gold string, JAMES POTTER [under construction]

chapter five.

chapter five — all alone
December 31st, 1976

      Maurice mindlessly clawed at his forearm, the one that would forever be desecrated with that mark his grandmother refers to as a gift, in reality, that mark was a one-way ticket to a wooden box six feet under. He ran his fingers over the spines of the books before he pulled one out, sitting in the corner facing the wall picking up on the page he left off on.

      He should be excited for the upcoming term, it was his last months at Hogwarts before he would dive into the world on his own, free. That is how his life should've looked like in the next six months, instead, he stayed up late at night, watching as death eaters dragged the poor man out into the backyard where they disposed of his corpse.

      It was bloody mad, that's what it was. He deserved more than being burnt to nothing but ashes, that was all that remained of him. A small pile of ashes. Maurice knew nothing about the man, Merlin, he didn't even know his name. He will never get the chance to do the right thing for his family, and they will never get the chance to say goodbye to him. Somewhere in London, a woman anxiously awaited the return of her husband.

      And his daughter, thinking about that little girl made Maurice feel sick to his stomach, she'll spend her entire life wondering what happened to her father. All of those sleepless nights she'll have to make up stories about him, just like Maurice did for his parents. He deserved a proper burial, which he'll never get.

      "What are you reading there?" A rather gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder to meet a woman with brown and silver hair. "You're Ethel's grandson, right?" She queried, hunkering down next to him as he nodded his head.

      With a swift motion, he closed the book, flipping it over to reveal the cover. "Animal Ghosts of Britain," he admitted. "This may sound silly, but I've always dreamt of encountering a ghost animal," He quickly stopped mid-sentence. "How rude of me, I'm Maurice." He extended his arm out.

      "Narcissa," She paused, taking his hand in hers. "Narcissa Malfoy, and no it's not silly at all, as a child I too dreamt of encountering one." She added with a warm smile on her face causing the corners of her eyes to wrinkle.

      Her name sounded strangely familiar, Maurice quickly connected the dots she was related to Sirius, but he wasn't sure how seeing as Sirius rarely spoke about his family. There was no way he could casually ask him that evening without accidentally exposing himself as a death eater. "My dear cousin encountered one when he was younger."

      He raised his eyebrows with his mouth agape. "No way, that's brilliant!" He exclaimed, assuming she was talking about Sirius, or maybe his younger brother— Regulus? Blimey, Maurice didn't know any other cousins she could be talking about. "Do you know what animal it was?" He queried, resting the aged book on his lap.

      Narcissa eagerly nodded her head. "It was a rabbit," she said with a smile. "He only saw it momentarily though." She continued, that warm smile returning to her face when she saw how his face brightened from within. A beat. "I wanted to ask you how you were, I assume last night was your first..." She motioned over to the door that led to the foyer. Maurice knew exactly what she was referring to. "I know it can be intense."

      He abruptly interrupted her. "I'm fine, truly." He intoned, dragging those words out from his mouth, despite their kicking and screaming as he did.

      In reality, Maurice was the furthest from being okay, okay was long gone the moment he was forced to become a death eater. He was trying his best to steady himself, to keep his composure even when all he wanted to do was hug his mum and pretend none of this was happening.