voice, but it wasn’t his words, Malinda was sure of it. But the words had sliced her so deeply, she couldn’t even look at him anymore. She looked to her feet and nodded, as though what he said made total and complete sense. “I just...never thought you’d be the type of person to say these things. Peej, we’re friends,” she pleaded before she could think. “I can’t say what you want me to. Goodbye, Malinda,” he responded without any emotion in his voice, turning on his heel and walking back into the hall, leaving her alone in a dress she hadn’t wanted to wear and shoes that were killing her feet.
Malinda could feel the hot tears running down her cheeks, but she ignored them, looking after PJ for a moment before turning and running in the opposite direction, losing her heels a few steps in. She abandoned them, not caring if she lost them forever, needing to just run. Run fast and run hard and pretend this had never happened. The voice in the back of her head nagged at her again, reminding her it was just a dream, it wasn’t real, but it had felt so real. His words rang in her ears and broke her heart. But if it wasn’t real, why couldn’t she wake up?
Again, she closed her eyes, willing herself to wake up. Wake up, wake up, wake up!
Malinda bolted upright in her bed, her breathing uneven and coming more in heaves than breaths, not even aware of the fact that tears were still falling down her cheeks. It took her a few moments to realise that she wasn’t in Hogsmeade anymore or on Hogwarts grounds or at her family home. Where was she? It looked like a hospital room...smelled like a hospital room. She turned her head to look around her and was shocked at the sight of her parents standing at the edge of the bed. “Mally, honey, we were so worried about you!” her mother cried before throwing her arms around her daughter and holding on tightly. Malinda was still shocked, but held onto her mother just as tightly. “Could someone maybe tell me what happened?” she managed to get out weakly.
Throughout Randall’s life, his parents had always spent every moment of very day to remind him of his responsibilities and expectations as a Boggs. As a kid, it felt like he was being neglected, but he wanted to make his family proud. He wanted to live up to the expectations. He felt like the fact that they were putting so much on him meant they wanted him to have a fruitful future. As he got older, however, he started to realise that the expectations that had been set before him was basically setting him up for failure in the future. Too much was expected and he never got a break from his father.
Now he had this new challenge. He had to be better than this incoming baby. Which was ridiculous to think about, he shouldn't have to compete with a parasite that couldn't even talk yet. But he knew that was exactly what was going to happen. His father would crack down on him but dote on his brother, and his mother, who usually broke the "rules" to make him feel loved would not have time for him and would be monopolised by the parasite.
It was a stupid thing to feel jealous of, but all his life, he'd been pushed to be the best and this thing didn't even have to do anything and already Randall was being pushed into second place. It was a spot he was starting to realise was where life thought he belonged. After his parents had met Felicity, they'd gotten into a huge fight about how they weren't together and he shouldn't have surprised her with the lunch they'd had with his parents. And when he tried to get her to understand that he just didn’t know how to tell her about his parents and that they wanted to meet her, she didn’t want to have anything to do with it. It went from a fight about his parents and the lunch to him bringing up Phillip and her bringing up Meg and it just got worse from there.
“You should have told me about the vacation, Randall,” She said slowly, pain and betrayal clear on her face. “I know,” he said in response, but his expression was nothing but stoic as he continued, “But you should have told me that you loved Phillip too much to ever take us seriously.” She looked shocked like the last thing she expected was him to call her out like that. “I don’t...I haven’t figured it out yet, don’t act like I’m in the wrong here. You’re the one who tricked me today and I felt less than I’ve ever felt on a bad day after talking to your parents.” She was trying to get the focus off of her and Phillip, and he knew it. “No, you can’t turn this around on me. Yes, I fucked up taking you to meet them without warning, but how was I supposed to explain my father? ‘Oh don’t worry, Mom is nice, but my father is the devil?’ Yeah, that would have gone over great.” Randall shook his head and looked back in the direction of the restaurant, a heavy sigh leaving him.
“Look, I’m done having this argument with you. I know I fucked up, but you need to pick. I have put so much effort into this relationship - which I’ve just learned isn’t even a thing - and you’re still stuck on some dude who only wants something from you when he’s bored and just happens to be in town. So what do you want? Someone who will be there for you all the time and will give you everything he can or someone who’s never around and only wants you when it’s convenient?” It was kind of harsh, the way he worded it, but it was how he saw the situation. And as she stood there staring at him, clearly torn, all he could do was push his hands into his pockets and wait patiently for her to decide. “Randall...I love him...you’ve been great. You’ve been amazing. A dream come true. But he’s my first love...it’s always going to be him. I thought I could change, I thought I’d be able to pick you, but it’s always been him. I am so sorry.” Felicity spoke quietly and through tears, and Randall couldn’t look at her anymore. He wasn’t heartbroken, he wasn’t sad, he was angry. This girl could have someone who actually cared about her all the time and yeah, maybe they’d both be settling, but at least they could laugh and smile through their lives together. He doubted he’d ever love her, it still wasn’t something he ever thought he’d be capable of, but they could be happy if she could just let him go.
But she couldn’t, and that was finally out in the open. Randall nodded his head and adjusted his jacket as he cleared his throat. “Good luck, Felicity,” was all he said as he walked away. He wasn’t about to linger and listen to more of her sob-story. She’d made her decision - a stupid one at that - so whatever they’d been was no longer worth his time. He’d gotten what he needed from her anyway, even though that had backfired as well. Paula had been lying to him, and now guilt ate at him every day for how he’d used this poor girl. But she’d been lying to him, too, and that made him feel a little less awful.
Remembering that day made Randall sigh and a little bit angry. Sure, he’d used her for a bet, but their relationship could have been real. Maybe one day. Maybe he could have had a real relationship with her. She was nice and caring, two things he wasn’t really familiar with but craved. Would that have been such a crazy idea for his future? But of course that couldn’t happen. Once again, just like his parents who already care more about a bundle of cells with a face, he was put in second place. He shouldn’t care as much as he did, and he knew that, but for some reason the fact that this girl that, really, in the grand scheme of things, wasn’t more than a bet couldn’t even pick him for her own good made him feel a little more hopeless.
These realisations were starting to take a toll on him. He was always second best in classes, overheard conversations saying that he would be second choice for head boy next year. Of course, that was probably not even on the table anymore since he’d shirked his duties for so long after that. It seemed he was never destined to be in first place for anything, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. He put more effort into being the best at something than anything else in his life, except for maybe his friendship with the only person that had never put him on the backburner: Meg. As long as he had her, he’d be okay. Or at least, that’s what he’d tell himself.
One minute, Fiona had been staring into the eyes of the headmistress, and the next, it was as if the floor had been ripped out from underneath her. Funny enough, that was all she could remember -- just the lack of floor, then a tight, dark, falling feeling, and then...nothing. No noise, no sensation, nothing to even suggest there was a spell taking place around her. It was as if the world she knew had been ripped to pieces, and Fiona was in an entirely new dimension all on her own.
“Ugh…” A soft grunt came from the depths of her chest as she peeled one eye open at a time. Her face must have been stuck in the most unappealing grimace, but Fiona chose to ignore that in favor of just looking around. She froze, narrowed her eyes, and pushed her lips into a confused purse.
What had happened to her? What was that spell? And where...where the hell was she? Fiona’s mind began to race, shooting off in a thousand different directions and just baffling her even further. Her breath came in shallow bursts. Fiona tried to push herself up from the ground, but abruptly found she couldn’t because she didn’t actually have arms anymore.
Fiona Babette did not have any arms.
“Merde!” the word flew from her lips. She craned her neck from side to side, trying to determine if she was just seeing things and her arms were still there, but no. There were no arms. There wasn’t much to see at all, really, aside from what looked like a skirt of feathers strewn across a vast marble surface. Her legs weren’t visible amid the plumes, but after careful introspection Fiona realized with a chill that those feathers were her legs. Somehow, using some miraculous core strength Fiona didn’t know she had, the girl shot upright and began to panic. She was completely, entirely limbless. And yet, there was a small part of her that was fine with this.
Call it a strange familiarity that Fiona could not place, or the tiny part of her mind that was begging her to be rational about all of this and figure out what the hell went wrong, the stillness was there and it was confusing her even more. It was like a tiny voice at the back of her head, pleading with her to understand that this was right, this was how it should be. Fiona, however, wasn’t having any of it, and was entirely ready for this exam to be over.
“I ‘ave to get out,” Fiona said to the air around her. There was something different about her voice. Something a lot more...French, and definitely a little hysterical. “I ‘ave to go back. I ‘ave to figure this out and get back to ‘Ogwarts and pretend nothing happened. If I get back I can just forget this and be normal and never think of this again, right? Right?”
The only response was the steadily accelerating sound of her breathing. And then there was a startling moment of clarity. Okay, Fiona thought to herself. She closed her eyes and just breathed for a second. Okay. Think. First, who -- or what -- am I?
The soon-to-be Hogwarts graduate took a look down at herself again. Though she could not withhold the slight cringe she knew she had, her eyes were for the most part open and willing to take in what was going on. As she saw before, she was perched on what looked like a surface of fine marble, the old, expensive kind she had seen old suitors use in their kitchens and fireside bars. It was cold beneath her, so despite her leglessness, she could still feel below her waist. Beyond the marble was a sharp lip leading into darkness, the surface ending behind her before curving off into the distance where an unclear, almost cylindrical form sat waiting, almost seeming to shine in the dimness. It looked as if she was on a platform of some variety, surrounded by shadow on all sides of her.
Fiona nodded nervously to herself, then took a moment to study the feathers that made up her lower half. They were long and black, their tips edging into a cream-like white that reached in thin veins towards the bulk of the mass. They may have been Ostrich feathers if not for their breadth and silhouette. Much like the hips of a woman, the feathers were thick and sharply curving towards what would have been Fiona’s waist, the ends of them coming together almost like a pair of legs pressed in at the knee. It was quite a pleasant shape to look at, if it weren’t for the fact that it belonged on a feather duster as opposed to a human woman like Fiona.
Alarm bells clamored to life in the back of her head. Fiona needed a mirror, and she needed one now. Her mind turned to the thing at the far end of the platform and, wobbling with every surge forward, Fiona started to move towards it. As she approached, the shadows seemed to melt away in lieu of a faint pulsing light, coming from the object itself. Fiona squinted. What stood before her looked like a glass bird cage almost, except the bars were solid glass and it held no bird inside. Instead, there floated a glowing, wilting rose, its discarded petals lying dormant at the end of the stem.
Fiona inched closer. The rose took her breath away, but the way it was just...dying made her ache so badly inside. It was a longing, a familiar pinch of something she didn’t understand. And there, in the reflection she was beginning to see, there was so much pain…
“Ah, such a sad face, mademoiselle…”
She froze, reverie shattering around her. Over her shoulder, another glow had appeared, then divided itself into two more that then presented themselves to be...a candlestick? With a face? And beside it -- him? -- was another face, a female face, cream colored and attached to a long, wooden neck ending in the plumes Fiona had seen before. And in that face were eyes that looked so much like hers, and yet...completely different. They couldn’t be hers, right? Especially since they were attached to a living, breathing, magic feather duster that just couldn’t exist, even in the world of Hogwarts. Man, this was one hell of an exam.
The candlestick man was now right behind her. Before she could move away, she could feel the wax of his lips on her neck, hear the buzzing of his chuckles low in her ears, and feel the heat from his flames against her sides. He pressed the metal of his frame against the back of her feathers. Fiona let out a strangled retort.
Leaping back, the candlestick seemed almost hurt. “Oh non, oh dear, did I do something again? Oh Babette, oh Fifi, I know I ‘ave burned you before, but please. You ‘ave to know it was an accident -- “ He moved towards her again, but Fi backed away faster than she could blink. And then she just stared. “You know my name?” He scrunched up his wax eyebrows, eyes shadowed beneath their mass. “Of course, cherie! We’ve known each other for years. We’ve known each other quite well, if you know what I mean.” Those heavy, waxy brows wiggled suggestively.
Fiona nearly heaved, but even despite her confusion, she knew playing along may be the best option she had. “Oh -- of course. Something must ‘ave gotten into me. Do forgive me, er…” The candle’s expression melted into one of knowing kindness. “Ah, Lumiere understands. In the light of the rose, everything is off. Everything is different.” He wrapped his candlestick arms around the middle of Fi’s handle...waist...thing, and she had to coach herself not to flinch or go into a panic. This Lumiere continued, “With every petal that falls, I cannot help but think about the golden years, non? When we were still human, and the Master was, well...not a beast. We ‘ad fun back then. Every day was grand.”
The alarm bells were back. She craned around, looking Lumiere dead in the face. He had very pretty eyes, she noticed, and the warmth from his flickering flame was comforting...but she was on a mission. “We were human before? I mean -- of course, we were. With arms and legs and bodies that looked like human bodies. Perfect, normal, human bodies.” Lumiere nodded, then passed her a wry wink. “And what a body yours was.”
Fiona felt her cheeks warm, then shook her head, startled at herself. “I -- merci? I think? You flatter me so, monsieur. But I do think you should tell me more about our...our human selves. I do enjoy listening to you talk.” She was even more startled to feel she somewhat meant it.
“Ah, well it would be my pleasure then,” the other continued. In a fluid motion, he spun her from him, then guided her with a flame at her back to sit at the lip of the platform. As Lumiere gestured into the blackness surrounding them, a glob of wax fell from his arm and tumbled down into the depths. Fiona leaned over to watch it fall, then swallowed hard and scooted back a few feet. “Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a ‘andsome prince and his dutiful staff. We -- as you know -- were among those staff, but we spent quite a lot of our time doing...other things.”
Fiona nodded, trying not to look too interested as the candlestick man winked once again. What was happening to her, getting all doe-eyed over this wax abomination? And why was she sitting here listening to him when she should be figuring out why the examiners turned her into a feather duster with no instructions on how to get back? Lumiere was still speaking. “One day, a strange woman came to our castle. She spoke to our Master, but he was not very kind at all to her, and I fear she took this very hard. She cast a curse on the Master and his castle, and everyone in the Master’s service was cursed alongside him. And that lady said to Master, ‘Until a woman can love you for who you are, you shall forever look and be a Beast.’”
“Oh,” Fi said. The story...something about it stirred something deep inside of her. She closed her eyes and leaned closer to Lumiere, her mind churning a thousand thoughts out at once. The candlestick gave a soft sound of understanding and wrapped an arm around her plumes. Fiona relaxed against him, and it just felt...right. “I never understood why you liked to ‘ear the story so often,” he mused. His breath tickled her ear. “Though I suppose it helps to keep it fresh in your mind, just in case a girl shows up to change our world.” Fiona laughed softly. “I think my world has been changed enough already today.”
“Ah, is that so?” Lumiere’s lips were on the side of her face. Something jangled inside her, but for some reason Fiona did not pull away. “Well, you ‘ave been avoiding me lately. Perhaps a little catching up will make you feel better. I promise to be careful with the fire this time.”
“Mm…” She felt her eyes start to close, her face turn slowly towards him. He leaned closer himself, his heat unavoidable against her sides, and Fiona leaned in deeper even though she knew it wasn’t right…
And then the door crashed open against the far wall, and the pair leaped apart. A thunderous howl pelted Fiona’s ears. She floundered and shoved Lumiere away in the process as a hulking, furred figure approached with loathing in its eyes. All Fiona could look at was its teeth as Lumiere gasped, starting into a ramble as to why they were there and why the figure shouldn’t be upset, all of which Fi did not catch as she scrambled to put distance between herself and the newcomer. Its maw began to part just as she backed into the edge of the platform. One of her feathers caught on the edge and, much like a spring, catapulted her backwards when she moved too quickly to free it.
And then she was falling, that feeling from the start of the exam rising in her gut, a scream on her lips as the world sped up around her. She was falling, she was going to die, and Lumiere would be all alone --
Then it was over. Fiona gasped and opened her eyes wide as cheers roared around her, assaulting her from all sides as she staggered back from the lip of the stage. Lights pulsed onto her face, blinding and hot, and beyond them the faces of several examiners nodded in approval. Her heart ached, but somehow it was a sweet ache, like a forgotten memory that she wanted to get back no matter how much she tried...but it was gone now. It, and all recollection of what had just happened.
“W...what?” Fiona breathed. A hand pressed into the small of her back and steered her from the stage. Confused, she looked up into the face of her guide. “What just happened?”
The man offered a dazzling smile and shrugged. “You passed your final exam.”
Graduation day was upon them, and Malinda had made it by the skin of her teeth. She’d spent so much of her time worrying about her job and her family and her friends that she’d almost let her schoolwork pass her by and go undone. Her grades weren’t the best, but she’d done well enough to earn her a spot on that stage when her name was called. One by one, people went up there and showed off a spell they learned. Some were impressive, others were things they could have learned in their first year, though Malinda didn’t really blame those people for picking the easy ones, hers was going to be an easier one, as well. She just didn’t really have the energy to do anything more exciting. Watching other people get called up to the stage was amazing, though, she could feel pride for each one of them, even if they didn’t know each other. They had each done quite the task, getting through school. It was no less than impressive. She watched as her friends went up on stage, first Dory, then PJ, and finally May, each one bringing a smile to her face and a loud cheer from her lips.
Finally, Malinda’s name was called, and her hands started to clam up. This was it, time to show everyone that she was meant to be graduating with the rest of her friends. As she stepped onto the stage, she let her wand fall into her hand from the holster fastened to her arm, her hand gripping it so tightly, she was sure she’d break it. As soon as she stepped to center stage, the work around her started to go dark, fading into a starry night sky then darker still.
For the first time in a long time, Malinda felt like she’d gotten enough sleep, and the darkness around her enveloped her like a blanket. As she looked around, though, she didn’t recognise anything. It looked like she was in a room alone. There was a weird warped spot off to her right that looked like it was kind of like a skylight rather than a window, and she pushed up against it to see if she could see out of it. She couldn’t, and she huffed to herself, crossing her arms over her chest. Just then, the room started to spin and shake like an earthquake, and Malinda fell back into the spot she’d been sleeping, grasping for anything to hold onto so she didn’t fly all over the place. The roof of the room came off, and Malinda went into immediate panic mode, looking at the giant face that was peering into the room. She struggled to climb out of the room, but when she did, she started running and running fast. It looked like she was in a giant’s tea party. Before she even reached the end of the table, she was starting to run out of breath and had to come to a stop. As she looked around, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she turned her head slowly to look at...a tail? When she moved, the tail moved with her.
Suddenly, realisation dawned on her, and things snapped into perspective. Everyone around her was normal size but she was a mouse. A mouse! An uproarious laugh brought her out of her panic just enough, and she turned to look at the person that did it. Except it wasn’t a person, it was a deranged looking rabbit. She tilted her head at him and smiled a bit. Some part of her told her that this crazed rabbit was her friend. He reminded her of Marcus, but perhaps a bit more mad.
Off in the distance, Malinda heard a low rumbling that made the tables and everything on them rattle loudly as the rumbling got closer. “Looks like we’ve got company, gentlemen,” she said as she scurried back to the other end of the table near the man who had peered into what she was realising what a teapot. He wore a tophat low on his head, seemingly hiding his face, which wore an expression that looked like he had mentally snapped a while ago. His hair, violently orange and extremely curly, stuck out from under his hat in every which way. “'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe,” he mumbled, and for some reason, Malinda didn’t find it strange. Just another mad thing he said. The rumbling slowed as she caught sight of….walking playing cards? What in Merlin’s name? A man rode through the armored playing cards on a horse, gnarly scars peeking out from under his heart-shaped eyepatch.
“Ah, the Mad Hatter...what a...well, I wouldn’t say pleasure,” the man started, absently checking his nails for dirt. Everything about him looked dirty, though, so Malinda didn’t see why he’d be bothered specifically with his nails. “We’re looking for a girl named Alice,” he continued, looking back up at Hatter, and Malinda turned her head to look at him as well, her eyes darting towards his lap as his arms shifted a little. He was hiding her, she was sure of it. But where?
“You’re late for tea!” the hare exclaimed, catching Malinda’s attention. He chucked a teacup at the strange man, which he barely ducked, causing her to let out an entirely too gleeful laugh. His hand went to the sword on his hip, and Malinda’s hand reached for her wand, but she found a sword of her own. It was no bigger than a quilting needle, but she could do some damage with it if she needed to. It wasn’t a wand, but it’d work. Hatter let out a laugh of his own and tried to diffuse the situation. “You know, there’s a song we like to sing in the queen’s honor,” he started and looked at Malinda pointedly. Rather than return the look with a confused one of her own, she opened her mouth and started singing one of the poems she’d thought up during a particularly strange dream, and the others chimed in easily, obviously knowing the words.
“Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, how I wonder what you’re at,” they sang, Malinda plopping down on a stack of plates and swaying to the tune. It was strange, how much she felt at ease with these people and how easy it was to laugh in the face of the danger that this man threatened. “Up above the world you fly, like a tea tray in the sky!” she continued with a giggle. The man was growing increasingly frustrated with everything, with them, and it only made Malinda happier. She took exceptional pleasure in driving people mad. And the other two at the table seemed to enjoy it just as much as their own madness.
Finally, the man, who she assumed was some sort of knight, got tired of trying to get real information out of them and turned his card troops around to try and hunt for this “Alice” girl somewhere else. Once they were comfortably out of sight, the Hatter lifted a teapot from his lap, and Malinda looked at it expectantly. He pulled a small girl from it, no bigger than her own mouse-self. “Alice,” she stated, though it sounded more familiar and endearing than the more confused way she had thought it. “We have got to get you to the White Queen,” the hatter said with a bit of a conspiratorial smile on his face as he pulled his hat off his head. “Your carriage, my lady,” he continued with a still growing grin, one that actually touched his eyes this time. “A hat?” the girl questioned. “Why of course. Anyone can go by horse or rail, but the absolute best way to travel is by hat,” he paused, “Have I made a rhyme?” The idea of traveling by hat made Malinda stand to her feet and clap her hands in excitement, stepping forward as though she was going to go with the small girl. “Oh I do want to travel by hat!” she exclaimed, but was quickly scolded with a “Mally, please,” and she huffed and pulled her sword from its sheath, waving it at the man in annoyance. “Well fine then!”
After the two left, presumably to find the white queen, Malinda looked back at the spread on the table. Tea did sound quite good… She stood and bounced over to where the hare was pouring himself another cup, pushing a cup under the stream of the tea. She was too little to lift it, so she had to lean over it and bring it to her mouth with her tiny hands, but it didn’t particularly bother her. Not even halfway through the cup, though, she was starting to feel drowsy, and she wondered if maybe it was because this dream (because that was obviously what this had to be) was almost over or because the tea had been chamomile. Either way, she made her way back to the teapot she’d woken up in not long before and crawled back in, finding the ceramic oddly comforting as she curled up, mumbling the sung poem from before as she closed her eyes and drifted off once again…
And the lights were all too bright, causing her to blink rapidly as she looked out at her fellow classmates. Contrary to seconds ago, she felt well-rested and happy, like she’d just spent the last few hours with her close friends without a worry in the world. It made her want to try a tad bit harder with her spell. Her hand wasn’t clammy anymore as it gripped her wand, and she lifted it and cast her spell, watching the colors of all of the decorations and house banners change gradually to reflect a bright, glittering starry night that was stuck in her memories from one dream or another. A smile, one of the first genuine ones that hadn’t been brought on by someone else since her brother’s death, started to spread across her face as the hall became as beautiful as the galaxies in the sky. Again, she waved her wand and the original colors returned. She turned her head to smile at the headmistress who nodded her head in return with a smile of her own. Satisfied and feeling lighter than before, Malinda made her way back to her seat, no longer worried or nervous about...well, everything.
It’d been a few weeks since Jay had first approached Malinda with this new project, and she was still drowning in research. Sleep really didn’t exist in her life before, and somehow it existed even less now. She pushed herself to the point of pure exhaustion and then fell asleep when her body couldn’t go any further. Malinda looked little better than a zombie, with dark circles under her eyes and perpetually smeared eyeliner from rubbing them. Her wardrobe lacked, she always kind of looked like she’d rolled out of bed, and she’d gotten two warnings in the same week for being out of uniform because she’d forgotten her tie or to tuck in her shirt or her robe. Not that it really mattered. At least she was still doing her work. Her homework wasn’t ahead anymore like she wanted it to be, she was on track with everyone else again, and falling a little behind. It didn’t stress her out like it used to, though, being behind. Malinda just didn’t…care.
Spring break was almost upon them, though, and Malinda would quickly be able to catch up again. When she didn’t have to worry about classes, she had a lot more time on her hands to work with. Friends still didn’t really exist, her roommates were the only ones that saw her on a regular basis, and over the break she pretty much stayed at the office in Hogsmeade, so not even they saw her. Thankfully, Malinda didn’t really have time to think about her friends anymore, let alone miss them, so that was one less thing on her plate.
As she headed back to the office, she was surprised to find an owl waiting there for her. Few people knew where she worked, a couple of friends and her family and that was it, but it wasn’t an owl she recognised. Then she heard the buzzing of her phone. She’d left it on the coffee table among all of her notebooks and pens while she’d gone to grab a couple books from the dorm and a coffee. Quickly, she set down the coffee and dumped the books on the sofa, grabbing her phone and answering it as as she took the letter from the owl in the window.
“Hello?” she asked with a chipper voice, not having bothered to check the screen as she answered.
“Mally? Where have you been? We’ve been calling you for hours!” Immediately, Malinda froze at the sound of her mother’s frantic voice.
“I’m sorry, momma. I was out getting coffee and I left my phone behind, what’s wrong? You sound upset.” She could feel her hands starting to clam up and the knot in her stomach started to turn. Usually, her mom didn’t worry about things, actually, she hadn’t ever heard her mom this upset before. Angry? Sure. But scared and worried? Never. Aleena Upton was more than aware of her children’s habits of getting into trouble and being around substances unhealthy for them, but she also knew better than to try and get her children to stay away from those things. Every time she tried to step in, things got worse. She’d let her husband take over that bit a long time ago.
“It’s Sammy. He’s...he’s um in St. Mungo’s. Mally, I think you need to get here soon,” She said, and Malinda’s brows furrowed. Her brother was like her, he put on a good face but didn’t really do the whole socialisation thing. Her mind ran through every possible option as to why he would be in a hospital, but was coming up empty.
“Malinda?” her mom’s voice spoke again, bringing her back to the real world.
“What is he even doing at St. Mungo’s? Did he get hurt? Into a fight or something? Did some idiot throw a pool party and he hit his head on the concrete or something?” she continued, needing some sort of explanation. At this point, she’d dropped the letter in favor of her coffee, sipping it to wake her up as she spoke on the phone with her mother.
“No, nothing like that. The doctors think he took something,” Aleena said softly, and Malinda couldn’t help but roll her eyes a bit.
“Healers, mom. They’re called healers in this world, not doctors. Do try to blend in would you?” she teased lightly, unable to help that either. It was her default when things got upsetting or sad. “So he took something. Do they know what? Is he not talking or something? Should I take the train down?” Malinda glanced at her watch and then looked out the window toward the train station. “I think there’s a train leaving here in about twenty, I can be on that and be back to you all in a few hours.” As she spoke, she was gathering everything up to leave, gathering all the research she might be able to do on the trip. Her mother responded, though, and she froze in her tracks.
“There’s really no need to rush as long as you get here soon… He’s not awake. We don’t know when he’s going to wake up.” The words came through the phone, and Malinda couldn’t move. Tears started to swell up, already thinking the worst, and when she finally managed to do something other than stand in the middle of the room like a statue, she wrapped her free arm across her stomach in a sort of half-hug. “I….I’m on my way, I’m not leaving him there alone.” Her parents were there, sure, but they barely knew him. Sammy was her responsibility, and she’d let him down.
The train ride went by in a blur. Her research sat beside her, untouched, as she stared straight ahead. It wouldn’t do anyone any good for her to panic, so she did her best not to. Things would be fine, or at least that’s what she would tell herself. If she was calm when she got there, maybe it would catch on and everyone else would relax. She wondered if her sister and two other brothers were there as well, or if it was just her parents. She hoped her sister at least was there, she didn’t really have much of an excuse to not be there, considering she still lived at home part time. She should have noticed something going on with Sam. But even though Malinda wanted to shift the blame, she knew she shouldn’t. And couldn’t, not when she knew who was really to blame.
As soon as the train pulled into the station, Malinda was gone, though she got lost fairly quickly. She’d never been to St. Mungo’s and it wasn’t like there were a bunch of people around to help her find her way either. Malinda sighed and just kinda wandered around aimlessly for a little while, hoping that eventually, someone would come by to help her. Eventually, someone did, but it wasn’t just a person who stopped, it was a bus. She’d taken the knight bus a few times, and eagerly jumped on, nodding her head to the driver and smiling a bit before telling him where she was headed. It was much easier since they already knew where everything was, she didn’t actually need to ask for help. Malinda made a point of not making conversation as she fiddled with her phone. She hadn’t heard anything more from her parents, and she’d already texted them that she was in London. It was dark out, now, and the anxiety coursing through her body was enough to make her shake. Each second felt like a minute and each minute felt like an hour, and Malinda could feel her patience slip away the closer they got to St. Mungo’s. All she wanted was to be there already, to see her baby brother, her best friend, her responsibility, and she couldn’t, she was forced to wait. Now was a good time for her to be good at apparating. Too bad she could barely travel herself without getting splinched.
After what felt like hours (but was probably only a half hour), Malinda was being nudged out of the bus hastily and stood before the infamous St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Swallowing the lump in her throat yet again, she made her way inside, tugging at her sleeves as she asked for direction to where her brother was supposedly lying helpless on a bed. As soon as she turned down the hall, her parents caught sight of her and rushed to her, pulling her into a hug so tight she couldn’t breath anymore. She immediately noticed a lack of Elaine in the group hug, and that was the first question she asked when the hug ended. The look on her parents’ faces said it all, she was nowhere to be found, probably on another bender somewhere or in some random guy’s bed. Not with her brother where she should have been. Daniel and Ren had been by earlier, they said, which eased her worry a little. At least they knew Sammy wasn’t doing so well.
“Can I see him?” she asked, though her voice sounded hollow, like she wasn’t in her own body. Her mother nodded and pushed open the door. The image before her shook Malinda straight to her core. Elaine had been in the hospital before, sure, but never had she looked this pale or this clammy. She could see the sheen of sweat on his face and neck, it glistened in the bright lights, and his vitals weren’t stable by any means. They wavered a lot, and the unsteady beeping made her more nervous. She pulled the chair in the corner over to his bed and sat down, placing a hand on his and squeezing gently. Sam’s pulse hammered for a moment, alerting her to his awakening, and she looked back up to his face as he turned his head to look at her, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. The tears started to well up in her eyes as she smiled in return. “You gave us quite the scare there, Sammy,” she said softly, her voice cracking a bit.
“I’m sorry, Mally...I didn’t mean to get you to come all the way here. Aren’t you supposed to be at Hogwarts?” he asked, and Malinda shook her head. “Spring break is about to start, and I can take a day to come see my favorite brother in the hospital. Mom said she’d send a note, anyway, if I end up staying here for a while. What happened?” Malinda asked her question with obvious hesitation, not really sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Sam coughed a bit and tried to sit up, to which Malinda shook her head and gently pushed him back down, urging him to just relax while he told her. He didn’t fight her past that, thankfully, and started to retell what happened. Malinda had no idea that Sam’s problems went all the way back to the end of summer. He’d been sneaking around and going to parties and getting high with his best friend. Which wouldn’t have been such a big deal if Sammy didn’t already have the habit of getting addicted to a lot of the medications the muggle doctors had given him for his anxiety. From a young age, he’d been on various medications, all of which he’d abused. And now, now he was using some sort of wizard drug, something that had been concocted on the streets in the wizarding world and had some sort of magic to it. Like cocaine but somehow worse and in an easy to swallow pill. He didn’t even know what he was taking, he was just taking whatever was offered to him. Whoever this friend was was certainly no friend at all, and Malinda could feel the anger start to swell up in her. She was going to beat this kid senseless for introducing Sammy to this world. She didn’t care if he’d done it willingly, if he’d been in a vulnerable place, in her mind it was all the other kid’s fault.
Again, Sammy coughed, and Malinda was brought back to the present, worry etched over her face. “Maybe that’s enough for today, it’s okay,” she said softly, brushing the back of her hand across his forehead. He was burning up, so hot that it felt like he’d actually burned her hand. “Mally, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I never told you what was going on, I just got scared, and the drugs felt so good, and I didn’t think it was a problem if it was only sometimes. But then it wasn’t sometimes, an--” and then he fell silent. His entire body tensed up, like it was trying to push again some sort of invisible restraints. His hand was holding hers to the point where she worried that he was going break some of her bones, but she didn’t try to pull her hand from his, it didn’t feel right. He needed her, and she wasn’t going to pull away. Not now. Even if it hurt her. Malinda heard herself scream for a doctor, and her parents came rushing in at the sound, and she wasn’t paying any attention to the vitals around him or the erratic beeping. It didn’t matter when she could see his face contorted in pain and his body arched off the table, like he was going to bed in half backwards.
Suddenly, everything went silent. Dead silent, emphasis on the dead. The monitors weren’t making any noise and no one was breathing. There wasn’t a single breath released in the room for what felt like minutes. Or maybe there was, but Malinda didn’t hear it. She wasn’t breathing, she couldn’t. Whatever it was that her brother had taken had literally burned him from the inside out, and she’d had to watch it happen. There was movement happening around her now, or maybe there always had been, but everything was a blur around her, and all she could see was Sammy. His body relaxed and limp on the bed like he was sleeping. But his chest wasn’t moving, nothing was moving. His eyes were halfway open, and his lips parted from his final breath. Finally, she let out the breath she’d been holding, but instead of it coming out as a breath, it came out as a scream. A throaty, heart-wrenching scream. She pushed aside the hands that were still fussing on him, there was no point, he was gone, and pulled him up and into her arms as though hugging him would somehow bring him back.
Sobs and cries of pure agony ripped through her, and she could vaguely feel the warmth of another body close to hers, her mother’s she assumed, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about anything but bringing him back. Her sammy, her baby brother, the only person she loved unconditionally. Sammy had been her rock, her conscience, her best friend and he was gone. The reality of it all made her wish in that moment that she had died as well. She didn’t want to be in a world where she didn’t have her little brother, what kind of world would that be?
At this point, Malinda was crying so hard she couldn’t see anything, and she didn’t fight when her mother pulled her from Sammy’s body and he was taken away. She clung to her mother now, that was all she could do. Her tiny frame was shaking so hard, it was like she was having her own personal earthquake, and in a way, she was. Her whole world was shaken, and for the worst. There was no coming back from this, there was no way her life could be whole again, sure one day she might get close, but no one and no thing could ever replace the relationship she’d had with her baby brother and now he was taken from her. And it was her fault. She should have seen it, she should have known, and she missed all the clues. Malinda could have stopped him from using his medicine cabinet as a dealer, she should have. And she didn’t. And she hated herself for it.
“Hey, Malinda, I have a new project for you,” Jay started as he came into her workspace. The lighting was low but still enough for her to see her notes and books. It gave the room a soft glow and a sort of ambience. It made her happy. All of the herbs gave the room a calming smell, and each ingredient was organised alphabetically across all her shelves, with her most common ones in a little cabinet mounted on the wall above where she’d placed her cauldron on the workbench. Jay had given her the freedom to make the room however she wanted, without much of a budget, so she’d splurged a little on certain things.
Currently, Malinda was lounging in an armchair on the far side of the room with a book propped up in her lap. Beside her against the adjacent wall was a plush sofa where she’d sometimes nap when potions had longer brew times, and directly across from that was the only window, though it was a large one. Usually, she kept the curtains drawn, finding even the natural light too much for her concentration. Today, however, she’d pulled them about half open, allowing for a little more light as she read. At the sound of her boss’ voice, she looked up and gave a smile, mostly out of excitement. “Sure, what’s up? This one’s almost done, so I was just going to go back to the usual list if there wasn’t anything new,” she explained, even though she knew she didn’t need to. Jay never made her feel like she was doing something wrong or like she wasn’t doing enough, something she was grateful for, but it just made her want to do everything right even more.
“Perfect timing then. This one is a little complicated, though. There’s a client, she’s got this terrible fear of dementors. She wants to know if we can make her a sort of deterrent for them. I think she was wrongfully accused and had to spend time in Azkaban. She rarely leaves her house anymore, and this would make her a lot more comfortable.” As he was talking, Malinda’s eyes had widened and gotten a hint of excitement and apprehension. Before she could say anything, he continued. “And before you say anything, I know this is going to take a lot of time and research. I can give you two months for research and a first trial, does that work for you? I’ll allot more time depending on how these next two months go.” Malinda mulled it over for a moment, thinking about just how much she was going to need to learn considering she only knew the basics about the dark creatures that were dementors, much less how to deter them. Eventually, though, she nodded and shut her book, setting it aside and placing both her feet on the ground. “I’m going to need to go shopping for books. I’ll check out the libraries to see what they have there first, and I’ll see if I can get permission to go into the restricted section and see if there’s anything else in there.” She paused for a moment, hesitation crossing her features. “Two months isn’t that long, Jay. I don’t mean to be a downer, but what if I need longer for the first version?” It was a question she didn’t really want to ask, but one she needed to. This was uncharted territory for her, and she didn’t want to miss anything. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, Miss Upton,” he responded with a hint of warning in his voice to which Malinda nodded.
Once Jay had gone and the current potion had been bottled, Malinda made her way to the library in Hogwarts first. She figured it’d be best to start there and checked out every book that so much as mentioned Dementors. There were close to ten books in her bag now, and her next stop were the bookshops in Hogsmeade. They didn’t turn up much, but she found one or two books to add to the collection. For now, she was pleased with her haul, and while she wanted to go into London and keep shopping, perhaps head into Knockturn alley, she didn’t want to go alone, and she didn’t want to buy any books that would have repeat information. So she headed back to her “office” and splayed out all of the books across the coffee table. Her homework sat, untouched, on the floor by the armchair, and as she sat on the sofa, her gaze drifted to it. Her time was so thinly stretched already, and with all of the new, exciting projects she had going, she was finding that she’d rather spend time her work than with her school work. And she hardly had any time for her friends anymore. Malinda was finding that no matter the amount of work she has to distract her, her mind always drifts back and she starts missing again. May, who had too much stuff going on and didn’t need her roommate to be gone all the time when Malinda was clearly needed to help keep her head screwed on between trips to the forest. Nita, who’d she’d only just recently started getting closer with and missed a great deal. Marcus, someone she found both frightening and amusing and hoped to get to know better, if only to talk him out of eating every bug he came across. And PJ...mostly PJ, if she was honest with herself, which she didn’t want to be.
In an attempt to cut off that train of thought, she opened up the first book and waved her wand, lighting up the room a little more as the light from outside had dimmed significantly. The words weren’t sticking with her, though, she couldn’t keep her mind from drifting back. Occasionally, this happened, and she just had to let her thoughts run their course before she could get back to work. With a sigh, she dropped the book back on the table and leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and her fingertips at her temples, as though rubbing them would make the thoughts go faster.
Malinda didn’t like dwelling on these feelings. They were complicated and unnecessary. She likes PJ, that much she knew, but there was no reason she should still like him. Except there was, and deep down she knew that too. Admitting it, on the other hand, was damn near impossible. He was her best friend and she was almost certain that was all they would ever be. He’d never hinted at anything else, so why should she hold out hope? As she finished her thought, she could hear her sister’s voice in her head. You’re the bro, Mally, you’re everyone’s friend. No one wants to be just friends. You need to be more if you want anything with someone. But more wasn’t something she knew how to do. She couldn’t dress like her sister, wasn’t as sexual as her by any means, she didn’t want that. She already tried it and didn’t enjoy it like she thought she was supposed to. She just wanted someone to come home to at night, someone who loved her for who she was, someone who wouldn’t judge her for preferring to stay up and read or write than hold a mundane conversation. Someone who would listen when she needed to talk and wouldn’t judge her for rambling about nonsense. She’d found a lot of those things in her friends, most of all in him but still her sister’s words haunted her.
Elaine hadn’t always been the outgoing, promiscuous type, not that there was anything wrong with it, but their family and social expectations had changed her over the years. Malinda was the only one untouched by those expectations (for the most part), mostly because she’d watched all of her older siblings change and be warped into people she didn’t even recognise anymore. So what if she was the bro? Don’t people want to end up with their best friend? Or was she just better off being everyone’s friend and giving up these ridiculous fantasies? These thoughts alone she could handle, she’d done a fine enough job of it so far without any prospects for boyfriends or girlfriends and no hard-to-handle crushes. She’d had flings occasionally, but they were nothing more than a blip on her radar. It wasn’t what she wanted deep down, so she didn’t exactly have a feeling on it one way or the other. But now, she’d gone and invested a part of her in someone other than her roommates, and she wanted to take it back. These fears and doubts had never been attached to someone close to her. A part of her hated Elaine for always telling her she’d never find anyone, but mostly she hated herself for believing her. Without any proof otherwise, though, how could Malinda not believe her?
At this point, Malinda could feel the tears threatening to leak out of her, but she was not about to let this whole day go to waste just because she had a moment of weakness. So she tipped her head back and sniffled a little bit, hoping that the motions would cause the tears to go back inside her eyes and not return. She wiped away the few that managed to escape and pushed the thoughts from her mind. It was a problem for, presumably, the far future, she hardly needed to worry about a silly little crush right now. There were far more pressing things to get to. She was on a time crunch.
Setting her dreary thoughts aside, Malinda went back to the book she’d cracked open just a few minutes before. There wasn’t a whole lot in it that she didn’t already know from classes, but she took down a few helpful notes anyway. At least this way, she knew she wouldn’t forget it. Every book droned on and on about the same things, the very basics. What she needed were more than just scary stories and how to get rid of them. She interestingly noted that no one had actually killed a dementor, but wasn’t sure if it was actually relevant to her current project. Still, she did her best to take down all the notes she might have needed rather than just the ones she thought she’d need.
The minutes slipped into hours, and the hours slipped into the next day. Malinda skipped her classes and continued to give her research her undivided attention. Plus, she hadn’t done any of her schoolwork that had been due, anyway, so her best option was to skip a day and turn it in the next day instead with the excuse that she’d been sick or something. One of her professors had tried to talk to her about her grades, concerned that they would slip, but she’d been an “acceptable” or “exceeds expectations” student her whole schooling career, even though she could have easily been an “outstanding” one if she just applied herself better. So to compensate for her struggling to keep up and lack of time and patience, she’d just turned in work of a higher quality to keep her grades at passing. That was all she needed. As long as she turned everything in and explained her random days gone while keeping her grades consistent, no one asked her too many questions. She’d kept the job under wraps for the most part, too, to avoid further concern. People knew she had a job, but few people actually knew what it was or who it was for, and that was exactly how she wanted it.
Once she’d gotten through all of the books she had, Malinda looked down at her notes, frowning at how little there were. She’d hoped for at least five, maybe upwards of ten, pages of notes, and here she was, sitting with just about three and a half. She hadn’t been stingy with them, either, she wrote down anything that had been of use at all, what they fed on, what kind of people they were drawn to, how they came to be at Azkaban, how the ministry viewed them, that sort of thing. She’d left nothing out in the hopes that any of it would be useful. As she looked back to the pile of books on the table, Malinda sighed a bit. She’d even gone and gotten books from the restricted section, but even they didn’t have any new information. It looked like her trip to Knockturn Alley would be a little more necessary than he thought.
Quickly, she glanced at her watch and decided that she could squeeze in a train ride to London and back if she was fast enough with her shopping, so she grabbed her bag and darted down to the station to catch the next train. For a moment, she panicked, worried that she'd have to skip again the next day if she couldn't make it on the last train back to Hogsmeade. But she'd already missed two days, what was one more? Everyone was just under the assumption that she was sick, she could milk it if she had to. She pulled out her notebook and started trying to figure out how she could make a potion out of the knowledge she already had that this lady could take to ease her fear. The best option would be for her to make a potion that the dementor could feed off of instead of the actual person. Or less on the person and more on the potion. So she needed to find some way to create happiness and light that a dementor would find appealing. That part was a little hard, and she wasn’t sure about it.
By the time the train stopped in London, Malinda had a couple more pages of notes written down about how she might be able to make this potion work. Mostly, it was just a combination of known potions that induced happiness and love that might work as a fake soul from which they could suck the light. Only time would tell if it would actually work, but it was a good starting point. Malinda hopped off the train and headed toward the Leaky Cauldron and on into Diagon Alley. There were plenty of places Malinda could check in Diagon Alley for information on dementors, but she knew better than to waste her time there and went straight for the place that, for the most part, parents forbade their children from going. From the moment she turned onto Knockturn Alley, the light dimmed and the air got colder. It was a physically darker place, not just a magically darker one. Most of the shops catered to those interested in the dark arts, something she herself, wasn’t into, but knew that this potion would have to include dark magic if it was going to trick a dangerously dark creature. A shiver went down her spine as a man in a pitch black cloak passed her, but she kept her shoulders squared and her chin up with one hand on her wand at all times. There was no way she was going to be caught off guard.
Each shop she went into was more terrifying than the last, but just as equally fascinating. Malinda was clearly out of place in her muggle clothes and friendly demeanor compared to the much more conservative and traditional wizard cloaks and robes and silent and sullen exterior of those around her. People were more than willing to help her with her quest, though, and gave her advice that honestly chilled her to her core. There were a number of shops that weren’t able to help her, but they had personal or family accounts that were extremely helpful regarding how a dementor functioned and what drew them in. Malinda was fairly certain that a good portion of the people she spoke to should definitely have still been behind bars, but as uncomfortable as she was, she knew better than to say something. These people, whoever they were, and whatever secrets they harbored or shared were safe with her.
Her last stop before going back to the station was at The White Wyvern, a pub located beside a tattoo parlor she’d heard of before but didn’t know much about. There was a man in there than she’d been told to go find. He’d have more information on the dark creatures than what she’d be able to find in books, or at least that’s what she’d been told. He was one of the bartenders there, according to the locals, so she made her way up to the bar and plopped her bag down on the counter before climbing up into one of the tall stools. It was a bit of a task for her, it always had been, seeing as how she was so short. But still, she managed to do it with a small amount of grace and her dignity still intact. The bartender in question made his way over to her and gave her an unimpressed onceover. “What’ll it be, doll?” he asked in a deep, raspy voice. The way he spoke had a patronizing tone as though he expected her to ask for a pint of butterbeer. “Firewhiskey, please,” she responded with a smile, pleased when he saw the slight shift of expression on his face and the smallest hint of a smile. “And some information,” she added, watching the smile fade just as fast as it had shown up. “What kinda information’re you looking for? You some kind of auror or summat?” he asked, understandably suspicious.
Malinda shook her head and picked up the glass as he passed it to her, taking the shot quickly and pulling out her notebook right after to distract herself from the burn in her throat. She looked back up at the other man with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes as she explained herself. “I was sent here by a few people, said that a certain bartender might be able to tell me more things about dementors than what I can learn from books based on personal experience. I’m hoping you’re him,” she stated matter-of-factly, whipping her pen out and tapping it on the notebook. “It’s for a project,” she quickly added, hoping that he wouldn’t ask more questions. Carefully, the man looked around then back at her, Malinda, who was still eagerly awaiting the knowledge. He cleared his throat and nodded, leaning against the counter as though to make himself comfortable as he started telling his tale.
And, boy, was it thrilling. Malinda had taken notes of the whole thing from start to finish, it was almost verbatim. Not even the smallest of details slipped under the radar, she didn’t want to miss anything that could at some point be of use. How he was standing there before her, she didn’t know, from all her research, he should have been dead, he really should have been. It only made her more fascinated in it all, and put that much more interest into this project she had to complete. “Thank you for your time,” she said once she’d finished writing, placing her things back in her bag and hopping down from the stool. She dug in the pocket of her jacket and pulled a few coins from it, placing them on the counter. It was more than enough for the shot, but Malinda wasn’t just paying him for that. She was paying him for telling his story. As she glanced at her watch, she swore. The time had flown by faster than she had anticipated, and rather than travel back to the station by foot and bus, she apparated instead, praying to Merlin she didn’t splinch herself along the way.
