Chapter 221 - Awakening Ⅱ (2/2)

”It's not Christmas if the family is not together,” Sirsa stubbornly said as she smoothed the wrinkles on the bed. ”Now, then I'll see that dastardly healer about getting some food into your belly.”

Turn to stare at Georgine, Sirsa adds, ”Come now, Georgine. Those horrible healers only seem to be afraid of you.” Georgine flashes a pleased smirk and happily follows her sister-in-law out to terrorize a couple of healers.

Reginald says, ”Severus, please go and get me a cup of hot tea from upstairs.”

”But-,” Severus isn't able to finish his sentence as a fierce glower sends him on his merry way.

With Severus out of sight, Reginald casts a silencing spell around them, before sitting down in the seat closest to her on her right side. ”Rowan, what did you do?”

”Something that needed to be done,” Rowan tiredly answered.

Reginald closes his eyes as he says, ”Which was?”

”I destroyed the Philosophers Stone.”

There is a long bought of silence as Reginald reaches over and gently pulls her into a hug. ”Oh, child,” Reginald whispered into her hair. ”Why must you be burdened by both of our forefathers' gifts?”

”Nicholas Flamel and his wife, Perenelle are dead by my hands. They were innocent-,” Rowan's voice broke off as she closed her eyes to keep the moisture at bay.

Reginald is silent for a long time, before slowly saying, ”And if it had not been destroyed?”

”Immorality to a monster that is already a danger to all.”

”Then you did what needed to be done. For sometimes there are no easy choices only hard ones, for the world is not black and white, but rather gray.”

”But they were innocent.”

”Yes, but the Flamel's have lived over six-hundred years,” Reginald argued back. ”They had lived plenty, and though tragic, a mixed blessing to them. Death came to them just as swiftly and unexpectedly to them as to any of us. A proper ending, I believe.”

”Thank you,” Rowan whispered as she leaned her head against her grandfather's shoulder.

Reginald must have realized she was tired as he cleared his throat and ignored the flush that began to rise on his pale cheeks. Not having sung since his Eileen had been a wee babe, he softly sang, ”Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green, When I am king, dilly, dilly, you shall be queen-.”

Rowan dozed off to the lullaby that she had not heard since her mother sang to them when they were still very small. Before their father had lost his good job and before they'd ever performed their first accidental magic. Back when, they were still their parents, little peanut and almond. And for a very brief moment, she dreamed of warm, happier times when she was nothing but an innocent child.