𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗜𝗜 ━━ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘
115. seven centuries ago, bridget & ares
ST MUNGO'S
january, 1981
𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗨𝗦 𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗨𝗚 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥. He was standing in the corner of the room where Scarlet was taken, her body thrashing around every time someone touched her, or placed healing paste around her wounds or underneath the tingle of magic. She was crying, crying for him. Crying to Sirius, asking him to tell the others to let her go. However, she needed to be healed. He went ahead and conjured about every female Healer in the hospital, Scarlet remained sobbing and screaming and crying. Body jerking in aftermath of the Cruciatus Curse, relentlessly tossing about.
Her breaths came in shallow gasps, choked with sobs. Her whole body, her whole mind was in pain and it sent Sirius into crippling affliction.
She started to hit people, and it reached such an extent that they had to put her under anaesthesia.
Deep bruises and red splotches blooming on her cheekbones, mascara smudged around those light blue eyes. The blood crusting above her lip and out of her nose, the bedraggled, icy-blonde hair. A lot of blood, and more blood, everywhere. Lashes wet and rimmed with lingering red from pouring her soul out in the form of salty tears.
The red lip was still as good as new, impeccable crimson matching the dried blood. So much blood. His head hurt. His heart throbbed with an extraordinary ache.
Her pale thighs were covered in bruises and burns that ranged from the tops of them to almost right between her legs, vulgar and flaring magenta. Her white silk button down shirt was torn in some places, the expanse around her stomach soaked in blood that had dried in only a few patches.
They cut through her shirt and skirt, changing her into comfortable and clean clothing.
Sirius had to look away.
"Black?" A voice came from the door, a feminine tone, "Black! What happened?" In all its miserable glory, fate somehow gifted mercy and Sirius felt strange relief at Everest Chasseur's voice. Because she was the only one in the entire world who would understand his pain at the moment. Even if the two cannot stand each other.
Sirius heard a panicked Everest sprinting into the room and he stopped pacing about. Everest halted on her steps and took in Scarlet's appearance, unconscious underneath the meds she received. A million Healers around her.
"Black, hey, look at me, can you hear me?" Everest asked, gliding closer. Sirius didn't hear her clearly, at all, her voice fading and then ringing at the back of his mind, coiling around him like a snake.
Sirius was shaking visibly, lips trembling and hands clenched by his side, he hadn't once looked up from his blood-stained hands, her blood. Everest was worried to say the least. Sirius was pale as a ghost, if not even paler. Skin like chalk. Mouth drawn tight.
A gasp left her lips, pained and soft. She slapped a palm over her mouth and Sirius could not stand there— he could not bring himself to stand in the room where Scarlet was not conscious. Everest deciphered it and grabbed onto his elbow to pull him out.
A familiar hollow glaze slotted over her emerald eyes like film, and she dragged him into the boys' bathroom. A few odd looks were thrown at her on the way in, and she seethed, "what are you looking at?" So enraged, that nobody questioned it.
In fact, when she entered the bathroom with Sirius, still gripping his arm, the other boys using the toilets left instantly upon her unkind threats.
Sirius finally came to senses to realise Everest was helping him wash his hands, slowly rubbing the blood away from his incredibly trembling hands, she was struggling to keep his hands underneath the water from how much they shook.
"Scarlet likes to walk away, I know she does," he softly uttered, suddenly, shaken up as Everest paid close attention to him.
"What are you walking about?"
"When she's upset or mad, she walks away... I was so busy trying to blame Remus, trying to pin this entire thing on him because I liked having all the answers to my questions that I didn't realise she left... I was attacking Remus and I didn't make sure she was by my side and when I turned around... she's gone."
"Don't do that," Everest scolded firmly, letting his hands go after drying them. "Stop trying to find a way to blame yourself."
It was true — Sirius always found a way to pin the blame on himself somehow. It was his solution to every difficult situation (mostly involving himself and Scarlet). Sirius' face had warped into a pinboard and the darts thrown had pierced it, time and time again. Your fault, your fault, your fault.
"Black," Everest regarded her with a softness he was not familiar with, she placed her hands on his shoulders, "please, talk to me— tell me what happened."
"They burnt the fucking house down with her in it." He answered harshly.
"How did you know?" Everest asked, watching him leaning against the wall with eyes squeezed shut, "I've been losing my head, bothering every investigator in the country— how did you know where she was?"
"Kaz led me," Sirius answered.
"The crow?" She raised a brow in disbelief.
"Yes."
"And the bruises on her body?" Everest asked with concern, littering her wide eyes. Oh God, please, no. "They couldn't have been from the fire, right?"
Sirius exhaled in pain, pursing his lips as he locked eyes with the girl, "I think you know, Chasseur," he saw as Everest nodded, expressionless, like a porcelain doll, "why don't you sit down, and then we can both go in together after they heal her."
"Where is Kaz now?" Everest asked suddenly.
Sirius squinted his eyes, "I shoved him in my bag."
Everest rolled her eyes with annoyance at Black's behaviour and snatched his brown leather bag from his hands, freeing the crow and settling Kaz on her shoulder before she spoke again, "Look, Marlene will be here in no time, she's on her way here with the other girls and James will be coming too — they'll all be here for you."
She assured, shoving her hands in her pockets, Kaz still on her shoulder. Her expression was suddenly stoic, Sirius couldn't read her even if he tried.
"And you?" Sirius asked, squinting, "Chasseur, stay, please."
"There is something I need to attend to, I'll see you all later." She started to walk away with Kaz.
Sirius found it utterly strange. Her sudden departure. The war was driving a wedge through the epicentre of the tightly-knit group of Marauders, and Sirius knew it. However, the entire world could be caving in but Everest would never leave a wounded Scarlet's side. Those two girls' relationship was vastly different.
"Where are you goi—?" He turned around to ask, and the door was slammed.
Just then, Everest was gone.
SCARLET WAS AWAKE. When she forcibly peeled her eyelids open, the first thing she saw was Sirius next to her at a comfortable distance. Everyone was there, all asleep, Lily, James, Peter, Remus, Alice and Marlene draped over different couches and chairs they stole from the waiting rooms. Dorcas was on the ground, sprawled all over as she snored.
Sirius was the only one who remained awake the entire night, smiling down softly at her because he did not want to miss the moment she woke up. What if she does wake up, and goes back to sleep without speaking to him because he was sleeping. He was in desperate need of talking to his lover.
Her head was still throbbing painfully, a lingering reminder of the violence Balcom harboured. Covered in bruises and welts.
He placed a soft hand on her shoulder when panic arose within her body, veins on flames. Survival instincts were screaming at her, and she raised a hand to shelter herself, forming fist with another and directing a punch towards whoever touched her.
Sirius caught her hand quickly, fist in his palm as he winced at her sudden action.
"Get off!" She seethed loudly, harshly shoving his arm away. The noise woke everybody up, everybody but Dorcas who was forced awake by Lily who kicked at her side.
"Hey, hey, hey, it's me, it's just me, Blondie." He quickly said the words, reminding how she is safe and sound. "Just me, just Sirius."
She calmed down a little, "Blondie," she muttered beneath her breath, and that single word alone reminded her that she is in the presence of her safe person.
"Blondie," he repeated the little nickname, "you're at St Mungos now, and you're safe— look, everyone's here for you, you're so very safe right now, you've got all the protection in the world."
Everybody awkwardly waved at her, wry and concerned grins on their faces as they raised their hands. The Potters should be with Harry, not roaming around freely like this, not with her.
"Love," he called, "the last time, you said you couldn't feel anything, do you feel something now?"
She whimpered, buckling her hips in writhing pain. The pain just would not stop. "Hurts." All she said.
Just at his words, she realised just how much she felt at the moment. She was meant to feel the soft pillow under her head, and the enormous duvet that James had brought for her but it felt like dense clouds around her. Like nothing. All she felt was the torturous pain consuming her veins, all the touches at every inch of her body as she begged for Balcom to get off, to leave her alone.
"I feel everything," she whispered. "I'm sorry I hit you."
"Don't apologise," he sternly told her, "it was my fault. Tell me what you need, whenever you need it, okay?
Memories struck her when the clock hit midnight, time froze at the moment she was on the floor of that dull house. Panic rose within her body, swimming in her irises for Sirius to decipher instantly.
"Hey, Scars, woah— Godric's sake, look at me," Sirius grabbed her attention, moving to stay in her eyesight, "look at me, don't look anywhere else— you're here, you're with me and you're safe, my love. Focus on my voice, stay with me; I'm never letting you slip away."
Scarlet was softly pulled back into the hospital room again from those traumatic memories, Sirius' soft and calming voice calling her heart back to reality.
"We're all here for you," Lily spoke up, voice soft, "we'll get you anything you need."
"Try and relax, Bridget," another voice said, and she moved her eyes to see James standing up and pouring a glass of water by the bedside table. "We can step out if you want to."
"No, stay, all of you," she trailed her eyes over everybody, one-by-one properly this time. Something was wrong, something had gone terribly wrong— a piece of her was missing. And by that missing piece, she was not referring to her dignity and power, she was thinking about Everest Chasseur.
"Marls," she called, sitting up and gasping in pain at the sudden movement of her body.
"Woah, woah, slowly there, take it slow," Sirius panicked, hands in the air and remembering to not touch her, "slow and steady."
"Where's Eve?" She asked Marlene who shrugged lightly.
"I don't know," she said, "sorry."
Scarlet gulped her misery thickly, leaning her back against the headboard softly in disappointment. A knock on the door made everybody jump in startle, and Peter went ahead and opened the door, a man dressed in formal clothing stepped in.
"Uh, the healer informed me that you're awake," he said with no introduction whatsoever as he entered, "I am here to ask you a few questions, Miss Bridget, my name is Dave Bell."
"I don't want to talk," Scarlet declared confidently.
"It's only a few questions — did your attacker use any Unforgivable Curses?" The investigator asked.
Silence.
"If you tell us what happened, it would be easier for us to track the man down— to track his use of magic and—" he sighed impatiently, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "you're in law enforcement at the Ministry, you know how this works."
Sirius shot the man a deadly glare which made him shut up instantly, then he glanced at Scarlet who was frowning lightly. To others, that absolutely crestfallen expression would be hard to decipher but to Black, he could notice it from miles apart.
"I don't want to talk," Scarlet whispered to Sirius softly, lips trembling in fear and exhaustion. "Please."
"Miss Bridget, it is just a few questions and I'm only trying to help." The man said.
"Look, she said she doesn't wish to speak so why don't you get back on your horse and ride away, Mr Bellend." James snapped angrily.
"Sirius," she softly uttered again, shaking her head rapidly. In the presence of any strangers, she felt odd, sent over the edge.
"I know, I know," Sirius nodded, and then shook his head, "Look, I know it's hard but he just wants to know what happened — we all want to catch him, make him pay, don't we—?"
"I don't want to talk," she repeated because nobody was listening.
"Blondie, love—"
"Sirius," Dorcas spoke up, eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. "Questions can be asked later, let her rest."
"Where is Eve?" She asked, disregarding everyone.
"We'll find anyone you want to speak to once you answer my questions," the investigator chimed in despite Black's threatening gaze, "now, Miss Bridget, can you give us details of—"
"Get out of my sight before I hex your dense fucking head off!" The next thing anyone knew was that Scarlet's once-elegant fingers, the burnt and bandaged fingers wrapped around a glass jar on the bedside table and she threw it towards the investigator.
It did not collide with his head, thankfully, and landed on the wall behind the man. Glass shattered everywhere, and everyone rose their arms as they winced. In no time, Peter and Remus were dragging the man away, throwing up out of the room.
Suddenly, underneath all the gazes, all the looks filled with concern and overwhelming pity made her uneasy. She was squirming again, starting to breathe heavier due to the way her friends looked at her. The frown appeared again, and Sirius panicked, again.
"Blondie, try not to zone out, you're with me, okay—?"
"I know that, dickhead," she hissed, back against the headboard as she glared at everyone, jaw clenching.
That sympathy— she did not need that bullshit sympathy, all that pity. It sent a churn in her stomach, she felt like throwing up.
"I want everybody out of this room," she declared after changing her mind, and everyone stared at her in silence, as though she was a mad woman, "Out! Now!"
One by one, dumbfounded, everybody made their way out. James and Lily with their pitiful looks, Remus, Marlene and Dorcas with concerned expressions, and then a scared Peter.
Only Sirius stayed.
"Where is Eve?" She choked out tiredly, asking again.
"Chasseur showed up and then she just left!" Sirius threw his hands up in the air out of frustration, "I don't know where she is— the girl just vanished!"
"Stop yelling," she said through gritted teeth, "if Eve isn't here, she has a reason."
"She is your best friend, what could possibly be more important than this?" He scoffed, "some friend that girl is."
"Sirius, I might be having a hard time moving my body at all but I'll ask you to choose your words about Eve very carefully, or else—" she sternly glared, sucking in a deep breath in a raging manner, deep vexation for the entire world in her heart. She hated everything at the moment, and saw the world through crimson-coated vision. "Don't tempt me."
"Sorry, it won't happen again," he said genuinely, watching her look away, "How can I help, love?" Sirius asked softly. "What do you need?"
"Nothing," she snapped angrily, allowing her eyelids to fall shut in anger, "Salazar goddamn Slytherin, do I have to spell out everything for you—? Your stupid questions are making my brain hurt so if you can't shut the hell up, you should get out too."
"I'm sorry," he apologised, looking down at his fingers. He fiddled with that black-centred ring on his index, possessing some dark and exquisite qualities that only Scarlet knew the history of. She attempted to explain the mechanism behind the ring multiple times but Sirius would stop listening after she would utter that it can deflect dark magic.
"I want them dead," she said suddenly, and he looked at her with wide eyes, "you want to know what I need? I need them dead."
"Scarlet," he softly uttered, "don't say that. You know what the idea of revenge does— you'll be too consumed before you know it and end up just like..."
"Bridget," Scarlet stated, "you don't have to feel ashamed to say her name."
"Despite whatever reasons she had, she killed a lot of people, Scars, there was a lot of suffering," he reminded her quietly, as though his explanations about Scarlet's ancestors is what she needed at the moment— a reminder that retaliating against those who wronged you will further ruin one's life.
As if Scarlet's life could possibly get worse.
"You know," she cruelly snapped, "as someone who claims to love me, you should go right ahead and kill them yourself on my behalf."
"You're being unfair," he said, shaking his head, "that's one thing I cannot do and you know it, and that has nothing to do with how much I love you—"
"Well, fuck off then," she scooped away from him, "I'll merely ask Lord Voldemort to finish them off."
"I can't believe you just said that." His soft tone nearly sent her to the edge.
Scarlet was being unfair to Sirius' morals and she knew it, and she also knew that when she recovers and the paranoia and panic washes away, she would apologise for saying all these things. However, at the moment, she was raging— hungry for revenge, for everyone else to hurt.
"I know what you think of me now," she said, still staring up at the dull, grey ceiling above, "that history will repeat itself and I'll go insane over vengeance and leave you like Bridget did Ares, but that's the only part of the story you know— you don't know the rest of it."
"Explain it to me then," Sirius knew how much Scarlet loved speaking about her family's history— no matter how cruel the Bridgets and Malfoys might have been, Scarlet somehow found herself to be very exhilarated when speaking about her families. Not the pureblood mania part, of course, those ancient stories of magic that leaves everybody astonished. House of Bridget was one of those magical tales.
In the past, she would be very excited every time Sirius would agree to listen to her rambles about these tales, a bright look brimming in her irises. Sirius wanted that brightness back.
Scarlet told him all of it. How Bridget would never ever abandon Ares for revenge. Surely, she conducted multiple killing sprees but in the end, she always went home to her husband and kids. Without the retribution part, they were a normal, loving family.
She told him all the things Ares did for Bridget.
After Bridget's descent into madness, Ares practically begged every Ministry in Europe to spare her. To let her free and be home with him instead of sent to asylums. So many curses thrown at him for defending the wretched witch, so many Unbreakable Vows to prove he will make sure Bridget doesn't cause more harm. So many cover-ups.
So much so, after Bridget's crude death, Ares didn't live. He couldn't live.
Bridget was evermore an anchor to her own poisonous heart which dragged her to the bottom of the waters and Ares was the brimming power that would bring the constellations down to the vigorous oceans if that would sprout a smile on her lips.
Sirius was smiling now, contemptuous with how peaceful the story sounded altogether. The tale was the definition of, 'you make me mad', in a very good way.
"To the wizarding world, she was some ancient power that threatened Britain; however, truthfully, to the Bridgets—and this is a part we don't usually confess to the world—this tale was merely a love story," she smiled slightly, fiddling with her engagement ring, "as kids, we didn't hear stories of estranged princesses being saved by their fairy-tale prince, we fell asleep to Bridget and Ares' love story."
She was smiling and so was he, and for a second, the two were distracted from the horror of the world. Even after seven centuries, that excoriatingly exquisite love story always shook people to the core.
"Sirius?"
"Yes?" He locked eyes with her instantly.
"There is something you can do—"
"Anything."
"Can you... uh— can you get Aster?" She asked softly, still fiddling with the bandages, "I know Muggles aren't allowed here but can you find a way?"
"Anything for you." Sirius nodded.
"Oh, my darling," Aster sighed, bag dropping to her side. She was still in her veterinarian uniform, hair pulled into a messy ponytail. It had been almost two hours since Sirius left, trying to track down Aster and arguing with the guards and owners of the hospital until the Muggle was finally let in. It was more difficult considering Aster was not a blood relative, and had no connection to Scarlet. "How are you?"
"I feel like shit."
"Do not curse, young lady," Aster gave her a pointed look, jokingly, and pulled a stool to sit next to her. "I can't believe they didn't tell me earlier — I'm practically your guardian!"
"I'm glad you're here," Scarlet uttered softly, starting to frown.
"Is it okay to touch your hands, honey?" Aster asked carefully, eyes studying the young girl very carefully to see her features, the way she nodded and her expression looked comfortable when Aster held her bandaged hands in her own hands.
She was cradling her hands, soothing them with her delicate fingers. A mother's touch is magic, they say. And that is what Aster's hands were. She may not have been a witch but she possessed magic nonetheless, magic that healed Scarlet far beyond any Healers at St Mungo's could.
"This does it," the older woman declared, "you and Eve are banned from participating in any mission— look what they've done to you; I cannot see my little girl in such a state." She pursed her lips, clearly trying to hold onto a single thread of composure, a tear escaped nonetheless. "When Sirius called... I was so scared, I can't let anything happen to you, love, I have to protect you—"
"Don't be upset, I'm not too hurt," the blonde assured.
"These wars, involving kids," her nose scrunched in disgust, "If you're harmed again, I will pay a personal visit to Voldemould and Dumbdoodle myself."
A roar of laughter escaped Scarlet's lips, and she winced when pain struck her ribs at the sudden movement. Really, tears escaped her eyes at how funny these names Aster accidentally conducted sounded. The Chasseur woman was sending her a deadpan expression as she laughed loudly.
"I'm not kidding," Aster said, blissfully unaware about why the girl laughed, "I need to ensure your safety."
"I'm fine, Aster, really, I am," Scarlet uttered tiredly, and the brunette woman nodded, chuckling as she wiped her tears away. "How is work? And how is everyone else?"
"Oh, they're doing alright, as good as it gets," she sighed, "they're all shaken up, though, so many attacks and suffering. Work is great, on the other hand."
War-talk was uncomfortable, Scarlet moved and laid on her side, cheek against the pillow as she stared at Aster's glimmering eyes, her hands still in hers, "let's talk about something else."
"Oh, you want to talk about something else, young lady? Let's do so— I was so very disappointed that I had to find out you got engaged over a letter!" Aster exclaimed in disbelief, Scarlet let out a laugh at her dramatics, "I didn't even have the chance to throw you an engagement party."
Aster had great ways to distract anybody from their anxiety.
"You still have a chance to throw me a grand wedding party," Scarlet smiled softly. "Invite the entire country."
"You know we shall arrange everything you'll need, from venues to everything else, Carly, dear," Aster grinned teasingly. Scarlet, suddenly, was not listening. She could not fathom the hint of mischief in Aster's eyes nor the way her lips tugged upwards—or whatever she said—something more curious and breath-taking caught her attention.
"Did you just call me...?" She couldn't even bring herself to utter the words. She was flustered in some sort of way—not anger—but a deep poignant of nostalgia and a reminder that the voice she had anticipated would call her the name again will never be there again. Carly. Carly. Carly.
"Sorry," Aster shook her head. "Crossing a line, or something? With the nickname? I didn't mean to, dear—"
"No, no," she shook her concerns away with a tiny smile. "You can call me that."
"Very well, then," Aster shrugged, smiling again. "You know the trouble I had to go through to come in here," she groaned at the memories, how she yelled at all those guards and cursed them off, "almost slapped one of them."
Scarlet laughed here and there as they talked, feeling some sort of warmth in her heart. The Chasseurs have always been her real family. Everest and Aster, they were her family.
"Can you..." Scarlet paused a little, clenching her jaw, "do that thing you always do with my hair?"
"Of course, darling," Aster softly cooed, bathing her fingers into Scarlet's soft hair and slowly massaging her scalp. Scarlet's eyelids slowly fell at the feeling of smooth comfort, "goodnight, love."
"Goodnight, Mum."
𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺
the ending made my cry fr
cause I also have a mum who's
really not my mum at all but
shes like a mum to me but i never
call her mum despite how much
I want to.
anyways, tolerate her mood swings
shes been thru something traumatic =(
also, do u guys want a very detailed
chapter about bridget and ares?
or should I stick to sneak peeks??