Etched, Engraved, Everlasting (a Hogwarts Mystery Year 6 Retell)

14 - Em

Oh, Merlin. Here we went again.

I didn't imagine myself ending up in what may be the stinkiest and messiest room at Hogwarts, with the last person on earth that I would willingly talk to. Standing a good few feet away from her now, my gaze directed at my feet to avoid her piercing glare, I wished I had turned down her invitation to talk with her after the quick flying practice session with Angelina and Alicia. At least they were much nicer and proved decent company. Now I felt like I was going to become a meal.

"Will you please stop staring at your shoes?" Beatrice growled. "I have a good reason to talk to you, so you might as well show some respect."

"I have a name, you know," I responded quietly, tearing my gaze from the floor to look up at her.

"Yeah. And I don't have any patience."

She casually stuck her hands in her pockets, leaning against the cabinet doors. I figured I had about one minute before she took out her wand and did me in for good.

"So why did you drag me in here?" I asked her. "I assume you have something good to tell me."

"That, I do, so you better listen carefully," Beatrice responded, a hint of venom in her hiss. "I want you to tell Clara and Penny to stay away from me, and keep at it this time until they agree."

Ah, of course. She just wanted to make herself clear, which to me was very baffling. I didn't understand where her hatred for my sister suddenly came from, let alone her hatred for her own sister. Why would she try to push them away when they were only trying to reach out to her after all that happened? What even triggered her to undergo this dark transformation? And why would she want to bottle up her thoughts and emotions after witnessing the start of the new curse? It had to be so traumatizing that I'd tell anyone about it, even my own sister.

For someone who had been directly affected by the last curse, this was not what I had expected.

"I take it Penny's still trying to reach out to you, then," I said, an eyebrow raised.

Beatrice nodded. "It was annoying at first--but since I found the petrified student, her smothering has become unbearable. I've been hiding in here just to get away from her."

"I could imagine. If I were in your shoes, I'd experience the same thing," I told her quietly, tucking my hand in my pocket for my wand in case she did anything. "But that doesn't give you the option to run away from these problems."

"I don't have a problem, don't you see? I am not a mini Penny! I'm Beatrice and this--this is what I am! This is who I am!" Beatrice insisted, gesturing to herself.

"Oh? What about the fact that you were directly afflicted by the Portrait Curse?" I asked her. "Anyone who had gone through that level of trauma would want more help and guidance, to steer clear of what once had been. I helped Clara last summer overcome her obstacles--"

"But that gives her and Penny no right to go about and assume I have issues!" Beatrice interrupted. "I thought you were her sister, aren't you? You should know better than to assume that Clara would get the message right from the get go!"

"Look, I wasn't there when you and Clara saw the statue," I said, heaving a heavy sigh. "I can't say I know exactly what's happening. But I do know that when a problem arises and a memory hits, you need to talk to someone. Clara and Penny were just trying to help you--you're not alone, alright?"

"Oh, I don't need you to tell me that I'm not alone. I've got good company with Ismelda, too," Beatrice retorted. "And they were wrong to tell me I would be safe! They were wrong to tell me Hogwarts is safe! All they've said was nothing but rubbish! If not for them, I would have probably been more prepared for this kind of danger to arise! And just so you know," she added, marching up to me in three strides and grabbing the collar of my robes, "I don't want to talk to anyone about this, not even Penny, so--"