Forget-Me-Not → Regulus Black

The Death of Ophelia

Aurelia went to bed a few hours after, snuggling underneath her royal blue covers. The light coming through the arched window right beside her bed slowly faded away until it was nothing but dark out. Sleep hung to her like a cloud, and her headache soon disappeared. The wind howled that night as the stars came out, and rustled the leaves and trees before it too ebbed away into nothing but the serene silence that awaited it.

That morning she got out of bed, yawning widely in exhausting. Numbly, she threw a burgundy sweater on and made her way to the Prefect's bathroom. After making sure no one was in there — Aurelia wasn't particularly fond of the idea of embarrassing herself even more after what happened in DADA — she said the password and entered the bathroom. 

The whole bathroom looked to be made of white marble and was lit by a splendid candle-filled chandelier which hung right above Aurelia's head. At the far end of the bathroom was a rectangular swimming pool that was sunk in the middle of the floor. There were about hundred golden bath taps which ran different colours of soap bubbles and foam. She was just contemplating if she wanted to go in or not when their was a shrill voice that interrupted her thoughts.

"It's quite lovely up here."

Aurelia turned around, the beating of her heart slowing back down to a normal pace once she saw who it was. The ghost of Myrtle Warren was floating in midair, her dark hair in pigtails and thick glasses covering her brown eyes. She was wearing her Ravenclaw school uniform — a permanent reminder that she too was a student that attended Hogwarts before her passing.

"Hello there Myrtle," Aurelia said politely, offering her a tight-lipped smile. "What are you doing here?"

Myrtle let out a high-pitched laugh. "Sorry to disturb you."

Aurelia shrugged carelessly. "It's quite all right."

Myrtle seemed in the midst of saying something else — probably some sort of snide comment — before she suddenly paused. "I recognize you!"

"I would assume so," Aurelia said, "I'm not new to the school or anything, and I remember quite clearly the incident in first year when I went to the bathroom. I made that polyjuice potion, remember?" 

"No, no," continued Myrtle, growing exasperated, "I remember that, but where else have I recognized you from?"

Aurelia fidgeted uncomfortably. "I don't know. My memory isn't too sharp."

It was quiet for a while, what with Myrtle concentrating on something and Aurelia continuing to fidget — too scared that if she left Myrtle wouldn't be too pleased. After about a minute, Myrtle exclaimed, "I know! Ophelia!"

"Ophe—" Her voice was caught off by another ghost, who had blonde wavy hair down her back and green lifeless eyes. Other than the ghost's deathly pale skin, she looked like a carbon copy of Aurelia. "Yes, Myrtle?" The ghost said softly, scanning the room. 

"Ophelia, look who it is!"

Aurelia pointed to herself questioningly, mouthing soundlessly in confusion. The ghost of Ophelia stared at her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Aurelia," she said. 

"Surname?"

"Livierre."

"I recognize that last name somewhere..." The ghost mumbled. "He was that Muggle boy my sister always used to hang around with!" Myrtle was floating in the corner, silently watching the interaction unfold.

"Your sister?" Aurelia asked. "Who is she?"

"Elpida," she replied. "She was my younger sister, we didn't get along too well but I loved her dearly. I hope she's doing well, haven't seen her in ages." She gave a small laugh. "Given that I've been dead for ages."

"E- Elpida?" There was a sudden lump in Aurelia's throat. "Elpida Lovelock?"

"How many Elpida Lovelocks do you know?"

"I know one, and she was my mum."

"Your mum?" Ophelia circled around her, examining every detail of her face. "You look just like her."

"So do you then."

"It was nice meeting you, Aurelia," Ophelia said. "Do send my best wishes to my sister."

"I— you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"She's been dead for years now."

"I- what? How?"

"I don't know how exactly. I wasn't there to witness it. Dad said it was best for me not to know."

Myrtle was cackling madly, but one dark look from Ophelia shut her up immediately. "My little sister, dead?" She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

"I'm sorry," Aurelia mumbled quietly. "I didn't know she had a sister; I didn't know I had another living relative other than my dad to be honest."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Ophelia said, letting out a small sigh. "I just hope that she is happy, wherever she is."

"If you don't mind me asking," Aurelia started hesitantly, "how did you die?"

Myrtle made a loud screech at her words. "How completely insensitive!"

"I'm sorry!" Aurelia said frantically. "You don't have to answer, I was just curious."

"Just curious?" Ophelia said, raising an amused brow. "I guess that runs in the family." She paused. "Sometimes curiosity can turn to madness, a desperate desire to learn, to discover. That's what happened to me when I met Tom."

"Tom?" questioned Aurelia. 

"I was once a student just like you Aurelia. I was sorted into Ravenclaw, had a rather normal first year, until I met a Slytherin." She paused again. "Slytherins are never to be trusted.

"I became friends with him; he filled me with a desire to accomplish and learn. That desire turned into something else. It made me mad, and in the back of my mind I knew Tom had done something. I knew something was going on. So I befriended Myrtle who was a few years below me, and then we became friends. That was until she died."

Aurelia was just about to ask something when Ophelia started talking again. "Upset at Dipshit — a name I used to call Dippet, who was headmaster at the time — I befriended more people; and just like that each one of my friends began dropping like flies, and each time this occurred I would get madder and madder and madder, until eventually I drowned myself." Ophelia was now staring at the reflection of the water in the swimming pool, eyes dark and a twisted smile overtaken her. "And just like that I died."