incendio; tom riddle

chapter 2

"Ahhhhh, Wallyyyyy, why are you so good at this?" From the tea room, Alphard sulked as Walburga won another round of Exploding Snap.

"Ha, guess I get the prize all to myself, playing this game always pays off," Looking at Alphard she asked, "Wait, what is the prize again?"

"Ha, there was no prize, blehhhh." Alphard stuck his tongue out at Walburga.

"Hmph, you'll pay for that, c'mon Celeste, we should practice pouring tea before Mother gets back." Walburga put on her porcelain mask again and sat poised, ready to start lessons.

"Ughhhh, Wally, couldn't you just stay fun? Why must I learn how to pour the tea? It's such a useless skill. Anyone can pour a cup of tea and deal with it. Why do I have to learn to elegantly tip the pot and make sure the tea isn't too hot or cold? How come I have to brew it by hand when Middy can brew a pot? I mean, in the future, will pouring tea help me become an Auror? Such a pointless skill. Mother and her crazy head, all those bobby pins must be ripping out her brain cells. How can one's hair...." Celeste stood up and started pacing back and forth, ranting all over the place.

Alphard and Wally exchanged a look with each other, rolling their eyes, and both thinking here we go again.

You tell her to shut up.

No, you do it. She listens to you. You're the twin.

You know she's going to murder me.

Exactly my point.

"-like I was saying, I would rather learn how to start dueling. I don't want to just become a housewife like Mother, she just sits around all day pouring tea. It's all she knows how to do. And she wants me to be the same, just a woman with no dreams, suppressed by an oaf of a husband. Speaking of husbands, I do not want to marry that pig, Avery. He's so slimy and makes me want to-" Celeste suddenly fell to the ground next to the door and started clutching her head.

"Augh, my head. Why. Does. It. Hurt. So. Much. AAGGGHHH!!"

Even though the older siblings had no idea what was happening, Wally and Alphard rushed to her. She was screaming and pounding at her head, tears starting to pour.

"It's her, it's her! She overheard me, what is going to happe- AGGGGHHH! Why?! Mother, why do you do this to me. Make it stop. MAKE IT STOP! AGHHHHHHHHH!"

"Look, the door, purple fumes are coming out from the bottom. What does that mean?" panicked Alphard, who lost calm when his younger sister was hurt.

"Purple fumes, purple fumes. Wait, that sounds familiar. Bellflower? No. Bella something. Ummm, belladonna! She needs the antidote, I know Mother has it in her stores. I'll go get it." Walburga rushed out of the room, running straight into Irma, who was grinning wickedly.

~~~

It didn't take much to set off the unstable Irma Black. And most of the time, a couple of words could have you wishing them right back. Irma was just about to enter the tea room to check upon Celeste's progress.

"...her crazy head..."

"...ripping out her brain cells..."

"...start dueling.."

"...housewife like Mother..."

"...all she knows how to do..."

Irma Black was smoking out of her ears and fires were belching up in her throat. She was not just a housewife. She wasn't always bound to this life. But if Irma Black couldn't get what she wanted, then no one could have anything similar, especially her daughter.