Chapter 3 – Light
Kathryn glanced at the time as she neared the house. It was ten to four. She turned suddenly and walked towards the paddock, not wanting to be alone in the house. She had been waiting about five minutes, leaning on a tree, arms folded and frowning slightly, when the jarring hoof – beats hit the earth. Emer wandered over to her, pushing her muzzle into Kat's shoulder. She stroked the horse's nose and looked up at Ros, who nodded and dismounted quickly.
'Ready?' she asked quietly.
Kat nodded after a moment and, with one last pat of Emer's glossy flanks they walked side by side back into the house.
Kathryn and Rosalyn's first impression of Albus Dumbledore was of a tall, silver haired gentleman whose half moon glasses framed twinkling eyes. Ros liked him at once but Kat wouldn't let herself. He was about to rip her life to shreds and she wouldn't forgive on the strength of likeable eyes. He stood up when they came in and shook their hands firmly.
'Zuleika, Kallisto, its good to see you again'
Kat began to speak, but caught her aunt's eye and shut her mouth abruptly. Dumbledore settled himself back down and the girls took seats opposite him and their grandmother. Aunt Em stood a little to the side, her face half in the shadow of the heavy red curtains. The old man's face clouded slightly.
'I think perhaps the best way to start would be for you to tell me your life's story, so to speak. I'm sorry to say that until now we believed, that is your father and his friends believed that you were both dead. It seems that the only people who knew of the continued existence of the Black twins are your Grandmother and your aunt.'
Kat's face was getting angrier and angrier so Ros cut in quickly
'We don't know who our parents were. Except that they were related in someway to the Vances. They were killed in the great attack eighteen years ago.'
Dumbledore glanced very coldly at Valeria Vance, who, though old, sat straight and determined.
'This is what you were told. Your father believed that you killed in the very same attack' he said.
'And our mother?' asked Ros quietly.
Aunt Em interrupted.
'I think the clearest way would be if someone told the whole story'
'My dear Emmeline' said Dumbledore ' No-one but you knows it'
Aunt Em took a breath and was silent for a moment.
'Alright' she said, almost defiantly 'I'll tell it.' She ran a hand through her hair and looked up at the twins.
'Your mother was my elder sister, Carmen Vance. One of the most talented witches of her age at Hogwarts. She had two great friends, Lily Evans and Spikes Brand. And they had three great rivals who, oddly enough they all married.' Dumbledore smiled slightly at the memory 'Lily became Lily Potter, Spikes was tragically killed by death eaters before she married Remus Lupin and Carmen? Carmen married Sirius Black and had you two. The day she held you in your arms, they were the happiest I ever saw them' It took them months to think up your names. Carmen said they had to be interesting because she knew you would be. They were dark times and there were bad things, lots of bad things but you got on well enough until you were about a year and a half old. Harry was nearly one, that's how I know, you were almost exactly half a year older than he was. They held a great gathering. I should have thought there were about twenty of us, every Vance in England who were fighting against Voldemort.'
She sighed before continuing.
'I don't know what happened, but the death eaters knew we'd be there. There were nearly fifty, though Voldemort himself wasn't there, and now we know why. They haunt me even to this day. Tall, hooded, black figures. The stuff that nightmares are made on. I was barely seventeen and I was terrified. I ran blindly out into the garden, we couldn't apparate, something was blocking the way, a complex spell, that there wasn't time to break. I saw Carmen running towards me, ducking bolts of light and fighting all the way. She pushed you into my arms, and her broomstick too. 'Tell them I love them' she said 'tell them always do what you must and do what you can' She hugged me and then she was gone, wand flaring looking for Sirius. I hardly knew where I was by this point but I mounted and held on to you as tight as I could.
When I reached here dawn was breaking in the sky. The message came early. Everyone dead. House obliterated. Carmen was dead. Sirius was dead, as far as we knew. By the time we knew he had left to find Lily and James he was in Azkaban. We couldn't burden you with that. When we knew he was innocent, there was no proof, I did not know it myself until last year and then he couldn't rush about the country. Now he is cleared but it is too late, and I cannot forgive myself'
She had moved to the window as she had spoken of returning here, and was now leaning on the frame, as if she couldn't hold herself up. As for the twins, the world span as their lives took shape.