Chapter 64
AN: I AM SO SORRY. I have had a hell of few days. My mums health has been pretty bad…. Again, so I've been distracted, and I also have work. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. If you're reading the story I email out there may be a bit longer break before the next chapter due to everything going on.
A few days have passed since the battle of Tinworth beach and ever since then Mie has been avoiding her friends, all of whom have made full recoveries because she is feeling incredibly guilty. For the first time since the battle Mie, without telling anyone, has travelled back to Tinworth but rather than going to the beach Mie has gone to the town cemetery.
Having cast a disillusionment charm on herself Mie makes her way into the cemetery and even with the charm making her invisible Mie stands close enough to where a funeral is about to get away so that she can hear and see what is going on, but also keeps her distance as she doesn't feel like she deserves to be closer.
"It's always a tragedy when such a young life is taken so soon," The priest conducting the funeral says about ten minutes after Mie got into her position.
For the next hour Mie watches and listens from afar as the funeral for the little girl she failed to save, looking all around at the people who are in pain because of her. Once the funeral is over Mie waits for everyone to leave, for Kayla's parents who are devastated to be lead out of the cemetery. Once she is sure that everyone has left Mie removes the charm, she has cast on herself and walks over to the gravesite.
After getting at the gravesite Mie stares at the name on the white stone and as she does the her eyes are drawn to the two things the first is the dates October 10 1974- July 19th 1978, and the second thing eyes are drawn to is the poem engraved on the bottom;
"We miss her love and cheery ways. With her we spent our happiest days in memory we see her the same. As long as we live, we'll cherish her name,"
As Mie reads the quote, she can't help but think about when she last saw Kayla.
"I'm so sorry," Mie says, running her hand over Kayla's name. "You trusted me, and I let you down," Mie says, tears coming to her eyes. "You didn't deserve to die… I failed you," Mie says, guilt in her voice.
"No Annemie, you didn't," Albus's voice says and Mie turns to see her father, removing his own disillusionment charm, which tells Mie that he has been around for a while.
"I told her to hide under the iron, I told her I'd keep her safe, I promised I would come back," Mie tells her father. "I let her down, and now so many people are hurting because of me," Mie tells her father.
"Annemie, you did your best, your performed amazing magic, because of you a lot of people survived, Death Eaters were captured, that's going to save even more people," Albus tells his daughter. "I know that does not help with the guilt you are feeling, and it doesn't ease the pain of Kayla's death, but it is what you need to try to focus on," Albus tells Mie.
"Lately all it feels like is that I am letting people die," Mie tells Albus, as she can't help but think about all the people who she has failed to save recently.
"No Annemie, that's not all you're doing," Albus tells his daughter. "You're dedicating everything you are to saving people, to making lives better, you're a leader, and a hero," Albus tells his daughter.
"It doesn't feel like it," Mie admits.
"It never does," Albus says, putting his arm around Mie's shoulders and kissing the side of her head, and the two of them drift into silence as they stare at the grave of the little girl lost.
While Mie and Albus are in Tinworth Gellert is far away from both of them and has travelled, with some difficulty as he needed to make sure no one, including Albus, knew what he was doing, Having taken a purposely long way, and checked multiple times to make sure he wasn't followed, which is always a possibility these days. Gellert has travelled to a house in France, a house in a pretty secluded area that was once grand.
Getting to the house, and doing several last checks to make sure he wasn't followed as he knows how bad that would be, Gellert knocks on the door of the house he is visiting. After he knocks the door opens on it's own, and as he walks in he keeps his hand wrapped around his wand as he walks into the house and heads towards the front sitting room.
As he walks into the sitting room, he sees the person he is meeting, a French witch in her seventies, waiting for him, and like him she is holding her wand.
"Are you expecting me to attack?" Gellert asks the woman, referring to the wand.
"I learnt a long time ago that it is impossible to predict what to expect from you," The woman explains, her face being impossible to read, her French accent strong.
"And I you," Gellert says to her, and for a few moments the two of them stare each other down, looking for signs of aggression. "Vinda," Gellert says, his face breaking out into a smile. "It's good to see you, Old friend," Gellert says, Vinda Rosier being the first person, other than Albus, from his old life that he has seen since he was out of jail, as he puts his wand back in his pocket.
"It's good to see you too," Vinda says, letting go of her wand as she gestures to the chair across from her and Gellert sits down. "Drink?" Vinda asks.
"Please," Gellert responds, knowing that he doesn't have to worry about it potentially being drugged with a truth potion as he is skilled enough to defend against it…. But he has also taken an antidote just in case.
After getting conformation that Gellert would want a drink Vinda summons a bottle of wine, and two glasses, and she pours a glass for each of them.
"To being reunited," Vinda toasts.
"To being reunited," Gellert responds, and they both take a drink, and the two of them drift into silence.
"Why are you here Gellert?" Vinda asks him, breaking the silence after a few moments.
"I assume you know what is going on in Britain," Gellert says, assuming that because he knows that several family members of Vinda's are involved.
"Of course," Vinda says. "The Dark Lord is continuing what we started," Vinda says to Gellert, looking glad about that, something which does not surprise Gellert.
"He's spitting in the face of it!" Gellert exclaims, while is voice is calm the anger that he is feeling perfectly clear.
"That's an interesting comment to make from the man who has been hiding under Dumbledore's Coat Tales for months," Vinda tells Gellert, giving him a pondering look.
"I would have though you would know me better, even after all these years," Gellert comments and VInda rises an eyebrow, giving him an interested look. "Albus Dumbledore got me out of prison, and he continues to keep me out of prison," Gellert says. "Being close to Dumbledore allows me to know what he is thinking, what he is planning, made it so he no longer considers me to be a threat, instead he trusts me, and my current position has allowed me to learn the truth about Tom Riddle," Gellert tells Vinda.
"Who's Tom Riddle?" Vinda asks confused.
"The Dark Lord," Gellert says, and he can see the shock on Vinda's face. "Maternally he is apart of the Graunt family, but his father was a muggle, he was raised in a muggle orphanage," Gellert tells VInda, who he has never told the truth about his own blood status. "He is not a pureblood, he is a disgrace, does not know anything about who we really are, he is not continuing what we started, he is betraying it," Gellert says angrily. "He has no right to take up my mantal," Gellert tells Vinda.
"What are you going to do about it?" Vinda asks Gellert, assuming that this is why he is here.
"Open his followers' eyes to who he really is, while continuing to use Dumbledore's trust to gain important information and make it so he doesn't realise the truth until I am ready for him to," Gellert informs Vinda, choosing his words very carefully. "But I can't do it alone; will you help me?" Gellert asks.
"Of course," Vinda answers. "He wasn't raised in our world, that means he's not one of us, our people need to know," Vinda says, looking furious about who Voldemort actually is.
"They do," Gellert says with a nod, feeling that everything is going exactly to plan.
While the rest of the friends are doing various things around their house, Hogsmeade, or in Mie's case drowning in guilt, Sirius and Remus are lying in their bedroom, Sirius lying on his boyfriends chest as Remus holds him. As he runs his hand though through his boyfriend's hair Remus realises that there is something bothering him.
"Pad? What's going on?" Remus asks his boyfriend concerned, as he can tell that something is bothering him, and Sirius looks hesitant. "Hey, talk to me," Remus requests, as if there is something he can do to help his boyfriend then that's what he wants to do.
"I'm worried about Reg," Sirius admits.
"Has Mie heard from him?" Remus asks.
"I don't know," Sirius admits. "I've…. I've been afraid to ask," Sirius reveals, as the truth is he is terrified for his brother, he is terrified about what he could be doing.
"Isn't it worse not knowing?" Remus asks his boyfriend. "Pad, I know how much you love his brother, how much you want him to be safe, but I also know Regulus, he knows how to look after himself, for better or worse he knows what he is doing," Remus tells Sirius, and he feels Sirius tense at that. "Do you still blame yourself because you didn't make things right with Regulus in Mie's timeline?" Remus asks his boyfriend, and the fact that Sirius looks away from him tells him everything he needs to know. "Pad, that was not your fault," Remus tells his brother. "You heard Regulus say it, he planed to stay away from you, the you there didn't know what you know now," Remus reminds him.
"I should have known better, he's my little brother, it's my job to protect him," Sirius tells his boyfriend.
"And you feel like you're failing now because he's spying on Voldemort," Remus realises.
"He's in so much danger," Sirius says guilt in his voice. "I feel like I should stop him from doing what he's doing," Sirius admits.
"Pad, it's not your decision," Remus reminds him in a comforting tone of voice. "Regulus has made his choice, and I can't imagine how hard it is for you, but all you can do is just support him from affair, but know he knows how much you love him," Remus tells him.
"Does he?" Sirius asks, as he's not sure.
"He does, I know he does," Remus assures his boyfriend. "And I love you too," Remus assures his boyfriend, kissing his head and the two of them drift into silence.
Hours after they met in the graveyard in Tinworth Mie and Albus have travelled back to Hogwarts and the two of them, and Gellert, are in Headmasters quarters together having dinner. Albus has been filling in Gellert about what happened in Tinworth as he knew that that was where Mie and Albus were going.
"Annemie, your father is right, you are doing everything you can," Gellert assures her, after Albus filled him in on the conversation that occurred at the graveyard. "What happened to Kayla is a tragedy, but it's not your fault," Gellert tells her. "You are doing everything you can to save people to protect them," Gellert tells her.
"So, Dad said," Mie responds, and it is clear she doesn't completely believe either her father or Gellert. "What did you do today?" Mie asks Gellert, clearly not wanting to listen to her father and Gellert trying to reassure her anymore.
"I decided to walk around the castle and the grounds," Gellert lies, it being incredibly easy for him to do so as he knows exactly why he is. "What I said in the past was wrong, you do have a beautiful school," Gellert says to Albus, giving him a look full of love.
"I'm glad you finally saw sense," Albus says to him, looking glad.
"I did," Gellert confirms, and as Mie looks between her father and Gellert she gets the feeling that she is missing something, but as she is still feeling very guilty about what happened to Kayla, she can't bring herself to question them, and instead she gets some more food off the serving plates as while she isn't feeling overly hungry eating or just moving it around on her plate will allow her to avoid talking; though she suspects that both Albus and Gellert realise exactly what she is doing.
After spending a while with her father and Gellert, and after losing her second game of chess, Mie is making her way back to the village so that she can head home. As she walks through the village Mie hears people at the Hogshead, sees people doing some late shopping at the various stores and even with the guilt she is feeling Mie knows that this is what she is trying to protect, people being able to live their version of a normal live.
Walking past an alley Mie smiles slightly at how happy everyone is, as even though there is an feeling of tension in the air it is clear that everyone is enjoying themselves, when suddenly she is pulled into the alley she is walking past.
Reacting quickly Mie pulls her wand and pushes up against the person who grabs her resulting in Mie pointing her wand at Regulus's neck while Regulus is pushed against the wall.
"It's me," Regulus tells Mie, his hands held up in surrender, but after everything she has gone through lately she is feeling paranoid.
"Prove it," Mie says, not moving and Regulus looks proud at that.
"It's me, Hermione, RAB, the one before your dad who learnt Voldemort's secret," Regulus says to Mie and what he said is enough for Mie, so she lowers her wand.
"Sorry, I had to be sure," Mie tells Regulus, as she allows him to move.
"You did the right thing," Regulus assures Mie.
"How are you here?" Mie asks Regulus, though she is glad to see him.
"My parents think I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron so I could do some shopping with Bella tomorrow," Regulus explains, looking less than thrilled about what he is going to be doing. "I used an empty room on the opposite of the building to mine to Floo to Ab," Regulus explains. "I felt like I needed to see you, even briefly," Regulus tells Mie, honestly, he wants to see Sirius too, but he can't risk that he can't be gone from the Leaky Cauldron for that long.
"I'm glad you felt that," Mie tells Regulus, leaning up and kissing him, knowing how much Regulus is risking but not thinking about that as he is so happy to see him.
After Mie leaves them Albus and Gellert go from playing chest to lying on the couch together, both reading different books, and even though he is focused on his own book Gellert realises something.
"You've read that page four times, Mein Schatz, that's not like you Liebling," Gellert says, worry clear in his voice, and Albus closes the book dropping all pretence that he is actually reading. "What's wrong?" Gellert asks concerned.
"Annemie is in so much pain," Albus tells Gellert.
"I know, I can feel it," Gellert admits, as while he doesn't always feel it he can sometimes, and has been lately. "She is feeling overwhelming guilt, and pain, she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders, just like her father," Gellert says to Albus.
"I don't want that for her," Albus tells Gellert. "Annemie is like me in so many ways, even before the adoption, but she has a pure heart, her intentions are always good," Albus says leaving off the 'unlike me' he is thinking. "She's become a leader, she had to, but everything that comes with that is eating her up," Albus says. "I'm terrified that it is going to destroy her," Albus admits, guilt in his voice.
"Albus I may feel Annemie's pain, and the guilt that she is feeling, but I also feel her determination I feel what motivates her, and I have seen how strong she is," Gellert's admits. "Being a leader is hard, we both know that the choices we make…. Aren't for the faint of heart," Gellert admits, thinking about a few things in particular but he isn't going to voice that. "But Annemie doesn't have a faint heart, she is just as strong as you are. She is a warrior, a survivor, and while she may be struggling, I have faith in her; I don't believe the role she has been forced to adopt is going to destroy her, I believe she is strong enough to weather it; after all she has your love and support, and I know from personal support that when you have that there is nothing you can't do," Gellert tells Albus.
"Annemie was raised to believe that nothing other than perfect is acceptable, that no matter what you had to be the best, the achieve perfect things, I know she still has that mindset, but there is no way to be perfect with what we are doing," Albus admits.
"Tell her that," Gellert tells his love. "Fighting against what was hardwired into you through pain when you were a child is hard, Mein Schatz, you know that, all we can do is help Annemie see that perfect isn't all she has to be, that flaws are human, and that being incredible doesn't mean being perfect," Gellert says.
"We?" Albus asks, noticing Gellert's word choice.
"We," Gellert confirms, leaning forward and kissing Albus.
In Hogsmeade, after spending a few rushed moments with Regulus Mie has made her way back to the house she shares with her friend.
"Mie? That you?" Isaac's voice says from the living room as soon as Mie walk inside.
"Yes," Mie responds, as she hangs up her coat.
"Great! Get in here!" Marlene's voice responds and feeling curious Mie heads into the living room where she finds Isaac, Edgar, Alora and Kathleen standing up but the rest of her friends sitting down on the couches.
"What's going on?" Mie asks, as she sits on the edge of the couch Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily are sitting on.
"We were all wondering the same thing," Amelia admits, looking between her brothers and partners with a curious look on her face.
"Well, wait no longer, Ames," Edgar says, and Amelia rolls her eyes at her brothers' tone of voice. "We have an announcement to make," Edgar reveals.
"Kathleen and I, along with Edgar and Alroa, are getting married," Isaac reveals. "Next weekend," Isaac adds, and it takes a few moments for everyone to realise what he said.