PART II

September 2020

It's amazing how time has a way of trickling in front of you, your mesmerized by it, almost enchanted. What happens that no one tells you though, is when this happens, the blink of an eye can steal an entire lifetime.

A looming gray and fog stalked the clacking of hooves and steady wheels on the cobbled stones. Tiny Drops racing one another down the glass pane of the window, distorted a comfortably haunting landscape passing by.

You were no stranger to loss. You had become comfortable with its presence for quite some time, though not to say those times ever made it easier when they came or went.

You had gratefully welcomed the open silence, in fact after the day you had, hearing yourself think with a moment alone was almost peaceful.

Your dark locks waved down your pale face, it's been a long summer- which you preferred to spend all of indoors and keeping cool.

You took out his time piece. Dads.

"3:40"

"Thank god" you sighed to yourself, looking back out towards the murky view.

The winds were slow and steady, weaving themselves between the rains of the countryside. Stones turned to granite and beaming lanterns, as they finally had made their way home to the manor.

/

The heavy door, so aggressively thrust open, slowly began to creak itself back into the thick wooden frames and hinges as you walked to the middle of the room.

"Wine" You directed, unbuttoning your coat. You found your single worded command a bit too harsh, "Er- Please...Thank you Edrick"

Edrick, such a loyal House Elf for many years, nodded and obliged knowing full well You were a well meaning young woman.

Kicking your shoes off toward the side of the fireplace, your aching feet were stiff from the unbroken mold of hard leather over the past few hours.

"Mistress?" You heard the familiar, quaked voice from your side

"Thank you so much Edrick" you smiled, "Please, you'd be such a sight for sore eyes if you could stay"

"Most certainly Miss Crowe!" He beamed, seating himself close by the fire

You looked toward your glimmering glass, it almost winked at you with the reflection of the soft flames.

"Anything else for you Miss?"

"Thank you Edrick, I'm all set" you sipped your wine gladly

He nodded, holding his hands out towards the warming forks.

He knew when to ask questions, and when to simply enjoy the silence. One of many things you loved about dear Edrick. Always having the ever present gift of empathy.

He lived a privileged life here, Free and able to come or go as he pleased to. Your Father instilled that within you, Edrick was always a fierce friend. He was treated with all the kindness and respect, unlike most homes. You had managed to convince him to take a modest room for himself, so that he might stop taking up room on the kitchen floors to sleep.

"This was nothing like Grans, Edrick" you spoke, "...I had no idea how many numerous people were going to be there. It was like droves"

"Oh yes" he quipped, "Master Crowe was always a good man! Lots of friends he's had around Mistress, He was a very good man"

"Indeed he was" you sighed.

Indeed...he was.

Dad...You didn't even have a chance to process how it all began.

"Ms. Crowe?" you remembered the Officer from the Ministry explaining, "We need to have a word with you...there's been an incident...it's your father"

"The Ministry is doing everything we can to track them down...He was leaving the Embassy...he was...struck him from behind...fled...witnesses have been called to..."

Your mind was slowly faded with the horrific memories of that fateful night, clenching your chest in the Fourier. Broken words seemed to come in and out of secret places hiding in the back of your mind.

"The Ambassador has been killed"

Reporters from The Dailey Prophet had begun to swarm the Manor doors barely hours after the news had been broken to you. How much colder could this world possibly become?

You remembered he flashes of various bulbs shining through the window drapes, waiting for you to sneak even a peek out of their panes. You wouldn't though.

All you remembered were the bleary fires you saw from the hearth, looking up from a tear stained rug, collapsed on the floor with weakened legs and an exhausted voice. You were strained and weathered from calling out a name that no longer answered.

Blood curdling screams turned to horrendous sobs, cutting through the night within the halls. The servants heard you, but carried on as if it were a whisper of the wind.

Edrick was the only one allowed within your presence, you remembered being wrought with panic between the hours of nightmares and consciousness. Dreams never being too far from what was truly around you. Poison hid in the sheets, daggers lurked in the shadows.

Edrick was the only thing that stood between you and the darkness in the room you believed was hellbent on your submission to death.

That familiar voice, startled you from your thoughts.

"Everything has been prepared for the Reception tomorrow Mistress" Edrick turned to you, "The Center Hall has been set as you asked"

"I almost forgot" your eyelids began to feel heavy, "We did receive notice from all the guests, right?"

"All 115 we sent invitation to Mistress, certainly! The Macmillians, Notts, Abbots, Malfoys, Linders, Holbrooks, Yellenchevks-"

"-Thank You, Edrick"

"Harlows, Borrins, Allistairs, Gordons-"

"Edrick"

"Fellips, Zanders, Wormwads, Buckletons"

"Ed-Rick"

"Yes Mistress?"

You sighed, he truly was only being his helpful self after all "...Thank You"

The crackling from the logs were soft and low, emoting a glow from the embers underneath. Edrick slowly stood himself up, walking himself over to the side of the hearth, picking up a small cast iron rod.

Prodding the logs, they fumbled one over the other, ring sparks braiding themselves up into smoke. You began to feel a calm serenity fill the atmosphere of the study. The clock on the wall was faintly ticking away its time, and you could barely make out the whistling of the crickets perched in the grassy grounds below the windows.

The room fell softer still, and your lids began to lower- heavier and heavier. The crackling of the logs lulling you to a sleep you'd not had for what seemed to be weeks. When exhaustion finally took over, you melted fast asleep into the chair.