Heart of the Serpent: Ominis Gaunt (temporarily paused)

Chapter FOUR - The Pain, the Blindness and the Boy

Evidently four panic attacks, two full explanations of the "wizarding world" as he put it, and a whole eternity of darkness was all it took for my new reality to begin to sink in, though nowhere near completely. I was still fifty percent sure I'd lost my mind entirely and was slowly shriveling into madness. 

If it weren't for the slight tingle I felt below my skin that told me to listen.

The man explained that we were in the study of his small summer home and while the thought of being alone in a man's house was unsettling, it was far from the greatest of my concerns. Aesop Sharp seemed a kind enough man, his gritty, low voice slow and amiable as he explained the finer details of wizardry to me. He spoke of a world he'd lived all his life, a world of magic much kinder than my first experience had made it out to be. He even offered me a warm mug of cider though I politely declined. Even if my vision had been intact, I still would have refused. This man was a stranger after all and I still wasn't entirely sure how I'd come to be in his care in the first place.

 I let him explain magic to me as if I knew nothing about it at all.

As if the darkest parts of magic hadn't created a darkness of my own.

My thoughts wandered as he spoke, finding it hard to truly accept everything.

Where was the boy that had held my hand in the dark? Was that the same boy who had begged the others to stop? Begged his family to stop.

The same boy who had been tortured?

The same boy who had tortured me?

I'd interrupted Aesop's speech about the school he taught at, Hauwarts-something-or-other, before I truly realized I'd even spoken.

"What happened to the boy?"

He was silent and I worried a moment that I'd offended him in my outburst.

"Pardon?" 

"The boy that was with me before you."

I could practically hear his eyelids blink in confusion.

"I'm sorry miss, I'm afraid I don't understand. You were alone when I found you."

My brain felt fuzzy.

"Found me?"

The silence returned, filled only with the steady breaths of the man in front of me. Then, the gentle scrape of wood against wood, a chair against ground and the man's voice was closer now. His voice dropped somehow gentler.

"Miss-" He paused. "I'm terribly sorry, I do not believe I know your name?"

I debated offering up a faux one, but what good would it do now? I was nearly useless without sight anyway.

"Wren Harding."

"Miss Harding." I half expected him to attempt to hold my hands as adults often did when conversations became serious, but he didn't. Instead he kept his voice gentle and close but no more frightening in the dark. "Miss Harding, what can you tell me about what happened this evening?"

I swallowed, unsure how much I wanted to open up to this stranger, no matter how much my gut begged me to trust him.

"I- don't..." My voice trailed off.

The man let me sit with my thoughts before continuing gently. "Miss Harding, I only found you after receiving an anonymous tip via owl post-"

"Owl post?"

"The mail-" He spoke quickly as if explaining what owls and letters had to do with each other was too insignificant a subject. "Someone wrote with an enchanted quill - an untraceable one at that - explaining that a mug- explaining that a non-magic girl had been attacked by a dark wizard."

"Someone.. told you about that?"

Something shifted beneath his voice. "Only that it happened. I do not know the details."

"Why would they tell you?"

The man seemed to mull this over a moment. "Before becoming a Hogwarts professor, I spent some time with the British Ministry of Magic as an Auror, law enforcement of sorts in the wizarding world. I believe perhaps whoever wrote me that letter knew of my time there."

A spark of hope flickered in my lungs. "So you could catch the people who did it?"

"People? Multiple wizards attacked you?" I couldn't be sure but I could have sworn I detected a glimmer of anger beneath his words.

I pressed my lips tightly shut, feeling a sudden need to protect the boy who'd been there with me. Who'd been tortured with me. Surely incriminating one of them would incriminate them all. How could I be sure of a system I knew nothing about?

Aesop sighed deeply though to his credit it sounded far less frustrated than I expected it to. "I will not pry. You have been through far more than anyone should... but whatever information you can give me would help a great deal. I cannot "catch" them myself but, I do still have connections within the Aurors. I could get word to them and I assure you, they would be able to look into it."

Perhaps it would be best to divulge what little I knew. Perhaps these Aurors could help find them, could help get the boy out of there as well.

But just as soon as I had opened my lips to speak, my mind felt fuzzy again. Outlines of memories seemed frayed and I waded through a murky bog of thoughts. Had it been a father? A mother? How many were in the room? Sisters? Sons? They hurt me. Blinded me. Was that all? How long was I there? Was it a family at all? Strangers? Blonde hair. Was I alone?

The only things I felt certain of were the pain, the blindness and the boy.

I felt my nose and brows wrinkle as I attempted to recount the night again and again but coming up far more confused each time.

Frustration lapped at my tongue. "I can't- I can't-. My thoughts keep... shifting. I'm sorry I must be tired or something. I- I-" My nails dug into my palms.

"Take your time."

Again, fuzzy thoughts.

"They... someone... it hurt." I felt my nose prickle and the taste of salt build at the back of my throat. The chill swept across my skin and deep in my blood again and this time I could almost feel the object in front of me lifting.

"Miss Harding, it's alright. Please calm down."

"I can't- I can't remember?" A tear rolled down my cheek, frustration building. "I don't understand, it just happened! How could I just forget?"

Another sharp, deep breath from the man opposite me.

"Would you say your mind feels... fuzzy?"

"Yes."

"Do memories seem warped or faded?"

Don't tell me mind reading is a wizard thing too...

"...yes."

"Shit." The word so quick I nearly missed it. "Miss Harding, please don't push yourself too hard... I believe you may be suffering from some sort of memory charm work."