Against the dark Hearts

Chapter 34

I stood at Kings Cross for an hour until I decided to take a carriage home. I just couldn't believe that my mother had left me alone here, but she really had. Maybe she had forgotten about me, maybe she had too much to do, it didn't really matter.

The ride in the carriage was bumpy, I had one of the cheaper ones and accordingly, the comfort was not great. I was just glad that I didn't have to carry my luggage for two hours to the cottage. But since the ride still took almost an hour, I decided to read a book.

I could hardly concentrate with all the jolting, but I managed to get a few pages further until the carriage stopped.

I would still have to walk through the small alley to the cottage, as no carriage could pass there, but it wasn't far. It was already dark, but a simple "Lumos" was enough to light up the alley. I carried my suitcase in my hand and let the rest float in front of me, all very easy.

It was wonderful to be able to do magic so easily, without having to fear any consequences.

As I reached the gate of the cottage, a strange feeling came over me, not least because despite the lack of sun in the sky, no lights were on in the house. The door was also open. I let my luggage drop and took my bag, in which I had my essential items, in my left hand and my wand in my right.

"Nox," I whispered and the light of my wand went out, if there was someone in there who wasn't invited, they shouldn't see me.

I took cautious, small steps, put one foot in front of the other and watched out for every twig and every stone that might lie on the ground.

The door was wide open. You couldn't see much because of course no light shone through the windows, but once my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, I saw the chaos.

The small dining table was smashed and the chairs were scattered around the room, one of them missing its back, the other just a collection of mismatched pieces of wood. At best firewood.

The old sofa in front of the fireplace looked as if it had burned down and the porcelain that had stood on the coffee table was scattered in shards on the floor. A mouse darted out of the rubble in front of me and I recoiled in shock.

Even the pictures on the walls had been damaged, it looked as if someone had cast a blasting curse on them.

Confringo, it looks like Confringo.

I took more cautious steps, the laundry room was at the back of the house and here too, nothing was of use anymore. The sink was half on the floor, as was the bathtub. There was a puddle on the floor and I wasn't sure if it consisted only of water, judging by the smell, it certainly didn't.

I didn't dare say a word, what had happened here?

Where is Mom?

I wanted to call her, but if someone was here, they were just waiting for me to make a sound. So I proceeded slowly. My room was the last one before my mother's. To my surprise, the furniture here was still intact, but my books were scattered on the floor. The easel I had here had tipped over, but was still intact, and the rest of the clothes were also scattered around carelessly. I hadn't left it like this.

I started to shake, I was scared, panicked, the worst horror thoughts raced through my brain like knife stabs. I dared not go further, afraid of what I would discover. I hoped so much that I was wrong.

I had to pull myself together, maybe nothing had happened, someone had broken in and looked for jewelry, valuables they could sell.

Please, please, please.

I crept along the wall to my mother's bedroom, the door was only open a crack, my fear threatened to overwhelm me.

You saved Hogwarts, come on.

But nothing could prepare me for what I saw when I opened the door. My throat tightened, everything spun.

I wanted to throw up, I wanted to spit out everything I had consumed on the Hogwarts Express.

No, no, no. Please!

I fell to my knees, crawled towards the narrow, lifeless figure lying in front of the smashed bed.

She was ice-cold.

"No, no, please wake up, don't do this," my voice was nothing but a tear-soaked whisper, a gasp, a plea.

I pulled her into my arms, desperately trying to detect a sign of life, a chance.

"Please," I gasped, but it was in vain. There was nothing.

I put my hand on her lifeless cheek, stroked it with my thumb.

"Mama," I whispered and laid my forehead against hers, "Please don't, let this be a nightmare, please wake up, please wake up!" My face was overrun by tears, I could hardly breathe. She couldn't be dead, it just couldn't be. Why? Why her?

I don't know exactly how long I sat there holding her, stroking her hair and rocking her, but I know I only let go of her when the light was already shining through the windows.

I had to find answers, I searched every closet, every damn drawer, even the junk and the destroyed furniture I turned over three times. Nothing.

After hours of searching, I went back to her, trying to find traces on her body of what could have killed her, but again, nothing, which could only mean one thing.

"The Killing Curse," I whispered. These were wizards, I couldn't explain it any other way.

I looked at what they had left of my mother. I couldn't leave her lying there like that.

My mother had been a religious woman, and she had raised me that way too, but unlike her, I had never cared about it.

Now I had to give her the last rest, the way she would have wanted it.

I dug a large hole in the garden that she would fit into, it was macabre to just heave her into it like that, but I wasn't capable of more. With a few spells I had learned in the past school year, I removed the dirt from her dress and then floated her in gently.

I carefully poured the dirt over her body, singing a song for her that she would have liked.

I would like to say that I stood there for an appropriate amount of time, but it was hours. Hours in which I neither ate, slept, nor did any other vital things. I was just there, waiting.

I didn't even know what I was waiting for, I still hoped that this was a bad dream from which I would soon wake up. I didn't wake up, because this wasn't a dream.

My mother was dead.

I couldn't stay here any longer, I had to get away before those who had killed her came back and did the same to me. I had to get away. Find a safe refuge and then I had to find them, had to find the people who had killed my mother.

I didn't think long, I took a few things from my suitcase and stuffed them carelessly into my bag. A few ingredients for potions that I still had with me. My school cloak.

"Reparo," I said, pointing my wand at the house. If anyone came by, it would look like the owners weren't there, and I put the rest of my things, including my suitcase, inside.

With one last look, I turned my back on the cottage. I wouldn't come back here again.