Chapter 21
A short, red-haired woman entered Dumbledore's office, at her side another red-haired man with signs of baldness, and a young, long-haired boy.
"Good morning, Weasley family," the old man greeted, looking at them over his half-moon-shaped glasses. He was surprised to see them here.
" It's... About Nike."
The young boy looked at his mother with a slightly raised eyebrow, wanting to correct that she liked her first name better, but he said nothing, looking at the white-bearded wizard.
"I've been talking to the Tonks, and they wouldn't mind taking Skuld in this summer," She said, sending a look at Bill, who made a face of displeasure.
"It's not about that," Arthur denied, putting a hand on his eldest son's shoulder. "We want... We want Skuld to come home this summer."
[T/N: FUCK YOU CUNT!!!]
The man sat up in his chair, looking at the three redheads, and seeming to think something deeply, considering many theories and few that made sense.
" Are you sure? Skuld is a special child, and because of what happened a year ago, she should be treated with care."
Molly Weasley began to cry, and Bill looked away, feeling the hypocrisy. His parents, who had been despising his sister for years, were now crying for having her away. He didn't understand anything, he only knew that Skuld wasn't as bad as they thought, and he wanted to help her with whatever he could, despite being in Egypt.
"I-I don't understand what's wrong with me," the woman sobbed, drying her eyes with a handkerchief that Albus had made appear. "I hated the idea of Nike being around Ginny and my kids after last year, but now... It's like I don't want to lose her. After all, she's my daughter, right?"
Dumbledore looked at his hands, before looking back at Molly. It didn't feel right to send Skuld to her family.
"Arthur, Molly, I hope you understand the situation," he said in a calm voice. "Skuld will not want to return to the Burrow, and it is wrong to force her."
"Professor, we are her family, she..." the older redhead spoke, frowning.
" I'm sorry to tell you that she has an increasingly different concept of what family means."
Molly Weasley sobbed again, and Bill sighed. Maybe, if he had protected Skuld better, if he had made sure that every summer he was home after coming home from Hogwarts, that she felt loved... So many maybes, so many apologies.
Skuld Weasley was no longer a Weasley as they wanted to believe.
" Although..."
Everyone looked at the professor with some hope.
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Skuld Weasley felt that something important was about to happen. She felt that even if the Weasleys wanted to treat her like one of the family, she could never feel like one of them.
Skuld Weasley hated the Burrow, and she hated pretending that everything was fine, that in her eyes, she wasn't a monster.
Skuld Weasley didn't know what it was, but she was determined to find out, even if she had to betray her people.
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When Skuld entered the kitchen, smelling the smell of bacon from her room, she expected to see the whole family laughing and eating breakfast in harmony, but she only found her mother, cooking more bacon, while listening to her brothers playing Quidditch from the kitchen.
" Good morning " She greeted in a murmur, going towards the plate where the first two pieces of toast were, which always came out burnt and no one wanted it.
" Drop those burnt toasts, there are well-made ones " her mother scolded after her, and dropped the bread in shock " Your brothers have finished all the bacon like they were animals, I'm preparing more for you."
Skuld felt that this was one of those dreams where her family loved her and she had never been to Slytherin, and she could play with them, have breakfast together and it was not necessary that she had to avoid being with them so as not to kill the warm, familiar atmosphere.
But no, it wasn't a dream, and that made her want to cry from confusion and happiness.
" Here " She put the plate in front of her, and motioned for her to sit down with a slight smile. Skuld was paralyzed for a few seconds, but ended up sitting down slowly, looking at the plate as if it were a precious jewel.
" T-Thank you " She whispered, still not believing it.
Molly Weasley sobbed as she left the kitchen, remembering her daughter's happy face at receiving a decent plate of home-cooked food after years. Was she that bad of a mother? What were they thinking all those years?
[T/N: ...I'm so mad I'm getting a headache]
Percy, sitting in an armchair near the unlit fireplace, stopped writing the letter to Penelope, and let out a sigh. Skuld Weasley gave off a bad feeling, an aura stained black.
[T/N: Percy!! I would so kill you off if I could]
.....
" Nike, Nike!"
Skuld woke up with a start, and watched the twins run into her attic room, carrying a book on advanced transfigurations, another on complex potions, and a bag of candy. She feared that they were accusing her of being a thief, as they had done many times, but they just sat on the floor, in front of her sad bed, which consisted of a mattress and some blankets with fluff and balls.
" I-I really haven't-t entered your room " She denied immediately, rubbing her eyes to remove the blemishes and look stronger to argue for her innocence.
" What? " They looked at each other. "We're here because we saw your grades, and Percy says he doesn't even want to help us get on a broom."
" Can you tell us if this charm is reliable for making someone's tongue grow?"
Skuld took the book suspiciously, and read the incantation. She looked over at them, seeing how they were staring at her impatiently, but there was no trace of hatred or contempt in their eyes.
Skuld smiled to herself, even though she felt uncomfortable.
" Yes, but it will only be a few meters, maybe one or one and a half."
"It's useful to us!" they exclaimed at the same time, taking the book from her hands and getting up from the ground. "Thank you!"
They left her, murmuring excitedly and laughing.
Skuld wished she had the black notebook in her hands again.
.....
'Dear Skulddie,
I'm glad you wrote to me, I already felt a little abandoned by you, it's difficult for me to respond to letters. Buckbeak and I are fine, there are days when we are a bit hungry and thirsty (there is some drought, it hasn't rained for a few days, and without rain, we can't drink from puddles) but I don't feel alone.
I told you that the Weasleys loved you, Skuld, I told you a thousand times, but you always remained closed to the idea, believing that they hated you, and that you would have to leave the Burrow as soon as you turned 17. Molly and Arthur are not bad, and neither are your brothers, they are just confused by your way of being.
Enjoy the Quidditch World Cup, even though I don't like it that much, and send my regards to Harry, he's been a little worried lately.
Regards, Padfoot'
Skuld put the letter away with the others, under the mattress. Padfoot, Lupin, Hermione, Seamus, Zabini, Dean, and even Harry and Draco had written to her this summer. At first, the first few weeks, she had spent more time at the Ministry and at Lupin's house than at the Burrow, and she found out by chance that the Malfoys had talked to Dumbledore about having the redhead go to Malfoy Manor during the summers and Christmases, because they knew that she had nowhere to go due to the Weasleys' rejection.
Honestly, Skuld would have chosen the Malfoys, Remus, and even Sirius over returning to her family.
'Dear redhead
I'm going to the world championships too! I hope we can meet there, I will be cheering on the Irish (obviously) and I hope you can meet my mother, she liked you just by hearing that you helped me avoid more than six explosions. Dean asked me about you, he says he's embarrassed to send you a letter because he thinks he's not as close a friend as we are, but it's stupid, the three of us are friends, right?
I hope we can meet for the world championships, I'm looking forward to seeing if you're still as short and pale as you were at Hogwarts, or if the summer has made you grow taller and tan a little.
Seamus F.
PS: the corner of the envelope is a little burned because I threw a couple of potion ingredients and it exploded, how strange, hehe'
She smiled touching the burned part of the envelope and imagined the boy's face black with gunpowder, and his mother screaming in despair.
Immediately, her smile faded, and she remembered the letter she burned in a fit of rage.
The letter from Khronos Wright.
{flashback}
An owl, black and with enormous yellow eyes, entered the Weasley house, landing on the chair in front of Skuld. It was early, maybe not even six in the morning, but she was awake from a nightmare.
The owl, black as the night, carefully left a letter on the table, revealing its elegance, and without even waiting to see her pick it up, he left through the open window, disappearing among the treetops.
Skuld shrugged, thinking it was a Malfoy or Zabini owl, and took the letter, opening the envelope without looking at who sent it.
'Skuld Nike Weasley.
A curious name, don't you think, young Norna? Perhaps one of your most frequently asked questions is why your 'family' doesn't pronounce your first name. Skuld, beautiful, and mysterious. A name that would impose fear on anyone who knew its meaning, of course...
Maybe that's why they called you Nike, to compensate.
There are others like you, Moira Skuld.
As soon as time runs out, you must cut the thread, don't forget that. There is less and less left.
And they know that, that's why they pretend to love you, that's why they try to get you on their side.
Be not mistaken in your path, Skuld Weasley, and remember to whom you owe allegiance.
Time, Khronos.'
In a fit of rage, Skuld found a match and lit the letter.
{end flashback}
She put the letter away, and stared at a spot on the wall where the mark of a coiled snake seemed to beckon her.
What if...?
No, she shouldn't.
[T/N: Remember I told you the meaning of Norna and Moira in one of the previous chapters. If you like this chapter then leave a comment, write a review, and drop some stones! If you can't wait for the next chapter then check out my Patreon for some advanced chapters! For just $10, you can get access to over 300+ posts. I changed the pricing of tiers to be cheaper overall after a vote over on Patreon, now there is only one tier but instead of paying $10 for like 13 chapters a month, I only just realised how ridiculous that was, you can pay $10 for 50+ chapters a month. You could also just join the free membership, I always appreciate it. (*/ω＼*) ]
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