Chapter Three: Aunt Margaret and the Truth
AU & Disclaimer: Disclaimer in prologue and first chapter. Story's starting kinda slow, eh? Sometimes I'm not that inspired, bear with me here! I plan to make this a long story that teaches some kinda lesson, but I don't know what the lesson is! -.- Anyway, keep r/r!
"Oh my god...," Aunt Margaret said softly, picking up the letters and reading over them, "I was half expecting this, but just, just not like this." She breathed deeply and sat on the bed next to Annis.
Annis merely raised an eyebrow and frowned. Surely this was a birthday prank? Even though Aunt Margaret was somewhat secretive, she was not one to keep secrets from Annis. So finally, after a minute of paused silence, she faced Aunt Margaret and kept herself calm, ready for an explanation.
"Alright Annis, I know you know something. It's fully revealed in this letter." Aunt Margaret spoke, her eyes nervous and alert. Annis stared at the yellow parchment with the emerald ink blazing on it. What in the world could Aunt Margaret possibly mean??
Annis' usually dimwitted aunt seemed to read Annis' mind, and answered quietly, "Yes, I know it sounds quiet odd, don't you think? But don't you realize? Exactly four years ago, right on this day, your parents were murdered. Not just any murder, Annis, understand this, but a murder that would launch a feeling of terror throughout our entire family until we're wiped out. I hate to explain this to you so soon, but I feel, with this," she waved the letters gently, "you must know this. Are you ready to listen, Annis?" Annis scanned Aunt Margaret's face for any sign of amusement or fibbing, but she was dead serious. Could this be it, she thought? Would she finally get all the answers she had been yearning to know these past few years?
Finally Annis swallowed and managed to muster a single word, " Yes." Aunt Margaret nodded and took a deep breath. This was the story that would fulfill the large hole in Annis' life.
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"Years and years ago, there was this evil man named Grindelwald. He was a very evil w-w-wizard.," she stammered, and avoided Annis' eyes for the moment, "Yes, a w-wizard. You never noticed it, Annis, but we, the Johnsen family, are magical. We are wizards and witches. And I am not lying," she added, as if reading Annis' puzzled look.
Aunt Margaret continued, "We were fighting against Grindelwald, see. He was a dark wizard. An evil wizard. Many feared him, and he killed many. People who stood up to him, well, he killed them. However, our family worked against Grindelwald. We were clever and sneaky, able to find out information about Grindelwald's next attack, his next move, you get the idea." Annis could only nod as her throat became dry. "One time, our family came face to face with Grindelwald. This was years before you were born, mind you. Anyway, Grindelwald was so angry for our succession of surviving this long, that he put a curse on us. A curse that would haunt us until each and every Johnsen's life was taken. He proclaimed it Fortuna Magika, and it would claim all of us before he himself was dead. This curse, this very evil and clever curse, killed your parents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Annis held an astonished look. Magic? Evil wizard? Aunt Margaret had always dismissed the idea of magical doing, and now she was basing her parents' death on it? Before Annis could open her mouth to protest, however, Aunt Margaret continued.
"A few months after Grindelwald pronounced his curse, it took your grandparents. Your parents and I were terrified. That we would be next. Amelia [Annis' mother] thought it would be best if they went into hiding. In fact, I had to hide too. For the sake of our lives. Then you were born." Aunt Margaret smiled for once, a true smile. Annis tried to smile back but she still couldn't grasp the story that her aunt was feeding her.
Still, she went on. "So for the next seven years, all of us went into hiding as muggles. Stopped using our magic, everything. It worked for a while, or at least that's what we thought. Then, that fateful night, Grindelwald found your parents and struck them with the curse. Oh it was awful Annis! Imagine, you and I, we are the last descendants of the Johnsen family. It is up to you to survive, for I fear that I shall be taken next. Please, Annis, do you understand?" Annis just sat there, her eyes blank. Muggles? Curse? Surely these things are of no such!
Angry and distressed, Annis shouted, "How DARE you make up a story to cover up the truth of my parents' death! Get out! GET OUT!"
Aunt Margaret never saw Annis this angry. Nodding sadly, she turned for the door. Annis quickly leaped from the bed as well and shut the door behind her. She slid onto the floor, her head limp. What the heck was going on?
But what if Aunt Margaret wasn't lying? Oh Annis was so confused. Still on the floor, Annis broke into a fit of tears, and not one thing could cheer her up.
AU & Disclaimer: Disclaimer in prologue and first chapter. Story's starting kinda slow, eh? Sometimes I'm not that inspired, bear with me here! I plan to make this a long story that teaches some kinda lesson, but I don't know what the lesson is! -.- Anyway, keep r/r!
"Oh my god...," Aunt Margaret said softly, picking up the letters and reading over them, "I was half expecting this, but just, just not like this." She breathed deeply and sat on the bed next to Annis.
Annis merely raised an eyebrow and frowned. Surely this was a birthday prank? Even though Aunt Margaret was somewhat secretive, she was not one to keep secrets from Annis. So finally, after a minute of paused silence, she faced Aunt Margaret and kept herself calm, ready for an explanation.
"Alright Annis, I know you know something. It's fully revealed in this letter." Aunt Margaret spoke, her eyes nervous and alert. Annis stared at the yellow parchment with the emerald ink blazing on it. What in the world could Aunt Margaret possibly mean??
Annis' usually dimwitted aunt seemed to read Annis' mind, and answered quietly, "Yes, I know it sounds quiet odd, don't you think? But don't you realize? Exactly four years ago, right on this day, your parents were murdered. Not just any murder, Annis, understand this, but a murder that would launch a feeling of terror throughout our entire family until we're wiped out. I hate to explain this to you so soon, but I feel, with this," she waved the letters gently, "you must know this. Are you ready to listen, Annis?" Annis scanned Aunt Margaret's face for any sign of amusement or fibbing, but she was dead serious. Could this be it, she thought? Would she finally get all the answers she had been yearning to know these past few years?
Finally Annis swallowed and managed to muster a single word, " Yes." Aunt Margaret nodded and took a deep breath. This was the story that would fulfill the large hole in Annis' life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Years and years ago, there was this evil man named Grindelwald. He was a very evil w-w-wizard.," she stammered, and avoided Annis' eyes for the moment, "Yes, a w-wizard. You never noticed it, Annis, but we, the Johnsen family, are magical. We are wizards and witches. And I am not lying," she added, as if reading Annis' puzzled look.
Aunt Margaret continued, "We were fighting against Grindelwald, see. He was a dark wizard. An evil wizard. Many feared him, and he killed many. People who stood up to him, well, he killed them. However, our family worked against Grindelwald. We were clever and sneaky, able to find out information about Grindelwald's next attack, his next move, you get the idea." Annis could only nod as her throat became dry. "One time, our family came face to face with Grindelwald. This was years before you were born, mind you. Anyway, Grindelwald was so angry for our succession of surviving this long, that he put a curse on us. A curse that would haunt us until each and every Johnsen's life was taken. He proclaimed it Fortuna Magika, and it would claim all of us before he himself was dead. This curse, this very evil and clever curse, killed your parents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Annis held an astonished look. Magic? Evil wizard? Aunt Margaret had always dismissed the idea of magical doing, and now she was basing her parents' death on it? Before Annis could open her mouth to protest, however, Aunt Margaret continued.
"A few months after Grindelwald pronounced his curse, it took your grandparents. Your parents and I were terrified. That we would be next. Amelia [Annis' mother] thought it would be best if they went into hiding. In fact, I had to hide too. For the sake of our lives. Then you were born." Aunt Margaret smiled for once, a true smile. Annis tried to smile back but she still couldn't grasp the story that her aunt was feeding her.
Still, she went on. "So for the next seven years, all of us went into hiding as muggles. Stopped using our magic, everything. It worked for a while, or at least that's what we thought. Then, that fateful night, Grindelwald found your parents and struck them with the curse. Oh it was awful Annis! Imagine, you and I, we are the last descendants of the Johnsen family. It is up to you to survive, for I fear that I shall be taken next. Please, Annis, do you understand?" Annis just sat there, her eyes blank. Muggles? Curse? Surely these things are of no such!
Angry and distressed, Annis shouted, "How DARE you make up a story to cover up the truth of my parents' death! Get out! GET OUT!"
Aunt Margaret never saw Annis this angry. Nodding sadly, she turned for the door. Annis quickly leaped from the bed as well and shut the door behind her. She slid onto the floor, her head limp. What the heck was going on?
But what if Aunt Margaret wasn't lying? Oh Annis was so confused. Still on the floor, Annis broke into a fit of tears, and not one thing could cheer her up.