Obliviate | JSE

Fourteen- A New Ally

Seán's POV
For a while, all three of us ran in silence, although my mind wasn't silent. So many thoughts zoomed in and out about Newt and why he would do this to us... to me. Something didn't add up but he confessed clear as day, "I didn't want to be part of your scheme with keeping the Muggle alive knowing all of our secrets."

I was skeptical about this person guiding us. It was risky trusting a total stranger but he did save us after all. I only caught a brief glimpse of his face but I thought I recognised him somewhere before, I just couldn't put my finger on where.

We eventually stopped running and entered this spacious cave in the woods. It wasn't any average cave, this cave looked like a home; black and white photographs hung on the rock walls, sheepskin blankets lie in the corner and a pile of logs in the centre of the cave sit there just waiting to be lit. Herbs and small brown bottles sit in another corner, along with a pestle and mortar and other equipment.

The strange man knelt by the logs in the centre of the room and hovered his hands just above them. His eyes flashed gold again and a roaring fire soon started. I was glad to be within the comfort of the heat. No one had said anything yet and Y/N gave me the occasional look as though to say "now what?".

"Don't you use a wand?" Y/N asks Mark, just to break the awkward silence.

"Never needed one." Mark replies, avoiding eye contact with us. "Unlike most wizards who learn the magic skill and equip a wand when they come of age, I was born with it. Never quite understood why." He glanced up at Y/N. "My family are Muggles."

"Oh right." Y/N responds quietly, nodding her head a little.

I peered closer at the photos hanging on the wall and one caught my eye immediately. It was a family photo; a mother, a father, their younger daughter and their adult sons, one of the sons looking like the man with us. I looked closer and recognised the other son immediately. Tom Fischbach, auror at the Ministry who sadly passed away three years ago. It was such a shame but no one quite knew how it happened. I spoke to him nearly everyday in the mornings, until he stopped coming into work and I heard the awful news. Suddenly, I had an epiphany.

"You're Mark, aren't you? Mark Fischbach, the missing physician?" I finally say after another torturing silence. I remembered where I had seen him from; on missing posters around town. He was reported missing soon after his brother died. Is this where he's been this whole time?

The man reluctantly looked up but only glanced at me before shooting his eyes back to the flames. "Yes, I am."

"How rude of us, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Seán and this is my wife, Y/N."

"I know who you are." Mark replies quietly, unsmiling. His deep voice making it seem like he was grumbling.

"You do?"

"You're practically infamous." He shrugs.

I turn to look at Y/N and she turns to look at me. "Shit."
———
"I knew your brother." I start up a conversation as we sat by the fire, eating whatever Mark could find on his hunt earlier. The light was beginning to fade outside and hoots of owls and sounds of bats' wings could be heard, the sound I've become all too familiar with.

"You knew Tom?" Mark immediately looked up at me, like a dog sensing a squirrel.

"Auror at the Ministry? We spoke quite a lot. I remember him telling me about his 'physician younger brother'". I say.

"Hmph. That didn't last for long." Mark grumbled.

"How come?" Y/N chipped in as she put her food to one side. She had barely touched it but I didn't blame her. I've begun to lose my appetite after today's ordeal. Or maybe it's the dodgy food.