She was resting in a bed. A simple, cotton bed with white sheets and covers. Belinda walked over to her side and looked at her. Her eyes broke open and looked wildly around. Then they found hers. Belinda felt naked as she stood there, like her mother could see everything about her.
"Dad."
"Dad is gone."
"Mommy."
She sounded like a child. She turned her face and looked at her.
"Mommy."
"I'm here Justine."
"Mommy the bad men."
Belinda hushed her mother down as her tears where falling. Belinda knew she looked like her grandmother. She always had.
"The bad men can't hurt you any more Justine. Go back to sleep."
"The baby."
Belinda's heart stopped beating for a moment. Baby?
"Tell the baby that I love her."
Belinda felt the tears come more violently, but still played her role as mother for her mother.
"I will."
Justine Clementine Linx smiled, closed her eyes, and died.
--
It was sunny. Belinda had never hated the sun more than that moment. Her family had gone, since the service was over, and Belinda was almost alone in the churchyard. Her eyes gazed on the words she had read and reread many times already.
Justine Clementine Linx.
A just girl in an unjust world.
Anja had written it, and Belinda had thought it fitted. She grabbed around her neck at the necklace hanging there. She didn't want it to be buried with her mother; she had wanted it to remember her by.
She heard someone come up behind her and place a kind hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
She turned and buried her face into his shoulder. She was happy her family was gone. Neville rocked her back and forth.
"I don't know why I miss her. I never knew her as anything but a sick woman."
"But you loved her."
She nodded, and let her tears fall freely.
--
"Belinda. Belinda stop."
Belinda turned and with empty eyes looked as Albus ran up next to her. They where alone by the lake, with Clementine was flying high above them.
"Are you okay? I feel like you have been avoiding me."
She just looked at him.
"Have you?"
"We knew this wouldn't work Albus."
"What wouldn't work?"
He grabbed after her, but she just pulled her arm away and took two steps back.
"Belinda."
"It's over Albus. Deal with it."
"No. Belinda, I understand that you are upset with your mother and all, but don't do this."
"You really think I could be together with someone who plays with mudbloods?"
His eyes hardened before he turned and walked away. Belinda turned her back to him, and her tears fell soundless down her cheeks.
Those cunning folks use any meansTo achieve their ends
--
Belinda was sitting in the sofa, her feet up under her, her eyes on a book. Winter vacation. She had used to hate all vacations before Neville. Now she loved them. Loved them because of him.
"Here."
"Thank you."
She grabbed the cup and smiled thankfully to him.
"Are okay being on your own tonight?"
"Of course. I don't want you to stop spending time with them just because I have."
He gave her that look again, and Belinda averted her eyes.
"I have told you that if you don't want me to come with you, I won't."
"I want you to be here Belinda."
He sat down on the table. She could hear it creak.
"Why did you break up with him?"
Belinda sighed. She took a sip of the chocolate before looking at him.
"I'm not strong enough."
"Belinda you can't do this alone. I know. I have tired. You need someone to help carry the burden."
"I have you."
She tried to smile, but he didn't smile back. Her heart stopped beating, and her insides went cold.
"Don't I?"
He sighed and rose, kissed her forehead.
"Of course you do. Always."
She smiled and he went to the front door.
"I hope you have a nice time."
He smiled.
"With them I always do. I won't be late."
"No rush."
She looked down at her book again when she heard the door open, but not close.
"She's in there."
Belinda looked up, and was surprised to find Rose standing there. Neville just looked at them before walking out and leaving them alone.
"Rose?"
Belinda rose and closed the book.
"Nice to see you. Been a while."
"Yeah. Not since Albus and I broke up. What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you."
Rose kicked of her shoes and came over.
"Rose…"
"You broke up with Albus, Belinda, not me."
Belinda sat down, and Rose sat down next to her.
"Albus told me what you said, but I don't believe him."
"Why not?"
"Because it you hit Malfoy when he called Kathy that. So no matter what your head said, I know what is in your heart."
Belinda looked down at their hands as Rose suddenly took them.
"I don't know why you did it, but you can't push me away."
"Does he hate me?"
"Al? I don't think he is capable of hating you. He is hurt, and angry. Blaming everything and everyone, except you. You should have seen the row he had with Thom. Broke his nose."
Belinda closed her eyes and leaned back.
"He will forget me. With time."
"Don't you love him?"
Belinda let go of her hand and rose. She turned her back to her and walked over to the window and looked at the snow. She was sick of everyone asking why.
"It was snowing when they buried my grandfather."
She turned.
"We actually lived not very far from here. You could call it the next town. It's a church there, by a lake. They are buried there now, with my mother. It's beautiful. There are willows everywhere, and under each willow is a bench. When my grandfather died, before my grandmother passed away, she would take me there every Sunday to visit his grave."
Belinda laughed.
"Three times we visited, before she laid down on his grave, closed her eyes, and never rose. She always said she couldn't live without him. It was snowing then too."
"Oh Belinda."
Belinda looked down at Rose and smiled.
"What? I was lucky. I have experienced true love. A love so strong that not even death could part them. They had everything against them, his family most of all, and yet they survived. Their love survived."
Belinda looked at the clock, before looking down at Rose again.
"You want to see their grave? It's not that late."
"Are you sure?"
Belinda nodded.
"I'll leave Neville a note."
She wrote down something, before grabbing Rose and left the house.
--
Belinda and Rose walked quietly down one of dozens of pathways. Now and again a faint light could be seen through the snow, making Belinda sure of the way. Suddenly she stopped and Rose bumped into her.
"What?"
"Look."
Two graves from them was a tiny man in a cape looking down at a grave. His hood was up and the only thing visible was a long hooknose pooping out of the darkness.
"Excuse me, sir."
The man looked up at her and her own beady eyes looked back at her. A goblin.
"Please don't be scared. We are witches."
"Belinda, what are you doing?"
"Goblin."
"My name is Lexnog Austroff if you don't mind young witch."
Belinda bit her lower lip.
"I'm sorry if we have offended you Mr Austroff."
Belinda had never been so happy for Rose nature as now. Rose was a natural with every kind of being. Magical or not.
"It's okay. And may I inquire who I have the pleasure of specking with?"
"My name is Rose Hermione Granger-Weasley. This is Belinda Linx."
His yaw dropped. It didn't look natural.
"Linx? May I inquire young witch, are you in any way related to the late Maverick Linx?"
"He was my grandfather."
Suddenly he smiled, and took down the hood. He was about a head lower than them, and every thing about him was pointy. He went over with majestic steps and grabbed Belinda's hands.
"My dear child. Of course. You look very much like her now that I see you clearly."
"Belinda?"
"Do you know who I am Belinda?"
Belinda shook her head, but she did have a faint idea. The snitch in her pocket was going through the roof.
"I am you great-grandfather."
Belinda heard a soft dump as Rose fainted.
--
"You are part goblin? Is that even possible?"
Rose was standing in Lexnog's living room. She had a blanket over her shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate in her hand.
"You knew?"
Belinda nodded and pulled out the snitch. It opened its wings and started to lazily flap them. Lexnog grabbed the snitch and looked at it like it was something very comical.
"I needed some money, and got quite a good deal for a handful of them."
He gave it back.
"But I try not to have too much to do with the wizard community."
"Why?"
Rose sat down, and looked at him.
"I loved your great-grandmother very dearly, and wanted to marry her. As she to me. But when her family found out I was a goblin they grabbed her and sent her to England to part us. Where she died in childbirth. When I found out I went over, but they refused to tell me where she was. Finally I found out her name, and after years of searching I found her. But she was already dead. I didn't know they had children."
"One, but she is also dead. She died quite recently."
Belinda didn't want him to know what had happened to her mother.
"I see. I was too late again. Do you know if your grandmother knew who her father was?"
"If she did she never told me. I'm sorry."
"I see."
He sat down and suddenly looked very old. First now did she see that his beard was white and not grey as she first had assumed. Belinda didn't like seeing him so sad. She sat down next to him.
"But I know she never blamed her father. She always thought well of him, though she might not have known who he was."
Lexnog grabbed her hands and smiled sadly at her as his tears streamed down his cheeks.
"She always said she didn't believe her family's notion about him abandoning her mother for being pregnant, and every fathers day she lit a candle in the window in your honour. Hoping you would one day find her."
He said nothing just looked down at the thick oak table.
"Mr Lexnog, I can't imagine the pain you are going through, but this might be a blessing in disguise."
Both Lexnog and Belinda looked queerly at Rose.
"You will never know your daughter, but here you have a chance to get to know your great-granddaughter."
Lexnog looked at her and smiled.
"Yes. I do, don't I."