A/N: Warnings for more depressing events :(, and the lack of historical accuracy. And remember, belongs to J.K. Rowling and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Alex advanced rapidly in his studies. Rachel was amazed at the wonder he had at everything. He seemed to not only understand what she said, but understood the concepts well enough to apply improvements to spells and potions. Sometimes he corrected her, instructing Rachel to use a little less 'swish,' or telling her to stir a boils cure two times instead of three. Rachel hadn't felt this free in years, and she now had somebody to confide in that more than understood. So in all of her free time, she helped Alex practice, teaching him everything she knew.
Rachel had worried about how to get Alex a wand. Her own, which was made of thestral hair and Fir tree, practically screamed in protest when she allowed him to use it. An extra wand in these parts was a rarity, and the only other wizarding family on the island had none to spare. Hers had been a family heirloom, and her mother's rested with Mary. This stumped her for a while, until a brilliant idea occurred to her.
For a couple of months, men had been disappearing from fishing boats. She had assumed that it was simply the storm-filled summer. But one day, as she walked into town with her potions, the square was filled with people.
There would normally be gossiping women hanging around the main store, or men discussing the prices they were getting for sugarcane or rum. But on this afternoon, every man, woman, and child was crowded around an unknown object. Rachel craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse. But her efforts were to no avail, so she simply waited and listened to horrified whispers.
"That's all they found of him?" A woman asked her handmaiden.
"Yes ma'am. He was just swimmin' one day and he never came home to dinner. Then they find his liver floatin' in the water! I haven't heard of anything like it!"
Abagail, the busybody of the island, ran over and delivered more news. "It was found on the other side of the island too, with these long, green pieces of seaweed. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was horse hair."
Rachel froze. She knew a magical beast that fit that description: it ate human flesh, and wouldn't stop until it attracted the attention of wizards. It was a Scottish monster, but perhaps an idiot had brought it here by a ship. Even better, it's mane made a functional wand core. If she tamed the beast, she could kill two birds with one stone (In this case, two Kelpies with one stone.)
She set off for the isolated bay where the man had gone missing. She just needed to find a bridle…
For most people, avioiding a mer-horse/water demon would be a sensible thing to do. In Rachel's defense, it went smoothly. She snuck up behind it (while using an invisibility potion, of course,) and placed the bridle over its head. The kelpie struggled for a moment, but the placement charm she had wound into its harness settled it down for good. She plucked a few hairs from its mane and weighed the benefits of keeping it. On one hand, she could travel across the ocean with class and style. But finding people to feed to the beast seemed a little barbaric. She glanced at the kelpie apologetically. "Sorry, boy; but I don't think you'd have the most stable food supply." She pointed her wand at it. "Diffindo."
A deep gash appeared in the demon's neck. It fell to the ground, writhing in a pool of red within seconds. A nasty way to go, but Rachel wanted to collect the blood. It was an uncommon ingredient that could be useful in antidotes. She could even sell some, give it to the wizard/merchant in Charlestown and make a pretty penny. She didn't even mind some of it got on her hands. Pleased with the spellwork, she went to go find Alex.
Her son had already chosen the branch he had wanted to become his wand. It was Palm wood, and a tree that Alex had played near since he was a toddler. She hoped the connection to the wood would suffice.
The finished product looked by no means professional. It was crude, weak, and leaked out energy. But the delight in Alex's eyes was worth it. He thanked her profusely, for days on end. It was by no means a perfect match, but it was enough.
She felt exhausted, suddenly. Well, slaying a kelpie can do that to anyone, she mused. Maybe she needed more rest…
"Maman, look! I have three letters!" Alex ran past her on his way back from the mailbox. This one's from Beauxbatons…" Rachel smiled proudly while he sifted through the letters. Rachel's mother did not have the chance to attend the French school, but she often told wistful stories of it heard from her father. A school that seemed like it was coated in gold, one of the finest wizarding schools in the world.
"The second one is from a school called Ilvermorny, in New England." Hmm. She had a vague notion of this school's existence, but knew little. It was almost equally far away, and she couldn't imagine being able to afford either of them. Getting to the school was an issue as well. She doubted she could apparate as far as Florida, in New Spain. There was no way she could get all the way to Massachusetts. The house she had grown up in had burned down days after she left St. Croix. With the ashes had fallen what was most likely the only floo-connected fireplace in the Leeward Islands. And she had no clue whatsoever how to begin making a portkey.
To look your son in the face and tell him that he couldn't attend was something Rachel didn't know if she could do. The thousands of galleons (or Dragots) Rachel would have paid in a heartbeat, but there was no way she could ever find that amount of money.
Lost in thought, Rachel only then noticed Alex had stopped at the third letter, looking at it with trembling, shaking hands. He opened as fast as he could, discarding the envelope on the floor.
Rachel picked up the letter, which was post-marked Antigua. Who would be writing to Alex from Antigua? she thought. The only person he knows not living on this island is….
The realization hit her and she fell to the floor in a faint. As the envelope fell from her hands, Alex finished reading his letter before attending to his terrified mother.
I know you must think I despise you and your mother, the letter wrote, but that is not the case. I still have great love for the two of you, even if I think it to be best for me to continue living on another island. But I shall endeavor to write, and I wish you the best in your pursuit of success.
Your affectionate father,
James Hamilton.
"Maman!" Alex shouted as Rachel was given the courtesy of being woken up (by a pitcher of water, of course.) "It's alright, Ma, really." Alex said as he passed her the letter. He frowned when he noticed the complexion of her skin was a pale shade of…emerald? That didn't look natural. Maybe she was sick? He decided not to beat around the bush and just ask. "Are you ill, ma?" Alexander inquired, hoping Rachel would not try to deny it. "You look nauseous."
Rachel refused to reply until she had read the letter from her partner to his son. If he wrote anything cruel to their child, Rachel swore she would find him and transfigure into an ass. It would show the world his true from, she thought dryly.
But there was no hint of malice in the letter, so Rachel tore her eyes off of it to reassure her son. "Wizards don't get sick, Alex. It must have been something in last night's supper. Or perhaps it was the wine? I probably just need some rest," she said, putting on as neutral of a face as she could muster.
He didn't look entirely convinced, but Alex left her to her own devices after promising to prepare the food. James Jr. came home to dinner and helped cook as well. He was apprenticed to a carpenter, and spent most of his days and nights away from the home. She sometimes felt guilt for paying attention to one child more than the other, but she hoped her squib son would have an opportunity to make something of himself. Rachel knew she had no money or skill (looks were debatable;) the apprenticeship was most likely his one way out of squalor.
The stew was flavorless, yet the three pretended to be occupied by eating it. That way, no one had to make awkward small talk. Rachel picked at the food, not really hungry. Alex noticed. His mother might think he was oblivious, nut he paid attention when it really counted. He observed her while clearing away the plates, and kept doing so under the guise of being absorbed in a book. Alex had been reading a text entitled A Study of Magical Beasts, but he settled for Shakespeare in the presence of his brother. He grabbed Hamlet off of the shelf and began to read. To be, or not to be: the page read, that is the question: Whether is 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?
Rachel looked down at her skin. Alex wasn't exaggerating, she thought, looking down at her hands. I look like a disgusting old hag in a muggle novel.
Alex saw his mother stop and stare at her palms. She almost looked confused. After a second, she kept moving towards her bedroom, walking past him. He quickly returned to the book once more. But that the dread of something after death, The undiscover'd country from whose born…
Rachel almost made it to the staircase, but felt a stabbing headache. She paused, trying to clear her head. It was to no avail, however, so Rachel continued onwards. She placed her weight on the first step, but she felt another bout of exhaustion.
Alex ran for his mother as she fell towards the floor: she was in a faint for the second time that day. Alex checked her temperature, and immediately panicked. Something was dangerously wrong, and what could possibly…
Alex stopped cold. He looked closely at her palms. They were covered in red welts, and his worst fears were confirmed. Rachel's hands were covered in red, blistering pox. A disease that could affect wizards was something Alex had never encountered, but it must be something that would kill no-Maj's in an instant. He had to get his brother out of here, and find someone with even an inkling of what to do.
"JAMES! GO FETCH AT DOCTOR! Please, James, you haven't been around her long enough to catch it."
James ran for the door, noting the urgency in Alex's voice. He made a beeline for the town.
Meanwhile, Alex cast a 'mobilicorpus' on his mother to get her up the stairs. He placed her gently onto the bed, and waited for the news. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She would get better, right? She had to get better. He stayed in a chair next to her bed, praying for the doctor to hurry. He checked her forehead, and found she was burning up. This was taking too long, he thought. Why didn't they get here now?
Right as he was thinking his concerns, James returned with Dr. Williams in tow. He barely glanced at her before the doctor's expression turned grave. "I've never seen anything like this until yesterday." He paused. Dr. Williams knew the two boys had few relatives and he didn't want to upset them further. "Just like you, Mrs. Stevens sent for me. Her eldest son was fainting, and had a high fever. It had come on with no warning whatsoever. He started the day fine, but by the end… I'll do everything I can, but I can't guarantee anything. Last night, he was coughing up pools of blood."
"Blood." They whipped around to find Rachel sitting upright, a glazed look in her eyes as she stared at the wall. "It must have been the demon's blood, I sold it to him. This is my fault."
Alex froze. What would the doctor think? But he merely shook his head in sympathy.
"Poor woman. Hallucinating, too. But perhaps she meant something by that. Do you know about any herbs your mother might have given them?" Dr. Williams asked in a calm had to discover the source of the problem, or else people might meet the same fate as these dying souls.
Ales, of course, knew that the Steven's were the single wizarding family in Nevis. They operated a trading business that managed smuggling magical ingredients to the Caribbean, and all over the new world. But what could have Rachel have sold him? The demon's blood? Did she mean poison?
"I do not know, sir. Please do whatever you can. How is your other patient faring?" Perhaps this wasn't as bad as it seemed. He expected several weeks for her to recover, based on the doctor's grave tone. But hopefully it was far less serious.
Dr. Williams flinched at the hope in his voice. Oh, God, this was what he got for trying to be gentle. He took a deep breath, and faced young Alex.
"I'm sorry, son. The Stevens boy passed away last night. I am going to be forward with you. I don't see any hope of recovery for her. Your brother and yourself should start to prepare arrangements, for I suspect the worst."
Alex felt the whole world stop. He turned away from the doctor, for how was one supposed to reply to that? But as petty and unimportant as it seemed, he found himself stuck on one insignificant part of that explanation.
"I'm not your son." Alex said with as much force as her could muster. "I'm hers."
And Alex went back into that chair, and remained by her side. He stayed as the doctor muttered under his breath, feeding her a number of medicines to no avail. He stayed as James Jr. went to sleep, citing the apprenticeship he had to get to in the morning (as if a job was as important as the death of his mother.) And he stayed as Dr. Williams left the room, apologizing since there was nothing more he could do.
He stayed in the same spot, until he heard a whisper come from the bed. At first, he thought he had imagined it, but the words repeated. Alex turned as fast as he could to speak with his mother.
"I'm so sorry, Alex. I just wanted you to be happy. I forgot; I can't believe how stupid I was."
"Ma?" Alex didn't understand. To be happy? How could he be happy with…
"The blood of a kelpie. I just wanted you to have a wand. But the demon's blood, if it's ingested, even in the smallest amount..."
Alex was horrified. "How could you risk that for me? Your life wasn't worth my happiness, and it surely won't ensure it. Oh, ma, I can't lose you too."
He hugged her with all of his strength, but she winced with pain at his grip. So he let go, and tried with all of his might to not let tears fall.
Rachel didn't feel like she was dying. She felt weak, yes, but she couldn't comprehend the fact that her life would be over before the sun came up. She wanted to see her sons grow up, make something of themselves. In a span of a day, she had completely ruined her vision of the future. How could she face them, how could she apologize for something as idiotic as this? Getting sick and passing away, for instance, would be from no fault of her own. But this was preventable.
She knew she was losing her grip on reality. Quickly, Merlin, she thought, spit it out. But what to say? "Tell your brother I love him. Don't do anything stupid, Alex, I need you to have the life you'd always imagined. I found that old notebook you used to write in, before you found out about magic. You were going to change the world." Alex looked shocked, as if it didn't matter to him. Why would his past dreams of becoming a lawyer matter as his mother lay on her deathbed? She continued on as he looked at her with wide, glistening eyes. "None of this will change that. Take my wand and books, Alex. Go to the colonies, like you said. You can live in both worlds, even if I mostly stuck to one."
"I bet the wand will work for you now. The core is of Thestral. Just remember, Alex. Je t'aime, et…"
But Alex never heard what she was going to say. And as Rachel's voice faded away, getting quieter and quieter, he couldn't stop the tears.
A/N: aaaannngggsssttt. I am so sorry (muahahahaha.)
Chapter 5 is in the works! What did you think? Let me Know!
