The Healer | Part 3: The Survivors

A New Normal

Edith

'Oh, for heaven's sake, Edith, would you stop doing that!'

My sister clutched at her chest and I saw the remains of a mug of tea that had apparently shattered on the ground at my sudden Apparition.

I laughed out loud. Bonnie had long since accepted the fact that I was a witch, but she still had a lot to get used to about my world and the things I could do.

'I will not,' I grinned. 'It's too much fun.'

She groaned and bent over to pick up the broken mug.

'You could at least have given me some warning,' she frowned, still willing herself to be annoyed at me, but I saw the small smile on her face.

'Here, allow me,' I pointed my wand at the mess. 'Reparo.'

The mug repaired itself. I picked it up and handed it to a slightly bewildered Bonnie.

'Evanesco.'

The spilled tea Vanished.

'Thanks,' she couldn't hide the small grin anymore. 'It's your fault it broke anyway.'

'You knew I was coming today,' I reminded her.

'Aye, but you could have come to the door like a normal person,' she replied.

I laughed again. I had really missed spending time with my sister. I appreciated it more and more now that she was the only one I had left. The Second Wizarding War had taken so much from so many people. Me more than others, as Ginny Weasley would say. But I would say it only made me appreciate what I had left more. That, and I tried not to think too much about it.

Bonnie had come home from America over a year ago. Since then, I had taken every opportunity to spend time with her and get to know her better. As children, our relationship had been strained ever since we found out I was a witch at eleven years old. I had gone off to school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she had been left behind to continue on with life as normal in the muggle world. I discovered rather quickly that we got on much better as adults than we ever had as children.

After I had graduated from school, the darkest wizard of the age came to power and the wizarding world descended into chaos. I'd had to go into hiding. At my urging, Bonnie had taken on a post as a nurse in America. As a muggleborn, I knew I would eventually be hunted down and imprisoned or possibly even killed. Once the war had ended, I spent every opportunity with her that I could. It was easier for me to travel than it was for her, I could Apparate in the blink of an eye where she would need to either drive for eight hours or take the train for twelve to get to London where I was living.

'Still, I'm always on edge when I know you're coming,' Bonnie said. 'I never know when you're just going to appear.'

'Is anyone else here?' I asked.

'No,' she scoffed. 'I can't have people here when you do your Apparition thing. It was bad enough the night of the hen party when you just disappeared before we even got home. I had to do quite a bit of explaining there.'

'It probably helped that everyone had been drinking,' I grinned. 'Besides, I had class the next day, I wanted to sleep in my own bed.'

I looked around the small sitting room. The wallpaper was dated and there weren't any photos or art on the wall either. She hadn't bothered to update it, insisting that it was only temporary. It was decorated nicely enough. The sofa was modern, a boring shade of beige, but comfortable to sit on. The coffee table was laden with bridal magazines and notepaper, empty wine glasses and a half-full bottle of whiskey.