❝The monsters were never
under my bed.
Because the monsters
were inside my head.
I fear no monsters,
for no monsters I see.
Because all this time
the monster has been me.❞
[MARAUDERS ERA]
[METANOIA SERIES B2]
[COVER: -VOIDLEGENDS]
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
— chapter thirteen — AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR
—
CHRISTMAS. THE DREADED time had come and Remelda couldn't pretend it wasn't happening anymore. She had tried to push it out of her mind, much like other topics, thinking of schoolwork or busying herself with Demetri (which she hated) and reading. She did everything she could to keep her mind off of the topic, knowing it would only bring her sadness and create tears that would stream down her face. Now it was Christmas, they were already at their house (not home, definitely not home) and they were having dinner.
And all of her thoughts were on Regulus. He looked so perfectly normal, almost happy, as he ate the meal the house elves cooked for them, placing down his fork now and again to take his drink and sip at it. He listened to their parents speak, nodding his head and humming, and sometimes speaking as well. Every time he spoke something with the mindset of their parents, he would glance at Remelda as if to say an apology, something he had done since they were young. Remelda would always blink, give a slight nod of the head that only he would notice, before returning to eating and keeping silent.
That was something Walburga Black taught her; keep silent until spoken to. Orion, her father, started the conversation and would allow his wife to speak and sometimes turn to his son but almost never batted an eyelash at Remelda. The only thing he cared about her input was about Demetri.
"Six deaths this month," Orion commented, "A new record – a good one at that. And the Ministry hasn't even batted an eyelash! Ha! What fools!"
Remelda resisted the urge to speak back. Once she had done that as a child, and for the first time she had been threatened with a beating. It would have been acted upon if Sirius hadn't stepped in the way and taken the punishment for himself, but Remelda was forced to stay and watch – something that had never happened before. Always she and Regulus had been told to go upstairs and to their rooms and never to leave them until the next morning. And after seeing such a sight, her brother taking her punishment, she vowed never to speak back again in fear they would hurt him again.
Of course, that hadn't stopped her parents from hurting her brother. They continued on for different reasons, but never again had he been hit because she hadn't stayed quiet like she was taught. And even now, though she knew she would bare the punishment, she never said a word. Her mind always flooded back to that time.
"Hm," Walburga agreed with her husband, "They've always been quite slow, haven't they? Not like they want to believe in him anyways, though I don't see why. Those filthy mudbloods stealing the magic meant only for the pure."
She almost winced at the sneer her mother had at the thought of those who were born from muggles but gifted with magic. Those with their mindset believed they stole the magic meant for those with a parent (preferably two) with magic – taken a wand from a witch and pretended to be one of them.
