Eleanor Snape- Book 3

My Spirits are Lifted

Sarah Beth~

Mr. Cornelius took Rufus and I back to his home without any further explanation or reason.

"I'll be right back." Mr. Cornelius assured after I sat down on the couch. He went down the hallway as Rufus sat down beside me.

"Cheer up, Frecky." Rufus put his arm around my shoulders, but I didn't respond. Instead, I continued starring straight ahead, thinking about the tragic ending of my parent's life.

"Mm..." I mumbled, not really sure what I was saying. Frankly, I didn't really care. Rufus sighed and grabbed The Jacket, which was laying on the other side of him.

"Here," He handed it to me, knowing how much I loved it and hoping that it would lighten my mood. I mumbled some thanks, and hugged it. I didn't want to be draped in anything. I just wanted to embrace something.

"Here we are." Mr. Cornelius entered back into the room, holding an old photo album under his arm. He sat down beside me, putting me between Fudge and Fudge. He put the album on his lap and opened it to the first page.

A photo of my mother and father smiled and waved back at us. They looked to be in a forest. They were both dressed in khaki clothing with matching hats.

My mother's hair looked just like mine. My hair had grown back out since I had gotten it cut for Quidditch, so the length's were about the same. Her hair was pulled into a low, curly ponytail that she had slung over her shoulder. I also had her short figure and plump lips that almost naturally curl up into a smile.

I moved onto my father and studied him closer, looking for similarities. I didn't resemble him as much. One thing that we did share was the magnitude of our freckles. His face was covered in them, almost like the way the stars speckle the sky on a dark night. I also found my hazel eyes starring back at me.

"That's them." I finally said, touching the edge of the photo.

"Yes. This was a couple months after they meet." He turned the page as I laid my head on his arm, trying my best not the start crying again.

"These are all from their wedding." I peered at the various pictures of my parents in their wedding attire.

"Is that?!" I gasped, pointing to a picture of the whole wedding party. Standing next to my mother was a short, stout woman with shoulder length, curly brown hair. She was dressed in all pink and had a big, pink bow on top of her head.

"Yes," Mr. Cornelius chuckled, "That's you're Aunt. It may surprise you that she did, intact, use to smile." Despite my sadness, I started to laugh. It was hard to imagine that Auntie, at one time, was a happy person. I couldn't stop the flow of giggles escaping my lips. A few moments later Rufus joined in. Eventually, I ended up with tears rolling down my cheeks, but this time from happiness. The laugh had lifted my spirit. "It's good to see my girl back to her old self." Mr. Cornelius smiled.

"I love you, Mr. Cornelius!" I hiccuped, hugging him.

"I love you too."

"I wanna look more!" I grabbed the album and flipped through the pages. "What ever happened to our house? And their stuff?"

"The Ministry sold it all, except a few things."

"Where are they?" I questioned, looking up at him. He sighed.

"You're Aunt has them."

"What!? Can I have them!? I mean, now that I know that-"

"I'm afraid it's not that easy. It was your parent's dying wish that you get these items, but according to the Heir Claus, you can not have them until you're seventeen.