Janna Black and The Cite of the Dead

Maw

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Quickly Orion pushed Janna's hair back from her face "Mither needs a good impression of ye" He said excitedly as he quickly ran his thumb under her eyes to push the dried tears from her eyes "A sweet lassie" he looked at her eyes "mind, maw migh' play matchmaker"

Janna's cheeks flushed as he kissed her hand "Is she also Scottish?"

Orion nodded happily "She's part Irish," he then took her hand to lead her to where the woman called "keep that blush" through a door frame there was a smell of baking, there was a woman with hip-long wiry black hair tipped with auburn, there was a steak of grey which faded into the auburn. She was wearing a white apron over a scarlet dress that reached to her ankles. When the woman turned to a counter across from an anthracite stove she saw Orion and Janna.

   "Hullo" the woman smiled, her face was sharp and her eyebrows were a light grey, she had smokey grey eyes like Orion's, she smiled at Janna like he would.

Orion chuckled as he saw he caught his mother off guard "this is Janna, Maw" Janna was brought to his mother.

   "Aye Julianna Black, ya Orion's ladyfriend?" Orion's mother asked, her son's face went a bright pink, a sly smile spread across her face.

   "Isnae!" Orion neighed as he let go of Janna's hand.

   "I don't mind" Janna smiled as she watched Orion sneak past his mum to a pot that was bubbling lightly "Orion has brushed off on me"

   "Thank Goodness you're not hackit or else I would have skelped Orion" She said as she turned to see her son lean over the pot "ey boy, get yer hands off the lid!"

Orion smelled the steam around the pot "Gads!" He jumped back, "that's rank!" Orion then lifted a different pot lid "wheres the tatters!"

   "I'm gaunne get to that. Now run along with Janna 'ere!" Orion's mother took his head and lead him to Janna "your ma'e is peaky lookin', I suggest you both wash up, your manky hair smells worse than my rank food, dearie" Orion laughed as his mother ruffled his hair, she placed him next to Janna "go on upstairs, I'll call when tea is ready"

Orion pulled Janna by her sleeve up the narrow stairs "Right maw" he called.

The two came to the landing where Orion stopped to wait for Janna who said "Your mum is so strange" Orion smirked.

   "Naw, maw is maw, the only person in this house like actually likes me" Orion muttered as he pulled Janna along a thin hall in front of a bathroom, Janna frowned at him "It's not all good when pa comes back," Orion pulled Janna into the bathroom before closing the door and pulled the lock closed "I can trust ye with this" he said lowly, pulling his scarf off his neck "I didn't want to show it in public"

Janna looked at him strangely "what is it?" Orion pulled two jumpers over his head and then his top, his skinny pale back was shown to Janna, he let the shirt fall onto the floor where a stain of blood was on the collar, he turned to Janna on his neck there was a gash "How did you get that?!"

Orion hung his head, Janna saw him swallow hard "pa comes back stocious from the pub" his arms were wrapped over his chest "can ye help me with the clean up, I dinnae if I can reach it without tearin' it 'gain"

   "What did he do to you?" Janna asked as she came to him, he staggered back as she noted a few other marks on his chest "stop moving!" She caught his shoulders, he was slightly taller than her but she wasn't as skinny as he was so she had more strength, she brushed away his arms where there were small pink craters, some were burnt black "what did he do to you?" Janna repeated, attempting to look at his eyes as tears dripped down his nose.

Orion's forehead fell onto Janna's shoulder he wrapped his arms around her as he began to weep "he burns me... with a lit fag, when maw and him have a brawl he takes a dirk and cuts me, sayin' he needs to release a darkness in me so I don't end up like him"

Janna hugged his neck "That's sick, why don't you stay at Hogwarts?"

   "I worry 'bout maw if I leave" Orion's voice broke as he rubbed his head into Janna's chin, Janna hesitated to place a hand on his shoulder slowly, she let her palm touch his shoulder, his breathe was staggering as she touched his skin "how are ye so gentle?" Janna did not know how to answer, she shrugged and breathed in deeply as she let her fingers wrap around his nape.

   "I'm not gentle" Janna murmured causing Orion to bray silently, his shoulders jumped under Janna's hand, she pulled away from Orion who looked at her with puffy bloodshot eyes, Janna took his shoulders and sat him on the toilet "I need to clean your cut there"

Orion sighed, he put his face in his hands "Not many people do this, ye Ken?"

Janna turned to him, she gulped "excuse me?"

   "You're really not like other people..." Orion lifted his face from his hands, letting the wiry hair fall onto his face "You're not common like they are"

The water from the copper tap poured gently onto the bathroom cloth as Janna kept her back to Orion "you're right..." Janna ringing the cloth after turning off the tap "I'm not..." Janna turned on her heel and brought a small basin with an inch of water, she knelt to his face, he smiled weakly as she lifted her hand to his shoulder "you're coming back with me—"

   "But my maw, what about my maw?" Orion queried as Janna brought the cloth to his shoulder where the cut began.

   "Tell her to run if your dad becomes violent" Janna explained, Orion's face screwed up as she dabbed his wound so he pushed his face into her other shoulder "Sorry..."

Orion shook his head on Janna's shoulder "D'ya ken what're doin'?" His voice was thick with pain.

   "Yes" Janna pursed her lips, she opened the towel and placed the whole cloth on his skin, he hissed in pain and clamped his arms around her chest "Keep that on, the pain'll go quicker" Orion's head rested on Janna's shoulder, she sat on her knees as he hugged her.

   "Can ya hug me back? Like last time" Orion whispered hoarsely, Janna obliged to his request and she wrapped her arms under his arms he pulled his chin over her shoulder "Thank you"

   "It's just a hug, what else is there to thank me for?" Janna closed her eyes as she placed her head on his upper arm.

   "For saving me" Orion murmured, he breathed in deeply "if ye take me—"

    "I'm not leaving you here" Janna said, looking at his shoulder where the whitish cloth was going bloody "don't worry."