Armilla

Chapter 13

My mother's eyes were wide with shock, staring at the bracelet. Her bottom lip was trembling. I wasn't much better. My left arm, which I was still holding up, had started to shake. My legs suddenly felt numb and I was sure my knees were going to buckle.

"You're Lucia?" Hazel whispered.

"I don't know what my real name is," I whispered back. "My mother was killed in a muggle populated area and no one could identify me. They knew what the bracelet meant, but otherwise my identity was a mystery."

"But someone took you in? I wonder what happened to Emiliana..." Hazel looked very distressed. Even though her face was lined with concern and worry, I could tell my mother had been a very beautiful woman when she was alive. I wondered why she would have been married to a Death Eater. An arranged marriage perhaps...

"Yes," I said. A lady named Merle brought me up. She named me 'Armilla' because that is the Latin word for 'bracelet'."

"It is a beautiful name, child. But I can only look at you and think of Lucia." Hazel's eyes were full of tears.

I smiled at her. "I don't mind," I said. "I still am Lucia. But I'll always be Armilla as well. I guess both names represent different things to me...different parts of my life."

"Of course," said Hazel, her smile reaching her teary eyes. "Tell me about Merle, child."

I told Hazel about my life with Merle and the events of recent weeks. She listened intently, her eyes filling with tears again as I mentioned that Merle had recently died. When I told her about Shar she looked terrified. When she spoke, she was obviously trying to hold back her sobs.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that, Lucia. I too know what it's like to be subjected to violence." She looked away, as if trying to compose herself. At length, she spoke again.

"I'm so sorry to hear that Merle died. You still need someone. Who is looking after you here?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore is temporarily my guardian. I'm just staying in this wing while I recover, but I'll be going back to classes soon-" I suddenly broke off. I had been here way too long. Snape would probably be back any minute.

"Look, I've got to go. The Professor watching over me will be back any minute and he won't be impressed that I've left my room."

"Alright, dear." Hazel looked disappointed. "You will come back and see me before you go back to classes?"

"Of course I will!" I exclaimed. "Even after that! I'll have to tell Dumbledore that you're here."

"Yes," said Hazel, thoughtfully. "My ring cannot stay here forever though. I must be put to rest. I must make sure you'll be alright before I can."

"I will be alright," I assured her. "I'll try and come back tomorrow. Goodbye."

My mother smiled at me, before softly blowing a kiss. "Goodbye, my dear child."

o o o o o o o o o o

I practically ran all the way back to my room, being extremely thankful that I didn't get lost. My heart was beating very fast, and not only from the running. I had found my mother. My mother.

As I sat down on my bed, something suddenly hit me. I had found my dead mother's spirit. And I was going to lose her again as soon as she could be sure that I was going to be alright. A lump formed in my throat. I didn't want to lose her now that I had found her. I had gone my whole life not knowing her and I desperately wanted to have her around.

But I couldn't. She was a spirit. And her position was temporary. I wasn't going to have long at all with her. The emotional stress of the whole thing suddenly hit me hard and I became conscious of the tears that had started rolling down my cheeks. The lump in my throat seemed to have gotten bigger and my head hurt.

I just sat there in that state for awhile, until a noise out in the hall informed me that Snape had returned. Not wanting him to see me crying, I quickly escaped into the bathroom, locking the door. I heard him walk into my room, and then leave again, obviously having noticed I was in the bathroom.

I sat on the edge of the bath, not crying anymore, just staring straight ahead. I had only met my mother for a brief amount of time, but I knew that I loved her. I loved her so very deeply that it hurt to think that she would soon go away for good.

Maybe I was being selfish. My mother deserved to rest in peace. It seemed to me that she had had a hard life. She had certainly suffered violence. She had been married to a Death Eater. Oh God...my father was (or still is, if he's alive) a Death Eater. My stomach lurched at the thought. He could have been among those who killed my mother and all those poor muggles. I retched. My face was sweaty and my hands were all clammy.

This was a lot of information to receive in such a small space of time. I had suddenly gone from only knowing that I was pureblood to having the spirit of my mother in a ring and a Death Eater for a Father! My stomach couldn't take it any longer. Thank God I was already in the bathroom because suddenly I was vomiting violently into the toilet. I had obviously gotten myself too worked up about all this, but honestly, I couldn't help it. And I had no one to talk to about it. Terry and Lisa weren't around and I certainly was not going to talk to Snape.

I washed my face with cold water and sat down on the edge of the bath again. I would go back to my mother when Snape went to classes tomorrow. And I would have to figure out some way to keep seeing her once I'd returned to Ravenclaw.

There was a sharp knock on the bathroom door.

"Why are you still in there, Miss Kemp? You've been in there for over twenty minutes and I need to speak with you." As usual, Snape sounded thoroughly irritated.

I looked in the mirror. My eyes weren't so blotchy anymore, but you could still tell that I had been crying. I wished Snape would just go and talk to me tomorrow instead. I really hoped he hadn't heard me vomiting because he might use that as an excuse to watch me eat every meal and stay with me until I had digested it too.

Impatient that I hadn't answered him straightaway, Snape rapped on the door again. "What on earth are you doing in there?" He sounded angry now.

Annoyed, I couldn't help but give a smartass answer. Honestly, did he have to stand there knocking on the door while I was in the bathroom?

"I'm in the bathroom, sir," I said in a neutral tone. "There are a limited number of things to do in the bathroom. Did you really want details because I would consider that as an invasion of my privacy."

I thought I heard him growl.

"Come out here at once!" he snapped. "I will not tolerate being spoken to like that. Ten points from Ravenclaw. You're very lucky Miss Kemp that I haven't been postponing detentions for you to complete once you leave here. In fact I-"

He stopped short as I opened the door. It was obvious right away that he knew I'd been crying. His expression was still hard as he stared at me.

"Well?" he said, sounding completely indifferent.

"Yes sir?"

"You are here under my care, Miss Kemp. For Merlin's sake what is the matter?" He folded his arms, never breaking his gaze.

"Nothing much," I said shortly, also trying to sound indifferent as I made my way over to my bed.

Snape snorted. "Indeed."

I got into bed and looked at him expectantly. "What did you want to talk to me about, Professor?"

Snape looked a bit put off by my rather abrupt change of subject, but he answered me all the same.

"I just came to inform you that your stay here is coming to an end. You will be returning to Ravenclaw in three days time. By then, all your injuries should be sufficiently healed. The Headmaster will come by to see you before you leave."

I nodded. "Alright," I said quietly. I looked at the floor. I had very limited time to see my mother before I went back.

Snape walked over to where his tray of healing potions sat and measured out my nightly dose. He handed them to me one by one and watched as I drank them all silently.

As I handed the last vial back to him, he looked at me closely for a moment. I looked down at my sheets, playing with the lacy hem.

"I suggest you get a good night's sleep, Miss Kemp," he said softly. He made towards the door.

"Professor?" I suddenly said, my voice shaking slightly. "Do you know anything about Emiliana McGonagall?"

Snape stopped short and turned around, a look of surprise showing briefly on his face. "And why would you ask something like that?" he said softly, regarding me intensely.

"Um...remember my...puddle dream?"

He snorted again and rolled his eyes. "How could I forget?" he said sarcastically.

"I just remember that name from the dream and I don't know anything about her or even if she exists? Does she?" I was trying very hard to make my voice sound indifferent.

Snape folded his arms, staring at me again. "She did exist. She died about fourteen years ago shortly before the fall of the Dark Lord. She was Professor McGonagall's sister."

"How did she die?"

"That isn't really any of your concern, Miss Kemp," he said shortly. I looked up at him.

"Was she murdered, Professor?"

He looked angry. "Yes," he hissed. "She was murdered in Hogsmeade and you do not need to know any more than that. Understood?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

Someone must have known about Emiliana being my mother's Secret Keeper. It was all too coincidental that she was murdered before she could alert anyone of my mother's whereabouts and confirm my identity.

Snape walked towards the door. He turned around in the doorway. "Go to sleep, Miss Kemp. Do not stay awake thinking about things that are not your concern."

He walked out and I heard him scoff out in the hallway, loud enough for me to hear, "Puddle dreams indeed."