The Sanctuary of Yesterday

2.10 | HELL

AGE 10 TO 11

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Sage woke up to Tippy digging around in her closet. It was still dark out, alerting her it was either very late or very early. Confused, Sage sat up and rubbed her eyes trying to look at the clock on the wall. 

Tippy, hearing the rustling of the sheets, turned around and looked at her with wide eyes. Her hands went to her ears and tugged on them. 

"Tippy?" Sage croaked, mouth dry from sleeping, "What's going on?" 

The small elf tried to answer but couldn't as Theodore sat up and groaned loudly, "Why are we all awake it's like late?" 

"Tippy was digging around in the closet," Sage whispered, "I don't know what she was-" 

The young girl cut herself off and snapped her eyes back to Tippy, shaking her head. Tippy's eyes filled with tears as she tugged her ears even harder. Sage started whispering "No, no, no" over and over again as Tippy sniffled. 

Theodore, groggy and confused, asked, "What the ever bloody loving hell is going on here?" 

Tippy gasped, "Young Master Theodore must not say those naughty words!"

"Tippy," Theodore said, exasperated, "Why are you in our closet at whatever o'clock in the morning?" 

Tippy looked between her master and mistress, trying to memorize them together in the same space one last time. While confused, they looked so happy together. Their love had created a bond no one else could ever understand, no one else would ever come in between; not even Death himself. 

"Young Miss Sage must leave," Tippy whispered, while both twins looked at each other and then their house elf, "Tonight." 

"What!" 

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They knew this was coming. 

They knew they'd be separated. 

They knew they'd have to say goodbye one day, but they didn't think today would be that day, or even tomorrow. 

They thought they'd get to go to school together. 

They thought they'd get to make friends together. 

They thought they'd get to meet each others partners together. 

They thought they'd be at each others weddings together. 

They thought their children would be friends together. 

They thought they'd send said children off to school together and repeat the process all over again, until they took their last breaths. 

They never thought they'd only get ten years together before they were torn apart. 

But, as Tippy and every other house elf knew, not even Death himself could truly tear these two apart. 

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"Old Mistresses husbands evil old master is getting closer," Tippy explained, "I's can feel him." 

Sage was beyond confused. Aunt Cissa and Uncle Lucius had told them about this a few months before, on their tenth birthday. They told them of their mothers last wishes and how Sage would be protected. When the time came.

Apparently, the time came. 

"He's getting closer! Old Mistresses husband was friends with evil master. They's went to schools together," Tippy explained, "Evil master knows Nott Court and can enter at any time."