Homonculous |Marauders Era

Chapter Seventy-Two

A baby crying.

As if she had fallen into a horror movie all of a sudden, the hairs on her arms pricked and Elspeth found herself almost afraid to turn her head. But as she looked over her shoulder, she spotted a swaddled bundle resting in the centre. It certainly had not been there before, and as the bundle moved, Elspeth jumped. The crying grew louder the longer she stood there, but it took her a good minute before she decided to approach.

For some reason, her basic instincts were telling her that it was a trap, that she should turn the other way and run. But maybe that was from all the horror books she had read in the past getting in her head. After all, would Hades or Persephone allow something bad to happen to her while she was in their domain?

Cautiously, she approached the crying bundle and as she expected, as she peered down, there was a baby nestled within the blankets. There was a patch of black hair that poked through from underneath the small-cap it wore to keep its head warm. Elspeth had never held a baby before, never really finding herself in the situation or position to do so. However, she couldn't allow the baby to cry any longer, as she reached down and lifted the baby into her arms. It cried for a moment longer, but as she tried to comfort the little one, it finally fell silent.

Part of her wanted to call out for Hades and Persephone again, fearful that she would do something wrong and harm the child, but before she could react, the blankets in her arms started to unravel, taking the baby with them. There was a screeching noise that suddenly sounded behind her, causing Elspeth to cry out before she spun around.

The baby was gone, but in place was a small toddler that laughed hysterically at her reaction. Stunned, Elspeth didn't know what to do but each time she even thought to gather herself and do something, the child seemed to morph before her very eyes. Each time, he grew older and he seemed to resemble James, but at the same time, there were differences that set him apart.

And finally, he came to stand at her height, looking roughly to be around the age she was. The Potter genetics had to be there, the messy black hair, the glasses, the lankiness that James was only growing out of. And yet, there was something familiar about the boy that reminded her of someone else and she didn't understand.

Who are you? she thought to herself as her eyes were wide, burning with tears that she didn't even realise had started to fall. But then came the moment when she found herself wrapped in a hug.

She could feel the hug, she felt the boy's arms around her, holding her tightly and then, he spoke to her.

"Aunt El, are you ready?"

Aunt El?

Her breath hitched in her throat as if she was suddenly being choked by an invisible force. He continued to watch her, the smile never fading from his face, as if he didn't see the expression on her face. He reached for her hand, grabbing it in his and attempted to pull her along. But as she didn't take a step forward to follow, his hand let go and he quickly disappeared into the darkness around her. She was alone again, only shaken and worked up more so than before when she first arrived. Her eyes trembled from where she had felt the warmth emitted from the hand that grabbed hers.

"Beautiful, wasn't he?"

Looking over her shoulder, Elspeth caught sight of the Fates, finally revealing themselves. She quickly looked away from them, staring ahead in the direction of where the boy had disappeared. The three came to stand behind her and Elspeth felt her shoulders sink in defeat.

"That was him," she whispered, " wasn't it? That's the child of Lily and James?"

"One of them," Klotho answered. " Sweet boy he would have turned out to become. Too bad he'll never come to be."

With a sickening feeling in her stomach, Elspeth clenched her jaw to face Klotho once more. "What do you all want from me? Why has this been left up to me? You're all godly beings, why do I have to be the one to interfere? Why can't you do something to get them together and then let them go on their merry way to live their lives happily?"

"We've already given you an answer-"

"Well, it wasn't a good enough one!" Elspeth spat at her. "It's wrong, this all feels so wrong. They're my friends, but I don't see them together. I can't do this, I thought maybe I could, but I can't- Please, please don't make me do this."

"Aunt El!" The boy returned and this time, he wasn't alone, there was another little boy in his company, they looked incredibly similar. Brothers, if she wasn't mistaken and they were both looking at her with warm smiles. But it didn't bring Elspeth joy to see them, it was only bringing her pain because it was the Fates way of showing her that if she didn't follow through with what she had to do, the two would never come to exist.

As they neared her, Elspeth lifted her hands to keep them at bay, begging them to just stop. She had seen enough, how could she be the one to stop the two from coming into existence? The guilt of seeing two beautiful little boys, happy as can be before her, knowing that she would be the reason they wouldn't live lives.

"Okay, okay!" she screamed covering her face and dropping to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at them anymore. "I'll do it, alright? I'll do it!"

She broke into sobs, keeping her head covered until she was sure that the boys were gone so she no longer had to face them. The Fates exchanged looks with one another before silently nodding their heads and agreeing to leave her alone. Left on the ground, Elspeth continued to cry, hating how she had found herself in the middle of a situation that she wanted no part of. But the way he had called her "Aunt El," the way she had been hugged, it left her with a feeling she could not shake.

"Elspeth?"

Jerking her head up at the sound of the voice, Elspeth prayed that it wasn't another glimpse into the future where she would see someone else who depended on her. The pressure she felt was enough without any more guilt added. However, she was relieved to find Persephone kneeling before her, the goddess' arms extended. Immediately, Elspeth pushed herself up and launched herself into Persephone's arms, latching onto her as if she were holding onto her own mother for comfort.

"Was all of that necessary?!" Hades hissed in the direction of the three as they returned to the shadows of where he stood. He and Persephone had been advised by the Fates to let them handle the situation as Elspeth came to the Underworld seeking a way out. But as they watched Elspeth sob into the ground, Hades wondered if they had made the right choice. "Look what you've done-"

"It had to be done, Hades," Atropos interjected before the God of the Underworld lost any more of his temper. "It had to be."

"Why?" Hades questioned. "Why does it have to be Elspeth? Why not let it just fall onto the shoulders of Nyx's boy? He's just as involved in this entire situation, he might be better equipped to handle it. Elspeth doesn't need any more stress-"

"Nyx's boy will no longer be able to assist in the situation, at least, not under her direction."

Hades stopped and turned to face the three once more, a puzzled look on his expression. "What are you three talking about?"

Klotho stepped forward and released a heavy sigh. "In just a short time, Nyx will relieve the Blacks from under her care. She has lost tolerance for the behaviour of the majority of the family, stripping all of them of her guardianship. Sirius Black will remain as Elspeth's soulmate, but he will not be under Nyx any longer meaning it will be Elspeth's duty solely to make sure that Lily Evans and James Potter come together or Milo and Harry will not come to be."