𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥

They have found me

As Blanche swung open her chamber's door, ready to sink into the comfort of her room, something caught her completely off guard.

In the heart of her luminous room, where straw sunlight poured through the grand plumbed window, soft hues of the golden hour bathed the space, casting a warm, inviting glow upon the walls. Though surrounded by the gentle radiance of the room, the sight she was met with was unsettling.

Someone was waiting for her.

Clad in a sober, white blouse and a neatly tied black tie, a woman in her early thirties sat at her escritoire, rhythmically tapping her fingers on the polished wooden surface with composure. She exuded an air of formality that clashed with the casual setting, unnervingly so.

The moment Blanche laid her eyes on her, the woman leaned back against the chair's backrest, as though she had been expecting her entrance. Despite her seriousness, there was a subtle warmth to the woman's features; and, as she laid her dark eyes on Blanche, they reflected nothing but chilling calm. The stark contrast between her ghastly pallor and the abyssal, lively blackness of her eyes was disturbing: it suggested a deep lack of vitality, yet it also conveyed a burning sense of purpose.

Blanche stared at her in astonishment. The woman's presence was surreal, like a tear in the fabric of reality, and before she could gather her thoughts, the woman flatly said: "Long time no see, Beatrice."

Blanche's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice, a haunting rustle reaching her from the depths of the past; as the woman studied her, she had to acknowledge reality.

It was her.

Only after a couple of seconds, she dared to whisper, her voice barely audible in the heavy silence, "...Lorraine?"

Finally, the woman bent her lips into a measured smile, causing Blanche's stomach to drop. She didn't answer and remained quiet, looking at her in silence.

"How did you find me?" Blanche asked, frozen in place.

"Is this how you greet your sister, now?" Lorraine responded with an imperceptible hint of sarcasm, remaining immobile. The atmosphere was getting heavier by the second, unbearably so, and a sting of irritation made its way into Blanche's chest.

"I have no sisters," she answered dryly, What do you want?". Her voice trembled a little.

Lorraine didn't reply. Instead, after a brief pause, she asked: "How come you're Blanche Less, now?".

Blanche remained silent, and as her silence stretched on, Lorraine's features slightly tightened. "Well, I won't lie. I honestly don't care," she said curtly, crossing her arms, "And how I found out is none of your business, Bea, is it?"

Lorraine was putting Blanche's patience to the test. "I said: what do you want?"

"To visit you briefly... and to remind you that you can't outrun family." Lorraine's voice progressively lowered, sending a chill down Blanche's spine. She instinctively reached for her wand.

Lorraine glanced at her sideways, and only a glimpse of disdain crossed her impassible front before being submerged by sovereign indifference. She stood up slowly, saying: "Don't bother, I'm going. Anyways, Minerva really did lower her standards in terms of security measures. Good to know. See you soon, Bea."

Before Blanche could think of a reply, Lorraine closed her eyes and disappeared in a bolting green dash; and just like that she vanished, leaving her alone. It was unsurprising, to say the least: Teleportation had always been her specialty, after all.

Blanche's mind was only able to muster four words: they have found me.

The icy claws of pure dread invaded her chest, while panicked thoughts flooded her mind like a raging torrent. Her head started spinning, leaving her unable to stand any longer. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably when she let herself fall on the chair, still warm from Lorraine's presence.

Lorraine.

Her sister hadn't hurt her, she hadn't even tried, but it surely wasn't because of a lack of ability to do so: Lorraine had always been an exceptionally talented witch, a master of Teleportation, and the first-ever Hogwarts student to graduate ahead of schedule.

Her sister's rough character had always been evident, but her ambition matched perfectly with her choleric temperament. However, now, there was a subtle shift in her demeanor, a change in her had occurred, that Blanche couldn't quite put her finger on; after all, she hadn't seen her in six years. They didn't know each other anymore.

A wave of frustration washed over her, making her head hurt. She had carefully calculated her decisions with meticulous accuracy, she had done everything right... but it hadn't been enough.

If Lorraine had visited her, that surely meant that everyone else knew where to find her. Now, the circumstances didn't allow for her to flee, nor to explain; and like that, she was trapped. She had applied for that job hoping that, of every place on earth, Hogwarts would be the safest, as well as a new beginning; all it had done was pinning her in a position that made her available and exposed to the public eye, backfiring spectacularly. It had filled her head with pointless thoughts; she had let down her guard, allowing everyday life to bury what she wanted to consider a distant past. She had got distracted. The programs, her reputation, the students, the staff, the bickering, everything, anything. She had even thought it possible for her to have friends, or at least friendly acquaintances, for once.

She had been so, so cautious during the last six years, always on the move, never getting attached to anything, anyone, not a place on this godforsaken planet; and now she had ruined it all. Applying for a teaching position had been an arrogant move.

She had trapped herself like an amateur.

"They found me", she whispered to herself, feeling tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Blanche buried her face in her hands, feeling her heart's content become too heavy to bear.

What would a student think if they saw me like this?

She was alone, but the mere thought of what the kids would think grounded her. She remembered herself saying, "Dominate yourself" in class; why wouldn't her own teaching apply to herself? She held a position that she felt required integrity, and she would behave accordingly. Moreover... who was Lorraine to invade her life out of the blue?

A spark lit up in her chest, stopping her tears and reigniting the old, deep-seated rage that lay dormant for many, too many years in the deepest corner of her soul.

Her family had stolen her time, her innocence, her happiness, or any chance she had at it.

She had buried herself in books to escape reality, using them as a shield to deflect her misery; but the truth, lurking underneath the thousands of pages she had read, was that she felt robbed of everything.