Disclaimer: Not Mine, Never Mine

Chapter 2: Broken Vigil

My vigil was interrupted by a shrill scream coming from the now ancestral home of the Potters that my parents had bought on a whim in the small quaint town of Godric's Hollow.

Little, sweet Tamika Potter was playing in the forest behind her house while I watched her attentively as I mused on my life—or unlife as a mortal might be inclined to put it—I watched as something in the bushes near a small stream caught her attention, and I kept my eye on her as she crept over to investigate what it was that was making them move. My attention was riveted on her as she pulled back the bush to discover a very large, and very poisonous snake coiled up and sleeping contentedly on the warm sun kissed earth, upon having it's sleep disturbed the snake reared up to it's full majestic height and began to hiss menacingly at the little girl, who did not seem at all concerned that this snake could be harmful to her, instead she started hissing at it in a tongue that would seem foreign to anyone who was not born with the gift to understand it.

Every Potter since my day had been graced with this gift, though most kept it secret as it was still a widely feared gift, though in the family itself, it was accepted, and always encouraged to use their gift, even if it was only in private. Tamika did not fear this unfamiliar snake on her land because she figured that it must be a new one that her father had saved from somewhere, and brought home. He was the one who encouraged their gift with snakes so much. He loved them, and could never get enough of them.

So, unperturbed as she was she started up a conversation with the snake, to calm and reassure it of its safety with her. However, this snake was not one of many that her father had brought home with him, this was a snake who was a descendant of a snake that once upon a time was pining do swallow my corpse whole once her master was done with it, this snake had it ingrained in her mind, by her mother, who had had it ingrained by her mother, and likewise before that, that all descendants of the 'wretched snake-talker' were to be killed if the chance arose, for it was their purpose to serve their ancestors master, who would have been their master had the 'one who stole the gift' not killed him. So on the pretence of curling up the little girl's leg to perch itself around her waist, she struck. Swift and lethally, before even I had a chance to react, her venom was already snaking its way through the veins of my descendant.

My little Tamika lay there, collapsed on the ground, breathing harshly as the venom began to take effect, making her weak and leaving her in pain. The venom of the snake was very similar to that of a Basilisk, very painful, and very deadly, the only difference being that it would not kill right away. It would, in fact, take many days to take full effect.

My poor sweet girl let out a piercing shriek of pure agony that had her father, Dominic sprinting from his study to find her. In one swift movement he'd assessed the now dead snake lying next to her, the angry and swollen twin punctures on her calf, and her tear stained cheeks before lifting her effortlessly from the ground and running back to the house as I followed unnoticed behind them.

Two days have passed and her condition is only worsening, there has never been, and will not be a known cure for the poison that resides in her blood. The healers kept her for only a day, and then released her; saying that it would be best is she spent her last few days with her family. They told them that there was no hope, that nothing could save her and that it would be best to make her comfortable and not to scare her. How could she not be scared, a sweet innocent young girl who's only crime was utilising a gift she's always been fond of and for satisfying her curiosity, and now because she was curious, and because she loves snakes, she's petrified of what little her short and inevitable future may hold. The healers have given up, her parents have given up, even she has given in, but not her sister, little Taranis refuses to give up hope, she's been optimistic and she prays every waking moment that something will happen to keep her sister with her.

Taranis. Always the protective older sister, even if it was only by a few minutes. She always held Tamika under her wing, never letting any harm come to her. I sit, and watch as Taranis cries her heart out for her sister behind the privacy of the curtains on her bed, so that no one will see her weakness and pity her for it. She does not want pity, she wants her sister to be the fun sweet girl that she should be, she wants things to be normal again, but as she says these things out loud, I can feel the despair in the air, that she would not let her sister feel around her. She has given up, like the others. She's resigned herself to the fact that her other half, her opposite will soon be gone forever. She tells her self that there will never again be the sweetness to calm here thundering temper. She marvels at the fact that they each turned out very similar to what their names suggest, her sister's name, Tamika, meant 'sweet', and that's exactly what she is. Kind, caring, selfless, and brave, even in the face of certain death. Her own name, Taranis meant 'thunder', and that was just what her temper was, thunderous, they were the perfect balance and Taranis feared what would happen to her without her better half. She was scared, and she was helpless.

I sat and watched my two girls as I contemplated. I thought long and hard about what I could do for them, for I knew that if one was gone the other would never be the same again. They depend on each other to keep the other on task and away from harm, they were not just twins, they were one person, one soul slit into two different bodies. They could never be apart for very long, they always did every thing together, and for Taranis losing Tamika would be like losing half her mind, half her heart, and half her soul. She would never cope; she would be half for the rest of her life.

Tamika was not a lost cause, she could be saved, but at what cost. Her life could very well be ruined, much like mine was ruined, but then, my life wasn't ruined, not really, it was lonely sure, but definitely not ruined. I was content enough with how I am.

I decided I'd been hidden for far two long, and that there were two young ladies who needed my help, I made a decision, and I would not go back on it, I resolved that I would wait until the next night, and I would sneak in and talk to them both, give them a choice, make them an offer, and see what they said. I could only hope they would accept, it was selfish of me, yes, but I was lonely and I wanted company, and they wee my family, I would do anything to help them. There was not much time left until Tamika's body started shutting down completely, it would be the next night or it would never be.

I went to sit in wait, making sure I planned out every thing I was about to say, do, and offer. I needed top make sure I was thorough and I needed to make sure they would trust me.

It was time, after 135 years of not being seen, it was time my Vigil were broken, I only wish it wasn't in these circumstances. Only time will tell what would happen the next night.

A/N: Review Please.

can anyoine guess what Harry is yet, or what he's planning?