The Sapphire Pendant
Chapter Three- "Reflection"
Ceridwen dragged her feet as she walked to the dining room. The youngest of her four brothers was waiting for her at the door. "It's about time you got down here! Mum is on the verge of throwing a fit," Kennan whispered before opening the door for her to go through.
Kennan, herself and her parents were dining together that night. Usually it was just Ceridwen and their mother, since all of Ceridwen's siblings had already moved out. Kennan had some sort of business to discuss with their Dad, so the two of them made a rare appearance at the O'Malley dinner table.
Mrs. O'Malley was glaring at her empty drink glass as her children came in and sat at the sides of the table. Mr. O'Malley took his usual seat at the head of the table. Mrs. O'Malley insisted on this for the sake of keeping up appearances in front of the servants. The servants, however, were not fooled. They knew the real relationship between their master and mistress, largely thanks to Mrs. O'Malley's constant shouting and Mr. O'Malley's meek acceptance of it.
The servants suddenly appeared, with trays laden with food. Ivy set the main course in front of Ceridwen, and smiled encouragingly to her friend. Ceridwen smiled weakly back. Mrs. O'Malley caught the quick exchange between them and raised her voice.
"Ivy!"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"From now on, Violet will be serving my daughter. Now go get her from the kitchens and take her place there."
"Yes, ma'am," Ivy replied, while curtseying, then left the room.
It was totally unfair! What had Ivy done? Nothing! Now she was going to be stuck with Violet. Why that withered old hag was still employed at the age of 150, she never could quite figure out. Ceridwen shuddered at the thought of her. She had had nightmares about her when she was little. Violet had a face as wrinkled and brown as a walnut shell, which bothered Ceridwen for some reason.
"Why did you do that?" Kennan asked.
"I did it because your sister shouldn't fraternise with the help. It simply isn't acceptable." Mrs. O'Malley explained.
"I'm sure she wasn't fraternising. She's been quite lonely since Myrtle. I don't know if that's what's bothering her. She doesn't look quite right though. Maybe she's just feeling poorly, are you Sarrah?" Kennan inquired of his sister.
"I'm not sick. One does find it difficult to eat when one has been hurt excruciatingly." Ceridwen replied dramatically, hoping to get a reaction, any reaction, from her father. He took another sip of white wine. She should have known he would just pretend he didn't notice that anything was wrong. Kennan was about to ask who had hurt her so excruciatingly, when Violet stepped into the room.
"You sent for me, ma'am?" Violet asked as politely as she could.
"Yes. From now on, you alone will serve Miss Ceridwen. Now Sarrah, I-." Ceridwen cut her mother off.
"Don't call me Sarrah! You aren't allowed to use that nickname. Only Kennan is."
"Don't tell me what I can or cannot call you. You are my daughter, and I will tell you what you can or cannot do." She said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin rather savagely.
Violet, who was standing right beside Ceridwen now, liked to put her two Knuts worth in when at all possible. "That's right. You should show some respect to your mother after everything she has done for you."
"Oh shut up! No one asked for your opinion. You don't even know what you're talking about! My mother has never done anything but run my life! I'm so sick of it! I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm an adult and I'd appreciate being treated like one!"
"Then stop acting like a stupid little brat!" Violet muttered under her breath, but Ceridwen had heard her.
"Did you hear what she just said, Mother?" Ceridwen waited for a response from her, but she just ignored her daughter. "You're not even going to defend me, are you? If I was your precious, perfect Aine you wouldn't hesitate to defend me! You know what? I'm glad I'm nothing like her. I'm nothing like you either! I wasn't put into your House at Hogwarts because I asked the hat not to put me there. I'm glad I did. I'm also glad that I quit that job you forced me to get at St. Mungo's. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a Healer to go into a hospital for any length of time? No! You don't, because you're not a Healer and you never will be!" Tears sprung in her mother's eyes after Ceridwen spat the last sentence at her. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Did I hit a nerve?" She smiled. "Good. Maybe now you'll understand how I feel every time I talk to you." Ceridwen finished speaking, and got up to leave in a huff. Before she could get out the door, Violet grabbed her by the elbow and hissed in her ear. "You insolent, ungrateful little wretch! You should apologise immediately!"
Ceridwen yanked her arm free from her maid, absolutely furious.
"I will not apologise to you or anyone else! You're just a servant! You should apologise to me!" Violet didn't speak. Ceridwen's eyes turned pitch black. "I told you to apologise." Her voice rasped with anger, and she could see a hint of fear in the older woman's features.
This was the way it should be. People should fear her. A sense of power filled her body. She ached to hurt someone. Squibs like Violet were useless. There was no point to her being in the wizarding world at all.
Violet flew across the room, hit the wall, then fell to the floor. When she finally managed to get up, she trembled as she stumbled towards the door. She backed out of the room, afraid to turn her back on Ceridwen. She had done wandless magic, but she had never hurt anyone before. Shaking, Ceridwen sat down on another chair and looked hesitantly at her family's faces. All of them looked shocked and frightened even her father.
"That was a fine display! What the servants will think of me now." Mrs. O'Malley started ranting, but with a definite tremor in her voice.
"You're worried about what they think of you?" Kennan asked, looking more shocked than ever.
"Yes, that's right. You remember our dear mother don't you Kennan? She's always worried about Keeping Up Appearances. Maybe if you visited more than once a month you'd know that." Ceridwen said a little too calmly.
"Since when do you speak to your brother like that? Or to any of us? What has gotten into you? That disgusting Mudblood must have poisoned you against us!" Mrs. O'Malley had gone too far. She had done the one thing that she had been threatening to do ever since Ceridwen had come home from Hogwarts. It was amazing the effect one little word had.
Pain wrenched at Ceridwen's heart. How could she.? How could she? She would never forgive her for this. Ceridwen got up and left, unable to stay in that room any longer.
* * *
Ceridwen was sitting in a chair with a book open on her lap, and her eyes completely glossed over. At the sound of knocking, she came back down to Earth, and got up to answer her door.
It was her Dad. She frowned. Unlike most of the times she spoke to her father, this was not going to be pleasant.
"Your mother is very upset," He began.
"I hadn't noticed," Ceridwen retorted sarcastically.
"Why don't you go down and apologise?" he suggested.
"I didn't do anything wrong. If she can't handle the truth about herself, that's not my problem."
"You were rather rude. If you would just go and say you're sorry for what you said, I'm sure she'll forgive you," he continued on, barely acknowledging that she spoke.
"I'm not going to say I'm sorry when I'm not! If I did, then I'd be lying! You were the one who always told me that you shouldn't lie. Are you saying that I should go against your teaching?" Ceridwen asked her father.
"No, it's just that she's so upset." He trailed off.
"Oh, I see! You want me to apologise so she'll stop yelling at you and everyone else! You don't even care that she's wrong and I'm right! Well guess what? I'm never going to tell her I'm sorry, because I'm not! Go away and leave me alone!"
Ceridwen turned on her heel, and walked over to one of her windows in a huff. She noticed that she hadn't heard him close the door, so she whipped around. He was still standing in the doorway.
"It's like you've been possessed by someone who is so different from my little girl. I don't even know who you are any more."
"Well, join the club! I've never known who you are, because you're always avoiding Mum by going to work! Did you ever stop to think how that would affect us kids? No, you didn't! If you had, you would have made time for us! You're a horrible father!" Ceridwen screamed.
SLAM! She had shut the door on him, after he took a step back at the sound of her yelling. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror as she walked by it. Her hair was a sandy colour, and her eyes were a chocolate brown. When had she started to look so much like her Mum? She had started acting like her too, narrow-minded, short tempered, and yelling all the time. The likeness frightened her. She couldn't be anything like her mother. It was ludicrous! She had been Sorted into Ravenclaw, while her mother was put into Slytherin. The hat had said that she should go to- No! She would not think like that! She was totally different from her mother! They were nothing alike! Nothing!
She conjured a cloth to cover the mirror, and threw herself onto her bed. Her Dad was right; it was like a completely different person had possessed her. Whoever it was that she was changing into, she only knew that she didn't like that person at all.
Chapter Three- "Reflection"
Ceridwen dragged her feet as she walked to the dining room. The youngest of her four brothers was waiting for her at the door. "It's about time you got down here! Mum is on the verge of throwing a fit," Kennan whispered before opening the door for her to go through.
Kennan, herself and her parents were dining together that night. Usually it was just Ceridwen and their mother, since all of Ceridwen's siblings had already moved out. Kennan had some sort of business to discuss with their Dad, so the two of them made a rare appearance at the O'Malley dinner table.
Mrs. O'Malley was glaring at her empty drink glass as her children came in and sat at the sides of the table. Mr. O'Malley took his usual seat at the head of the table. Mrs. O'Malley insisted on this for the sake of keeping up appearances in front of the servants. The servants, however, were not fooled. They knew the real relationship between their master and mistress, largely thanks to Mrs. O'Malley's constant shouting and Mr. O'Malley's meek acceptance of it.
The servants suddenly appeared, with trays laden with food. Ivy set the main course in front of Ceridwen, and smiled encouragingly to her friend. Ceridwen smiled weakly back. Mrs. O'Malley caught the quick exchange between them and raised her voice.
"Ivy!"
"Yes, ma'am?"
"From now on, Violet will be serving my daughter. Now go get her from the kitchens and take her place there."
"Yes, ma'am," Ivy replied, while curtseying, then left the room.
It was totally unfair! What had Ivy done? Nothing! Now she was going to be stuck with Violet. Why that withered old hag was still employed at the age of 150, she never could quite figure out. Ceridwen shuddered at the thought of her. She had had nightmares about her when she was little. Violet had a face as wrinkled and brown as a walnut shell, which bothered Ceridwen for some reason.
"Why did you do that?" Kennan asked.
"I did it because your sister shouldn't fraternise with the help. It simply isn't acceptable." Mrs. O'Malley explained.
"I'm sure she wasn't fraternising. She's been quite lonely since Myrtle. I don't know if that's what's bothering her. She doesn't look quite right though. Maybe she's just feeling poorly, are you Sarrah?" Kennan inquired of his sister.
"I'm not sick. One does find it difficult to eat when one has been hurt excruciatingly." Ceridwen replied dramatically, hoping to get a reaction, any reaction, from her father. He took another sip of white wine. She should have known he would just pretend he didn't notice that anything was wrong. Kennan was about to ask who had hurt her so excruciatingly, when Violet stepped into the room.
"You sent for me, ma'am?" Violet asked as politely as she could.
"Yes. From now on, you alone will serve Miss Ceridwen. Now Sarrah, I-." Ceridwen cut her mother off.
"Don't call me Sarrah! You aren't allowed to use that nickname. Only Kennan is."
"Don't tell me what I can or cannot call you. You are my daughter, and I will tell you what you can or cannot do." She said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin rather savagely.
Violet, who was standing right beside Ceridwen now, liked to put her two Knuts worth in when at all possible. "That's right. You should show some respect to your mother after everything she has done for you."
"Oh shut up! No one asked for your opinion. You don't even know what you're talking about! My mother has never done anything but run my life! I'm so sick of it! I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm an adult and I'd appreciate being treated like one!"
"Then stop acting like a stupid little brat!" Violet muttered under her breath, but Ceridwen had heard her.
"Did you hear what she just said, Mother?" Ceridwen waited for a response from her, but she just ignored her daughter. "You're not even going to defend me, are you? If I was your precious, perfect Aine you wouldn't hesitate to defend me! You know what? I'm glad I'm nothing like her. I'm nothing like you either! I wasn't put into your House at Hogwarts because I asked the hat not to put me there. I'm glad I did. I'm also glad that I quit that job you forced me to get at St. Mungo's. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a Healer to go into a hospital for any length of time? No! You don't, because you're not a Healer and you never will be!" Tears sprung in her mother's eyes after Ceridwen spat the last sentence at her. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Did I hit a nerve?" She smiled. "Good. Maybe now you'll understand how I feel every time I talk to you." Ceridwen finished speaking, and got up to leave in a huff. Before she could get out the door, Violet grabbed her by the elbow and hissed in her ear. "You insolent, ungrateful little wretch! You should apologise immediately!"
Ceridwen yanked her arm free from her maid, absolutely furious.
"I will not apologise to you or anyone else! You're just a servant! You should apologise to me!" Violet didn't speak. Ceridwen's eyes turned pitch black. "I told you to apologise." Her voice rasped with anger, and she could see a hint of fear in the older woman's features.
This was the way it should be. People should fear her. A sense of power filled her body. She ached to hurt someone. Squibs like Violet were useless. There was no point to her being in the wizarding world at all.
Violet flew across the room, hit the wall, then fell to the floor. When she finally managed to get up, she trembled as she stumbled towards the door. She backed out of the room, afraid to turn her back on Ceridwen. She had done wandless magic, but she had never hurt anyone before. Shaking, Ceridwen sat down on another chair and looked hesitantly at her family's faces. All of them looked shocked and frightened even her father.
"That was a fine display! What the servants will think of me now." Mrs. O'Malley started ranting, but with a definite tremor in her voice.
"You're worried about what they think of you?" Kennan asked, looking more shocked than ever.
"Yes, that's right. You remember our dear mother don't you Kennan? She's always worried about Keeping Up Appearances. Maybe if you visited more than once a month you'd know that." Ceridwen said a little too calmly.
"Since when do you speak to your brother like that? Or to any of us? What has gotten into you? That disgusting Mudblood must have poisoned you against us!" Mrs. O'Malley had gone too far. She had done the one thing that she had been threatening to do ever since Ceridwen had come home from Hogwarts. It was amazing the effect one little word had.
Pain wrenched at Ceridwen's heart. How could she.? How could she? She would never forgive her for this. Ceridwen got up and left, unable to stay in that room any longer.
* * *
Ceridwen was sitting in a chair with a book open on her lap, and her eyes completely glossed over. At the sound of knocking, she came back down to Earth, and got up to answer her door.
It was her Dad. She frowned. Unlike most of the times she spoke to her father, this was not going to be pleasant.
"Your mother is very upset," He began.
"I hadn't noticed," Ceridwen retorted sarcastically.
"Why don't you go down and apologise?" he suggested.
"I didn't do anything wrong. If she can't handle the truth about herself, that's not my problem."
"You were rather rude. If you would just go and say you're sorry for what you said, I'm sure she'll forgive you," he continued on, barely acknowledging that she spoke.
"I'm not going to say I'm sorry when I'm not! If I did, then I'd be lying! You were the one who always told me that you shouldn't lie. Are you saying that I should go against your teaching?" Ceridwen asked her father.
"No, it's just that she's so upset." He trailed off.
"Oh, I see! You want me to apologise so she'll stop yelling at you and everyone else! You don't even care that she's wrong and I'm right! Well guess what? I'm never going to tell her I'm sorry, because I'm not! Go away and leave me alone!"
Ceridwen turned on her heel, and walked over to one of her windows in a huff. She noticed that she hadn't heard him close the door, so she whipped around. He was still standing in the doorway.
"It's like you've been possessed by someone who is so different from my little girl. I don't even know who you are any more."
"Well, join the club! I've never known who you are, because you're always avoiding Mum by going to work! Did you ever stop to think how that would affect us kids? No, you didn't! If you had, you would have made time for us! You're a horrible father!" Ceridwen screamed.
SLAM! She had shut the door on him, after he took a step back at the sound of her yelling. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror as she walked by it. Her hair was a sandy colour, and her eyes were a chocolate brown. When had she started to look so much like her Mum? She had started acting like her too, narrow-minded, short tempered, and yelling all the time. The likeness frightened her. She couldn't be anything like her mother. It was ludicrous! She had been Sorted into Ravenclaw, while her mother was put into Slytherin. The hat had said that she should go to- No! She would not think like that! She was totally different from her mother! They were nothing alike! Nothing!
She conjured a cloth to cover the mirror, and threw herself onto her bed. Her Dad was right; it was like a completely different person had possessed her. Whoever it was that she was changing into, she only knew that she didn't like that person at all.
