rowan was watching the chaos unfold with a smile on his face â he lived for chaos, loved seeing the PANIC on the faces of his fellow students as they struggled to fend off their attackers. most of them likely hadnât paid attention in class ages ago when they learned about the creatures so they had no idea WHY their stunning spells were failing them. he found it hilarious. heâd been about to turn to leave when heâd heard a familiar voice down the hall, one that couldnât be mistake for anyone other than his brother â GILBERT TRAVERS.             Â
            gilbert travers. even his name elicited feelings of rage.
 as far as rowan was concerned, gilbert was an embarrassment â unfit to bear their last name due to his allegiances and his dalliances with mudbloods and blood traitors. for as long as he could remember theyâd been on opposite sides { though sometimes he felt like he was missing something, that maybe things hadnât always been that way }  and he was tired of living with the scorn on their family name. sure, maybe he HAD tried to kill him during that quidditch game, but that was nothing compared to what heâd do to him given the right circumstances. as much as their family resented him, often ridiculed and neglected him, he was still their son and theyâd never wish ill on him. rowan, however, did not have the same hang-ups. given the opportunity, heâd take the shot â RID him of his afflictions once and for all. so maybe he sent one of the creatures in his brotherâs directoin, hoping it would do the job for him.
a voice catching up with him only a few moments later made him realize heâd been wrong, and he sighed as he turned to face his brother. he tucked the old boot into his robes pocket, not giving him an opportunity to snag it, as he rolled his eyes. âbrother, brother, brother,â he tutted with a shake of his head, âalways thinking that you can REDEEM people⊠that EVERYONE needs to be saved. itâs you that needs to see the right path, the right WAY. iâve given you more than enough chances, donât you think?â he pulled his wand from his pocket, training it on his brother as he spoke. âyouâre right, weâve had our differences, but youâre wrong about one thing.. it IS too late,â his lips widened into a smile, flicking his wand as he cast the CRUCIATUS curse on his younger brother, âfor you.â
       he didnât scream as rowanâs spell hit him square in the chest. his knees buckled as he hit the ground, tasting blood in his mouth as he bit down on his tongue. he couldnât control the spasming, the EXCRUCIATING pain, but heâd take it. he could take it... heâd watched lily go through worse and come out the other side. it was thoughts of her strength that kept him sane as the curse seemed to go on and on forever, finally slumping to the ground, breathing hard, when rowan relented.Â
his vision was spotty, white spots coming away when he blinked, but he wasnât about to stay down and just accept defeat. rowan might not have thought that he was above saving, but gilbert knew that he was -- he knew there was SOMETHING good still in there, even if most of him had been burned out by whatever hell their parents had subjected him to when he was younger. âyou can torture me all you want,â he grit out, âbut it wonât change my mind. it wonât change how i feel... how i know right from wrong.â rowan was already laughing at him again, but he was so consumed that he didnât see gilbertâs wand come up until it was too late. âiâll show you - iâll help you remember.Â
             screwing his eyes shut, he cast his spell --   âLegilimens!â
it was something heâd always been interested in, the mind. there were memories you forgot you had until you learned how to sort through them, categorize them in your head. by invading rowanâs mind, he hoped that he could FINDÂ those good memories from when they were younger, when he was INNOCENT, and try to bring him back to the light. his brother had never bothered to learn how to defend his mind -- heâd been too arrogant to think that anyone would be able to penetrate it. images swam before his eyes as he sorted through them, most of them making feel horror and revulsion and ultimately PITYÂ for his brother. he really didnât feel much of anything, all of those feelings and emotions burned out by what had done to him, and all his early memories seemed to be cloaked in darkness that he had trouble sifting through. it had been his last hope, and he was FAILING.Â
       a laugh. two small children were running around in a field, chasing  a small black tabby around in circles. the first fell, crying out when he skinned his knee, and the older stopped beside him. he told him it would be okay, that it wouldnât hurt forever, and handed him a small toy rabbit he pulled from his pocket.Â
almost as soon as the memory appeared, it was gone. and in its wake was his brother, eyes wide and FURIOUS, as he stared him down. gilbert could only hope that it changed his mind, made him think twice about what he was doing, and could bring him back to the light.










