In which the untold story of Walburga Black unfolds.
She was a witch before she was a wife, mother, and cruel woman.
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"You failed as a mother; I failed as a son. Can you sit here truthfully, and say you love me? Look in my eyes, and say that you...
Йой! Нажаль, це зображення не відповідає нашим правилам. Щоб продовжити публікацію, будь ласка, видаліть його або завантажте інше.
"Walburga, wake up." a small hand nudged her almost in a shy way.
She angrily opened her eyes to yell at the person who came to wake her up and was met with the most prominent grey eyes she had ever seen.
The glare on her face vanished quickly, it was her brother's face.
Alphard was just two years younger than her, but by all means, he was better than she could ever be. But regrettably, their parents appeared blind to his accomplishments.
While they fixated on Walburga, scrutinizing her every move as if it were an affront to their expectations, they ignored Alphard as if he were afflicted with dragon pox.
The situation almost bordered on the comedic; Walburga was perpetually in the crosshairs of their parents' wands, while Alphard was practically invisible to them.
Walburga, the firstborn, was groomed to uphold the family's pureblood legacy with every step.
Alphard, however, seemed to have mastered the art of slipping through the cracks, leaving Walburga to navigate the maze of expectations alone.
In stark contrast, Cygnus was the cherished golden prince of their household, seemingly untouched by the family's oppressive dynamics.
What frightened her most was the nagging fear that he would eventually yield to the family's demands and responsibilities.
Yet, as she observed Alphard's face, she found herself wishing at times that he had never existed, solely because he had the potential to be so much more than just another name on the family tree of the House of Black.
He possessed qualities and kindness she had often underestimated.
Throughout the years, she had grown to place her loyalty on him. She had hoped that deep down he had done the same.
Despite this, she consistently found Alphard placing blame on her.
In her perception, it seemed he believed she could endure the punishments on his behalf, and she did—every time.
That was the paradox of sibling relationships in the House of Black: while one pair would willingly give their lives for each other, another would not hesitate to betray and harm the other in pursuit of gaining favor.
"What is it, Alphard?" she asked, staring at his wide-eyed expression.
She sat on her bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, waiting for him to reply, though when she looked back up, she found his eyes on her scars.
"Mother wouldn't allow me to question where you were," he began, his tear-filled doe eyes avoiding meeting her gaze once more, a tremor of distress in his voice."I am so sorry I shou-"
"Stop... I'll have none of that now, do you understand?" She knew he would take it upon himself to feel guilty. How selfish of him.
She gestured to her face and wrists. "This," she began, "this is nothing I cannot handle. I am okay, I swear it. It was almost as if it wasn't a punishment at all." She allowed herself a light chuckle and the smallest of smiles.
"Between you and me, I think Mother might be running out of harsh punishments."
The morning sunlight that shined through her window behind him created a halo effect on his jet-black hair. He had their father's pale white skin and wide grey eyes.
She always envied that he got the beautiful grey eyes, they reminded her of a foggy day, the kind of fog you'd get lost in, but yet you couldn't help but stare at.
Oddly enough, she had heard stories from Dot that when Alphard was born, he had the most beautiful hazel eyes, though they changed immediately once he was brought home and heard Irma yell for the first time.
As she continued to see him she wanted so badly to question him about that night, to see if any memories of what happened had stayed. She wanted to see if he still wanted to leave this place as much as she did.
Though, it was useless there was nothing left to ask him if it had been obliviated out of him. 'Maybe it's better that he doesn't remember how they tried to leave but failed' She admitted defeat and looked down.
She would hold the burden of knowing only to herself.
He looked back down at her and stared at her as if he were trying to decipher ancient runes.
Finally, he smiled a fake smile, blinked away tears, and said, "Okay...if you must lie, then lie, but I am truly sorry for the pain she put you through."
"Me too." she looked down; it seemed that Alphard was the only person she could not lie to.
"What time is it then?" she asked, yawning the last word as she glanced at his attire; he was dressed in fancy clothes that Irma had tailored to fit him perfectly. For a 13-year-old boy, he was dressed like a nobleman.
"It's 7:30 in the morning, I wanted to see you before Mother got the chance to come up and ruin your day before it even began." He nervously played with his collar as he quietly answered her.
"Well, thank you for coming. I appreciate the concern" Walburga glanced at her closed door, wondering when her mother would barge in to yell again.
"Okay,...oh!-uh-I got this for you while you were away." He reached from behind him and into his satchel, usually filled with random trinkets he collected. He got out a small book that couldn't have been very long.
"I had to be quick about it." He handed it to her it read 'Hamlet: A Play Written By William Shakespeare'; she was somewhat familiar with his works though not as much as she wished to be.
"T- thank you" She was stunned. She felt discomfort knowing that he risked leaving the house while their mother was distracted punishing her.
Again, he was being selfish, hadn't he thought of the repercussions should he have been caught?
"But the next time you do something as foolish as leave this house for a piece of writing, it'll be you that doesn't see the light for weeks." Her eyes were unblinking as she stared at his face watching the smile he had simmer away.
"Don't ever think of doing something like this when you very well know what the punishment is... it's reckless, don't let your naivety be your downfall." The stoical look on her face was enough to make Alphard regret ever giving her the stupid play.
"I suggest you hurry and find our father for your lesson."
Alphard stood still for a moment before silently leaving the room, no doubt plagued by the weight of his actions.
