Chapter 12

Patience

"Sarah? Sarah! Get up! Get the fuck up! Come on!"

It was Mom. I heard another voice.

"You sure she's all right? She looks dead."

"Yes, I'm bloody fucking sure! She's a Salamandrus! Salamandruses fight to the end! We never go down easy! We…"

Mom was being too loud. It hurt my ears. I opened my eyes and mumbled.

"Can you turn down the volume?"

My head hurt, like someone had just beat me in a boxing match, except no one had punched me. I felt something wet between my legs and looked down.

"Oh, bloody hell. I pissed myself."

I got up and saw a man from The Ministry of Magic standing next to Mom.

"Hello, Sarah. My name is Inspector Freeman. I'm from The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Your mother says that you witnessed a crime. Can you tell me about it?"

I wanted to go tell him to piss off because he was a copper, but somehow, I knew that it would solve nothing.

"Right. I'll tell you everything."

"No, that's not how it works. I ask questions and you tell me about them. It makes paperwork easier for me."

"Paperwork?" Mom said.

"Believe me, Mrs. Salamandrus, I am buried in paperwork and I can't be out solving crimes until I've finished all of it."

What was this bastard doing? He was more concerned with finishing his homework than getting the correct information? Fucking tool.

Inspector Freeman asked me a few questions, like who was abducted, how the man came into the house, and what kind of spells he used. He wrote some of it down and generally lacked interest.

"Right. Well, I'll be off. Don't worry, Mrs. Salamandrus. We will find that kidnapper eventually." He left.

One word rang in my head that bothered me more than anything else. "Eventually". I didn't want Melanie saved eventually! I wanted people to be on the job right now! What the fuck is his problem? The Ministry of Magic is a bunch of worthless cocksuckers.

I turned to Mom.

"Right. That was a waste of time. I won't stand for this, none at all." I said.

I reached into my closet.

"Sarah, what the hell are you up to?"

"First I'm going to take a shower. I can't stand in my own piss all day. It's bloody disgusting. After that, I'm going to go out and find Melanie myself."

Mom was enraged.

"Sarah, it's dangerous. I won't let you go."

"What? And let Darius do whatever the fuck he wants to do with her?"

"Watch your fucking mouth, Sarah!" Mom snapped.

"Fine. I will."

I gave her the middle finger. She growled and gave me two.

We stared at each other down, our fingers raised to the air in silence before Mom cracked. She fell down on her knees, sobbing.

"Oh, Sarah. Don't do this to me. Please don't do this. I love you and I don't want you to get hurt." I walked over to Mom and hugged her.

"Mom."

She said nothing, just cried.

"Mom." I said.

She pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose. I was growing impatient.

"Mom!"

"I'm fucking listening!"

It surprised me a bit. I flinched a little.

"Mom, I love her too. I'm going through the same thing that you are. I don't want my girlfriend to get hurt. That's why I have to save her."

Mom got up and sat down.

"I guess there's no stopping you, then. The damndest thing is that you don't know where he is."

"Now, hold on. I think we can find her. I studied up on this class called divination. It's all about seeing into the future."

Mom made a face.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If we can see the future, we may be able to get some insight on the present and point us in the correct direction. It's just up to us to make it happen."

Mom was dumbfounded.

"Using a crystal ball is advanced work. I thought you were behind in your studies?"

I smiled.

"I had to take remedial classes. They taught me a lot in there."

I took a shower and changed my clothes. Mom went into the basement and got out her old crystal ball. It was dusty because it hadn't been used since she was around my age.

"Well, this takes me back. Haven't needed this in a long time."

"Why do you never use it?" I asked.

"Because it takes a lot of magic energy to power the bloody thing. It's exhausting work."

I looked at the side and noticed a plug where one's wand would go. I could tell that this was no ordinary crystal ball. Mom smiled.

"I bought this at Diagon Alley one year so I could use it to cheat on the tests. Spent more than half my savings on this bloody thing. I don't think I could have graduated without it, though."

I started to plug my wand into the hole, until Mom stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to see the future."

"No! You'll end up sleeping for a week. You can't save Melanie if you're in a coma, can you?"

I shook my head.

"Wait, if you were sleeping, then how could you cheat on the tests?" I said.

Mom snorted.

"I always got some other bloke to do it for me. I used to be hot when I was your age. Good looks can let you control a boy's mind better than any magic spell, you know."

"Good. Now…" She started to put her wand in, but I stopped her.

"Wait, no. If this thing isn't safe, then I don't know if we should be using it."

Mom slapped me.

"What the hell, Sarah? You're willing to endanger yourself, but not let me take a good seven day nap? Where are your priorities, girl?"

We were both stubborn and knew that we would get nowhere if we fought each other. I was endangering myself by going in to save Melanie. Mom was endangering herself by using her magic energy to power this crystal ball. I guess this was her way of getting back at me or something.

"Now come on, we have a life to save."

"Shouldn't you tell Dad first?" I said.

"Your father's at work. I'll leave him a note."

A note? Would that really be enough to explain why she was sleeping and wouldn't wake up? There was no point in arguing with Mom. She seemed determined to help me.

"I swear, you have no idea how much I give for you, Sarah."

She went in to hug me. I felt guilty about putting my Mom through this. She went back.

"I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, Mom."

Mom jammed her wand into the crystal ball's hole. Her body froze, like time had stopped. I saw the crystal ball light up in a flash of thunder. I heard my Mom's voice speak from the orb.

"Sarah, I can see… I can see forever! Oh god, it's terrifying! Make this quick so I can get out of here."

I saw thunder crash from inside of the ball.

"Mom? Are you okay?" I said.

"Just hurry the fuck up, Sarah!"

I stumbled on my words.

"Will I find Melanie?"

I used my magic wand to manipulate the clouds on the ball. It was very delicate work. One slip-up and the ball could crack and become worthless. I secretly thanked Trelawney for making me take those remedial classes. An image appeared on the ball. I was standing in front of Melanie. She was hugging me.

"Yes! Yes, you are going to find your girlfriend. You find her by going through a portal."

I saw another flash of thunder inside of the crystal ball. Mom's voice cried out again from within.

"Ah! Ask another question, quick!"

I stammered.

"Uh… Uh…"

Mom screamed in pain again.

"Do I make the portal myself?" I said.

Another image appeared in the crystal ball, but it was fuzzy. I remembered a lecture Trelawney gave me on fuzzy images. You can make them crystal clear with a simple spell. I cast it and watched. The picture was of me bolting into Darius' portal.

"No! He comes for you. Just wait and be patient. You're a Hufflepuff, correct? They value patience!" Mom said.

I had always wondered why exactly I was a Hufflepuff. I was probably the least patient person I knew.

Mom screamed in pain again. She was running out of energy. I could only ask one last question.

"Do I live in the end, what about Melanie?"

I heard my mom scream in pain.

"Yes, you do live, but…"

I moved the clouds in the crystal ball and saw the image of the future. Melanie was dead. She was bleeding all over the place. I was holding her in my arms.

"I can change the future, Mom. People have done it before." I said.

"You… I…" The crystal ball lost all energy. Mom removed her wand from the ball's plug and fell down.