Petals of Oleander

Chapter 16: Scheme

When we got home, Poppa was slumped in his chair, staring at the wall. 

"Hello, hello!" Dad announced our presence and he immediately perked up. 

"My loves! How I've missed you," He stood up and then stopped "Er, what have you got?" He asked, staring in bewilderment at the puppy in Dad's arms. Wholly ignoring Queenie. 

"We got pets. This is Queenie," Dad gestured to the carrier in my hand, "And this is Fawna."

"Remus, we've already got a Fawna. And a dog." Poppa stared. 

Poppa's animagus was a dog, but I had not expected him to be territorial about it.

"The more the merrier!" Dad exclaimed, setting Fawna down. She sniffed the ground all the way to where Poppa stood, then immediately peed on his shoe.

"Lovely." Poppa winced. 

"We just thought that, you know, with Winnie being home all day she may be in need of some company.. other than Kreature." Dad said. 

"Anything for our Winnie." Poppa surrendered, smiling at the excited puppy at his foot. "You're on pee duty, though."

"Deal." Dad agreed. 

The rest of the night was just like normal. We watched a film, then drank chamomile, and headed to bed. 

I couldn't sleep, though. I couldn't stop thinking about what Kreature had said earlier. There had to have been something going on that was more than just a point-blank lie. Otherwise, why would I end up with a meal in the city on a Wednesday, all the art and gardening supplies I wanted, a kitten, AND a puppy, if not to distract me? 

I could get more information out of Kreature, I was sure of it. I was also sure of the fact that he had some kind of order to not tell me anything. I would have to get creative if I was to figure this out. 

The next morning I woke up bright and early and headed out to the small patch of earth we called a yard, and got to work on my garden. I set aside rows of soil for lettuce, peas, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans. Then I carefully placed the respective seeds and covered them into tidy mounds. 

"Kreature!" I called. He apparrated next to me right away. 

"Yes?" 

"Would you please get me a watering pail?" I asked sweetly. 

He disappeared and then reappeared a few moments later with an overflowing pail. 

"Why, thank you." I said and began pouring water down my rows. He turned to leave. "Wait! Kreature can I ask you something?"

"Hm" He grunted. 

"What you said to me yesterday, not about my fingers. It wasn't a lie, was it?" 

"It was the truth. You are not to be in that room." He replied down his nose at me.

"You know what I'm referring to." 

"Kreature knows. Kreature is not to speak of it. Kreature must leave if Miss Elowen brings it up." He snapped his fingers and was gone. 

I heaved a defeated sigh. This was going to be even harder than I thought. Luckily, I had the whole summer ahead of me. 

The next day, I called Kreature into the living room to help me carry Fawna's kibble bag to the kitchen. 

"Kreature, whose diary was I holding the other day in the 'forbidden room'?" I asked. 

Once again, Kreature snapped his fingers and disappeared. 

Later that night, I stopped creature in the hall as he was heading to bed. 

"Excuse me, why is it that I cannot go into that room?" I asked.

"Because it is forbidden." He slammed his door shut. I knocked. 

"Kreature, could you help me warm up some milk for Queenie? I won't ask any more questions." 

The door creaked open and Kreature stuck his head out. 

"Kreature already warmed the milk and served Miss Queenie. Goodnight." He slammed the door again. 

I thanked him politely and walked back to my room, throwing myself on the bed when I got there. 

I laid there for the rest of the next day, half reading, half wracking my brain over what could possibly be going on. I couldn't think of anything. I had known my whole life who my biological mother was, and I thought she was a kind and well-respected witch. Then, I was struck with an idea, and this time I wasn't going to scare Kreature off. 

I knocked the vase of flowers off my bedside table and watched it shatter onto the floor. A necessary casualty.  Then I scooped up Queenie, so she wouldn't cut her paws on the glass, then the two of us waited for Kreature to come investigate. 

Like clockwork, the door creaked open and there he stood with a broom and pail. 

"What happened?" He snapped. 

"I don't know, it just fell. I can clean it myself if you'd like." I offered, trying to get in his good graces. 

"No. Kreature will do it." 

I waited a moment, then asked. 

"Kreature, did you know my mother," He raised his fingers "Marlene?" He dropped them again. 

"Yes, Kreature knew Ms. McKinnon. A good lady. Good witch." He replied, dropping the last of the glass into the pail and waving his hand over the water, drying the carpet beneath it. 

"You liked her then?" I asked. 

Kreature paused, realizing my scheme. He scowled and snapped his fingers. Gone. 

But he had given me the information I needed. 

If he liked Marlene so much, who would he compare me to her when I was being rude and disrespectful toward him? 

She couldn't have been the mother he spoke of.  A wave of despair washed over me. Although I had received an answer, it made me question everything I knew about myself. 

My true mother, or whoever Kreature thought my mother was, had to have been a horrid woman. Knowing that much was enough to scare me away from wanted to learn anything else, at least for a while.