Obliviate | JSE

Fourteen- A New Ally

Mark hesitated and placed his food beside him with a look of distaste, he too clearly not interested in the food. "When I graduated to become a professional physician for wizards, that's when it happened. I was working for five months maximum until Tom... you know." He looked away.

"Mark, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your brother?" I asked gently.

"I... they..." he lets out a frustrated sigh, "it's complicated." He rubs his eyes and slowly looks back up at me with a dark expression. "He was murdered."

Y/N and I let out shocked gasps. "By whom?"

"William Wyatt and Ludovico Lewis." Mark replied. I could practically see the thunder behind his eyes.

"You mean-"

"The guys that are after you. Yes." He finished my sentence. "Wyatt and Lewis aren't who they seem."

"We've figured that out for ourselves funnily enough." Y/N inputted. "If they're not from the Ministry, then who are they?"

"They were charged with murder upon a muggle-born three years ago." Mark heaved a sigh. "Tom's murder." Y/N and I exchanged a glance again before turning back to Mark. "I was the one who witnessed it, saw the unnecessary hatred behind their eyes, willingly killing someone who did nothing wrong and fleeing. I couldn't do anything. Tom told me to hide before Wyatt and Lewis came into contact with him and for a while, I remember my whole body being paralysed with shock. It felt impossible to do anything within that moment as I saw my brother's still body, his eyes wide open but unseeing, his mouth agape but not breathing." Mark's eyes became glassy as he sniffed and forced back the tears.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mark." Y/N says quietly.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago." Mark responds. "Anyway," he wiped his eyes and coughed, ready to continue his story, "I warned my mother, father and sister of what had happened and told them that they needed to move away, just in case they target them too. They didn't even get to say goodbye to him. They packed up and moved back to America, where I am sure they are safe."

"Why didn't you go with them?" I asked.

"I wanted- no- I needed to find those son-of-bitches so they could get the comeuppance they deserve. I wasn't going to do that if I was in Ohio. So instead, I faked my own 'missing' report and travelled instead. That way if I found them, no accusations could be thrown my way." I noticed Mark was clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles were turning white. "I didn't know where I was going, as long as I didn't stay in one place for too long. But of course, I was too late to find Wyatt and Lewis. They were already arrested and sent to Azkaban but they weren't in there for long."

"What happened?" Y/N asked, clearly very immersed in Mark's story.

"They were set free."

"What?" I practically yelled. My voice echoed throughout the cave.

"They were set free." Mark repeated. "Apparently there was not enough evidence and who would believe only one witness who according to the report, wasn't there in the first place?"

"This sucks." Y/N suddenly says. Mark and I turn our heads towards her at the same time. "What? It does! No person should be able to get away with murder like that."

"No, they shouldn't... but yet they have." Mark shrugs. "Fast forward three years and I find them again, except this time, they're not alone. They have allies with them, pointing their wands at two defenceless people in the middle of the woods. I knew I should do something. In that moment, I had the perfect opportunity to kill the murderers of my beloved brother and put an end to this vengeance but risk the lives of these two innocent people. Then I saw their wands pointed at Tom, heard the cursed words and saw my brother's deceased body in my mind and I knew I couldn't let another person die by the hand of the same people. So I decided to help these victims instead and here we are. I think that's what Tom would've wanted me to do." Mark finishes and shifts in his place. I noticed the fire had died down now and most of the logs were turning to ash.

"Why did you come save us?" I ask.

"Humph. Your welcome." Mark mumbles sarcastically.

"What Seán means is, we're complete strangers to you, we could be anyone. Why did you choose to help us?" Y/N explains more clearly.

"I didn't want a repeat of three years ago. I don't think I could forgive myself if I just stood and did nothing... again." Mark looks up at us once more. "What about you guys? How did you end up outnumbered on the verge of death in the middle of the woods?"

"Well..." I tell Mark the whole ordeal we've been through from the very beginning. Unlike Newt, he didn't freak out when I mentioned Y/N was a Muggle. Maybe it was because he has a Muggle family.

"It sounds like you could do with some help." Mark responds after I finish mine and Y/N's story.

"I don't know about that."

"Come on, Seán. I'm pretty sure if he wanted to kill us, he would've done it already." Y/N jokes, trying to make light of the conversation.

I consider for a moment, glancing between Y/N and then Mark. "Oh, alright."

Mark's eyes twinkle in the firelight and for the first time since we got here, he smiles.