Mysterious | Edmund Pevensie ✓

23 | Grief

"She passed away yesterday."

Isabelle had to fight the urge to scream. A day. Only a day. It could have changed a lot of things. If she had come there a day earlier, she could have seen her mother one last time. She could have told her how much she loved her, and that she was the best mother she could ever wish for. But Isabelle hadn't got the chance. Because she decided to be on the road. She left her. While her mother was battling a disease.

Isabelle hadn't noticed her aunt bending down next to her only when Corinne grabbed her hands. "Papillon. Isabelle, please stop," she told her after the younger started pulling her own hair. She needed physical pain to help her deal with the pain inside.

"Corinne, I lost her," Isabelle managed to say this in between sobs. "I only had her."

➳ ➳ ➳

Her mother's funeral was the worst thing she had ever attended to. She was too young when her sister died, and she had her mother by her side who held her, while the little girl piped her eyes. But this time, she didn't cry. She couldn't anymore. She had spent a month crying night and day. She was afraid that her eyeballs would dry up from all the sobbing. But just when she thought she would lose everyone, she wasn't alone. Everyone she loved supported her, Corinne, the Potters-Weasleys, Malfoys, even teachers from Hogwarts. They barely left her alone for minutes. Isabelle supposed they thought she might do something blindfold.

Isabelle looked at Corinne after the ritual ended, and they buried her mother. The woman sent her an encouraging look, so Isabelle nodded and took a deep breath.

"Hello," she cleared her throat when she stood next to her mother's gravestone, drawing the attention to her. "I would like to thank you all who came to the funeral. Mallory Marchand was a strong, brave, admirable woman. I could enumerate everything good about her, but we would be here for a very long time. She was a good friend, " she looked at the crying Fleur, "sister," she looked at her aunt who watched her with a faint smile, "daughter," she looked up because her grandparents were long dead, "and mother. As one wise person said, " Isabelle glanced at Harry Potter who looked like he knew what she was about to say, and a smile crept on his face, "the ones that love us never really leave us. You can always find them in here," Isabelle put her hand on her heart. "Thank you." She kept her speech short.

People in front of her applauded, and Isabelle walked next to Corinne, who instantly grabbed her hand in comfort. Next to her, Draco Malfoy sent Isabelle a consoling smile and put his arm around Corinne. The two were very close friends, but Isabelle wouldn't have minded if they had ended up together. Corinne would have found someone who truly cared about her, Draco would have found love and comfort years after his wife's death.

A priest said his final words and officially ended the funeral. The funeral was held in the church in France and the churchyard next to it since Corinne thought her sister would have wanted to rest in her hometown.

"Thank you, Mr Martre," Isabelle thanked the old man quietly after he placed a bouquet on her mother's grave. She had seen him a couple times when she was in the library with her mother. He was French too but moved to London before her family did. He was always in the library as a frequenter.

"Hey," someone snapped Isabelle out of her mind. It was Albus. "Scorpius will be there in five minutes. He went to get the car," he took her hand and squeezed it. "I'm proud of you." He smiled softly at her. Isabelle did her best to return the smile, but from his facial expression, she found out she didn't really succeed.

"Where's Corinne?" Isabelle asked since she lost sight of her aunt.

"She is saying goodbye to everyone," Albus pointed behind her.