Chapter 14: Farewell
"Mother?" Asked Draco as he stepped closer and Narcissa Malfoy stood up from the couch and opened her arms for her son; who walked up and hugged the witch. Emily and Tyle were standing in the back, their eyes widened. Edenia placed herself slightly in front of her friends while Bellatrix Lestrange observed them closely, almost not paying any attention to her nephew. Her black eyes narrowed greatly at Edenia, as if she expected something but it did not happen.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Draco once he let go of his mother.
"We...have to tell you something. Edenia...you too." Said Narcissa and looked over to the girl but Tyle furrowed his eyebrows a little and asked instead. "How did you get in here...nobody was here to let you in..."
Bellatrix scoffed at that and shook her head but the witches did not answer. Instead, Narcissa said again. "Edenia. Come...come here please. We need to talk..."
Draco gulped a bit, not knowing what was going to happen but Edenia walked on over there while Emily and Tyle followed and they tried everything to block their friend from the dark witch and her longing eyes but it was almost impossible.
"Do we need the other pack around?" Asked Bellatrix half annoyed and Emily and Tyle frowned, wanted to say something until their friend snapped first. "They will stay where they are."
The whole atmosphere was extremely strung up; Bellatrix and Edenia had an intense stare-down but it was interrupted by Narcissa's voice.
"Edenia...the. The muggle world. Remember when I told you that...it would be safe?"
"Yes..."
"I. I was wrong." She almost stuttered and held Draco's shoulder.
"What?! What do you mean? Does...does that mean he will come here?! And kill everyone? All the…muggles?" Edenia gasped.
"Who is he? Voldemort?" Asked Tyle in curiosity and Bellatrix's eyes widened. She rushed up with her wand pointed at him on almost an instant when the word left his lips.
"FILTH! DON'T YOU TAKE HIS NAME IN YOUR DIRTY MOUTH!" She screamed at the blue eyed man, her nose wrinkled in disgust, she would have jinxed him had there not been Edenia who rushed up and stood in front of him protectively; but Narcissa pulled her sister down, trying to calm her.
"Bella…" She tried but Bellatrix shoved Narcissa back and growled lowly while Tyle just frowned and exchanged surprised looks with Emily. Now they knew exactly who this woman was.
Before someone else could say anything, Narcissa continued. "We came to..."
"Pick up Draco..." Finished Edenia in a low tone. Narcissa gulped and nodded.
"Yes..."
"I am going nowhere without Edenia." It came from Draco suddenly. He spoke in such a firm and determined voice that everyone's eyes turned to him, especially Bellatrix couldn't be more surprised.
"Draco, dear..." Said Narcissa and her eyes got all teary again. She sniffled softly and looked at Edenia. "I...expected this to happen. I...Edenia if you want to come with us..."
"She wouldn't be safer with us." Said Bellatrix before emphasizing "and that's her own fault! We would have given her everything! But there she goes! She had to run away and deny the Dark Lord's orders! Under his nose, too! There cannot be more betrayal than that!" She growled but Edenia did not say a word for a while. Draco started to breathe unsteadily, shaking his head.
"Mother...there must be a way!" He pleaded and Narcissa stared at her son, then to Bellatrix who inhaled deeply. Nothing was said for some time but Narcissa then roamed around in her pocket for something, found it, pulled it out and in her hand was money; a lot of muggle money.
"H..here Edenia. Take it, you took care of Draco, you-"
"Is that the price to pay to ensure your sleep at night, Narcissa?" Asked Edenia in a concentrated manner suddenly and the room grew dead silent, not even Bellatrix found a retort.
"Edenia, I know, but please, take it-"
"Mother! You are insulting her!" Rushed Draco stiffly and Narcissa lowered her head a bit, nodded and pulled her hand back but dabbed away some tears after she stuffed the money into her pocket again. It was quiet once more.
"Draco. You will go home with your family. I will not come with you. I will not let my friends die here. Not alone...I..."
"No! No Edenia! You will come with us! They too!" He pointed at Tyle and Emily.
"We don't need more Mudbloods to kill, Draco." Mumbled Bellatrix and ignored the tears that already streamed down Emily's face but Tyle tried consoling her.
"Are you sure, Edenia...is this final...you will...stay here...?" Asked Narcissa.
"Yes." Said Edenia.
"She...ngh..." Growled Bellatrix angrily in frustration; she wanted to say something but couldn't. Draco just shook his head, ran his hands through his hair nervously and looked up the ceiling every so often but all the attention went to his mother when she spoke again.
"Go to south, Edenia. The...the Death Eaters will start north...it...it will take time for them to get there...maybe...maybe you have a chance and..." She stopped and swallowed, her throat seemed dried out but she continued. "And...And live..."
"So this is case X..." Mumbled Edenia and rubbed a hand through her hair, looking at both Emily and Tyle. Emily shook her head in denial.
"No...No Nia! Nia! This can't be day X...no..." She whimpered but Tyle rubbed her back gently.
"We knew this day would be coming, Emily..." Said Edenia and Tyle inhaled deeply; he nodded and closed his eyes only to open them again when someone spoke.
"You...knew?" Asked Narcissa and Bellatrix seemed surprised too.
"It was clear to us when I heard of his return. I asked...everyone close to me to save money...we have been prepared long ago...now will you excuse me...I need to inform Alex..." She got up and picked up the cellphone, trying to call him but he did not pick up, instead, he denied her call. She frowned and walked over to the computer, maybe something else would work. Everyone stared at Edenia while Emily cried quietly in Tyle's arms. It took some time for Alex to answer the Skype call but he did, eventually, he seemed to understand that it was urgent.
"Nia..." Came a voice; Alex's voice. Bellatrix looked over there curiously, wondering how this stuff worked but she would never ask. Instead, she just continued staring at the light blue screen and listened to their voices.
"Alex! You need to come back. We have to go! To the airport! Now! We don't have a lot of time. They came to pick up Draco. They said we have to go south. They said they will not go there all too soon-"
"Nia...open the camera. I want to see your face." Alex said again, he seemed unshaken by all of those news. The girl glanced over to Emily and Tyle who did not know how to take this, then she turned around again and noticed that Alex opened the camera and so she did, too.
"I'm in the hospital Nia...further away." He said softly. He appeared paler than ever and tired but other than that, seemed fine.
"Hospital? Come back home! Or we pick you up somehow?! We don't have time anymore! Where are you? We have to go-"
"I cannot come with you." He spoke and his green eyes looked right into the camera. Narcissa and Bellatrix stared at the screen, Draco seemed shocked and Emily and Tyle both jumped up and walked over to the computer.
"What do you mean?! Alex! Did you not understand? We are dying when we stay here! They are invading the-"
"My mother, Nia...they said she won't have long anymore. They said she...she won't make it. I knew this day would be coming but...but Nia, I swore, I promised to her...that I would never...leave her side, I promised I would stay with her until the end..."
"No!" Emily screamed and Edenia cried bitterly now, shaking her head.
"Alex...Alex, please..." She tried through her dried out throat but he shook his head.
"I can't..." He croaked, suppressing the tears.
"She…wouldn't want that! Alex! Please, oh god...please..." Edenia cried hysterically now, it fully hit her. Alex will not come. Emily couldn't say a single word with her squint shut eyes and under her tears while Tyle stared at the screen in disbelief, lips twitching oddly.
"I love you Nia. All of you. I love you...be safe. Tyle. Take care of my girls."
"I...I will...I promise..." Said Tyle and bit his bottom lip but that's when the screen turned blue again and Edenia burst out in tears and screamed "No! NO! ALEX!" but it was too late. Draco ran up to them and hugged Edenia who was almost having a mental breakdown while Tyle tried to calm down Emily but it was to no use, she ran away into her room and Tyle followed.
"Shh...Shh. Edenia. Please don't cry...I'm sure he will try to come, he will try..."
"We..we..ha-have to go to the hospit-a-al… we..we…Have to pick him up, we-"
"There will not be any time for this, I'm afraid, Edenia." Said Narcissa softly and she got up. "You don't have time..." She added, then walked over to the girl and stared at her broken face, rubbed her shoulder gently but looked at her sister and demanded.
"Give it back, Bella."
Bellatrix glared at Narcissa for a couple of seconds, rolled her eyes but pulled out a wooden stick from her leather coat. She got up slowly and walked over to the girl, however, she did not, not for the slightest of seconds, look into her eyes. Instead, she handed back Edenia's wand. The girl stared at it before she took it into her right hand, eyes wandered to Bellatrix but the dark witch had her face turned away and she seemed to stare out of the window; any direction as long as it didn't mean looking at her. Edenia closed her eyes for a brief moment before she looked around the living room, raised her wand and pulled it back and forth, swung it around and with these motions the glass started to shatter and the large fragments and splinters flew out of the apartment, the TV broke, the computer burst in flames, the cupboard-doors flung open and all the content fell out. Her last move was aimed against the pure white wall on which she jinxed the word "MUDBLOODS" and red liquid ran from the letters.
Moments of silence invaded the destroyed room; Bellatrix looked around with her lips parted while Draco kept shaking his head in disbelief.
At last, Emily and Tyle both stood there with bags and teary faces. Tyle walked over to Edenia to hand her the bag that they packed long ago. He put it around her shoulder gently while he informed. "I told Patty. She will come, but later, she told us to go ahead. I also...told her to inform everyone that she still wants to see by tomorrow..."
Edenia nodded almost absentmindedly, she walked over to the corridor and set all the rooms in flames but ran back into her room to pick up something and returned the other second only to pull her friends along by the hands and walk out of the apartment. Bellatrix, Narcissa and Draco followed on out too and all of them knew, as they stood outside and watched the flames, that this was the last time they could see each other.
"Edenia…" Said Draco when he watched the three of them starting to walk off wordlessly. He was not ready for this. He called her again and she stopped dead in her tracks, head turned to her left shoulder but she did not turn around. However, it was not necessary as he walked over to her by now and stared at her back. Biting her bottom lip, she whimpered through gritted teeth.
"Just…just go, Draco…"
"Edenia…please…look at me. One last time…" He said and it took a couple of seconds but she turned around to him. The two witches stood in the back and watched, Bellatrix had her arms crossed and seemed very, very concentrated. She narrowed her eyes, tried to make out what they were saying but it was impossible.
"Edenia…there's. There's something I've wanted to tell you…for so long…" He croaked and his voice started to shake. She looked up to him, then looked back to her friends, then to Draco again, waiting.
"I…" He tried. "I'm sorry for everything. Everything I have done to you...And…" He said and she nodded, wanted to turn around to leave but he pulled her back and hugged her tightly while whispering into her ear. "…I love you…" and kissed her forehead before parting. He walked backwards and they stared into each other's eyes before both of them turned around at the same time and disappeared into the night.
The three friends arrived at the airport a little later and booked their tickets. Things would be so much easier of only Edenia could apparate with her friends but that was not possible as they were muggles. No one said a single word, Emily had tears streaming down her face constantly and tried to get rid of them but it only resulted in crying even more. She tried to convince everyone that Alex was only joking and that he would be here very soon but he was not, not then, not an hour later while they were waiting on their flight. Edenia watched the people around her, the giggling and laughing. She watched Emily crying into Tyle's arms and she watched airplanes taking off and arriving every so often. Her dull eyes stared around; through everyone and everything but when she stared down at the picture that she carried in her hands all along, her eyes softened and filled with tears again. The four friends sat there together in front of a fire and tents in the background. What a beautiful and funny day it was. And with that, Edenia looked up out of the sky, around the people she previously observed until she stood up, handed over the ticket to Tyle and said.
"Give this to Patty, so she won't have to buy hers."
"WHAT?! NO! NOT YOU, TOO!" Screamed Emily but Edenia shook her head while Tyle tried to hold her back.
"I have to! I have to try and stop him! I have to fight! And I will not tell you Goodbye because! I! Will! Be! Back!" She said and apparated away.
Edenia will fight.