[victoria's pov]

There were only two things keeping me from leaving Borgin and Burkes. The mystery of why Theodore became a death eater. And the way that I was obsessed with Tom.

Besides, Borgin and Burke paid well. They were kind to Tom and I and were flexible. Such as now.

"Did you and Tom not say you're going to a wedding today?" Burke asks me. I nod. I honestly wasn't sure what Tom's agenda was, as he had only mentioned that we were to show up.

"Also," Burke adds, pulling out a stack of letters. "You've got a post from some muggle named Guinevere?"

"Gwendelyn," I said, rushing over. She had told me before she had important news.

Dearest Victoria,

I don't mean to trouble you but now that I'm thinking about it, I would like to know if I were in your shoes. I've come down with an illness. The doctor says it's a tumour. They don't know which one yet, but I've been feeling quite frail.

I'll let you know of any news.

Much love from Gwen.

Even her handwriting had changed. It used to be very sophisticated and neatly written, but now it was rushed and short. It would do her no good and it concerned me considering she was only thirty-five years of age.

"What is it?" Burke asks. "A sister? Godmother?"

"A friend," I say quietly. "I should go see her sometime..."

Footsteps from behind catch my attention and it's Tom. Since he brought me back from the Seven Swans tavern, he'd been quiet and ignoring my presence. He did not know who Enzo was, as far as I knew. I did not think he cared much about the man either, he was perhaps wanting to move on.

He now slept on the couch and didn't go out often anymore as I mentioned. Some part of me told me he was upset. But I couldn't tell if he was hurt or not, as he had a better poker face than I.

Yet I found it hard to find sympathy.

All I could feel was frustration at his silence.

And sometimes, I longed for him.

I wondered, had he really changed?

"We're to be at the ceremony early," Tom says. "We leave in an hour."

"The ceremony starts in three hours," I say suspiciously. "We're merely guests, what need do we have to be there early?"

"To mingle of course," Tom says as if it's the most obvious answer.

An hour goes by quickly as I rush to get ready. My dress was emerald and hugged my upper chest tightly before it reached my hips and flowed down like water. The straps were an off shoulder and the breast area had beautiful silver gems sewed on the trim. The end of the dress reached a little past my ankles as I wore simple heels. My dark hair was simply up, as my "love marks" had disappeared.

My favourite piece was the spine. It was a silver plated snake that crawled up my back, attached to the rest of the dress with thin chains of silver.

Burke had told me it was a "missing piece" from some widow back in the days and babbled on until Tom finally shut him up.

It was formal and appropriate, yet eye appealing. I looked at myself in the mirror, admiring myself, seeing that I was not the only one.

I turned around and caught Tom watching me from the doorway. He's wearing a black suit with a green tie equivalent to his eyes.

"You're absolutely perfect," he said, approaching me, almost sounding breathless.

I look at him with a helpful smile and he strokes my cheek with his thumb. His other hand moves up my spine before he undos my hair and I raise my brow.

"Your chest and back are too bare," he says casually. "I'd rather keep all of you to myself."

I nod, understanding what he meant. That night with Enzo, I had barely revealed much of myself. I was just there.

"Tom-"

He stops me with a soft kiss. The softest kiss he's ever given me, yet it feels like everything I've been missing. It was our first kiss in what felt like a lifetime.

"Not right now," he says quietly. "We need to get going."

It's not long before we arrive at the pre-ceremony of the wedding. It's absolutely stunning. It was in the centre of a maze that we were led to. With each step, there were wedding portraits of Cygnus and Druella.

The centre was a large outdoor wedding and as the sun set, it created an even more beautiful scenery. The entire garden was surrounded with the rest of the maze, besides the cliff that revealed the ocean. The peony flowers were all white, almost looking artificial, as they climbed up the long pillars that surrounded the marble dance floor. At the top of the columns were crows that watched like guards.

There was an orchestra that played behind the scenes, getting their own attention with the ethereal radiance they gave. I suspected they were veelas. They wore satin dresses of pale blue and their straight hair was as long as themselves.

There was a wine bar along a wall and circle tables that filled the rest of the empty space. With the centrepiece being a crow statue, holding a white peony in its beak. But the most attractive scene was the altar. Behind the altar was revealed to be the sea, revealing the sunset even more. The aisle was like a cloud, meant only for the bride. The altar had two columns on each side with tulle curtains draped over to create a roof. It swayed in the wind like a ghost and the peonies that climbed up the columns met the rest of the maze as it disappeared like a virus.

Everything looked purely good. Not a single trace of darkness but the crows.

It truly was the house of Black.

"It's breathtaking," I tell Tom.

He nods, but I can tell he's distracted. I pretend to stay oblivious to this and we walk down the steps, nearing the marble floor. There's a formal dance going and to my surprise, Tom pulls my waist tighter as he nears it. I give him a raised brow.

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't offer you a dance?" he asked charmingly.

He places his hand around my waist gently and our other fingers entwine like the peony vines. My other hand rests on his shoulder.

"I can't dance," I whisper quietly, leaning in his ear.

"Just follow me," he says.

He's slowly guiding me with his hands, slightly pushing my arm to signal where to move my leg. For a very long moment, it feels normal. Being with him. He moves gracefully, pulling me closer to him. It eventually becomes easy to move at his pace.

He's grinning slightly and I ask, "What?"

"Nothing," he says, still grinning slightly. "It's just occurred to me that you may be royalty in another life."

"That's ridiculous," I say, still smiling from this. "We only live once."

"A good reminder of why we live everyday as if it's our last," he says, pecking my forehead before leading me off the marble floor.

It was out of character.

Perhaps he had changed?

Perhaps he was really trying?

As we neared the wine bar, we came face to face with Cygnus. His gaze met mine before he met Tom's. He was taken aback at the sight my arm wrapped around his. I figured he was surprised Tom hadn't killed me for one that night.

"My lord," Cygnus said quietly, bowing slightly. "Victoria."

"Cygnus," I greeted as if nothing had happened.

A voice boomed from behind us in the midst of chattering guests.

"Tom, m'boy!" Slughorn called out. "Do my eyes deceive me?"

Tom turns around and charmingly greets Slughorn. He's holding cheesecake and flask in one hand and wearing a suit equivalent to that shade with a red tie.

"Goodness, Tom, it feels like it's been years since I've seen you. Ah! Hello to you too, m'lady."

I nod my head in acknowledgment. I doubted he remembered my name. He was greeting us as if he hadn't seen us in two years. He turns his attention on Tom, trying to convince him to join the ministry as I face Cygnus.

"You invited Slughorn?" I asked. "Are you that much of a teacher's pet?"

"I like to stay relevant wherever I may be," Cygnus says quietly then adds, "but not as much as Slughorn."

I grin then Slughorn is later carried away when he spots another crowd of previous students he's known, Abraxas Malfoy among them. Tom turns his attention back to me with a particular look.

"What is it?" I ask.

"Nothing," he says unconvincingly.

But like usual, I wave it off. Tom and I are given drinks as the sky begins to fall. Cygnus looks at the time repeatedly with obvious signs of cold feet. I hear a loud exclaim of laughter and turn around, seeing a group of huddled women.

Tom stands and tells me he'll be back. I nod, not listening as I watch the crowd. In the centre of it all, was Theodore, who was drunk off his mind, and dancing with the women as if he were in a club. I watch in disgust as his hands hold the bum of a woman he probably didn't even know, and sways with her to the music. He looks lost, had it not been for the alcohol influence.

The woman tries to kiss him, but he dodges, wanting nothing more than harmless fun. She too, intoxicated, doesn't think much of it and giggles to her friends. They looked familiar, the group of friends but they weren't relevant to me to know well. Perhaps Slytherins from my Hogwarts days.

"Falling in love?" a familiar man asks from beside me.

I turn my head and come face to face with Enzo Zabini.

"Impossible," I say and he laughs. Little did he know.

"I did not think you knew Cygnus," Enzo said. "How do you know him?"

Hesitantly, I reply, "His boss is my boyfriend."

"You? A girlfriend?" Enzo laughs and I swat his arm. He's shaking his head and still laughing.

"Yes, me," I said. "But what happened a few weeks ago is not to be mentioned ever again. I'd like to restart."

"Hey, I'm Enzo," he said, holding out his hand. "Have I seen you around before?"

I laughed and met his hand, saying, "No, most likely not."

He checks the time and clears his throat before excusing himself.

"I've got to get going now," he says. "I have to prepare for a speech."

"Why good luck to you," I say as he walks off. I turn my attention back to myself now, alone.

If I had a normal life, if I hadn't met Tom, perhaps Serenity would be here to accompany me. Perhaps we would both be accompanying Druella right now in her dressing room and it would be another woman greeting Enzo and not me.

It would be Theodore with me on the dance floor and Serenity who was partying drunkenly. Perhaps the air would feel less thin and more clear. Perhaps I would really feel as if all were well. Despite it all, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just the same thought I came back to at the end of the day.

What if things had been different?

I turn around, examining the room and I see Slughorn sneaking off into the maze. Suspicious, I'm quick to follow him, as all guests were to stay in the centre. I find it hard to keep up at my pace so I remove my heels, my feet meeting the soft, artificial grass.

Above, the sky begins to cloud.

I hear a rustle and turn in many directions, becoming more lost. There are tall wooden doors and windows now and then, but none catch my attention until I hear one of them shut. I make a turn and come to a dead end. But not so much of a dead end as there's a door from behind one of them and I can hear murmuring.

Through the window of the door, there's a drape that conceals the actions inside, but I can peek through the sliver of an opening. Peeking through the drape, I see a familiar silhouette. Three. Tom, Cygnus, and Enzo. Behind them are some death eaters with masks.

"Cygnus, if you could do the honour," Tom says.

Cygnus nods and Enzo pulls up his sleeve, revealing his forearm. Him and Tom lock hands and Cygnus motions his wand in a slow circle before a thin white chain of hot wire begins to appear like a fire. An unbreakable vow.

But this was different than it was described in the texts at Hogwarts. It was not a hot white wire. It was green and looked more like smoke.

"Do you, Enzo Zabini" Tom begins, "vow your loyalty and life to serve me from this day forward? In exchange for protection over you and your family of generations to come?"

Without hesitation, Enzo responds, "I do."

The hot green wire glows brighter and instead of breaking, it moves like a snake, becoming absorbed in Enzo's skin. His jaw clenched in pain as the tattoo on his arm forms. It was my first time witnessing this, as I had never known how it worked.

That means every single one of his death eaters had vowed their life to him.

Every single one of them. Druella, Cygnus, Abraxas, Theodore...

And once again, he had lied to me.

"Locke?" Slughorn's voice calls from behind me. I turn my head with a jump and he approaches me suspiciously.

"Whatever are you doing out here?" he asks, peering at the door.

"I- I got lost," I lied.

He raises his brow and I notice something different about him. His hair was browner than usual and his eyes were more sunken.

"Are you feeling well, professor?" I ask.

Before he could answer, a death eater appeared from behind him. Swiftly, the death eater removes his mask and tucks it under his cloak, revealing it to be Theodore.

"Professor Slughorn," Theodore says, approaching us cautiously. "I had thought the party was out there?"

Slughorn turns around and nods agreeingly.

"I was merely curious as to why Miss Locke is out here," he said, drinking from his flask. I slowly near Theodore and Slughorn's eyes follow me. "Should we get back?"

"Yes, we should," Theodore says, stepping in front of me. But we don't move. Slughorn doesn't move and laughs awkwardly, sipping from his flask.

"Revelio!" Theodore shouts quickly, his wand whipping out from his cloak.

Slughorn's physique changed drastically, revealing to be a brown-haired middle aged man I didn't recognise. The flask fell, revealing to be polyjuice potion. It sizzled as it sank into the ground. A man we both didn't recognise, but the badge on his now oversized suit was revealed as well.

"Ministry auror," I gasped and the wizard lunged toward us with a jinx.

Theodore grabbed me by the arm and sprinted as I struggled to keep his pace.

"Come on," I thought, trying to use my wand to shoot a jinx, but nothing was working. My magic was not doing anything. Theodore seemed to not have noticed because we came to a fork and he forced me to take one direction.

"Make a left at the second door then a right to get out," he ordered frantically. "Go!"

I turned and ran as he took another route. I could hear shuffling from beside me on the other side of the maze and my legs began to grow weak. I heard Theodore shout in pain and stopped.

I had to go back.

Turning around, I sprinted back to the direction Theodore ran off to. I couldn't let anything happen to him. By the time I reached him and the auror, he was laying on the ground with a gash over his chest. The same one Serenity had the night she died. Beside him is a crooked dagger. He's heavily gasping for air as I feel my heart race.

The auror faced me and lunged at me, shooting a paralysis spell as I dodged it. I tried to summon a cruciatus curse with my wand but nothing happened. The auror hits me with a jinx.

Immediately, my limbs begin to feel like they're being torn apart and being sewn back on. I scream in agony as he approaches me, ready to finish me off.

The look on his face is sinister. He enjoys the hunt personally, but he was an auror. Aurors were supposed to report and bring dark wizards in.

My eyes fall upon Theodore.

I go numb as I watch his lifeless body on the ground, blood staining the lively grass. I feel a wave of distress fall over me. But most of all, rage.

The auror summons a rope to tie me up tightly. But the pressure of the rope begins to squeeze against my skin, making my tissues burn. It climbed up my neck like a snake, suffocating me. I feel my eyes tear with pain and my chest heave unevenly. My wand falls onto the ground.

"This is what death tastes like," the auror hisses with a pleased look. "Any last-"

At once, he's lunged against the ground with black dust. His incantation is undone and I fall to the ground, landing harshly.

The obscurus is swarming the auror like a nest of wasps. The blackness begins to consume him, entering his body from his mouth, making him gag and twitch uncontrollably. The same way my parents had. But this time, I watched with no fear.

"Please!" he moaned. "I was just doing my job!"

Ignoring him, I approach Theodore slowly, my mouth agape.

My breath racing, I stand over Theodore, whose eyes are closed. Even in death, he looks distressed. I fell to my knees, laying over him desperately.

"Come back," I said, stroking his face helplessly. I could not find the will to mourn, but the clenching of my heart was enough to hurt like never before.

I turn to the auror.

"Bring him back!" I demand. "You have years of knowledge about the dark arts, auror. Bring him back."

"I- I can't," he sputters. "But you. You've consumed the blood of a unicorn haven't you? You carry the curse of a half-life."

I don't answer, as we both know the answer. I allow my magic to let him fall to the ground to explain. The auror falls on all fours, panting for proper breath.

"You-" he pants. "No human can watch a loved one die without shedding tears. It's inhumane."

"How do I bring him back," I say, ignoring his statement.

"You have the blood in your system for eternity. You can choose to curse him with the same half-life while his soul still resides in his body."

A big part of me wanted to believe him. So I did.

I turn back to Theodore and I pick up the dagger, quivering as my heart raced. I cut the palm of my hand and blood began to surface. The stream of blood falls into his mouth and I lift his head, forcing it down his throat.

"Petrificus totalus!" I hear a shout from behind me.

I turn, still holding Theo in my arm, and see Cygnus standing over the frozen auror. He's inches away from me, another crooked dagger in his hands.

Cygnus' eyes fall on me and he exhales deeply before rushing over with disbelief. He watches as I feed Theo my blood. He then turns his wand to the auror and there's a red flash. The auror begins to shout.

"Shut up! Who sent you, imposter?" Cygnus demands. "Why're you here?"

"Imposter?" the auror scoffs. "I'm a worthy agent of the ministry. I'm to hunt down black magic artists and send them in."

"What brought you here?" Cygnus asked warningly.

The auror grinned and said, "The disappearance of that Hogwarts student, Viridian."

I felt my body go tense.

"There was no evidence at her family's home," he said. "So I had to trace it back to Rosier or Locke, her so called 'best friends' to find out dirt on her family, but it's much worse than I could have ever imagined. It all makes sense now. Why you're no longer closer with Rosier, why you're all now a part of that cult with that tattoo except for her."

He swung his head at me, scowling.

"I thought maybe she's the one in control, but no. When I saw Riddle, I knew," he continued. "This is something much more than the disappearance of a student. It's a revolution. Innit?"

Cygnus and I looked at each other as the auror began to cackle at our silence. Without blinking, Cygnus shot him with a killing curse and the maze fell silent. He looked back at me, realising I was feeding Theo my blood.

"I know what you're doing," he said warningly. "It's not what he would want."

I ignored him.

"Victoria, he would not want this. He would rather die saving you than live without you."

"Shut up, Cygnus!" I exclaim. "I would rather have him hate me than die."

"When he finds out-"

"He won't," I say angrily, glaring at him. "And neither will Tom."

A part of him wanted Theo back too. It wasn't the fact that he knew what I was capable of, but the quiet hope of reversing the damage that had been done.

I stop when I see Theo's chest cavity slowly sew back together like time reversing. Cygnus' eyes beam with disbelief at the sight and Theo's chest begins to move again. His eyes are shut, but his eyelids are slowly twitching.

By the time his skin is sewn back together, he begins to cough and wheeze heavily for air. I give Cygnus a particular look and he nods, understanding.

"Well, mate, I think that's a sign you need to quit smoking," Cygnus says, getting into character.

When Theo opens his eyes, I almost cry with relief. He looks at me confused and stares at me up and down.

"Who's blood is that?" he asks. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

"It's the auror's," I lied. "And I'm fine, thanks to Cygnus."

He looks at Cygnus and he stands immediately, helping me to my feet. We hear rustling from behind and I turn to see Tom with Enzo and a couple of death eaters.

"What the bloody hell?" Enzo exclaimed at the sight of the dead auror.

Cygnus falls silent and Theo's hand lets go of mine. Tom looked at me for an explanation at the brutally dead body and when none of us spoke, he stepped in.

"We're leaving," Tom demanded.

"Now."

-------

January 15th, 2024.