Things of the Past
Mía slept soundly in Leonor's arm when a gentle voice said, "Good evening! It appears that you and my daughter are inseparably."
Leonor looked down at the sleeping girl and answered, "She's a clever girl, very witty. She will be good if she joins the Brazilian school for magic. She's looking forward to it."
"Oh yes, I am sure of it. Luiz will take her to bed. I must thank you for taking care the whole night. Most adults have soon enough of Mía's constant talking."
"She took my mind off," said Leonor when Luiz picked Mía up. The sound of the mother's voice had something familiar too. The woman sat now next to the dark-haired witch and in the corner of her eye Leonor saw a huge baby bump.
"I'm Martina. I'm sorry for being away tonight. I'm too exhausted in the heat and stay mostly inside," said Luiz' wife.
"I'm Leonor," replied Leonor mechanically without looking up. She surely didn't want a talk about the last days of pregnancy tonight.
"Luiz spoke a lot about you. He'd like to hire you and Brian permanently. Luana Borage doesn't accept everybody in the laboratory. She's a descendant of Libatius Borage, who wrote 'Advanced Potion-Making'. She knows how to use that celebrity for success. Young potioneers wait for an apprenticeship, but only the best gets it. You convinced her. The Russian Potions Master had more trouble to use the exclusive space in Luana's laboratory."
"Luana is brilliant. She could write a sequel with her knowledge easily."
"Castelobruxo always made good potioneers. Mrs Borage taught me at Castelobruxo. I got good marks in potions, but I was better in herbology. That's the other discipline where we are good here. The forest gives so much. I worked in the greenhouses of the school before I married Luiz and we had a family. I still help at Castelobruxo if there is time. Luckily I have my own garden to plant whatever I need."
Leonor started to trust that the conversation didn't turn the expected way and looked up to Martina; a round freckled face with fawn eyes examined her friendly. Martina had the same strawberry-blond hair as her daughter; only the age added a deeper shimmer of copper into it.
The two women looked at each other and the atmosphere was absorbed by a sudden silence. Martina frowned and after a moment of speechlessness she stammered, "You look like somebody I knew — a long time ago."
Leonor remembered too, and the surprise deprived all powers of Occlumency. She went to Brazil because she felt save to remain undiscovered and now the opposite was the case. It was even worse; the cognition to be Ana García Hernández was visible in her face and Leonor knew it. It was more confirmation than any word. Luiz' wife put both hands to her mouth and shook her head.
"It's you, Ana! Is it really you?" whispered Martina.
"I'm Leonor now." The harsh answer confirmed the revelation.
"Of course, you are — I'm so happy, it's unbelievable. You are alive!" Martina said nothing anymore; she was stunned in agitation and grabbed Leonor's hand to hold it until the tears in the eyes run dry.
"It's been more than twenty years since we spoke the last time. We've been best friends and suddenly you didn't want to talk to me anymore. When I studied at Castelobruxo, my father wrote that you died in an accident. He never understood why I clung to the friendship. I missed you." The smell of loss and perplexity resonated in the now calm voice. "There is so much to talk about! Do you mind telling me?"
"I cannot! I shouldn't!"
"I never forgot you, Ana. The flowers on your grave never shrivelled away. I go there whenever I visit my parents. I now understand why!"
Leonor swallowed; her insides burned; the tongue was dry, and distance and distaste blended with a rare tinge of victory and hope. The lost friendship was like a straw in the wind.
"I consider it."
Martina implored again, "See me whenever you like!"
The women sat in silence and followed their own train of thoughts. Most of the guests departed and the music slowed down. Luiz and Brian walked into their direction with cheerful glowing faces.
"Don't tell them," pleaded Leonor quietly before she was encircled by strong arms and a befuddled smell of alcohol.
"My love is fond of your family," hiccuped Brian. "We will have soon our own family. I want six children, seven, better are eight!" Brian shouted that Luiz tilted his head and turned to his wife grinning in joyful anticipation.
A moment later Luiz winked at Leonor, "Too much Cachaça."
"I'll apparate us home," said Leonor matter-of-factly holding Brian upright. The physical effort to hold the taller man killed the inside tumult of emotion.
"Thank you for the great night. It was nice to meet your family." Leonor pulled her wand out and smiled at Luiz' wife before turning on the spot.
Martina called something when Leonor gripped Brian securely and the voice drowned in the pull of cool air. The British were gone in a split-second.
"Remind Leonor to visit me at all costs, will you?" repeated Martina to her husband. The sincere look in Martina's face let Luiz agree with a strange feeling in his guts.
"Sure, sweetheart. Just be careful, there's something Leonor doesn't tell us."
Martina nodded and stared still blankly to the spot where Leonor vanished seconds before.
XXX
Brian and Leonor landed rough on the apparition spot of the hospital. Leonor exhaled effetely and tumbled over Brian when he remained on his knees in a drunken stupor. Transporting a drunk and almost swooned man was more difficult than expected. Alcohol and magic transportation didn't go well together. After what seemed about an endless time he moved, and the witch helped him up. She vanished the vomit and handed Brian a precautionary conjured flask of potion. Brian managed a thankful look when the medicine improved his condition quickly. He took a key out of his pocket to hand it powerless over to Leonor.
"Apartment number 2477," stuttered Brian before he tottered down the stairs.
Leonor hoped it was enough to put Brian over the threshold of the door, but she was suspicious when incantations of house elves secured the entrance. Blame spread through her body. Was Leonor responsible for Brian's excessive consumption of Cachaça? She had left him alone and floated in memories and wishes instead of taking care of him.
The key lifted the spells and a name plate appeared on the door. Leonor frowned realizing that both names were on the small piece of golden metal. The door sprang open and a warm dim light welcomed the couple. Brian walked in and collapsed on the double bed with a relieved groan. Afterwards, Leonor heard only the thud of Brian's shoes on the carpeting.
The room was generous for the hospital and included a double bed, a small sitting area and a desk. Leonor's wardrobe trunk was carefully placed on the wall next to Brian's belongings. Flowers decorated a table in the kitchenette. Leonor drunk the sight of it and her view travelled soon to the large window front. The muffled noise of the sea stilled the urge to run away. Leonor checked the handbag and the key of her previous room was gone. That was the way how a change of residence worked in the magical hospital. The elves executed everything, and you went directly into your new home after returning. It was the surprise Brian mentioned vaguely; Leonor didn't want to admit it.
For seconds Leonor felt entrapped, captive to her own decision. She agreed to move in with Brian and watched now the restless sleeping man. It was her bed too. Leonor changed into her pyjamas and the thoughts about Martina returned. Leonor broke the contact to her friend on that day when she discovered about the evil things her father did to staff and neighbours for being friendly with his daughter. She had missed Martina in the childhood, and Leonor was glad when Martina left to learn at a remote boarding school. It was difficult to keep the distance when they learned in the same school class. Martina's family kept the magic under wraps and Leonor realized that the friend obviously knew that she was a witch. For Leonor, it was new, a surprise.
Tiredness overpowered the woman soon. With some magic she created space in the double bed to make herself at least physically comfortable. She looked from the pillows through the large window front directly into the starlit sky. She knew Brian did his best to get this apartment — and the wings of guilt spread in Leonor's stomach mingled with doubts about how to share the sleeping place with Brian on the upcoming days.
Leonor left the new apartment early the next morning. Brian was still fast asleep when she descended into the sub-basement to work in the laboratory. The antidote was ready and distributed to those with critical symptoms. A week ago, the wizarding police found a new trace of the poison. Somebody sold 'Liquid Luck' on country markets. Recovered victims broke the silence and reported about the cheap buys for a day full of bliss and success. They gave almost their lives for the fraud and another ordinary day. Leonor's work in Brazil was nearly done. The scientific documentation, some regular examinations and the monitoring of the blood values of the patients were the only tasks left. A return to England loomed to the present, and still — Leonor's past haunted her uncomfortably. Nothing was resolved, not even her resent decision to start a relationship with Brian.
The delegation of British healers chattered about souvenirs for family and friends. None of them considered staying; everybody headed back to support their country in the forthcoming difficult times. The "Daily Prophet" arrived regularly late in Brazil and the anticipation of the next events created no pleasure while waiting for the newspaper. Leonor found a stack of copies on her desk that morning after the party.
The mass breakout of Death Eaters from Azkaban enthroned on the title page. There was also a description of the life career and ancestry of each escapee. Bellatrix Lestrange looked horrid and still it must have been a beautiful woman. The dark curls reminded Leonor of Sirius Black even though everything was in a dirty frizz after the imprisonment. There was some resemblance in the eyes and Sirius would fight against it to death. What if Bellatrix was one of Severus' darlings? Leonor abandoned the thought just a moment later when she learned about the husband Rodolphus Lestrange who escaped as well. Hogwarts struggled to be a save place. Leonor felt pity for Sybill Trelawney and Rubeus Hagrid about losing their jobs. It predicted only that Dolores Umbridge and Cornelius Fudge denunciated Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore whenever they could instead of fighting the real enemy. The whole situation unnerved Leonor more than she admitted to herself. She left the unread details of the newspaper in a drawer and seated unsettled to complete the final paperwork for the assignment.
XXX
"Exemplary to find you in here in the late afternoon!" called a raspy voice into the laboratory and startled Leonor. "It is a free day, there was a party yesterday and there is not much left to do in our country." Luana Borage was massive for a woman and point-blank in her conversation. "I thought you enjoy the view from the twenty-fourth floor?"
"And what do you do here on a free day? Though, you arrive later than usual," retorted Leonor kiddingly. They played the word game every weekend.
"Brian didn't even show up for the second doctor's round today. What did you do to him tonight?"
"He had a hard time with digesting Cachaça," replied Leonor gruffly.
"Ah, I see. You are no use to him in that state." Luana grinned a rather masculine smile.
"Would you mind if I finish another study in the next days?" asked Leonor out of a sudden whim and pushed the papers on the desk into a proper pile. "The description of the antidote for the false 'Liquid Luck' is ready. Review it, please." She handed the thesis to her superior.
"Good! What study do you have in mind? Something interesting?"
Leonor waved her wand quickly and conjured a folder with notes and shoved it in Luana's hands on top of the other paper.
"Please have a look! I cannot explain scholarly why the sage oil is so important to the antidote. It is the only missing piece in the whole study about Hungarian Horntails."
Luana exhaled in surprise, turned some pages and gave Leonor a sharp look, "You are excellent in the lab. I cannot get the reason why you come out with this on your last days! We could have done it before."
"There have been more important pressing matters."
"Sure, but still. By the way — why do you act on that gossip of the nurses and doctors?" asked Luana thoughtfully.
"What gossip?" asked Leonor alarmed.
"Those bullshit about you and Brian being made for each other! You have more passion in the morgue than when you go for a walk with that dandy!"
"He was a dandy but is not anymore." Leonor answered defiantly.
"Your choice. You are not the type for a family with him," roared Luana. Her laughter sounded like thunder. "Thanks for the thriller about dragon venom to read tonight! Don't take it personal what I said about Brian. But it does not occur to me why you want to put yourself into the box of a housewife! That's what he is looking for. Is he the one you are looking for?"
Luana swept out of the laboratory, obviously she had indeed a free day and came just for a non-committal stopover. It was the first time she mentioned something private in presence of Leonor. Maybe it was her way to say thank you and goodbye at once. Leonor continued reading the English wizarding newspaper reflectively; it killed the time until returning to the apartment. The thought about it and Luana's words created goose bumps on Leonor's skin.