𝗔𝗖𝗧 𝗜𝗜𝗜 ━━ 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗘
090. cut strings with haunting pasts

SEPTEMBER, 1978

      𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗘𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗢𝗠 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗚𝗘𝗧'𝗦 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦. All she needed was a Pensieve and none of her useless friends was in possession of one. To be fair, she did not have one either; amongst all the manors she has visited and lived in, none of them had the rare object. 

      Thankfully, she did know a certain greasy-haired, owl-faced, and former classmate who had a Pensieve. This time, she had the courtesy to knock, and she tapped her knuckles against the wooden door three times before backing away.

      Upon opening the door, Severus Snape held an expression with twisted features, utter confusion, and disbelief littering his face.

"May I come in?" Asked Scarlet politely.

      Snape remained silent, blinking once very hard to make sure this was not some pathetic, crooked nightmare. Or a trap. His black orbs roamed around behind her, making sure she was not in any possession of a mass-murdering weapon. His mind knew he was overreacting upon the girl's arrival but his heart felt threatened. 

"Of course, I can come in," Scarlet rolled her eyes, sarcastically speaking as she answered her own question. She brushed past the still boy who wore all black, and he shut the door quietly after her hurried entrance. 

"I am very sorry about your mother, Scarlet," was the first thing he said. "I hope you are doing okay."

Scarlet bit the insides of her cheeks and waved a dismissive hand, "I am well. Don't you worry. I need to use your Pensieve."

"Straight to the point as always," Snape declared in a monotone and raised a hand momentarily to gesture to her to follow him.

The shallow stone basin had ancient carvings on it. The contains had light-made liquid, a silver smoke that almost looked solid. Yet another magical item that is unexplainable. The artifact looked like something that would belong in one of her Manors and made a mental note to obtain one in case she ever ended up living in any of the Bridget Houses. Most likely not.

"All yours," he spoke, not even questioning her demand.

Scarlet dove right in, not wasting any time.

3 MONTHS AGO
JUNE, 1978

      A VERY RECOGNISABLE CLICK OF HEELS caught her attention. The whispering, hollow echo of the heels that followed Celeste Bridget everywhere. Scarlet was re-living the memories through Celeste's perspective and not Voldemort's. 

      When her eyes laid on the woman, Scarlet knew it was a futile effort but ran to feel her touch anyway. Her hand shot through Celeste's shoulder as though she was a ghost, her touch left hanging. 

      It seemed like Celeste was fighting given her tangled hair and the way she heaved. Flickering her wand, she sent dozens of vividly coloured spells toward dozens of attackers in a very unfamiliar lair. The walls were grey and the floor was dusty and abandoned. Celeste easily knocked out every single attacker who wore plain masks and dull items of clothing.

"I know you are dying to meet me, no need to hide and send silly men!" Celeste called out, dropping a man's body onto the ground, unconscious limbs at her feet. "Coward." Scarlet winched at the choice of the words.

When Voldemort appeared from the door, slow and steady, her crimson lips curled. "Do you think your pathetic little followers are capable of taking me out?" Celeste taunted with an arched brow. "Fight me yourself if you are so eager."

"Celeste Malfoy," said Voldemort with a cunning tone mixed with welcoming hints. "Pardon me, Celeste Bridget — I am so very glad to finally meet you."

"I can see that," Celeste snapped sarcastically, and Voldemort's face twisted into one of amusement. 

"I have only invited you here to tell you what I know, Celeste," Voldemort declared. "I just need to know how much you know."

"Story-time," Celeste smirked again, folding her arms over her chest and slightly tilting her head. Her eyes shone underneath the dullness of the lair.

"You may not know, but do you know whose doorsteps my mother ended up at right before she decided to leave me in that rotten orphanage that night?" Voldemort asked, eyes blood-shot red and figure slim despite the thick black robes. "Cordelia Malfoy's."

Celeste did not know that and her heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she wondered if Voldemort would turn out to be better—not a ruthless murderer—if he had a family. Or perhaps, he was merely a psychopath not deserving of any respect or pity. Scarlet found it odd to be able to hear her mother's thoughts in her memory but it was easier in this way nonetheless.

"When Cordelia Malfoy refused to even look my mother in the eye, I was destined for a filthy, muggle orphanage, filled with mudbloods and hideous creatures. All whilst you and your brother were bathed in glory and gold artifacts."

Voldemort was not standing still, he was slowly walking around, circling Celeste's figure in a threatening manner.

"Tell me, Celeste, what if your daughter showed up at somebody's doorsteps and begged for mercy, and they turned her away; they left her to rot, what would you do then?" Voldemort taunted. "What if I show her how it feels?"

"You can tear me apart to shreds to merely satisfy your jealousy but don't you ever dare to lift a finger on my daughter." Her mocking tone changed to a rigid one within seconds, and the talk of jealousy caused a muscle to be ticked in Voldemort's jaw.

"I shall never attack Scarlet, if that is what concerns you," Voldemort replied eerily. "She is an important aspect of my inner circle."

      Celeste tried to hide her shock, but anybody who knew her as well as Scarlet knew her mother would realise the utter look of devastation and betrayal in her eyes. Celeste took pride in the confirmation that her daughter, her only child, would never be a death eater. That she was smarter than this.

      I am smarter than this, Mama. Scarlet wanted to scream as she stood there. This was not Riddle's memories, this was Celeste's. Perhaps she had chosen this for a reason.

      If Celeste was aware that her daughter had the dark mark, why did she pretend to know nothing? The question lingered in Scarlet's mind.

      It was then Scarlet realised Celeste died without knowing Scarlet was not captured by the dark side—the truth was far from it.

"Of course, you do not know any of it — after all, my dear, heartless aunt Cordelia was pregnant with you at the time she turned my mother away, with Abraxas merely 2-years-old. Do you know what it felt like at Hogwarts, watching you and your obnoxious brother painted in eternal glory when I was treated as nothing but scum—left with no acquaintances?"

"You had no friends because you were a hollow, dull moron, Tom, it had nothing to do with whatever is wrong with this world." Celeste shot back tauntingly. Scarlet rolled her eyes and understood where she got her blunt, ruthless humour from. 

"Careful, Celeste," Voldemort quirked a brow, "We both know I am not above killing. You mean nothing to me and I do not tolerate disrespect."

"Excuse me, I only thought you got used to it over all that time you spent at Hogwarts being taunted," Celeste grinned sarcastically, raising a brow. 

Her lack of care caught Voldemort's attention intensely. "Just think, you have clearly noticed what I have turned to be without the presence of a mother, without a family," he mused, and then stopped right in front of Celeste's cold eyes, standing close, "Think about what would happen to a certain clever but reckless girl if something happens to you."

"What are you trying to insinuate?" Celeste shot back.

"I am asking you to be careful," he retorted, voice dropping lower and raspier. "I do not want Scarlet distracted from this cause. I need her hand in this war to be victorious. If you're not careful, if something happens to you... something terrible."

"I understand what you are saying, Tom," Celeste nodded. "You want me to drop all the investigations occurring at the Ministry regarding your silly little death munchers otherwise you might have to kill me. However, if you kill me, you will not only lose Scarlet, you will lose much more."

"Exactly," Voldemort ended up smirking a little, nodding along at her sharp thinking. "I am only asking you to stay away from all that dangerous work."

A beat of silence passed by as the both of them paused from the conversation for a few seconds. Then Celeste inhaled sharply and took a step back, "No."

"No?" Voldemort repeated, brows furrowing. "What do you mean no?"

"I mean no."

Voldemort took a step forward. "I am suggesting this for your own good; For your daughter's good. Do you not care about your only daughter?"

"Everybody knows she means everything to me, and I don't have anything left to give her except, perhaps, a mere letter so I am not worried about how necessary I am to anybody," Celeste shrugged nonchalantly. "Goodbye, Tom."

Out of nowhere, everything started to fade away. Scarlet did not want the moment to end even though it seemed like a tough conversation to watch. She woke back up to reality with a gasp and locked eyes with a concerned Severus.

"The letter."

"What?" Severus asked, confused.

"Nothing," said the girl, picking up her purse. "Thank you. Also," she turned around to face him, "I've been working on some potions, tricky ones, would you mind if I come along for assistance?"

"Anytime," he pursed his lips. "I'm assuming you would not want anybody to know about these potions of yours?"

"Of course not," the blonde shrugged. "Between you and I."

Snape sucked in a deep breath, "Careful, Scarlet, don't get yourself in trouble."

"I never do," she sent him a tight-lipped smile before exiting his house.

      When Scarlet made her way out, the sun was burning her eyes as though it was still summer. Birds were still chirping and nothing was out of the ordinary (minus the fact that Scarlet Bridget was walking around in a Muggle area and paying Severus Snape a visit to review her dead mother's memories with Voldemort).

      She walked quickly and looked around to make sure nobody watched as she made her way out of the area and a very familiar scent engulfed her, a comforting pair of arms wrapping around her waist from her behind.

"I would really love to know what you are doing in this Muggle area, Blondie," Sirius pouted. "Pretty please?" She told him to wait a little bit far away, and refused to tell him who she was meeting.

"I'm telling you nothing," Scarlet chuckled, still blissfully aware of being careful regarding being seen with Sirius out in public. Being called a blood traitor was not something she wanted to deal with right now, not that any of that mattered to her. What did matter was Sirius who held her close. "We're going to Gringotts."

"For what?" Asked the boy, keeping up with her pace by her side.

"I think my mother may have left me a letter," Scarlet mused. "I am not sure where it may be and don't even ask where I came across this information," she pointed an index the moment Sirius' lips parted.

He grinned mischievously, and placed a kiss on her neck whilst keeping his balance of walk, "I cannot wait to visit your family's vault."

"Remember, you're not allowed to be seen with me, even in there," she stated, and Sirius nodded understandingly. "Keep an eye on me before I lose my patience and strangle one of those psychotic goblins to death."

"Your wish is my command, milady," Sirius winked at her, and she rolled her eyes the moment the smile on her face was too difficult to cover. "Are you aware of when our first O-R-D-E-R meeting is?" 

"I don't know why you insist on whispering and spelling it like that every time," Scarlet pointed out. 

"It's a secret organisation!" He whisper-yelled, leaning in so close, that Scarlet could feel his warm breath tickling on her neck which was a little frustrating. Sirius' love language is extreme physical touch, he has to be touching her at any given moment. Just the other day, a drunk Sirius tried to jump on her back when they all met up at Lupin's house. The two of them ended up crumbling to the ground like a pile of bricks. "It is a little exciting, don't you think?"

"Very," Scarlet drawled in a tedious tone, "it's not that secretive, Dumbledore takes pride in the fact that he is leading a resistance group. It is only secret by name."

"You're no fun."

"December. The next meeting."

      Scarlet successfully manages to sneak Sirius into the Wizarding Bank. As always, the goblins angered her to no end. They asked for her name. Her name! How dare they? Not to mention the utterly peculiar looks they shot her the moment she showed up with a giant black dog who kept growling dangerously low. 

Padfoot followed Scarlet near the entrance of the vault, "You can leave now," she told the goblin that escorted them. 

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Sirius screamed the moment he changed from Padfoot back into his original form. "What the fuck is that?"

What he was looking at and freaking out about was a crow that guarded the Bridget Vault. Except, it was not any crow. It was a dragon-sized black bird glaring at him as though he was the enemy of the planet. 

"Fuck, it's gonna kill me," he backed away in fear.

"Just stay by my side, it won't do anything," Scarlet rolled her eyes, intertwining her fingers with his. The giant crow made a 'kaw' sound in Sirius' face and the boy flinched away, eyes wide as daisies. "Be nice, Nina."

"Nina?" Sirius deadpanned, "You named this monster?"

"Sirius, stop it," she scolded, pushing his figure behind her and then smiling up at the crow. Nina laid her giant black marble eyes on the girl and instantly recognised her. She leaned forward and downward, and bowed her head before the girl. She took the opportunity to pet her, running her fingers over the shining black feathers.

"Don't be alerted, this is just a friend," Scarlet pointed to Sirius, still petting the enormous crow.

"Friend?" Sirius hissed, "After all this, you're introducing me as a friend."

"Shut up, darling, just follow me," she sternly said before turning to the crow guarding the entrance. "Nina will allow us to pass, will you not, dear?"

Scarlet found the letter the minute she entered, and it was protected by a beautiful crystal bubble that had pinkish tint surrounding it.

"What does it say?" Sirius asked carefully when Scarlet picked up the letter. He was still very careful when it came to speaking about Celeste Bridget. Sure, she does not give a surprised or unhappy reaction at the mention of her mention but he knew it all kills her insides. Of course, he knew.

Scarlet's eyes skimmed over the letter with an expression that could not exactly be explained.

      My dearest Carly,

By the time you're reading this, I'm no longer present in your life. I did not want to leave any word unsaid. I want you to know, I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you, starling blue eyes and hair just like mine. I have not been exceptionally great when it comes to being an idealistic mother. I am truly sorry for it.

Find your escape, Scarlet.

The Bridgets' fire is too ugly to be burning inside you anyway. Let it die with me. And start a new beginning. Do not let anybody tell you what you're doing with your life is stupid. Your life is your life, nobody else's. Make a name for yourself. Always ensure people know you for you and not your last name. Be something special.

Live your life. Find your home with that boy of yours. I hope you get everything you ever wanted, and I hope not a thing has the audacity to get in the way of that.

In our vault, I have left a key to a house by a lakeside on the outskirts of London. Away from crowded cities and loud noises. If you are ever fed up with what your life has become, this key is your escape. You don't have to live there, you don't have to live in the Bridget Manors either if you do not wish to.

I believe it's time for you to cut strings with your haunting past. You've always been the jewel of my life, and I want you to know you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're my redemption, and I love you... with all the love that is left in my little heart.

I know in my heart, you were always destined to break the cycle of terror of this family. I am glad you found love and family, and I know, someday, you'll make a great mother too despite having a terrible example. I apologise if I made life tougher for you, honey.

Live a good life, and remember, true love is worth it all.

      Sincerely,
      Celeste C. Bridget

      Sirius came forward and placed a hand on her shaky elbow, stealing a glance at her cobalt irises, tears threatening to fall. She parted her lips to say something but it seems like the words she prepared got caught in her throats, and she inhaled sharply and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Blondie," he softly whispered. "I'm here, I love you, I'm here."

      Not being able to reply through the harshness of her throat, the way her breath hitched, she reached for his hand and squeezed it three times.

      Three times. I love you.

      Sirius' eyes widened at the beautifully intimate action, and somehow, that little action meant more to him than any other words. Scarlet inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to even out her heartbeat. A moment of silence passed as he let her collect her words and mindset and thoughts.

"I'm not going to cry," a tear-eyed Scarlet murmured.

"Okay," said Sirius.

"I'm not going to cry," repeated the girl once again, two tears escaping her eyes and falling down her cheekbones like glistening diamond shards. "I'm not."

"Okay," he said again. It was okay if she cried and okay if she did not shed any tears as long as she did not feel like she had to control her emotions. She was only a girl who lost her only parent far too young. There was no right or wrong way to deal with this.

He wrapped an arm around her waist from the side, and kissed the temple of her head gently. 

"You can talk to me about it, love, you know?" Softly, he uttered. "Only if you feel like it."

"I refuse to speak of it but..." she choked out, staring at the same piece of letter in her hand, shaking, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with her gone. What if I forget her voice, or— or, her scent. What if I forget how it feels like to go back home and seeing her sitting right there — that feeling of peace, the feeling that tells you that when everything falls apart, I won't be alone because I have her—"

"Blondie, hey, look at me, love," Sirius held her face softly in his palms, looking directly in her glinting eyes. "You won't ever be alone, Blonds, you'll always have me. Mrs Bridget lives within you, she's practically a part of your soul — merely 'cause she loved you so very much."

Scarlet nodded lightly, "I keep pretending like— I can handle this, that I'll be able to control everything — pretending like nothing happened but sometimes... at night, I find it hard to breathe," Sirius was still caressing her cheeks as she poured her heart out. She did not realise when she was able to be so open, "Everybody says it all gets better... but what if I don't?"

"Everybody has their own way to grieve, Blondie," Sirius assured. "Different ways to deal with sadness, and you busy yourself in work for a distraction and pretend nothing is happening; there is nothing wrong with it. Time cannot heal all your scars, darling."

"How am I supposed to move on?" She asked in a whisper. "If all that pain always lives."

"It starts to get buried under all other things that happens later on," he told her what Mia once told him when he was upset whilst recalling his previous family. 

"Can I ask you something?" Scarlet looked at him, feeling more at ease. He nodded, and she inhaled sharply. "What do you do whenever you're upset."

Sirius was not proud of his answer, "I lash out," he answered truthfully, and she nodded as if she knew it all too well; considering she received the blow the last time he was intensely upset. She smiled softly, and he continued, "I just get so angry at the universe, I cannot look at any good things without wondering how I will lose all that too..."

"Well, there is nothing wrong with it," Scarlet repeated his words, drawing herself closer to him with grin. "You mourn with anger, I mourn with distraction."

"That's like... the perfect way to describe our usual personality," Sirius wondered. He always had so much paranoia and recklessness and rage within him, and although Scarlet also had intense anger, she preferred to pretend like she did not feel any emotions at all.

He pecked her lips softly, and she returned the blissful kiss. "Anyway, we need to find a key," she went back to the original conversation. "Accio Key!"

Suddenly, a whole bunch of keys flied towards them, all different sizes and shapes coloured in bronze, silver and gold, and they landed towards the couple — hitting their skin as they repeatedly winced and muttered a whole load of 'ouch's.

"What the hell!" Sirius threw his arms up in the air in frustration. "You can't just say Accio, Key, there is a million keys here. We were attacked by a bunch of flying keys!"

"Why are you always so hyper?" Scarlet rolled her eyes. It was the same thing she wondered the very first night she met him, and all whilst she sat as calm as ice, he was talking and talking and talking, not even breathing between his words.

"It's in my blood," he shrugged. "Look, there's one with a ribbon around it, maybe that's the one your mum left you."

      Sirius helped Scarlet read the map Celeste left in the vault considering he is an expert when it comes to maps. 

      When she arrived at the location, her heart melted inconsiderably. It was the lake Sirius had taken her to all those years ago, and memories of their meaningful conversation roamed into her mind. All of a sudden, she started to feel emotional—remembering the idea of loving the house from where she sat by the lake—wondering if she would ever get peace and quiet like that. Her mother left her the very same house she had anticipated. Not one like that, not one similar to it, the exact one.

"We visited this place once," Sirius realised it later than Scarlet who was left mesmerised. "I think my invisible string is tied with yours, remember, I said that to you?"

"Of course," Scarlet instantly replied, smiling. "I may not have realised but I think that was the first step towards me falling in love with you."

"Can you imagine?" Sirius scoffed at the next thought, "We were always saying stuff like that to each other and yet we never realised... any of our feelings."

Scarlet chuckled at the honesty in his words, "We were both too stubborn for our own good."

      The birds were chirping somewhere, crackling in the tree branches all around and orchestrating with the swaying of the leaves. The clouds got heavier. Mist from the water evaporates into thin air.

"Move in with me," he blurted out, still staring ahead at the beautiful house.

Scarlet arched a brow. "With you into what house exactly?"

"I haven't thought that far into the future," Sirius bit his lips once before awkwardly speaking. "I was thinking that one," he pointed his index finger childishly towards the house Celeste had left her daughter.

She squinted her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Am I sure—?" he scoffed, "I haven't been so sure about anything in my life, Blondie. I want to live with you, I want to— we can be a normal couple. We can build a life out here — you love this area and this is away from the public and all that; it's perfect!"

He grinned as he said the words, flapping his arms in the air wildly to get his point across. His excitement left her chuckling joyously.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay," she nodded. "We'll move in together."

"If Mia agrees." Sirius realised.

"And if Aster agrees," Scarlet added, her smile fading away at the thought of the conversation. "I also needed to tell you good news," said the girl. "I didn't know when would be a fine time but this seems to be perfect."

"Tell me," Sirius instantly said. Scarlet paused a little, pushing her lips as she tried to find the correct words. "HURRY UP!"

Scarlet jumped at his astonishingly loud and excited tone, "Fine, fine! I got a place with the Wizengamot."

      Sirius suddenly lets out an obnoxiously loud and joyous laugh and Scarlet knows he is about to do something mischievous just by looking at his eyes. Suddenly, he wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her off the ground. She lets out a mixture of a laugh and scream as he spins her in the air.

"Sirius, Sirius," she laughs, trying to catch her breath. "I'm getting dizzy, put me down! Sirius Black—! Put me down now!"

Sirius lets go, "We're moving in! And you got an amazing job!" He squeaks giddily, pumped up with excitement. 

      The girl held onto his arms to regain her balance, her eyes were unable to focus on a spot. He holds her tightly to offer stability.

"I am so very proud of you, Blondie," he pulled her closer by gripping her hips. "My gorgeous, intelligent girl."

"And rich," she added with a rise of a brow. "Got you a whole house, after all."

      Sirius laughed, and Scarlet couldn't help it, the sound was something else. Especially with the birds chirping in the background and the splashes made by the ducks in the lake. She thought about the possibility of bottling his laugh, keeping it on her nightstand for no one but herself. A selfish thought.

      As he caught her staring, he gave her a smug look that always drove her crazy. She found herself drawing closer, interlocking their fingers effortlessly, as though they were born to fit together.

"Can I?" Scarlet murmured, her face mere inches from his own. They have not been intimate for quite some time given most times they meet up, they are with their families. 

      He didn't say a word, simply closing the gap between them. They've done this a million times but Scarlet is still shocked by the way he feels. Everything comes to her naturally, with her hands in the right place, and lips moving at the perfect rhythm and the feeling at the pit of her stomach swirling in the correct form.

      Her hands find their way to his neck, gently pulling him closer. He's leaning down, chasing her lips. She's sure if she pulled him any further, the two of them would tumble to the ground and roll off into the water. 

      Sirius and Scarlet ended up spending a bit too much time by that lake, sitting there and updating each other on their lives all whilst making out until her lips were swollen and his maroon.

      She was meant to return home — return to the Chasseurs before six o'clock and it was past eight. As an apology, she showed up back there with a bouquet of flowers and a pack of puffy pastries which instantly lightened up Aster's mood before she could lecture the girl.

𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑨 𝑺𝑷𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑺

a scarlet & sirius filled chapter
i love them sm!!!!