Kindred | Hogwarts Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Four : Pain

The memory began outside of the familiar stone house, now put together properly and not crumbling like Sabrina had recently seen it. The four Keepers were walking up to the house, talking about how anxious they were to hear Isidora Morganach's stories of her recent travels. Professor Rookwood raised his hand to knock, only for the door to open before his hand connected. Isidora answered, excitedly waving them in. "Do come in!" she said smiling. "Please, have a seat."

The house was larger than Sabrina thought it would be. A large fireplace in the sitting area warmed up the house, a table sat next to it, off to the left side was a bedroom, and the right side seemed to be Isidora's study area.

Isidora was pacing, seemingly nervous yet excited about something. Her hands trembled, picking up a glass jar as Professor Rookwood and Professor Rackham sat down. "Isidora," Rackham began. "We are all most intrigued to hear–"

Isidora paid him no mind. She waved her wand, opening the bedroom door and gently called out. "We're ready." She turned to face the professors, smiling. "I've something to show you."

Out of the bedroom walked an older man, his face sunken in and pale, dark circles under his eyes, his hair seemed to be wiry and falling out. His clothes seemed to be swimming on him, as if he hadn't eaten in a long time.

"Father, these are my colleagues from Hogwarts," Isidora told the man.

Her father said nothing. He looked at the group, then downcast his eyes before sitting in the empty chair near the fireplace. He looked so miserable and sad, it was hard not to feel for him.

Isidora sighed softly, her face sinking just a fraction. "Father hasn't spoken since my brother died..." she explained, her voice sad and melancholy. Sabrina watched the woman take a nervous intake of breath and then turned around to face the teachers. "On my travels, I confirmed that which I've always believed: that we have the power to take away pain."

Professor Rackham sat up slightly in his chair, uneasy as he kept his eyes on Isidora. The other keepers just watched in curiosity, waiting to see what Isidora meant by what she had said.

Isidora went and sat next to her father, her wand in one hand and the glass jar in the other. She sat in a chair adjacent from her father, shifting anxiously and took another deep breath in before she put her wand to her father's chest.

"Isidora–" Rackham spoke cautiously.

Sabrina watched in horror at what she saw. At the tip of Isidora's wand, dark red and black swirls of magic came bursting out of her father's chest and latched onto the wand. Her father gasped, showing the first sign of emotion all night. Isidora carefully placed the dark magic in the glass jar and stared at it entranced by the power such a small amount held.

"What have you done?" Rackham asked. He was shocked, and seemed terrified at what he saw.

"I took his pain," Isidora answered him, still staring at the magic in the jar.

Although the dark magic from his chest was gone, Sabrina watched as a haze of residual blue magic still hung around her father. In a moment, it was gone.

"This is uncharted magic, Isidora." Rackham stood up suddenly, very visibly upset at what he just witnessed. He turned to the other keepers, his voice trembling. "You can only see what has been sealed in the jar – and we do not know what power that may hold. But the traces of that magic are different from what I've seen before."

The other three professors, however, did not have the same reaction that Rackham was having. Headmistress Fitzgerald was watching Isidora curiously, and Professor Bakar had a studied look on his face in awe of what he had just witnessed. Professor Rookwood seemed to be the only one sharing any concern, but not nearly as much as Rackham was.