Post by Athazaz Acanthus Bones on Jan 2, 2018 22:47:57 GMT -5
With a thousand lies, And a good disguise, Hit 'em right between the eyes (Hit 'em right between the eyes), When you walk away, Nothing more to say, See the lightning in your eyes, See 'em running for their lives
Nick and Amelia had been in the Prefect’s meeting, and the compartment he and Nick shared with others was occupied. He’d have the only one chance to talk to her about whatever had happened at the ball, about after, about them.
As she’d passed by with one of other Slytherin prefects, he’d tugged her arm. Amelia gave him an irritated glance— their grandmother’s, on top of their mother’s, trained into place— but allowed it. The Prefect probably knew they were siblings— there probably wouldn’t be rumors of some torrid relationship or whatever.
“Explain,” he said at last. “Amelia, you have to—“
“I have to?” Her voice was cool, level— was that father’s tone, or Mum’s? “I don’t have to explain anything.”
“You’re engaged! Tell me, how old is he even? How long has it been, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You would have told Susan,” and he reeled back. Because of course he would have told their mother that his sister was engaged to someone years older than her, to a complete adult who was so much older that they’d never even shared Hogwarts years.
“What of it?” He demanded. “I’m your brother, Amelia— your twin, I deserved to know!”
Their grandmother’s eyes caught him as she tilted her head. Neither of them looked much like their stunningly beautiful grandmother, as their father had taken more after his own, but Amelia had her eyes, set in a face that was mostly their mother’s, teenage round. “No,” she responded at last, tone still damned level. “I’ve known since the Parkinson wedding and suspected a week before, is that enough for you, Athazaz Bones?”
A month. A month and a damned half, and she never told him, probably didn’t tell Nick, and played as if nothing was wrong. “Why not?” He was begging, he was aware of that. “I could have helped you— we could have done something to help you out of it—“
“Get out of it?” Amelia gave a laugh, one she’d picked up from their grandmother. “I don’t want out of it. Do you know how he connects to us? No,” her eyes glittered as if to play a joke, “do you know his name? It’s Travers. He’s not Anne Travers’s brother— he’s the other line.”
She’d stabbed him, because that name he did know. “They killed us,” he said slowly. It wasn’t adding up. “They killed us, don’t you remember? You know how mum’s cousins died, you used to have nightmares about that.”
“No,” she said again, calm as if she didn’t care. “No, they killed Boneses.”
“You’re half Bones!” He almost wanted to shake her— didn’t she understand? “Everyone knows that about you in those circles.”
“Half,” she repeated, smoothing her skirt. “You’re right, half. But half’s less than whole, isn’t it? You remember maths, don’t you? So add this— my lord father accepts me somewhat, my lady stepmother doesn’t mistrust me, my lady grandmother has trained me since I was young. Bones, to be sure. . .” She gave a little half shrug. “But Zabini enough.”
He couldn’t even argue with her, as convinced as she seemed to be. “You’re going to die,” he couldn’t manage a disparaging scoff. “You’re going to die when you do something wrong, just like Carina did, dead in your own home.”
"Perhaps so," she responded in— agreement? he wasn’t sure. "But I rather think my lord husband will prefer others to me. Less family will stand for me than did for Carina’s girls—"
"For our other grandma! For mum’s mum! She was our great-grandmother, she’s family, can’t you—"
“— which is why I am upfront about all, and grow the type of friends who can do. Lily’s to be the Lady Greengrass, Ava’s the daughter of a Death Eater, likely to marry well, and Remi might very well crush the world if given half a chance. I have little fear of Lord Mikhael killing me, even if not for them.” She was so confident— he could never tell if she was lying.
“And what— what are you gonna do if he brings a body in? If a child, and—“
She didn’t blink. That was what scared him most, that she didn’t look discomforted. “Whatever he tells me, of course.”
He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t feel anything other than the lunch rising up in his stomach. She swept past him, a cool smile on her lips. “Give my regards to Carin, won’t you?”
As she’d passed by with one of other Slytherin prefects, he’d tugged her arm. Amelia gave him an irritated glance— their grandmother’s, on top of their mother’s, trained into place— but allowed it. The Prefect probably knew they were siblings— there probably wouldn’t be rumors of some torrid relationship or whatever.
“Explain,” he said at last. “Amelia, you have to—“
“I have to?” Her voice was cool, level— was that father’s tone, or Mum’s? “I don’t have to explain anything.”
“You’re engaged! Tell me, how old is he even? How long has it been, why didn’t you tell me?”
“You would have told Susan,” and he reeled back. Because of course he would have told their mother that his sister was engaged to someone years older than her, to a complete adult who was so much older that they’d never even shared Hogwarts years.
“What of it?” He demanded. “I’m your brother, Amelia— your twin, I deserved to know!”
Their grandmother’s eyes caught him as she tilted her head. Neither of them looked much like their stunningly beautiful grandmother, as their father had taken more after his own, but Amelia had her eyes, set in a face that was mostly their mother’s, teenage round. “No,” she responded at last, tone still damned level. “I’ve known since the Parkinson wedding and suspected a week before, is that enough for you, Athazaz Bones?”
A month. A month and a damned half, and she never told him, probably didn’t tell Nick, and played as if nothing was wrong. “Why not?” He was begging, he was aware of that. “I could have helped you— we could have done something to help you out of it—“
“Get out of it?” Amelia gave a laugh, one she’d picked up from their grandmother. “I don’t want out of it. Do you know how he connects to us? No,” her eyes glittered as if to play a joke, “do you know his name? It’s Travers. He’s not Anne Travers’s brother— he’s the other line.”
She’d stabbed him, because that name he did know. “They killed us,” he said slowly. It wasn’t adding up. “They killed us, don’t you remember? You know how mum’s cousins died, you used to have nightmares about that.”
“No,” she said again, calm as if she didn’t care. “No, they killed Boneses.”
“You’re half Bones!” He almost wanted to shake her— didn’t she understand? “Everyone knows that about you in those circles.”
“Half,” she repeated, smoothing her skirt. “You’re right, half. But half’s less than whole, isn’t it? You remember maths, don’t you? So add this— my lord father accepts me somewhat, my lady stepmother doesn’t mistrust me, my lady grandmother has trained me since I was young. Bones, to be sure. . .” She gave a little half shrug. “But Zabini enough.”
He couldn’t even argue with her, as convinced as she seemed to be. “You’re going to die,” he couldn’t manage a disparaging scoff. “You’re going to die when you do something wrong, just like Carina did, dead in your own home.”
"Perhaps so," she responded in— agreement? he wasn’t sure. "But I rather think my lord husband will prefer others to me. Less family will stand for me than did for Carina’s girls—"
"For our other grandma! For mum’s mum! She was our great-grandmother, she’s family, can’t you—"
“— which is why I am upfront about all, and grow the type of friends who can do. Lily’s to be the Lady Greengrass, Ava’s the daughter of a Death Eater, likely to marry well, and Remi might very well crush the world if given half a chance. I have little fear of Lord Mikhael killing me, even if not for them.” She was so confident— he could never tell if she was lying.
“And what— what are you gonna do if he brings a body in? If a child, and—“
She didn’t blink. That was what scared him most, that she didn’t look discomforted. “Whatever he tells me, of course.”
He couldn’t look at her, couldn’t feel anything other than the lunch rising up in his stomach. She swept past him, a cool smile on her lips. “Give my regards to Carin, won’t you?”
