Poison Ivy | T. Riddle ✔

[30] Sinister

Careless laughter drifted through the air as young Lucius and Eridanus played in the backyard. Both their mothers were sitting close by, keeping a careful watch on them. Lucius had taken out his Quidditch broom set and was whizzing around the yard at a safe height while Eridanus was slowly following him, crawling on all fours.

"Catch me, Danny, catch me if you can," Lucius whizzed past real close to the child who reached out to grab his shirt but toppled over as the broom flew out of reach. Demelza got up immediately in order to see if he was alright, but before she could reach him he had settled himself back on all fours, crawling towards Lucius with as much resolution as before.

"He has some fine qualities, Demi. I haven't seen such a strong resolution in children his age before," Aquila remarked, observing the determination with which the two year old was following her son around, not stopping until he managed to successfully grab a handful of Lucius's shirt in his hands, toppling him off his broom.

"Eridanus has many qualities that are quite unusual as compared to other children of his age," Demelza replied in a muted voice as if she had not intended to say that out loud.

The boys had resumed playing, that once Lucius was giving him tips on how to fly a broom while he was simply poking him with the broomstick every now and then to which Lucius would make a funny face and both would burst into fits of laughter.

Or rather Lucius would burst into laughter while he would simply watch with a ghost of a smile on his face.

"What do you mean unusual qualities?" Aquila turned to face her, slightly alarmed at her remark.

Demelza shook her head, recalling all the times she had compared her son to other toddlers and observed a striking difference. Sometimes, she would find herself thinking that maybe her son wasn't normal, maybe there was something seriously wrong with him. His behavior was at times quite sinister. 

"Demelza? I asked you a question," she was eyeing her keenly, eager to figure out what was bothering her.

She sighed, "I don't know. Maybe I'm just overthinking a lot."

"At least tell me what's bothering you," she spoke gently, resting her hand on hers in an act of comfort.

"Well... I can't help but notice that Eridanus isn't like other kids. He is somewhat different. Unusual," it seemed as if she was struggling to find the right words, "he is such a wonderful child, so much more than I deserved and expected but... But sometimes, I feel as if he is not normal."

Aquila listened to her silently, encouraging her to continue. But deep down she knew where the conversation was heading. Abraxas had already warned her of it yet she had chosen not to bother her cousin. She had chosen to withheld such important information from her regarding her son but now it seemed as if Demelza was finding out about it herself.

"I don't really know, Aquila, but he has these very distinct habits which are quite unusual. I have tried to convince myself most of the times that it's just a suspicion but now I'm not so certain. Eridanus is very... Very silent. I mean... He doesn't cry, he doesn't laugh, he doesn't do anything which causes a lot of noise. He is always very self conscious too," Demelza had dropped her head in her hands, "you're probably thinking that I'm going mad."

Aquila wrapped her arms around her in a soothing embrace, "of course not, Demi, you're not going mad."

She shook her head, uncertainty visible in her brown eyes, "even Mother thinks that he is a lot different. She used to tell me that little children cry a lot but I seriously don't remember a single time he has ever cried. It's a relief that he doesn't bother me as much as other children do, he is always so quiet and content. But the fact that he is like that is bothering me enough. And even now, you can see how Lucius is having such a great time. He's laughing and being happy while my son... Eridanus just never laughs."

Aquila glanced at the two children and she understood what Demelza was trying to say instantly. While Lucius was expressive and enthusiastic, Eridanus though he was merely a two year old was quite reclusive, not letting out any emotion other than an almost undetectable serene smile.

She recalled what Abraxas had told her regarding the child, just a few days after he was born. "The Dark Lord is not a human anymore, Aquila. He has made horcruxes, he misses a huge part of his soul. And if what you say about Eridanus being his heir is true, then the child won't be human either."

The words sent a shiver down her spine. How could the perfect little boy playing with Lucius not be human? But then even Demelza was right in her suspicions. Eridanus was truly a wonderful child but still he was much more sinister than kids of his age.

"Maybe... Maybe he inherited that sort of behavior from his father?" she suggested, taking care to be subtle about it and not directly point it out since she was well aware of how Demelza felt about Tom.

Demelza looked up, "maybe. I don't know what Tom was like before he worked at Uncle's shop. But to me he had always been so charming. He was not entirely emotionless as Eridanus is sometimes, I'm afraid. He used to laugh and crack jokes, narrating funny events from his school days. He felt sorrow too and concern. He was especially concerned about Perseus. They were good friends."

At mentioning Perseus, her features contorted with pain ad longing. It had been years since she had last seen him and she had no idea whether he was even alive or not. Whenever she thought of him intensely, all she could feel was as if he was in extreme pain and trapped somewhere with no chance of escape.

Aquila on the other hand was pondering on her words, gently rubbing her back to soothe her. She was quite aware that Tom had always shown her cousin a completely different side to him; he had always concealed the true shades of his personality from Demelza, the reason for which was still unknown. Either he wanted to trick her into believing that he was a genuinely decent person or he was just afraid that she would not accept him if she knew all about him.

"When was the last time you contacted him? Does he even know anything about his son?"

Demelza titled her head to the side as if estimating how long it had been, "I last saw him when he had come to the manor. But he does know about his son. I had once written a letter to him, not long after Eridanus was born, in order to tell him about our son. I hadn't expected he would receive it since I wasn't sure where exactly to send that letter; he had never told me anything about his address. But he did receive the letter. And I got a reply back from him too."

Aquila had not expected that as well, "what did he say?"

"Nothing," pain crossed her words as she spoke, "just the same old excuses. He said he was too busy, he was sorry to not come and see me, he was sorry to not take our responsibility. Just too many useless apologies." There was a rise in her tone as if she was angered by the whole prospect.

"Do you not believe him?"

"Honestly? I don't know what to do. He used to care about me. He... He used to love me. Or at least I think... I've been so stupid, haven't I? This... This affair we had had was a mistake, the feelings we had for each other was a mistake but I vowed never once to think that Eridanus is a mistake too. My sweet child... My son... He's not a mistake. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me."

She grew silent all of a sudden, eyes welling up with tears and sorrow tearing her up from the inside.

"And even if he is...," she resumed in a low shaky voice, "even if he is a mistake, still what can I do? What choice do I have? Tom left me to face everything on my own and the best I can do is to get through with this."

Aquila gently squeezed her hand in attempt to reassure her, "you will get through this. I know you will."

***