Carnation // [2]

Chapter 6

"part of her mystery
is how she is calm
in the storm and
anxious in the quiet."

Kira pushed the door open and with a warning glance to Aurelia, she stepped inside. She walked to the other side of the house and peeked through the window, leaning over the counter. She saw Anna Horne, whoever she was, working inside the greenhouse outside.

She moved back from the window in the kitchen and turned to Aurelia. "There's got to be something in here that can tell us who that is out there."

She looked around at the various cupboards and shelves in the room. "Maybe she has some potions around here?"

"You look in the cupboards, I'll check this bookshelf." Aurelia nodded and crouched in front of a cabinet and began going through it's contents.

Kira let out a breath and faced the bookshelf. It was quiet save for the light clinking of glass bottles and their shoes shuffling across the tiled floor.

She gazed through the book titles. Deoch Dhraoidheil 101. Scottish. She picked up the book and paged through it. Belladona, boomberry. These were potions ingredients. It was a Scottish version of Potions 101. A few pages had markers on them and she scanned through them. She recognized Wiggenweld Potion. Polyjuice Potion? Was she using Polyjuice Potion to pretend to be Anna Horne or was something deeper going on? She put the book back and looked at the other titles.

Most books were untitled but she read through the rest. Dhara Horne. The Horne Artefacts. Was she interested in these artefacts or just interested in her ancestor? She grabbed at the book and flipped through. She saw drawings of various rings and mirrors and portraits of Dhara Horne.

She put the book back and the door behind her swung open. Shit. Both her and Aurelia spun around and plastered smiles on their faces. Excuse. Excuse. Excuse. She thought of one. "Anna!" Kira said. "I was looking for you. I wanted to talk more about Dhara Horne."

She smiled, looking between them. "What do you want to know?"

What could she ask about? More legends? Her spells? "Her artefacts."

"Very well." She took of her gardening gloves and put them on the counter. "It's said that anyone can use them, but only a descendent with the magic can access them." There was a glint of excitement in her eyes as her words picked up in pace. "There are three main artefacts; a ring, a mirror, and her wand. Each one possesses great magical power and hold the secrets of Dhara Horne and her magic."

"She used a wand?"

"Oh yes. Her magic was powerful, beyond that of average wands. It is said that she crafted a new one, though I do not know the specifics of it. Very few have come close to finding them."

"Have you tried to find them?"

She shook her head, her voice disdainful. "Oh, no. I cannot."

She kept her expression neutral. "But you're a Horne?"

Chuckling, her attitude changed. "I'm far too old."

Nodding, she looking at Aurelia. "Thank you. I think Aurelia and I are going to go up and get ready for bed." They needed to leave.

Anna looked at them before smiling wide. "Of course. Goodnight, dearies."

"Night." They mumbled before finding the stairs and getting to their rooms.

When they got to the top of the stairs they looked back. Anna was still staring at them. Kira twisted the doorknob on her door and pushed it open. She pulled Aurelia in, shutting the door.

Aurelia sat on the bed and she paced in front of her.

"We need to leave at midnight."

She nodded, pulling her legs onto the bed. "That was so odd. Also I found some odd potions there. Dark ones. Ones that an old lady would not have."

Kira stopped in front of her. "I found some stuff too. Notice how there are no photo's of her children anywhere in the house. I wonder if the actual Anna took them down."

"There's no evidence they even existed."

Kira nodded, gazing at the floor before looking back up at her. "Did you notice what she said?"

"No?"

"She said she can't look for the artefacts. If she was actually Anna Horne, she definitely could."

"But we knew she wasn't Anna Horne."

"No, we knew there was an Anna Horne in this house as well as a grave with Anna Horne written on it. Anna could have faked her death. But now, we can guess it's someone else. The potions, the weird way she was acting, and the page in a potions book that was marked. It was Polyjuice." She was out of breath after her explanation. She had missed the exhilaration that solving puzzles gave her, the way things fell into place as she discovered more and more. She had been slacking at the Ministry since Regulus' death and she had not realized the effect it had on her.

This could be the mystery that brings her back from destruction. This could be the mystery that saves her.

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So this is a shorter chapter. Do you prefer the longer ones or the shorter ones?

– walkingmasterpiece xx