Three Years Ago... (Lady Black and or Rowena)

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Afraid was an understatement, along with the words frightened and freaked out. None of the aforementioned words seemed to be enough to describe the feeling that twisted and turned from her stomach to her throat when she got her hands on a newspaper, saw Peter’s face in the front page under the words: “Most Wanted Mass Murderer Out of Prison and at Large Again,” in Peter’s spare room about a couple of days ago. The young man had been had been nice to her, friendly enough to offer her a room in his beach house. She would have not believe he was what he was if she had not seen the paper for herself. She would not have believed she was on the run from him just two days after they met if she was not in the middle of the forest now, feeling paranoid and looking over her shoulder too frequently, because two days ago she welcomed the idea of living in his house for at least a couple of weeks.

Now, she had three choices: one was to go and find some other muggle village to spend her self-scheduled vacation; two, go back to school; and three, live out her lie and really visit her grandparents in muggle Scotland. She contemplated her options once she settled down in a forest clearing. As much as option one was inviting, she can not help but cross it out because with Peter on the lose, she knew how dangerous it would be to be out on her own. Option two was also tempting for returning to Hogwarts meant safety. But, it also meant facing her mother two weeks sooner after she lied about going somewhere with her grandfather. Thinking of the option made her wonder if her mother actually believed the letter… or if her bestfriend, Vasilisa Dolohov, the one who helped her plan her escape, already went to her mother to tell her that the letter was a lie. The thirteen-year-old decided that option three was the best. Although her mother might have contacted her grandparents to verify if she really had gone somewhere with her grandfather by now and her grandparents were probably looking for her, she would rather face them than her mother.

After what seemed like 365 days of traveling, accompanied only by her unusually high level of paranoia, she was able to reach the house were she grew up with in muggle Scotland. It was also known as the Black manor. Just looking at the house brought back so many childhood memories of her younger self and her grandparents. Inside, she had always regarded them as her parents, even until now. She felt like they cared for her than her mother ever did… or ever will. The thirteen year old Ravenclaw looked at the house and can not help but smile as she crossed the manicured front lawn of the manor, stepped into the door step and knocked three times on the manor’s elegant wooden door. As she waited for the door to be opened, her heart hammered in her chest, she was excited to see her grandparents but was also worried they will chastise her for lying to her mother and running away.

[Lady Emmeline Black]

There was nothing about the light blue sky and the way sun rose above the Scottish glens to suggest that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. The morning was as calm and boring as the morning in a small Muggle town could be. The unsuspecting Muggles were slowly rising and preparing for their daily routines; however, the sounds of the waking town square could barely reach the stately manor built somewhat further from the Muggle settlements. It was quite early in the morning and Lady Black was preparing some tea - something she did every morning for the past thirty years. Emmeline pulled out her wand and turned it towards the old kettle, which flew across the room and neatly stopped a few inches above the teapot, which she had previously placed on the tray. She flicked her wand and the kettle tilted its spout over the teapot, filling it with hot water. Then the kettle obediently returned to its place. With another flick of her wand, two matching cups appeared on the tray next to the teapot. Lady Black raised her wand with a soft, elegant movement and walked towards the guest room, followed by the tray which remained few feet above the ground. Emmeline sat in her soft armchair and the tray landed neatly on the small table in front of her.

The old witch reached for the teapot and poured the tea in one of the cups. Then she proceeded, pouring it carefully into the other cup. She placed the teapot back on the trey and added a teaspoon of sugar in her tea. Having successfully completed the action, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, waiting for the tea to cool up a bit. Her brief nap was forcefully ended when someone knocked at the door. Three knocks. Lady Black slowly stood up from her chair and walked to the front door. Her long fingers reached for the knob and pulled the door open. "Helena!" the old lady exclaimed, placing her free hand on her chest, clutching her heart in shock. Taking a deep breath, the old witch managed to calm herself down a bit and then she hugged her granddaughter. "Come in, my dear. I've just made some tea." With those words, the old witch led her granddaughter across the threshold and down the hall towards the guest room.

[Helena Albertyne Ravenclaw]

Helena stood still on the doorstep of the Black Manor, waiting to be let in. Her mind wandered from one thing to another. She had a lot of worries at the moment and the possibility of being chastised by her grandparents seemed to amount next to nothing compared to her other worries. For a moment, she found herself wondering how much her grandparents know about her mother’s life lately. After what seemed life years, which were actually just about a minute, she heard footsteps approach the door from inside the house and she was let in.

Seeing her grandmother, looking like she had quite a shock made her smile instantly and she felt loads better. “Grandmother.” She said, biting her lip to keep her smile from being a grin. “I missed you so much.” She said as she hugged her grandmother back. Helena walked with her grandmother across the threshold, the hall and finally into the guest room. She saw the familiar set up. Her grandmother, her tea set and the view of her walk to the guest room were enough to make it all sink in. She had made it. She was in the Black Manor and she felt better and safe. “You made tea. I missed your tea. May I have some?” She asked, an easy smile on her lips, finding it easy to talk to her.