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CHAPTER FOUR
boiling over
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GOBLIN YOWLED LOUDLY AS EDMUND POURED WATER ONTO HIS NAPPY FUR, dirt and trash staining the porcelain tub and then disappearing down the drain. He clearly had not a bath in a while or not at all in his lifetime by the way he was reacting and about how much filth was washing away from his body. Edmund winced as the sounds echoed off the bathroom walls, he could've swore Goblin had been shot instead of just having a bath by the sheer volume of his cries. However, Goblin started to calm down after he started to scrub soap onto his back, purring from the free back scratches that he probably haven't had in a long while.

Edmund was just extremely happy that he had stopped screaming. Finally, he was done. After drying Goblin off with a towel, he dropped him off onto the white tiled floor with a huff, "There, you're done. You happy now, you little shit?"

Goblin only responded by looking up at Edmund blankly, his eyes never blinking like always. Rolling his eyes, Edmund picked up the cat once more, feeling relief that he didn't have to wear his gloves at the moment since his abilities didn't work on animals. Lottie volunteered to sow them up, the ones he ripped earlier that day, happy to help him in anyway she could after what they talked about when they had arrived home from Diagon Alley.

When the Carmichaels returned to their manor, Lottie and Tomen whisked Edmund away from their parents and into his bedroom so they could talk. Their parents were not aware of his abilities, and the siblings planned to keep it that way for as long as they possibly could — trust did not run far in the family, but the siblings knew they wouldn't turn on one another about a situation as big as this. Edmund feared his father would turn him over to the Ministry, since he clearly didn't enjoy having him around as a son. The only reason Edmund's father hasn't sent him away yet is because it would hurt the family's image — the worst thing imaginable in his family's eyes. They would get into yelling matches periodically and they would never end well. His father was just looking for a reason that could validate him disowning Edmund, and his sibling weren't going to let him find one.

But it was indeed strange for Edmund to explain everything with Lottie in the room; usually, he would only talk to Tomen while she would cover for them if they needed an excuse to get away from their parents. The two haven't talked about something real in a long time, they just figured they had nothing in common and never got along. Every time they were in a room together the would fight like cats and dogs, never ceasing until one of them walked away — usually Lottie did this while using her kids as an excuse. It was never as bad as it was between him and his dad, but for her to just sit and listen, asking questions every so often was a definitely an odd experience to say the least. And Edmund was extremely uncomfortable showing her his mural that he hid behind some homemade makeshift curtains, but she took it surprisingly well. Maybe she was just holding in her emotions.

Afterwards, they talked about what he saw, and what it could mean. Edmund was able to figure out from his memories that the glowing goblet was at Hogwarts, but none of the Carmichael siblings remember seeing one. But who knows what is hidden in that castle, there are so many rooms and hallways Edmund had never even been or seen before.  They tried to figure out what the rest of the memories could mean, but they came up blank. There was only one that they were certain of :

Cedric is going to be murdered in that maze.

Lottie suggested that Edmund go talk to Dumbledore, but he immediately denied that.  If you were a seer, you had to report it to the Ministry so you could be regulated and who knows what else they would do to you. And Edmund didn't want to be directly under Cornelius Fudge's control — that idiot. Edmund has seen how he treats things that he doesn't understand, he either denies it or destroys it; and that made the Ministry dangerous to people like himself. The best option for him at the moment was to stay quiet, and wear gloves. And besides, Edmund didn't trust Dumbledore. He has also seen that man pull strings to get the best ending in his eyes, even if it means at the expense of others' lives. He has never had small people's best interests in mind, that was evident through the loose and, quite frankly, the lack of effort he puts into the protection his students' lives; Harry Potter's life, for example. It was like he was holding Harry's life like a stick of warm butter, letting him slip out of the safety of his grip in order to complete his goal. And Dumbledore was only lucky Harry was strong enough to survive everything he had put him through, dodge every bullet Dumbledore has shot his way. And he's only fourteen years old.

Anyway. As Goblin explored his room, Edmund laid on his back with his hand latched over his forehead, eyes closed. His headache hadn't fully gone away, even with the medication flowing through his system easing the pain. But it wasn't that bad, the pain was light and was gently pulsing across his skull. His limbs were still weak but not as much since Lottie had made him a sandwich to eat earlier. But he wasn't focused that much on his pain. With tomorrow being September first, Edmund feared what this year would hold for Hogwarts, for Cedric. He had saw him die, the killing curse striking him in the center of his chest, he was dead before he hit the ground.

Edmund struggled with his choices. Should he go to Dumbledore? This was significant information about the death of a student that will happen on school grounds, and he can prevent it. But if he confesses to Dumbledore, the Ministry will be all over him, investigating his family and pulling himself and maybe even Tomen out of their last school year together. He promised Tomen he would be there for him this year, that he would make this year fun, not that he would be stuck in the Ministry answering questions or what else they would do to him. He knew one thing for certain, they would most likely pull him out of school for being who he was.

But then he thought about Cedric. Why is his life worth less than his brother's? Why should he be sacrificed? Suddenly Edmund felt like he was choosing between who would live and who would die. Or more like would Cedric die so Edmund could be there for Tomen until he died? Tomen's days are limited, and he wanted to make them the best he could before he went, but Cedric was an innocent who didn't deserve to be killed like that.

Before Edmund could spiral into the pit of what ifs and decisions, he heard a knock on his door. After telling them they could come in, he saw his little brother at the door with the same comforter he had on earlier this morning wrapped around his shoulders. It was hard to believe that it was only this morning that they were sitting together on the roof. He had changed into comfortable clothes, just like Edmund did, and he had a small smile on his face. With a softer tone, he still managed to pop a joke during all of this mess, "I can hear you overthinking from the hallway."

Edmund cracked a smile for the first time since Diagon Alley. Even if it was forced, it seemed to make Tomen pleased — who walked in and shut the door behind him. Edmund scooted over so there was space for Tomen to sit next to him, and he made sure the comforter was completely covering his skin before Tomen laid down next to him. They both looked up at the ceiling in silence for a few moments, but before Edmund could go into deep thought once more, Tomen spoke up.

"You're debating going to Dumbledore, aren't you?"

Edmund sighed as he moved his unoccupied hand to lay flatly on his stomach, "How did you know?"

"I've been thinking the same thing. Lottie has, too. But we both know it's really your decision, you're the one the Ministry is going to go after."

'My decision,' Edmund thought. He didn't want this to be his decision alone, it was a lot of pressure that he really did not want on his shoulders. He internally begged someone to tell him what to do so he didn't have to feel the turmoil building up in his stomach, to end the impossible decision he was faced with. That way he wouldn't have to worry about the consequences of the decision he would make, so he could blame it on someone else. Edmund desperately wanted someone to blame, and he definitely didn't want people's lives to be sitting in his hands, in his decisions.

"What would you do if you were me?" Edmund turned to his brother, who was already looking at him. That's when he realized that his cheeks were significantly thinner than the last time he looked this close. His brow bone started to stick out, making his eyes seem more sunken in that usual — his unrested light green-brown eyes stared at him softly, uneasy.

"If I'm honest, I have no idea," Tomen responded, pushing a brown curl away from his eyes and behind his ear, "But, if there is an option to save that boy's life, take it. Even if it means that you won't be there for me."

"Tomen, I—"

He cut him off, "I won't Cedric die because of my selfishness." he paused as he hardened his features, "Save him. Don't chose me. He has a future, I don't."

Edmund felt a prick behind his eyes at his brother's harsh words. He didn't want to hear what he had to say. Edmund had been pushing off all talk about Tomen's future if it involved anything negative, but there was no way he could avoid it now.

"I don't want to leave you," Edmund felt his cheeks swell and fill with heat as he talked.

Tomen started to get emotional, too, but he let his fear flow freely. His voice cracked as he spoke, "I don't want to leave either, but I have to come to terms with it." He wiped his face and sniffled. "But whatever decision you make, have Cedric's life be your main goal at the end of it all. I know you don't want to confide in Dumbledore. Maybe there's some other way, more than just outing yourself or letting Cedric die."

Edmund hadn't thought about having more than two options, if he was being honest with himself. And with that in his mind, his chest felt lighter. Maybe there was a way to do both, a way to spend tome with Tomen and save Cedric. He really hoped that was an option.

Tomen chuckled and wiped his face, trying to lighten the mood, "Just don't screw it up. And keep Cedric away from mazes."

The two boys shared a genuine laugh together before they both changed the topic. They chatted for hours about seemingly nothing, even though in the back of their minds they knew they shouldn't be awake since they had to get up early in the morning the next day. But they didn't really let the thought hold them back as they spoke. Eventually, a light blue glow started to shine through the windows, signifying that it was morning already and if they wanted to get at least two hours of rest they better go to sleep right then. When they woke very soon after from the sound of Edmund's alarm clock, they knew they had to get up — even if they were extremely tired.

After Edmund slipped on his backup pair of gloves, he helped Tomen into his walker, who was extremely drowsy and could barely keep his eyes open, and wheeled him to his own room. Edmund got Tomen dressed in a nice, black suit that had a green shine when hit by the light — the usual Carmichael outfit — and fixed up his hair. Tomen couldn't keep his arms raised for long enough to fix his curls, so Edmund took complete care of him in the mornings. After he made Tomen's curls messy yet clean, he wheeled him to his own room so he could get himself ready. Tomen always got ready first so he could nap a little longer while his brother could do his morning routine, too.

Edmund basically repeated the same process for himself, the only difference is that he took time to make the curl that fell on the center of his forehead look nice. If he couldn't move it to the side, might as while make it look presentable. After a few pumps of cologne on himself, also spraying Tomen in his sleep, he was finally ready to go downstairs.

He made sure to be steady as he pushed Tomen down the ramp and into the kitchen where Lottie had breakfast waiting. The morning was quiet and uneventful, surprisingly. Edmund assumed his parents already ate since they didn't join them, the only ones at the table was himself, Tomen, Lottie, her husband Atlas, and the triplets — who were falling asleep on their plates, too tired to cause trouble that early in the morning. But the peacefulness came to an end when Jonathon Carmichael entered the room, his presence almost demanding attention. Everyone became more tense and ate with more etiquette now that he was there, unwillingly changing how they acted.

Just the simple action of entering the room infuriated Edmund. He couldn't afford anything else in his mind, especially not his father's voice. And Edmund wasn't going to sit there and take whatever he was going to say, he had enough of keeping silent for the week and did not want to start yelling on the first day of the school year. So, before his dad could say anything, Edmund got up, shoved a bunch of fruit into a small plastic bag for Tomen to eat upstairs, and pushed his brother out of the room. He couldn't handle being in the same room as him, not after the long talk he and Tomen had last night. So, when they returned to his room, he put Tomen beside the window and handed him the baggie so he could eat and feel the warm sunlight.

Edmund busied himself with packing the bag he would take on the train, so he wouldn't explode. Tomen must've been able to sense the discomfort and anger since he didn't try to talk to him, he only watched. Which was a good thing, because if he did start talking Edmund might've gone off about their father in a rant, and they didn't have time to waste it on things the both of them already knew.

So, Edmund was left alone to calm down and pack. He shoved a few notepads and books into a smaller leather trunk, along with snacks and his house scarf. He made sure every part of his uniform was in there as well before he close it and snapped it shut. He went and did the same thing in Tomen's room before he figured they were ready to go and headed back down stairs.

At the bottom, his mother was waiting, smoothing out her sleek dress with her usual frail, trembling hands. Joslyn had always been a sickly woman, but still beautiful at the same time. Edmund had been told that his asthma and inability to do sports or workout was because of her genetics. He was extremely upset that he couldn't participate in Quidditch with his friends, but he couldn't bring himself to be angry at his mother for that. It's not like she wanted to be sick all the time, or want to prevent her son from doing everything he wanted. It was just how it was. But the main reason him and his mother didn't have an extremely close relationship was because she never stood up for him whenever he and his father would get in a fight. She would never defend him; but, at the same time, she couldn't even stand up for herself for most of the time. But he did care for her way more than he did for his father.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she gave her two sons a weak smile as she clutched her hands in front of her body. Her dress went high up on her neck, which made her have good posture, but looked extremely itchy and stiff. Edmund was happy he wore suits, dresses were so much more uncomfortable than they were. And he knew that since his mother was always adjusting her outfits, pulling and pushing at the fabric when they were in private. He once asked her why she didn't invest in comfortable, formal clothes, but she just shook her head and said there wasn't any that she could find. He believed her.

Tomen smiled at his mother before standing up, twisting the walker around, and walking towards Lottie, apparently having to talk to her about something. That left Edmund alone, standing in front of his mother, awkwardly fidgeting his hands from beside him to in front of him. Joslyn stepped forward and put her hand on the side of his face, this was the closest they had been in a long time. Her hand felt unnatural on his cheek, like a stranger was touching him, but at the same time, it was nice.

"I feel like I've blinked and you've grown up in front of my eyes," her voice cracked but she wouldn't let any tears fall as she retracted her hand. It looked like she had composed her self, sniffling once before looking down at the ground, "I don't know why I'm suddenly so sentimental. Maybe it is the way you take care of Tomen so well. I don't know."

She paused for a moment, clearly trying not to cry in front of her eldest son, "But this is going to be his last year, and I can only hope I will be able to see him again after today," this time she couldn't hold the tears back. She looked up diagonally to the ceiling while biting the inside of her cheek, trying not to breakdown, "But this is what he wants. He wants to be at school until.... please take care of him. I know you will, but, please, make this year really good for him. It'll be the last one you two have together."

He was surprised by the out of the blue emotions that poured out of his mother, she would usually run to her room when she thought she was getting emotional because she didn't want anyone to look at her. But now, in the middle of their vast living room, she was letting him see her cry. Edmund reached forward and grabbed her hands that had thin black gloves covering the skin, holding it with both of his hands in order to comfort her. She was clearly extremely discomforted by the fact she was crying in front of him, but his gesture helped.

"You know I will," Edmund felt his own face start to warm up. He had been crying a lot this year, especially in the past two weeks, but he knew Tomen's final year was going to be a rough one. "I will always take care of him."

"I know that, baby," she rubbed her covered thumb across the top of his hand, "I just needed to hear you say it, to ease my mind."

Edmund was surprised when his parents said they were going to let Tomen go to school this year. He thought they would make him stay home, but once he heard it was his brother's final wish, he understood.

"Time to go," his father called out to them blandly, causing both of them to instinctively straighten their shoulders and backs. With another small smile, the two made their way towards the car. With the stare Jonathon was giving him on his way out, it was obvious why Edmund called his father by his first name only.

I always imagined Winona Ryder playing as Jocelyn Carmichael tbh. I feel like she just fits the role so well like :