Rosette Black always knew that one day she would take her daughters to catch a train and leave home. However, she had dreamt that it would be when the girls were going to Hogwarts, at eleven, happily preparing for their first year at the school of witchcraft and wizardry. The reality they were living was the opposite of that moment of happiness she foresaw.
Marguerith cried copiously, clinging to her father's neck, refusing to let go, while Betelgeuse stared sullenly at the tips of her shoes.
Next to them, Pepe and Maria kissed, while Francesco protectively held Giovanna's hand.
-Ti voglio tanto bene, amore mio - he spoke, releasing himself from his wife - Guarda i bambini fino a quando possiamo incontrarci.
-Anch'io ti voglio bene, tesoro. - she replied, gently stroking her husband's face.
The station was crowded with families. Mothers saying goodbye to their children, husbands saying goodbye to their wives and their children. Since the attack on Poland, the government had begun evacuating thousands of civilians to the interior of the country. The initiative had come from the Mayor of London, Herbert Morrison, and was named Operation Pied Piper. The Piper. Rose remembered a story her mother had told her when she was a child, about a wizard who enchanted all the children of a city and took them away. Apparently, Muggles had a similar fable.
Each child there wore around their neck a small square cardboard box containing a gas mask, and on the lapel of their coats was attached an identification card.
The wizard Prime Minister, Spencer-Moon, was propagating a similar evacuation campaign, but some wizards still weren't taking the German threat seriously and believed that their magic was enough to protect them. Perhaps they were right, but Phineas preferred not to take the risk. It was painful, but sending the girls to Weymouth along with Maria and her children was the best option. He put Marguerith down. The little girl couldn't stop crying. Betelgeuse, still serious and sulky, held her sister's hand. The man knelt down to be at the same height as his daughters.
-Aunt Maria will take care of you. It will be fun, new city, new friends to play with.
-Are you and mommy coming with us, daddy? - Bete asked, while Marge wiped her face with the back of her hands.
It was Rosette who answered the daughter's question, also kneeling down to the girls' height.
-Today you go with Aunt Maria, mommy will come in a week. Remember I taught you the days of the week?
The two little girls nodded. Even Marguerith, who had stopped crying.
-Today is Sunday - she continued - How many days until mommy sees you again?
The twins looked at each other, pensive, starting to count on their fingers.
-Seven! - they both answered almost at the same time.
-That's right. And it will go by quickly. Meanwhile, play a lot with Frank and Ginny. - Rose continued.
She hugged the girls tightly, almost feeling weak as she let them go. It was as painful for her as it was for the girls. When she let go of the twins, it was Phineas's turn to say goodbye.
-Take care of each other - he said, also hugging them. - As soon as I can, daddy will visit you.
Maria took the girls by the hands after saying goodbye again to Pepe and their friends. As the train moved away and the children's figures waving in the window became a blurred spot, Rosette allowed herself to cry, embraced to her husband.
-Just one week, Rose, and you'll see the girls again... - Phineas tried to console his wife.
-I wonder how long it will take until we can come back home for good. - she said.
It had been two days since the daughters had left for the interior, but for Rosette, it felt like an eternity, no matter how cliché that might sound. The house seemed devoid of life. She felt as if she were trapped inside a time-turner, the days and nights longer than usual.
On that particular day, she had left the house to buy some things she needed for the upcoming trip. Rationing was already upon them, but she still managed to get a reasonable amount of supplies. The advantage of being a witch allowed her to shrink everything to tiny sizes, easier to carry. She would love to buy those bottomless bags, but they were out of stock in the market.
It was only when she left the store that Rose realized it was already nightfall. The city was completely engulfed in darkness. Since September first, both the wizard and Muggle governments had imposed a mandatory blackout to hinder the aerial attacks that would certainly come from the Germans. For wizards, it was easy to prevent the light inside the houses from being seen outside, just choose the right spell. For Muggles, it was more difficult, they had to make do with heavy curtains, cardboard, or paint to prevent any traces of light from escaping through doors and windows.
Rose looked up at the sky, observing. She couldn't remember seeing so many stars so clear since she was a child. It was almost a relief, such beauty coming from the nightmare they were entering.
She snapped out of her reverie, thinking she should hurry home. Car accidents, people colliding with each other, thefts, and other crimes had already occurred during the blackout. The sooner she got to the safety of her home, the better.
Rosette hurried her steps, looking for an alley where she could apparate. Despite the darkness, she preferred to be discreet.
She found the ideal place, but before she could apparate, a male figure with his face hidden by a hood appeared in front of her. He wore black clothing that practically made him blend into the darkness. Rose let out an involuntary scream, but despite the scare, her mind was alert enough to make the decision to flee. However, she wasn't fast enough: a female voice was heard behind her.
-Everte statum!
Rosette was thrown forcefully against one of the alley walls. She felt a strong pain in her shoulder, probably dislocated. She fell heavily to the ground. She was terrified, she didn't know why she was being attacked. She hoped it was just a mugging, that they would take whatever they wanted and leave her alone.
She heard the footsteps of the two approaching. This time, it was the man who spoke.
-Crucius - he said, with a cold and emotionless voice.
Rose screamed, tears streaming down her face. The pain was unbearable, it felt like every nerve in her body had been twisted.
The woman who had attacked her approached, holding Rosette by the collar of her blouse. The pain, the tears, and the darkness prevented her from seeing her attacker's face clearly. She felt the spit of the hooded figure hitting her face.
-I think Mrs. Black must be wondering why all this. - the man spoke - It's all for the greater good. Something your husband still hasn't realized.
Rose swallowed hard, tears still flowing down her cheeks uncontrollably. The fear of what would come next paralyzed her. Maybe these were the last minutes of her life.
-We're not going to kill you, Mrs. Black. - the man continued, as if reading the woman's thoughts, while his companion chuckled low and sarcastically - At least not for now. You're pureblood, we respect that. But we're leaving some messages today: you and one of the mudbloods who work for your husband.
The man paused slightly before continuing, savoring the spasm of terror that ran through his victim's body.
-Tell Phineas Black that he must stop glorifying mudbloods and half-bloods, and stop spreading lies about the great Grindelwald, or we will destroy everything he loves. Starting with you and your daughters. We know they're in Weymouth with that shitty Italian's wife.
-No! - Rose finally let her voice rasp out through her throat.
The woman holding her laughed louder, finally releasing her, anyway, onto the ground.
-Our warning is given - the man said.
Then, he and the woman spoke together before leaving:
-For the greater good.
Rosette remained lying on the dirty ground of the alley for a few more minutes, curled up, her weeping reverberating throughout her body. When she finally calmed down, she got up with difficulty. Her legs were still weak. She took a deep breath, grabbed her bag, and, with the minimum concentration she could muster, apparated.
Shortly after, she was in front of her husband's newspaper office. Her shoulder still hurt. She walked, stumbling. Despite the darkness, she could see that there was a crowd of people at the entrance.
As she approached, she saw it. Nothing had prepared her for that. Pepe's body was lying at the door of the newspaper, almost unrecognizable. He had been lynched and tortured. His nose was a mass of blood, his eyes were swollen, his arms and legs were at a strange angle, they looked broken. Around his neck, he wore a sign that Rose could only read because someone brought her a lumus minima. It said in red letters: Death to mudbloods.
She stood still, watching Pepe, until she felt her husband's hands holding her by the shoulders. She made a slight grimace that went unnoticed by Phineas, who seemed slightly disturbed.
-You shouldn't have seen this. Let's go inside - he gently pulled her hand.
Only when they entered the lit environment of the newspaper did Black notice his wife's pitiful state. Her clothes, her face, and her hands were dirty. There were scratches on her forehead, arms, and legs, right where the stockings had torn. Rosette's mouth was slightly swollen, possibly injured in the fall.
-Rose... What happened? - Phineas asked, horrified.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but couldn't say anything, so shocked was she. She had spent all her strength getting to the newspaper. Rosette started crying copiously, letting the tears wash away all the terror, humiliation, and outrage she had been subjected to.
Phineas felt powerless, he didn't know what had happened, nor what he could do to comfort his wife. It seemed that on that night, the gates of hell had been opened and their demons unleashed upon them. First Pepe, now Rosette.
He led his wife to his office; the whole newspaper was full of Aurors, but Ravi was talking to them. They had already interrogated Phineas about what happened that night, so he could focus his attention on Rose.
She sat, completely apathetic, in the chair her husband offered. The tears began to subside. The journalist picked up the water jug from the corner table, filled a glass, and handed it to his wife. He noticed that she had taken the glass with her left hand. That was strange, Rose was right-handed.
She drank the liquid eagerly, although her hand was trembling.
-Pepe? - she asked, minimally composed.
Although anxious about what had happened to his wife, the journalist understood that she was also worried and fearful. The faster he answered her doubts, the faster he would have his own answers.
-He's dead - Phineas felt a deep pain as he said that. Pietro was a good friend, he didn't deserve such a terrible end. - He didn't show up for work, we got worried, Ravi went to his house and didn't find him; but since it hadn't been 24 hours since he had disappeared, we couldn't call the Aurors.
The journalist made a brief pause before continuing. Everything he would say next seemed so unreal.
-After the lights went out, they came, on brooms; they must have used magic to guide themselves. And they dropped Pepe from above, as if he were nothing. Marshall, our security guard, I think you only saw him once, was outside. He tried to attack them, but they were faster and fled.
Phineas lowered his face, rubbing his eyes. The tears were insistent. He took a deep breath, not wanting to break down in front of Rosette, especially in the state she was in.
She listened to everything in complete stupor, feeling completely fragmented, her mind didn't fully grasp what her husband had told her. However, it was evident to her that he was suffering.
-Phin... - Rose began, still feeling disconnected from reality. She only knew she needed to speak. To tell everything. - They attacked me too. A man and a woman. They threw me against a wall, cruciated me, threatened the girls.
The man turned his back, punching the table, unable to contain his anger. He trembled with hatred and indignation. He clenched his teeth. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to contain himself. He needed to focus, Rose needed him.
He approached his wife, kneeling down and holding her hands in his. She groaned softly.
-What's wrong? - Phineas asked, apprehensive.
-My shoulder hurts - she replied, almost expressionless.
Phineas nodded, affectionately stroking her face.
-I'll get a potion for that. The Aurors will want to talk to you and we may need to go to St. Mungo's too.
He stood up, kissing Rose's forehead.
-I'll take care of everything, don't worry.
When Phineas closed the door behind him, Rose remained motionless, staring at an undefined point. She just wished that nightmare would end soon.
Despite his exhaustion, Phineas Black couldn't sleep. A mix of feelings churned in his chest, although hatred and sadness stood out. Rosette slept heavily. After putting her shoulder back in place, the mediwizard who treated her decided to sedate her. The journalist wondered how much all of this had really affected her.
He got up, putting on his flannel slippers. He went to the wardrobe, mechanically separating the suit and shoes. There was so much to do. Welcome Maria, wait for Pepe's body to be released, arrange preparations for the funeral.
He had neither the energy nor the appetite, but he would leave breakfast for Rosette by the bed, although he doubted she would wake up so early.
His consolation was that an Auror had been assigned to guard the house, as well as another who would stay with the children in the interior while Maria returned to London.
After leaving everything organized, breakfast next to the bed with a note for Rosette, Phineas left the house thinking that he would do everything possible and impossible to bring justice to those hideous creatures who destroyed an important part of their lives.
Translation
-Ti voglio tanto bene, amore mio. Guarda i bambini fino a quando possiamo incontrarci.:I love you so much my love, take good care of the children until we can meet
- Anch'io ti voglio bene, tesoro: I love you too, sweetheart