{ these blurred lines } A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Three Letters

My brother and cousin run faster than me. I yell for them to wait for me. My breathing turns ragged. I start to scream for them to stop because I can't seem to find enough air to breath. I tumble to the ground, scraping my knees hard against the unforgiving marble flooring of the manor. I feel strangled beneath fear's heavy coils as the lack of air starts to weaken me. Torsten screams for Scorpius to get my mother. The word starts to fade in and out of focus as my ability to breath leaves me. The world fades to black as my body goes limp.

A bright light shines through my closed eyelids. I slowly crack open one eye. I open the other after a moment's hesitation. I am in my mother's bed with swathes of quilts piled up over me. The room is surprisingly well lit. Before, when I would sneak in here to get Mum if Tilly was ill, it was cast into deep shadows. Yet now the drapes were thrown open and bright shafts of light pooled on the carpeted floor. Heavy green and silver silks cover the walls. A canopy of thick black cloth hangs over the extremely large bed. I sit upright and start peeling back the many layers smothering me. It's the middle of summer, for crying out loud! I'll roast alive under all these blankets. Mother came in at that moment, a servant trailing her with a tray. 

Mother's stern eyes harden with disapproval. "Get back in bed this instant, Takara. You are not well." She sets the tray down hard on the bedside table. 

I bow my head submissively and say, "Yes, Mother." I pull the quilts up to my chin and lay back on the pillows piled up around me. Sweat beads on my brow.

Mother unstops an unlabeled bottle that smells foul. I wrinkle my nose at the stench. Mother frowns. The lines around her face deepen as she does so. "You will take this. It will help with your asthma problems." Cold as ever. I force back down a sigh. "You always were a problematic child." I catch the harsh whisper and squeeze my eyes shut. She says it as if I caused the asthma attack to happen. As if it's my fault.

"But Mummy-" She holds up her hand in exasperation. 

She whirls on me. "No excuses! You know the rules, Takara. And what have I told you of calling me that name?" She holds out a spoon full of a vile black liquid. I gulp nervously. I open my mouth and the dark liquid is shoved down my throat. I have to force myself not to gag at the horrible taste. If I do, I will be forced to have another dose. The fumes make my eyes water. The pungent medicine wriggles in my mouth as if its alive and when I bite down on it to make it stop, it turns to tar in my mouth and stops moving. I cough and sputter as I choke down the potion. My teeth are stained black. Mother nods approvingly. 

"Good. Now go play with your brother and Scorpius."She makes shooing motions with her wand hand. "Go."

I throw off the stifling covers and run from the room. Tears threaten but I shove them away savagely. Mother always thinks Tallen and I are the problem. Ever since the accident when we were seven, she and Father have blamed us for everything. Maybe they blame us for what happened before we were born and the events with the downfall of Auntie Bella... 

I run into the study in a flurry of anger and suppressed rage. Scorpius looks up from his book, surprised by my entrance. Tallen rushes over to my side and crushes me in a hug. I muffle a scream in his shoulder.

After a few tense moments, he lets me go. I walk over and collapse into a plush green sofa. "Does Aunt Astoria treat you the way our mother does, Scorpius?"

Scorpius frowns. "No, she treats me well. I don't get to be with her much these days. She's still very sick. I spend it mostly with my Dad in the manor." He sighed. "I wish you guys could come and live with me. It would be much better than living here in this dusty old mansion. Our manor has plenty of room for you two." I smile at the thought of leaving this place and at the look in Scorpius's unfocused gaze as he thought of his mother. "My mother always wanted more children. I'm sure my father would be alright with it."

Tallen scowls at the floor. "Our Mother would never let us go. Even if Uncle Draco pleaded and fought with Mother, we couldn't go. She hates us too much to let us out of her sight." The hatred is clear as day in his voice. Neither of us had ever forgiven our Mother for what she blamed us for though it was Father's fault.

We sit in stiff silence for a few minutes. An owl screeches at the door. The sound of wings beating against the glass shakes me from my daze. I stand up lazily and make my way down the steep stairs to the kitchen. Tallen and Scorpius lag behind, trading tight smiles and light punches. I roll my eyes at their antics. Boys.

My hand scrapes against the rough walls of the stairway. Smooth oak paneling melds into crudely cut stone walls as we descend lower. The kitchen is dark but well stocked. A large, homely furnace roars in the corner. Our ancient house elf, Crump, toddles around the kitchen in his customary rags. His face brightens when he sees us unlatching the heavy oak door. "Mistress Kara! Master Tallen!" He bows so low to the ground that his nose almost touches the black tile floors. "To what do I owe this visit?"

Tallen's normal scowl disappears at the sight of the friendly house elf. "We heard an owl from upstairs in the study. Did you get the mail from it?"

Crump reaches up for a tray bearing three embossed letters. "They are addressed to you, Master, and to you, Mistress. The third one is for you, Young Malfoy."

"Who are the letters from?" Torsten asks curiously. We rarely get post, especially addressed to us. 

Scorpius's eyes bulge. "It's our Hogwarts letters! They came!" A shock jolted down my spine.

"W-what?" My voice betrays me. It wavers weakly as it is buried by the loud cries of delight from the others in the kitchen. Mother had seethed for weeks before and after our eleventh birthdays that we were too awful of children to be allowed into Hogwarts. She had nearly beaten Tallen to death when he argued that they had more than enough to afford the tuition and supplies and that nothing was stopping us from going.

Tallen handles his letter like it might explode. His mouth moves but no sound comes out.

Crump delicately hands me my letter. Of all our household staff, he alone knew the extent of our Mother's punishments. He was also the only creature trusted to help us recover from our punishments. 

I hold the letter gingerly. I actually got a letter? From Hogwarts? I run my fingers over the red wax seal and crest emblazoned upon the front. I glance up at Tallen and Scorpius. Tallen had torn open the letter and was already scanning its contents with greedy eyes. Scorpius was more cautious. He had left the seal intact as he opened is.

His dark eyes flick up to meet mine. He must have seen the fear in my eyes because he smiles faintly. He squeezes my shoulder lightly. "It will be okay, Kara. She can't forbid you from going now that you have your letter."

I bite my lip and nod. I didn't fear the letter its self. I feared what my Mother would do to me if she knew I had the letter. 

When I looked away from my cousin, I saw Tallen's face, red with emotion. His eyes shine brightly as he looks up from his letter. "We can do it, Kara. We can leave this place at last! No more torture. No more sweeping us under the rug like we don't exist. We don't have to face Mother's punishments every day for coughing at breakfast or for slipping up on an arithmetic problem with our tutors." His chocolate eyes pained me to look at. The ache I had so long pushed aside returned in full. 

My hands were shaking as I peel the envelope open. "Tallen..." I could barely read the words written upon the parchment for the tears that leaked through. "We do this alone. Us three." 

The words clearly went over Scorpius's head and he smiled anyways. I meant him, but there was also the one who we never spoke of. The one we had lost who would come with us. Tallen's face became stoney and impenetrable once more. 

"Always."