Amelia Merlin

Part Seventy Six: Home Again

Dear Amelia,

Hope everything's been going well and I'm so sorry I haven't written in a long time. Work's been insane lately and I've barely had a chance to breathe. I miss you like crazy and can't wait to see you again. I'll be home for Christmas and it would mean the world to me if I got to see my little sister there. I would love to hear everything that's been going on in your life and all the new and exciting things I know you've been up to.

All my love,
Jeremy

Amelia clenched the parchment in her hand as she rode the Hogwarts express back home. She only had one reason to go, and it was to see the only two family members she actually had, Jeremy and Glapp. The trees whizzed by her in a hurried blur until finally they reached King's Cross Station. Amelia got off the train and immediately saw Jeremy waiting for her.

He was leaning against a wall with one leg propped back, smoking a cigarette in one hand and reading a book with the other. He always had this aura about him that drew everyone towards him. The people passing by took a double take at him, even though he wasn't particularly handsome. There was something charming about Jeremy, his sense of style, his quirky, quiet personality made him the most interesting person in the room at all times. People wanted to be liked by Jeremy, they wanted his opinion and his acceptance. It was different from the way people liked Amelia, she was accessible whereas Jeremy had a certain compelling mystery about him.

"Hey there!" he called out to her, his sandy blonde hair was longer now, hanging in his eyes. He snapped the small book shut and it disappeared somewhere in his coat, he put the cigarette out and walked towards her. It wasn't until much later that Amelia realized Jeremy didn't look very well at all. His eyes were sunken and lilac bags hugged the underside of them. His hair looked dirty and unkempt, he even seemed skinnier than usual. But in the moment, all Amelia saw was her brother, the only person who loved her unconditionally. So she threw her arms around him and laughed in delight.

"It's so good to see you!" she said.

"I see you're still wearing the necklace I gave you! Let's get on home shall we?" he offered her his arm and Amelia cringed, knowing what would happen. The squeezing and pulling pressure of apparition filled her but in a second she was standing on the front step of her house. The giant oak doors looked unchanged and the curtains were all drawn, making the house even more secluded than it already was.

"Do you know if mother's home?" Amelia said quietly.

"I think she's out for the day."

"Really?" she found that strange, usually her mother kept to herself and never saw anyone, the dinner party last year had been especially odd. The fact that her mother was a squib was usually enough motivation for her to stay hidden away from the world. "What does she even do?"

"She started a committee."

"Committee for what?" Amelia's disgust was clear through her tone and Jeremy laughed.

"Something about raising awareness for real wizarding culture, including arts and literature and plays and such. She says its a real issue that we don't have anything to show for our way of life except for laws and magical discoveries." he described plainly.

"Oh." This committee of her mother's was something Amelia could actually get on board with. But she had made a rule to detest everything about her mother, so it sucked that she agreed with her for once. "Hopefully she'll be really busy over the break and I won't have to see her."

"I think that was her plan as well." Jeremy gave her a soft smile, and reached into his pocket for a cigarette. He lit one up and a blew out a puff of purple smoke. "Want one?"

"I'm thirteen." she wrinkled her nose. "And those are gross."

"Why are they gross?" he teased.

"Because they smell funny and I don't understand the point of them." she took a step away from him and covered her nose.

"They make you feel amazing. These one's - they just calm you right down, so you don't have a care in the world." The way Jeremy spoke about the cigarettes was weird, almost loving.

"Well I think they're weird. And I'm never smoking one."

"I said the same thing when I was your age." he said with an air of deep nostalgia. "Then I got old."

Amelia laughed. "Oh look who's so adult now! Jeremy, with his cigarettes and reminiscing! My word next thing I know you'll be talking about how this world ain't what it used to be-"

Jeremy tossed out his cigarette and slung her over his shoulder like she as a sack of potatoes. Amelia shrieked and laughed and her brother ran around the house with her before throwing her down onto a couch in the main parlor.

"So, Amelia, tell me everything that's been going on at Hogwarts." he asked, breathless from the effort exerted. So she told him, everything, about Sirius Black, about the Dementors about her trips to Hogsmeade with her friends, about her art classes and her Ancient Studies class where she was learning about the laws of ancient magic. She told her brother about the legends she had read of their family, about Kalishterya and the Harcos wolves, about the prophecy and Akkedis. And when she was done, Amelia looked at his face, it was completely unreadable.

Jeremy stood up walked around the room once, stopped, opened his mouth to speak, shut it then kept walking. He sat down beside her and looked at Amelia. His eyes squinted slightly, like he was trying to read some very small words printed across her forehead.

"That's a lot to take in." he said slowly. "But you've been saying the words still?" she nodded. "Good, that's good. That'll help you in the long run. But there's something you need to think about. You remember reading about Akkedis being the Ruler of Dreams? And you see how you get all these terrible dreams all the time, that's Akkedis. You need to find a way to stop it. Some way of blocking him out." his voice solidified what she had been thinking for some time now. Jeremy spoke in a low voice, so you had to lean in to hear. Maybe it was his way of being closer to people or just some innate charm he possessed.

"How do I do that?" his eyes bore into her, but not in an invasive way, merely in an understanding way. Like he knew all her secrets and just what to do with them.

"I can show you."

A/N So I've been reading some comments about Jeremy, lets have a little discussion here about what you guys think of him, is he good or bad? What are his intentions? Could he be related to Akkedis? Or is he just a genuine brother who loves his little sister and wants to help her? Maybe I'll answer some of your questions too! (As long as it doesn't give too much away!)