AMOR CAECUS EST II HERMIONE G.

40. the loss of my life

She didn't receive an answer from Eudora.

Effy had done the test just for Caleb who had promised her that he won't leave her, no matter the results. It was somewhat difficult to believe since Caleb was raised to hate muggle-borns but he was not the same ignorant boy he had once been. Now he was a man who was desperately in love and would go to hell and back for his fiance. Caleb didn't even know this kind of love was possible — his mother and her countless husbands were not the greatest examples when it came to love and relationships.

There were about a dozen other — less or more important things — for Effy to do but instead she was spending her afternoon in St. Mungos, waiting for some ridiculous test that won't change a thing.

Suddenly the door opened and a short man with thick moustaches entered the room. He handed a letter to Eudora who snapped it from his hands without a second thought. She sent the man off with a wave of a hand, acting like some sort of queen. Effy grimaced at her tasteless act.

Eudora's eyes grew wide — Effy has never realised just how dark they were until now. The older woman was particularly holding her breath. Out of all the scenarios Effy had ran in her head before, this one she did not imagine. She had imagined Eudora to glee or be disappointed but not this. She looked like someone had turned her life upside down.

"Now what is it?" Effy asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "Am I worthy of the Zabini name?"

But she didn't receive an answer. Eudora's hands were shaking as she kept reading the results over and over again. She didn't utter a word but slowly turned to look at Effy, eyes showing signs of disbelief. But there was something else in her dark eyes — a sign of sympathy perhaps.

"Seriously, what is it?" Repeated Effy, worry growing in her.

"You stay here," Eudora whispered whilst staring at Effy like she was the world's seventh wonder. "Stay here. I will be back."

She didn't say anything else before taking off, only leaving the paper with the world's changing information on the nearby table.

Effy stared at the paper for a minute. She was too scared to pick it up and look at the results because whatever was written there, it had scared the life out of Eudora Zabini. But Effy was curious, she wanted to know. She had to know. It was her life and possibly her future there in that letter.

With worry covering her heart and mind she reached for the letter and carefully unfolded it.

All colour disappeared from Effy's face. Her heart nearly stopped. She froze completely, losing all senses of reality. Nothing mattered but the results which were staring at her wide eyes.

"W-what?" She whispered and just like Eudora before her, she read the results over and over again, denying every bit of information given to her.

It was an overwhelming feeling. Worse than when Via broke her arm because their foster father had thrown her down a flight of stairs. Much worse than the first time Miss Moore used physical punishments on Effy. It felt as if there was no air to breathe. No oxygen. The walls were closing on her, squashing her like a bug under someone's shoes. She was in the eye of a storm, soon to be swallowed down by a wave of lies and secrets.

While Effy was trying to stop the world around her from spinning, Eudora was running through the corridors of St. Munogs, looking for someone she hasn't spoken to in many years. There was an odd feeling in Eudora's chest — like her heart had been squished. There was tightness in her chest she couldn't shake off. She had wanted to prove Effy March wasn't good enough for her son to marry. She felt like an idiot now.

But none of it made sense. The results made no sense for several reasons but still she was looking for a traitor with her heart leaping out of her chest. Eudora ran — and Eudora Zabini never ran — all the way to the first floor before she noticed a dark haired woman from her childhood.