Connected by Magic

Chapter 12

Note: the last line said by Amelia in the previous chapter has changed. It was not fitting. And has now never been said. So, keep that in mind.

Amelia dreamed about the kiss.

The first night, she could feel it as if it were happening to her again. Hermione's lips felt soft and warm. It was the best night's sleep she ever had. Warm and light, she slept the night away. In the morning, she felt as if she floated over the floor, to which Daphne looked curiously at her.

"I think I should get a reward," Daphne noted. "Cupid here was very busy, to make it happen, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, tell me what I can do," Amelia said as she flopped down next to Daphne. "And, really, thank you, Daphne. It means a lot to me that you're doing this for us."

"'Course, no problem," Daphne sighed, staring at the marble ceiling, her gaze distant. "Remember, I said I had a sister?"

"Yes, Astoria, right?"

"Mhm, my family is like the House of Black. We like to see Muggles and Muggle-Borns repelled from this world," Daphne explained. "I think you can tell I didn't agree with them. It brought a lot of tension in the family. My sister is too young to see and follows whatever my parents tell her. So... she stays far away from me."

"You're not even allowed to go to your home?" Amelia questioned yet felt an increasingly tangled feeling in her gut.

Daphne shrugged in response, shifting on the bed as Amelia felt a growing sadness about her life. It felt so familiar to her. A wall separating Daphne from her and those she loved. Because she can see she cares for Astoria.

"I can still enter the house, if that's what you mean," Daphne sighed. "But I stay away. And they let me, seemingly deeming me a lost cause. Well, I couldn't care less. Let them drown in their mania. Yet when I heard about Astoria's condition... That's when I started to return."

"Condition?" Amelia questioned, yet felt an increasingly tangled feeling in her gut.

"Yeah, our family is cursed, in a way. A blood malediction. It targets the females of the family, makes them frail and generally of poor health," Daphne continued, her voice becoming softer. "It hadn't resurfaced for generations, but Astoria has it. I returned home, not for my parents, but for my sister. My family tried for many years to break it, I want to finish the work. My sister won't die because of that curse!" Daphne said determinedly, her desperation coming over her face. "I'm... not as good as I wish I am, Amelia. Sure, I'm not a bad witch by any measure, but you... Please, Amelia, help me save my sister."

"I'll do what I can, Daphne. But I don't know much about this ailment," Amelia assured her yet a bit sceptical about their chances.

"Right, I have every note and scrap of research from my family. Stolen, of course, but a minor detail," Daphne said, her feet so fast, she almost ran to her trunk. "I can't make sense of half of what's written... But it explains the curse and the effects."

"Right," Amelia said as she followed her friend, her eyes scanning the various papers. It was mumbo jumbo to her. Each phrase as foreign as the next. She needs to study them more before she can wrap her mind around it. "I... don't understand a word of it. But you have my word, I'll help any way I can."

"Thank you," Daphne breathed with relief, her arms hugging Amelia tightly. "This means a lot. I don't care whether she'll ever see the wrongs of the family... But I want to give her as many years as I can. We were close and loved each other when growing up."

"I know the feeling," Amelia assured her. "Don't worry. I'm sure we can... figure something out. I've come to realize there is always a way. No matter how long it may take."