Fumes and the Future PV Finished

"Ah yes, I am here come on in dear." She spoke with a soft and inviting tone.

Ann’s muscles untensed, she felt at ease as soon as the voice travelled to her which allowed her feet to uproot themselves from the floor to take a few steps forward - she proceeded to pull back the cloaking cloth that concealed the Professor from her … she heard the voice again before this action had been completed.

Before the student had even full entered her office she knew who it was. She had a knack for knowing things like that. It was one of the pros of being skilled at Divination. "Oh Miss Madison! Have you come for some tea? I have many options to drink and some extra mugs if you'd like me to get you some." Professor Bardot said as she got up and began readying the hot water. Even if the student visiting her didn't want any, she would likely need some more for when she runs out herself.

Pulling it back fully she seemed to have frozen … her arms stiff and her mouth dry.

“I-I haven’t met you before … how you know me?” How do you know me? How is that possible? The silver hair Professor seemed busily occupied with the search for tea - of which she had offered to Ann.
“A tea … a tea would be lovely. Thank you.” The eleven year old stood awkwardly still in the doorway. “I was hoping you could grant me a tea leaf reading,” she managed to straighten herself up and lock her deep dark eyes with the dark eyes of the Professor. “I’m interested in Divination, If I’m being honest Professor, I just couldn’t wait to experience it for myself.” Ann failed to mention her scepticism, concluding that it made no difference to her actual curiosity of the subject, she thought of it rather a festering insect that was crawling around in her mind - sooner or later - it would die.

@Brinley Bardot

The Professor replied to her cheerily, she seemed happy to provide a service for an eager student. Ann watched the woman grab a clean mug and proceed to work with an intense concentration, the slick yet precise movement suggested a well-practiced procedure. Whisps and streams of white-hot steam plummeted towards the ceiling as it generated a soft glow on Ann's cheeks.

It was then passed to Ann. The mug. Cautiously, she grasped it by the handle, it remained a safe distance from her - suspended above the floor at half an arms reach from her body.

Professor Bardot began to give a list of intructions, of which were responded to by Ann through several nods as the rapid tightening of her throat allowed no more. A large mass had begun to form in her stomach where it wriggled and writhed causing her palms to sweat and her heart to pound. What was her question? Since her induction into Hogwarts alot of things had been playing on her mind, mainly her father ... the white mug shook and she struggled to keep it steady. There was something she wanted to know - if she would live his life, the life of her father. She had always wanted to know whether this was her path ... but there was a second question, one which made her head throb and her bones ache, would her father's career lead to an untimely death? Her father had only told her a few stories from his work and therefore he only mentioned a few people each time, colleagues, and when these names stopped turning up Ann decided to ask him and a 9 year old girl could never be prepared for death stories.

Ann inhaled deeply, the gentle splash of tea colliding with the insides of the mug slowly began to fade as her hands became still and her mind became quieter.

She lifted the mug to her lips, allowing the warm liquid to travel down her throat. Ann took several pauses to keep her mind cleansed and her question at the front of her conscious until she had drunk almost all of her tea - she gently rested it onto the saucer which Professor Bardot had placed between them and continued to look forwards. She fought to keep her body untensed, as her eyes shone with fear. She attempted to find solace in the warmth of the Professor's eyes as her chest threatened to explode, with her shoulders beginning to bob slightly due to the struggle she was having to inhale or to get any amount of air into her lungs - causing a rapidly on setting dizziness which promised to expose her anxiety.

Will my father die as a result of his career?

I would like the answer to be yes but you can choose how it happens and how to reveal this to Ann and all the details surrounding it etc. On my 'Heading to Hogwarts' post, the first rp message I write gives some information on Ann's father (his name and ministry status/career) if you need to refer to this

@Brinley Bardot

The Professors smile was received graciously by Ann as she watched her cup being picked up and then spun, during the spinning she could hear a very faint sound - the last of the tea was washing against the sides of the cup like a wave crashing in the ocean. This sound brought Ann comfort. The cup was then upturned, from her research Ann knew that Professor Bardot was draining the last of the tea in order to properly read the leaves that would rest at the bottom of the mug. After this process the cup was reverted to its original state - upright and was being deeply fixated upon by the Professor who was becoming more wide-eyed by the second.

"Oh... My dear I am so sorry..."

Ann’s face immediately fell, her head pointing directly at the ground. She couldn’t believe this - this couldn’t be true. She felt like a crashing plane, a falling plane, being dragged about of the sky by the uncontrollable process of gravity - fate was gravity in her case and she was falling out of her own atmosphere.

Professor Bardot let her see the cup, perhaps she thought that Ann would propose a different answer to the question. Although they both must’ve know that the answer was plainly laid out before them, presented in the innards of an ornate mug. The awfully scraggly creature with ragged fur, dark from the lump of tea leaves that formed it, pointed ears and a rough image of a snout caused her to travel back to pages where detailed drawings depicted varying versions of the same image - each one promising a myriad of negativities, the most prominent one being death.
She saw the sun. Which symbolises happiness, vitality, life and light. Light … light.

Everything made sense. The light of his life, this was almost like a riddle and Ann had always relished in solving these, the light of her fathers life was his family, that was quite simple. He would die for his family? His family would lead to his death? Countless questions began to emerge and released a cacophony of noise inside her head - she looked up at the Professor, wondering if she could confirm her theory or offer a different one.

“I read the leaves.” she paused. “The sun represents life and light, he- he always said this is what his family meant to him. The dog means death. His family will be his end … is that what you saw?”

“I understand.” Ann forced her mouth into a line, the quivers that rippled along her lips ceased, but her eyes still continued to fill up with a burning liquid. “I understand…” The more she repeated those words the more she forgot what she was supposed to be understanding. Her father was going to die - because of her. Her hands, stuck out like twigs from a branch against the side of her body. It was taking all of her willpower not to throw them to her face and begin to bawl. Why did she come here?

Blood was pooling onto the floor, the carpet sucking it up with each of its breaths. The dim lighting only made for a more shocking scene - bits of his white shirt were stuck to his body, some of the fabric was escaping into deep gashes on his chest. He was sprawled out on the couch with his eyes pinned to the ceiling.

“Dad?” Ann had entered the room. “Dad!” She ran forwards, slipping on the floor ,as she looked down, she lost her breath - the grey carpet was drenched. “What happened? Look at me! What happened to you!” His head bent down to look at her. “Who did this?” His chest rattled as he spoke.“Work.”He noticed his daughters face fall and he tried to lift the corners of his mouth.“It’s okay… I’m going to be okay. I have you. You’re. The. Most … Important thing in my life - you’re the light of my life …. of my life ….” He repeated the words ‘light’ and ‘life’ for several seconds until he became unconscious due to the copious amounts of blood he had lost during his duel with Lorcan Greer - he had refused to drive to St Mungo’s and instead had driven home to see his daughter first. Luckily the Ministry had sent a few agents to deliver him safely afterwards otherwise this may have been Jack Madisons last day.

It wasn’t just his family. It was her. She was going to be his reason, for his second time facing death - only now she knew he wouldn’t survive. She was his light and the light caused death. Ann was spiralling into the same loop of thoughts over and over and they were all as dark and self-loathing as each other, the scent of incense began to invade her, a loud buzz filled her ears with static, she no longer felt like her feet were firmly placed on the ground - she felt like she was slowly leaving her own body and she was totally apathetic. Her vision was darkening, allowing only two circles encased in black, tunnel vision. Unsteadily she pivoted to face her entrance and now her possible exit. She didn’t think she could bare the judgement that seemed to be inevitably coming for her.