𝔓𝔢𝔯𝔦 𝔓𝔰𝔶𝔠𝔥𝔢𝔰 • Hogwarts Legacy

•001• 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒆𝒘

"Miriam?" The young girl asked hesitantly. Something didn't seem right with the elder woman. "Miriam, are you alright?" She asked, approaching the woman's room. It would be rude to enter without her permission; but she wasn't answering.

Deciding that politeness could take a backseat for the time being, the girl tried the doorknob. To her surprise, it proved to be unlocked. "Miriam?" She asked.

The young girl was glad to see the elderly woman on the bed. She was just asleep. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief. What was she expecting? To find her mentor dead? She chuckled at the absurdity of her racing mind. Why would she jump to such conclusions?

Still, she felt compelled to approach the sleeping woman. Usually she wasn't such a sound sleeper. She looked to her right, finding a small brown box with a symbol in the center glowing blue. It seemed to be luring her over. The girl looked over to Miriam, making sure she was really unconscious before reaching for the box. So this is what she was taking about. The girl tilted her head as she examined the box. "Don't touch it." she told herself. Still, she couldn't help her curiosity as her fingers began to reach for it.

At her touch, the box seemed quick to open. The sudden opening and strange noise from Miriam caught her off guard as she jumped out of her skin, quickly shutting the box before she got a look at its contents. She looked back, her hand hovering above the closed box, the glowing light now far dimmer. The noises of the vast stillness surrounding her, the deafening sound of nothingness; It was overbearing.
She looked back to the box. Her fingers came so close, hovering just above the lid. But something felt off. She looked back to the sleeping woman, an uneasy feeling beginning to overtake her. She wasn't the stealthiest person in the world, and Miriam was a light sleeper. She should have woken up by now.

Hesitantly, the girl walked right up next to the woman's bed, staring down at her. Something was definitely wrong. She couldn't see the rise or fall of her chest. No, it seemed unnervingly steady. Additionally, her skin had stronger undertones to it; she looked a lot more...blue, than the last time they spoke.
She looked at the woman's hand, finding in it an unusual looking vial. It didn't look like any potion vial she knew of, but it did seem familiar. If she recalled correctly, her father said vials like this had something to do with memories. If only she would listen.

She bent down, kneeling on the floor so her face was level with the sleeping woman. It wasn't until their faces were mere inches apart that it became crystal clear;
Miriam was not unconscious.

"Aris-" she heard a familiar voice calling out to her, yet she could not take her eyes off the woman. She noticed her vision blurring and determined the cause was simply tears pooling in her eyes. How pathetic. She can't evaluate the situation properly if she can't see clearly. Get a grip Aris, she scolded herself.

"Aristotle!" The voice called her back to the present. Right. She wasn't with Miriam. She was at home. Her mother had called her back to her senses. She needed to learn to stop daydreaming. "Aristotle, please do not zone out in front of our guest." Her mother gently scolded.

"I was just thinking back to..." the girl trailed off, not really wanting to bring it up. Especially not when she knew the identity of the guest sat across from her.

"I'm terribly sorry for my daughter's crude behaviour." Her father apologized on her behalf. "She's usually a brazen girl, but what with recent events-"

"That's alright, Mr. Montmorency." The man cut in. "I understand Miriam was dear to you too. Finding her- like that- it must have been hard." He sympathetically told the young girl. Miriam seemed in higher spirits after meeting the girl. It was unfortunate they had yet to cross paths up to this moment.