Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
♛
31 OCTOBER 1981 Rosier Residence
𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕.
Ten months of house arrest didn't feel so long to Celeste Malfoy. Not when she was kept company with letters from her friends and the constantly irritating voice of Evan Rosier. And wine. A dangerous quantity of wine.
The obsidian beads of her gown hissed against the ground as she walked across the library. She clutched a rumpled letter in one hand, and an empty goblet in the other.
Lily and James had written to her, telling her all about Harry's latest fascination with chocolate frogs. Harry Potter was Celeste's godson. Months ago, when they asked her via patronus, she had burst into tears and instantly accepted.
It had filled a void inside her. Like she finally had a real family. Despite almost a year of imprisonment, it wasn't so bad when she had people to think about. Loved ones to look forward to.
Celeste poured herself a new goblet of wine as Evan strolled into the library.
"You're up late," he commented, falling back onto a velvet sofa.
She glanced at him, noticing that his hair was wet from rain. "So are you," she pointed out.
Celeste couldn't sleep. The hour was inching towards midnight, but there seemed to be a restlessness stirring in her. "Tell me something. Anything."
Evan shrugged at the familiar words. "Nothing's been happening lately. The Dark Lord's been gone all week. It's been quite dull, actually." He pulled up his left sleeve, revealing the tattoo of a serpent curling around a skull. "Even the mark looks a bit lifeless."
"How can that be possible?" Celeste frowned, walking closer to him. "Has it lost its magic?"
Indeed, the dark mark had lost all signs of enchantment. The pitch-black ink no longer looked as dark; the figure was unmoving like a plain tattoo. It seemed almost ordinary.
Her stomach began to turn. It wasn't possible for the marking to lose its magic unless...
"It only happened hours ago," Evan reasoned, trying to ignore the obvious answer. The edge of his voice was desperate. He shook his head as he stood. "It's nothing. Just go to bed, Celeste."
