Hikari Chan
Miss Hikari
Aislinn opened her eyes, staring at the white ceiling above her. First, she did not know where she was. Her throat was dry, and her body was stiff as she suddenly tried to move. She clutched her hands into fists, crumbling and wrinkling the thin bed cover. A healer quickly approached and helped her when she tried to sit up.
Aislinn looked confused at the healer and opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was barely a whisper. Aislinn noticed she was still wearing the black bridesmaid gown, which she had worn to Luna's wedding, but at first, she did not recognize her surroundings. There was a single black rose on her bedside table. Aislinn looked frantically around, her eyes widening in surprise when she noticed August Dolohov, who had sent a Patronus message to alert the Minister of Magic. But what nearly took her breath away was seeing the person she never had expected to see.
Sherwood was still unconscious, lying on the second bed just beside hers. The bed curtains were pulled so the morning sun would shine across his peacefully looking face.
Aislinn frowned, slightly remembering that she had not seen him at the wedding. Her head hurt as she tried to remember what exactly had happened after she had left with Alastair. The last thing she slowly remembered was Alastair's confession, and then her mind went blank. She could not remember how she had met Sherwood or ended up in St. Mungos. Recalling Alastair's confession, Aislinn felt sick all of a sudden and had the urge to throw up, but her stomach was empty, which made
the nauseous feeling much worse. The healer noticed Aislinn was not feeling well and gave her a goblet of potion for nausea and another for a calming effect.
A while later, Aislinn was escorted home in the Ministry of Magic's fleet of cars. When she saw the manor in front of her, she started to cry and refused to go home. The minister was confused. He had told her about the accident she had been through, that she had been unconscious for about two weeks since his son's wedding, that her family had been very worried about her and hence he would escort her home in the first place. However, she had not been listening since she could not focus on the present. Her mind was still processing the last conversation she had with Alastair. But when she saw the manor, she was brought back to reality.
"Oh please," Aislinn begged, her voice trembling. "I can't..." Her voice choked in the tears that were streaming down her face. Then she whispered: "I am not ready to face anyone after what happened..." I am not ready to face anyone in my family after Alastair ended our relationship. I do not care about what they think, but I do not have the energy to argue with them about Alastair, and I need time to process everything...She thought for herself. "I need some time alone...and I know a place where I can stay..." She added with a steadier voice after a couple of minutes.
"Fine. You do as you wish," Alexander spoke quietly. He sighed inwardly, wondering how he would help Edward, who had asked him to arrange something so that he could meet his daughter. It turned out to be much more complicated than Alexander had thought.
"May you escort me to a place further away, please? So I can apparate in peace..." ...it is still too early, so everyone is probably still asleep...but I prefer to be as far away from the manor as possible.
The fleet of cars turned around, drove back to the main road and drove until they pulled into an almost empty parking near a churchyard.
"It would be great if you could visit your family for Christmas..." Alexander spoke again just when Aislinn was about to leave. She froze, wondering if he had guessed that she already had plans to leave the country to get somewhere far away. But he had not read her mind. He was still thinking about the promise to her father but did not know how to break the news to her. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere inside the car. Alexander debated if the current moment was right to tell her about her father, while Aislinn was not in the right mood to meet her family. She was thinking about her grandmother and her second cousin Vincent. Vincent would probably taunt her for choosing Alastair over him and end up with a broken engagement. Her grandmother would probably berate her for not being a proper lady enough for Mr Divilliers. I would rather not deal with family drama on Christmas.
"There is something I need to tell you. Perhaps it is not the right time or place to tell you this. However, I should not postpone such important news for you," Alexander was the one who broke the silence. He had decided to tell since he could not stand Edward nagging him and asking him every once a day if his daughter had finally woken up. Aislinn was half listening. ”After we all managed to take over the wizarding world, defeating the Phoenix of Order and Dumbledore's Army, a lot of past death eaters who had fled and gone into hiding after the second wizarding war, finally left their hiding places and came back to us."
Aislinn rolled her eyes and wondered why on earth the minister was telling this to her now. It had been long since she, along with Luna and everyone else in their team, had stormed the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Aislinn did not care who had left their hiding places after those events. She just wanted to be left alone and process everything about the recent events she had been through after the wedding, and also have some good food to fill her empty stomach and a goblet of firewhiskey to comfort herself. Just as she climbed out of the car, she heard the minister telling her that someone related to her had just returned after hiding for years after the second wizarding war. She slammed the car door and wondered what she would do first. To have a hot bath and change her clothes at a muggle hotel or eat some food at a nearby restaurant? She thought Alastair might be at Luna's residence, and Aislinn wanted to avoid him at all costs. She was not ready to deal with the aftermath of their last conversation. But what if I bump into that relative of mine in the muggle area of London? She thought but suddenly froze, wondering who this long-lost relative could be. She recalled what the minister had told her a minute ago. So someone related to me has been hiding for years to avoid getting caught by the authorities and has returned after we defeated the P.O and D.A.? Who on earth could it be...? She jumped at the noise of her wand hitting the ground when she accidentally dropped it. She bent down and picked up her wand. That old hag McGonnagal told me my parents had died during the second wizarding war, and she never mentioned anything about my vampire relatives. If she hid the fact about my vampire relatives, then she could have lied about my parents for all I know. Could it be what I really suspect? Aislinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the ice-cold winter air, trying to calm down as her heart started beating faster. Plans changed! I will go straight to the Ministry of Magic and try to meet up with the minister and ask him more questions about this relative of mine.
Aislinn arrived in the atrium hall of the Ministry of Magic. Some wizards and witches who walked past stared at her. She just glared back at them until they looked away. She suddenly saw a familiar figure walking towards the golden gates at the far end of the atrium hall. She hid behind a statue out of habit and wondered at the same time why she was hiding. He had not even noticed her. A good old friend of my parents? That is what he said when he introduced himself to me at the wedding. Could he possibly have been close to them, like a relative? But my parents were the only ones from my family who joined the late Dark Lord, and none of my parents did have a sister or brother. Did one of them have a human cousin...? Ugh, I am not getting any smart on this. Aislinn nearly pulled her hair in frustration, feeling that just trying to figure things out herself would not give her any straight answers. Plans changed again. I will ask this so-called old friend of my parents instead of trying to find the minister to find out the truth.
"Hey!" Aislinn called out as she left her hiding place and rushed towards the golden gates. "Hey, mister!"
It was a bit crowded in the Atrium Hall, and she could have called on anyone all in vain, not because he was too far away to hear her, but because he was not the only mister among the wizards in the Atrium Hall. The wizards and witches closest to Aislinn turned around and looked at her, wondering who she was calling on. She tried to run in her long bridesmaid dress towards the golden gates. As soon she had reached the gates, Aislinn entered the smaller hall, where there were at least twenty lifts behind wrought golden grilles. But the masked wizard was nowhere to be seen.
"Uh...," Aislinn looked around her and asked aloud among the chatty wizards and witches: ”Has anyone seen the gentleman wearing a mask?" She was trying to catch her breath, looking wild with her messy hair, hair strands plastered all over her sweaty face and cheeks red as a tomato. It suddenly got quiet, and they glanced oddly at her. "Do any of you know at which department I can find him?" She clarified and combed her messy hair with her fingers to make herself look neat.
"Gentleman?" One middle-aged witch exclaimed rudely, wrinkling her nose. "I would not call someone who smells of firewhiskey around the clock a gentleman..." She snorted.
Another witch muttered loud enough for Aislinn to hear her calling the masked man crazy because she had heard him talking to himself behind the door to his office.
Aislinn lost her patience. She set off a jinx by mistake when she flicked with her wand angrily. It was colourless, yet it gave off a crackling sound against the golden metal bars of the wrought grilles as the jinx went in a zigzag around her and randomly hit any inanimate object in the hall. She stood still, but it caused a great commotion. Some crouched down in fear to avoid getting hit by the jinx. Some were quicker and drew out their wands and cast protego around themselves and counterspells to ward off the jinx. Other wizards and witches, who were entering the hall and leaving the lifts, were caught up in a surprise, stopped abruptly, and literary tripped on their steps.
"I demand to know at which department the masked gentleman works!" Aislinn spoke with a superior tone, stressing every syllable of the word gentleman. She looked at everyone around her with a threatening look that told them if none answered her at this instant, she would probably burn down the place.
"...the...the......dragons...," one of the wizards, still crouching, stammered.
"What?" Aislinn looked dumbfounded. So, this old friend of my parents works with dragons? Is there a department specializing in dragons?...
Such as an office for dragonologists, just like there used to be an office for Aurors? She scratched her head in confusion. The employees of the Ministry of Magic started to move carefully, either entering or leaving through the golden gates and the lifts. She entered one of the lifts with everyone else and stared at the list with numbered floors. "...oh, of course, it should be this one..." She chuckled, not realizing that she was talking out loud and that some were staring oddly at her. She pressed the button for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
So, he must be a dragonologist since he works with dragons. And apparently, he loves firewhiskey and talks to himself. Aislinn realized that this mysterious friend of her parents was strangely similar to her. For a mere second, she thought he might be her older brother, but she dismissed the thought immediately. She remembered when she was down among the archives in the Ministry of Magic, looking for clues about her family on her father's side. It was after she had met her grandmother for the first time. There was no information about a possible brother in the listed archives. Besides, Aislinn's grandmother would have told her if she had had any brother or sister. She knew she was the only child of her parents. But I have not looked in the archived list of the Gaunt family, Aislinn realized just as she arrived at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She walked and looked around for a while, debating if she should return to the lift and go to the archives. She noticed all the doors, but one had name plates. She did not recognize any of the names at the doors to the offices, but she was more curious about the one without a nameplate and decided to try that one first. She knocked softly. There was no answer. She knocked at the door again, harder this time. Still, there was no answer. She felt the door handle. It was, of course, locked, which was not surprising. Suddenly, a door at the far end of the corridor opened. Aislinn unlocked the one in front of her with a quick and silent alohomora and hurried inside without thinking. Aislinn closed the door, hoping that one employee leaving the office had not seen her. She looked around in the moderately small office room with its simple furniture and a small window. Her eyes fell on the three small cactus plants on the window sill. She wrinkled her nose, wondering who this crazy person was who liked to have stingy plants as decorations. A squeaking sound made her almost jump out of her place. Behind the wooden desk was something covered with a silky black cloth. It seemed to have the shape of a birdcage. Aislinn looked suspiciously at it for a mere second. She had a gut feeling that the sound was from that spot. Another squicky sound confirmed her gut feeling. She raised her wand and waved it towards the direction of the cloth. It fell to the floor, revealing a hatchling of the Peruvian Vipertooth breed in a cage. It squeaked.
"Oh.." Aislinn laughed. "Merlin's beard, you are so cute," She said to the hatchling, momentarily forgetting why she was at the Ministry of Magic. She walked over to the cage, and when she picked up a pair of dragon gloves from the desk, her eyes fell on some paperwork. She was curious and could not help but skim through a large piece of parchment at the top of the messy paperwork on the desk. She dropped the dragon gloves on the floor. The time suddenly stood still, and she was not hearing the squeaking hatchling. She picked up one piece of paperwork after another with shaking hands, staring at the signature of Edward Monroe at the bottom of every parchment. His handwriting was clear and steady with evenly shaped letters.
My eyes are not deceiving me, are they? Aislinn felt dizzy. She drew out the chair and sat down to calm down a bit. Let me think rationally. I need to get down to the archives and check the files of my family name to confirm one thing. She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling, before standing up. She put the chair back and picked up the gloves from the floor. She tried to place everything as it was at the desk. That was when she came across a small leather-bound journal with worn edges. She thought it was a diary containing some secrets, though it turned out to be a photo album with animated pictures and a couple of love letters. Aislinn's eyes widened in shock when she saw how strikingly alike she was to a young woman in the photos. The difference between the young woman and Aislinn was the woman's partly scarred face and long hair. Even if Aislinn knew she should not poke anymore, she could not help but give the love letters a quick look. She also noticed the same signature at the bottom of some letters. She dropped everything, the journal with the photos and all at the desk. A stir of emotions emerged inside her. She looked at the cute squeaking hatchling. Without hesitation, she opened the cage and grabbed the hatchling gently with her bare hands. She held it close to her chest, caressing it with such affection. Everything that had been happening from her last conversation with Alastair until now had become too much of a burden. She was unaware of the hot stream of tears running down her cheeks, and she had forgotten that she should not touch a dragon, even a hatchling, without dragon gloves. At the same time, she had no idea that she was immune to dragon pox.
All of a sudden, Aislinn heard footsteps nearing, and before she could react, the door to the office opened. She looked up in panic. She had forgotten to lock the door behind her. But even if she had remembered to do that, it would have been in all vain. The one she was half unexpecting and expecting to see would have unlocked the door anyway. Aislinn was quick enough to apparate away, far enough to run inside a lift. However, she had taken the hatchling with her, unaware it was wearing a tracking charm on its left leg. Still clutching the squeaking hatchling, she looked for the floor of archives among the listed floors. She pressed the button to floor FC4½.
He appeared just before me, but I could not bring myself to ask him the questions I had in mind. I need to check the registry of witches and wizards in Great Britain first.
"Seriously, did that old fool Shadowwalker tell her to find me in my office? Why did he not alert me beforehand? And she took the hatchling!" Edward was feeling aghast, astonished and shocked. The last thing he would expect was finding his daughter poking about in his office. Edward snatched a bottle of antidote for dragon pox, the cage and his dragon gloves. Then he hurried after her, following the tracking charm attached to the hatchling. "Merlin's hairy beard! First, she gets herself into an accident that nearly kills her, and now she has to touch that hatchling without the gloves. Does she have a death wish?!"
This time, it was easier to enter the archives. There were no guards. However, little did Aislinn know that the entrance was charmed with a trapping charm. Anyone who was not allowed inside would be trapped. Aislinn only had her mind on checking her family name, and she had no idea that the Ministry of Magic restricted the entrance to the archives because of the findings of five non-registered sorceresses in their community. However, she was lucky since she was one of the few allowed inside the archives. This time, Aislinn ran among the shelves. She did not care about the mess she made when scrolls fell to the floor from the shelves while picking out the scroll she was looking for. She let go of the hatchling that started to run around inside the archives like a lost little chick looking for its mummy.
Aislinn could not take her eyes from the parchment she was holding. She tried to process the fact that her father was very much alive. She tried to remember how she could have missed such a crucial detail when she had checked the list of her paternal family tree the first time.
"Looking for something, young lady?"
Aislinn nearly jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped the parchment she had been holding.
"Tsk...making a mess in my office, and now a mess in the archives. You know, you are not exactly being stealthy," Edward remarked, wondering who his daughter had taken after since he was not clumsy. But he regretted the moment he had uttered his words when he saw the heavy tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling deeply ashamed for making her cry, Edward began apologizing. Noticing that she was unresponsive and did not stop crying, he fell silent and embraced her instead.
To his relief and surprise, she stopped crying. He was worried that she would push him away, but she did not. There was a feeling of a familiar nostalgic comfort in his embrace. She could not put a finger on it, but she could vaguely remember it from her childhood. And he does not smell like firewhiskey at all. There is this familiar and nostalgic earthy smell of a crisp frosty winter forest...
”So, how did you find my office?” Edward asked carefully, closing the door to his office. He gestured towards an armchair, inviting Aislinn to sit.
When she did not answer, he changed his question: ”Did someone tell you where to find me?”
She shook her head, looking down at her feet. A long silence filled in as he observed her closely while preparing a large cup of hot chocolate. He had noticed the hollow look in her eyes for a moment. It was so clear on her face that she was heartbroken.
"Did I upset you?" He asked quietly after what felt like ten minutes had passed. He handed her the cup.
She shook her head again. He sighed with relief yet he could not relax until he knew why she had gotten into the horrible accident that had sent her unconscious to St. Mungos.
"Did someone else upset you?"
She did not reply, neither with a headshake or head nod. However, he noticed how she clutched her cup and the sudden twitch in her eyes.
…So, someone did upset her, He thought, but ceased to ask more questions even if he was dying inside to know who had upset her. I will wait until she is ready to speak…
“Listen, I have a lot of work to do. You are welcome to stay here today if you wish. I will be in and out of the office, though, of course, I will be here if you need anything,” He took off his cloak and put it around her so she would feel more comfortable in the armchair. He could have conjured up a duvet. However, giving his cloak as a comforter instead would give her more comfort and the feeling that he was always close by whenever she needed him. “But, please, for the love of the late Dark Lord, do not touch the hatchling without dragon gloves, let alone let it out from its cage. The hatchling is not mine. I only borrowed it for the time being for a little mission, and I need to return it after the holidays."
Seeing the serious look she gave him, he hoped she had taken his words with all seriousness.
As soon as Aislinn was left alone, she put the cup with hot chocolate on the floor and stood up. She looked at the cloak that fell off her shoulders. She picked it up and took a deep smell, the familiar smell of an earthy and crisp winter day. She brushed away the tears that suddenly started to emerge. She put on the cloak and finished the hot chocolate to comfort herself. But somehow, she felt fidgety in the office and could not relax in the armchair. But as soon she stepped out into the corridor, she returned to the office. She walked around the office, examining mundane details of the interior until she got bored. She found a thick book that listed every breed of dragon with detailed descriptions. She sat down by the desk and started to read. It helped her to take her mind off Alastair for a while, and she was soon so engulfed by the book that she lost track of the time.
”…Aislinn…Aislinn…”
Aislinn woke up with a start when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She noticed that she had fallen asleep while reading. It had turned dark, and she looked around, wondering where she was. She almost got scared when she saw a masked man seated in a chair on the other side of the desk. It took her a while to recognize her surroundings and remember everything that had happened before she fell asleep. She felt groggy and thought her father was telling her she should leave, but he was actually telling her that he had finished his work. She returned the book she had been reading and hurried to leave the office but turned back to return his cloak. She abruptly bumped into him.
”You can keep my cloak,” Edward laughed, catching Aislinn in his arms as she nearly lost her balance and stumbled on his feet, and then he added: ”And you can have this one as well,” He gave her the book she had been reading. Before she could react, he put his left arm around her shoulder and led the way until they were both outside the Ministry of Magic. As Aislinn was thinking of a way to excuse herself for tonight, she looked confused at her father when he handed her a helmet after duplicating his into two.
”We are going home,” Edward explained, gesturing at his motorcycle.
Aislinn shook her head and stepped away from him, hugging the book about the dragon species tighter.
"Oh...would you prefer a different travelling method?"
When she just avoided eye contact and did not answer, he asked:
”Don’t you want to go home to grandmother?”
She shook her head.
”Did she upset you?” He asked, remembering that someone had upset his daughter.
Aislinn shook her head again.
”Did Vincent upset you?”
She shook her head again.
”Did anyone else in the family upset you,” Edward tried to keep his calm and patient composure. Inside, he was starting to feel furious because Aislinn was being quiet. He wished she would speak to him, to tell him everything. However, she shook her head once again. ...Perhaps if I took off my mask, it would make her speak...I have not taken off my mask all day...and perhaps seeing my face would make her more comfortable I hope...
”Fine, what about we have dinner at a nice restaurant first?" He suggested tentatively. "I bet you are hungry, aren't you? And your grandmother isn’t the best cook, I know,” He laughed.
Aislinn wanted to protest, but before she had time to react, she found herself at a table for two with her father in a restaurant just across the street in front of the Ministry of Magic. I am hungry, but I don’t have any appetite. She stared down at the menu. I will only have some soup... she thought, but after she had placed her order, she got not only tomato soup but also two pieces of buttered toast to have with the soup, a large slice of chocolate cake as dessert and a goblet of pumpkin juice.
Aislinn was caught off guard by this gesture of her father. She slowly picked up her spoon and started to stir the soup. She tried not to stare at him when she noticed him taking off his mask and placing it on the table. Then, her eyes wandered to the human meal he had ordered for himself. While she tried remembering what Vincent had told about dhampirs' nourishment during the guest lecture at Hogwarts, her eyes fell on the crystal bottle containing firewhiskey.
Aislinn opened her eyes, looking at a white high ceiling above her. Her head hurt, and she wondered if the meeting with her father had been an odd dream. ...of course, it must have been a dream...hot tears started to roll down her cheeks. ...but his embrace felt so real...She forced herself to sit up. To her dismay, she discovered she was not wearing the black bridesmaid gown but wearing her white nightgown.
Aislinn looked around in panic, wondering what was going on with her. She panicked even more to the extent that she started hyperventilating when she discovered that she was in her bedroom at her grandmother's place.
However, Aislinn managed to calm down when she saw the book her father had given her yesterday. The book was on her bedside table, and his cloak neatly folded on a chair in her bedroom. She breathed out in relief. ...so yesterday was not a dream...he is real...my father is real... She thought, but suddenly, her happy mood went downhill. She clearly remembered that she had refused his offer of taking her home. What scared her was that she could not remember anything after what happened after she drank fire whiskey at the dinner last night. ...did he lace my food with the sleep draught, or did he tamper with my memories...? She thought, feeling hurt and angry.
Aislinn hurried out of her bed, groaning because of her headache. She quickly splashed some ice-cold water on her face and brushed her teeth. Then she changed her nightgown to the attire she had worn to her last meeting with the others at Hogwarts: dress pants and shirt with a frilled collar, a short black wool jacket with decorative silver hook buttons, a pair of high-heeled boots that reached above her knees, a rounded cloak, a pair of leather gloves, and a hat, everything in black. She did not put on any make-up and grabbed her wand, avoiding glancing at her hollow and thin face in the floor-length mirror.
...I need to see both Crystal and Luna...I never responded to the message Crystal sent me through the emerald...and Raven...Aislinn left her room as quietly as she could. It was eleven o'clock, according to the clock on her bedroom wall, and hence she hurried to get out of the manor while her family were still asleep. Aislinn tried not to run down the stairs as she descended them. She was thankful for the carpets that covered the floor and the steps, or her heels would have caused a loud clicking sound against the bare floor.
"Aislinn...?" A familiar voice called out to Aislinn just when she reached the front doors at the end of the hall. She turned around and stared in horror.
"Morning, pumpkin." Edward grinned, flashing his fangs. He was wearing a pink apron which made a weird contrast to his black dress pants and white shirt, dark eyes and slick-back hair. "I made some lovely breakfast for you," He said as he walked closer and stopped just three feet from her. He had folded up his sleeves, so that faint scar of the death-eater mark was noticeable. He was holding a greasy spatula with his right hand and there was a faint smell of fried eggs and bacon.
Aislinn could not find her voice and shook her head in panic. She was holding her wand with one shaky hand, pointing it at him, while trying to find the door handle with her other hand.
"What's the matter, dear?" Edward frowned. ...Did she have a nightmare last night?
"You...you made me d-drink sleep d-draught and...and...and b-brought me home against my will last night..." She stammered. "The aud-audacity you have...waltzing into my life...as if...as if...now...acting...like...like...you care..." She tried to speak her mind but got lost in her words, and tears started to flow down her cheeks.
"I think we have a huge misunderstanding," He spoke slowly and held up his hands when he saw the panicked look in her eyes. "But, please, for the love of the late Dark Lord, do not point your wand at me." He pushed away her hand gently. "The only potion I gave you yesterday was an antidote because you touched the hatchling without dragon gloves. Besides, you were free to leave yesterday, but you chose to stay and read a book in my office." And I still don't know how you found my office and why you were poking around there.
Aislinn got silent and could not argue. She realized that she was the one in the wrong in this situation since she had gone straight to his office without his knowledge or permission, entering by force, poking among his office work and choosing to stay there instead of leaving.
"And you hardly spoke," He continued. "You either remained silent or shook your head. When we had dinner, you drank so much fire whiskey until you knocked yourself out. I actually ordered pumpkin juice for you, but you refused to drink it..." He explained, still speaking slowly. The crystal bottle of fire whiskey had been a bet to see what his daughter would do, but he never told her that. "And I could not just leave you dead drunk at the restaurant. So I had no other choice than to take you home."
He maintained eye contact until she averted her eyes and looked down at her feet. She felt guilty and ashamed.
"Tsk tsk...the audacity you have, young lady, falsely accusing your father and pointing your wand at him..." Edward commented dryly and then brushed off some dust from her coat, patted and caressed her hair with his left hand because he thought her hair looked like a mess and then adjusted her hat.
Aislinn stood still for a moment, watching speechlessly as he left her and vanished into the kitchen at the opposite end of the corridor. She could not tell if he had been passive-aggressive or just sarcastic. ...should I just go to the Cobweb in Knockturn Alley where Luna, Crystal or Raven would probably be waiting for me and deal with him later...or should I try to resolve the misunderstanding with him first and then meet the others?
Aislinn looked confused at the healer and opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was barely a whisper. Aislinn noticed she was still wearing the black bridesmaid gown, which she had worn to Luna's wedding, but at first, she did not recognize her surroundings. There was a single black rose on her bedside table. Aislinn looked frantically around, her eyes widening in surprise when she noticed August Dolohov, who had sent a Patronus message to alert the Minister of Magic. But what nearly took her breath away was seeing the person she never had expected to see.
Sherwood was still unconscious, lying on the second bed just beside hers. The bed curtains were pulled so the morning sun would shine across his peacefully looking face.
Aislinn frowned, slightly remembering that she had not seen him at the wedding. Her head hurt as she tried to remember what exactly had happened after she had left with Alastair. The last thing she slowly remembered was Alastair's confession, and then her mind went blank. She could not remember how she had met Sherwood or ended up in St. Mungos. Recalling Alastair's confession, Aislinn felt sick all of a sudden and had the urge to throw up, but her stomach was empty, which made
the nauseous feeling much worse. The healer noticed Aislinn was not feeling well and gave her a goblet of potion for nausea and another for a calming effect.
A while later, Aislinn was escorted home in the Ministry of Magic's fleet of cars. When she saw the manor in front of her, she started to cry and refused to go home. The minister was confused. He had told her about the accident she had been through, that she had been unconscious for about two weeks since his son's wedding, that her family had been very worried about her and hence he would escort her home in the first place. However, she had not been listening since she could not focus on the present. Her mind was still processing the last conversation she had with Alastair. But when she saw the manor, she was brought back to reality.
"Oh please," Aislinn begged, her voice trembling. "I can't..." Her voice choked in the tears that were streaming down her face. Then she whispered: "I am not ready to face anyone after what happened..." I am not ready to face anyone in my family after Alastair ended our relationship. I do not care about what they think, but I do not have the energy to argue with them about Alastair, and I need time to process everything...She thought for herself. "I need some time alone...and I know a place where I can stay..." She added with a steadier voice after a couple of minutes.
"Fine. You do as you wish," Alexander spoke quietly. He sighed inwardly, wondering how he would help Edward, who had asked him to arrange something so that he could meet his daughter. It turned out to be much more complicated than Alexander had thought.
"May you escort me to a place further away, please? So I can apparate in peace..." ...it is still too early, so everyone is probably still asleep...but I prefer to be as far away from the manor as possible.
The fleet of cars turned around, drove back to the main road and drove until they pulled into an almost empty parking near a churchyard.
"It would be great if you could visit your family for Christmas..." Alexander spoke again just when Aislinn was about to leave. She froze, wondering if he had guessed that she already had plans to leave the country to get somewhere far away. But he had not read her mind. He was still thinking about the promise to her father but did not know how to break the news to her. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere inside the car. Alexander debated if the current moment was right to tell her about her father, while Aislinn was not in the right mood to meet her family. She was thinking about her grandmother and her second cousin Vincent. Vincent would probably taunt her for choosing Alastair over him and end up with a broken engagement. Her grandmother would probably berate her for not being a proper lady enough for Mr Divilliers. I would rather not deal with family drama on Christmas.
"There is something I need to tell you. Perhaps it is not the right time or place to tell you this. However, I should not postpone such important news for you," Alexander was the one who broke the silence. He had decided to tell since he could not stand Edward nagging him and asking him every once a day if his daughter had finally woken up. Aislinn was half listening. ”After we all managed to take over the wizarding world, defeating the Phoenix of Order and Dumbledore's Army, a lot of past death eaters who had fled and gone into hiding after the second wizarding war, finally left their hiding places and came back to us."
Aislinn rolled her eyes and wondered why on earth the minister was telling this to her now. It had been long since she, along with Luna and everyone else in their team, had stormed the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts. Aislinn did not care who had left their hiding places after those events. She just wanted to be left alone and process everything about the recent events she had been through after the wedding, and also have some good food to fill her empty stomach and a goblet of firewhiskey to comfort herself. Just as she climbed out of the car, she heard the minister telling her that someone related to her had just returned after hiding for years after the second wizarding war. She slammed the car door and wondered what she would do first. To have a hot bath and change her clothes at a muggle hotel or eat some food at a nearby restaurant? She thought Alastair might be at Luna's residence, and Aislinn wanted to avoid him at all costs. She was not ready to deal with the aftermath of their last conversation. But what if I bump into that relative of mine in the muggle area of London? She thought but suddenly froze, wondering who this long-lost relative could be. She recalled what the minister had told her a minute ago. So someone related to me has been hiding for years to avoid getting caught by the authorities and has returned after we defeated the P.O and D.A.? Who on earth could it be...? She jumped at the noise of her wand hitting the ground when she accidentally dropped it. She bent down and picked up her wand. That old hag McGonnagal told me my parents had died during the second wizarding war, and she never mentioned anything about my vampire relatives. If she hid the fact about my vampire relatives, then she could have lied about my parents for all I know. Could it be what I really suspect? Aislinn closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the ice-cold winter air, trying to calm down as her heart started beating faster. Plans changed! I will go straight to the Ministry of Magic and try to meet up with the minister and ask him more questions about this relative of mine.
Aislinn arrived in the atrium hall of the Ministry of Magic. Some wizards and witches who walked past stared at her. She just glared back at them until they looked away. She suddenly saw a familiar figure walking towards the golden gates at the far end of the atrium hall. She hid behind a statue out of habit and wondered at the same time why she was hiding. He had not even noticed her. A good old friend of my parents? That is what he said when he introduced himself to me at the wedding. Could he possibly have been close to them, like a relative? But my parents were the only ones from my family who joined the late Dark Lord, and none of my parents did have a sister or brother. Did one of them have a human cousin...? Ugh, I am not getting any smart on this. Aislinn nearly pulled her hair in frustration, feeling that just trying to figure things out herself would not give her any straight answers. Plans changed again. I will ask this so-called old friend of my parents instead of trying to find the minister to find out the truth.
"Hey!" Aislinn called out as she left her hiding place and rushed towards the golden gates. "Hey, mister!"
It was a bit crowded in the Atrium Hall, and she could have called on anyone all in vain, not because he was too far away to hear her, but because he was not the only mister among the wizards in the Atrium Hall. The wizards and witches closest to Aislinn turned around and looked at her, wondering who she was calling on. She tried to run in her long bridesmaid dress towards the golden gates. As soon she had reached the gates, Aislinn entered the smaller hall, where there were at least twenty lifts behind wrought golden grilles. But the masked wizard was nowhere to be seen.
"Uh...," Aislinn looked around her and asked aloud among the chatty wizards and witches: ”Has anyone seen the gentleman wearing a mask?" She was trying to catch her breath, looking wild with her messy hair, hair strands plastered all over her sweaty face and cheeks red as a tomato. It suddenly got quiet, and they glanced oddly at her. "Do any of you know at which department I can find him?" She clarified and combed her messy hair with her fingers to make herself look neat.
"Gentleman?" One middle-aged witch exclaimed rudely, wrinkling her nose. "I would not call someone who smells of firewhiskey around the clock a gentleman..." She snorted.
Another witch muttered loud enough for Aislinn to hear her calling the masked man crazy because she had heard him talking to himself behind the door to his office.
Aislinn lost her patience. She set off a jinx by mistake when she flicked with her wand angrily. It was colourless, yet it gave off a crackling sound against the golden metal bars of the wrought grilles as the jinx went in a zigzag around her and randomly hit any inanimate object in the hall. She stood still, but it caused a great commotion. Some crouched down in fear to avoid getting hit by the jinx. Some were quicker and drew out their wands and cast protego around themselves and counterspells to ward off the jinx. Other wizards and witches, who were entering the hall and leaving the lifts, were caught up in a surprise, stopped abruptly, and literary tripped on their steps.
"I demand to know at which department the masked gentleman works!" Aislinn spoke with a superior tone, stressing every syllable of the word gentleman. She looked at everyone around her with a threatening look that told them if none answered her at this instant, she would probably burn down the place.
"...the...the......dragons...," one of the wizards, still crouching, stammered.
"What?" Aislinn looked dumbfounded. So, this old friend of my parents works with dragons? Is there a department specializing in dragons?...
Such as an office for dragonologists, just like there used to be an office for Aurors? She scratched her head in confusion. The employees of the Ministry of Magic started to move carefully, either entering or leaving through the golden gates and the lifts. She entered one of the lifts with everyone else and stared at the list with numbered floors. "...oh, of course, it should be this one..." She chuckled, not realizing that she was talking out loud and that some were staring oddly at her. She pressed the button for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
So, he must be a dragonologist since he works with dragons. And apparently, he loves firewhiskey and talks to himself. Aislinn realized that this mysterious friend of her parents was strangely similar to her. For a mere second, she thought he might be her older brother, but she dismissed the thought immediately. She remembered when she was down among the archives in the Ministry of Magic, looking for clues about her family on her father's side. It was after she had met her grandmother for the first time. There was no information about a possible brother in the listed archives. Besides, Aislinn's grandmother would have told her if she had had any brother or sister. She knew she was the only child of her parents. But I have not looked in the archived list of the Gaunt family, Aislinn realized just as she arrived at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She walked and looked around for a while, debating if she should return to the lift and go to the archives. She noticed all the doors, but one had name plates. She did not recognize any of the names at the doors to the offices, but she was more curious about the one without a nameplate and decided to try that one first. She knocked softly. There was no answer. She knocked at the door again, harder this time. Still, there was no answer. She felt the door handle. It was, of course, locked, which was not surprising. Suddenly, a door at the far end of the corridor opened. Aislinn unlocked the one in front of her with a quick and silent alohomora and hurried inside without thinking. Aislinn closed the door, hoping that one employee leaving the office had not seen her. She looked around in the moderately small office room with its simple furniture and a small window. Her eyes fell on the three small cactus plants on the window sill. She wrinkled her nose, wondering who this crazy person was who liked to have stingy plants as decorations. A squeaking sound made her almost jump out of her place. Behind the wooden desk was something covered with a silky black cloth. It seemed to have the shape of a birdcage. Aislinn looked suspiciously at it for a mere second. She had a gut feeling that the sound was from that spot. Another squicky sound confirmed her gut feeling. She raised her wand and waved it towards the direction of the cloth. It fell to the floor, revealing a hatchling of the Peruvian Vipertooth breed in a cage. It squeaked.
"Oh.." Aislinn laughed. "Merlin's beard, you are so cute," She said to the hatchling, momentarily forgetting why she was at the Ministry of Magic. She walked over to the cage, and when she picked up a pair of dragon gloves from the desk, her eyes fell on some paperwork. She was curious and could not help but skim through a large piece of parchment at the top of the messy paperwork on the desk. She dropped the dragon gloves on the floor. The time suddenly stood still, and she was not hearing the squeaking hatchling. She picked up one piece of paperwork after another with shaking hands, staring at the signature of Edward Monroe at the bottom of every parchment. His handwriting was clear and steady with evenly shaped letters.
My eyes are not deceiving me, are they? Aislinn felt dizzy. She drew out the chair and sat down to calm down a bit. Let me think rationally. I need to get down to the archives and check the files of my family name to confirm one thing. She took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling, before standing up. She put the chair back and picked up the gloves from the floor. She tried to place everything as it was at the desk. That was when she came across a small leather-bound journal with worn edges. She thought it was a diary containing some secrets, though it turned out to be a photo album with animated pictures and a couple of love letters. Aislinn's eyes widened in shock when she saw how strikingly alike she was to a young woman in the photos. The difference between the young woman and Aislinn was the woman's partly scarred face and long hair. Even if Aislinn knew she should not poke anymore, she could not help but give the love letters a quick look. She also noticed the same signature at the bottom of some letters. She dropped everything, the journal with the photos and all at the desk. A stir of emotions emerged inside her. She looked at the cute squeaking hatchling. Without hesitation, she opened the cage and grabbed the hatchling gently with her bare hands. She held it close to her chest, caressing it with such affection. Everything that had been happening from her last conversation with Alastair until now had become too much of a burden. She was unaware of the hot stream of tears running down her cheeks, and she had forgotten that she should not touch a dragon, even a hatchling, without dragon gloves. At the same time, she had no idea that she was immune to dragon pox.
All of a sudden, Aislinn heard footsteps nearing, and before she could react, the door to the office opened. She looked up in panic. She had forgotten to lock the door behind her. But even if she had remembered to do that, it would have been in all vain. The one she was half unexpecting and expecting to see would have unlocked the door anyway. Aislinn was quick enough to apparate away, far enough to run inside a lift. However, she had taken the hatchling with her, unaware it was wearing a tracking charm on its left leg. Still clutching the squeaking hatchling, she looked for the floor of archives among the listed floors. She pressed the button to floor FC4½.
He appeared just before me, but I could not bring myself to ask him the questions I had in mind. I need to check the registry of witches and wizards in Great Britain first.
"Seriously, did that old fool Shadowwalker tell her to find me in my office? Why did he not alert me beforehand? And she took the hatchling!" Edward was feeling aghast, astonished and shocked. The last thing he would expect was finding his daughter poking about in his office. Edward snatched a bottle of antidote for dragon pox, the cage and his dragon gloves. Then he hurried after her, following the tracking charm attached to the hatchling. "Merlin's hairy beard! First, she gets herself into an accident that nearly kills her, and now she has to touch that hatchling without the gloves. Does she have a death wish?!"
This time, it was easier to enter the archives. There were no guards. However, little did Aislinn know that the entrance was charmed with a trapping charm. Anyone who was not allowed inside would be trapped. Aislinn only had her mind on checking her family name, and she had no idea that the Ministry of Magic restricted the entrance to the archives because of the findings of five non-registered sorceresses in their community. However, she was lucky since she was one of the few allowed inside the archives. This time, Aislinn ran among the shelves. She did not care about the mess she made when scrolls fell to the floor from the shelves while picking out the scroll she was looking for. She let go of the hatchling that started to run around inside the archives like a lost little chick looking for its mummy.
Aislinn could not take her eyes from the parchment she was holding. She tried to process the fact that her father was very much alive. She tried to remember how she could have missed such a crucial detail when she had checked the list of her paternal family tree the first time.
"Looking for something, young lady?"
Aislinn nearly jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped the parchment she had been holding.
"Tsk...making a mess in my office, and now a mess in the archives. You know, you are not exactly being stealthy," Edward remarked, wondering who his daughter had taken after since he was not clumsy. But he regretted the moment he had uttered his words when he saw the heavy tears rolling down her cheeks. Feeling deeply ashamed for making her cry, Edward began apologizing. Noticing that she was unresponsive and did not stop crying, he fell silent and embraced her instead.
To his relief and surprise, she stopped crying. He was worried that she would push him away, but she did not. There was a feeling of a familiar nostalgic comfort in his embrace. She could not put a finger on it, but she could vaguely remember it from her childhood. And he does not smell like firewhiskey at all. There is this familiar and nostalgic earthy smell of a crisp frosty winter forest...
”So, how did you find my office?” Edward asked carefully, closing the door to his office. He gestured towards an armchair, inviting Aislinn to sit.
When she did not answer, he changed his question: ”Did someone tell you where to find me?”
She shook her head, looking down at her feet. A long silence filled in as he observed her closely while preparing a large cup of hot chocolate. He had noticed the hollow look in her eyes for a moment. It was so clear on her face that she was heartbroken.
"Did I upset you?" He asked quietly after what felt like ten minutes had passed. He handed her the cup.
She shook her head again. He sighed with relief yet he could not relax until he knew why she had gotten into the horrible accident that had sent her unconscious to St. Mungos.
"Did someone else upset you?"
She did not reply, neither with a headshake or head nod. However, he noticed how she clutched her cup and the sudden twitch in her eyes.
…So, someone did upset her, He thought, but ceased to ask more questions even if he was dying inside to know who had upset her. I will wait until she is ready to speak…
“Listen, I have a lot of work to do. You are welcome to stay here today if you wish. I will be in and out of the office, though, of course, I will be here if you need anything,” He took off his cloak and put it around her so she would feel more comfortable in the armchair. He could have conjured up a duvet. However, giving his cloak as a comforter instead would give her more comfort and the feeling that he was always close by whenever she needed him. “But, please, for the love of the late Dark Lord, do not touch the hatchling without dragon gloves, let alone let it out from its cage. The hatchling is not mine. I only borrowed it for the time being for a little mission, and I need to return it after the holidays."
Seeing the serious look she gave him, he hoped she had taken his words with all seriousness.
As soon as Aislinn was left alone, she put the cup with hot chocolate on the floor and stood up. She looked at the cloak that fell off her shoulders. She picked it up and took a deep smell, the familiar smell of an earthy and crisp winter day. She brushed away the tears that suddenly started to emerge. She put on the cloak and finished the hot chocolate to comfort herself. But somehow, she felt fidgety in the office and could not relax in the armchair. But as soon she stepped out into the corridor, she returned to the office. She walked around the office, examining mundane details of the interior until she got bored. She found a thick book that listed every breed of dragon with detailed descriptions. She sat down by the desk and started to read. It helped her to take her mind off Alastair for a while, and she was soon so engulfed by the book that she lost track of the time.
”…Aislinn…Aislinn…”
Aislinn woke up with a start when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. She noticed that she had fallen asleep while reading. It had turned dark, and she looked around, wondering where she was. She almost got scared when she saw a masked man seated in a chair on the other side of the desk. It took her a while to recognize her surroundings and remember everything that had happened before she fell asleep. She felt groggy and thought her father was telling her she should leave, but he was actually telling her that he had finished his work. She returned the book she had been reading and hurried to leave the office but turned back to return his cloak. She abruptly bumped into him.
”You can keep my cloak,” Edward laughed, catching Aislinn in his arms as she nearly lost her balance and stumbled on his feet, and then he added: ”And you can have this one as well,” He gave her the book she had been reading. Before she could react, he put his left arm around her shoulder and led the way until they were both outside the Ministry of Magic. As Aislinn was thinking of a way to excuse herself for tonight, she looked confused at her father when he handed her a helmet after duplicating his into two.
”We are going home,” Edward explained, gesturing at his motorcycle.
Aislinn shook her head and stepped away from him, hugging the book about the dragon species tighter.
"Oh...would you prefer a different travelling method?"
When she just avoided eye contact and did not answer, he asked:
”Don’t you want to go home to grandmother?”
She shook her head.
”Did she upset you?” He asked, remembering that someone had upset his daughter.
Aislinn shook her head again.
”Did Vincent upset you?”
She shook her head again.
”Did anyone else in the family upset you,” Edward tried to keep his calm and patient composure. Inside, he was starting to feel furious because Aislinn was being quiet. He wished she would speak to him, to tell him everything. However, she shook her head once again. ...Perhaps if I took off my mask, it would make her speak...I have not taken off my mask all day...and perhaps seeing my face would make her more comfortable I hope...
”Fine, what about we have dinner at a nice restaurant first?" He suggested tentatively. "I bet you are hungry, aren't you? And your grandmother isn’t the best cook, I know,” He laughed.
Aislinn wanted to protest, but before she had time to react, she found herself at a table for two with her father in a restaurant just across the street in front of the Ministry of Magic. I am hungry, but I don’t have any appetite. She stared down at the menu. I will only have some soup... she thought, but after she had placed her order, she got not only tomato soup but also two pieces of buttered toast to have with the soup, a large slice of chocolate cake as dessert and a goblet of pumpkin juice.
Aislinn was caught off guard by this gesture of her father. She slowly picked up her spoon and started to stir the soup. She tried not to stare at him when she noticed him taking off his mask and placing it on the table. Then, her eyes wandered to the human meal he had ordered for himself. While she tried remembering what Vincent had told about dhampirs' nourishment during the guest lecture at Hogwarts, her eyes fell on the crystal bottle containing firewhiskey.
Aislinn opened her eyes, looking at a white high ceiling above her. Her head hurt, and she wondered if the meeting with her father had been an odd dream. ...of course, it must have been a dream...hot tears started to roll down her cheeks. ...but his embrace felt so real...She forced herself to sit up. To her dismay, she discovered she was not wearing the black bridesmaid gown but wearing her white nightgown.
Aislinn looked around in panic, wondering what was going on with her. She panicked even more to the extent that she started hyperventilating when she discovered that she was in her bedroom at her grandmother's place.
However, Aislinn managed to calm down when she saw the book her father had given her yesterday. The book was on her bedside table, and his cloak neatly folded on a chair in her bedroom. She breathed out in relief. ...so yesterday was not a dream...he is real...my father is real... She thought, but suddenly, her happy mood went downhill. She clearly remembered that she had refused his offer of taking her home. What scared her was that she could not remember anything after what happened after she drank fire whiskey at the dinner last night. ...did he lace my food with the sleep draught, or did he tamper with my memories...? She thought, feeling hurt and angry.
Aislinn hurried out of her bed, groaning because of her headache. She quickly splashed some ice-cold water on her face and brushed her teeth. Then she changed her nightgown to the attire she had worn to her last meeting with the others at Hogwarts: dress pants and shirt with a frilled collar, a short black wool jacket with decorative silver hook buttons, a pair of high-heeled boots that reached above her knees, a rounded cloak, a pair of leather gloves, and a hat, everything in black. She did not put on any make-up and grabbed her wand, avoiding glancing at her hollow and thin face in the floor-length mirror.
...I need to see both Crystal and Luna...I never responded to the message Crystal sent me through the emerald...and Raven...Aislinn left her room as quietly as she could. It was eleven o'clock, according to the clock on her bedroom wall, and hence she hurried to get out of the manor while her family were still asleep. Aislinn tried not to run down the stairs as she descended them. She was thankful for the carpets that covered the floor and the steps, or her heels would have caused a loud clicking sound against the bare floor.
"Aislinn...?" A familiar voice called out to Aislinn just when she reached the front doors at the end of the hall. She turned around and stared in horror.
"Morning, pumpkin." Edward grinned, flashing his fangs. He was wearing a pink apron which made a weird contrast to his black dress pants and white shirt, dark eyes and slick-back hair. "I made some lovely breakfast for you," He said as he walked closer and stopped just three feet from her. He had folded up his sleeves, so that faint scar of the death-eater mark was noticeable. He was holding a greasy spatula with his right hand and there was a faint smell of fried eggs and bacon.
Aislinn could not find her voice and shook her head in panic. She was holding her wand with one shaky hand, pointing it at him, while trying to find the door handle with her other hand.
"What's the matter, dear?" Edward frowned. ...Did she have a nightmare last night?
"You...you made me d-drink sleep d-draught and...and...and b-brought me home against my will last night..." She stammered. "The aud-audacity you have...waltzing into my life...as if...as if...now...acting...like...like...you care..." She tried to speak her mind but got lost in her words, and tears started to flow down her cheeks.
"I think we have a huge misunderstanding," He spoke slowly and held up his hands when he saw the panicked look in her eyes. "But, please, for the love of the late Dark Lord, do not point your wand at me." He pushed away her hand gently. "The only potion I gave you yesterday was an antidote because you touched the hatchling without dragon gloves. Besides, you were free to leave yesterday, but you chose to stay and read a book in my office." And I still don't know how you found my office and why you were poking around there.
Aislinn got silent and could not argue. She realized that she was the one in the wrong in this situation since she had gone straight to his office without his knowledge or permission, entering by force, poking among his office work and choosing to stay there instead of leaving.
"And you hardly spoke," He continued. "You either remained silent or shook your head. When we had dinner, you drank so much fire whiskey until you knocked yourself out. I actually ordered pumpkin juice for you, but you refused to drink it..." He explained, still speaking slowly. The crystal bottle of fire whiskey had been a bet to see what his daughter would do, but he never told her that. "And I could not just leave you dead drunk at the restaurant. So I had no other choice than to take you home."
He maintained eye contact until she averted her eyes and looked down at her feet. She felt guilty and ashamed.
"Tsk tsk...the audacity you have, young lady, falsely accusing your father and pointing your wand at him..." Edward commented dryly and then brushed off some dust from her coat, patted and caressed her hair with his left hand because he thought her hair looked like a mess and then adjusted her hat.
Aislinn stood still for a moment, watching speechlessly as he left her and vanished into the kitchen at the opposite end of the corridor. She could not tell if he had been passive-aggressive or just sarcastic. ...should I just go to the Cobweb in Knockturn Alley where Luna, Crystal or Raven would probably be waiting for me and deal with him later...or should I try to resolve the misunderstanding with him first and then meet the others?
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