Petals of Oleander

Chapter 14: A hero's blood

I dropped to my knees and crawled under the floorboards, stifling coughs from the years of dust floating aimlessly around me. I stood up and silently shut the door. Success. 

The room was beautiful, there was a bed with an intricate canopy surrounding it, a desk with stacks and stacks of old books, an ornate bench just beneath the window, and a shelf next to it with loads of interesting relics. To think I had been ignorantly sleeping next door to this absolute treasure trove. 

I slowly made my way over to the shelf, careful not to squeak any floorboards as I went. 

I examined the shelf that was packed full of newspapers, spell jars, a few bowls of seashells, assorted jewelry, and dead plants among many other miscellaneous items. None of which made sense to be coexisting on display together. 

I raised an eyebrow and then shifted my attention to the small reddish-brown table beside the bed. There was a small book bound with a dark floral pattern and a golden spine. I gingerly picked it up and opened it up, wiping the dust from the first page to find messy writing inked inside. It appeared to be a diary of sorts. I brought it closer to my face to try to make out any of the words on the page, before a loud pop echoed through the room.

"What do you think you're doing in here, girl?" Kreature spat, walking toward the book I had accidentally dropped in surprise. 

"N-nothing!" I stuttered. He snatched up the book and placed it back on the table, perfectly within the rectangle of dust it had left. "I was just-" He tightly gripped my arm and started pulling me toward the door.

"This room is forbidden. When your father gets home, Kreature will be sure to inform him of your disobedience." Kreature muttered, dragging me along with his snarly nails digging into my skin. 

"Ouch, Kreature you're hurting me." I begged.

"You must learn your place girl. Waltzing around this great house like it belongs to you. Putting your fat, grubby fingers where they do not belon-"

"Let go of me this instant. This IS my home. You have no right to speak to me that way. I order you to leave." I snapped, pulling out of his claws. 

"Order? You're just like your mother. Kreature knew it was only a matter of time befor-" He stopped himself. Staring down at the floor. 

"Mother?" My eyes widened. "What do you mean my mother?" 

He winced, then raised a shaky hand and snapped, apparating out of the room.

I couldn't breathe. I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled back out of the room.

"KREATURE!  KREATURE GET BACK HERE!" I ran down the stairs with tears gathering in my eyes. He was trying to freak me out and he would be punished for it. My biological mother was Marlene Mckinnon. She was a surrogate for Poppa and Dad and then passed away the same way Harry's parents had. I knew this and I was proud that I was her blood. A hero's blood. 

"KREATURE." I screamed again.

"Woah, woah, woah, what's all this?" Dad said rushing over to me. 

"Kre- Kreature just said" I choked.

"Hey, breathe for me please. What did Kreature say to make you so upset?" Dad cooed, smoothing my hair. 

I took a breath and realized I couldn't tell him what happened without telling on myself and ending up in trouble for sneaking around where I wasn't supposed to be.

 I saw Kreature peer around the corner. I took another breath as I held eye contact with him as tears slipped down my cheeks. He slowly shook his head. It looked like we would both be in trouble if the truth came out, so he wouldn't be telling on me either. 

"He said I have fat fingers." I said. It wasn't fully a lie.

"Oh dear. Well let's have a look, shall we?" Dad smiled and gently raised my trembling hand to his face. "Nope, they look quite dainty to me. You know, perhaps in Kreature's old age he has begun to loose a bit of his eyesight." He chuckled. 

I smiled back and rubbed my eyes. 

"I'll have a chat with him. Run along now, I'm almost finished with my work for the day and then we can discuss supper. Does that sound alright?" He gave me a comforting wink, I nodded and headed back up toward my room.

"Kreature, my study, now." I heard Dad whisper behind me as I went. 

I wondered what would happen. Would Kreature come clean and throw us both under the bus? And which of us had committed a the greater crime? How did trespassing weigh against lying?

I laid back down onto my bed and tried to distract myself with one of the Muggle books Poppa had given me. It was about these little guys called Hobbits who live in small homes in a place called the Shire. A few minutes later, there was a knock at my door. 

"Come in" I called. 

"Hey, how would you like to go out for a nice meal in Diagon Alley with me tonight?" Dad said with his head in through the doorway. 

"I'd love to! When will Poppa be home?" I asked. It was 5:00, and Poppa wasn't expected until closer to 7.

"Oh, he's here now. He had a long day though, and would prefer to warm up leftovers here. I've tasked him with choosing a film for us all to watch together when we get back." Dad explained.

"Alright. I'll get dressed and be down in a few moments."  I found it strange that Poppa had come home already, but I supposed if the day was hard enough it would make sense for him to call it early. 

I put on my grey and black plaid trousers with a simple white button-up shirt and a maroon cardigan, then laced up my boots and headed out. 

When I opened my door, Dad was leaning against the banister waiting for me. 

"Ready?" He asked. 

"Uh-huh," I replied. I found it strange that he had nothing better to do than just standing there. Then again, the entire day had been strange.