The tears had dried, but the pain of loss I felt would never go away. That disappointment would come with me to the grave, it would be stuck in my mind every day until my death. At this point, nothing mattered, neither my happiness nor his. The only thing that mattered was peace and rest. The beautiful rest after death, the cause of all my headaches, all my wounds, all my tears... It must have been his death, the one that would remove all the tangles that prevented the light from reaching my face. I had to kill her even if my life ended up in a cell forever, my happiness depended on that.
We could control the world, the leaves, the breeze, the sound of the birds, everything around us changed shape and appearance. The air hit our faces making our cheeks cold, but our hearts did not stop pumping blood throughout our bodies. Adrenaline dominated my mind, my field of vision only knew the path, I ran dodging branches on the ground, and jumping thorny bushes. Isobel was running a few feet from me, right next to me, like we always used to. Her rapid breathing was the only thing I heard at our unstoppable pace. Her brown hair became tangled every time she jumped a log or a bush at full speed. She looked at me amused, her competitiveness had no marked limits. My sister was the fastest girl among our friends and neighbors, she always won all the races.
Suddenly I stumbled and fell face down on the grassy ground, among broken branches and beetles. Isobel stopped dead, turning around to look at me in surprise, I almost never fell. On the other hand, this time I had done it, and to top it off, I had hurt my hand when I fell. A few drops of blood gushed from the small wound.
―Ouch! ―I complained knowing that it was nothing serious.
―Let me see. ―Isobel approached me very serious. ―That's nothing, don't worry.
Her smile could make me feel better very often. Her joy was so contagious, so good to me, she never left me alone for long. Izzie reached down, took a sharp stone between her fingers and ran it across the palm of her right hand. She winced a little, which was quickly covered with a smile. She carefully lifted me off the ground and held out her arm, her wound in the palm of her hand, bleeding like mine.
―I swear, in the name of the wind, in the name of the forest... I solemnly swear to protect you and love you until the end of my days, Eli.
I looked at Isobel in astonishment, but I knew in that moment, that there was no one in the world more proud of a sister, not as proud as I was. I looked at my injured hand, raised it to her chest and intertwined my fingers with hers. Now we were one again.
―I swear, in the name of the rain, in the name of the sun... I solemnly swear to protect you and love you until the end of my days, Izzie.
After swearing our allegiance, we both plunged into a brotherly hug, blinded by the affection that united us. My sister looked at me radiantly and with mischievous eyes, I knew what she was thinking about. It was so hard to explain how I could know... But I felt it, I could feel how she felt. She started to run leaving me for a short time after her footsteps; her laughter echoed through the deep green trees. The way home was outlined by a path of bright light as we ran like deer through the woods behind the house.
―Mom!
I screamed, seeing her with my father in the rose garden, they were taking photos of the roses that bloomed in the tender sunset. They raised their hands, seeing us run happily towards the house. My father took Izzie in her arms, but at nine years old she weighed more than she appeared and my father's back could not bear it.
―Where have you been all afternoon? ―asked father with his smiling eyes.
―Running through the woods, Elinor has fallen. ―Izzie suppressed a smirk.
―That's not true Isobel. ―I protested lovingly pushing her, we both laughed.
Our mother at that precise moment, appreciating our best moment of the day, she focused on us with her camera. '' Don't move a single hair '' she said making a strange face behind the camera lens. My sister and I couldn't help it, shaggy-haired and out of breath we laughed at her strange face. This must be what the adults called pure happiness.
The light seemed non-existent around me, in my head everything was going round and round without meaning, without escape. Lying on her trunk, I was still crying over the loss of my sister, that little person I would never see again. I got up from the floor distressed and shivering with cold, I approached her desk made of fine wood, with the emblem of our house engraved with the force of her own hand. Her defense against the dark arts books rested on the shelf. How had I not noticed before? It seemed unheard of, I would never have thought this of her.
I left her room feeling sad and not wanting to continue fighting. They had given me a death blow and in a few hours my last remnants of mercy would disappear. I went back to my room dragging my feet, the silence that reigned in my room was deafening. I took off my dress without thinking about anything else. I wanted to sleep, that my mind would wander among the sweet memories of the past, at least there I would be happy. I laid my body down between the sheets, took a last look at the photo on my bedside table and closed my eyes.
The next morning I got up very early. I had been all night without sleeping well, and although I was tired, nothing would stop me from continuing with my plans. I went down to the dining room where the table was clean, in the air you could distinguish the aroma of tea. A blue vase rested on the table, carrying a bouquet of white roses freshly picked from the garden. The window over the sink let in a beam of light, the morning was sunny and bright. I sighed and sat down on one of the chairs, the china cups were set. One for my mother and one for me, the white teapot with blue accents steaming from the spout. My mother walked in the front door, wearing her special gardening outfits. She seemed to be in a very good mood this morning, that must mean the mandrakes seemed to be growing well. Her smile when she saw me sitting was cordial, as always charming. My mother took off her gloves and quickly poured us tea, she seemed to be thirsty. She looked at me surprised at my dark circles and several times she asked me if I had slept well, I nodded distractedly looking at my cup of hot tea.
―Mom, I have to go to London. I have to buy some things for back to school.
―What kind of things, sister?
A figure dressed in a navy blue suit appeared at the door of the house. Her blonde hair was tied up in a high bun, her face was mirrored to mine. Isobel had come from the Wells' house with a smile and ready to make my day miserable, but what she didn't know was that there was nothing she could do to suffocate me, ever again. She walked feeling how she made me nervous with her question, but with a cold mind everything seemed too easy to answer.
―I need to replace my cauldron, it's already worn out.
―Do you need Elinor to lend you money? ―My mother asked seriously.
―No mom, don't worry.
―Do you want me to take you? ―She inquired, taking a sip from her cup.
―If you do not mind...
After a while my mother took the car out of the garage, it was located next to her mandrake orchard, and as we passed by they seemed to be growing very well. My mother would never forgive me. If she knew of my intentions she would be able to lock me in my bedroom forever, knowing the pain would be unbearable. I was quiet, thoughtful and distant throughout the journey. My mother told me about the game that night and how she beat Mr. Bloomfield three times. Two hours in the car with Mom and I almost died of boredom; my hand close to my chest, gently caressing the edges of the necklace that Severus had "gifted" to me, his touch soothed me. Fate had brought us to a crossroads, our paths would never reach a happy ending. I wished her all the luck in the world, because from that moment on she had turned me into another Isobel, cold-blooded and threadbare.
We arrived in London on time. The city was waking up little by little, muggle newspapers were being distributed and men in jackets were hurrying into taxis. A storm cloud stalked the sky deck, we both looked at it with disgust. My mother walked me to the corner of Charing Cross Road, and I got out of the car, impatient for her to go away and stop looking at me worriedly. We kept rain coats in the trunk on the spur of the moment, and I think this was a good time to get mine out.
―Eli, I'll pick you up here in an hour, okay?
I just nodded nervously, trying to show my mother that I was okay. She didn't buy it, she was too smart to do it, but she was hopeless. She started the car and drove away, maybe to the ministry to see her card accomplices or to her good friend Emily's house... I didn't really care too much. I had enough money in the black bag she was carrying, I had been saving it for some emergency. The black cloak had also been a big hit, since I wasn't exactly heading for Diagon Alley.
I walked for a short while until I found "The Leaky Cauldron" which was always incognito to Muggles. I entered it putting the dark cloak around my shoulders, the noisy smoke seemed to never come out of there. The old wizards and witches passed by to rest and chat happily. My feet roamed the place without paying attention to anyone, I couldn't afford to waste time. I took my wand out of my bag and one by one I touched the bricks at the entrance to the alley.
There weren't as many people as when classes started in September. Some of the shops were closed, and others were simply empty. Only a couple of witches and wizards walked down the street looking at shop windows. But I didn't mind at all that the alley was deserted anyway. I moved forward until I lost sight of the establishments at the beginning of the alley, until I came close to Madame Malkin's shop and her robes. A little further on I turned left in front of the Gringotts bank, and stopped in front of a hole in the middle of the road. It was another street that joined the alley, but because of its gloomy appearance, no one would dare to venture down it alone. I covered my head with the hood, trying to keep my face under the cloth so as not to be recognized. I was determined to get it, I didn't mind going into Knockturn Alley if they could sell me what I was looking for there.
That was a totally different world, the establishments seemed empty but inside several people with black cloaks scrutinized mine. The air was cold, damp and sharp, as was the look of the people who passed me. Wizards on the floor sleeping in corners, shop signs barely readable, an old hag poking out a tray with what appeared to be… human fingernails. To the right of a store called Borgin and Burkes, there was a small and dirty establishment, the exact word would be left hand. A poster hung on the wall, with a single image of a nettle leaf, I thought. I took a couple of breaths, the tension palpable in my muscles. If I took a wrong step it could be fatal for me.
I grabbed the knob of the narrow door and opened it fearing for my safety, inside the store everything was dark. I couldn't see anything, the door suddenly closed behind me. A shiver ran down my spine, making my hair stand on end. Something told me I shouldn't be there. To my right three candles were lit, on top of a shelf of yellowish jars. Then two candles on the left, on a wooden table that seemed to be wobbly and finally two in the center on a wooden counter, which had worn down over the years losing its shine. An old woman was looking at me behind the counter. Her light gray eyes gave the impression of having seen a ghost, her clothing seemed to have aged with the place, as did her shaggy white hair. The expression on her face was tired. Just like her loose skin. I was scared to death at the appearance of that old witch.
―Can I help you with something?
She told me in a scratchy voice, impatiently tapping her long fingernails against the counter. I relaxed my muscles, they had been stiff from fright. I walked ceremonially over to the counter and carefully took a piece of paper out of my black bag. I had been cautious and did not want them to recognize me even by voice. I handed the piece of paper to the old woman, she studied it, narrowing her gray, almost transparent eyes.
―Green Dracumian... I think I have some, please wait.
Her bones creaked, as if you were lifting a century-old tree from the ground where he was born. She went in search of my order, disappearing into the shadows of the store. That place scared the hell out of me, not to mention the look of that witch. It seems that when it opens its mouth, it keeps a pile of sharp teeth ready to devour your meat. Before I expected she came back with the plant I was looking for in her hands. It was in a brown package, no bigger than my wand. She put it on the table very slowly, as if it were a treasure. After placing it on the table she returned to stare at me.
―It's the last Dracumian I have left, it costs thirty Galleons. ―she said grumbling.
I searched my bag quickly, the damn plant was going to cost me an arm and a leg, but even if it was, I wouldn't mind. I had already overcome the most difficult part, getting the plant. Now I just had to feed it to my sister and it would all be over. I counted the galleons one by one quietly to make sure there were no problems, that was all my emergency savings. When I released the last galleon the old woman took my hand, squeezing it tightly. My heart skipped a beat with fright and my head kept telling me to get out of the place as soon as possible. Instead I looked the decrepit old woman in her eyes to see why she was holding me back.
―The "red death" is a plant that grows based on blood, for three nights water the Dracumian with a single drop of your blood. At dawn on the fourth day the plant will bear a single red fruit, as small as a hazelnut but so poisonous that death is almost instantaneous.
Devoting those words of warning to me, she let go of me without further ado. Her eyes stabbed into me like daggers, she knew that on the fourth day someone would die because of me and yet she didn't say anything else to me. I took the bag warily and as soon as I had it securely under my cloak I headed for the exit. The candles were extinguished with each step I took, I opened the door scared leaving that strange place and it slammed behind me. It had been one of the weirdest and most terrifying experiences I'd had in a long time. But still I was happy, I already had in my hands the solution to the problem. I could feel the power to change destiny with just thirty galleons and a little scare. I kept the plant inside the black bag and it would be more comfortable that way when walking. In the alley nothing had changed since I entered the store, everything was still just as sinister. I started walking to get out of there as soon as possible, it didn't scare me as much as the old woman in the store but it wasn't a very safe place.
Focused on getting out of there and getting to where my mother was waiting for me, my body didn't expect the force that shook me by the shoulder. I turned around on myself, thinking of some bastard who would want to do anything to me. However, my brown eyes were met by very familiar cold eyes. Back in the middle of it all, Professor Snape had a knack for surprising me when I did something wrong. He, like me, wore a cape that covered his head and half of his face so as not to be recognized. His puzzled expression soon turned accusatory and insufferable.
―What are you doing here?
He had me completely caught. I honestly didn't know if it was worse to face the old woman or Snape... But I was so glad to see him there. My fear had vanished at the sight of his dark orbs. Why did I have to feel so safe around him? Why had I fallen in love with someone like him? If you are here, this assassin cannot exist.