Chapter 168 - A Will and Key (2/2)
”Ah, there you are dear,” Dorea breathlessly said. ”Come join us for a cup of tea.”
”Yes, Madame Potter,” Rowan dutifully said as she took a seat across from them. Suddenly, Pookey appeared causing Rowan to almost fall out of her seat as Pookey began to pour tea for her, before disappearing. Glaring at the spot, where the house elf once was, Rowan grudgingly takes the poured tea and sips the scented rose tea.
”Ah, we were just discussing you, my dear,” Dorea said with a grin. ”I heard that you and your brother have some of the highest marks in your overall grade.”
”Yes, Severus and I both did rather well on our past exams.”
”No need to be so modest, dear. It is a fine thing to admit when one is clever. The tricky part comes when knowing not to boast about it.”
Georgine snorts and interrupts them. ”I recall a yet unwed Black maiden bragging to all the girls in Slytherin about her incredible charms.”
Dorea blushes and protests, ”Those were the follies of youth!”
”Mm, so you say,” Georgine muttered with a raised eyebrow.
”Really, Georgine!” Dorea puffed as she pouted at Georgine's words.
Georgine innocently shrugged as Rowan tactfully took another sip of her tea, before saying ”Madame Potter?”
”Yes, dear child?” Dorea blinked with a smile.
”I noticed that you had a son in the family photos including a final portrait. Would it be too bold of me to ask what happened to him?” Rowan further inquired.
Dorea becomes still for a moment, before softly saying, ”It is a subject I do not to like dwell on, child. But suffice to say that he was searching for something, I'm not sure what. And in the end that got him killed.”
”I thought Charlus passed away from a dark curse?” Georgine said with a frown as she sat up in her seat.
”Aye, he did,” Dorea painfully said as her lips turned white. ”However, he was searching for something at the time. I don't know if it was cast upon him or if he found that which he sought. All I know is that he had written that he would return to his see his sickened father at the time. But, then merely two days later, a note was sent to us that our son was under a dark curse and passed away swiftly within a week!”
Georgine purses her lips as Rowan says, 'Thank you, Madame. Potter. It was not my intention to cause you any harm.”
”It's alright child,” Dorea sniffed. ”But it still hurts after all this time.”
The rest of the teatime is rather subdued before they say goodbyes and go on their merry way. And though Tadbey did appear when summoned there was a rather silent glaring match between Georgine and that of Tadbey. Whatever had started them on the wrong foot had only increased over the passing of time.