𝐃 𝐈 𝐕 𝐈 𝐍 𝐄, 𝐝.𝐦

𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐱, 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐱

"I told you, my dear. We have a special bond." Alexandre stated, she scowled at his words. "We are bound together by something deeper than a few dark spells; our power is linked. You're my balance little sister. We keep each other in check. Everyone else's lives are tethered to each other; their hearts are connected, not their bodies."

Adeline grimaced, she hated pretty much every word he said.

"How are we supposed to believe you?" Draco demanded. He'd taken off his sweater and now stood in a t-shirt, the shirt tight around his arms.

Alexandre looked at him like it was an effort to even breathe the same air. "I could kill you if you'd like. Then we can watch the little domino effect of death."

"What do you want from me, then?" Adeline asked. "You've bound us all together. Why?"

"Life insurance." Her brother spoke, black eyes blinking up at her. "We are all going to go on a little trip to a witch I know. I need to pick up a few things and she can sever this lovely connection we share if you so wish."

"Why do you need us to come? And why doom everyone else in the process?" She pressed, confusion clouding her thoughts.

"My Me, you ask a lot of questions." Alexandre stood, stretching. "You're coming with me because you want to get unhitched from my wagon. I shackled us all together so you wouldn't try and kill yourself – since I know you have a knack for attempting it – and the reason I did all of this to begin with, is because I knew you'd come looking for me eventually, so I thought I'd speed up the process a little and do it all in one fell swoop."

His answer sounded so simple, and Adeline didn't believe it for a second. Nothing with her brother was ever as it seemed. She felt the surprised stares of Dean and Draco, both probably stuck on certain words of the explanation.

"We've been here before, haven't we?" Alexandre asked, his full attention on her. She looked at him, trying to decipher what he meant. The elixirs were working when she'd been living here, and she couldn't recall ever having problems with him appearing.

"It feels familiar like I've seen it through your memory." He continued, looking up at the ceilings. "Did you live here or something?"

Adeline continued to stare at him. She wouldn't tell him anything.

"I'm pretty sure you did. I never got to look at it firsthand, but you've certainly thought about this place somewhat recently. Before, you know," He made a ripping motion to gesture to him getting out of her head. Adeline was painfully aware of the other two listening to their one-sided conversation.

"It must have been before our lovely time together, with that the imprisonment business." Alexandre was still looking around as if he could faintly recognise the scuffs on the floor near the couch or the dent in the wall by the door. "A lot of anger during that time, as I recall. So moody, you were." He looked at her, his exasperation clear. Then he held up his thumb and forefinger pinching together as if trying to pin something into the air. "I can kind of still taste all of this rage and...betrayal."

Alexandre's gaze landed on hers. She'd been quiet and blank during his reminiscing, but there must have been something that flickered over her face. His eyes fastened on hers, his smile working on something sinister. He looked over at the other two people in the room, a lazy finger pointing at Dean as he turned back to her with a large grin. "Oh."

"Alexandre." Adeline stopped, hoping he hadn't just figured out what she'd been trying to keep secret these last few days. His smirk confirmed for her what she already knew. He seemed to understand her tone and he pocketed his hands.