Chapter 65: A half of my heart

To Hogwarts Witches and Wizards.

I believe that your school houses two children who belong to me. I will come tomorrow to collect them. I trust you will not prevent a reunion of a mother with her children.

Beira.

Minerva read and reread the short letter delivered to her by a raven this afternoon. She did not like this. Even though the letter did not describe the children this woman was looking for, she was sure she meant the Nix twins.

They told her their mother was dead but Minerva had her suspicions that it was a lie. The way they spoke of her - children who have lost their only parent did not speak this indifferently of their loss. But they were scared, she was sure that the fear was not fake. And so their story became clear and simple - they ran away from their mother.

While the rational part of her told her that children belonged with their mother, her instinct told her to be cautious. Minerva did not like the way this witch spoke of her children in the letter and she did not like that she used a raven to deliver the message. No one used these birds anymore because of their past association with Dark Magic. But this witch did not mind what conclusions Minerva would come to upon seeing her bird. Just what type of a witch was she?

Her hands trembled when she folded the letter and stuffed it into a drawer. She didn't warn the twins that their mother was coming for them, afraid that the news would prompt them to run away again. She couldn't bear the thought of them out there on their own. They would have to deal with this mess the following day when she showed up.

Besides, maybe she was wrong and this Beira was looking for other children. Perhaps.

She couldn't sleep all night. Her mind was swirling with worries, dreading the coming day.

She had grown very fond of the twins and wanted what was best for them. Was it really in their best interest to be handed over to a woman who referred to them as her belongings? On the other hand, Minerva knew nothing of her. Maybe she was a good mother after all and the twins ran away for a stupid, childish reason like not wanting to do chores or disagreeing with discipline. She did not know the full story.

She instructed Argus Filch to watch out for a visitor the next morning, but it turned out to not be necessary. She noticed the witch while on her way to lunch.

She was taken aback by her appearance. She was a beautiful woman who looked too young to have twelve-year-old children but the resemblance was very clear, though her hair was naturally blond, not white. She carried herself with an air of authority and natural grace which so many women would kill for. She was the type of woman who knew how beautiful she was and wanted everyone to acknowledge it. Minerva didn't like her already.

"I am Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress. Are you Beira Nix?"

The woman's lip lifted as if she found Minerva funny but then she spoke in a no-nonsense matter, getting straight to the point.

"You received my letter then. Let's get on with this. I don't have all day."

Elsa and Jack had already spotted her and made their way forward, confirming that this woman was indeed their mother.

Minerva couldn't help but look at them with harsh judgment. She did not like it that they lied to her. It was more than just disappointment, it was a feeling of betrayal. She truly cared for them as if they were her own family but they couldn't even afford her the truth.

"Follow me," she said once the twins arrived.

As she feared, there was no touchy reunion. Beira did not act like a worried mother who was thankful that her missing children were safe. Instead, she looked triumphant like she just won a battle. In the meantime, the twins looked scared. They didn't dare look up, said nothing and held each other's hands for comfort. Oh, why did they put her in this situation?

She led them all to her office and observed the young witch with suspicion. Everything about her seemed to contradict that this woman was a witch. She wasn't dressed like one, it honestly was too chilly for a sleeveless gown like that and even in warm weather, most witches were more conservative in their fashion. The leather pouch hanging from her belt was a strange substitute for a purse and Minerva wondered what was inside. She supposed a pouch could have been enchanted to hold larger objects and her wand could be stored there.

And yet, this woman was not a Muggle or she wouldn't have been able to get to the school so easily. The raven already proved that she did not partake with the wizarding community or she would have known that it would send a wrong message. This would also explain why she never reported her children missing. She was a part of some other community, something Minerva was not familiar with.

If only the twins were not so secretive about their origins, then maybe all of this wouldn't be such a surprise to her now.

Beira looked down at her children and spoke to them for the first time.

"And so here you are."

"Yes, Mother," Elsa answered quietly, her eyes on the floor.

"You made your mother worry," she accused. "You just disappeared, didn't even leave a note. I worried that someone kidnapped you or that you got lost and needed to be rescued."

"We should've left a note," Elsa admitted, biting her lip. "I'm sorry."

Next to her, Jack took a long breath and held his mother's gaze in defiance - he wasn't sorry.

Beira sighed and admired her slender hands. "Is there anything you need from me? I'd like to take my children now."

She raised her eyes to Minerva lazily as if she was being bothered with the most mundane task.

"Mrs. Nix, you don't wish for them to finish the school year?"

The woman laughed in a melodious chuckle. "They don't need this… education."

"I want to stay," Jack spoke clearly and Beira shot him a sharp look.

"You will be quiet," she said in a soft voice which had 'or else' implied in it. "Adults are speaking." She addressed Minerva. "So, are we done?"

Minerva wanted more time. She wanted to probe this woman for more information and hoped to catch a quick moment with the twins to ask them some questions. Her intuition was telling her that they had a valid reason to be scared of their mother.

"We need to get the approval of the Headmaster," she tried to stall her.

The witch rolled her eyes and waved her graceful hand in dismissal. "Get on with it then."

Minerva did not like that tone but she bit down her pride. This wasn't about her.

She got up to leave and noticed that Jack was staring at her intently as if begging her to not leave them alone with their mother. Elsa was still looking at the floor, lost in her own thoughts.

When she was at the door, Minerva added, "Jack, would you come here for a moment?"

Jack shot up from his seat immediately and ran to join her, but tripped on the rug and fell into her.

"Sorry, I'm such a clumsy-head," he mumbled. "It's these shoes."

Elsa audibly gasped in her seat and looked at him with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Minerva asked her.

She cleared her throat. "No. Nothing. I just remembered something."

She stared at her brother and then at her mother who looked bored and occupied herself with admiring her hands.

Minerva closed the door and whispered to Jack, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I'm sorry we lied. We thought we had to. How else would you take us in?"

Minerva wanted to shake some sense into this boy. "Saying your mother is dead is the worst kind of lie you could've given me. What am I supposed to do now?"

"I want to stay here. I'm not going with her."

He crossed his arms and looked at Minerva with a pout.

"Jack, you need to tell me the truth. Why did you run away from home?"

He dropped his eyes and pressed his lips tightly together.

"This is not the time for more secrets," she reminded him. "I can't help you if you don't speak up."

"I couldn't live like that anymore," he whispered. "She's a monster. I don't want to become a monster like her."

"What do you mean by monster? Did she hurt you?"

He shook his head. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it? What did she do that is so monstrous?"

"I knew you wouldn't believe me," he whispered while looking at the floor. "That's why we lied. Adults just don't get it."

She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "I'm on your side, Jack. I want to help but you need to tell me what this woman did."

He shook his head. "She's not a good person. I swear. I just… I don't know how to explain this. Believe me." He looked at her with those blue puppy eyes. "I can't go back. I just can't."

Minerva didn't know what to do. He did not tell her anything that would indicate that the children would be unsafe with their mother but she did believe him that there was something wrong, that it wasn't a happy household.

Yet, it wasn't enough. She needed someone else's opinion on this. Maybe Dumbledore would have some ideas.

"I will get the Headmaster. Stay in my office. I'll be back in a minute."

She walked away back to the Great Hall in a rush. With each step, her resolve was strengthening. She wasn't a superstitious witch but she did believe that some events were destined to happen. She was meant to find the twins that day in London. She was meant to take them in and bring them here. It was her destiny to protect them.

These children needed her help. They needed a proper home, one they wouldn't be afraid of - a home she could offer. And she would fight to keep them.

McGonagall's heels made clackety sounds as she disappeared behind a corner. Jack looked back at the door to her office. His hand felt incredibly heavy when he raised it to open the door. He kept hoping this was a bad dream and Mother was not in that room.

"Please, let this be a bad dream."

The door opened with a soft creak and he saw Mother in a conversation with Elsa. What did they speak about when he was away? He appraised if his sister needed help but she looked much more relaxed than before. The fear which made her hands tremble earlier was gone.

He wished his fear was gone as well but his fear sat in a chair, looking exactly the way he remembered her - beautiful and cold.

'You're a Gryffindor,' he reminded himself, 'the House of the brave. Bravery is when you're scared but you still do what needs to be done. Be a Gryffindor.'

He glared at his mother, who slowly got up from her chair and walked out to the hallway. He was going to be brave and fight for his right to stay here.

"It's time to go," she said in a bored voice.

Her tone carried a promise that things were going to go back to what they were. She was going to trap them underground again, cut off from the world, with only hideous hags and smelly goats for company. He had a flashback of a hag's decayed teeth arranged in a wide grin and a gnarly hand stretching out to him while Mother turned away with a bored sigh.

He hated her and he hated her mountain. He hated that life with all his heart.

"We're waiting for Professor Dumbledore," he reminded them.

He was not going with her. Whatever it took, he would fight it. Maybe he should've lied to McGonagall and said that Mother hurt them, maybe that would've given the wizards a reason to help. He thought of the wand in his pocket. He was no longer a defenseless child but did he dare attack his own mother?

Elsa gave him a very tight hug. He returned it automatically but had a bad feeling about it. He snuck a glance at their mother who crossed her arms and tapped an impatient beat with one finger.

"I'm leaving with Mother," Elsa whispered into his ear.

His whole body tensed.

"What?" he whispered back. "We don't have to go with her. McGonagall will help. It's not over."

"Jack, you can stay with the wizards but my place is at her side. I don't belong here. I understand why you don't want to go, but I do."

She squeezed him one more time and let go. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Elsa wanted to go without him. It couldn't be.

"We will see each other again," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. "This isn't goodbye."

She tried to pull her hand out of his but he wouldn't let her. He had no words to describe the horror of what he was feeling. All he knew was that he couldn't let her go.

"Jack, I'm cashing in that favor you owe me. Let me do this," she said softly.

He shook his head. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He couldn't live without her. She was a part of him. She was the other half of his heart.

She put her other hand gently on top of his.

"It's time to let me go, Jack."

Her eyes, so much like his own, held no hesitation. She wanted him to let go. No, it was more than that. It was worse than that. She was letting go of him.

His hold loosened, and time slowed down. He felt each agonizing sensation as her fingers left his. It felt as if the Earth started to open up beneath him and the darkness of its depth was sucking him in. Her hand was the last thread that kept him from falling in and she just let go.

She smiled at him one last time and turned away.

The same hand, which held his a moment ago, slid inside the waiting elegant fingers of their mother. Dark Beira, the Queen of Winter, had won the right to hold his sister's hand.

And he watched half of his heart walk away from him without a second glance.

The End of Book 1

A/N: Do you want to know what happens next? You're in luck. Check out my profile and follow The New Order of Merlin Book 2: Cursed. It's being written right now! Ever wondered where the Hogwarts castle's magic came from? The gravity of what the Founders had done will finally be revealed. Merlin had no idea just how far they went.

Big thanks to everyone who reviewed - I read it all. I wouldn't have finished this story if not for your continuous support. It's the ultimate reward. I plan to come back to this book in the future to do some rewriting and your reactions help me spot problem areas so please continue to leave reviews.

If you missed my note in an earlier chapter, Beira has her own story: The Well of Youth. Check it out to see behind the scenes of the twins' world from the POV of their mother.

See you in book 2!

xxx