* * *
"W-what do you mean?"
"I'm sorry miss Cabello. But your father has passed away. When he didn't report back on schedule, we searched for him and found his remains in Albania. He was killed while chasing a lead on an ongoing investigation, miss Cabello, and I am deeply sorry for what may have happened,"
Flat as his ugly face was the tone of this man's voice. He was anything but sorry about Camila's loss. He was just there to deliver some bad news, for formalities and shit like that.
Camila on the other hand, wasn't sure how she feels. Alejandro wasn't exactly an absentee father, but he seldom talks to her even when they're both home during holidays and such. He doesn't speak much to her unless it has something to do with school. Even when he was around, it still felt like he wasn't there.
And now, as this person delivers the news of her father's death, it was as if there isn't any difference at all.
She is still alone.
Except, it is different now. She may have spent most of her time by herself but she knows her dad was just out there. He may exist in apathy, somewhere in the depths of depressing reclusiveness, but point of the matter is that he was there. Any time she wants to speak to him, he's just there. But right now, somebody's telling Camila that her dad is really gone. Not even a body to hold a funeral for. That she is now officially an orphan. No more parents, no grandparents or siblings or cousins either.
This only validates how much alone she really is in this world.
The man from the ministry continued to prattle on with the details of her father's bequests in his will, the details of her inheritance. The Cabello family isn't the wealthiest but they do have substantial amount of wealth, in gold and muggle currency, and several properties attached to their pureblood name. And being the last Cabello in existence, the soon-to-be sixteen year old Camila will inherit all of it.
But she doesn't care about any of that.
She suddenly remembers why she wanted to become the best witch there is. Flashbacks from when she was just a tiny impressionable child, looking up at her strong, formidable father with all the admiration she can muster. She remembers why she wanted to become the best duelist of this generation. And that is to be the best just like her father; to ultimately protect the people she loves just like her father did. For a while, since she became conscious of the world around her, that was all she cared about. Even if the distance between her and her father started growing on each day that passed. She remembers that she had always wanted to be the best defender this magical world has ever seen.
And despite being the sad recluse father that he was, Camila loves her dad so much and her world centered around him and making him proud.
And now, it slowly hits her.
Her father passed away. He is gone. The one person she once aimed to protect one day is now dead.
"How did he die?"
The man from the ministry was caught off guard by the sudden query. He stumbles on his words as he wasn't really prepared for this particular question. He expected to only read Alejandro Cabello's will to his daughter, not recount the gory details in which his body was found. Or the speculations surrounding his death.
Besides, the matter surrounding the auror's death remains strictly confidential.
However, Hogwarts' headmistress doesn't seem to be perturbed by that one question.
"Nothing is accurately confirmed so far," Normani begins, "But according to what the other aurors found, your father's remains were similar to those who perished during the attack at Sanctum Cove,"
"I don't think she's supposed to know that, Miss Hamilton! The events transpired in the cove is classified!" The ministry guy hisses worriedly.
"Miss Cabello deserves to know what happened to her father, Mr. Dempsey,"
"How so? How is my father's death similar to those who died in Sanctum Cove?" Camila cuts in.
"You see, the thing about this dark malevolent entity that randomly rampaging in our world is that it sucks out a person's life essence to merge it with its own power," Normani replies, "What will be left behind is a dried out flesh, brittle and on the brink of shattering. Your father was found like that. A brittle, dried out human flesh. Harsh, but true. If it wasn't for a charm bracelet found on the scene, with your birth name on it, there would have been no way to confirm if it was really him or someone else,"
Cold and harsh indeed. But its something that must be told.
"You are not supposed to divulge such sensitive information! Especially pertaining to that dark thing and the cove!"
The man from the ministry exclaims in vexation. But the headmistress doesn't care about him or what he may potentially report back to the ministry.
The woman only worries about her student. How the Slytherin girl must feel. How Camila may react to this recent tragedy. How it will affect her. But in that moment right there, she doesn't believe that omitting some ugly truths would be of any help to her young Slytherin student.
No omissions of the truth will help the young witch cope with life's way of shitting on her face.
Normani's worries may not show it in her stone cold impassive face but her onyx eyes can't fully hide it all. Because deep inside, she's a chaos full of worry. Because right now, she has two young brilliant witches under her care who suffered losing their parents. She's now responsible for them whether she likes it or not.
And whether she likes it or not, the lives of those two young brilliant witches are already intertwined. Their lives are very much connected to each other even long before they were born . . .
* * *
With her downcast eyes, she didn't notice the Ravenclaw girl sitting by the Slytherin dormitory's entry, holding a box of something while waiting. Her emerald eyes were shining with concern.
"Camz!"
Camily lifts her gaze and sees Lauren almost trip, getting herself ungracefully tangled in the straps of her satchel and oversized robes. She's as adorable as always, and despite Camila's inner turmoil, she can't help the fluttery light feeling encompassing her from the inside of her chest at the sight of the girl.
"I heard. Well, I wasn't supposed to but I saw that Dumpsy guy from the ministry and I just wanted to know what kind of news he brought with him so I kinda eavesdropped. I know, it's rude but I just need to know. I just didn't think that the news he has with him was so bad and I'm so sorry —"
"It's okay,"
"No, it's not really. Losing a family member is never okay. But I'm not one to tell you how you should feel. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to go through any of it alone. Whatever or however you may feel about losing your dad. I'm here for you, in whatever way you want me to. And also I got you some banana muffin cakes. It won't change the fact that you just lost someone in your life but I hope it'll somewhat help you get your mind off of things even just for a little bit,"
Lauren is easily the sweetest person she ever met. No one has ever been this kind and thoughtful and Camila struggles to hold back her tears.
Her emotions are overwhelming her.
It hits her again.
She just lost her father. But she now has Lauren. The kindest friend anyone can have. And just like that, Camila's world doesn't feel as lonely as it was before.
The Ravenclaw girl sees the tears clouding her eyes and she immediately pulls her in a hug. Camila lets herself go and just cried. Quietly sniffing, relishing in the comfort and warmth Lauren openly gives her.
Whenever she's with her, she definitely doesn't feel so much alone anymore.
Lauren guides her to sit against the wall, pries open the box of freshly baked banana muffin cakes that she somehow managed to coerce Furby to make for her. The smell was so good it almost felt homey. The girl puts her arm around Camila, gently wipes her tears away with her soft bare hand.
She feels extremely grateful for this gesture.
The two girls sat there quietly for a while. Not a single care to the odd judging looks of the other students passing by. Camila has her head leaning on Lauren's shoulder while nibbling on her muffin cake little by little.
And little by little, she feels like she can go through anything.
As long as Lauren is right there with her.
"He liked bananas too," she mumbles, "I think I got that from him,"
Lauren doesn't ask, but she tells the girl her life with her father. How it was growing up with someone who seldom communicates with her. But it wasn't always like that. Camila recalls when she was just a child, curious and inquisitive. Her father would always entertain her questions and give her amusing answers. He was her first teacher. She was amazed at how good he was at dueling. Up until she started to grow and started looking much like her mother that he started to put some distance between them.
The Ravenclaw girl listens to her attentively, with kind eyes and a kind smile.
"And now he's gone. He was found in a similar state as the ones who died at Sanctum Cove,"
"What?"
"I thought you eavesdropped,"
"I hurried to get you some comfort food before Dumpsy guy said anything about how your dad died. What else did he say?"
"Actually, he didn't say it. It was headmistress Hamilton who told me. She said that I deserve the truth surrounding my father's death,"
Lauren nods, "As far as I know, the headmistress is always upfront like that. But I think there's more to it,"
"I think so too. Dempsey, not Dumpsy, said that the headmistress was not supposed to say anything. I don't really understand the secrecy. Shouldn't people be warned of this thing killing people?"
"It's because of the cove, Camzi," Lauren quietly replies.
"Yeah, I know that. But shouldn't people know that too? A whole ass island was wiped out by this thing, shouldn't that set an example for everybody to take extreme caution? Or even attempt to somehow retaliate?"
"The ministry fears that the wrong sort of people will see it as an opportunity, a sign of weakness of those who are in charge. And instead of helping out for the common good, some people might just follow the example of that dark entity and seize power themselves the way that dark evil thing does seeing that it really is possible to obtain immense power like that,"
"But the general public must know, so we would all know how to defend ourselves. Prepare ourselves. What does the ministry even doing to stop this evil thing that just kills people around? Are we all just going to sit and wait until it attacks again?"
Camila grows more agitated. Lauren feels utterly helpless by the entire situation because Camila's not the only one who lost a loved one to this dark malevolent entity. She isn't the only one wanting some form of revenge to get back at this evil creature who cut the lives of their parents short.
But right now there isn't much Lauren can do but hug Camila.
"We'll figure something out, Camz. If not the ministry, I'm sure the two of us can figure something out,"
* * *
An emotional day is what led Lauren inside Camila's bedroom. Right there inside the infamous house of Salazar Slytherin. The girl never thought she would have the opportunity to see what it's like to be inside the other houses.
Being down there in the dungeons, Lauren thought it'll be dank and clammy in there. Just like where Pickle was hiding away. It didn't make sense to her. Why would anyone want to purposely live in that part of the castle. But upon entering the common room, she was surprised to see the elegance of Salazar Slytherin's home.
It wasn't overtly dark; neither was it dank, dirty and clammy in that part of the dungeons. An imposing banner of a giant serpent greets her first thing and images of such is in every corner in varying sizes. The intricate furnitures and the medieval tapestries gives an air of mystery to her. And that's already an appeal in itself. The green luminous lights hanging over in chains casts an aura that resembles an underwater tunnel as it reflects through the giant clear window that offers a magnificent view of what's under the Hogwarts lake.
Lauren thought she could sit there for hours and spot some merpeople . . .
But alas, Camila takes her to her bedroom. An equally interesting place to be other than the Slytherin common room.
Gaius, Camila's cat yawns a greeting to her and eyes the box she's holding. Books line up against the stone wall immediately catches Lauren's attention as they entered. The abundance of it, volumes and volumes of many different transcripts and articles and journals, it's almost a miniature, compact version of the Hogwarts library. Scribbles on post its, schedule reminders, odd knick knacks on the desk scattered along with pens and quills, one banana print sock and one banana print glove hanging haphazardly along with green Slytherin scarf on the back of a chair. Unmade bed with green covers, fluffy moss green duvet and similar shade of green pillowcase with unsurprisingly banana prints on them as well.
Lauren smiles.
"Too much banana can't be good for your health, you know,"
Camila chuckles, "I love them. But yeah, welcome to my room, my humble abode. Disregarding the random images of bananas that you so totally despise, it really isn't such a bad place to be in,"
"I don't despise bananas. But if they start talking to me too, I'd probably run back to the tower and hide,"
Camila laughs. She drops her book bag on the corner next to where her sneakers and other shoes lay. Awkwardly shifting on the balls of her feet, she turns to Lauren.
"So, uhm . . . I have books. We can read. I also have some puzzles and wizard's chess, uhm, we can play . . . Or something,"
The Ravenclaw girl puts her satchel neatly by the door and places the box of banana muffin cakes on the slightly chaotic desk. Gaius the cat lifts his head towards the box.
"We don't have to do anything, Camz. It's also okay if you just want some time to yourself. You know, process things and such,"
"No, I—," Camila sighs, looks down, "I don't want to be alone,"
"Then I'll stay. We can cuddle, if you like? I mean your bed kinda looks messy but, its the messy kind of comfortable, we can lay down there for a little bit,"
"I'd really like that,"
So, that's pretty much how Lauren ended up in Camila's bedroom. In Camila's arms no less. Cuddling in for the rest of the day, quiet and comfortable.
Eventually, Lauren's soft humming against Camila's neck lulled both of them to sleep. When she woke up, there was no sense of time but it was in fact past dinnertime already. From her deep late afternoon slumber, she felt soft fingertips lightly running across her jaw, across her cheekbones and across the length of her nose. It was slightly ticklish but it gives her a feeling she haven't felt before.
Heady and fluttery across her stomach.
Lauren slowly opens her emerald eyes. Tilting her head up, she finds the Slytherin girl already watching her. Camila's eyes were like molten gold, smoldering and pouring into the depths of Lauren's soul. And just like that, the heady, fluttery feeling she already has, it's now accompanied by her erratically skipping heartbeat.
Like a beating drum in harmony with all the other indescribable symphony inside her body.
Lauren couldn't decipher it. What she's supposed to make out of those feelings. She wakes up from the most serene nap she ever had since she left her island home to this.
This foreign yet amazing thing.
She doesn't say anything. She doesn't know what to say anyway. How to outright describe how she feels with that one look. But she does look straight back. Unwavering, unrelenting. She studies Camila's eyes and everything else in that beautiful face of hers.
Next thing she knows, her own emerald eyes involuntarily flutter shut, and the gap between their faces was closed. She feels Camila's lips against hers. Gentle and firm and hot.
And everything turns blank.
It was their first kiss and neither girl knows what they're doing exactly. They just went with the flow and followed their instinct. Followed what their lips wanted to do to each other.
It felt like forever but it only took about a minute of exploring what their mouths can do. Lauren pulls away first, wide-eyed and blushing red in the cheeks. She blinks, and stands up abruptly. She stands there awkwardly for a moment and couldn't look Camila in the eyes anymore.
She gathers her stuff and with one awkward wave, she leaves Camila's bedroom. With her head down, she rushes past the other Slytherin students loitering in the common room and out the door . . .
* * *
🙂