𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 | golden trio era

xii

Luca lay awake in bed. Her fingers threaded gently through Enigma's midnight fur, her eyes watching the twinkling stars in the dark sky outside her window. She'd been reflecting on Hagrid's words, and she couldn't seem to get them out of her mind.

Listen to your heart.

She closed her eyes and placed a hand on her chest. She could feel her heartbeat. She held her breath and listened to what it was telling her.

Her heart was telling her that she was not her mother. That she didn't have to follow in her wicked footsteps. That she was good. That she wanted to be good.

But her head was telling her to leave her heart out of this. To complete the task she was given. To honor her pureblood family. To make them proud.

Her head and heart were fighting.

"You're so lucky you're a cat, Igma," Luca whispered. She kissed the top of her head before slipping out of bed and quietly leaving her dorm.

She sometimes envied the Hufflepuff's. Their common room was right by the kitchen, so they didn't have too far of a walk when they needed a midnight snack – unlike the Slytherin's, whose common room was located in the dungeons.

But tonight, she didn't mind the long walk. Her bare feet felt nice on the cool hardwood floor. Her thick curls were restrained by the twin French braids that Pansy Parkinson had put in her hair during dinner.

She crept down the hall, being careful of her surroundings. The last thing she needed was to be caught by Filch or his cat. She was already on thin ice with her mother, and if Bellatrix got another letter about rule breaking, she was sure to break her.

"Miss Lucatrix." Dobby bowed in respect when the curly-haired girl entered the kitchen.

"There's no need for that, Dobby." Luca smiled softly and kneeled down so that she was closer to the house elf's height. She took two galleons out of her robe pocket and put it in his hand.

"Lucatrix has given Dobby galleons?" He grinned a little, his big eyes staring up at the witch in adoration. "What can Dobby get for you tonight, miss?"

"Some tea would be great." Luca sat down on a stool and looked around the kitchen. "Is Winky around?"

"Winky turned in a couple hours ago." Dobby hopped up onto the counter. He turned on the stove to bring a pot of water to a boil. "What type of tea would you like, miss?"

"Lavender. With a bit of honey, please. I'm having trouble sleeping." Luca reached up into one of the cabinets for a box of fudge flies. She opened it up and ate one of the fly shaped chocolates, sighing softly as the fudgy snack melted in her mouth. She leaned her arm onto the counter and watched Dobby work.

She's always liked Dobby, even if she hadn't shown it. He was her Uncle Lucius and Auntie Cissa's house elf, so she'd grown up with him throughout her childhood at Malfoy Manor. She was furious when she found out that Harry Potter had snuck him a sock a few years ago, but when she found out that he was working in the kitchen's at Hogwarts, she was thrilled.

She was nicer to him from that point on, and always brought him treats when she'd come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack.

"You can't sleep either, huh?"

Luca looked up when she heard Santana's voice. The corners of her lips turned up in the faintest of smiles. She proffered the box of fudge flies, and the Latina took a couple. "What's keeping you awake?" she asked.

"I'm worried about you," Santana admitted, sighing. "I heard that Bellatrix gave you hell during the holiday break."

"Who told you?" Luca frowned. Santana gave her a just think about it for a minute look, and it hit her. She breathed in deeply through her nose. "Hermione told you, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Santana nodded.

"Here you go, miss Lucatrix." Dobby held out the cup of tea to the Slytherin, who took it with a grateful smile. "Dobby even added a little bit of lemon."

"Thank you, Dobby." Luca gave the elf three fudge flies, and he accepted them happily. She took a sip of tea, exhaling slowly as she tried her best to relax. She looked up to meet Santana's concerned mocha orbs. "I don't have a choice, Santana...I have to do this."

"No, you don't." Santana reached out and laid her hand on top of Luca's. "You are not your mother. There is good in you, Luke. Don't do something that you know you're going to regret."

Luca pulled her hand away. "Who says I'm going to regret it?" Her tone hardened. "I've done things that would shock you."

"Luca, you've never killed an actual human before. You could get into so much trouble for this, and I car– I-I just...I don't want you to–"

"You don't understand." Luca shook her head, tears of frustration burning in her eyes. "You have no idea what my mother is like! Or-Or the Dark Lord. Don't you see? I have to do this. I...I have to kill him."

Santana reached out and used the pad of her thumb to wipe away a tear that fell down Luca's cheek. The younger girl closed her eyes and leaned her head into the Latina's hand, her heart aching. "Luke, please don't do this," she whispered. "I know you don't want to."

"I don't want her to hurt me again." Luca's voice broke. She knew that everyone was right. She was good. She wanted to be good. But if she wanted to stay alive, she had to fulfill the task that she was given. She opened her eyes and stood up. "Just...I-I think it's best if you stay away from me...I don't want you to get hurt."

Luca took her cup of tea and left the kitchen. She made her way back to her common room, her hands and body trembling as she finally came to a decision.

Tomorrow, she'd kill Dumbledore. After that, she'd run away. Far away. Somewhere where no one would ever be able to find her. She'd be able to live the rest of her life alone, haunted by the memories of all the people she had hurt.

─── ⋆⋅☾⋅⋆ ──

─── ⋆⋅☾⋅⋆ ──

a/n

just a heads up, we're getting closer to the end of the book!

dobby 🥺

thoughts?