Raven | 𝘙𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 63

Edna broke down to tears, and even though Alexandra still found it hard to breathe, she reached out and hugged the elfish-woman and held her tight, as if to try and comfort her.

     After long minutes spent on the cold floor, the two finally got to their feet, wiping all their tears away and trying to hold back the new ones. Alexandra followed Edna out of the little hidden room which contained the Pensieve and closed its door behind her, locking it with the golden key.

     She then walked up toward her grandfather's desk and pulled out its drawer, placing the golden key inside it. But before she could close it, her eyes fell upon a familiar piece of parchment, laying in a corner of the drawer.

     Hesitantly, Alexandra took it out and unrolled it as she remembered something. This was the same parchment which contained the names of the Death Eaters, written with dark ink. And when she looked up, at the top of all the other names, 'Blackwood' was written. She had seen it here before, but only now did she know who it was.

    But then, she was suddenly reminded of her fifth year when she had gone to visit Hagrid as always. He had said that he knew someone named Marcellus from Slytherin house when Hagrid was in his second year at Hogwarts, but had said that the boy's name was 'Marcellus Blackwood'. It all made sense to her now.

     After Alexandra had placed the parchment back in its drawer and closed it, she and Edna started to make their way out of her grandfather's old office, but Alexandra stopped in her tracks when she suddenly spotted something.

    Right there, on top of the shelf above the fireplace, there was a photograph of her. Alexandra couldn't have been older than five in the picture, as she laughed and waved at the camera with her old teddybear held tightly in her arms. Her raven black her was just as long as it was now, falling around her face with a tiny pink bow tie behind her head.

     Alexandra now recognized the teddybear. It was the same one she had seen in her old room for when she was a baby, in Marcellus's memory.

     "He brought that in the day after he had taken you here," said Edna with a smile, who had seen Alexandra staring curiously at the picture. "The teddy bear, I mean. He would put a charm on it and make the bear move and dance, as if it were alive. You used to love that when you were little."

     Alexandra couldn't remember it too clearly, but she found a hint of a smile appearing at the edge of her lips, tucking them up at the thought.

     "He also brought your grandmother's old wooden chest with him," said Edna, catching her attention. "He must've known it was of great value..."

     But Alexandra threw her gaze down, frowning. She still couldn't find it in herself to forgive him after what he had done sixteen years ago, even though he was the reason she was alive right now.

     She felt conflicted, but guilty too. Because no matter how heartless he had tried to act with her throughout the year, he had died trying to protect her from becoming a Death Eater.

     "What would happen now?" Alexandra asked Edna, musing. "I mean... now that I'm seventeen and the Dark Lord wants to have me as one of his followers... what if I don't agree? Would he kill me like he killed my parents and Grandpa?"

     "W-well... as it happens, your grandfather has left all his belongings to you. But he also has a fully protected cottage, in a village outside London. I thought that perhaps we could go there, and use it as a safe house, for the time being."

      "Yeah... all right," Alexandra whispered feebly, not knowing what awaited her in the future.

***

Throughout the next few weeks, Edna and Alexandra moved out to a little house left for them by Marcellus, for their own safety, so they could remain hidden from the Death Eaters for as long as possible.

     Although as first of September arrived, they both left for King's Cross station, so Alexandra could start her seventh and final year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. But unlike always, she didn't feel that same surge of excitement as she did before, knowing that her best friend Mike wouldn't be there.

     Alexandra felt cautious of her surroundings as they passed the station, pushing her trolley around with her trunk upon in. Her wand laid safely in her cloak, and she was ready to snatch it up if the slightest problem occurred.

    "Will you be all right when I'm gone, Mamma?" Alexandra asked Edna as they passed the barrier between platform nine and ten, entering platform 9 3/4.

     "Of course, Miss Starling." The elfish woman smiled up at her warmly, though Alexandra felt a hint of unsureness in her tone, no matter how much Edna was trying to hide it. "I'll be fine. Besides, it's better if you go back to Hogwarts. It's the safest place for you there."

    Alexandra merely nodded, not having the courage to bear another word, afraid that she would break down into tears. So with that, she just leaned down and kissed Edna sweetly on the cheek.

    Edna sniffed and tried to blink the tears away, just like how she always did every year on Alexandra's first day of school, when she wanted to leave and board the train.

     So after waving Edna goodbye, Alexandra got a hold of her trunk and got up on the train, making her way down the train's corridor to find a compartment. Seeing as she was early as always, finding an empty compartment wasn't too hard and so she got in the first one the she saw along her way.

    So with a sigh, Alexandra bent down and struggled to pick up her heavy trunk with difficulty so she could put it above the seats. But she failed and so put the trunk back down, groaning to herself.

     "You know there's this thing called magic, right?" said a sarcastic voice at the doorway of the compartment, making Alexandra yelp and jump.

     But the moment Alexandra turned around, her smile widened when she saw who it was. "Reggie!" she exclaimed happily.

     "Here," Regulus grinned, walking inside the compartment, "let me help you with that."