Eternal Light | Regulus Black

Flashback

I tip toe around the gardens. I'm careful not to touch the rose's thorns, my mother warned me about that. I walk around the flowerbeds and collect lilac lupins. My mother doesn't care much for them, they are just weeds she says. But they're my favourite.

My white dress was dirty after I pranced back inside, a bunch of lupins in my hand. Our house elf Linky gave me a vase filled with water. Linky looks funny with it's white rag, even dirtier than my dress. And it is slightly shorter than me, despite the creature being much much older.

"You is to change, says your mother. Mr Zacharias is coming tonight," Linky informs me.

I slump down slightly. I don't like it when my uncle visits, he doesn't like me. He doesn't play with me and he never says anything nice. Once he tugged me at my ear because I was behaving poorly.

I leave the flowers at my small table and I change into a green dress. It makes me look like a fairy. I wish I had wings, shimmering ones preferably. I brush my hair with my silver brush and look over the words engraved to it's handle. I can't read very well yet but I can make out the letters. I know it read Eternal Light because my mother has told me that many times.

It wasn't the only possession of mine that was engraved, most of my things were. It was like a secret code name for me. Sometimes when my father would sing me to sleep, he'd whisper those two words to my ear before leaving.

Since my uncle is coming tonight, maybe if I looked pretty enough he wouldn't dislike me so much. I sneak into my parents room and am thrilled to find it empty. I go to my mothers drawer, where I know the locket lies. My mother has given it for me to wear a couple of times before. It was a silver pendant that opened. Inside read Eternal Light in cursive. I put it in my pocket even though I know I shouldn't steal, but is it really stealing if it's meant to be mine anyway. Mother always says it will be mine one day, but I don't want to wait any longer.

I walk downstairs, and hope I find father. I do find him, but my uncle is already here. They are hissing at each other. Father looks angry so I press myself behind the door, too afraid to go in. Uncle isn't very nice when he is angry.

My mother walks towards the room and spots me. She looks beautiful with her blonde hair pinned up. Mine was almost the same color, a bit warmer like my fathers. I wonder will I be as beautiful once I've grown up, I hope so.

"Go back to your room honey, everything is fine," she says with a strained voice. She brushes her fingers over my cheek as I clutch slightly on her hems.

"I don't want to, I want to stay with you," I complain. She attaches my hands from her and looks at me seriously.

"Do as your told," she says before going into the room where my father and uncle are.

I get a horrible feeling I shouldn't have let go of her. Despite being told to go to my room, I press myself even closer to the half open door. I'll wait here until they are done.

"You were supposed to be with me. You are meant to be mine!" I can hear my uncle yelling.

"You need to let it go. It was years ago, I'm with Maven, I love him, I always have," my mother says.

I reach slightly to peek from behind the door, too curious as to why were they so mad.

"You need to leave brother, I do not want you to step foot in this house again," my father says icily.

"You don't deserve her, you never have," my uncle has his wand pointed at my father. One day I'll have a wand too, my father promised me.

My father has his hands in his pockets while he glares at Zacharias with a stone hard face.

"She loves me, I know it," my uncle says. He grabs my mother by her arm, wrenching her away from my father.

"I will never love you, never," my mother bared her teeth in a snarl.

"Never? Well then, I will crush your heart like you did mine," Zacharias says angrily. "Avada Kedavra!"

I see a green flash and close my eyes. I can hear a shriek and pleading. My mother's screams. I open my eyes and look at my mother hunching over, sobbing. Why is she crying?

I want to go and see, but I dont want my mother to be angry at me for not going to my room. So I stay still, pressed against the door, and take quiet breaths.

My mother stands up and I can finally see it. My father is laying on the floor, still. His skin is pale as his bright green eyes, just like mine, stare into nothing.

Why isn't he moving?

"What did you do!" My mother screams and lunges toward Zacharias.

"Avada Kedavra!" Zacharias points his wand at my mother and she drops to the ground after a flash of bright green light. I don't close my eyes this time.

My mother lay still beside my father and I finally realize, they are not alive. They're dead. A scream ripples from my throat. I push the door wide open and rush next to my parents bodies. All warmth had left my mother's face and as I touch her, she feels ice cold. She lays on her side, eyes open and her hand reached to my fathers.

"Get out!" My uncle roars at me. I sob between my parents bodies and beg them to move. I shake my fathers body and beg him to be alive.

I flinch as Zacharias moves my mothers body, making her lie on her back. I stare at him with tear filled eyes and am struck with horror as he draws a knife. Is he going to kill me now?

I am clutching to my father as he stabs the knife into my mothers chest, slicing it down.

"Stop it! What are you doing? Stop!" I scream and throw myself at him, kicking and punching him. He hits me in my stomach causing me to gag and I start crying even more. I watch as he stuffs his hands in the wound and I hear a repulsive crack. He'd split my mothers chest open. His hands are covered in blood up to his elbows, and as he wipes a strand of hair from his face some of the blood is smeared there.

He starts cutting again, and then he lifts an obscure shaped thing from the inside of her body. It was covered in blood and some dripped from it. I've read anatomy books. My mother had made sure my education had started early. I've read a variety of books from magic all the way to healing books. And that's a heart.

Zaharias carved my mother's heart out of her chest.

He stands up, holding her heart. I crawl over to my mother's body, my dress getting covered in her blood. I sob and cover my mothers wound with my small hands. Trying to fix it. Fix her.

"They were fools, both of them. Weak, and you'll be just as weak. Your mother rather died for love than stay here to take care of you and be with me. You'll be the same, you'll die for love just like your ignorant mother!"

I don't look up at him. I tremble beside my mothers cold body, trying to wish her back to life. I move her hand slightly, so it's intertwined with my father's.

"I would be doing you a favour by killing you, but if it's true, you have special abilities, you may be useful one day."

Zacharias grabs my arm and starts dragging me away from my parents. He holds my mothers heart on his other hand. I try to struggle but his grasp is too tight. I look at the big portrait of my parents hanging above the fireplace, above their bodies.

Goodbye, I chant as I leave my former life behind.