Chapter Two: Broken Heart
Almost an hour had passed, and the girl eventually collapsed, physically and emotionally drained. She had screamed until her throat was hoarse, and then she cried bitter tears. Slowly, the darkness became total, and she knew no more. That was how the rescue party found her, hours later, having had to take a long, roundabout route to that side of the caves. She was the only living person found that day. When she next awoke, she found herself in a bright, white room. Her mother's face greeted her with a smile that did not reach to block the shadow in her eyes. "Daddy? Loki? Artie?" The young girl choked out the names, needing no further explanation to her question. Her mother shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, darling. I'm so, so sorry." And mother and daughter held each other and cried. Hecate broke apart suddenly, remembering. "Book?" She croaked, unintelligibly, her throat dry and cracked from crying. Her mother passed a glass of water to her lips and then the girl repeated herself more clearly. "My book? Where?" Understanding dawned, and Hecate was passed her dusty rucksack. The youngster held it tightly, tears taking hold once more - this was the first birthday she had ever had without her twin. And it wouldn't be the last. Loki was dead. He died on his birthday, along with her younger brother and beloved father. Hecate cried so hard that she thought she might die from a broken heart.
The next day, the two Flooed home. The crushed and broken bodies of Sam, Loki and Artemis were to be sent after them, in time for the funeral on the twentieth.
Hecate distanced herself from her mother. She refused to leave her bedroom, not responding to her worried mother's cries on the other side of the door. She refused to open the letter with the Hogwarts seal, noting that only one arrived; her twin was dead. She refused to eat the food that was left for her - she drew into herself, blaming herself. Especially for her father's death. That could have been prevented. If he had gone to get the bag, not her, then he would be alive now, and Hecate would be with her brothers.
The day of the funeral came, and Hecate finally emerged, skeletally thin (having not eaten for three days) and dressed totally in black, veil over her face and a bag over her shoulder. Her mother beckoned her to the car that stood waiting. The funeral was to take place at a wizarding churchyard, but there were going to be muggles present - her mum's side of the family. Throughout the service, Hecate cried silently, but refused any comfort from her mother. When the three coffins were lowered into the ground, she opened her bag. The first object was a small, wrapped item - the present that Artemis had forgotten for his brother. She let it fall, unopened into her twin's grave. She then took out several more items, each cheerfully wrapped for her brother's birthday, and dropped them to the ground. She then took the first handful of dirt, and threw it into the grave. The rest of the family followed her example, and soon they were turning to leave, walking past the small, black figure that watched the graves fill. Once the muggles had left (excepting Hecate's mother, who knew about magic) the graves were filled and three heavy tombstones were laid. Her mother tried to guide Hecate from the graves, but the girl had once more opened her bag. She removed three beautifully carven plaques of clay, each painted and inscribed, individually, for her brothers and father, and laid beneath the respective tombstone. The first read: "My dearest Loki, you will now never grow to dwarf me, for you fell in the
caves, and shall not return. Not even that axe could protect you from the cruel stone. Pass now, into the Halls
of Mandos, and await me there. I love you." Beside the inscription on one side was a painted representation of her twin, on the other, his axe.
Upon the second was a representation of Artemis, and the words:
"Darling Artemis, that I should outlive you is an unfair event, but you
shall live forever in my heart.
I regret now that I teased you so, and you shall always be my little
brother. Goodbye, your Hikty.
The third inscription was unreadable to most, for the plaque was covered entirely in gracefully carved runes. She never translated it for anyone, telling those who asked that it was between her and her Daddy. Only the masters of the language could read her goodbye.
She knelt then, and spoke aloud prayers and incantations for the dead in the ancient tongue. She conjured wards of protection and happiness for the afterlife, invoking the old Gods to keep her family safe as she wept for her loss. The few people left at the gravesite watched her and marvelled as she grieved in the only way she knew how.
After she laid the plaques, she walked up to a wizard dressed in black. "Please," she whispered, "could you make them last forever?" The man, who she finally recognised as her uncle, nodded silently and cast weatherproofing and anti-ageing charms on the three tablets.
At the wake, her mother had words with her husband's brother, who agreed to take the girl under his wing for the remaining summer. Susan Aiwe was too distraught at losing her husband and sons, and too hurt by her daughter's refusal to acknowledge her, to cope with preparing the girl for school in a world that she knew nothing about. The young man, so unlike his brother, had gotten the child to eat at the wake, telling her that her father would be furious if she starved herself to death on his account and then threatening to put a spell on her that would force her to eat. She had given in quickly to him, partially because she felt he was all she had left of her father (having no other living relations on her father to speak of) and partially because she believed his words to her. Only a little bit of her was scared of being force-fed.
Three days after the funeral, Hecate, who was now staying with her Uncle Derrick, was finally persuaded to open her Hogwarts letter. She didn't read it, but passed it directly to her uncle. "We're gonna have to go to Diagon Alley to get this." "I know." Whispered the girl, "but I don't know if I can." Derrick pulled his niece into a hug, and let her cry on his shoulder. After a long moment he said: "You know, it's best to get these things over and done with." Hecate nodded, she knew what that meant. "But I haven't got any money." "Get your coat. I'll pay and I can sort it our with your d-mother later." As she noticed the stutter, a sadness that had never really left crept back into Hecate's eyes. She went to get her coat.
The Leaky Cauldron was full and bustling, not caring for the griefs of one eleven year old girl. She stayed close to her uncle as she was lead towards the entrance to the alley. As always, she gasped at the magnificence of the alley before her eyes filled with tears. She had hardly been here without her twin. And when she had, it had been with her father. Now she was alone.
Uncle Derrick looked down at his charge and put a reassuring arm on her shoulder, squatting down to her level. "You okay?" She nodded, looking determined. "Where first?"
The first stop was Gringotts, which proved too much for Hecate. Seeing the Goblins made her think of her father. She blamed them for his death almost as much as she blamed herself. As soon as they approached the bank, the child began shaking violently, her hands balled into tight fists. Tears began to stream down her face. As soon as he noticed this, Derrick steered her aside, going instead into Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. As they entered, Madame Malkin entered and looked cheerfully at Derrick. "Hogwarts?" He nodded. Madame Malkin then took a look at the pale, tear- stained face of his charge. With a questioning look, she steered Hecate onto a box to be fitted then turned to Derrick. He muttered "cave-in" and the woman nodded. It had been all over the Prophet that several people had been killed at a cave-in at one of the Gringotts sites in Norway. Including one of the world's best rune masters and his two sons. His daughter had been there, but was just returning to the area when it caved in, leaving her trapped, safe, without her family. Madame Malkin assumed this to be the same little girl, but she said nothing. Whilst she was being fitted, a short, squat boy was lead onto the box beside Hecate. A rather intimidating woman with a vulture in her hat was watching him. "H-hello." He stuttered. "You starting Hogwarts, too?" Hecate nodded. "My name's Neville. What's yours?" She looked at him sadly before replying "Hecate." "Which house do you think you'll be in? My Gran thinks I shall be a Gryffindor, especially with my parents being there and all, but I don't think I'm brave enough." Hecate smiled. "My brother and I always thought we would be in Gryffindor." Neville looked around stupidly for a moment before asking: "Where's your brother?" "He died." She replied in a detached tone. Neville's eyes went wide, then he looked to the floor, mumbling "Sorry." At that point, Derrick returned to collect Hecate and her robes and, paying, they left.
The next shop they went into was Florish and Blotts and Hecate went straight for the runes section. She stroked her hands over the spines of several large books, before stopping on one called Ancient Nordic Wizardry. She remembered her father's rant about the book, though he had not read the newest edition and was leant a copy by a friend several years beforehand. She removed the book from the shelf and began to carry it over to where her uncle was waiting to pay for her schoolbooks. "'Scuse me, Miss, " An old man who worked at the store stopped her. " I think that's a bit advanced for you." He went to take the book off her but she hugged it to her chest. "No, its not. I can read it." She said calmly. "Come now, you can't be more than second year, and they don't even teach 'runes at 'Ogwarts 'till third year." "I said I can read it" She spat as he made another move for the book. "I'll prove it." And with that, she opened at the first page and began to read, in translation, the introduction to book. The old man glared, but let her pass him on to her uncle, who quickly agreed to buy her the book.
The last shop was Ollivander's. Hecate tried to refuse to enter, but her uncle was forceful - she had to get a wand. Mister Ollivander, pale, bespectacled man, met her eyes over the counter. "Ah, miss Aiwe. I was wondering when I would have the pleasure of meeting you. Your father was a highly intelligent man, and you look to follow in his footsteps. It is such a shame about your brothers. I would have liked to see them get their wands." Hecate inclined her head sadly, not knowing what to make of the man in front of her. She soon found a wand thrust into her hand, and she waved it, not listening to the muttering of Mister Ollivander. It was taken away, and a new one was placed. This process went on for quite a while. Finally, a stream of sparks left the wand that had just been placed in her palm, and she smiled. "Good, good. Seven inch, silver birch with a unicorn hair." They paid for the wand and then returned, through the Leaky Cauldron to Uncle Derricks house.
That night, she attempted to pack her father's trunk with her school supplies. She put in her cauldron, schoolbooks and potions ingredients, clothes and robes, making sure to only fill one half of the trunk. In the other, she put her rune dictionary, a handful of books she owned on the subject as well as her birthday present and the history book she had had just bought. Unfortunately, the only way she could fit all her runes books was to take out her school supplies. Groaning in frustration, she decided to get Uncle Derrick to help her in the morning. Turning to her bed, she said her prayers and sent her spells to the spirits of her father and brothers, as she had every night since they had died. By the door, Derrick Aiwe listened as his niece prayed in the ancient language and a tear fell onto his cheek. "poor child" he whispered to the night.
**********************End of Chapter Two************************
A/N: Hope you liked! I have just realised that I haven't really described Hecate. you'll get one eventually, but for now, just so you know, she has mid-back length straight black hair and pale skin, dark brown eyes, is reasonably tall for eleven (though doesn't rival Ron) and a cute button nose. Hope this helps with the mental images. Blessings, Hex
Almost an hour had passed, and the girl eventually collapsed, physically and emotionally drained. She had screamed until her throat was hoarse, and then she cried bitter tears. Slowly, the darkness became total, and she knew no more. That was how the rescue party found her, hours later, having had to take a long, roundabout route to that side of the caves. She was the only living person found that day. When she next awoke, she found herself in a bright, white room. Her mother's face greeted her with a smile that did not reach to block the shadow in her eyes. "Daddy? Loki? Artie?" The young girl choked out the names, needing no further explanation to her question. Her mother shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, darling. I'm so, so sorry." And mother and daughter held each other and cried. Hecate broke apart suddenly, remembering. "Book?" She croaked, unintelligibly, her throat dry and cracked from crying. Her mother passed a glass of water to her lips and then the girl repeated herself more clearly. "My book? Where?" Understanding dawned, and Hecate was passed her dusty rucksack. The youngster held it tightly, tears taking hold once more - this was the first birthday she had ever had without her twin. And it wouldn't be the last. Loki was dead. He died on his birthday, along with her younger brother and beloved father. Hecate cried so hard that she thought she might die from a broken heart.
The next day, the two Flooed home. The crushed and broken bodies of Sam, Loki and Artemis were to be sent after them, in time for the funeral on the twentieth.
Hecate distanced herself from her mother. She refused to leave her bedroom, not responding to her worried mother's cries on the other side of the door. She refused to open the letter with the Hogwarts seal, noting that only one arrived; her twin was dead. She refused to eat the food that was left for her - she drew into herself, blaming herself. Especially for her father's death. That could have been prevented. If he had gone to get the bag, not her, then he would be alive now, and Hecate would be with her brothers.
The day of the funeral came, and Hecate finally emerged, skeletally thin (having not eaten for three days) and dressed totally in black, veil over her face and a bag over her shoulder. Her mother beckoned her to the car that stood waiting. The funeral was to take place at a wizarding churchyard, but there were going to be muggles present - her mum's side of the family. Throughout the service, Hecate cried silently, but refused any comfort from her mother. When the three coffins were lowered into the ground, she opened her bag. The first object was a small, wrapped item - the present that Artemis had forgotten for his brother. She let it fall, unopened into her twin's grave. She then took out several more items, each cheerfully wrapped for her brother's birthday, and dropped them to the ground. She then took the first handful of dirt, and threw it into the grave. The rest of the family followed her example, and soon they were turning to leave, walking past the small, black figure that watched the graves fill. Once the muggles had left (excepting Hecate's mother, who knew about magic) the graves were filled and three heavy tombstones were laid. Her mother tried to guide Hecate from the graves, but the girl had once more opened her bag. She removed three beautifully carven plaques of clay, each painted and inscribed, individually, for her brothers and father, and laid beneath the respective tombstone. The first read: "My dearest Loki, you will now never grow to dwarf me, for you fell in the
caves, and shall not return. Not even that axe could protect you from the cruel stone. Pass now, into the Halls
of Mandos, and await me there. I love you." Beside the inscription on one side was a painted representation of her twin, on the other, his axe.
Upon the second was a representation of Artemis, and the words:
"Darling Artemis, that I should outlive you is an unfair event, but you
shall live forever in my heart.
I regret now that I teased you so, and you shall always be my little
brother. Goodbye, your Hikty.
The third inscription was unreadable to most, for the plaque was covered entirely in gracefully carved runes. She never translated it for anyone, telling those who asked that it was between her and her Daddy. Only the masters of the language could read her goodbye.
She knelt then, and spoke aloud prayers and incantations for the dead in the ancient tongue. She conjured wards of protection and happiness for the afterlife, invoking the old Gods to keep her family safe as she wept for her loss. The few people left at the gravesite watched her and marvelled as she grieved in the only way she knew how.
After she laid the plaques, she walked up to a wizard dressed in black. "Please," she whispered, "could you make them last forever?" The man, who she finally recognised as her uncle, nodded silently and cast weatherproofing and anti-ageing charms on the three tablets.
At the wake, her mother had words with her husband's brother, who agreed to take the girl under his wing for the remaining summer. Susan Aiwe was too distraught at losing her husband and sons, and too hurt by her daughter's refusal to acknowledge her, to cope with preparing the girl for school in a world that she knew nothing about. The young man, so unlike his brother, had gotten the child to eat at the wake, telling her that her father would be furious if she starved herself to death on his account and then threatening to put a spell on her that would force her to eat. She had given in quickly to him, partially because she felt he was all she had left of her father (having no other living relations on her father to speak of) and partially because she believed his words to her. Only a little bit of her was scared of being force-fed.
Three days after the funeral, Hecate, who was now staying with her Uncle Derrick, was finally persuaded to open her Hogwarts letter. She didn't read it, but passed it directly to her uncle. "We're gonna have to go to Diagon Alley to get this." "I know." Whispered the girl, "but I don't know if I can." Derrick pulled his niece into a hug, and let her cry on his shoulder. After a long moment he said: "You know, it's best to get these things over and done with." Hecate nodded, she knew what that meant. "But I haven't got any money." "Get your coat. I'll pay and I can sort it our with your d-mother later." As she noticed the stutter, a sadness that had never really left crept back into Hecate's eyes. She went to get her coat.
The Leaky Cauldron was full and bustling, not caring for the griefs of one eleven year old girl. She stayed close to her uncle as she was lead towards the entrance to the alley. As always, she gasped at the magnificence of the alley before her eyes filled with tears. She had hardly been here without her twin. And when she had, it had been with her father. Now she was alone.
Uncle Derrick looked down at his charge and put a reassuring arm on her shoulder, squatting down to her level. "You okay?" She nodded, looking determined. "Where first?"
The first stop was Gringotts, which proved too much for Hecate. Seeing the Goblins made her think of her father. She blamed them for his death almost as much as she blamed herself. As soon as they approached the bank, the child began shaking violently, her hands balled into tight fists. Tears began to stream down her face. As soon as he noticed this, Derrick steered her aside, going instead into Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. As they entered, Madame Malkin entered and looked cheerfully at Derrick. "Hogwarts?" He nodded. Madame Malkin then took a look at the pale, tear- stained face of his charge. With a questioning look, she steered Hecate onto a box to be fitted then turned to Derrick. He muttered "cave-in" and the woman nodded. It had been all over the Prophet that several people had been killed at a cave-in at one of the Gringotts sites in Norway. Including one of the world's best rune masters and his two sons. His daughter had been there, but was just returning to the area when it caved in, leaving her trapped, safe, without her family. Madame Malkin assumed this to be the same little girl, but she said nothing. Whilst she was being fitted, a short, squat boy was lead onto the box beside Hecate. A rather intimidating woman with a vulture in her hat was watching him. "H-hello." He stuttered. "You starting Hogwarts, too?" Hecate nodded. "My name's Neville. What's yours?" She looked at him sadly before replying "Hecate." "Which house do you think you'll be in? My Gran thinks I shall be a Gryffindor, especially with my parents being there and all, but I don't think I'm brave enough." Hecate smiled. "My brother and I always thought we would be in Gryffindor." Neville looked around stupidly for a moment before asking: "Where's your brother?" "He died." She replied in a detached tone. Neville's eyes went wide, then he looked to the floor, mumbling "Sorry." At that point, Derrick returned to collect Hecate and her robes and, paying, they left.
The next shop they went into was Florish and Blotts and Hecate went straight for the runes section. She stroked her hands over the spines of several large books, before stopping on one called Ancient Nordic Wizardry. She remembered her father's rant about the book, though he had not read the newest edition and was leant a copy by a friend several years beforehand. She removed the book from the shelf and began to carry it over to where her uncle was waiting to pay for her schoolbooks. "'Scuse me, Miss, " An old man who worked at the store stopped her. " I think that's a bit advanced for you." He went to take the book off her but she hugged it to her chest. "No, its not. I can read it." She said calmly. "Come now, you can't be more than second year, and they don't even teach 'runes at 'Ogwarts 'till third year." "I said I can read it" She spat as he made another move for the book. "I'll prove it." And with that, she opened at the first page and began to read, in translation, the introduction to book. The old man glared, but let her pass him on to her uncle, who quickly agreed to buy her the book.
The last shop was Ollivander's. Hecate tried to refuse to enter, but her uncle was forceful - she had to get a wand. Mister Ollivander, pale, bespectacled man, met her eyes over the counter. "Ah, miss Aiwe. I was wondering when I would have the pleasure of meeting you. Your father was a highly intelligent man, and you look to follow in his footsteps. It is such a shame about your brothers. I would have liked to see them get their wands." Hecate inclined her head sadly, not knowing what to make of the man in front of her. She soon found a wand thrust into her hand, and she waved it, not listening to the muttering of Mister Ollivander. It was taken away, and a new one was placed. This process went on for quite a while. Finally, a stream of sparks left the wand that had just been placed in her palm, and she smiled. "Good, good. Seven inch, silver birch with a unicorn hair." They paid for the wand and then returned, through the Leaky Cauldron to Uncle Derricks house.
That night, she attempted to pack her father's trunk with her school supplies. She put in her cauldron, schoolbooks and potions ingredients, clothes and robes, making sure to only fill one half of the trunk. In the other, she put her rune dictionary, a handful of books she owned on the subject as well as her birthday present and the history book she had had just bought. Unfortunately, the only way she could fit all her runes books was to take out her school supplies. Groaning in frustration, she decided to get Uncle Derrick to help her in the morning. Turning to her bed, she said her prayers and sent her spells to the spirits of her father and brothers, as she had every night since they had died. By the door, Derrick Aiwe listened as his niece prayed in the ancient language and a tear fell onto his cheek. "poor child" he whispered to the night.
**********************End of Chapter Two************************
A/N: Hope you liked! I have just realised that I haven't really described Hecate. you'll get one eventually, but for now, just so you know, she has mid-back length straight black hair and pale skin, dark brown eyes, is reasonably tall for eleven (though doesn't rival Ron) and a cute button nose. Hope this helps with the mental images. Blessings, Hex