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Remus

"Who shall knock— oh, you're doing it?"

"Ah! Did you want to knock first? I can totally—"

"No, no! Please, go ahead."

"Are you sure? I can step aside and..."

Frowning deeply, I brushed past the two of them and knocked on the door. I let my arm fall and hand rest on my hip. With a quick glance at Iris and Peter, I narrowed my eyes at their polite behavior.

They remained quiet, awkward now that there was no conversating from me. I watched as Cry's back disappeared from the left sidewalk. Her gestures were wild as she spoke with Xenophilius. We waited patiently.

Iris jumped when the door suddenly swung open. I turned back to greet the professor. My civil smile fell immediately when I registered the woman.

Her shoulders seemed to concave on herself, nearly a hunchback. Dark eye bags sunken into her skull. Her nightgown hung from her body, dusty and cluttered with stains. The smell that emanated from her made the back of my throat sting.

I regained my composure and pushed my messy hair away from my face. With a respectful smile once more, I began, "Hello, ma'am. We're looking for Galatea Merrythought, is she here? Or am I speaking to her?"

"Mmm, yes. Please come in," she spoke, raspiness like the one from smoking hundreds a day.

She huddled in on herself as she slowly turned, lazily pushing the door open for us. I looked back at my friends to see if it was a good idea but was instantly disappointed to see Peter cowering behind Iris. The latter furrowed her brows and gulped. Rolling my eyes, I followed the lady inside.

"I haven't had many visitors, well, at all...not for 20 years, or so. Albus was the last that visited me," she told.

I held back a gag when the stench that clung to her overwhelmed my senses when we entered her home. Now, this isn't the worst I've been in. If anything, aside from the scent, it was quite homely. A heavy dust coated the furniture and decorations but there was a beautiful abode hidden underneath.

Gritting my teeth, I focused on my hearing. Scurries of mice and other rodents were in the corners, between the walls. A faint ringing was on the edges of the range. Iris grabbed my hand tentatively.

I ducked my head close to her ear, whispering, "Do you hear that ringing noise?"

When I pulled back, she stared up at me with questioning eyes. She shook her head, her curls from the sides of her head wrap bounced. Alongside her dangling moon pendant earrings. I pushed the ringing to the back of my mind, we have other things to do.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Wormtail snuck his hand into my free one. He blinked at me with fear before refocusing on the old witch. With a sigh, I pulled them with me.

"I suppose you're here to talk about Voldemort?" she announced.

She perched herself into her rocking chair. She seemed to melt in the cushions, revealing an even smaller frame. Her elbow rest on the armrest, fingers curled around her wand.

"Yes, Professor Merrythought. We have some questions about what he was like when he applied to your position? Defense Against the Dark Arts?" I asked.

"So when it all started, my downfall? I was a wonderful teacher, really. The boy had insisted he would be a competent successor. I have no doubt, if he had been birthed with good nature, he would've," she said.

Iris released her grasp on me and wandered. She peered at the ancient books and moldy potions. I kept her in my peripheral in case something happened to her. Unfortunately, Peter clinged to my side like I was a teddy bear.

"Did you know he was going to curse you?" I interrogated.

"My boy, he didn't just curse me. He cursed the DADA position. And it will be a curse left until he dies. At first, I thought it was just a couple incidents. As it tends to happen when working with children," she responded.

"But it was really a way to sabotage you, wasn't it? We heard what happened to you," I replied.

"Yes... At the lake. All the incidents that led up to my little splash, were near the lake. I once held a class about the merfolk. A child was pulled into the lake. When I look back on it, I remember that the target was supposed to be me. Just so happened that they missed by an arm," she recounted.

"They didn't die, did they?" I asked, veering from the questions I had planned earlier.

"No. I'd been a professor for more than a century, I know how to save someone from many creatures, easily a lowly one like that. However, it was like all my experience vanished when it was me, that hit the bottom of the lake," she answered.

"Do you know why he chose the lake, specifically? Or if it was a certain characteristic to this curse?" I pushed.

She exhaled gravelly. A short pause that seemed forever. It was like she knew the moment before Iris accidentally dropped something. Peter squeaked and we looked at her. Iris' shoulders were up to her ears and she clenched her teeth. She carefully knelt to pick up the novel.

My nerves are on high alert too. The ringing and the constant sound of the mice chittering is making my head hurt. I craned my neck, pulling on my strained joints. A pop resounded and I let out a long breath to calm myself.

"I'm getting some bad energy, Moony. We should go," Wormtail hissed.

"Just a few more minutes. We can meet with the others soon," I mumbled back.

"He might have hidden something in the lake. It must be gone now. But there is, undoubtedly, very dark magic to his curse. I felt it when I was dragged underneath. When my lungs filled with water, I felt his evil power....Like he was there physically," she interrupted.

A shiver ran down my spine from the way she worded it. The retired professor gazed at us with her sanpaku eyes, black irises from under her lids. Her tucked upper lip trembled, wrinkled like her body was dead.

Iris rejoined my side. I had to force my glance to tear away from the book spine peeking from the side of her bag. Why did she take it? It must be important. She must've seen something that could help us. She let her fingertips run down my forearm, signaling for us to go.

"Did you see anything? Anything that could be related to him? Besides the feeling of his spirit," I urged.

"I did. But it was fleeting. A vision of an Albanian girl. And some ridiculous adaptation of a vampire. I assume it was a hallucination from my drowning," she dismissively said.

"Oh, I see. This has been helpful, Professor Merrythought. We have to get going, though," I finally concluded.

"And leave with my book? You should have asked," she tutted.

I froze, the blood in my veins ran cold. How did she know? She wasn't even looking at her when Iris took it. I didn't even see her steal it. The witch cackled, her head thrown back. Her neck contorted in a way that seemed it would crack.

"Get going, children. Your friends are waiting," she ominously told.

"Thank you. We appreciate—"

A scream.

An ear-piercing scream from down the block made its way inside the Manor. My eardrums rang even louder when the scream reached it. I flinched.

I knew something was going to happen.

I knew it.

-lana

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