UNVEIL | D.M (UNRAVEL BOOK 2)

[ 01 ]

Fluttering their jet black wings, the crows soared to the skies, were they escaping or left to find another place to settle down for the night? Whether or not, they were free and the freedom they have can take them wherever they want to go with those wings. 

A pair of golden eyes gazed up to the dim sky, clouds painted pinks and purples. Soon it was sundown and another summer day went by. The breeze was warm and yet soothing. There sat a raven-haired girl on the soft velvet grass of her garden, her hand stroking the delicate leaves of the Dittany plant in the basket alongside other ingredients for Potion making: Peppermint and Knotgrass. 

Her eyes were closed and her lips slightly agape and she heaved in the summer air, filling her lungs with a cool, it tasted even slightly fresh, perhaps it was because of the peppermint nearby. The tranquil home of hers was something she craves, especially since the exciting events that occurred a few months ago. The sky was turning dark, and the sun glowed through the now peachy clouds, signalling the end of another day. 

There was a hoot and the girl turned her head back, looking at the now brightly lit home peeking out from the windows. Standing with its claws on the window frame was a black Great Horned Owl, its feathers shiny and reflecting the light within the house and then a man peered from behind it, "Aine, dinner's almost done! Have you harvested the ingredients?" 

"Yes, dad! I'm coming!" she shouts back, and stands up her hand clutching onto the basket of plants. Aine Estoileon was a 12-year-old girl, but she was no ordinary girl. She was a witch and so was her family, with magical blood coursing through her veins. Aine had started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry last fall and soon she shall return to the beautifully structured school of hers in a few months.

Her experience of the first year at the school was indeed a package of surprise. Despite her first year, there were many unfortunate events that happened, sweeping the girl off her feet. The chamber of secrets was formally opened and many students were caught petrified under the powers of a beast within. That is no other than the humongous serpent, Basilisk. Furthermore, the heir itself is the wizard that many feared, given the nickname, he-who-must-not-be-named. The heir that purged the school with its chaos was Voldemort, or rather, his sixteen-year-old self named Tom Riddle. Aine was caught in all of these acts, and she was even captured and kidnapped into the chambers themselves. Having to fight a giant serpent and the fearful wizard in her first year has certainly left her with strong memories of it. Till now, it made her skin crawl and it wasn't just because she merely fought the Basilisk, or met with the fearsome wizard that the world is afraid of. But because of the truth buried deep inside her that no one but her knew of it. 

And that was the fact that Aine Estoileon, could communicate to snakes. In other words, a Parselmouth. In the wizarding world, having the ability to talk to serpents wasn't a very common skill, nor is it 'good', because it was originated by the founder of one of the Hogwarts House, Slytherin. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth, and even worse, Voldemort himself could talk to snakes too. However, there was also one more person Aine knew who spoke Parseltongue and it is none other than her friend who is older than her by a year old. It was the boy who lived-- Harry Potter.

Now, Harry wasn't just the boy who lived. He was someone whom Aine was fairly close to as not only he was a fellow Gryffindor, but someone Aine looked up to, although it seemed that trouble follows him everywhere.  He even seemed like a brother figure to Aine that the girl never thought she'll have as she was the only child of Elliot Estoileon, her father who was also a well-known healer and a very gifted Potioneer. It seems that the trait itself has also been passed down to her as Aine was very much gifted in Potions just like her father.

The girl entered her home and closes the door, placing the basket of ingredients near the rack, she stroke her owl, "I'm back, Hestia".

"Did you get everything, sweetheart?" Her father asks, stirring the cauldron while preparing the dinner. He waves his wand and a pair of plates settled on the table with a clank and the pot of stew he's been cooking levitated to the wooden coaster. "Yes, dad. It's all here, they were very fresh too!" Aine replies, bringing the cutlery to the dinner table.