July 7th 2022, (VI: Chapter 1)
The almost four year old Sly Atoll was the first to awaken as he usually was, pale light was leaking in from the tiny window stamped above the chest of drawers. He stretched before climbing down from his bunk bed, the lower one taken by his still sleeping older sister, Whit, who was nine. He crept out of their small room and into kitchen/dining/living room that was most of their apartment above one of the shops in Knockturn Alley, there were large almost ceiling to floor windows on the living room side presenting a lovely view of the alley against a burnt orange sky cast the whole room in a warm glow. There were no drapes and his mother had instead charmed them so that people couldn't see in, one of the mismatched two seater couches was facing out though and the other one was adjacent in front of the potions cupboard with bookshelves over it.
He strode over to the window wall, opening one of them enough for an owl to enter before returning to the kitchen corner which was closed to his room. With practiced efficiency – and the help of a stepping stool to allow him to reach the counters - he filled the rusting old kettle and put it on the stove to heat up, threw some bread in the magically adapted monster of a toaster then got out a chipped white mug, dropping in spoonful of precious cocoa powder and several helpings of sugar for his hot chocolate before adding milk. The toaster popped just as he finished putting the unused ingredients back, he swiftly deposited them onto the chopping board and put in some more slices of bread to replace them then started buttering the golden brown toast, relishing the appetizing smell as the soft butter melted into the bread. He heard rather than saw the delivery owl as it flew in through the window, depositing the Daily Prophet on the counter beside him obediently.
"Thank you," Sly offered to the owl, barely having time to glance at it before it gave a hoot and flew off, he followed it and closed the window behind it to shut out the smoggy London air.
He returned to the kitchen where the kettle was now boiling, he took it off the heat and poured it into his mug which he stirred then sampled. Perfect. The next load of toast popped so he replaced it with more uncooked slices and buttered the finished ones, doing this a couple of times until there was enough toast for the four of them. Smiling to himself at his own efficiency, he cut then plated the slices and carefully brought the platter of toast to the haggard wooden table. He tucked the paper under his arm, grabbed his hot chocolate and a smaller plate for his portion.
Finally he sat down - his back to the window for the most light – threw some slices of toast to his smaller plate and propped the paper against the curved edge of the platter for him to read, the headline was about the Shadows just like it usually was: TURKEY FALLS TO THE SHADOWS. Sly settled in to read it as he munched on his toast and sipped his hot chocolate, his eyes skimming the current events with interest as he moved further into the paper, he did like to read all of it except for the Sports section because he didn't understand Quidditch and the job listings page as it obviously didn't apply to him. He also tended to save the crossword for the evening, he, his dad and sister often worked it out together before bed.
"Sly!" an overly chipper voice beamed happily from behind him and Sly scowled without looking, annoyed at the interruption by his least favorite family member, Belladonna, his mother, "Look who's up."
"I'm always the first-"
"Ooh toast," she interrupted – he doubted she'd even been listening – interestedly, plopping down on the seat beside him.
Her sleek dark brown hair was tied into a loose ponytail, she was wearing nothing more than a very short buttercup yellow silk bathrobe that her large boobs were practically falling out of. Sly averted his eyes uncomfortably as she drew her wand from… somewhere on her person to summon another plate from the cupboard, he supposed he should just be glad she was wearing something at all, he knew the drug she liked made her feel warm even when it was freezing. And she was on the drug right now, she was only every this cheerful when she was high as if the widely dilated pupils weren't a dead giveaway, he knew it was the first thing she did when she woke up anyway.
"Needs mustard," she muttered to herself and he glanced back to see she'd nibbled the edge of a lone piece of toast she'd put on the plate, she flicked her wand again to wordlessly summon a bottle of mustard that she immediately started squeezing it out onto her plate.
He tried to ignore her and just go back to reading his paper, succeeding for a while as she was entertained by squeezing practically the entire mustard bottle onto the toast and giggling. Out of the corner of his eye he would notice as she summoned more condiments to add, by the time it was done her toast was drowned in a soupy mess that bore more resemblance to some kind of abstract marble artwork as opposed to breakfast. She then sat there looking at it, her unfocused eyes shifting around the slop with a look of unearned awe.
"Are you actually going to eat that?" Sly wondered curiously, thinking it looked absolutely disgusting. Belladonna jumped in surprise as he spoke as if she'd forgotten he was there. She gazed at him for a second then lowered her gaze back to the plate.
"No," she said finally, pushing the plate away, "I didn't think it was edible."
"It was before you smothered it."
"What was it originally?"
"Toast," Sly pointed out irritably, conversing with her could be quite frustrating and he was stuck alone with her. His dad and Whit nearly always woke later then he and his mother did, unfortunately they weren't morning people.
"Oh right, well I wasn't hungry anyway," his mum giggled, pushing the sauce drowned plate towards him, "It is prettier though, don't you think? Look at all those lights."
"Hmm," Sly managed as he turned back to his paper, he didn't feel like lying to her but then he also didn't feel like telling the truth either. He could feel her eyes watching him.
"Do you know that you're the only son I have?" she pointed out after a minute, Sly tried ignore her ramblings and focus on the words on the page, "All the rest were girls, you were the only one that wasn't a girl, you were a boy. I think that makes you interesting, I also like that you weren't a baby long because of Vanharisk. Babies are annoying, Sly, so annoying, I don't understand what Lawson sees in them. But then he's an idiot so who knows what that retard think, nothing smart that's for sure."
"I'm going to go get dressed," Sly decided, he didn't like when she started insulting his dad or sister. He had just about had his fill of toast and had finished off his hot chocolate anyway, he folded over the paper to finish when he was dressed and with any luck his mum would have gone over to the window to gape at the light for a while to give him some peace.
"I'm going to stay here, I like this chair. It's a good chair."
"Have fun."
Sly slipped away, going into the bathroom first to brush his teeth then back to the bedroom he shared with his sister to get dressed and comb his hair. Whit was disappointingly still asleep so he made an effort to… well not exactly be loud but he deliberately didn't try to be quiet, he didn't avoid the creaky bit of floorboard or make an effort to close the drawer gently-
"I'm awake," Whit's voice came muffled from under the blankets, "You can stop being so loud now."
"Someone is sleepy today," Sly teased playfully as he continued to get dressed, "You picked a bad time for it too, Mother's trying to drown the toast in mustard so I'd suggest you get a move on if-"
"I have a headache," Whit's simple statement slipped the smirk from his face.
"Bad?"
"Yeah, it's pretty bad."
"I'll tell Dad when he wakes up," Sly offered as he finished up and combed his hair neatly.
"Thanks," Whit muttered and he saw a hint of a grateful smile under the cocoon of blankets she'd buried the top of her head in.
"You owe me one."
"Put it on my tab."
"I think you might need a new tab."
"I think you might want to reconsider that when you think about how many you owe me."
"Hmm… I guess we'll consider the tally even for now then."
Sly smiled to himself weakly as he left her to rest, she hadn't completely lost her sense of humor so hopefully it wasn't too bad, headaches – outside of when you were actually drinking the Vanharisk – tended to be taken pretty seriously as it could be a bad sign but his dad was pretty good at care of it. He closed the door carefully behind him to help limit aggravating noise reaching her even more, his mum was still at the table now peering at his paper and his dad still not there.
"So Turkey's toast, huh?" Belladonna questioned as he approached, giggling to herself immediately.
"Apparently," Sly agreed, clearing away some of the dishes, "Some people are worried the Shadows are just going to sweep through all of Europe next."
"Oh I hope so," she said with a firm bite to her words that temporarily gave Sly pause, enough that he had to stop filling the kitchen sink to look back to her.
"You hope so?"
"It's kind of interesting, don't you think?" Belladonna offered, lifting her head away from the paper to capture his eyes readily, propping her head on her hands to keep her gaze steady, the corners of her lips curling into a twisted smile, "To watch this world burn, who'd have thought it'd happen in our lifetime?"
"I mean, the Shadows might still be stopped."
"By who? The Ministry?" she giggled at the suggestion which quickly became a fully-fledged laugh.
"Well no, they're clearly incompetent but there are others fighting them," Sly pointed out, though this wasn't a hill he was going to die on. He just found it hard to imagine things changing so drastically, the things in the paper always just seemed so far away.
"Eh they had their chance, let the world burn I say. I bet the colors of the flames will be so pretty."
"But we're in the world."
"So?" she sneered, her tone nasty, "Sly, you may not have realized this yet because you're so young and naïve but… well, this world sucks, just wait until deluded supremacists kill your parents for having the wrong blood then see how you do fending for yourself out in the cold. It'll chew you up and spit you out, give it a few years and you'll be cheering on the flames too, when the smoke clears maybe it'll be better."
"Morning," his dad greeted them suppressing a yawn as he strode into the room, dressed but disheveled as if he'd just gotten up in a hurry, "Why are you guys salways up so early?"
"Because we don't constantly have nightmares, you should try it sometime."
"Shut up," he balked with a scowl before his mismatched eyes found the toast, he his expression brightening as he snatched up a piece, "Thanks, Sly."
"Before you have breakfast you should check on Whit," Sly pointed out as his dad took a bite out of the toast and joined him in the kitchen to get a glass of water.
"Why? Ish she sick?" he asked before another bite.
"She has a headache," Sly explained to which the brows on his father's gaunt face furrowed with concern and he gave a nod of acknowledgement, gulping down some of the water to wash down the bread before leaving both as he went to check on her.
"The stupid brat is always causing trouble," his mother complained and Sly looked back to her, seeing she was now tracing shapes in the mustard mess with one hand while the other kept her face propped up still, "Guess she gets that from him, worthless losers the both of them."
"No, they're not," Sly snapped irritably, she didn't look up but the corners of her mouth twitched amusingly.
"Only weak people are bothered by words, dear."
Sly gave a snort of disagreement but didn't bother to engage her as he went back to the cleaning of his dishes, very much looking forward to the day he'd be able to do this with a wand. His dad returned after a few minutes, rifled through the potions cupboard then went back into the bedroom. Sly finished up his own dishes, putting them back neatly once they were dry before going back over to the table to get his paper, his mum was still making a mess out of her mess. It was then his dad came back out again, this time seemingly done as he went back to his water and toast.
"How is she?" Sly asked worriedly, his dad swallowed the mouthful of toast before answering.
"I gave her a sleeping draught as we're out of pain prelief potion," he explained, tossing the crusts and taking another slice, "I'll pick up more ingredients when I'm out, hopefully it'll have passed py then but if not we can brew her up something. She should be fine long as she can take it easy."
"That's good."
"Lawson, I want some more," Belladonna spoke up abruptly, pouting childishly as she shoved the messy plate away from her.
"You've already had some," his father said with a firm frown as they locked eyes.
"But it's wearing off, I want more," she insisted icily as they locked eyes, mutual dislike flickered across the pair of them. Sly tensed as the atmosphere in the room froze over, his own eyes darting between seemed to be the only thing that moved.
"Fine," his father said finally with a sigh, breaking away the gaze and Sly exhaled heavily, just relieved it hadn't come to another fight, "But make it last, I don't know how long I'll be gone and I won't tave much with me unless something went horribly wrong."
He left the kitchen while Belladonna's lips curled triumphantly, Sly blinked as he noticed her slip her slender wand back into her robe. She had been willing to fight about it, he wondered if his father had also noticed. Sometimes he felt like they'd be better off without his mother, sometimes he felt like that a lot.
He watched as his father walked over to the wall nearest the door where there was a thin built in sideboard, his father slashed his wand across the ecru colored wall causing it to ripple indicating the enchantment was open. His father reached inside and took out a small box, holding it carefully in one hand he slashes at the wall again and it solidified once more. He father carried it back over to the kitchen, his mother was practically drooling with anticipation as her dilated eyes followed the box as he placed it on the counter, popping the lid and taking out one small vial. Belladonna held out her hand.
"Now, since Whit has a headhache, you mustn't give her her dose of Vanharisk today," his father told her as he closed the box, turning back to her with the vial but he didn't give it to her, "Do you understand? It's very important."
"Of course I understand, Lawson, I'm not a fucking moron," Belladonna snapped irritably, stretching her hand out further across the table towards him, "No Vanharisk for little miss precious today, now give me the goddamned potion you stupid piece of shit."
His father sighed a final time before reluctantly handing it over to her, she snatched it back and faster than he could blink she had it uncorked it with the acidic liquid sliding down her throat. She shuddered for a second before leaning back, a wide smile splitting across her skyward face though he noted his father's look of frosty disapproval as he turned back to the box, practicing a few times before casting a miniaturization spell on it.
"Do you have to go so soon?" Sly asked of his father, following him to the cloak rack by the door where he swept on his thick black cloak – unlike his mother, his father seemed to struggle to be warm even in summer – and pocketed the box.
"Yeah, you know Aurors have been boking their noses around since they arrested Voldemort's son, can't afford to fwait any longer to unload this batch and my contact is waiting," his dad explained before crouching to be on eye level him and putting his familiar bony hands on his shoulders, his crooked smile was kind and his mismatched gaze comforting, "Have to get the money to pay for your cake don't we? Long as Whit's feeling better we can still order it tomorrow, anyone you want, just like I promised. Okay?"
"Okay," Sly agreed, returning the smile easily as the excitement he'd been trying not to think about bubbled to the surface. His dad kissed his head and pulled him into a hug, Sly clung to him tightly back feeling his father's bones even through the robe and his brittle waves of dull black hair on his cheek until his dad pulled away.
"See you later."
"See you later," Sly echoed, giving his father a wave as he headed out to do his business.
Sly's eyes flickered over to where his mother was still at the table staring upward, her hands now grasping outwards like she was attempting to grab something that wasn't even there. He would not be doing any schoolwork until she calmed down a bit, unperturbed he simply slunk over to the couch, curling up into one of the corners and finishing his read-through of the current events, mostly just regurgitating the same spoonfuls of knowledge they had on the Shadows.
His mind wandering a bit as he contemplated tomorrow, they rarely ever could afford to get to cake so it would be a big treat to have it for his birthday and the first time the choice was all his. He still was unsure which cake to get, whether to get something more adventurous he and Whit would enjoy or just the blandest thing possible so his dad would hopefully still be able to eat it, he wanted him to be able to share in the festivities after all and he did worry about his health sometimes. He also wasn't sure whether he should get what he wanted or just the cheapest thing possible because money was tight even though his dad had encouraged him not to worry about it, he also was tempted just to get something he knew his mother wouldn't like it so she wouldn't be tempted to eat it all. It also depended what they had, he wasn't entirely sure what options he should expect them to have.
His mother called him back over to the table just after he finished reading the paper and was just skimming the crossword, she'd come down enough to be coherent and reheated the toast for them to eat for lunch which was rare because usually they didn't have lunch but Whit's headache and his father's need to leave had left the platter unfinished. His mum cleaned up magically then gave him several rolls of parchment of math problems to practice - mostly fractions which was what they had been working on recently – and later instructed him to read two chapters on a history book covering the Second Wizarding War while she checked over his answers to the sums, he flew through them quickly and she gave him a short quiz about it to ensure he was absorbing the information. She then gave him his weekly dose of Vanharisk, his brain burned intensely for a few minutes before subsiding.
After that she declared he was free for the day and left him to his own devices, he got out the massive tome entitled A History of Wizarding Law – Part One from the bookshelf to continue where he'd left off, Whit teased him over how dull it was but he found it quite fascinating seeing how things came to be how they were and how changing attitudes effected the changes in law, how they adapted to magical breakthroughs and discoveries, it was engrossing to him. He'd asked for the second part in the series for his birthday next week, he was really hoping he'd get it but he knew big tomes like this were pricy, they'd only got even this one because it was second hand and the previous owner had doodled on some of the pages. A bored kid he expected, normal kids were so stupid.
Sly was so absorbed in it at first that he didn't really notice how late it was getting until his eyes were straining to read in the day's dying light, his mum put the lights on and drew him back to the reality that his dad hadn't come home yet, normally his dad would be making dinner right now. It was unusual- though not unheard of- for his father to be gone this late, especially in summer where the days were shorter. The reason for this was obvious, his mother- who was now thankfully dressed, a black satin dress hung over her slender frame – was pacing like a caged dragon, wringing her wand in her hand as her non-dilated eyes smoldered with fury, his dad never liked to leave them completely alone with her for too long. He hoped he was okay.
"Well look who finally decided to grace us with her presence," his mother's voice snapped abruptly and Sly lifted his eyes back up from his book to see his sister had wandered into the room, still in her white nightgown with her short bob of dark brown hair all messy like she had just woken up, her right palm was pressed to her forehead though the eyes that shifted to scowl at their mother were still as sharp a gray as their father, "Welcome back, you lazy shit."
"Where's Dad?" Whit asked, ignoring Belladonna's insults.
"Not here obviously, you dumb cunt, you blind as well as stupid?"
"He isn't back yet," Sly amended while Whit went over into the kitchen section to pour herself a glass of water, "Probably got held up dodging those useless Auror patrols, he should be back any minute."
"Bloody Auror patrols," Whit muttered as she sipped on her glass of water.
"You see a smart person would've actually taken that into account and left me something!" Belladonna ranted angrily, already back to her frustrated pacing beside the windows, "Oh just you wait until he gets back, he's going to fucking get it."
"He's tried leaving you some before, you always just take it immediately and are still pacing around in angry withdrawal right about now," Whit pointed out smartly, sipping her glass with false innocence as their mother halted again to throw daggers at her, "Honestly, Mother, you'd expect someone as old as you to have a bit more self-control."
Belladonna balked for a moment, her face clouding over like thunder while her children hid their smirks in their glass and book respectively. Their triumph at having gotten one over on her was short lived however as he face quickly morphed into a smile of her own, she approached the potions' cupboard and took out something that Sly couldn't see from his angle.
"Well, since you're feeling so much better, why don't we give you your medicine?" Belladonna sneered as she held up the vial she'd taken from the cupboard, Vanharisk.
"But Dad said-" Sly tried to protest but she cut him off.
"I know what your stupid father said," she insisted as she approached Whit, his sister looking nervous now as she put down the almost empty glass and pushed her hair back behind her ears the way she liked it, "But if that retard expected me to listen to him then maybe he shouldn't leave me so not high and dry all fucking day."
"I don't think you're supposed to take Vanharisk if you have a headache," Whit pointed out as their mother reached her side, uncorked the vial, "It's not… healthy."
"Well, sweetheart, that sounds very much like a you problem," Belladonna said in a mockingly saccharine concern, holding out the vial that Whit stared at with apprehensive eyes, "Now are you going to take this yourself or do I have to force it down your throat?"
"Mother, why don't we-" Sly was starting to say as he closed his book, hoping to diffuse the situation but the words died on his lips.
His mother hadn't even waited long enough for Whit to respond, in one swift motion she had one slender hand forcing her daughter's head back while the other poured the liquid down her shocked open mouth with the other.
She stepped back as Whit choked on the force fed potion for a while, for the briefest of seconds everything was okay but then Whit started to scream. Her hands curled around her head as she screamed and screamed, louder and louder, higher and higher until it barely even sounded like a recognizable human sound. Trails of the darkest crimson leaked out from between her fingers, blood spilling from her ears.
Abruptly the screaming stopped and instead her body started to convulse, as if she was a puppet on a string a child had grabbed hold of and just shaking violently. Her gray eyes glazed over like polished glass and froth foamed from her still gaping mouth as her body seized, hitting the floor with a bang and continuing to writhe, limbs flailing like a dying spider while her head thumped against the hard ground again and again.
"Whit!" Sly cried as his body unfroze from his horror, tossing his book carelessly aside and running over to her but he was helpless. He didn't know what to do. Desperately he turned to the only other person in the room, Belladonna was watching with her arms folded perfectly calmly, "Help her! Please!"
"Help her?" his mother sneered as she looked down on him and Sly caught her eyes, they were as cold and dark and empty as the starless sky outside. Did she really not care?
"She's your daughter," Sly pleaded, feeling his own eyes fill with tears as the sounds of his sister's convulsions continued behind him.
"Yeah and bitch had this coming, she and Lawson deserve each other."
"Mother, you've proved your point, now save her!" Sly begged, falling to his knees as the tears spilled from his eyes onto the worn floorboards, the sob shaking his small body so much he put his hands down to steady himself, "Please."
"You're pathetic, Sly, you know that?" her words dripped like acid onto him and abruptly he felt a sharp pain flash across his cheek. He knelt up, putting a hand to his stinging cheek where she'd slapped him, "Mummy, please help me! Mummy, please save her! Begging is the most pathetic thing you can do, you make me sick."
"It's all I can do," Sly choked, feeling his tears sliding down his cheek as his mother crouched to his level, meeting her eyes again and seeing they were as hard as flint.
"It's worthless, if all you can is beg then you may as well save your breath and say nothing at all because at least then you'll still have your dignity. If you're in a situation where begging is the only option you have left then it's already too late for you, you shouldn't have gotten yourself into that situation in the first place. People won't care for your please or the worst people will relish it, the Death Eaters used it to love it when their victims begged, gives them a power trip and people like power, Sly, everyone likes power. It's all that really matters really," Belladonna explained to him, her words hard and jagged as she reached out to wipe away his tears with one hand, her face still a sneer, "And to cry? You never, ever let anyone see you cry, if people see your weakness they will just it against it you."
"I hate you," Sly spat out childishly, half-expecting another slap but his mother merely smiled.
"Well hate is good, hate is strong and you'll need to be strong if you want to survive," she said as she stood back up, "And I'm right whether you hate me or not, you'll realize that someday."
She flicked her wand and Sly turned his head, seeing it was directed at Whit's body which had gone still. She levitated her over to one of the couches and Sly scrambled back to his feet, running over to her with his heart lodged in his throat. Her glassy eyes were still open, gazing out sightlessly in different directions and her mouth remained eschew with foam staining her pale lips. She was still breathing though, barely, her chest rose and fell in a slow, uneven way. Every breath long and ragged, rattling in a way that sounded like each one was a great struggle.
"She needs medical attention," Sly stated and looked back to his mother who had her arms folded again.
"I know."
"She- She might die."
"I know."
"Doesn't it bother you that you might kill her?" Sly asked but it came out more like a demand, his mother shrugged.
"Wouldn't be my first kill," Belladonna said calmly and Sly felt an icy feeling shiver down his spine, her smile was cold, "Serves Lawson right for taking so long. Let's hope Daddy comes home soon, eh?"
Sly turned back to his sister, his fists clenching and unclenching uselessly at his side while his mind searched for answers that weren't there. He didn't know what to do, his mother wouldn't help and his father wasn't here, he didn't even where he'd be to go out and look for him. He didn't really feel comfortable leaving her alone with Belladonna anyway, actually he didn't really feel comfortable leaving her at all. He swallowed, his mother was right about one thing he supposed, he did wish he had power right now. He hated feeling this helpless.
In the absence of anything else to do, he reached out and took hold of her hand gently. It was cold and unresponsive to his touch but he held on anyway, not sure if she was conscious or able to feel anything or even aware of his presence. He was aware though, he hoped she wasn't in pain.
"I'm here, Whit," Sly whispered so quietly to make sure his mother couldn't hear, the words caught in his throat, "I… I love you."
He didn't know if Whit was capable of hearing, he hoped she was mentally teasing him for being so sappy and overreacting to her condition but… he wanted to say it to her, at least once while she was alive because he was scared any second she'd cease to be. He hated feeling this scared.
He stood still as he loyally kept his vigil over his sister, listening to each long dragged out breathe with Belladonna's frantic pacing and occasional curses at his father behind him, watching as her waxy skin lost all of his warmth and took on a sickly blue tinge instead. His tears dried, her motionless hand warmed under his touch, minutes could've passed or hours, time didn't seem to exist until finally…
The door clicked.
"Sorry, I'm so late," his father was saying as he entered the apartment, Sly finally ripped his hand from Whit's to see his dad slinging a bag from the apothecary off his shoulder and putting the miniaturized box down on the sideboard, Belladonna made a beeline for it.
"About fucking time!" his mother spat murderously, enlarging the box herself to get at her precious drug.
"It's not my fault! The place is prawling with Aurors, something must've happened because they're all after-"
"Dad!" Sly called out to get his attention, his voice strangled and serious. His dad's mismatched gaze shifted to him, then beyond him.
"Whit…" his father's word was breathless as he bolted for her, tripping over his own feet and falling to his knees beside her, his hands trembled as they waved his wand over her, "WHAD DID YOU DO?!"
"Just gave her the Vanharisk," Belladonna said innocently, Sly glanced back to confirm the smile he heard in her voice.
"I told you-" he spluttered, head darted back indignantly.
"Oh, I remember what you said," she interrupted smoothly, her smile only widening as if she was enjoying his distress, "But if you expected me to listen maybe you shouldn't leave me alone for such long periods of time without any Euphoria."
His father said nothing, turning back to Whit too fast for Sly to get a read on his expression. He waved his wand over her frantically, muttering jumbled curses while his mother started downing whatever Euphoria was left unchallenged. Sly crept closer to his dad and sister, watching him working and seeing that it didn't seem to be having any effect.
"Will she be okay?" Sly asked, his voice suddenly sounding too young and small for his own ears. His father didn't look at him.
"I- I have to take her to St Mungo's," his father's voice stammered out and he swallowed, shocking Sly, none of them had ever gone to St Mungo's, "This sis beyond my ability now, maybe… maybe even beyond yheirs."
"What?!" Belladonna blurted out from behind them as his father got to his feet, tenderly scooping Whit up to his arms, straining a bit as if he struggled to hold her weight, "You can't go to St Mungo's, you're a criminal! They could find out, you'll be arrested!"
"But she might live," he breathed, his voice cracking and Sly saw tears on his scarred face as he turned on his heel and with a sound like a thunderclap he and Whit were suddenly both gone.
"No, wait, take me with you!" Sly cried, reaching out even though it was already too late, blood drops on the floor were the only indication they'd been there at all.
Sly plopped down unceremoniously on the floor in front of the couch Whit had been on, stunned, his thoughts and feelings all tangled into too much of a jumbled mess for him to even process. He felt numb and his hand twitched, feeling suddenly strange now that it was no longer clutched around Whit's. Belladonna was swearing, muttering something about them needing to flee but then she was laughing, the Euphoria was kicking in and her hollow laughter echoed around the silence…
BANG! BANG!
Sly jolted at the loud, impossibly blinking sleep from his eyes. He rubbed them tiredly, his body feeling stiff from falling asleep sitting back against the couch. It felt like his dad had only left with Whit moments before but he could tell from the silver moonlight now bathing him that some time must've passed, he wrung his hands, guiltily wondering how he could possibly have slept at a time like this. Maybe he was just in shock, or maybe this was the dream, it felt so far removed for the calm morning routine he'd gone through this morning.
BANG! BANG!
That sound again, someone knocking on the door he realized quickly and his eyes almost went to it before being distracted by his mother sprinting into the room with a look of panic like a deer caught in a Body Bind Charm. She'd stripped down to her underwear but had a travel bag slung over her shoulder, her dilated eyes were shifting in and out of focus, still high. She turned as if to apparated but nothing happened, she swore instead.
"Anti-apparation charms," she muttered irritably and suddenly Sly knew who was knocking on the other side of the door.
"Open up!" a gruff voice called from the other side of the door, "We're Magical Law Enforcement, we're here to investigate the death of Whitney Atoll."
The casual words hit him with the force of an angry graphorn, his insides suddenly seemed to vanish as the words sloshed themselves around his empty skull. The realization of those words becoming clear and clearer with ever iteration as it struggled to sink in to his brain, increasing in volume every time.
"…the death of Whitney Atoll…"
"…the death of Whitney Atoll…"
"…the death of Whitney Atoll…"
"…the DEATH of Whitney Atoll…"
"...the DEATH of Whitney Atoll..."
An anguished broken scream was ripped from his body and with a surge of magic the row of windows shattered to dust, there was another bang as the door was exploded off its hinges. The Aurors – or whatever Law Enforcement they were – charged into the room while his mother cast a fiery spell in their direction, trying to cover herself as she attempted to throw herself out of the conveniently gone windows but was knocked back by an invisible force with a surprised yelp.
The first Auror threw up a Shield Charm to defend them from her spell, the second fired a Disarming Spell that hit his mother when the force knocked her back. Her wand went flying - clattering to the ground near his own feet – while the first Auror's second spell struck her, immediately ropes bound her in place and she seemed unable to do anything laugh. Sly snatched up her black wand without thinking and jumped to his feet, holding it up against the Aurors.
"Get out of our home!" Sly yelled at them, they looked surprised but made no move to stop him and even lowered his wands. He blinked back tears, needing to seem strong and just wanting everything to go back to how it had been this morning when everyone he cared about had been alive and home.
"Think this one's been given Vanharisk too?" the second Auror said to his companion, the first nodded and they looked at him with… with pity. He didn't want their pity.
"I said get out!"
"I'm afraid we can't do that, kid- Sylvester, isn't it?" the first Auror said.
"It's Sly," Sly spat nastily and the Auror tried to take a step forwards, he waved the wand and something shattered. Whit's nearly empty glass, "GET OUT!"
"I told you, we can't do that. We need to take your mother to the Ministry-"
"Then take her and go!"
"We can't leave you here alone, we need to make sure you're okay."
"My Dad will be back," Sly insisted and the Auror's eyes hardened a bit.
"Your Dad's not coming back, your parents have done some very bad things so your dad is also in Ministry custody-"
"NO!" Sly screamed, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, they were burning the effort of holding back his tears. He heard another bang, snapping his eyes back open and realizing closing them had been a mistake as the first Auror had crossed most of the distance between them. He jabbed the wand firmly at them, "GET AWAY FROME ME!"
"I'm not going to hurt you, Sly, put down the wand. Please."
"Begging is pathetic!" Sly snapped at him darkly, "And this is unlawful arrest, let my father go! Let my father go or I'll… I'll kill you!"
"Sly-"
"I know the spell!"
"I'm sure you do, your parents are Dark Wizards after all."
"Shows what you know, you dumb fuck," Sly sneered at him, "You couldn't detect Dark Magic if it spat in your face, my Dad is- Hey!"
Sly had been so focused on the first Auror that he'd lost track of the second one, he'd come up behind him and was now ripping Belladonna's wand from his fingers. He struggled but the adult was so much bigger and stronger then him.
Wandless, he fell to his hands and knees on the floor. Inexplicably finding himself over the blood drops where his father had disapparated, unsure if it was from Whit's ears or his dad- who'd never really been taught to apparate– splinching himself. But it was all that was left of them now, he scratched at them with his fingers as his eyes burned but he refused to let the tears fall, he refused to cry, he refused to let them see him weak. They were the ones responsible for all this after all, his mother had killed his sister and the Aurors had taken his father away from him. He hated them, he hated them all! Angrily he slammed his fist down onto the dried blood drops, his eyes stopped burning.
"I know it doesn't feel like it now but you're safe now, Sly," the first Auror urged him gently, "It'll be okay."
No, Sly thought to himself as his eyes shifted to where his mother lay nearby as he contemplated what she'd been saying earlier. She was no longer cackling and her eyes were concerned, he caught them though and her lips twitched into a demented kind of knowing smile, it won't be.