December 1972
Adelaide didn't know how to catch the identity of the werewolf, not yet, and soon it was Christmas before she knew it. She vowed to close the case after Christmas, since she was too curious to let it drag.
She once asked Victoria if she could hear noises too, some 2 weeks ago.
"Victoria do you hear noises too? At night? Some howls of pain and all?"
"That resembles shrieking? Yep." Victoria said sipping her coffee, while she held a book to her nose.
"Well, did you always hear it?"
"No actually. I have only been hearing it for 2 years. This is the second year, i mean. One of the Slytherins asked the headmaster and he said that there is a house, nearby Hogsmeade. It is hunted by ghosts now. Next year, you'll see it yourself. It is already achieving quite a reputation, you know. No one dares going inside it, even if it was possible."
"Interesting." Adelaide said, her mind working at a rapid speed. So this confirms that he knows about the werewolf student. But one thing that Adelaide didn't know was how she didn't hear anything last year. Perhaps it's because i used to sleep better but nowadays my mind is too busy to let me have a good night sleep. And whenever she tried to sleep, she would toss and turn so much that her tiring of that would make her fall sleep.
The only thing she knew that was promising enough was that the student was from the second year.
Adelaide's powers had grown rapidly and had become rather... vicious to say the least. You couldn't catch her without her gloves. Even at sleep, she would wear them as well. She tried her hardest to calm her powers down but without those gloves, randomly some ice would shoot out her hand. Even Dumbledore was surprised by how much her powers were uncontrollable.
Alice and Sarah were staying the Christmas at Sarah's house. Adelaide was also invited, but she didn't accept the invitation because she wanted to go home. Her father had also told them that it was urgent for them to stay this Christmas at home, Adelaide knew why. Her mother's condition had deteriorated, and perhaps it was her father's way of saying that her mother needed them, or that their mother was dying, something that Adelaide knew all too well, subconsciously thought about it, but refused to acknowledge.
Adelaide was waiting for her sisters in Mcgonagall's office. She was fidgeting so much, that Mcgonagall stopped writing to somewhat glare at her. She was never glared at by her, so she stopped it all at once. Adelaide was dreading going home, not because she didn't want to go, but because she was dreading seeing her mother and likely guessing how much time she had left. She dreaded seeing her Elizabeth and Victoria's face crumbling when they learn of the reality, the truth that was not noticed by them and hidden from them. Ignorance is truly a bliss, isn't it?
Her sisters arrived bantering each other.
"Wait until i tell them, about your boy-" Victoria said, smirking.
"Toria, it's not the time, and stop being such an idiot. Gosh, you are such a handful sometimes."
They stopped talking, when they reached the fireplace.
"Well, you know the drill, so hurry up. There are lots of other students coming soon." Professor Mcgonagall said looking at the two older girls.
They said their farewells and well wishes and left. Adelaide was the last person. When she arrived home, she was greeted by Helena and Edmund. Her father also hugged her and greeted her as well.
"Your mother is tired, after dinner we will all visit her." Her father explained understanding her questioning look.
"Very well."
They went to the dining room, the food was already laid out.
"So how was school? I hope you had a lot of fun."
"Well, this year was hell; i hadn't studied this much in my life, somedays i swear i felt my brain exploding." Victoria said. "Quidditch was fine this year, i broke the record of last year, by achieving far more scores. If everything goes as planned, i'll be the captain next year, after Wood leaves."
Adelaide only attended Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's matches that year, since she didn't really care for quidditch. She attended the former's matches because of her duty towards her own house and she attended the latter's because of cheering on her sister, and frankly she knew how to play. She made the games that she played in so entertaining and gave everyone the show they wanted.
"My year was alright, i suppose. Victoria and i are members of the slug club, there had been some gatherings and there was a Christmas party as well, last night. Though Victoria didn't attend feigning sickness." Elizabeth shot Victoria a glare, and Victoria faked coughing , winking at them.
"The Christmas parties are for fifth years and above, I don't know what kind of stupid thing you're going to say next year."
"Don't worry, in two year he would also bring Adelaide into his collection and i won't be a hassle." The slug club was for fourth years and above so it was two years from now and Adelaide would be making stuff up too.
"You were supposed to take someone with you as well.." Victoria said mischievously. Elizabeth blushed and looked away.
"Ah, so you are meaning that your sister is interested in someone and likely dating them?" Their father said grinning. Edmund made a gagging voice.
"Oh, Edmund when you get older, i am sure to do the same." Elizabeth said looking rather annoyed, her blush was still visible.
"So who is this lucky student?" Their father asked his grin getting bigger.
"Well, his name is Philip Goldstein." Elizabeth murmured, her face now a deep scarlet. Adelaide chuckled, she was enjoying this too much.
"So how is he?" Helena asked a small smile forming on her lips.
"Ugh, what should i say?" Elizabeth said gliding down from her chair.
"First of all, congratulations. Second of all you can say which year is he from? Then how did you meet?.." Their father said, smiling broadly.
"He is a 6th year Ravenclaw. We started dating from early this year..."
"REALLY? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY EARLIER?" Victoria shouted. Oh, she definitely knew from the beginning, she is just embarrassing her further.
"Anyways, i wasn't really close to him before. He is very nice and kind. Happy now?" Elizabeth spat the last sentence out.
"Very." Victoria said smiling and sitting carefree on her chair.
"I am very happy for you Lizzie. But i hope you would all say these things sooner, for your own good." Their father said smiling at Elizabeth, who was slowly recovering from her blushing.
"Now now, Victoria what about you? You had a lot of fun spilling Elizabeth's secret." Adelaide said smirking.
"Nope. With a capital P." Victoria said defensively.
"Well, next year, i'll be surveying you carefully, to see if you'll be lying." Elizabeth said, her eyes glimmering dangerously.
"Don't you dare." Victoria said, frowning.
"We'll see." Elizabeth said simply.
"Ok, now Heidi. Your turn. What do you have to say?" Helena asked her sister.
"I hope it's not those gushy mushy stuff." Edmund said.
"Well, nope. Nothing interesting. Just regular school stuff. My powers might end up murdering someone. It's gotten a bit dangerous." Adelaide said looking at the gloves she was wearing.
"Oh, and she has a vendetta against a boy in Gryffindor." Victoria added.
"Well, it's because he is an annoying brat. He thinks he is better but he is not. I want to punch or hex him." Adelaide glared at her.
"The Slytherins are becoming worse. They are already using slurs."
"Well, second year is when some of them loose their innocence. Welcome to the club." Victoria said. "That's when you start hating them with a passion."
"Do you report any of them?" Helena asked.
"I did but the truth is nothing can be done about it, when all of them have influential families."
"Watch out for your friends, especially the muggle borns." Their father said. "Anything else?"
Adelaide also had the secret of the existence of a werewolf, but she didn't say anything. It was not her secret to tell.
"Not really."
"Very well. I am happy that all of you had a nice time at school. I know that perhaps you might have had some plans of joining your friends and all, but i wanted you to spend this Christmas with us because.." he looked at every each one of them. "Your mother is very ill, her health has been in a state of decline. I thought her seeing you would make her feel a bit better and because no one knows what may happen next."
"So you mean, that she is dying?" All hint of humour and playfulness disappeared from Victoria's face.
Elizabeth paled and Adelaide felt herself crumbling, even though she had already guessed the situation. Helena was silently letting her tears fall and Edmund looked confused.
"The healers said that's the only outcome." Their father said gravely. "We didn't say this sooner, because we thought there might be some chance of her getting better, but it seems not the case."
"This is bullshit!" Victoria snapped.
No one reprimanded her for her use of a swear word. Silence fell again.
"We returned from the hospital. They just confirmed it today."
"Well, did they say when will.." Elizabeth's voice broke at the end.
"No, in the best circumstances perhaps 1 year, the worst is a few months."
Adelaide felt her heart dropping. A cold feeling washed over her. She couldn't even cry. There was too much shock to comprehend.
"I know. I am distraught as well. You all have always been very wise children. Having an ill parent is not easy. Your mother had been sick perhaps all your lives, and it wasn't fair for you. Especially for Helena and Edmund who only remember her at her worst."
Now all of them were crying. Adelaide felt everything in her vision getting cloudy and couldn't see things clearly anymore.
"I want you to still be wise and understanding. Please try to make your mother's last days easier." Their father said his own eyes filling with tears.
"Now calm yourselves and all of you go and visit her in her room."
After ten minutes of trying to calm themselves, they went to their mother's room. She was wearing her nightgown and laid down on her bed covering her body with blankets. Her hair that used to have one or two strands of white hair now was filled with lots of white hair. She looked far more fragile in the 4 months that they left for Hogwarts. The room had a bouquet of Hyacinth beside her bed.
"Oh my dear children. How are you?"
The silence was broken when Elizabeth failed to choke down her tears. She put her hands on her mouth, looking away. The damage was done. The next in line to start crying was Helena and the rest followed.
"Oh my. Come here all of you." Their mother said smiling gently at them. She opened her arms and all of them joined her. Victoria sat on the ground beside the bed, with Elizabeth sitting at the end of the bed. Helena and Edmund went and sat beside their mother, at her both sides. Adelaide sat in the middle of the bed.
"I am so sorry. You don't know how i dreaded this illness. I used to be very energetic and little by little, it snipped away from my strength and now it will take my life, it seems." She said smiling, while her eyes were filled with tears.
"You all deserve a mother who would stay for you till old age would claim her. Not a mother that would live you behind when you need her the most, and certainly not a mother who was too sick that the times that she was alive, she was too weak to be there for you completely. You all deserve better."
"No, mama. Don't say that." Helena said, her voice was weak from trying to speak in tears.
"You still tried, mama. And i'm glad that you were our mother." Adelaide said looking down not bearing to see her siblings's grief and her mother's devastation.
"Me too." Victoria said so quietly that it was barely heard.
"You are too kind and forgiving. I doubt i am deserving of this love and forgiveness." Their mother said shaking her head.
"I am thankful and glad that you were my children. I love you all so much."
"We love you too, mama." Edmund said hiding his face in their mother's shoulder.
"Now i want you to promise me that you will look after each other and be there for each other. I want you to protect each other. Please don't pain your old father now." She said the last sentence with laughter. "Always remember that you're a family. Even when i am gone. If anything happens, anything, you're still a family."
"Be brave and good. Be fair and kind, always. If- if you had to do something that needs to be done but you might feel guilty and ashamed of it, don't be. Don't blame everything on yourself, try to forgive yourself. If you can't forgive yourself then you can't really forgive others. I never achieved this, i hope you reach that." She looked away, her eyes had filled with some haze as if she was not present anymore and was remembering something.
"I-i don't know what to say anymore. It wasn't in my life's plan to give my children some life lessons when i am in my forties." She added smiling a bitter smile.
They stayed like that for hours, not even moving a bit.
..................
The rest of the holidays was bittersweet and filled with an air of sadness. Though they tried their hardest not to let the news to cause more pain, so they all did a lot of activities together. Though at night, perhaps due to the darkness at night, not thinking about it was harder. Adelaide hardly slept and to make the hours that she barely slept more productive, she studied or read books until she felt her exhaustion would make her sleep. During those late study sessions, Midnight was her only companion. Helena would come into her room and sleep there, but Adelaide would slowly get up and slip away with her books, in her hands with Midnight trailing behind her going to the library in their home.
The library was large and was filled with rows and rows of books. It was made of two levels, the second level could be reached by a staircase in the corner.
In the first level, there was a rectangular table with 6 chairs around it beside a fireplace. In the second level, there was a tiny table with two cushioned armchairs. There was also a movable ladder in each level to allow people to reach the book at the higher shelves. The woods of the library were a beautiful light brown and made the room appear more cozy.
Adelaide would sit on one of the armchairs with Midnight sleeping on the other armchair. Some nights she would go on and on until 2. It was easy getting lost in her studies or the book she was reading. But it was a chore trying to clam her mind into not thinking about the sad truth when she was not keeping her mind busy.
Your mind can be your friend or your enemy. She concluded it that way.
Sometimes she would sneak and read books for her mother before her mother fell asleep, the activity calming both of them.
I don't know what i am going to do. I am so lost already.
Adelaide thought the night before returning to Hogwarts.
...................
"How was your Christmas?" Lily asked Severus.
"Not bad. I stayed here, i spent time with my housemates, the ones that were here."
"You mean Mulciber? He was one of the rare Slytherin students to stay here."Lily said not thrilled with the boy.
"Well, i am happy, alright?"
"Oh i am sure you are." Lily said rolling her eyes.
"What did you do yourself?" Severus asked.
"Well, i went to my parents, perhaps next year i would just stay here too. It would be better, the tension in the house was too much for me. It seems that Petunia had vowed to make my stay as unpleasant as possible."
"Your sister is..., never mind." Severus turned to Adelaide, who didn't speak at all and was only listening, "what did you do? I think you had the only ideal Christmas. Even though mine was ok from my perspective not Lily's."
Adelaide tried to open her mouth and speak. Nothing exited her mouth. Not a single voice. There was something stopping her from speaking as if something was stuck in her throat. She didn't tell anything to Alice and Sarah, they were far too happy and she didn't want to ruin it for them.
"Dela?" Severus said looking at her, his smile dropping.
Adelaide didn't know why, but suddenly tears ran out of her eyes, and she started sobbing. They went to her side, with Lily putting an arm around her.
"Oh Adelaide. Your mother, isn't it?" Lily said wiping her face with her tissue. "She is not getting better isn't she?"
"No." Adelaide didn't say the rest, she didn't need to. It was all written on her face.