Sinful Seduction (Darkest Desire Book 3)

9. Three Wise Monkeys

Aurora's head was whirling with thoughts as she apparated on the corner of a street in Kensington. She still held Albus's letter clutched in one hand, her head going a hundred miles an hour as she hurried along the street. She'd scribbled down a reply and tied it to Fawkes' talon, letting her Godfather know that she'd know more in 48 hours and that she'd stop by at Hogwarts to inform him of her progress. All she wanted to do now was get to Salome and start interrogating the bitch.

The anger she felt towards the witch was fiery and all consuming, overwhelming any other rational thought as she headed towards the Flamel House. It was a residential area, with larger, more mansion-like houses lining the street, and at this time of day there weren't many people around. Not that she was worried about muggles spotting her as she apparated or disapparated. These days the muggles were so absorbed in their own little world they hardly noticed anything. Not to mention people saw what they wanted to see, which didn't include people appearing and disappearing out of thin air. The more affluent and wealthy of the city usually chose to take up residency in this part of town, which until now had included her parents. After all, not everybody could afford to live in Kensignton. They'd bought the house around the turn of the century, which meant the house was already in their possession for almost a hundred years. They'd kept as much of it in its original state, and renovated whatever needed to be done in order to catch the house up with the technological advancements of modern times. Unlike Grimmauld Place 12, which was concealed with a Fidelius Charm, this house wasn't. Aurora's father had always preferred to hide things in plain sight, opposite to trying to use magic as well as many other spells and charms to keep the house from muggle (and wizard) detection. There were many tricks hidden in the house nevertheless, but it was a different kind of magic, an old magic, one that nowadays was hardly practiced anymore. It kept the place hidden from those with ill intentions, as well as those wishing to do those who lived in it harm.

Reaching the corner of the street where the Flamel residence was located Aurora continued to hurry down the block until she came to the porte-cochère entrance. Making sure there weren't any people around who might have witnessed her arrival, Aurora paused to look at the house more carefully, trying to look as casual as possible. It had once been very grand, but, with the passage of time and the many renovations going on the expanse of the houses up and down the street, it looked somewhat out of place now, its air of grandeur almost nostalgic. Aurora found it difficult to phantom that she was now the sole owner of the Flamel House. In fact, she had inherited all of her parent's possessions, except for the few her mother and father had seen fit to donate or leave to some friends and acquaintances. The bulk of their fortune, estates and possessions had been transferred to their daughter however, which included the four-story structure of marble and brick, with a slate mansard roof, oval windows, towers, and a widow's walk she was now standing in front of. The facade was encrusted with carved limestone details set into brick, and Aurora held many fond childhood memories of the place. The street-front was surrounded by a tall spiked iron wrought gate, remnants of a time long past and hinting at the grandeur inside. The yard, which had once been well-kept and neat, was now in disarray, and Aurora smiled at the thought of my mother's failed attempts at gardening. Perenelle had been a magnificent witch, proficient in all sorts of magic, but green fingers her mother hadn't possessed. Truth was she had once failed at keeping a cactus alive, a fact of which Nicholas had been all too fond of reminding her. She'd always preferred the untamed wildness of nature, preferring to let the weeds and grass grow unchecked, as was evidenced in the garden, where a riot of sumac and ailanthus bushes grew among the high grass and a pair of oaks. It's dark-browed upper-story windows looked out over Hyde Park, as one of the few remaining estates with an undisturbed view of the park, and Aurora knew how magnificent that view could be.

It pained her, though, to cross the road and make her way down the carriageway, the elegant marble and brick hinting at the wealth of those who had built the place. So many fond memories, the very presence of her parents seemed to ooze from the estate, a painful reminder that they were now gone. Opening the stout door of heavy oak at the end of the carriage drive, Aurora went inside. Stepping inside, Aurora heard the door fall shut behind her with a barely audible click. The parqueted oak floor lined the reception hall, which was deserted. Venturing a few steps into the foyer her eyes took in the house, feeling a lingering pang of sadness in her chest that she fought very hard to suppress. It had been a while since she'd last been here, and even now it felt unbearable. With her parents dead and gone, Aurora wasn't sure she even wanted to keep the estate, let alone spend time in it.