My Love // Theo Nott

twenty

I woke up to Elio calling me from the kitchen, I think. "RORY! GET UP!" I put my head under the blankets but his yelling didn't stop. I got up and put on a hoodie since I only slept in a bra last night.

When I walked out I yelled at him. "What do you want?!"

"Mum is leaving for work in an hour and we want to talk to you." he said calmly. I don't know where his energy went from yelling at me to wake up, but I wasn't happy about it. He was talking to me with an almost sad expression.

"You and mum are acting weird. Is it serious?"

"No! Well... I guess it depends on what you think. Sit down." he said, pointing at the dining room table, "I'll go see if she's ready."

I laid my head on the table and waited for them. I started feeling drowsy and I was about to fall asleep again until they both sat down and the noise made me bolt up. "You okay?" asked Elio.

"Yeah," I rubbed my eyes, "I was just about to fall asleep again."

They looked at each other before my mum started talking, "Elio told me that at the beginning of the school year he told you he knew the reason I didn't let you guys go to Hogwarts when you were eleven. I know you know I gave you a different reasoning. Elio filled me in on your arguments the first couple of days over there and it sounded like you were getting restless about getting left in the dark."

"Obviously." I said and rolled my eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at her Rory." said Elio.

"Well tell me what's the point of this conversation. If you're going to tell me the truth just say it, if you're not then i'll be going back to bed."

My mum had a habit of fidgeting with her fingers whenever she got nervous. It was somewhat like my habit, but she never wore rings, and she was doing it right now.

"Well honey..." she trailed off and looked at Elio.

"When she tells you this please don't be mad. Be understanding. I was sad and confused at first, but I understood."

"You? Being emotional? Well I'd like to see that."

"Stop it Rory. Go on mum." he gave her an encouraging smile.

"Do you remember the night your dad died?" she asked. I was left speechless. After so many years of not talking about his death she decides to bring him up now?

"Kinda. Why?" I asked. I was trying to keep an emotionless front up, but I knew if I did I would end up getting angry rather than sad. I don't know which I like better. Whenever I get sad I feel emotionally and physically exhausted. Whenever I get mad I feel like punching something. Sometimes I trash my room and other times I go trashing things in an abandoned building.

"You remember being at a hospital?" I nodded my head. "Well we were at a hospital, just not a muggle one." I had a confused look at my face so Elio intervened.

"A hospital in the wizarding world."

"Ok? So dad was a wizard?" I asked.

"Yeah." my mum said cautiously. I had already made that connection when Snape said he knew my dad.

"I'm not going to ask why you kept that a secret, but why are you telling me all this now? The hospital makes no difference. He's still dead."

"Rory... there used to be a bad wizard. He's dead now, but the night dad was in the hospital that wizard tried to kill him. Rory-"

"He did kill him. Not tried." I corrected her.

"Tried." said Elio, looking at me sympathetically.