A Sliver of Change | S. Black

Part 4: Chapter 1

Part 4:

Chapter 1 –

July 27th, 1997

Click

Clock

Click

Clock

Lia stared blankly at the wall in front of her as the chimes of the grandfather clock played throughout the den in Potter Manor. Her foot tapped restlessly against the bag on the floor beside her, anxiety crawling through the nerves in her body, rising up until it was a figurative hand that wrapped around her throat.

She went through her mental checklist once again, hoping to ease some of her nerves as she waited for her boys to finish up the tasks they were doing.

Anti-apparition ward. Check

Countless blood replenishing and pain relief potions packed. Check

Clothes, food, spell books packed. Check

Valuables she didn't want lost in the crossfire hidden in the basement. Check

Her hand reached up to twirl the necklace Sirius had given her years ago around her fingers, her heart thumping in its chamber as panic started to flood through her. What if they needed more food? What if she didn't pack enough potions, or forgot about certain ones? What is she lost one of James' items because she had forgotten to pack it away in safe keeping?

These thoughts continued to torment her mind as she sat there on the couch that was still like brand new, the sound of the clock and her feet tapping against her bag filling the room with anxiousness. She didn't even notice when a form entered. Didn't notice when they had taken a seat next to her. Didn't notice when the frail body turned towards her.

She only noticed when a hand finally encompassed a spot on her thigh, instantly stopping her leg from the twitching motions.

"Mistress needs to relax," Mellie muttered, "Mistress is stressing herself out too much."

Lia took her time answering, her eyes glazing over the small body beside her. Mellie hadn't changed much over the years, her thin hair still hanging around her shoulders and her petite figure the same as it was a decade ago. She still adored her jumpers, wearing a different colour each day, and Lia knew that she would always continue to be the sassy elf that she had grown up with. Never once did she dictate from her personality, not even when Octavia had died, but today Mellie looked as flustered as Lia felt, and her usually bright eyes held a tint of darkness to them.

"You should have left by now Mellie," Lia muttered, her hand reaching down to cover the small one that still sat on her thigh.

Mellie shrugged her shoulders slowly before throwing herself into Lia's lap, her tiny arms wrapping tightly around her larger figure, her legs shifting to rest on the couch beside the two of them.

Lia settled into the embrace, finding a sort of comfort in it that she only did with her mother, and could feel the tenseness of her anxiety start to dwindle thread by thread. She had never realized quite truly before how much the tiny elf meant to her, always considering her family, but never appreciating her for who she was. But as Lia wrapped her arms around the tiny creature, she felt a lodge stem in her throat as fear of loss passed through her.

"Mellie needed to say goodbye," she whispered into her ear, "and needed to tell Mistress to come back to her," the elf pulled back slowly, her eyes piercing into the blueness of Lia's, "you all need to come back."

The dryness in Lia's throat stopped the words that wanted to stumble from her lips, and a sharp nod of her head was enough for the elf. She watched as Mellie pulled back slowly, her form raising from the couch as she headed on her way to Hogwarts, where McGonagall had promised that she would take care of her until they could all come back to the place they called home.