The Wedding reception of Chris and Harry slowly started to wind down and the guests started to leave. Finally, Chris found a mont alone and saw everyone else busy; Aurelia distracted with her son, Kingsley discussing sothing with Theodore, and Ron talking to Harry. She took advantage of the mont and slipped away just a little further away from the music and people.
Chris stood near the lake, under the stars twinkling above, watching the dark water of the lake ripple. It reminded her of her early days in Hogwarts, where she would spend hours watching the Hogwarts lake. The Lake was the source of Hogwarts’s power, so it made sense why she always felt a tug towards it. Chris breathed in and out the soft, cool breeze ruffling her hair. For a mont, she thought of Fergus and she smiled.
"I know you would have loved to be here, Fergus. God, I miss you," Chris muttered under her breath.
For a split second, she thought she saw sothing. Sothing flickered in the dark on the other bank of the lake. Maybe it was soone? Chris leaned forward to see better but jerked back, hearing a voice behind her.
"You miss who?"
Chris whirled around for a second, thinking it was Fergus.
But her face fell when she realized it was Oziyat standing there, and then her eyes widened in surprise.
"Oziyat," Chris smiled. "You made it. I thought you wouldn’t. Is Sol here too?"
"Yeah," Oziyat smiled back and walked up to stand beside her. "He insisted that we co. Rosaline is away for urgent work with another vampire territory, so I had to bring him. Cannot trust anyone else to care for the Crown Prince, you know."
"So you didn’t wanna co?" Chris joked as she glanced back at the other side of the lake, but realized there was nothing. Then it hit her, what Oziyat just said. She turned to look at him. "Wait, Crown Prince? aning the Prince next in line to be on the throne, right?"
"Yes," Oziyat smiled.
"But –"
"I put him next in line," Oziyat explained. "When Rosa refused the crown, I told her even if she didn’t sit on the throne, I would not let her son lose the chance just because of the prejudice against non-vampires. Sol is special, and he deserves it, so after , he would be the King unless he abdicates."
"That’s . . ." Chris was lost for words. Oziyat really was a good person. "That’s beautiful, Oziyat."
"Thanks," Oziyat smiled, then looked forward towards the dark lake. "You didn’t say who you were missing? Judging by your expression, it was definitely not ."
Chris rolled her eyes at the joke.
"I am happy to see you, too, just so you know. But I was thinking about Fergus. I miss him from ti to ti."
"My ancestor? Queen Wilma’s son?" Oziyat asked, surprised. Even though Chris had told him about Fergus before, she realized Oziyat never understood how deep their connection was.
"Yeah, he would be very happy –" Chris began, but stopped when she saw Sol walking towards them.
While Oziyat didn’t change even in the slightest in the last few years, Sol certainly has. He was almost fourteen now. He had gotten so much taller than the first ti Chris t him. Currently, Sol was almost as tall as Chris, his eyes had gotten sharper, and so had his dressing style. But despite all of this, Chris was happy that he didn’t lose his boyish smile.
"Chris! Congratulations!" Sol grinned and hugged Chris. "You look beautiful."
"Thanks, Sol," Chris grinned back. "You look very handso too."
"Thanks," Sol blushed.
"How are you –" Chris started to talk to Sol, but she was interrupted again by an angry-looking Aurelia.
"Chris! Where were you? We were looking for you! You can’t slip away like that."
"I just stepped away, Aurelia," Chris knitted her eyebrows together and frowned. "Why are you all acting like this? What’s going on?"
Chris didn’t an to yell but she must have been loud because she saw Harry and Ron running towards them.
"What is it?" Harry asked worriedly before noticing Oziyat and Sol. "Oziyat?"
"Congratulations on the wedding, Mr. Potter," Oziyat extended his hand, and Harry shook it.
"Thanks, King Oziyat," Harry said before turning his eyes to Chris. "You ok?"
"Yes," Chris nodded. "I was just – please tell what’s going on, Aurelia. I can’t take this weird tension anymore."
Chris turned to look at Aurelia, who shrugged and Chris knew she was about to lie or avoid the topic again, so she turned to Ron.
"You tell , Ron."
Ron looked startled as everyone turned to him.
"I –"
"Chris, this is –" Aurelia tried to intercept, but suddenly looked alert when sothing flew above them. Aurelia yelled. "Duck!"
And Chris ducked down as Aurelia, Ron and Harry raised their wands upwards. Even Oziyat looked up, ready to destroy whatever danger it was. But the fastest was Sol, who reacted before others could blink. He stretched his hands, jumped, and caught whatever was flying above.
"It’s a bird!" Sol yelled before Aurelia, Ron, or Harry could attack the bird.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Aurelia, Ron and Harry lowered their wands.
"My God!" Chris stood up, angry. "What is wrong with us? Why are we attacking random birds? Aurelia, you better tell what’s happening, or I’m walking out of here right now. Alone. Before any of you can stop ."
"Chris, you don’t –" Aurelia started looking worried.
"Maybe we should tell her," Ron finally said, rubbing his eyes. He looked very tired all of a sudden. "It’s doing more harm than benefit to her, at this point."
"Yeah, exactly, what is it?" Harry asked, standing beside Chris. "I think we have a right to know why we are so scared that we are shooting birds in the sky all of a sudden. If it wasn’t for Sol –"
Harry stopped short, turning to Sol. He had gone very quiet as he cradled the little bird in his hands, but his eyes looked glossy and his face pain-stricken.
"Sol?" Chris noticed Sol too.
"It’s dead," Sol mumbled.
"How? We didn’t –" Ron began.
"No. It was already dead," Sol showed the bird to Chris. "Like the –"
"Like the Snallygaster at the temple," Chris automatically whispered, seeing the dark, withering body of the small bird lying on Sol’s hands.
"How did you –?" Harry started to ask.
"I sensed its energy as soon as it arrived," Sol explained. "I tried saving it, only to realize it was too late for it. But the energy I used to revive it ended up killing it. These kinds of Inferi creatures can’t stand my reviving energy. Not to ntion it was so small."
Sol sighed deeply, and Oziyat patted him on the back.
"He had been practicing his powers," Oziyat explained. "All of them since we realized he has a lot of them. He not only bends the elents but also has a deep bond with animals, and he can send different types of energy waves like his mother, not as strong as Rosa, but he is getting good at it."
Oziyat was telling all of this to Chris but she wasn’t listening at all. Her eyes were fixed on the dead bird and the small note tucked on its claws. Chris slowly reached out to free the small note, dread washed over her even before she touched the paper, as if she already knew. She knew the truth in her heart, even if nobody told her.
Everyone felt quiet as they saw her pulling out the note from the dead bird. They watched her as she unfurled the note.
There were only seven words scribbled on it. Chris paled reading it.
Hope you liked the Fireworks, Christina Norton — S
"What’s this?" Harry asked, alard.
Without answering, Chris handed him the note and looked back at the dead bird. She had already pieced the mystery together. The dead Inferi bird, the unexpected fireworks, Kingsley, Aurelia, Ron and Theodore’s worry, and now this note. It all made sense now, and Chris knew there was only one person who could create Inferis like her master and cause such alarm to Kingsley and Aurelia, the person whose na started with S.
Kingsley and Theodore ca running as Chris looked up at Aurelia, who looked equally shocked.
"What –?" Aurelia began, but Chris cut her off.
"Aurelia, Stormy . . . she escaped, didn’t she?"
[To be continued]
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