37. Yesterday
"And she has not said a word to you either?" Dippet asked Madame Garrah, whose eyes were lined with more bags than ever due to her constant worry for Mora, who had been in the hospital wing for the past two days.
"No headmaster," she replied. "She just seems to stare off into space, she barley eats anything."
"Is she truly that injured?"
"Physically, she has been weakened, terribly. She has lost all strength, like she's lost the will to live. Emotionally," she lowered her voice, her gaze darting over to the girl who remained awake, unable to shut her eyes for fear of what may lay in her dreams, "Emotionally….Merlin, who knows what must have happened. She is completely shattered."
Mora lay motionless, although she could hear every word they were saying. Did they honestly believe they weren't obvious whenever they talked about her? But no matter what they whispered of, how they worried, what they were diagnosing her with, nothing the professors or the acclaimed healers that had been called to examine her could do to penetrate her. Nothing could possibly take away or add to the pain that she felt. And it was from one little memory.
Thunder clapped above the flimsy, cottage roof, ringing out its fury on the sleeping children. Mora sat curled up in her bed, unable to even move in her spot. The bed was small, barely big enough for a dog to fit in, but Mora would not complain. She was the smallest of her family, after all, and the only one who even had something to sleep on beside the cold, dusty ground of the one-roomed shack.
The cottage lay in the middle of now where as far as Mora could tell. Large towering trees hovered over view, blocking the shelter from all eyes, or as far as Mora's young brain could fathom.
It had only seemed like yesterday when the family was safe at home, only for their father to rush them out of their warm house and lead them to this dump.
Had it not been yesterday, that Clara heard her long time boyfriend from Beauxbatons had dumped her that lead to a week and a half of trying to cheer her up? Had it not been yesterday that Ardien started school? Had it not been yesterday that Joshua had failed miserably on a good half of his exams?
Where had yesterday gone? Had it turned its back on the Carteas, leaving them to fend for themselves but nothing left but it's sweet memories? Had it truly deserted them?
Casting her small grimaced hazel eyes towards the other sleeping bodies, Mora watched as they, for the most part, slept peacefully side by side, despite the harsh conditions they were put under.
It was strange, Mora had such a large family, and yet Mora felt strangely and utterly alone.
Her father wandered off somewhere unknown outside the cabin when he insisted for the past two days he not let himself sleep at nights for some strange fear that Mora did not know of.
As another bolt of thunder laced across the violet night sky, Mora felt her heart race, pitter-pattering loudly inside her tiny body. Unable to muster any of her own courage any longer, she hurried off her dog bed. Shuffling across the room, she curled beside her sister, wanting desperately to feel safe in her arms.
"OUCH…. Josh you moron, that's my stomach!" Clara groaned groggily as Mora accidentally elbowed her in the gut roughly.
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!" Joshua hissed angrily, apparently he had also been awake this entire time. Snapping his eyes open, Josh's gaze feel onto Mora, who had been holding herself tighter and tighter with each passing moment.
"Mora?" he coughed, pushing through his immensely long and shaggy blonde hair that had been growing profusely the past year.
"Mora," Clara whispered, leaning towards the girl, "what are you doing up?"
"I…I couldn't sleep…" Mora squeaked, hoping she wasn't about to be scolded.
Clara's face softened as she pulled her youngest sister closer, all too aware of what confusion and pain she must be going through. "Mora, what if you woke dad? What would he say?"
"That there's nothing to worry about," Mora recited in shame, hanging her head. Oh yes, she had been through this before. And each time, she had been told the exact same thing.
There's nothing to worry about…. Everything's all right…. Don't worry….
"Phf, yeah right," Joshua scoffed as he turned onto his side, huffing to him self although loud enough to catch Clara's ear.
"Merlin, for once, Josh, will you please set a good example for her!" Clara snapped, not noticing as Ardien rolled out from his fake sleep, watching as the scene unfolded.
"Okay, you want me to be the model 'oldest sibling,' gag that we all want to believe is true? Do you?" Josh ranted as he stomped off his feet, Clara rolling her eyes at her elder brother's stupidity. "Well how about a little honesty, that's what all the model families do, don't they? Not that we would know what perfect is either, considering we're the farthest from it."
"There are many worst off than us," Clara warned, dangerously dropping her tone as she rose from her spot on the ground to reach eye to eye with her brother, although his lanky figure towered over her.
"Oh, you mean the one's they've already killed!" Josh cried in mock happiness. "Well, they we're lucky, considering they didn't have all this time we do to think about when they're gonna show up for us, now did they?"
Ardien looked over in curiosity, while Mora buried her face in her hands, not wanting to listen to her brother and sister fight any longer.
"Drop it right now, Josh, you know as well as I do we don't know the whole story," Clara snapped, suddenly coming to her breaking point. Ever since their father had sat them down for this talk three mere days ago, both Joshua and Clara seemed to always be on edge, unable to even be civil to one another.
"We sure as bloody hell know enough!" he stormed, flinging his arms in the air. "Why don't we just tell her now and spare everyone this misery!"
"Tell who?" Ardien inquired curiously, finally making his presence in the room evident.
"No one!" Clara shouted, instantly Ardien reverted to his timid state. She turned her stare back to Josh, her crystal blue eyes slicing through him like ice.
"You know as well as I do," she started, dropping her voice to a point where Mora could barley distinguish the words, "When dad told us it was for us to help protect the others. Okay Josh? Protect them. Not to frighten them."
"But how can we protect them if they don't even know what they're up against?"
"We don't even know what we're up against, Josh," Clara said forcefully. "Ever since, he disappeared, dad assumed we were safe. But now…now, who knows. Some of his supporters are still out there, just like when they found mom…"
"Don't even go there!" Joshua snarled back. "No use remembering lost battles…"
"Josh, look at you," Clara sighed as she gazed to her brother, a mix of sadness and hope trailing in her voice. "Sixteen and you expect you can save us all. We can't even save ourselves. We don't even know why they're after us."
"We know why!" Josh snapped, "We know they want -"
"But have you ever stopped yourself to think why Josh? Have you ever stopped to even imagine what they could possibly want with, you know..." she said, trying to be as discreet as possible. She pulled her brother closer, whispering in his ear.
"Have you ever wondered what he, and them, could possibly want with her? She's just a baby, a child. Barley coming into her powers, what threat could she possibly posses? Have you ever even asked yourself that, Josh?"
"Every day I'm alive and mom isn't," he responded, still in his sister's grasp.
"Then let's not make her sacrifice, and the ones dad and all of us are making, go in vain," Clara said softly.
"Is everything okay sissy?" Mora called nervously, easing away the tension hanging in the humid air with the slightest hint of her voice.
"Of course, Mora," Clara cooed, pulling Mora into her arms. "Everything's all right. Now let's all try to get some sleep."
But as soon as the children rested their heads back to the ground, trying to snatch away even one moment of uninterrupted peace from the hectic world that lay yards away, fate had another thing planned for them.
"INCENDIO!"
An explosion rocketed through the woods, sending each and every Cartea child jumping to their feet in fright. Glowing red and yellow flames painted the sky, dancing with their terror over the trees, now crumbling into ashes. Their entire line of sight had gone up into the blaze, the flames dripping dangerously close to the roof of their shack.
"KIDS!" Mr. Cartea shouted from outside. Bolting into the cabin, Mora could tell this was much worse than she expected. Wand extended, a fierce, yet terrified look stamped onto his face. "We have to move, NOW!"
Without needing any more warning, Joshua and Clara simultaneously wrenched out their wands. A look of collectiveness surfaced over their tired expressions, masking their utter fear and unknowing of what was to come next. Joshua turned to Clara, whose composure was on the urge of falling apart.
"Whatever you do, do not let them see your face," he warned, fearing the same demise for her as it had fallen upon their mother, the same mistakes their attackers had made four years ago.
"It makes no difference," Clara sighed. She cast her same, hazel eyes to the ground. She knew this was it. She knew the moment they even caught a glimpse of her, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
Little did the attackers know, it was her baby sister and not her that they seeked that night.
"Clara, what's…?" Ardien started.
"Not a word," their father snapped, instantly silencing the curious and frightened boy. Mora stood silent, unable to piece together emotions or words to what anxiety she was feeling know.
Flooding around the horizon, what sounded as if dozens of voices cackled through the night air, admiring the blaze. They surrounded the shack completely, forcing Mr. Cartea to regretfully abandon any escape routes he would lead the kids on.
"Let us end this, once and for all," a voice snarled.
"RUN KIDS!" Mr. Cartea screeched. But before they could even reach the door, it was too late. A hurdle or fire cascade over the house, creating a giant inferno where they now stood. Fighting through the flames, Clara wrenched Mora off the ground, shielding the child in her arms.
"No matter what happens," she whispered in the girl's tiny pea shaped ear, "When we get out there, run as fast as you can and don't look back. I will follow you."
Mora nodded hastily, although Clara knew very well that she would not be upholding to this agreement. Shoving his boot into the flames, Mr. Cartea kicked down the door. He and Joshua took the brunt of the battle, attempting to shield the others from the cascade of curses coming their way.
Jumping behind her father and brother, Clara dropped Mora. "Go there as soon as I fall, see?" she said, pointing to the woods as she blocked a spell which came dangerously close to her head.
"Fall? Why fall?" Mora yelped, her tiny little voice shaking in confusion and utter terror.
"Do it, Mora!" Clara orded, tears stuck in her eyes.
"There she is!" a voice called. Turning hastily, Clara watched in horror as a green flash of light soared towards her, slamming right into her chest. A look of shock and horror forever shammed onto her face, Clara toppled backwards, crashing into the flimsy wall of the house.
"CLARA!" Joshua screamed, watching as his sister became engulfed with flames.
"YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR, I'll KILL YOU!" Joshua shouted, running head on into the mist of the wizard.
"Josh, NO, STOP IT'S A -"
Another scream ripped through the forest, followed by the hollow thud of a limp body hitting the ground. Terrified, Mora buried her head into her hands as Ardien pulled her closer to him.
Go there as soon as I fall…as soon as I fall...
Mustering up all the strength harbored in her tiny body, Mora felt her legs beneath her rocket as she sprinted away into the obese of trees, pulling Ardien behind her. Just as they slipped away, all eyes fell upon them, the attackers realizing yet again they had missed their mark.
"Mora, where are we -"
"THEY'RE HERE, THEY'RE HERE!"
"IT'S THEM!"
"THEY CANNOT HIDE!"
"JUST A BIT FURHTER!"
Suddenly alarmed by the wizards in hot pursuit of them, Mora spotted a large chasm in the ground, covered by a billow of moss and roots that sprang from the ground. Without taking any hesitation, she dove inside, pulling her brother down with her.
Feeling her ankle snap beneath her weight, Mora opened her mouth to scream out in pain. Without warning, a hand clasped against her mouth, shunning away any sound. In panic, Mora turned to see her father behind her and Ardien.
"Where did they go?" one attacker snapped.
"They must have gone up ahead!" another called as the stamped of angry feet pounded from above.
Resting his hands firmly upon the shoulders of his remaining two shivering, crying children, Mr. Cartea felt tears consume him, attacked his sense of courage he meant to portray for his and their mother's children. Needing to escape before the wizards realized their fatal error, Mr. Cartea apperated away, the three last Cartea's dissolving into the air as the raging fire consumed the last of Joshua and Clara.
But the Death Eaters had not hit their mark that night. And it would only take them a few more years to realize grave error.