Scarlet Darkbloom and the Secret Tower

Chapter 12: A Grandmother's Love

Layla keeps glancing behind us as I pick up the pace, finally seeing what looks to be a trail straight into dense trees. I clear my throat, gesturing at the area. We quickly side step into the woods, Layla ushering me to go faster before someone sees where we had turned off to.

The trees, seemingly of the evergreen type, begin to block the sunlight as we head deeper into the woods. I would almost compare it to the Forbidden Forest but, of course, without any of the magical and dangerous creatures.

We finally seem to arrive at a larger trail, a lot more obvious than the one we had been following, about twenty minutes into our hike. As we stepped onto the main dirt pavement, I felt my hair grow shorter, back to my shoulder, and my witch robes loosen a bit. Looking at Layla, she was back to her normal self with her long, curly black hair.

I smile. "See, we made it just fine," I reassure her, walking slower now that we were on the main drag. "We're not there yet," She reminded me, looking up in the trees for the one Hermione would be waiting in. We keep walking for awhile, the dark green trees becoming thicker before we hear rustling. In one motion, we both have our wands out in front of us. I could practically hear Layla scolding herself for not waiting another week so we would have more time to learn spells. We could see a figure between the trees walking quickly towards us; hooded. I put my wand down. "It's Hermione," I say quietly to Layla. She relaxes as Hermione approaches us, a smile on her face.

"Good, good," She says as she takes the bag from Layla and inspects the contents. "How wonderful, they needed more of this. Come on, now. I'm sure she's excited to see you."

Layla smiled at Hermione and began walking at a much faster pace. Hermione and I, in no time, fell behind.

"The cabin is right up to the right. It's a little run down, but they're fine with it. It's considered a hunting cabin which has never been used because this forest is just completely dry of any sort of living creature." Hermione explained to me as the cabin came into view. As we got closer, I could see what looked like almost was a force field around the main area of the cabin. "Wow," I gasped, watching as Layla slid through the seemingly forcefield like it was a sheet of water.
"Yes," Hermione agreed. "It took a lot of power, that did. Especially for it to recognize an intruder from a welcome visitor. That, of course, involved finding wands for Bellatrix and her sister. How difficult everything is these days for wanted people."

We head through the forcefield, Hermione stopping and pulling out her wand. "You go on ahead, I'm gonna make sure the spells are in their best shape," She told me, waving me on.

I nod and pause at the door, unsure of what I'm about to experience. I take a deep breath and walk inside.

What Hermione said was true - it definitely wasn't fancy. The living area consisted of only one room: one side was the kitchen and dining, and the other was the living room. Mismatched furniture was scattered about the place and the kitchen table seemed to be only held together by magic. There were cracks all through the countertops in the kitchen, and the fridge seemed to not even be working. I shook my head at that thought; why would they even need electricity?

Turning towards the living area, I observed the interactions that were playing out before me. Layla's mother, Bellatrix, looked much different than what I had expected. Her hair was put back in a long, thick braid; her hair reaching almost past her lower back with a few of her signature curls escaping to frame her face. She was dressed in a white day gown that seemed to have faded through generations. Her and Layla were in the corner, talking quietly but animatedly, so close together as if afraid someone would try to wrench them apart.

To the right, sitting in one of the patched chairs in front of the fair, was a small and frail woman. Her pale blond hair hung loosely around her face as she stared at the fire, looking as if she was in another world. This woman was dressed in what looked like to be green floor length robes that practically hung off her small frame.