A Story of a Short Ending | T.R

Chapter 17 - The Wind

Present

As Emily and Travers left the bickering crowd behind, they fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence.

The hallways of the Manor were well lit up by the sun shining outside, why did they even come back inside, Emily thought. The soft carpet muffled the sound of their footsteps, making them both feel almost invisible. Everyone else was still in the lounge room they assumed, having a go at each other's throats for something out of their control. Avery and Dirca made the right decision not to join others, as they chose their private chambers as the preferred place to spend time together.

Travers walked silently, living in the Manor for almost a full year made him aware of every detail in the hallway he walked thousands of times. Right to the dungeons. Fortunately, he never had to take the left turns after descending into the cold and damp space, he never once was punished to the point of earning himself quality time with the rats and other creatures he was sure were polluting the shadows in the dark corners of the Manor.

Maybe it was a fruit of his imagination, but he could swear the shadows were alive. He once brought it up with Alden, who only had a deep laugh as a reply. That day Travers found it a useful lesson to keep his thoughts to himself.

He could've sworn the shadows laughed as he left Alden's room that day.

Emily watched the man in front of her, her mind still struggling to put together the reason behind their meeting here. She knew Riddle needed those skilled at his immediate disposal in case the chance required that, but Travers staying in the Manor for almost a year now did not make sense to her, especially not after getting to know the man during Hogwarts.

They had classes together but never were quite closer than classmates who sometimes asked for homework help and sat together from time to time. He was on the quiet side, more closed off than others in their classes but his silence never looked to her as weakness. He was observant and always knew what to say once the situation required that. She knew that he went through a number of unpleasant friendships that turned out to be empty, as many people deemed him an easy link to his father and attempted to get closer through Evander.

What could possibly make him join others in the Manor was still the riddle she was trying to solve. Was he also brought here under a false pretence like they were? Did he join willingly after listening to what Tom had to offer? She knew a little of his family besides his father, and considering his line of work she had her assumptions about why Riddle might need Evander, but the whole story missed at least several pieces and no matter how many times Emily told herself she didn't care, the curiosity did not let her forget it.

Travers shoved the heavy wooden door, letting Emily inside the space she was more or less familiar with. Alden's potion chambers were covered in darkness so thick she couldn't see her own hands. The smell of various herbs and potion ingredients was so strong it nearly made her head spin, fresh air was not a frequent guess in this space.

The smell in Emma's store was entirely different. She noted that the first time she came down into this room, which was another mystery she didn't bother to solve. She remembered walking into the store every morning, the sweet smell of herbs, freshly brewed tea and sometimes even baked goods was the one she was used to.

Of course, herbs and various plants, mushrooms, roots and other ingredients they used for their potions had their smells; the smells that beautifully blended into the smell of the store. That was the comfort Emily had managed to get used to.

She visited many other Apothecaries while working with Emma and each of them had a smell of their own, some were rotten to the core as they smelled like rotten eggs and fish, while others smelled like dried herbs and not a single note of anything else was present.