Chapter Three: A Mystery Solved

     “Follow me, child,” grinned the ancient woman, shuffling into the doorway of the Three Broomsticks. I obeyed, and carefully followed her inside, as to not get lost and left in this magical world of danger and exquisite properties. And as we walked into the large pub, I was at a loss for words. There were thousands of witches and wizards in beautiful cloaks, all colors and shades of the rainbow.

     “Child, quit swiveling your head so much.” hissed the woman, who noticed my bobble head swiveling around rapidly. “You’ll break your neck! And plus, you are making your old woman dizzy.” I obeyed, and chuckled at her demand. As I glanced around, I followed the old woman to a tiny, comfortable table, including a fabulous candle with a blue flame, and red and yellow leaves scattered on the wooden top. The old woman clutched onto the top of the brown, wooden chair, and sat down. I followed suit, still taking in everything that was going on in The Three Broomsticks. 

Before I knew it, a waitress dashed over to our table, and glanced at me. I smiled at her pleasantly, but she handed me a foul scowl - one that made me feel bad about myself. And before I could ask what was going on, the waitress disappeared, leaving the old witch and I sitting at the table silently.

I landed my eyes on the rude waitress, and watched her deliver odd, fizzy drinks to a large family of witches and wizards in forget-me-not-blue cloaks. They didn’t look so bad, until the waitress bent down and whispered something to the family, making all of them gasp. And before I knew it, the waitress slowly pointed at me, the eyes of the family all landing on me.

“Uh… why are they looking at us like that,” I whispered to the kind woman. The witch cleared her throat and croaked, “I don’t know, child… I think they may… be… looking at you like a goddess?” I could tell she was lying. That wasn’t just a normal glare of amazement and amusement. It was like I had done something terribly wrong, without noticing it. 

“Just tell me.” I pleaded, turning the witch. Her smile faded to a frown, and tears sprang to her eyes. I knew it was going to be bad, but I wanted to hear the truth.

“I shall tell you later, child.” she responded, slowly pushing herself out of the wooden seat. “If we are not getting served, we shall leave, child. Follow me.” The woman cleared her throat and puttered over to my seat, but I didn’t move. The family was still glaring at me, and the waitress began walking over to the table, with a sly grin on her face. But what happened next chilled me to the bone. The waitress whipped out her tall, skinny wand, and pointed it at her neck. I watched her mutter a few words, until her voice suddenly filled the room.

"Get out," she screamed, failing to hide her sly grin. "THE HENCHMEN CURSE IS HERE!" And before I knew it, everyone started screaming and pointing at me. Out of all the people in the pub and Diagon Alley, I was the target.

"Child, grab my hand," demanded the old woman, slapping her hand on the wooden top of the table. I didn't have time to think twice. I instantly turned towards her and clutched her hand, and immediately regreted it. I felt like I was being sucked through a thin tube. I began to scream in pain, until I suddenly appeared in a small cottage, where I was surrounded by large books and ancient type writers.

"Where are we," I asked, amazed about how the setting changed almost instantly. There was no response. I isntantly turned behind me, and watched the old woman collapse onto her knees. I gasped and dashed toward her, attempting to lift her up from the wooden ground.

"Let go, child," the old woman demanded, clutching her throat, gasping for breath. I didn't want to leave her, but she was shooing me away, coughing hysterically. Tears sprang to my eyes, and my brain began to spiral.

"What can I do to help?!" I stuttered, kneeling down next to the woman. She coughed and fell onto her stomach. There was silence, except for the obnoxious ticking of her wooden clock's. I reached down and softly poked her shoulder, triggering her to flip over onto her back, her grey eyes replaced with a blinding blue. Her wrinkles continue to weave over her face, and she began to scream. I couldn't help myself - I started shrieking.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER COME," the old woman announced unconciously, writhing on the floor. "HOGWARTS WILL DESTROY THE STUDENTS WITHIN, INCLUDING YOU. RUN. RUN, FAR AWAY. COME TO ME. COME TO ME, AND YOU WILL BE SAFE. IF NOT, STUDENTS WILL COLLAPSE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES - SHEDDING A SECRET THAT WILL KILL YOU FROM THE INSIDE."

And as soon as it had started, the woman gasped and shut her eyes. All I could hear was her gasping for breath, clutching her throat and reaching for me. I didn't know what to do.

"Water," she demanded, clawing at the wood flooring. I instantly stood up and ran to her faucet, as to grab a cup full of water. Turning the faucet, nothing came out.

"Water." repeated the woman. I began to panic, and prayed for water. Nothing answered my prayer's.

"Child," croaked the woman. "C-come here. I need to tell you something before I say goodbye." I didn't think twice - throwing the cup into the usless sink, I dashed over to the woman and collapsed onto my knees, clutching her freezing hand. She shivered and urged me to come down closer, as her voice continued to grow softer. Her grey eyes were back, but the spider web of her wrinkles continued to consume her face, forcing her to close her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she croaked. I opened my mouth to ask why she was sorry, until she reached into my pocket and pulled out a wand that I didn't know existed.

"Wh-what are you doing," I asked, scooting back away from her. My answer appeared right in front of my eyes - pointing the wand at my face, she murmured something under her breath. A blinding light consumed the cottage, black stars dancing in front of me.

"It's done," the woman faintly said. I was still alive - I still had a chance to speak.

"Wh-why are... are you doing..." I forgot how to speak. A cold feeling dashed up my spine, reaching my brain, numbing everything the outside world.

"I can't let you go." she whispered, stroking my face. I tried to move, but the weight of the sky fell onto my shoulders. The stars suddenly turned into blinding green lights, forming a vision I would've never thought I would see in my life.

I was in a tiny room, surrounded by stuffed animals and blocks. My father and a beautiful woman were standing over a baby, kissing her repeatedly on the forehead. Was that... my mother? Stars circled around her head, repeatedly transferring to the baby and back to her.

"Oh, you're so cute, Celeste," cooed my mother, cradling me in her arms. My mother was a beautiful sight, and my father was smiling at her. But, something happened. A large crash ruined the moment, and my mother gasped, almost dropping me. My fathers' smile was replaced with a frown of fear. Looking at my mother, my father nodded, and ran to the door of the room.

"Close your eyes, Celeste." my mother demanded softly, dashing into a walk-in closet and shutting the door. I obeyed, closing my eyes. Tears streamed down my mother's face like waterfalls, until she pulled out her wand. My mother set me in a basket full of toys, and whispered, "Open your eyes."

My baby-self opened my eyes, smiling excitedly. My mother kissed the top of my head passionately, and opened the closet door. Sobbing, my mother looked at me, and croaked, "I love you, Celleste. Goodbye." My younger self cocked my head in confusion as she closed the door, leaving me in the dark. The vision transitioned to my mother, who nodded at my father.

"Are you sure you want to do this," my father asked, his face turning red. My mother nodded and kissed my father, pushing him into the closet where my younger self was.

"Dada," I squealed, reaching for my father. Tears streaming silently down my father's face, he smiled at my mother, and croaked, "I love you, Adelyn. Goodbye." My mother's bottom lip twitched, and she air kissed both of us. Clearing her throat, she closed the door, leaving me and my father alone. There was a scream and a gasp from the floor down below us.

"NO!" screamed my mother. "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER! PLEASE! IN THE NAME OF MERLIN, PLEASE SPARE HER!"

"Shut it, you imbecile," shrieked a man's voice in response. There was a thud. There was silence. But she wasn't dead - I knew she wasn't, because my father sighed with relief. Turning to my younger self, my father whispered, "She's safe." But the event wasn't over - the closet door flew open, and a terrifying man stood in the doorway. Instantly, the man pointed the wand at my face, and screamed some weird incantation. My father screamed, and my younger self fell back, a red light shining around me.

I gasped and sat up. I was back in the cottage, and the woman was unmoving. Smiling at me, the woman nodded and croaked, "That's not the end of the story. But I needed you to know. Goodbye, Celleste. Your mother loves you."