Chapter XXII
Hermione and Dumbledore had just reached his office to find Remus and Sirius sitting in opposite side, not looking to the other. Remus seem peeved rather, shooting daggers over to Sirius while Sirius holding his face in his hands.
What's going on? She wondered why they were both acting like this as Dumbledore told her to have a seat. She sat next to Remus and was about to ask what was wrong but reconsider as Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Now I believe that Mr. Black has something to tell you." He turn to the young man who was fisting his hair, his head still bowed over, "Sirius?"
He sighed and lifted his head and took a deep breath, knowing she was going to be like Remus and Keller and wouldn't blame her either way, and started telling the whole story all over from during his detention with Snape and finished up to where they had confronted one another out in the hall and Keller heard the least tidbits.
Hermione was shocked to the very least as well as angry and disappointed on what Sirius did and still couldn't find it easy to believe that this had happened. But the truth was written in Sirius's eyes as he started to say, "I'm really sorry for what happened, for what I done and I—"
"Sirius the one you should be apologizing to should be Remus and Keller, they need it more as their trust seem to have been frail thinly after what you done…" Hermione said almost sick at as a part of her wonder how this could have happened. She knew Sirius had mention to them that in their Hogwarts years that he had tried to send Snape down the tunnel to the shack where the werewolf Remus was as a practical joke but something seem off. It hadn't been as a joke but more on a personal bases because Snape was getting close to Keller?
And Sirius had gotten jealous, which in turn cause him to send Snape to the tunnel to almost get killed, oh dear Merlin! She saw Dumbledore must have read her thought and had to been the reason why she was here.
When Sirius guessing what her silence was for reaction to his confession, sighed knowing inside three people were already angry with him for what he had done.
James had nearly lost his temper when he told him afterwards and hadn't spoken to him for over five days before he did on terms if he would let Remus know what happened.
He did make that promise, trying to see how the best way to do so and had gotten the same reaction he was expecting, only ten times worse. Dumbledore decided that they would have to get back to their dorms, the boys not saying a word as they left his office.
Hermione tried to speak but Dumbledore held up his hand, silencing her as he had something rather important to discuss. "Ms. Lucian, I know that I have asked you before too many times if you recall anything about how you and your cousin got here but it seems we have a problem. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"
Hermione nodded as she thought how so many things were going supposedly different, the timeline could be changing as she knew it back in hers, only to make things far from better to possible worse.
And the prophecy she had told it in front of Dumbledore and not from the other seer so he would know ahead and maybe just maybe….
"Professor, you remember back in the Forbidden Forest just now, I told the prophecy to you and the centaurs and I was wondering…"
"Wondering if I was willing to help? In what way as you seem that you want me to prevent it somehow, correct?" His eyes were no longer holding that twinkle but instead of deep concern over what she had been trying to get at.
"Ms. Lucian do you recall what you said before, the dark lord will mark him his equal, knowing in some way, that if I dare interfere, the prophecy would still happened, no matter how many time one tries to defy its laws or order of the way fate is written for all of us from when we are born to the very end of our life's journey. I truly am sorry to say that I cannot do such but we had something else rather to discuss.
I have some sort of theory; mind you it's a theory still but supposes the killing curse had hit something that was capable of going through time. I notice that both you and your cousin have a pendant that look exactly the same."
Yes she remembered when they were in the Perfect's bathroom; Keller had found a pendant around her neck, which hadn't been there before or notice until that moment as they first traveled back here. She touched hers but realized she had left it upstairs while she was changing into her costume. Was it possible they had magical properties they had been both unaware of?
"I would like to take a look at them and see if they have any magical capabilities on either item but now I think I must go see professor McGonagall and inform what has happen to Ms. Corvin. You may go ahead and spend the night in the wing to…keep her company."
Yes professor." She left the room to head for the hospital wing as she exit the headmaster's office. She was walking down the corridors, being careful not to be sight without getting caught by Filch or Ms. Norris and made it to the double doors and step in.
Madame Promfrey turn and saw her come in and Hermione told her Dumbledore had given permission to spend the night with her cousin.
"Yes I think having you around will lessen her temper just a bit. I clean her up as best I could and just need to put some clothes on to cover her, terrible they are those centaurs are at times, what a barbaric lot!" Hermione recalled finding Keller being beaten within an inch of her life and felt the beast within raging for what had been done and wanting to rip those bastards to shred but she had to keep under control.
She knew what it would be like to not be able to tame it, like Remus have and possible same with Keller as she seen the horrifying state she had been and knew she would have to restrain such dangerous instinct if she didn't want to have any bloodshed.
She saw Keller was lying under the covers, her skin pale like a ghost's and Promfrey made to pull the sheet off while Hermione help sit her up. It was only after she had held Keller up from behind, her hair pulled to the side and gasped at what she saw.
On her back were scars she never imagine, scars that crisscrossed over one another, twisted, scarring deep within the tissues as if done multiply times. And some of the skin looked like it wasn't even flesh anymore, as if it was burn right off or peel then burn again. Such a sight and made her stomach churn. They looked worse than Remus' staring at each one and wonder at how she had gotten them. Surely not from those centaurs, they looked much older than that and appeared to have been done by some tools rather in some way…
Keller must've heard her and though her body still weak but having just enough to turn her head and said in a small voice, her eyes a little glassy, the affect of the drug in her still, "Mione?"
And before Hermione could say anything she heard another who had the same reaction as she did, "OH MY MERLIN?! WHAT HAPPENED?!" Hermione turned to see professor McGonagall in a nightgown and Dumbledore beside her, both of them staring at the gruesome display on Keller's back.
Dumbledore's expression was with concern but McGonagall looked to him with an exasperated glare, "You said she was beaten by the centaurs but never anything about…this!" She in a harsh whisper as she went to join the two girls, "Ms. Corvin what happened are you all right, what had—"
"Leave me alone!" Keller said as she turned away from the professor and Hermione by averting her eyes away from the two. McGonagall try to ask her again but she plainly ignored her and pulled herself away as they tried to reach out to her and she glared at them icily telling them to back off.
Dumbledore went over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Minerva, let me try to talk to her." McGonagall pulled away as Dumbledore said in a calm voice, like ones use talking to small children, "Ms. Corvin, I know how hard it must be but I would like to know—"
"NO!" This time she looked at him, defiance and anger burning in her eyes as they changed to black startling everyone in the room, "YOU WOULDN'T BLOODY UNDERSTAND WHAT I HAD TO GO THROUGH IN MY LIFE SO DON'T TRY AND GIVE ME A LECTURE ABOUT IT OK, SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! ALL OF YOU!" Her body was shaking in uncontrollable anger and knowing that the change would come to her if they didn't go. Everyone took her outburst in silence and Dumbledore finally sigh, "We'll leave you alone Ms. Corvin, your cousin shall stay with you the night and we'll see you again in the morning to see how you're faring."
He pulled McGonagall and beckon Hermione to follow and stood outside the double doors and placed a silencing spell behind them.
"It seem to my knowledge that Ms. Corvin had suffered a lot, and I am correct to assume that half of what she had gone through since her parents were murdered?" He looked to Hermione, knowing she knew the story of Keller's past and sadly nodded, "Yes both our parents were, but she had gone through it worse as she lost them about five years ago before she found me."
"Murdered? Five years ago?" McGonagall said staring from Hermione to Dumbledore as he didn't take his eyes from Hermione, "Yes but that is not the worse case. I don't believe your cousin ever told you about someone named 'Drake' has she?"
Hermione having not ever heard the mention of this after spending the last few days together, then again she didn't really regard bringing up the past so much, thought to be given too many painful memories she thought. "No sir but why would he have anything to do with—"
"I have heard stories, rumors considering about her, it's a woman by the way, a vampiress more like. She's has lived for hundreds of years, traveling across the globe, learning and mastering techniques that would be considered the most dangerous and lethal attacks known to man.
"Now would you have ever heard of an attack where at the exact direct point of the eight vital parts are, the heart, lungs, throat, spinal column, liver, jugular vein, subclavian artery, kidney and with enough pressure could ensure death in just mere seconds before the person has a chance to defend themselves from their attacker."
"B-but that's impossible, surely no one is capable of such—" Dumbledore shook, "Yes, there are and can kill anyone with just a simple flick of the wrist if one desire to use hand to hand and with Keller's stealth and speed, she could as easily as swatting a fly or performing one of the deadly spells known to our kind." Hermione cringe, knowing what he was saying as McGonagall gasp but looked to the door where Keller was, "But Dumbledore, she's just a child, how can anyone, I mean it, it can't—"
"Drake has taught only those and by few I mean who she finds has the potential and will to gain but first had to take away something in order for them to master her training."
He took a deep breath and it seem to cause the air around them to stiffen slightly, a current of some darkness that left Hermione thinking what he was going to tell them wasn't going to be good.
"She takes away their emotions. Their happiness, sadness, anger, fear, all we hold she strips them, bares them right off as if they were a scrape on the knee and let it heal over repeatedly until a scar is form and no emotions are left within to feel the pain or anything at all, the hurt, the betrayal, any other emotion that would make them think as their weaknesses. They lose the ability to express their true nature until hollowness is form around the shell of that person, leaving them indestructible and invincible to their grounds.
"She uses by any means necessary through torture, physical, mentally, anything until they are void of any to feel. That is why the person will not be forced to hold back when against an opponent, won't hold regret, remorse or even a hint of fear as the person they kills will be no more than just their enemy."
Hermione was shock and look back to where her cousin was behind those doors and thinking back of those scars and how cruel can a person be and why she would do such a thing.
How could she? How could her cousin gone through Hell with a trainer who took something that seem important in life in exchange for power? But was that really it? Had that been what she had been mostly after or it was it something else…?
Had she felt so much pain with the other vampire and maybe half the lycan as she was never accept into one or both society and never will be.
With her parents gone, she had no one to look to for a family and losing the love she once shared with and finding it to be shattered as easily as glass and walking over it, bleeding half the time her emotions to the ground and letting it dry over time until she was able to walk without flinching at the touch of them. It was a wonder she even begun to open up with her and the others, had let out a laugh without it seem hollow to her or a smile that looked ready to crack. A mask she carefully wore and now she knew the truth and wonder who the real Keller was, the one behind the façade and whether she would ever show her true face to her?
Dumbledore told her and Minerva to not say a word to this to anyone and both agree and Hermione was allowed to headed back in where she saw her cousin sleeping to the side, her back turn, covered with a hospital gown.
She kept questioning how could she never seen then as to now. Had she been concealing them this whole time with wandless magic or wearing her clothes over them long enough until Hermione's back was turn and quickly changed. Hermione touch her back softly, being careful not to wake her and feeling the marred lines under the thin clothes and almost heard Keller whimpering in her sleep before she tried to comfort her by crawling in next to her and wrapping her arms around her.
"It's ok, I'm here, and I'm not going to leave you alone Keller. Don't worry, I'm here for you, no matter what." She said them in a calm voice that seem to make Keller relax a bit and then falling asleep herself beside her.
Hermione heard voices, people arguing and tried to ignore them, hoping they would quiet down and not wake her cousin. She really needed the rest and wished they didn't disturb them but they kept on getting louder and as she heard many, Merlin it was enough to give her a headache!
Finally she decided to see what the fuss was about and opened her eyes only to see she wasn't in the hospital and Keller wasn't by her, just herself.
And she saw that she was in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place.
It can't be, I'm back. I'm back in my time!
But how, how was she and Keller wasn't. The arguing was coming from the basement where she saw the Order of the Phoenix gather around. Harry and Ron and Dumbledore and the others consisted of the original members from the past, Shacklebolt, Moody and Remus while the newer ones like Tonks standing beside McGonagall. She saw it was most of the boys doing the arguing over at Dumbledore as he tried to calm them down.
"Calm down, you bloody tell us to calm down when Hermione's gone!" Ron shouted before his mother tried to scold her youngest son but Dumbledore raised his hand for her to be silent. "I know how you must feel Mr. Weasley but I can assure you that Ms. Granger is safe."
"How?" It was Harry who asked, wanting to know how he could take this all in so when after what happened a few days before, "How do you know she's safe. Remus, Tonks, Moody, everyone check all over Diagon Alley and didn't find her, she was gone and that only did we find in a far off alley, a group of Death Eaters were lying on the ground dead, Wormtail included!" He spat the name as if it were poison in his mouth.
Hermione took what was being said, they had been looking for her, found casualties among the Death Eaters that had cornered her and her cousin in that exact alley but they didn't know she and her cousin had disappear off to a different time. She was glad that the Death Eaters, among them Wormtail had ceased to exist, especially the rat, he deserve it no less. His spell must've countered off them and hit all those there but the question relied on how she and her cousin wind in the past?! That was one mystery not yet solved and unless Dumbledore was willing to give a clue to where she was, then she prayed he do so now before Harry and Ron tear the place apart.
She hoped Dumbledore was going to but was too busy trying to calm Harry and Ron first while everyone was considering the possible odds that she had been unfortunately capture or worse.
Remus was the one who caught her attention right after as he decided to slip out of the room and head back upstairs, following like the silent apparition she was without anyone glancing their way.
He tiptoe quietly pass Mrs. Black's portrait and went to his room where Hermione seeing as she was getting nowhere with the constant bickering and arguing of the two boys from behind.
Honestly, she would rather go and follow Remus than listen to anymore of them; it was giving her a headache. Remus was in Sirius's old bedroom and went to lie on the bed, to try and ease the throbbing pain in his head. He lay down for a minute before getting up and rubbing his temple while pushing away his gray locks that fell into his eyes.
"Maybe some chocolate will help." Hermione couldn't help but rolled her eyes but had to smile somewhat, Remus and his chocolates. She watched as he went to the ancient ebony drawers and started rummaging around through his clothes that he had little of occupying them.
"Now where did I put that bar of Honeyduke chocolate, I know I put it here somewhere, just got to—eh what's this?" He stopped as he pulled his hand after feeling something under that felt out of place and took the clothes out carefully until he was again touching around the bottom. He felt a piece of board move and slide it open then put his other hand in and pulled it out.
Hermione watched as he remove the board and stick his hand once more and brought two small books, a red book with a black rose on the cover and a black book with a red rose on the other. They were both layer in dust but didn't look worn or the pages creased or yellow, he flips through them, one showing clean pages and the other with drawings she recognized to be Keller's work as she saw one or two familiar pictures of herself.
Remus held them in his hands and his eyes furrowed as he look at the two but his attention was mostly to the black book in his left hand, "I seen this one before, I know I have but where I have—"
"Hey Remus!" Tonk's voice called out and then a loud thud as she fell clumsy on the floor by his door, he turn to look in the doorway where Hermione was standing, his eyes widen and saying, "Mione!"
Then Hermione felt herself being sucked in and the world disappeared and everything blacking out for her.
She woke up back at the hospital, seeing it was now morning and Keller was already up but sitting in bed as she had her arms crossed and giving a glare to the med-witch as she tried to spoon feed her the potion.
I'm not taking that stuff and that's final! It's disgusting and taste like you put slime down my throat! Hermione heard Keller seeing as she was too busy trying to keep her mouth from being pried before Promfrey cause a spell to which forced her jaw to open against their will and force the medicine down the throat and looking ready to cast another spell to make her swallow it. She watched as Keller turn a slight green then reluctantly swallow the awful concoction and gagged.
"There it wasn't so bad was it? Good, I'll have one of the house-elves bring you and Ms. Lucian some breakfast." Promfrey said and while her back was turn, Keller stuck her tongue out and brought her hand to her tongue, trying to wipe away the filthy taste then turn to see her cousin awake.
"About time you woke up, honestly, you were like dead to the world and thought you went out like a light on me last night and didn't get to see you before Madame Promfrey came in to gave me that 'potion'." She went to wipe her tongue again, using tissues left on the bedstand and then when she finished looked to her once more.
"Um… look I'm sorry that I um, bit the bullet last night or this morning or whatever. I just didn't like anyone asking about my…scars. It's something I don't like to discuss about because I don't exactly want to explain how I got them."
Hermione not daring to say anything to upset her cousin anymore but still couldn't help to pity her through the hardship and endurance she had to deal with.
"Keller," She turn around to look at her, "um, how are you feeling?" Stupid she knew but she shrugged it off as it lighten the mood a bit to ease the tension.
"Just peachy, as if I can sleep on a stiff bed without moving around to cause pain to flare up on my back near the shoulder blades. Damn those centaurs hit hard and pack a sharp punch in the gut, no wonder Dumbledore warned us not to go anywhere near them." She touch her chest and winced as pain shot up before dulling down as the potion did it's magic.
She looked down at her leg, which was wrapped in a cast. "So what's my analyze today Doc? Will I be able to get the heck out of here soon or will I be stuck here for a day like last time?"
"I'm afraid you won't be able to leave for awhile Ms. Corvin." Promfrey coming in as she was holding some parchment with what seem to show ink structure of a skeleton, Keller's no doubt. She held it up to the light, taking in what was being shown on the x-ray.
"Your right wing was badly twisted and your left was angled crooked when they got retract and maybe the reason why you are feeling pain right now when you try to fall asleep but couldn't with your back throbbing like that. Chances are they might be permanently damaged but we need to fix them by doing a operation."
Keller seem to have lost all color in her already white face, turning sickly pale, looking like she was going to be through another torturing episode. Hermione gripped Keller's hand, feeling Keller gripped hers too tightly and felt the bones splinter just a slight bit.
Had one of Drake's tortures been to do something like that to her wings besides making mincemeat with her back. She felt the sight tension give in, knowing that if she wanted to leave this hospital, she would have to get the surgery done and over with. She swallowed and said in a choked voice, "When exactly? Can it be right now?"
"No, we have to wait until your body is healed as well as the leg fixed for me to help do this alone along with Professor Dumbledore as we cannot take any risk of taking you or asking for help from St. Mungo's as they might report you of what you are to the ministry and you know...We'll give it a week. Ms. Lucian will surely bring in your school stuff for the time being and maybe have one or two of your friends visit before the operation?"
Hermione saw Keller looked to her and sigh, "Fine, I guess I'll be stuck here but I only want my cousin, Remus, James and Lily to visit, I don't think I want to explain to Lily why I'm getting one though, she'll be totally confused and be freaked when she finds out." And she had been right about how Lily took the news.
"What your cousin has to go through surgery in a few days?!" Hermione told her what had happened, well sort of, leaving minor parts and details. Nothing out of original, she said it had to do with a certain dislocation when Keller broke her leg down one of the stair and was lucky not to have broke her neck but that the bones had been dislocated in her shoulder and arm and needed to fix and arrange it back in place.
She had only told only James and Remus the truth with Keller's wings being broken from her attack but hadn't seen Sirius and knowing James will probably relate to him what happen although she warned him not to as Keller wouldn't be happy seeing Sirius again as of yet. She wasn't sure how long it would be before she could convince Keller to forgive Sirius.
They went to the hospital each day, bringing the school assignment send from their teachers, reciting what had to be done as Keller did to pass the time while making some conversation to them.
Later after the first week passed and Dumbledore send word to Professor Valerious to tell Hermione after class in her office that she was to come at midnight because they were going to do the surgery right away.
"Please send my regards to her." Hermione nodded, not at all really surprised by this sudden concern the professor gave for Keller but they knew the real reason as to why.
She was down at the hospital after dinner was finish and everyone heading to bed, she, given permission to stay in the wing and wait until it was midnight as Dumbledore came and shut the door and placed a lock and loud silencing charm then move towards Keller who was lying on her chest as told by Promfrey to do that evening, the back of the nightgown undone and open to reveal her scarred back.
"Are you ready Ms. Corvin?" Keller unsure but nodded as she laid back still and waiting for it to be done and over with.
"Incarcerous!" Magical enhanced ropes bind Keller's wrist and ankles as she was to be held down, the back revealing two egg size bumps on her back, above her shoulder blades.
They looked badly swollen, purple with fluid and yellow pus pouring out slowly from them as if they were infected. Hermione tried not to be repulsed by the sight as she remained by Keller's side, knowing it would help to keep her distract from this as she had to be awake the whole time.
Promfrey return with some potions and tools on a silvery tray as Dumbledore point his wand and Keller screaming as she felt as if the very bone in her body were being pulled right out from her joints and struggling to break free from her bonds.
"Poppy, will you hand Ms. Lucian the rod and hurry." The med-witch went to grab a long thick rod resembling a bone and hand it to Hermione who looked at it as Madam Promfrey said, "Here take this and hold it to her mouth and make sure she keeps it there."
Before Hermione could have a chance to ask why, she heard Keller screaming again, almost louder than before and her shriek was becoming unbearable. She wanted to hold her ears but Promfrey told her to quickly put it in.
"She has to be quiet through this and she might accidentally bite her tongue and we might have a problem if she starts losing more blood than she can handle and go into temporarily shock." Nothing else needed to be said as Hermione did what she was told and Keller biting deep on it.
Promfrey as she was rubbing purple bubbling potion over the two bumps as blood erupt and pouring from them faster while Dumbledore continue the incantation to extract the pinions and bones of her wings to come forth but being as they were stubborn and refusing to come out made it more difficult and more painful in Keller's case as she wailed another banshee-like cry through the rod.
Hermione kept and held the bone still in her mouth and watched her bite deeper into it, her eyes and her skin turning darker and her nails elongated and raking the bed, shedding feathers from underneath her body while trying to break free but was also fighting to be in control at the same time. Come on keep it to together, just hang on a little longer!
Crimson tears were pouring on the pillow as the pain became more unbearable and too much to handle and bit down even harder tasting the cold metallic and almost making the rod splinter inside her mouth and swallowing her screams.
NO MORE! She shrieked while Hermione did her best to soothe her, saying to relax while holding the bone firmly in her jaw to keep from screaming her head off but that didn't keep her from yelling off inside her head through the link. In the Elder's name, no more!
Keller please! Dumbledore and Madame Promfrey are doing their best to help but you got to let them, for Merlin's sake, don't do it just for them, do it for yourself and for me.
I can't, I can't it's too much! I can't do it! I beg of you make it stop! Tears were coursing hotly and her nails were ensnaring inside the springs of the bed while struggling to fight her other instincts to turn and bite those hurting her. Hermione tried once more, grabbing one hand in hers while looking straight into her eyes. She kept her gaze on her the whole moment, saying in a calm soothing tone for her to hear and know she was there.
Please Keller, please do this…do this for yourself and for me.
Keller, her eyes slowly fading back into their normal hue and for the longest time before coming to her senses while trying to ignore the pain or scream threatening to come out from her mouth as she focus with all her hybrid strength to her wings to release.
Just when she thought she could handle it and her strength slowly depleting her faster she felt her wing snapped out, spraying blood around the room and on Hermione and Dumbledore but he paid no heed as Promfrey then pulled one of the instrument and Hermione went to tried and keep Keller calm while they did the operation, saying all she could to keep her mind off what happen. "You did good, you did real good Kell…"
It was around four in the morning when the operation was near complete. "Be still a while longer, Ms. Corvin, we're almost finished." Dumbledore assured as he had her wings held still for a moment, "Just try and stay with us a little longer …" Promfrey came and rubbed a cloth with water, washing the blood off and felt cool against them and made her at ease before Dumbledore removed the spell on them and on Keller's wrists. Hermione took the chance to rubbed the circulation back into her limbs, wanting to divert Keller from everything to let her relax now that it was over.
Her right wing was twitching every few seconds, her left hanging limp as the med-witch cleaned her up with the potion giving them enough strength to slump her shoulders back and lie on the bed, release the rod and panting heavy and exhausted.
The tears on Keller's pillowcase were red and as Hermione when Keller let go she saw toothmarks on the rod and look to be almost half bitten off while she laid there breathing from her mouth, hoarse from all her screaming.
Dumbledore and Madame Promfrey cleaned the room from any traces of the surgery that occurred and Keller's blood about and on them, allowed Hermione to stay as Keller lay on her chest instead of her back as the next few days were going to take for them to heal and to get back into full function but had to lay off the flying for a while.
Hermione watched Dumbledore leave the room and as Madame Promfrey check how Keller was faring and gave her a sip of the sleeping draught while she smooth the sweaty bangs from her brow before she left the two alone before conjuring a bed by Keller's side. Hermione stayed where she was, holding her hand before Keller relaxes and her eyelids droop sleepily fell into a sleepless sleep before she said to her with a weak smile to her.
Thank you for everything, for not giving up on me and the strength I needed. And closed her eyes before she could heard what Hermione said before she could feel it through her touch.
"No, it's you I have to thank for when you came for me and I help give back it to you for the same reason that I would always be there, not by blood but as family, Kell. Rest assures that we'll be together like more than family, or cousin.
"We're like sisters Keller, you and I, stronger than any blood and magic combine together. I always be by your side no matter what, my dear sister…" And with that said went to go get some sleep.
Even without knowing that the words she spoke made a deeper bond stronger than any magic witness in the wizard or turn to see the faint outlines of a figure, watching them and smile before disappearing from sight, leaving the two girls to rest, knowing she had indeed found them at long last.