Romance Awareness Month: your soulmate can take away your pain.
Gobstones Event: Gold Stone - Illness
Accuracy: (emotion) depression. Power: (word) glowing. Technique: (setting) hotel.
'My mother is dying,' Helena said emotionlessly, though tears dripped from her closed eyelashes. 'My mother is dying and there's nothing I can do.'
'Then go to her, my lady,' Septimus implored, taking a step towards her. 'There is still time yet - let us retire upstairs and pack thy affairs. The hotel must be connected to the Floo, Albania is not such a backward country.'
At this, the hotel concierge gave the Baron an affronted look. Septimus noticed and simply raised an eyebrow. With the amount Helena was most assuredly paying, the concierge could afford to be insulted.
'It is too late, Septimus,' Helena sighed, her eyes opening and turning towards the window. There was such sorrow, such emotion behind them that she looked like a poetess of old. 'It has always been too late.'
'I will not believe these words, Helena,' the Baron replied gravely.
Helena simply sighed.
That was the moment that Septimus began to worry. Where was her fight, her spark of energy? She had never allowed him to refer to her by her maiden name before now; why would she permit it now, of all times?
'Perhaps it was an error to travel to Albania,' Helena said softly. 'I had hoped it would bring me peace, happiness, but instead it has only brought me heartbreak. I feel as though life has turned grey, as though all of the happiness has been sucked from the world. And now… thou bringst news of my mother. There was a time when I would have rejoiced to hear such words, but ere thy arrival I felt the burden of guilt upon my heart.'
Septimus didn't know how to reply to that. Helena had never spoken so freely of her sentiments, and never with such a lackluster tone.
'Send word to my mother,' she said. 'Tell her… tell her I am sorry. I never wished this curse to upon her, but I cannot help but feel that I brought it to her door.'
'Lady Helena, how could this be true?' Septimus asked, determined to bring her out of this foul mood.
He clasped his hands over her own, knowing only that he wished to remove her pain by any means necessary. Suddenly, a glow began to emit from her palm. Septimus watched it with awe, wondering what sorcery he had awakened, before he felt his heart become laden with grief.
The colours seemed to drain from the brightly decorated hotel lobby, and he felt as though it were an effort simply to keep his head held high. The urge to sleep, to have the world continue on without him, around him, rose up from within a hole in his heart he hadn't even realised was there.
Looking towards Helena, he noticed that the colour had returned to her face, her cheeks becoming rosy, her eyes retrieving their former spark. He had never felt further from her than he did in that moment.
Helena's eyes travelled to their glowing hands, still entwined.
'Thank you, Septimus,' she replied, giving him a small kiss on the cheek.
Septimus tried to bring forth the joy he had expected would come with such a reward, but he found that summoning emotions was simply too much effort.
'However, this pain is my burden to bear,' she said, rising to her feet and gently tugging him towards the Floo. 'I would not wish it upon my most hated enemy, let alone the person dearest to me in the world.'
Before Septimus realised what was happening, she had poured a handful of powder into the fire.
'Hogwarts,' she intoned clearly, pushing him into the flames. 'Tell Rowena I send my regards.'