In the Shadow of Azkaban

Volume II: Alternate Ending V

Mykonos, Greece
August 1896

The living area resembled an igloo. Small. Confined. Cold.

Four bodies were neatly placed in a row in front of the fireplace. Their frozen corpses still in their cots.

I managed to bid farewell to Morganna and Aesop. Marat had been a quick goodbye. My attempts for Ominis were not so successful, but grieving unexpected deaths was not something I familiarized myself with. Professor Fig and Lodgok had been the only ones before.

I rose to my feet from my catatonic state on the sofa. Slowly, I made my way over to Ominis. Once I knelt beside him, I became a creature of habit. My fingers trembled while I ran them through his hair.

My chest rested on top of his. His ribs already protruded out from his skin, and the grayness of his coloring was more apparent in this lightning.

A feeling of someone's eyes on me ripped my own from Ominis' presence.

Kassia sat across from me. Mirroring my movement.

I'd never seen her so gentle with someone as she let her fingers run down Morganna's braid. A silent sob broke through her lips when she turned to Sharp and caressed his cheek. She already paid her respects to Marat and Ominis.

Kass had been the most affected, but she hadn't let herself feel emotion until we were safe. Home.

We had been sitting here for hours on end. Every time I believed I could be alright, Kassia's wails overtook the room. Echoing off the walls, cursing my memories of my own mourning.

Footsteps trailed toward the living room, and Iskra idled in the archway. Her eyes widened at the sight, like she had seen her first Thestral.

"When Marat passed, so did his hold on my memories." She spoke, not directed toward either of us in particular.

"Markov." Her voice wavered as she hovered closer toward Marat.

Her lithe body lolled over him until she settled down on the terracotta floor next to his body. "That was supposed to be his name. Our son."

"I have nothing keeping me here once we bury him." Her eyes trailed down to Marat's scar; she traced it with the pad of her forefinger. Her touch lingered over his chin when she stood to face us.

"What about Sebastian?" I probed. The stare that emitted from me bore into her.

"The memories I encountered with him weren't real. It was Marat. It would always be him. Sebastian had loitered in my life by proxy. Merely a substitute for my affection curated by Marat's Imperius Curse." Her head bowed, irises lined her eyelashes, and voice turned sheepish. "He'll finally be able to be with you, Antoinette. If you'll have him."

Her fingers twiddled together in front of her stomach for a brief moment, and with that, she turned on her heel and left the room.

The silence that followed permeated through the air, suffocating me.

I could never betray Ominis in that manner. Perhaps Sebastian could serve as a father figure to Lailah, but he would be nothing more.

...

Once the the bodies were carefully moved to the beach, Iskra and Sebastian cast a protection spell over the area. No one wanted to worry about prying eyes or to deal with the laws surrounding burials.

I waited for Kassia's cue and nodded at her, insinuating I was ready.

"Incendio." Both our timbre barely measured out as a whisper, but the flames crackled fiercely in comparison.

As the bodies charred, I noticed Kassia must have added a charm to shield the smell. She thought of everything. The thoroughness of her plan worried me. 

Ever since she refused to express her emotions, I swore I would take Lailah, and the three of us would move somewhere else. A place where we couldn't associate with anyone or anything from the past and move on.

Not that I wanted that, but the idea sounded better than living in the shadow of the four people burning before us.

Thankfully, the process proved to be magical as it was completed after only a few minutes. Kassia sat down and gathered a small handful of ashes from each pile of remains. She secured them in vials to bring back home.

"I'll fashion these into something you both will be able to wear," her meek voice directed at both me and Iskra.

Sebastian skulked behind us, awkwardly. He knew he had no business standing with us, especially since he was the one to kill Marat. I was assured it was out of love, but still.

Kassia, Iskra, and I leviosoed the rest of the ashes into the air and guided them toward the ocean. With one hand motion each, we all let the particles fly and drop into the sea.

Once the deed was done, Iskra turned into Kassia's arms and wept. And after a few moments, Kass joined in. Their sobs filled the space around us.

I faced Sebastian. His arms were extended, and for the first time, he grimaced from what seemed to be remorse. He hadn't intended for this. None of us did.

I buried myself in his cloak, muffling my cries into the thick material. His hands pet my hair and upper back while I attempted to gather myself. But each time, I faltered. There was no way I could recover from this.