The Royal Witch

Chapter 11 - Helena Black

To a time when no women ever again has to say #MeToo
-Oprah Winfrey

"What's on your mind, Mione? You haven't said a word since we left the room. Is everything okay at school?"

"Yeah dad, It's just that.. never mind. How's mom? Is the therapy working?"

"You should see for yourself" said Sirius with a slight smile.

They finally climbed the stairs to the Royal family's living quarters and reached Helena Black's suite.

Helena's maid opened the door and upon seeing who it is curtsied low.

"Your Highness"

"Amy! Haven't seen you in ages! How're you?"

"I'm very well. Thank you for asking My Queen"

"Is my mother here?"

"Yes. I'll fetch her for you" she left with another bow to Hermione and Sirus and disappeared into another room.

Hermione and Sirus settled on the plush lavender couches in the living room and fell into a uneasy silence.

Sirius wondered what made his daughter so concerned. She usually never shuts up. Especially with him, cause he's the only one not going on and on about etiquette and all that. Maybe this Queen thing is too much for her? But it's not like she's new to this. She started doing this two years ago under her Grandmother's watchful eye. And she'd never once been this affected. He supposed it's a good thing he's going to the school after all. He can maybe find out what's bothering her.

Hermione was having a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself. She hoped to all the gods she knew that her assumptions were wrong. It couldn't be. But her assumptions were never wrong and she was already in a dilemma about what decision she would take once everyone found out. It wasn't a dilemma, she knew what she should do, she knew what is expected of her. They're gonna hate het for sure. But as they say, It's lonely at the top.

While they were both lost in their own thoughts, Helena had enetered the room and stood waiting for them to acknowledge her. When they showed no signs of snapping out she coughed to let them know she was there. Both of them stood up instantly and Hermione almost ran to her mother to give her a hug but caught herself at the last second. Her mother bowed to her and she acknowledged it with a nod.

"Amy, will you please wait outside or attend to your other duties for a little while?" Hermione asked in a polite tone.

Amy quickly bowed and left the room. Once she was out, Hermione ran to her mother and tackled her with a long overdue hug. Sirius came and embraced them both and pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads.

"Oh Mione! I've missed you so much. This place is terribly lonely without you. And your father is always off doing something to get himself killed and I can't even leave this stupid suite.

"Mom, you know it's only till the treatment is completed. It'll only work in a controlled environment. That's what Remus said ma. But look at you! You've got your colour back and I can't see your bones sticking out anyomre! So it can't be bad if it's doing you so much good.

Helena Black sighed and turned therr other side. If only she could tell her daughter how much pain she was in. The treatment outs working, yes. But the catch is it'll only work alone. It'll become poison when combined with any known painkiller in the world be it muggle or magical. But she had begged Remus Lupin to not reveal this information to Sirius and Hermione. Ever since she was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer two years ago, Sirius and Hermione have gone into a deep state of depression. James had been too young to know what was happening. Hermione and Sirius contacted every doctor and healer all over the world but this was unheard of in the wizarding world and incurable in the muggle world. Until Remus Lupin came in, he unlike Sirius, James and Lily was not under hiding in the wizarding world. He however laid low and became the eyes and ears of the pack. He told Helena that he could probably make a cure for her just as Lily found the cure for werewolves. (She's bursting to release it to the world) Lily's cure was finalized only a week before the last full moon aftet a lot of failed attempts and Lupin had given up hope that it was ever going to work. But that time, the full moon came and went but there were no shredded clothes and no lock on his cage. He broke down in tears and hugged Lily swearing to never let go. The pain he had endured since he was seven was finally gone. Once the grateful side wore down, his curiosity peaked and he demanded her to explain in detail. So she told him how she took inspiration from a muggle movie where genetic mutation gave people super power. So she took his DNA and studied it with a muggle doctor through Genome mapping. There she found the mututated gene and all she had to do was find a way to make it dormant. It was impossible without magic. So she invented a spell that'll change his genetic structure throughout at the same time. Lupin was flabbergasted at the genius that was Lily Potter and had run off to tell Helena who had became his best friend since her marriage to Sirius. It was on his way there he thought about her cancer and how it was similar to his now gone disease. However not wanting to give her false hope, he sat down on a bench and thought how it could work. He ran back to Lily and dragged her to his lab and told her what he had in mind. They brainstoremed it and only when Lily gave him the go ahead did he tell Helena that he had a cure.

It was simple enough! Her cancer started in the bone marrow in her right knew. In this two years chemo and radiation made the cancer slow, but it has still spread to almost all of her right side. When Lupin thought of the cure, the doctors had given two more weeks to live. But then he came running in and shoved the doctors out of the way with a atupid grin on his face. He took her face in his hands from where she was lying and told her "I'm gonna vanish your bones"