"Who are you?" A woman with a very pretty face, pointed cheekbones, nice full lips, dark brown hair, and big gleaming hazel eyes. She was smiling at me and held her hand out, I shook it and wasn't sure on whether or not to smile.
"Anneli Veera Lavelle, nice to meet you, Eileen." Her hands were cold and skinny and long. She had a shiny ring on her left hand and was wearing a blue dress under a black cloak.
"Why are you here?" I asked as I slowly made my way over to the door. Miss Anneli smiled and bit her lip then looked back at professor Snape.
"Eileen, there is something very special that we need to say. It's very imperative for you to know the truth." Severus' voice was stern but he didn't look at me while he was speaking.
"We didn't want to tell you until you were older and would be able to understand, for your own safety." Oh God, they're setting a bomb right now-what's the bad news!? Miss Anneli took a breath and looked at Snape, who motioned for me to come closer.
"No, I think, I think I'm good right here, thank you." I said, taking a step back even. I felt Tobias trying to crawl out, so I opened my bag and he climbed out. When Miss Anneli saw him, she smiled brightly and reached and pet the cat.
"All these years and you still have Tobias, he's what? Thirteen years now?" I actually hadn't a clue on how old he was, or how old cats usually live. I shrugged and picked Tobias up and held him close to my chest.
"Who are you? How do you know about Tobias?" Slowly-but surely-we were getting to the end of the fuse. Snape sighed and grabbed Miss Anneli's hand. I gasped to see that she kissed him on the cheek, this was definitely a surprise. (an unwanted one at that)
"Eileen, eleven years ago, I had a baby. She was a beautiful baby, she had her fathers eyes and hair, and she held her mother's looks." Oh my God "But, if the child stayed with me, she'd get hurt. That was the last thing we wanted for her. Unwillingly, we sent her to a Muggle family, and met her eleven years later." Oh my God. Oh my God. In my chest I felt a feeling begin to swell up, my face began to warm up too.
"N-no. My mother is Sylvi Haven, she always has been." Miss Anneli had a deeply saddened face now-she looked as if to cry. A looked was held in her eyes, a look I had too, a look of betrayal and hurt. One single tear rolled down her cheek but she quickly wiped it away. I did the same, only more tears kept falling. Trying to cast the spell, the one that summoned Sylvi, was impossible. A lump was in my throat and I feared that if I spoke, I'd begin to sob.
"Adiuva me.." I managed but after that my sobs became uncontrollable. That's when we heard people from the Great Hall scream-Sylvi was here. Miss Anneli stood behind Severus, who was pointing his wand protectively, as did Dumbledore. Then, I backed away from the door and set Tobias down on the stone floor. I wiped my face and sniffles once or twice. That's when the door flung open. In the doorway was Sylvi, black hair, long black dress, perfect features, and she held her twisted-root like wand-she had an expression that was ready to pounce on anything.
"Ellie..." I ran to her and hugged her, the top of my head reaching her mid-chest. She kissed my head and held me tightly, the she pulled me off gently and looked at me.
"What on earth is wrong?" She wiped my cheeks and a look of concern filled her face, then she saw everyone else. Her jaw clenched and she put her wand in a back pocket of her dress.
"Remember that time when, you fell off the swing and broke your arm, Ellie?" I nodded. "You had to stay in the hospital for a few days and they wouldn't let me see you?" I nodded again. "This just like that, I'll be back." She pursed her lips and kissed my forehead.
"Why?"
"Ellie, it is because that the news was said far too early. I dread this day, and I presume that you won't like me after today." She sat down on a nearby chair and rubbed her temples. I walked over to her and kneeled down, I grabbed the locket from my neck and opened it. Revealing a small circular picture with us in it, on the other side forever was engraved into the shining silver. She glanced up and smiled weakly, the closed it and held my hands around it.
"Don't forget about me, I'll come back when the time is right." I didn't understand, she stood up, as did I, she kissed my head once more and smiled. I grabbed her hand but she slipped out of my hold.
"Sylvi? What are you-mom!!" Mid-sentence she changed into her animagus, a peregrine falcon, and was off out the window. Leaving me in shock and pure confusion and despair.
"Eileen, we-" I turned to face my so called parents and pulled out my wand.
"Invisibilia.." I whispered and they all looked around in shock, I'd disappeared. Miss Anneli hugged Snape, Dumbledore left the room.
"Eileen-"
"Leave me alone.." I whispered, she heard me and began to cry. My sobs ceased, I didn't want them to see me. Too much noise would wear off the charm.
"I'm sorry.." She whispered before exiting the room with Snape. That's when I snapped completely, I fell to the ground and sobbed. It felt like hours, Tobias was sitting in my lap, but eventually my cries ceased and I only breathed heavily. A terrible pounding was in my head, I looked at the clock it was after hours.
"Where do you think Sylvi went?" I knew Tobias wouldn't answer but I liked talking to him.
"Eileen," I was startled by the voice and turned around. Dumbledore was walking and held something in his hands, a small box maybe. I stood up and set Tobias by feet, Dumbledore handed me the box.
"I wasn't supposed to give this to you until you graduated, but since the news is no longer a secret, you can have them. You should get some rest, class starts tomorrow." At that, he left me alone in his office. I held the box and told Tobias to follow me. I was looking for my dormitory but, I got lost. I turned many corners and went up many flights of stairs. I figured I must be on the seventh floor, there were no more stairs. Then, the clumsy me I am, tripped and dropped the box. Causing a loud bang and all of its contents spilled out. Then, I heard a door creak open, I turned my head and saw Miss Anneli holding her lit wand. She was wearing a white nightgown, her hair down, and she yawned.
"Eileen, what are doing, its past hours." I did not respond but I scrambled to pick everything up. Then I noticed she picked up a small picture frame and smiled. She sat down and set her want between us.
"Look." She handed the picture to me, she was in the picture. She was holding a baby and she was laughing and the photo moved as she kissed the baby. Miss Anneli looked much younger in this and then Snape was in it. He walked from the left side of the photo, he was much, much younger too. His face was more smooth and his eyes were brighter, they both were wearing regular clothes too. Then the photo began repeating the whole scene over again.
"You were only a few days old when we did that." I handed the picture back and she started to cry a little bit, then she laughed slightly as she wiped her face.
"The day we had to give you away, it uh, it broke my heart. We only had you for a year or so. Your father was so sad he couldn't face anyone accept me for a week." I saw how sad she was and realized that, I was something precious to both of them. Then I grabbed the small butterfly hair pin and smiled.
"Was this yours? It's very beautiful." She smiled and nodded.
"It was your great grandmothers, the your grandmother, then me, and now, now it belongs to you." The pin was blue and had small white designs on the wings.
"Oh, this was your favorite. Your father would feed it to you all the time." She handed me a frame that had several silver circles that once covered containers of applesauce. Which is probably why I enjoy apple things, I set it down in the box with the pin and picture. Then I saw the other last thing that fell out, a pair of shoes.
"These were yours, we got them as a gift from Minerva." They were shoes about the length of my pinky finger. The tiny shoes were blue with a small flower on each buckle. I didn't say a word but I set them in the small box with the other things and sighed.
"I'm sorry that I made you cry tonight, that was never my intention. Your father and I-" She was interrupted abruptly when I suddenly have her a hug. She was shocked at first but then relaxed and hugged me back.
"It was silly of me to cry, I should have been happy to see you. And I am, it was just a surprise, I mean, you and Snape. " I wanted to say something about Sylvi but that was a touchy subject now, Anneli's my mother.
~
Vote
Comment
Follow
