Chapter Text
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Colibri * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
It didn’t feel real.
She was gone.
My mother was dead.
I traced the intricate patterns on the metal music box in my hand, turning the small crank in the back once more to restart the melody. Soft pings and plips reverberated in my dark bedroom, the tines of the box playing quietly as the machinery inside produced the sound.
Each tiny note, metal on metal, echoed in my brain and I took a shaky breath.
My fingertips circled the crystal hummingbird that was the centrepiece of the whole box as it spun on its mechanics. The tropical flowers that surrounded it caught the gentle rays of the afternoon sun as they filtered in through my window.
Tears flowed from my eyes then, finally spilling over my cheeks and I brushed them away with the back of my hand just as the door to the bedroom pressed open.
“Colibri?” Sebastian’s soft timbre filled the darkened room and I shuddered back a sob. “Darling, are you alright?”
I took another shaky breath and clutched the music box to my chest tightly. It was the last thing I had to remind myself of my parents. It was my last tether to my father. The last glimmer of the mother who loved me. The last link I had to remind myself of where I came from. My history.
“No,” I whispered. “It just… It doesn’t feel real, you know?” He nodded and slipped further into our bedroom before sitting beside me on the plush mattress. “And it hurts so fucking much.”
“I know.”
A few tears fell over my cheeks and I brushed them away. The effort was futile though, because another onslaught followed afterwards, and then another, and another, and another. I felt Sebastian’s fingers come up to trace my jawline, his thumbs running down the tracks my tears left behind, helping me free myself from the water. “When she was alive, even though we were estranged, there was always that chance that one day she’d realise… We could have made up. We could have been happy again… But now… I said some horrible things to her, Sebastian. I told her to go back to Paris and die… I didn’t mean it. I really didn’t mean to say that to her. I didn’t actually want her to die.”
Everything I’d said back in Diagon was all in the heat of the moment. There was an underlying truth to the words, but not to the extent I uttered them. I didn’t want her to die. How could I wish that on my own flesh and blood?
“Oh, Colibri,” Sebastian cooed softly, pressing forward and taking me in his arms, leaving gentle, understanding kisses on my hairline. “I know. I know, love.”
“It just hurts so much.”
My heart was in pieces. I had no idea how I’d ever put it back together again.
“Hummingbird,” he whispered and I sobbed, tucking my face into his shoulder. “It’ll be okay. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But one day, it’ll stop hurting so much.”
I didn’t see how. How could I go the rest of my life knowing the last words I said to her was a wish for her death? That she’d probably been alone and scared in London, no friends, no family, and then she saw me, standing there, and wanted me to come home with her. I could have gone. At least for the summer. I could have figured something out. I didn’t need to abandon her.
“I can see why she turned to alcohol after my father died,” I whispered. If I had any Firewhisky, I’d be shooting back the bottle like it was water right now, if for no other reason to stop hurting. “If this is how it felt–”
“Don’t,” Sebastian said, his voice stern and hard. “You made me promise not to touch the stuff after the last couple of times, so now I’m making you promise me the exact same thing.” His hand came below my jaw and tilted my face up so that he could look me in the eyes. Those beautiful sparkling brown eyes, like hot chocolate on a frigid winter’s day. “Colibri, alcohol may numb the pain temporarily, but please take it from someone who has been there. It doesn’t help. Sure, it makes you not feel things, but once the alcohol wears off, you feel worse for a much longer time. Getting through the grieving process is hard, but we’re all here to help you. Promise me. Promise me you won’t go down that path too.”
I nodded. He had been there. He’d turned to alcohol the previous summer, and it nearly destroyed him. And then again in January after we’d broken up, and it nearly had the both of us killed. I had to be stronger than this. “I promise,” I whispered, blinking back the tears, my muscles achy from sitting in the same position for several hours. He pulled me closer to him and I longed to reach out, to grab him, to hold him closer to me.
And just as my mind fogged over with the wants, my hands complied, and it took half a second, and horrible reflexes to realise, I’d let my most prized possession fall from my grip.
I watched, almost as if in slow-motion, as my music box fell, and slammed against the ground. It wasn’t a large fall, but it was at just the right angle, just the right momentum, just the right spot, that the old box splintered, glass and crystal and metal bits exploding from the impact.
“NO!” I cried, and time returned to normal. I yanked myself away from Sebastian’s arms, throwing myself to the floor, amidst the pieces, and scrambled to pick up every shard of glass, splinter of wood, coil of metal with my hands, not caring that my skin was coming away red.
“Colibri!”
Sebastian’s voice was coming from the other side of the world. From the bottom of the ocean. From the furthest star in the universe. I couldn’t hear him. I couldn’t see him. All I could focus on was the tiny broken pieces doing their best to escape my grasp.
“No!” I cried again, the tears rushing down my face anew, and I sobbed, brushing them away frantically, the feelings of warm blood coating the cool tracks.
Suddenly, two hands grabbed my wrists, stopping my movements. “Colibri, stop!” Sebastian scolded, and I blinked, all feeling finally coming back to me. “You’re hurting yourself! Look at me!” But how could I? How could I fall into his gaze, knowing my tether to my parents was lying in shambles on the floor? How could I look at the man I loved, knowing my past was broken? “Damn it, Colibri, look at me !” My eyes found his, and I shuddered, choking on a half-gasp half-sob. He looked scared. No… Terrified. Like he was adrift in the sea with nothing to help him. Like how I’d felt. “We can repair it,” he breathed, and I felt my head nod. “We can repair it, love.”
Repair it? We could repair my past, broken and splintered? We couldn’t bring the dead back to life. We couldn’t stop the Rebellion from killing my mother. We couldn’t stop my father from getting murdered. How the hell was I supposed to function anymore?
I was an orphan.
Seventeen years old, and I was an orphan.
“They’re gone… They’re gone, Sebastian. My mother… My father… They’re gone. I’ll never see them again! I’ll never…”
The sobs were shaking my body, and I felt Sebastian’s hands drop my wrists, only to wrap around my shoulders once more, crushing me to his chest.
“I know,” he whispered. “Believe me, love, of all the people in the world, I know…”
He did know. He’d been orphaned himself, at a much younger age. He’d lost his parents in a gas lamp incident. He’d gone through a similar experience. I sobbed again, my voice echoing my heartbreak, both for myself, and now for Anne and Sebastian.
“Hey… Please stop.”
I had to focus on one thing at a time. I couldn’t drown in my sorrows. I needed to focus.
“My music box…”
Sebastian pulled away from me, but didn’t go far, our noses brushing softly against each other’s. “We can repair it,” he whispered, cupping my jaw once more, his thumbs tracing the tears, smoothing the blood trails away. “We have magic, remember? A simple Reparo spell and everything will put itself right back to where it’s supposed to go.”
Oh.
Right.
Magic.
I nodded and he followed suit, pulling away, his hands slipping to my shoulders, then my biceps, my forearms, my wrists, and finally cupping my hands gently.
“Fucking hell, Hummingbird… You really did a number on your hands. Don’t move, okay? I’ll go grab some Dittany.”
I was vaguely aware of him rising to his feet and disappearing into our bathroom. A few seconds later, I heard him rummaging around, possibly looking beneath the cabinet for the stock of dittany leaves we kept there.
But something else caught my eye. Something silver. And about the length of my forefinger. Two intricate prongs on the end, and a head with a hummingbird embossed in the metal.
A key.
“What’s this?” I asked myself, leaning forward and pulling the key from the floor.
Sebastian returned, taking his place on the floor next to me again, a small jar of dittany leaves, as well as a bit of cotton, a pair of tweezers, and some antiseptic oil in his hands, which he set beside him. “Okay, let me see– What do you have there?”
“There was a key that fell out of the music box… I’ve never seen it before,” I answered and looked up at him. His brows were knit together in concern and he frowned heavily.
“Doesn’t that go with the box?”
I shook my head. “No. The one that creates music is much smaller.”
He hummed in dissatisfaction and grabbed the key from my fingertips, setting it aside. “We’ll worry about this later. For now, let me see your hands.” I held my hands out to him, palm side up and watched as he winced heavily before casting my gaze down onto them myself. Large welts littered my palms and my fingertips, blood conjealing and drying around slits, but there were still a few tiny pieces of silvery glass stuck in there. He made a clicking sound in his jaw and sighed deeply. “Fuck… Some of these are pretty deep, love.”
The pain of my broken heart was slowly being replaced by the pain in my hands. In my anguish, I couldn’t tell where I was hurting, but now that I was looking at the broken and bloody skin, I could feel the ripples of pain. “Do you think I need to go to St. Mungo’s?” I asked.
“No,” he replied with a shake of his head, before grabbing the tweezers. Carefully, he used them to pick out the largest shards of glass and crystal, depositing them into a small dish I hadn’t noticed before. “They’re deep, but not to the point where I can’t take care of you. You do , however, need to be more careful! Both with your things and your body.” He looked up at me and smirked softly. “I’m honestly a little surprised that it’s never broken before in the past. You do tend to be a little clumsy.”
I glared at him, pouting a bit. “Not funny, Sebastian.”
He shrugged and smiled kindly. “Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood.” He was silent then, poking at my hands with the tweezers, pulling the remaining shards of glass from my flesh. A couple of minutes later, he’d emptied the antiseptic oil into the cotton and dabbed at the cuts, blowing cool air whenever I winced, and finished off with a couple of sprigs of dittany, which instantly healed and sealed the cuts. “There. All done.”
I flexed my fingers and looked up into his eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that were filled with so much love and concern. I needed to stop scaring him. There really was no benefit to making him worry.
“Thank you,” I whispered, pressing forward so that our foreheads bumped.
“You’re welcome.” He sighed deeply and stood, grabbing my wrists as he did, to pull me to my own feet. A frustrated hum later, and he’d pulled his wand from the back of his trousers, giving it a quick wave about the room. “Reparo!” The glass, crystal, wood, and metal all flew together, weaving and bending until my music box sat atop the floor once again, only this time in perfect condition. He tucked his wand away and gave me the most adorably lop-sided grin. “Good as new. You okay?”
Was I?
I shook my head, my lips pressing together tightly to stop myself from sobbing my eyes out once more. “No. I’m really not.”
“I wish I could take your pain away.”
That seemed to be the general theme revolving around us. Pain and heartache and desperation to take that pain away. First with Sebastian seeking a cure for Anne, then me wanting to heal his broken heart, and now again with him wanting to comfort and console me.
I stepped forward, and let my arms settle around his hips. He may not have been able to take the pain away, but just being near him was helping keep me calm.
“Just stay by my side,” I whispered, inhaling the wonderful campfire scent that I associated with him. “That’s all I want.”
“Colibri! Sebastian!” Ominis’s voice permeated our little bond, and I sighed at the small intrusion. “Ronen’s here!”
Sebastian smiled warmly and he pressed into me, leaving a gentle kiss between my eyebrows. “Come on, love. You can do this.”
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Sebastian * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
I’d never been more terrified in my life.
Watching the woman I loved break down like that, grabbing broken shards of glass, shattered bits of crystal, her hands coming away bright crimson, trails of that blood transfering to her cheeks and beneath her eyes as she tried furiously to wipe her tears away.
Scared was undercutting my fear. Terror was trivialising it.
Seeing her hurting herself without a single concern about doing so… She may not have intended to have sliced her hands up, but she was clearly so far gone that she didn’t even recognise the pain. That was what scared me. That I’d lost the firecracker I’d fallen in love with. Lost her for good. So when she allowed me to clean her cuts, didn’t push me away when I tried to break the tension, let me kiss her… Finally, my heart stopped drumming an anthem in my chest.
Slowly, we walked down the stairs, and only when we hit the first floor landing did the tears start back up again. I watched, my heart breaking, as she sniffled loudly and rushed into Professor Ronen’s open arms, weeping into the front of his robes.
“Oh, sweet girl…” He cooed softly, smoothing her hair back.
“Hi, Uncle Abraham,” she finally managed to sniffle out.
“Hi. This just hasn’t been your summer, has it?”
Her summer. Her year. Her fucking lifetime.
To lose one parent was always hard enough. But Colibri had lost both, as well as Professor Fig, who acted in place of her parents when he was still alive… The poor girl needed a serious mental health holiday. A relaxing beach on a tropical island sounded wonderful right about now. But we’d need to take care of the Rebellion first. Take down the monster, holiday later.
“Are you packed?” Ronen asked, turning toward me and I nodded.
“Yes, sir. We’re all ready to go.”
“Go?” Colibri questioned, pulling away from the older man. “Where are we going?”
“Paris, of course,” Anne said quietly, and I jumped. I hadn’t been paying attention, and completely missed my sister and brother-in-law sitting on the couch, their hands clasped between them, concerned looks on their faces.
“Your mother,” Ronen said, his mouth twisting in a distasteful way, as if even mentioning Colibri’s mum put him in a sour mood. “As unpleasant as that woman was, deserves a proper funeral. Plus, there’s the matter of your father’s estate and property. You have a meeting in a few hours with his lawyer.”
“And you need to say a proper goodbye,” I interjected, watching as Colibri tensed at the mention of dealing with yet another lawyer this summer. “You didn’t for Professor Fig until just this year, and we could all tell how much that hurt you, and Fig wasn’t even family !” She huffed softly and her jaw tensed. “At least say goodbye.”
She seemed to consider the alternative and nodded. “How are we getting to Paris?”
Ronen pulled from her, and dug through his satchel, before producing an old shoe that looked as if a dog had been using it as a chew toy for the past thirty years. The thing stank of mildew and musk and looked almost as if it were on its last legs. “Portkey.”
Ominis groaned loudly and I watched just in time as his hand pulled from Anne’s and settled against his stomach, almost as if he were going to be sick. “Really?”
“What’s wrong with a portkey?” I asked, curious about his reaction to the shoe. Sure, it was disgusting, but it was a lot easier than trying to Apparate five people, two of which couldn’t even do it, and one who only attempted the act in dire need of emergency. And we couldn’t exactly fly to Paris. I mean, it was possible, if I’d take Ominis on my broom and Colibri took Anne, and Ronen could meet us in Paris, but that was a long journey. And there was no way we’d make it to her meeting if we traveled by coach or train.
“Nothing’s wrong with it, if you enjoy feeling sick to your stomach afterwards.”
Ronen chuckled softly and gave Ominis a sympathetic look, like the two of them shared some kind of secret that I was just not privy to. “This one was approved by the Ministry, so it shouldn’t have that effect.” Ominis nodded gruffly and crossed his arms over his chest, his mouth puckered in annoyance. The shoe started to glow a soft pearly gold and Ronen immediately set it down on the table before grabbing Anne and Ominis’s bags. I reached around him and quickly gathered up the one Colibri and I were sharing, shouldering it and securing it as best as possible. “Ready?”
Colibri took a deep breath, brushed her eyes free of the tears once again and nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
And the five of us reached out simultaneously and touched the shoe just as it burst into gold. And with a pull behind my navel, we were whisked through space.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Colibri * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Sebastian, my uncle, and I stood outside a small building tucked away into the line of shops, several names etched in gold on the window facade. After we’d arrived in Paris, we quickly dropped off our bags at the inn, and while Ominis and Anne had elected to stay behind, the rest of us decided to go ahead and head over to the lawyer’s office since it was nearing our appointment time.
Honestly, if I never saw another lawyer, it would be too soon. But this couldn’t be helped.
“Would you like me to escort you in?” Abraham asked, his hand settled on my shoulder, and he squeezed it gently. The heavy presence helped, but I needed to do this without him. Besides, he may have been my godfather, but I was concerned that the Muggle courts wouldn’t recognise that bond, and if I had to explain things in a Muggle setting as well as listen to the person in charge of my father’s estate…
“No. Thank you, though,” I replied, giving him a tired smile. I just wanted to sleep. I wanted this whole nightmare to be over. “Sebastian and I will be fine on our own.”
Thank Merlin at the very least Sebastian was beside me.
“Very well,” Abraham said warmly. “I’ll be back at the hotel making sure Anne and Ominis are settled. When you two are done, don’t linger. We don’t know where the Rebellion is located, and the last thing we need is for you two to be caught out in Muggle Paris with no way of protecting yourselves.”
Right… The Rebellion’s last known location was in Paris. My home. And they were searching for me. Admittedly, being anywhere near my city was a huge risk for everyone involved, but I had to take care of things. Constantly looking over my shoulder wasn’t something I had been planning to do this summer.
“Thanks, Abraham,” I muttered. “We won’t be long.”
He nodded and stepped into the shadows, a soft pop of his Disapparation echoing through my ears.
“Come on. You can do this,” Sebastian said, slipping his hand into mine and giving it a gentle squeeze.
I nodded, and together we stepped through the door, a little bell ringing above our heads as we entered. A plump woman who was sitting behind a desk looked up at us as we entered, her thick lensed glasses reflecting in the lamplight. She gave us a kind smile and adjusted her posture so that she was sitting straighter in her chair.
“Bonjour,” she greeted, her voice slightly squeaky, almost like a little mouse. “Comment puis-je t'aider?”
“Je m'appelle Colibri Evans. J'ai un rendez-vous,” I responded, and her face ducked down slightly, reading a little ledger in front of her on the desk. Her finger made a trail down a list of names, and she tapped the book softly twice before looking back up at us.
“Ah. Juste à l'heure, Mlle Evans. Et vous l'êtes?” Her gaze had turned to Sebastian, who stared at the woman like a rabbit caught in a den of wolves.
My hand tightened in his and I leaned closer to him. “Sébastien Sallow. Mon petit ami.” The words didn’t quite sound right in my throat. Delegating Sebastian to just a boyfriend seemed so inconsequential after everything we’d been through, but he still hadn’t officially proposed, and we were quite the ways from actually getting married. Still…
“Je suis vraiment désolé, Mlle Evans, mais cette réunion est assez confidentielle. Seuls les membres de la famille peuvent y assister.”
I frowned, feeling my brows knit together. They wouldn’t let him in?! No. I didn’t come this far to not have him beside me. “J'ai besoin de lui ici. De plus, nous prévoyons de nous marier, donc il fera éventuellement partie de ma famille.” The woman’s eyebrows shot all the way up to her hairline and I watched as her eyes flickered toward my hand, searching for a ring. “S'il te plaît. J'insiste.”
“Très bien. Je ferai savoir à Monsieur Francœur que vous êtes là. Veuillez patienter un instant.” I nodded and she rose, before turning her back toward us and stepping through a door frame, the soft click of her heels sounding against the tiled floor.
A few moments later, and a man, who was pretty much the identical twin of the woman, stepped through the door frame. His body shook as he took a few steps, and the movement reminded me of Pere Noel, the way his belly jiggled slightly.
“Mlle Evans! C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer enfin. J'aurais aimé que cela se passe dans de meilleures circonstances.”
Sebastian cleared his throat discreetly and I watched as he drew his lower lip between his teeth slightly.
“Monsieur, si c'est possible, cela vous dérangerait-il de parler en anglais? Mon compagnon ne comprend pas le français.”
He nodded, and reached out to shake Sebastian’s hand. “My English is not so good, I am afraid, so please bear with me. Now, as my sister was telling Miss Evans, this conversation should strictly be a family matter, however, she tells us that you two are… Comment dit-on? Um… Betrothed?”
Sebastian’s cheeks immediately coloured slightly and he nodded. “Um… Yes, sir.”
“Très bien! Suivez-moi, s'il vous plaît.” He turned to head back through the doorway, beckoning Sebastian and I to follow. The woman who had greeted us returned to her desk, and flashed us a kind smile and I felt the need to return it. All things considered, this particular office felt much more welcoming compared to Francois Rookwood’s office. I was still uncomfortable, but the way the woman was looking at me, made me feel slightly more relaxed.
Sebastian cleared his throat again and pulsed his hand once in mine. “Betrothed?”
I shrugged. “They wouldn’t have let you in otherwise. Besides, we are, aren’t we?”
He blushed again and chuckled, before leaning down and pressing his lips to my temple. “The things that word does to me…” He whispered and I giggled as a full body shudder of pleasure rippled down his spine. “After you, love.”
I stepped through the door frame, entering a small room. Directly centred, with his back to the far wall, Monsieur Francœur sat at his desk in a rich brown chair. Two smaller chairs sat opposite him across from his desk and he ushered us with an open palm to have a seat.
“First off, Miss Evans,” he started, his smile faltering slightly and turning more sad and remorseful, “I am sorry about your loss. Losing a parent is… difficulté. To lose both of your parents and well before their time… I can’t even imagine the pain you’re feeling right now.” I nodded, feeling a lump rise in my throat. “Now, regarding your father’s estate…” He shuffled a stack of papers on his desk and reorganized them, pulling a pair of reading glasses out of his pocket while going over them silently. “Your father, before his time of passing, made sure that all the essentials of the house were in your mother’s name, and then when you came of age, would have been passed down to you. Unfortunately, you’ve still got another half a year before you will be able to accept the title. However, there are options.”
The difference between coming of age in the Wizarding World and the coming of age in the Non Magique world was astounding. A single year separated me from being able to own property, make my own financial decisions, and so much more. Meanwhile, I’d already gone through all that back home. I owned a house. I had my own vault in Gringotts. I was able to do what I wanted with my father’s inheritance from that aspect of my life. But this…?
“What kind of options?” Sebastian asked, threading our fingers together, tethering me to the conversation.
“Your father has named an Abraham Ronen as your guardian should something have happened to either him or your mother. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case in this situation. Do you know this man, Miss Evans?”
I nodded. “He’s my uncle. And a teacher at my school.”
“Ah! That makes things much easier. You could temporarily pass ownership of the home to your uncle until you turn eighteen. Once that has happened, we can sign the mortgage back over to you. Until then, however, your uncle will have to make sure to keep up with the property taxes and maintenance of the home. Even if he chooses not to live in it.”
I pressed my lips together tightly. My uncle wasn’t a part of the Non Magique world. He wouldn’t understand bills or property taxes or even the French currency. I could easily do everything in his name however, if I absolutely had to. Or…?
“Sir, my uncle lives and teaches in Scotland. For him to make the trip down every month to pay the fees would be inconvenient at best. A hardship at worse. Would it be possible for me to go ahead and pay off the entire fee from now until my eighteenth birthday by myself?”
“Mon Dieu! Vous sous-estimez le montant des frais, mademoiselle!”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Sir, if it’s all the same to you, I’ve got a relatively steady income, and I am very good at budgeting. In fact, my friends and I purchased a house in Scotland this summer, with my funds to back it. I know how to manage money.”
“I suppose if you have the funding and can pay upfront, we can make an exception. It is such a rare case. I’ve never quite heard of someone in your same situation before.”
Sebastian leaned forward in his chair, his forearms resting on his thighs. “Sir, you said options … If she chooses not to go this route, what else could she do?”
He hummed softly. “Well, we could put the home on the market. Despite the unfortunate circumstances with the gas leak, it doesn’t seem to have any structural damage, and would fetch quite the pretty sum. It’s also in a prime location within the city limits, and many people are moving to Paris lately. I guarantee that your home will sell within a month, and you’ll come into quite a lot of money because of it.”
My heart stalled.
“Sell my home?”
Sure, I didn’t need it, and I wasn’t planning on coming back to Paris after this, but… There was just something so devastating about the idea of selling the home you grew up in! I was born in that house. I took my first steps in that house. Said my first words.
I’d mourned when my mother abandoned me back in December, knowing I could never return to my home. I mourned a month ago when I told her I was done with her, because it meant never walking those streets the same way again.
Paris was my home for so many years.
And now, there was an option to give it up. Put it on the market and walk away.
For good.
“Could I… Have a day or two to think about my options and make a decision?”
He nodded, scooping the papers up and settling them in a thick folder. “Bien sûr! Take whatever time you need to put your affairs in order. You know where I am.” He rose from his chair and held his hand out over his desk. Sebastian and I took turns shaking it, before we stepped back through the main entrance and finally outside in the warm sunlight.
We walked a few steps, side by side, in silence, before he cleared his throat once more, gripping my attention. “So… what do you think you’re going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted with a shrug. “On the one hand, there really is no reason for me to keep the house. But on the other hand…” I sighed deeply. “What did you and Anne do when your parents died? I assume there were all kinds of legal issues to contend with.”
I watched as his jaw tensed, his teeth clacking together. “We were both so young when it happened. All I remember is being told to pack a bag, put only the essentials because Solomon was taking us in, and he didn’t have a lot of space in his home… Anne and I shared a bed for years because there were only two in the whole house. He never even suggested moving or adding onto the house, only putting a curtain up between our bed and his… Part of me wonders if that was a control method…”
I really hated Solomon. Every time I heard his name mentioned, it was like a visceral reaction went through me. “You’re not originally from Feldcroft,” I said, realising for the first time that Sebastian might have grown up elsewhere.
He shook his head and hummed softly. “When mum and dad were alive… We lived just outside of Glasgow. A modest little home, but big enough that Anne and I both had our own rooms. Solomon’s house always felt… oppressive. Closed off. Claustrophobic. But my mum and dad’s home… Spacious but warm. Open but familiar.”
Mon Dieu, that sounded lovely. “My home always felt the opposite. After my father died, it was just mum and I. And she tended to stay either in her bedroom or sprawled out on the chaise in the living room. It felt… too big. Too empty. No love or warmth.”
“So you’d go out and explore the city.”
“Mm hmm. I’d spend a lot of time at my neighbors’. I learned how to tend flowers from an older woman, got snuck sweets and bread from the bakery down the street… And when it came time for school, I attended primary with two boys from a few houses down. Their mother helped enroll me, brought me shopping for supplies, made sure I made it to the building on time… Until I was old enough to take care of those things by myself. But now… Now, everyone is gone.”
I stopped in my tracks, feeling an overwhelming pressure settle on my chest. It hurt to think. Hurt to feel. But I needed to, if I was going to get through this.
“Sebastian, promise me something…”
“Anything.”
I needed him to promise he’d stay alive. I needed him to be safe. I needed him to be smart about the upcoming war against the Rebellion. If he was reckless, I’d lose him, and there was no way my heart could handle that.
“Promise me you won’t go charging headfirst into battle. That you’ll take the time to analyse a situation. That you’ll make sure you’re protecting yourself. Because if I lost you… If you died…”
He immediately swept me into his arms, crushing my body against his, face pressed deeply into his shirt. His hands tangled in my hair and he pressed kiss after kiss against my hairline. “I promise,” he whispered, and I could feel his heartbeat thundering beneath his shirt. “I’ll be careful. It’s going to take a lot more than a war to tear me away from you, love. The whole world will have to implode on itself before I ever leave your side.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, clutching the man I loved to me as tightly as I could.
He nodded, brushing his nose against mine. “Of course, Hummingbird. I promised you forever. Now, let’s get something to eat. You haven’t had anything in your stomach since last night, and even though you’re in mourning, you need to keep your health up.”
And like the traitorous bitch she was, my stomach grumbled loudly at the prospect of food. Sebastian chuckled and pressed forward, sealing his lips against mine in a short kiss before pulling away, dragging me behind him to the nearest boulangerie.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * Sebastian * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Merlin, save me, she was stubborn.
It took all my pleading and begging for her to at least manage to eat a croissant, despite the fact her stomach was raging. She was hungry, but she had no appetite, and I understood why, but it was still hard to see her suffering so much.
We stepped through the main doors of the little hotel we were staying at and my gaze immediately found Anne, Ominis, and Professor Ronen sitting at a small table in the lobby. Colibri’s grip tightened in mine and she looked up at me, her emerald eyes swimming with unshed exhausted tears.
“Go on to bed, love. I’ll be up later.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I said and she sighed heavily, like the world was once again sitting on her shoulders. “Goodnight, darling.”
“Bonne nuit, mon amour,” she whispered, before pushing up on the balls of her feet and kissing me. I watched, my heart aching, as she ascended the stairs, and finally disappeared beyond them. Exhausted, I stepped over toward my family before falling onto the plush couch beside my professor, heaving a sigh so heavy I was certain that everyone around me could feel it.
“Hey,” Anne said softly, reaching over the coffee table in front of her to settle her hand on my knee. “How’d it go?”
“She’s… in pain. She’s due to inherit her father’s house and all his finances once she becomes of age. I don’t know how that works with the Muggle side of things though, especially since she already got all of his vault at Gringotts.”
Beside me, Ronen hummed softly, his fist against his mouth in thought. “Claude Evans led a double life most of the time. One that he put on for Daphne’s friends and one that he lived to make sure the family was financially stable. So, the house was in Muggle Paris, while his job was in the Wizarding World. Finances were split equally between the two. I still don’t know how he did it. I never liked Muggle money. Never could tell the conversion rates from a Galleon to a pound sterling. But Claude could do the conversions practically instantaneously. And from English money to francs too.”
Ominis’s face was pinched in concern, his arms crossed over his chest. “Professor, what did her dad do to make that much money? Colibri never seems to be, for lack of a better word, lacking in funds, even outside of her own personal income. She’s always treating us, and spending her money on her friends. She even replaced a whole supply of Potions ingredients when Garreth accidentally destroyed them.”
“He was the head of the Improper Use of Magic office in the French Ministry. It’s a highly sought after type of job, but he had glowing references when he applied. Before he worked there, he worked under Miriam Fig at the Ministry of Magic. Her father was smart. Very smart. And that intelligence opened a lot of doors for him, to the point where he could practically choose whatever path he wanted to go down.”
“Miriam Fig?” I asked, turning that name over in my head. “Professor Fig’s wife?”
He nodded, a faraway look coming to his eyes. “Miriam mentored all of us. She liked taking in recently graduated students, teaching them the ropes, moulding their careers. And Claude was one of her favourites. They were so close, they often got mistaken for family. It’s one of the main reasons that Eleazar was selected in caring for Colibri’s magical education once she finally started showcasing her magic. Originally Miriam was going to do it, but… Well, she died before she got a chance to take on that mantle.”
“They never met?” Anne asked quietly.
“No, not that I’m aware of. When Claude died, Daphne revoked all of our communication with Colibri. She refused to answer owls, wouldn’t update us on any milestones, never brought Colibri out anymore… It was almost like they’d disappeared from the planet. And no matter how many times I or your father tried to look into them, it was practically impossible. Basically, anyone that had anything to do with the Magical world was no longer welcome. In her home, her life, or the life of her child. She kept us away. And it worked for over ten years. But then Colibri turned fifteen, and finally started coming into her magic. Then nothing Daphne said or did could stop us from being there. I was still forbidden from communicating with Colibri, but Miriam, and Eleazar by proxy, didn’t abide by her rules anymore. Daphne hated the magical world for some reason. Honestly, it’s almost surprising that she married Claude, who came from a pure-blooded family. But they were in love. Despite being from two completely different worlds, they were destined to be together.”
“She didn’t like you very much, I take it,” Ominis added, leaning forward and Ronen barked out a loud laugh.
“Oh no, not even a little bit! The only people she tolerated were the Figs and Claude’s sister, Madeline.” He leaned back against the sofa and sighed sadly. “Granted, Daphne was… uptight most of the time. Even though she tolerated Madeline, she didn’t care for her. But because Claude named us Colibri’s godparents, we were there for a good portion of her early childhood, so she just had to deal with our presence. But while she tolerated us, she actively made her dislike and distrust of your parents known. And she absolutely loathed the fourth member of our little group. Wouldn’t be in the same country as him if she could help it. Always made excuses to stay away from him. Forbid Claude from bringing him to the house. Granted, knowing what I know now, I can understand her hatred.”
Fourth?
In all the time we’d known that Ronen, Colibri’s dad, and my dad were friends, not once had our professor ever talked about a fourth member of the group. I glared darkly at him.
“You never mentioned a fourth,” I said hotly.
“I’m really not proud to have called him a friend, Sebastian. Even to this day, it’s one of my bigger regrets.”
Fuck. I hated being kept in the dark. We deserved to know the whole truth!
“Your feelings are as plain as the nose on your face. Listen, one day, I’ll tell you all I know. But I fear that it is quite the onslaught of information, and on top of all that, I don’t really know where to start. I’ll let you know everything eventually, but for now, we need to focus on the present.”
I huffed angrily.
Fine.
I could be patient.
“Sir,” Ominis asked, guiding the conversation into a new direction. “What is the plan for tomorrow? I mean, we don’t even know if it’s safe for us to be running around the city, especially because we don’t know if the Rebellion is still here or if they’ve moved on.”
“You and Anne will remain here, in the hotel. Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourselves, and stay vigilant. We picked this place because of how inconspicuous it is, and as long as no one does any magic, we’ll stay hidden. Tomorrow, I’ll escort both Colibri and Sebastian to the funeral home, and from there, we’ll make final resting plans for Daphne.”
I frowned and sank into the couch. “I don’t think Colibri is ready for that,” I muttered.
Ronen breathed heavily through his nose and nodded. “As much as I agree with you, we can’t delay much longer. Things need to progress, and you all only have two more weeks until school starts back up again. We need to get things moving, and we have a long week ahead of us.”