Against the dark Hearts

Chapter 1 - Back Home

Three months have now passed since my first year of school, which was also my fifth year at Hogwarts.

Three months during which my mother constantly asked if I could help with household chores using my magic. Three months during which she asked if all students were not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts, or if it was just me because I had only recently discovered it.

I knew it was because she knew nothing about it, but I felt like I could hardly breathe with all the questions she asked me. The only thing missing was for her to ask if I had a house elf I could lend her so she wouldn't have to do the cooking. Before I sacrificed Deek, I would rather use Crucio on myself, if that were possible.

Not that I considered the friendly house elf as my property, strictly speaking, he belonged to Hogwarts, and as far as I was concerned, only to himself. However, my mother was so overwhelmed that she would treat him like a serf, and she wouldn't even notice.

She wasn't a bad person, she was kind and concerned about my well-being. She was always there for me, and I could always come to her if something was bothering me. She knew everything I had gone through in the past year. I had either written to her or told her about it after I returned from Hogwarts. She was also not thrilled that I wanted to go back to Hogwarts, but she realized that I needed to learn how to handle magic properly.

She was simply overwhelmed and alone with all the duties she had as a mother. My father died when I was 13 years old. Yellow fever had taken him after he had returned from America with one of his trading ships. At that time, we not only lost him but also our estate and servants. Since then, we have been alone.

So I helped her.

My mother taught me how to cook. As a young woman, she had to do many things herself because she came from a poorer family than my father. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and had inherited his ships, his house, his employees, and his title. My mother had worked for the family, and that's how my parents met.

My mother had quickly gotten used to life as a lady, she always said. It was easy to be taken care of, wear beautiful clothes, and be blessed with a husband who loved and respected her. She was not lucky when it came to having children, as I was her only offspring. Perhaps that was one reason why she spared no expense or effort to make sure I was always doing well.

I grew up as a rich child. I wore dresses and was taught at home by the best teachers my parents could afford. I had my own library and buried myself in books. Later, I discovered my passion for painting and watched the servants and maids at work to immortalize them on paper. That's how I also got to know some of the children of the servants, but they weren't allowed to play with me because it was not appropriate.

That was one of the things I hated as a child. I simply had no friends my age and didn't know how to make any.

Today, everything was different. I stood in the kitchen with my mother peeling potatoes or washing dishes. I was doing what was important to bring something edible to the table.

It wasn't bad to learn these things, it was annoying because I couldn't use magic and had to do everything by hand, but I would soon be done with that. I also wanted to be able to manage on my own someday. I didn't know if I would ever be able to afford servants. If I was unlucky, I would have to get married instead of pursuing my dream of becoming an Auror.

Then there was also the question of whether my future husband had the means to provide us with a decent life. The thought was frightening. I didn't have a problem with having little money, but I had a problem with the prospect of a life that was not happy.

Of course, I would make it easier for myself if it came to that. If I were married, then I would be old enough to use my wand for the everyday things in my life without getting a Howler from the Ministry of Magic. But I just didn't want it to happen.