In-Betweens

Seen and Not Heard (Kindred Ch34 re-edit)

Excerpt from 'Kindred' Chapter Thirty-Four: Seen And Not Heard. Written and edited for the "Battle Air Shift" Writing Event on Discord.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR 'KINDRED | HOGWARTS LEGACY' AND FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME.

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It had been three hours.

Three hours since Sabrina arrived at Ollivanders. Three hours since he had taken his work into the back room. For three hours, Sabrina had waited, impatiently sitting and pacing around the small shop as she listened to the many pops and sizzles from him working on the wand. Each moment that passed, she grew more and more anxious.

She sat there picking at her fingers anxiously. She was terrified that Ranrok would attack while she was still in Hogsmeade. So afraid that she wouldn't be there to put a stop to everything and that everything that she had worked towards wouldn't be enough, or that the secret creation that Mr. Ollivander was working on wouldn't work and everything up to this point would be in vain.

Sabrina stood up and made her way to the front window of the shop. When she had arrived in Hogsmeade, the town was still in the midst of celebrating the New Year. However it seemed that the square had emptied now. It was no longer filled with laughter and celebrations, but instead replaced with a still and eerie silence that only weighed more on Sabrina's mind. They must have moved the party elsewhere, Sabrina thought to herself as she willed herself to calm down.

Finally, the back door opened and Mr. Ollivander walked out. Sabrina turned and saw him holding up an ordinary green wand box proudly. "It is done," he said as she approached him.

He opened the box, and before her sat a beautiful dark wooden wand with light ancient magic swirled throughout it with pieces of memory remnants slightly sticking out in an ornate pattern. Mr. Ollivander closed the box and handed it to Sabrina. "I should warn you that I've never seen a wand like this before. My suspicion, as Professor Fig implied in his letter, is that it serves a unique purpose. I doubt you shall find much use for it otherwise."

You have no idea.

Sabrina kept her thoughts to herself, however, and thanked the man. She had to get out of Hogsmeade and get back to Hogwarts. The sooner this was over with, the better.

The bell dinged again as she closed the shop door behind her. She wasn't sure if it was her nerves or if the air had really changed, but no longer did the cold air feel light against her skin. It felt almost suffocating. I have to get to Fig, Sabrina thought. I have to get to the repository before–

Sabrina had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Victor Rookwood standing across the street watching her until she was about to cross the stone cobbles herself. As soon as she saw him, her hand instinctively went for her wand.

"I'm afraid you're on your own, Miss Reese," Rookwood spoke, holding up his hands as if to show her he meant no harm. She knew better though. His voice was as cold as the air engulfing her, and the very sight of him brought a sickening feeling to the pit of her stomach. "I've ensured that we have a moment to ourselves."

Sabrina drew her wand and aimed it at him. She wasn't going to listen to this.

"Oh come, come." He stopped walking towards her, a slight amused look graced his smug face. "No need for such theatrics. It's the sort of thing that got Minerva killed."

Sabrina's grip on her wand tightened as she fought desperately to keep every inch of willpower in check. He's egging you on. Don't give in.

"In light of what Ranrok now knows, you must agree that our interests are aligned." Rookwood had walked towards her some more, now standing parallel with her in the empty, abandoned street.

"Our interests will never be aligned," Sabrina finally spat out at him.

This seemed to surprise him. "You would let goblins take what is rightfully ours?" he asked, incredulously. "You would let all that your mother did be in vain?"

"I'm sure as hell not letting you have it," Sabrina spoke, her own voice low and threatening. "After everything that you did, do you really think I would let your filth touch it?"

"Oh, you don't understand, stupid girl. The final repository belongs to wizardkind. We would be fools not to work together. Your mother was a fool. Perhaps, if she had listened, Minerva would still be here and you wouldn't have had to sit in that filthy Muggle orphanage for ten years."

Sabrina's eyes narrowed, her anger boiling to a dangerous level. "You have no right to talk about her," she spat out. "It's your fault she's gone."

"You're right. If only she had listened to me–" Rookwood stopped, his eyes drifting to the wand box in Sabrina's hand. "What's that you've got there?"

A slight tinge of panic ran down her spine as Sabrina calmly placed the green box in her expandable pocket, her eyes never leaving Rookwood's face and top hat.

"Might this sudden visit to the wandmaker have something to do with our mutual pursuit?" Rookwood's voice was nonchalant, as if this was something he was not looking forward to.

Sabrina glared. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Something in Rookwood finally seemed to snap. His eyes had turned dark, his body language now tense. "That repository," he growled, "is our birthright!"

"And Charles Rookwood wouldn't have wanted you near it!"

The pair were only a few feet from each other now, staring each other down as if daring for the other to break. Sabrina was so angry, she wanted nothing more than to bash the man's face in until he was purple. She dared him to make a move. She wanted him to do something to give her an excuse to kill him.

Suddenly, Rookwood chuckled. "The arrogance. You really are just like her. That's quite alright. Snakes always take down birds in the end. But I should've known better than to try and reason with a child." He spoke with disdain and insult before his eyes narrowed back in on her again. "I've always said children should be seen and not heard."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Sabrina felt all the air leave her lungs. A cold shiver violently ran through her as the screams and memories flooded her brain.

"Are you sure there is a cure, thought?"
"There is! And I will find it."

"But we haven't tried everything–"
"THERE IS NO CURE!"

"I can fix you! I know I can, Anne. I just have to find the right book, the right spell— Everyone else has given up. I can't give up on you!"

"Sebastian, what have you done?!"

"I won't let her suffer!"

"The only true way to get rid of a curse is to kill the person who cast it."

The realization hit her as hard as if she had been hit by a troll.

All that pain, all that torment, all that hatred and time looking for a goblin.

And Victor Rookwood had been Sebastian's main villain the entire time.

Sabrina snapped. Her fists bunched into fists as she felt the anger and fury rise up in her again. Any ounce of restraint she had been conditioned for had vanished.

Victor Rookwood was dying tonight.

"You," she growled at Rookwood, knowing that he probably had no idea what had riled her up so much. "You goblin sucking, God damned MOTHER FU–"

Sabrina had forgotten about her wand and her magic. She moved to lunge herself towards him, determined to bash Rookwood's face into the stone.

However, she had only taken one step forward before a hand forcefully grabbed her from behind and they apparated away.