Ursula hadn't been in the nicely furnished room for a long time, since her activities were mostly restricted to the north tower, her bedroom, the library and the dining room. She soon discovered there were even books lining these shelves that she hadn't read. Her arm feeling better, she lifted a large, leather-bound book and opened it. A glance at the contents and it was obvious this was a book on magical plants. She flicked through the pages with diagrams concerning deadly flora, reading about the particularly poisonous ones as she went. Eventually she set it down and lifted another, smaller one. She could tell from the weight of it that it wasn't scientific. Upon opening the front page, she saw it wasn't even in her usual genre – factual to mythological. Nevertheless, she was entranced from the first line. Ursula read on, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"The thick mist hung heavily in the cool night air, obscuring them from the view of others. The cloaked pair drifted among the shadows of the trees until they came to the entrance of an old, darkened house. No light diffused from its empty windows. Slowly, the taller figure lowered his face to the other, their warm breath mingling in the lamplight. But before their lips could touch, the woman raised a tiny hand to his face.
'They cannot keep us apart, can they? Our love is too pure...?' she whispered uncertainly.
'I am yours 'til my last breath. I will not let them take you from me' he said, his deep, husky voice lingering in the night air.
'But you don't know what my father's like; once he's made up his mind – oh Xavier, I'm frightened. His new friend, Mr. Appleton, well, he -' she began sadly.
'He will never lay a finger on you while my heart beats. This I swear.' The man lowered his hood, revealing a mass of dark curls, his soft brown eyes locked with hers. After a moment, their lips came together passionately. Time seemed to pause as they stood enveloped in a paradise of forbidden emotions. So diverted was their attention, neither noticed the moving shadows gliding closer through the gloom towards them.
It took a minute for the young man to notice the strange quietness of his surroundings. It took only seconds, however, for him to sense the encroaching tendrils of Dark Magic circling them. Moving slowly, he pulled away from her soft lips and looked into her pale green eyes, penetrating her mind. She saw he was trying to communicate to her, although she was uncertain why, so she let her natural barriers fall immediately. Calmly he told her to run into the house, to blow down the door if she had to, but she must run and not look back. This she must promise him. Whatever happens she mustn't look back. The now worried young woman made to question him, but he placed his lips firmly over hers to muffle a reply. Then, as suddenly and unexpectedly as the kiss had been, he took her arm and pushed her with all his might backwards over the low wall where she stood. The pale woman let out a cry as she fell, her long blonde hair breaking free from the hood as she went. The man could only look pained as he let her thin fingers slip through his grasp.
Swiveling round, his wand already exposed, he raised his eyes to behold a dozen black-clad figures walking out of the darkness beyond. The tallest one stepped toward him, its face disguised behind a mask of pure white, while the others hovered menacingly.
'Xavier' it hissed, shaking its head slightly at him.
'Run Martha! Go!' he cried desperately. There was the sound of scrambling amongst the grass behind him, then of small feet running down the gravel path to the house. Xavier immediately fired a spell at the fiend but it was too easily resisted. The others lazily threw hexes at him, edging closer. He could hear their cackles through the haze. He was outnumbered 12-to-1. He didn't stand a chance. Frantically, the young man threw hex after hex at them while protecting himself against theirs. Before he knew it, he was being backed into a corner. They were closing in. Risking a glance around, he froze as his eyes fell upon the small figure of a woman lying on the ground, wand in hand, overshadowed by another domino-clad tormentor. As he looked on, the man bent down and lifted her off the ground. He turned and walked with her towards the darkened house.
'NOOOOO!' Xavier shouted in vain, making to jump over the low wall, but before he moved, a Stunning Spell sent him sprawling across the grass where he lay unmoving. After a moment, it seemed, a gloved hand touched his shoulder. Spinning around, he planted his fist in the other guy's face, which made a gory crunching noise behind the mask. Scrambling to his feet, Xavier ran towards the door, red streaks of light shooting past his head. Yet he never reached the entrance. Snake-like cords coming from a wand wrapped themselves round his wrists and ankles, bringing him face to face with the earth. He lifted his head to a man laughing, as if truly entertained. A large, balding man bearing a familiar disdainful smile stood at the doorway, draped in expensive black robes.
A rough hand grabbed Xavier by the hair and trailed him closer. Judging by the heavy, harsh breathing, it was the same guy whose face he'd just mangled. The guy kicked him hard in the ribs, rendering him speechless, but only for a moment.
'What have you done with her?!' Xavier demanded his voice hoarse and strained.
'That isn't, wasn't, and never will be, your concern. She's far beyond your unworthy grasp.' The man said pointedly, with a snobbish accent. Xavier struggled in his restraints. 'Don't touch what you can't afford, Ridgewell.' He sneered.
'Bastard!' he gasped, spitting viciously on the perfect robes hanging above his head. The man looked down at him in disgust. He'd just sealed his fate.
'Kill him.' He said to the tallest one, his eyes glittering through the eerie mist.
Their hands grabbed him from behind pulling him backwards mercilessly. 'Martha!' he whispered, reaching his hand out towards the darkened entrance where he last beheld his loved one, the one he would do anything for, knowing she couldn't hear him anymore, and never would again."
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The girl hardly noticed the dark entrance door slide open; her thoughts were so deeply involved in the events of the chapter.
"What are you reading?" Rosetta inquired. She hesitated a moment then told her, her voice laced with annoyance at being interrupted.
"A book."
"About what?" The woman replied with exasperation.
"I'll tell you when I'm finished." Ursula smiled, her unusual, cold eyes glittering as they flew across the page.
"I want to know what you're filling you mind with, young lady." Ursula couldn't conceal her disappointment as her governess confiscated the book from her hands, flicking through it and pausing frequently. After a moment, she commented, frowning, "Hmm, an unnecessary amount of violence and unrealistic, romantic situations. Not ideal reading material." She certainly knew how deflate the moment. Quietly pocketing the book, she went to walk away when Ursula claimed that one couldn't start a book and not finish it. In response, Rosetta informed her that she died in the end anyway so all-in-all the tragic story wouldn't be worth reading, in her opinion.
"Well, I suppose she got what she deserved, in the end. Filthy whore disobeying her father's wishes and cavorting with mudbloods. She had it all, too." Ursula said, indifferently. Her governess' face blanched in horror before she furiously rounded on her charge.
"I beg your pardon?!" she spun round, her robes swishing as she did so.
"What?" Ursula replied innocently, yet she was unprepared for the tumult that was to ensue.
"If I ever hear you say that word again –" the woman's green eyes glowed amber.
"Father says it all the time," she retorted, challengingly. Her governess strode over and hoisted her up by the arm – the sore one – and chastised her harshly, yet quietly.
"I hope soon you realize that not everything your father says or does is right. And I take the responsibility to teach you this upon myself. Now, if I ever hear you say that again, even in private, I will personally –"she broke off as the door opened. They both immediately knew who it was. No house-elf would enter without knocking.
"Ah, am I interrupting something?" he asked silkily. The governess immediately released the girl's arm, straightened and faced her employer, bowing slightly. The man before her wasn't as impressive as one might expect the owner of such a voice to be, nevertheless, this man was not to be crossed.
"Certainly not, Sir. I had merely lost a book that I was reading and your daughter so kindly retrieved it for me." Her voice and accent were now perfect; her posture reflected confidence, and yet Ursula could see that her breathing was shallow and her eyes more than usually alert. The smaller man raised a large brown eyebrow shrewdly.
"Don't make up excuses for the child. If punishment is due, then I expect you to exact it accordingly. You know I do not spare the rod, and I have given you full permission to do the same." The man walked over to them, watching Ursula carefully. As he stepped closer, the girl looked up into her father's grey eyes and still couldn't see a shred of affection. She looked down and decided to inspect her feet once more.
"Yes, Sir, I understand." Rosetta answered. Mr. Volterra moved closer to her and inspected her with his cold eyes.
"I hope so, for if you do not, I will be forced to remove you from your position and take over myself. We wouldn't want that, now would we?" he said with feigned sadness.
"No, Sir." Ursula got the impression that Rose sounded more concerned about the thought of her father trying to teach her.
"Good. Now," he moved even closer to the taller woman, so that their faces where inches apart. Rosetta seemed rather uneasy at this attention, moving back slightly, only to have him regain his lost space until her back was against the hard bookcase. "Last night my daughter and I had a little chat about her falling examination results," he said softly, shooting a dark look towards the repentant girl. "I trust you are aware about how I feel regarding her particular proficiency in the Dark Arts? Yet I was disappointed at her last result. She did not receive the high level I expected. Upon further reflection, it occurred to me that perhaps the fault doesn't lie with the student, but the governess." Rosetta's face flashed with fear. He saw this and smirked. Before she knew it, he'd smoothly slipped his arm around her narrow waist and pulled her against him, causing her to have to hold on to him incase she should fall. Meanwhile, Ursula was silently glaring at the carpet.
"After dinner, Rose, you will come to my chambers and we will discuss your future" he said, his voice lower than usual, but the threat still obvious.
"Mr. Volterra, I think your daughter's future is more important than mine." Rosetta pleaded, trying to remove his arm without insulting him.
"That thing has no future." He replied curtly. "There's no respectable place in society for squibs and those of impure bloodlines." He continued disdainfully. At this, Rosetta couldn't contain her anger.
"I am afraid you are wrong on both accounts, Sir. Your daughter is a remark-" At that precise moment, she let out a yelp and pushed him backwards. "Oh my! Sir, your hair is on fire!"
"What?!" Recovering quickly, he turned and looked in a mirror across the room. It was true; the back of his head was on fire. Pulling out his wand, he waved it around his head, trying to put it out, but for some reason it wasn't working. His hair was disappearing before his eyes. "Woman, what's the spell to put this out?"
"It – I – I don't know!" she answered, bringing her ands up to her face.
"WHAT!" he shouted, then in a flash of anger pointed his wand at her face. "I'll help you remember." Volterra snarled, "Crucio."
The scene was over in a matter of moments and his hair was mostly repaired, save for few singed ends which had to remain to cover over a new bald patch at the back of his head. However, just when it seemed he had vented all his anger in front of the mirror, he stopped and turned to Ursula, as if seeing her for the first time.
"You!" Her father strode towards her and seized the front of her robes, lifting her off the ground. The girl couldn't hide the fear that suddenly took hold of her. "This is all your doing!" he hissed.
"No father!"
"Don't lie to me, I can see right through you, you worthless little -" he snarled at her.
"Stop, leave her alone! She's only a child! She couldn't possibly have done it!" she could hear Rosetta pleading, but all Ursula could see was her father.
"Shut up! I don't put anything past her...She is no child of mine. There is something in her that is not of me." Her father's eyes gleamed with hatred. "Your mother would turn in her grave if she knew what a miserable, wicked little child she suffered so much for." Ursula could feel his grip tightening around her throat.
"Father – please -" she whimpered. Rosetta was feebly pulling him away from her when he threw Ursula on the couch then swung round and struck her across the face. After seeing the damage done, it took him a moment to compose himself.
"This is the sort of behaviour from her which I expected you to eradicate. The child is dangerous." Turning back to the unmoving pile of robes on the sofa, he ordered her to go to the tower where she would remain without food until she learnt to control herself when in company. In a swish of black robes, he was gone. The storm had passed.
Neither moved for a moment in the blissful quiet. Eventually, Rose got up and pulled herself onto the couch where Ursula lay. Slowly she lifted up the folds of fabric until she found the small, delicate face she was searching for. She wasn't surprised to see her alabaster skin blushed red with tears, breathing shakily.
"If I hadn't come here at your mother's request before she died, I would've left long ago and brought you with me" she whispered softly.
"Don't be silly, he would've found us, eventually." The girl struggled to control her wavering voice.
"Well it's nice to dream sometimes. You don't always have to be so realistic."
"That's hard to do when you won't let me read my books," she pointed out with a half smile. Reluctantly, her governess took it from her pocket and placed it in her hand. Slowly, Ursula pulled herself up and shifted closer to Rosetta. Without hesitation, her friend wrapped her arms tight around the girl's shoulders and let her own tears fall.
"So when should I go to the tower, then?" Ursula asked after a while.
"You won't be going to the tower. Oh no, I have something extra-special planned for you tonight, mi bambino caro." She said, making Ursula give her a suspicious look. "Don't worry; it'll change your life for the better." Reassured and intrigued by that, the girl leaned back in her governess' arms and gave in to a long dreamless sleep.
