in blackwater woods | evan rosier

one

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The night the Mckinnon's were wiped off the face of the earth was whispered about in every sitting room in magical Britain and Ireland.

"I knew Cormac you know, the father" pause, "Such a shame, whatever will become of the Auror department?"

"And the poor mother, she was a Fortescue, oh yes, Adeline Fortescue-McKinnon... the poor Fortescue's! Florian's sister dead and his daughter merely a shell in St. Mungo's, did you hear he's selling the ice cream parlour? They're saying he's ill"

"Hamish took right after his father of course, such a fine auror I heard— did you know his wife and babe were murdered that night as well? A babe! Can you imagine the barbarity?"

"My son knew Jenson McKinnon in school, Head Boy, did you know? He had just finished his healer training, he trained under my niece"

"Ewan was the looker, what a handsome boy he was, such a shame. He had only just been moved up from a reserve chaser for the Chudley Cannons, rubbish team, I know, but not a bad beginning, a pity he never truly began!"

"Ah Marlene... she was a close friend of the Potter's you know, real spitfire of a girl, rumours are she was named the Potter boy's godmother, such a shame, do you think they named a new one? Could that be where the babe's been hidden?"

"And the youngest... oh Merlin the poor thing, could you imagine? I don't know how I'd ever go on"

It was Hamish's birthday. Yes, of course it was, August second. That's why they were all there, Philippa and little Hollis too.

Who had answered the door? It had to have been Marlene. Elspeth remembered her sister undoing the tight wards after she looked through the window, laughing and calling out— "It's just ___!"

Who was at the door? Elspeth couldn't remember. The face was distorted in her memories. If only she could remember the voice! Her father's replacement had told her it was Black, Black was the mole. Had to have been— because he sold out the Potters. But Sirius didn't fit quite right in her nightmares. But it was him, the aurors said so, and so had Healer Jessop. Healer Jessop said it was normal for her memories to be misshapen. She didn't want to have the memories at all.

"What is it___? Come in— has something happened?"

Elspeth remembered the doorway becoming more crowded. More people joined the faceless man. Did she know them too? She didn't think so. But they weren't on the porch of the manor anymore, no they were in the front room— Elspeth could recall how they flew in like wisps of dark heavy smog. That was when the screaming began, why were they screaming? Why was she screaming?

Wands were drawn. So many wands. Elspeth kept hers locked in the cabinet now. So many flashing lights— not like the ones that came through her mum's stained glass windows. Mum. Mum had gone down first, yes, of course she did. Elspeth remembered now— it was right by the staircase. She heard mum's head crack on the wood.

Elspeth could see Philippa run past her, Hollis wailing in her arms. Elspeth? She was frozen. How was she meant to tear her eyes away from the puddle of blood under mum's head. It kept growing, widening, but it wouldn't thin. How did a person have so much blood? Did she?