ACT I, love is embarrassing as hell !
[ 000 ] poisened choices

     NOVEMBER 4TH 1970.

Katya surveyed the picturesque kitchen, which had been neatly cleaned by her mother early that morning. Her tongue brushed against her inner lip, tasting coppering blood mixed with saliva. She didn't say anything, or make any indication she was bleeding, she had grown to deal with her own problems.

She stood and filled up a glass with water from a clay pitcher, her eyes still scanning the room trying to be constantly aware of her surroundings. Don't want to be caught. She gargled the pure liquid in her mouth, and spat it out into the sink. Feeling too lazy to pour out the liquid again, she flicked the tap and water gushed in the cup.

She took another sip and swallowed. The pitcher water tasted off, like it had been sitting out for days. Katya set the glass down, and closed her eyes briefly, behind her eyelines seemed to be her only escape. The taste of blood subsided as she took another sip of water, her eyes reopening.

"Katya."

Katya spun around a drop of water spilling out of the cap, hitting the floor with a light 'drop'. Angus Duval stood in the threshold, glasses balancing on the end of his long nose, which Katya had unfortunately inherited ( what hurt the most was that she actually like her nose, it went with the rest of her face perfectly. )

Her father gave her a pointed look, like he knew she was up to something. Panicked, Katya said the first thing that came to her mind. "Is mum home yet? She said we'd have a roast today." She hoped her voice didn't shake too much as she spoke, or that she wasn't visibly flinching when her father moved toward her.

He didn't say anything, or lift his hand, and a wave of relief washed over her. Angus kept a wandering eye on his daughter, who was still leaning back ever so slightly, her heart pounding in her chest, she was sure he could hear it.

Katya watched as he poured himself a glass of water, and her eyes averted form his face and body's behaviour to the clear liquid pouring from the clay pitcher her hand had been on only a few minutes previously.

He tilted his head back, the water going down his throat. When he straightened, adjusting his glasses, something very strange happened, and this was the bit Katya could not ever forget, no matter how much she wanted to.

Angus' eyes rolled back, only the white of his eyes visible. A choked sound escaped his lips. His hands gripped the glass in his hand and it shattered between his fingers, a shard of glass hitting Katya's face, cutting right across the bridge of her nose.

She stumbled backwards, her heart racing faster and faster as she watched her father die right before her eyes. His crumbled body on the floor, his suit creasing and eyes still rolled back.

Katya could only stand, her mouth slightly open. Not a tear in sight. She thought this correct, she was not sad that her father had died, died right in front of her and possibly at her hand. She had known something was off about the water but she hadn't done anything. He had swallowed, she had spat.

The Ministry of Magic arrived only moments later, along with Maria Duval, who's eyes welled with thick tears, and her nose was bright red from the November cold. She moved straight for her ten year old daughter, catching her in an embrace.

Katya lied a total of three times that night.

The first was to her mother. She had told Maria that she was devastated, she had been crying when it happened, but she was staying strong for her. The last part was indeed true, Katya knew her mother would be in pieces, that she was in pieces even if she could not understand.

The second and third were to the Aurors. They were women, tall and brunette with perfect eyeliner, Katya could have sworn they were twins. The first one, who's name she could not remember, placed her one the kitchen counter and sat on the barstool, a kind and sympathetic smile on her face.

"Katya, would you mind telling us something about how your father died?" She asked, her voice sweet and full of annoying pity. Comfort my mother, not me!

She didn't mention the water, the cut on her lower lip or anything else involving anything that had actually happened. Instead she told the woman that she had come down from her room to find Angus on the floor.

The young girl had no idea why she had lied, maybe it was part of the hidden aspect of her life, but she knew that they believed her. They did not feed her Veritaserum, or use magic to worm the correct information out of her. Looking back on it, Katya thought this one of the most stupid things the ministry had done, but she had no regrets lying.

It protected one of her favourite choices, the choice not to tell. 

─── ✶ 𝑺𝑼𝑲𝑰'𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬.

for reference, angus/katya's dad a pureblood and maria/katya's mum is a muggleborn witch, which technically makes her a half-blood ( if I am correct ?? )