Chapter XX - Fireworks in the Sky
Severus and Ellie had just added the final leeches, on Monday morning, and were watching the potion turning red.
"Everything seems to be fine, Ellie." said Severus after a while. "Are you sure the potion turned red last time?"
"Actually, I was too busy cursing that Skeeter cow" said Ellie, remembering more clearly, exchanging looks with Remus. "Remus' letter had just arrived."
"Ellie, you know better than to keep your emotions out of potion making" said Severus, rather gravely.
"Well..." but she couldn't defend herself. She knew he was absolutely right. They didn't talk for a few minutes, until Remus interrupted "So you think we can start taking it tomorrow?".
"Yes." said Ellie. "If it turns its original colour."
"I'm sure it will" said Severus. "Send me an owl tomorrow. I'd like to know all the same."
"Will you stay for lunch?" Ellie asked.
"I can't. I have classes this afternoon. Actually, I should be going. I still have to prepare some ingredients for my students. Take care."
And with a bow and a final look at the cauldron, Severus desapparated.
Remus and Ellie were still looking at the place where Severus stood, and suddenly, as if she had just awaken, she said: "Remus..."
"Hum?"
"Will you marry me?"
Remus looked at her, taken by surprise, and tried to say something. When he noticed she was still staring at him, he managed to say "Ahan."
"Ahan?" she asked, giggling.
"I mean... yes." and he blushed as he if were a 15 year old asking a girl out on a date.
***
The sun was nearly setting and Remus found Ellie by the garden, looking at a thin golden thread with a medal. She was holding it like a relic and it was gleaming in the orange sunlight. He had seen her before with it, hanging around her neck and resting beautifully between her breasts. But he never wondered what it was. He seated next to her.
Ellie seemed to understand that he was curious and tapped the little medal with her wand, muttering something. Then she showed him. In the centre was a little man around his forties wearing muggle clothes, smiling and waving at them.
"My father" she said, smiling at him.
Remus was silently watching. She didn't look much like her father, except for the eyes, which were cunningly similar.
"I always look at him whenever I need strength. He taught me so much. He was a muggle scientist, you know?. He worked as a chemistry engineer in a fireworks factory. He taught me all about how the radio works, what are vaccines for and about the first human walking on the moon."
"He sounds like a really fascinating person." said Remus, very honestly.
"He was an excellent father. I'm so sorry that Oliver, my brother" she explained "never had the chance to meet him."
"How come?" asked Remus before he could stop himself.
"He was murdered." said Ellie, darkly.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't hav-"
"It's ok. It was such a long time ago. Oliver was just a baby. I had already finished Hogwarts and I went to see him at the factory right after I'd arrived from my first trip around Europe. Mum told me he was doing some night work and I couldn't wait until morning for him to come home, you know, because I missed him so much." Ellie stopped for a moment, unable to speak. Remus didn't want to push her. But she felt she had to say something. And while the little picture went on smiling, she seemed to found her strength again. "When I got there... there was a giant skull in the sky with a snake coming out of its mouth, and fireworks were still exploding all around it, lightning the sky, as if death was a big party."
Remus was tremendly shocked. But Ellie didn't seem to notice. She was speaking more to herself than to him. Her eyes were vague, as if she was witnessing the scene all over again in some piece of the garden fence.
"I was very naïve then" she continued, in a hurt voice "I thought that there were only two kinds of people: the good ones and the bad ones, and that the bad ones only hurt good ones when they got in their way or were somehow their enemies. But I found out that night that there are also evil people who will hurt everyone else... just for the fun of it. My father was a muggle. Everyone in the factory was muggle. There was absolutely no point in what they did. A bunch of Voldemort's supporters just got there on their way to some slaughter, tied a bunch of workers, tortured the others in front of the tied ones... and set fire to the place. Then, when they were all..."she stopped again, took a deep breath and continued, her voice quivering "when they were all burning they killed them with a curse to make sure none of them survived..."
Her eyes were now filled with tears. She didn't seem aware of them, and tried to speak again "Why? It was... so pointless... Why didn't they just attack a wizard? I would have died for him... Muggles had nothing to do with our war... WHY?!!"
Remus took her in his arms. She was now trembling in fury, grief and long hidden pain. She hadn't remembered that night in a long time.
"I'm so sorry, Ellie." he said in a gentle voice, holding her. "Now cry... cry everything you must cry."
And so she did, while the little man, unaware of all their pain, kept wincing and smiling in the little medal.
***
Ellie sent an owl to Severus the following morning, confirming the potion had turned its colour again. Remus joined her in the kitchen.
"About yesterday..." she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
"What do you mean? You shouldn't have asked me to marry you?" he said in mock outrage. "Oh, well, I'll just have to remedy." He kneeled before her and said "Miss, Wood, would you have the honour to be my wife?"
"Isn't it: would you give me the honour to by my wife?" she said, smiling.
"It would be in anyone else's case. But since we're talking about me..."and he winked. Ellie was now giggling. He was so wonderful. He had made her laugh when she was feeling so down. She gave him her hand.
"Just this?" he asked. "I don't want your hand in marriage! I want all of you!" And springing to his feet, he took her in his arms and laid her on the table, kissing her longely.
"What do you reckon?" he whispered, kissing her hears. "Think the table'll stand?"
"Remus!" she opened her eyes and met his, filled with love and passion. He smiled, walked to the lab and returned a few seconds later, carrying two glasses.
"I would give my life to make you safe, to know that you're not as cursed as I am" he said in a serious voice "I wish you could still take care of me in the full moon, I wish I could still fall asleep in your lap. I wish it didn't have to be this way." He gave her one of the glasses and raised his glass to all his wishes. She raised her glass as well, in silence, in a greeting to the coming full moon.
And just as they were about to drink, Remus said, winking, "At least now you'll know what it tastes like and you'll work hard to make it sweet."
Severus and Ellie had just added the final leeches, on Monday morning, and were watching the potion turning red.
"Everything seems to be fine, Ellie." said Severus after a while. "Are you sure the potion turned red last time?"
"Actually, I was too busy cursing that Skeeter cow" said Ellie, remembering more clearly, exchanging looks with Remus. "Remus' letter had just arrived."
"Ellie, you know better than to keep your emotions out of potion making" said Severus, rather gravely.
"Well..." but she couldn't defend herself. She knew he was absolutely right. They didn't talk for a few minutes, until Remus interrupted "So you think we can start taking it tomorrow?".
"Yes." said Ellie. "If it turns its original colour."
"I'm sure it will" said Severus. "Send me an owl tomorrow. I'd like to know all the same."
"Will you stay for lunch?" Ellie asked.
"I can't. I have classes this afternoon. Actually, I should be going. I still have to prepare some ingredients for my students. Take care."
And with a bow and a final look at the cauldron, Severus desapparated.
Remus and Ellie were still looking at the place where Severus stood, and suddenly, as if she had just awaken, she said: "Remus..."
"Hum?"
"Will you marry me?"
Remus looked at her, taken by surprise, and tried to say something. When he noticed she was still staring at him, he managed to say "Ahan."
"Ahan?" she asked, giggling.
"I mean... yes." and he blushed as he if were a 15 year old asking a girl out on a date.
***
The sun was nearly setting and Remus found Ellie by the garden, looking at a thin golden thread with a medal. She was holding it like a relic and it was gleaming in the orange sunlight. He had seen her before with it, hanging around her neck and resting beautifully between her breasts. But he never wondered what it was. He seated next to her.
Ellie seemed to understand that he was curious and tapped the little medal with her wand, muttering something. Then she showed him. In the centre was a little man around his forties wearing muggle clothes, smiling and waving at them.
"My father" she said, smiling at him.
Remus was silently watching. She didn't look much like her father, except for the eyes, which were cunningly similar.
"I always look at him whenever I need strength. He taught me so much. He was a muggle scientist, you know?. He worked as a chemistry engineer in a fireworks factory. He taught me all about how the radio works, what are vaccines for and about the first human walking on the moon."
"He sounds like a really fascinating person." said Remus, very honestly.
"He was an excellent father. I'm so sorry that Oliver, my brother" she explained "never had the chance to meet him."
"How come?" asked Remus before he could stop himself.
"He was murdered." said Ellie, darkly.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't hav-"
"It's ok. It was such a long time ago. Oliver was just a baby. I had already finished Hogwarts and I went to see him at the factory right after I'd arrived from my first trip around Europe. Mum told me he was doing some night work and I couldn't wait until morning for him to come home, you know, because I missed him so much." Ellie stopped for a moment, unable to speak. Remus didn't want to push her. But she felt she had to say something. And while the little picture went on smiling, she seemed to found her strength again. "When I got there... there was a giant skull in the sky with a snake coming out of its mouth, and fireworks were still exploding all around it, lightning the sky, as if death was a big party."
Remus was tremendly shocked. But Ellie didn't seem to notice. She was speaking more to herself than to him. Her eyes were vague, as if she was witnessing the scene all over again in some piece of the garden fence.
"I was very naïve then" she continued, in a hurt voice "I thought that there were only two kinds of people: the good ones and the bad ones, and that the bad ones only hurt good ones when they got in their way or were somehow their enemies. But I found out that night that there are also evil people who will hurt everyone else... just for the fun of it. My father was a muggle. Everyone in the factory was muggle. There was absolutely no point in what they did. A bunch of Voldemort's supporters just got there on their way to some slaughter, tied a bunch of workers, tortured the others in front of the tied ones... and set fire to the place. Then, when they were all..."she stopped again, took a deep breath and continued, her voice quivering "when they were all burning they killed them with a curse to make sure none of them survived..."
Her eyes were now filled with tears. She didn't seem aware of them, and tried to speak again "Why? It was... so pointless... Why didn't they just attack a wizard? I would have died for him... Muggles had nothing to do with our war... WHY?!!"
Remus took her in his arms. She was now trembling in fury, grief and long hidden pain. She hadn't remembered that night in a long time.
"I'm so sorry, Ellie." he said in a gentle voice, holding her. "Now cry... cry everything you must cry."
And so she did, while the little man, unaware of all their pain, kept wincing and smiling in the little medal.
***
Ellie sent an owl to Severus the following morning, confirming the potion had turned its colour again. Remus joined her in the kitchen.
"About yesterday..." she said in a small voice. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."
"What do you mean? You shouldn't have asked me to marry you?" he said in mock outrage. "Oh, well, I'll just have to remedy." He kneeled before her and said "Miss, Wood, would you have the honour to be my wife?"
"Isn't it: would you give me the honour to by my wife?" she said, smiling.
"It would be in anyone else's case. But since we're talking about me..."and he winked. Ellie was now giggling. He was so wonderful. He had made her laugh when she was feeling so down. She gave him her hand.
"Just this?" he asked. "I don't want your hand in marriage! I want all of you!" And springing to his feet, he took her in his arms and laid her on the table, kissing her longely.
"What do you reckon?" he whispered, kissing her hears. "Think the table'll stand?"
"Remus!" she opened her eyes and met his, filled with love and passion. He smiled, walked to the lab and returned a few seconds later, carrying two glasses.
"I would give my life to make you safe, to know that you're not as cursed as I am" he said in a serious voice "I wish you could still take care of me in the full moon, I wish I could still fall asleep in your lap. I wish it didn't have to be this way." He gave her one of the glasses and raised his glass to all his wishes. She raised her glass as well, in silence, in a greeting to the coming full moon.
And just as they were about to drink, Remus said, winking, "At least now you'll know what it tastes like and you'll work hard to make it sweet."