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— since some of y'all lack comprehension skills ❤️: if the banner at the top of a chapter says "DRACO," it's in draco's POV. if the banner at the top of a chapter says "CELESTE," it's in celeste's POV. the date below the name is the date the chapter takes place in, whether that's the entire chapter or part of the chapter. —
I peer out from behind the wall down to the foyer where my father has just come home with a slam of the door holding a brown paper bag in his hand. As soon as she heard the door shut, my mother hurried over.
"Well?" I hear her ask in a hushed voice.
"Where's Celeste?" Father murmurs, rummaging through the bag.
"She just went to sleep."
"Knockturn Alley is terrifying at night," Father whispers. The two of them stare at each other for a few seconds before laughing softly, a smile breaking his face and making his scars bend. He then pulls something out of the bag that makes me squint to see it clearer.
It's a small, thin vial with a cork top. It's half filled with the strangest substance I've ever seen. It looks neither liquid nor gaseous, a greyish black substance that sways slightly in its container despite how still Father holds in. And then I hear it—the whispers, the hushed noises that no doubt come directly from whatever is in that bottle, making me lean closer and nearly completely reveal myself from behind the wall. It's the strangest feeling, like there's someone in that tiny little vial murmuring softly, coaxing me to come to them, and the harder I concentrate on hearing it, the louder it gets.
Mother plucks the vial from his hand, and the second she speaks, the whispering goes away.
"It's lighter," she says, and then frowns. "Well, I think it is—it's hard to tell. Looks like there's less, though. Does that mean..?"
"That it worked?" Father sighs softly, opening the bag back up for her to gently place it back in. "It's in there. Soren managed to put it in, somehow, but whether it'll work..."
Mother turns her chin up slightly, her steely dark eyes looking beyond conflicted as she stares unflinchingly at my father's scarred face. "I still don't agree with this," she says coolly. "I really doubt it's our only option."
"It's a failsafe, Corinne," he responds calmly, twisting the top of the bag. "I doubt it'll ever be necessary. I'm gonna go wish Celeste a good night. Are you coming?"
I freeze before quickly ducking back behind the wall.
"Let me get a water first."
Quickly and as quietly as possible, I race down the long halls until I reach my room, shutting the lights off and crawling under my covers. I've brushed and I've already changed into pajamas—the only reason I heard that conversation was because I was going downstairs to get a drink of water.
