▬▬▬▬ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ▬▬▬▬

I have a special meme at the end but you gotta read the chapter first to understand it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

There's also important info in the author's note, so be sure to read the whole thing thoroughly!!

ÉTIENNE LOOKED TERRIFIED, WHICH ALMOST made Esmerelda laugh because shouldn't it be the other way around? He was the one who summoned a bunch of ghosts to attack his sister after all.

Honestly, she didn't know what to do. She was kind of overwhelmed by everything that had just happened and she felt like her brain was short-circuiting from the new things being violently thrown at her face.

Étienne was her brother, but according to Bernadine, he had done some kind of fucked up things and when he was exposed, he resorting to attacking her.

I'm getting a headache, she thought to herself.

She was brought back to reality by Étienne's feeble voice, "Sh-she was lying," he stuttered as he scrambled to his feet. "Whatever Bernadine t-told you was a lie...!"

She sighed. "Étienne—"

"—No!" He lashed out to her, the glow in his eyes returning. "Everything she told you was a lie! You can't believe her! You can't!"

She felt a horribly familiar fuzziness in her head and anger washed over her. He was trying to Charmspeak her into listening to him. She glared at him with her own glowing eyes, brighter and far more vicious than his. "Stop that right now, Étienne. I'm not in the mood to have my mind controlled right now."

He stumbled back, the glow fading away and being replaced by horror. "But—but how did you—"

She turned around and motioned him to follow her as she headed over to the gazebo. "Come on. Like I said, we have a lot to talk about."

There were some questions she wanted answers for. Did he know he was a demigod? Did he know he was a Roman? He seemed knowledgeable enough about his powers to be confident in using them too, but how far could he go? What was his side of the story about all those awful incidents Bernadine was talking about?

She couldn't lower her guard around him either, not when she knew he had no qualms on using his Charmspeak on her.

She heard him stumbling after her. Once they reached the gazebo, she magically pulled out two chairs for them to sit across from each other. She sat on one and rested her arms over the table then motioned for him to follow suit.

Étienne's hands were shaking as he slowly sat down. He couldn't look her in the eyes, either due to fear, shame, or anxiety. It was probably a mixture of all three. His body seemed to shrink into himself, which only made him look even more vulnerable. It worried Esmerelda that she couldn't figure out if he was doing it on purpose to trick her or if the action was genuine.

"So," she began. "First you summoned a bunch of ghosts to attack your sister and then you tried to Charmspeak me. How long have you had these sort of abilities?"

He gave her a confused look. "...Charmspeak?

This eased her up a bit. He didn't even know the proper name of his abilities, meaning nobody had trained him. He most likely didn't know what he truly was either. Lazare must have kept it a secret, or he might not even be aware (though she would strongly bet on the former).

She waved a hand dismissively. "Sorry, the mind-control thing. How long have you been able to do them?"

He looked down at the table. "I-I don't know... I've just... always been able to do them. I don't have great control of my magic, so I keep having magical accidents even today. I was young when I realized that I could control people and I slowly started to get the hang of it. But... but the ghosts..."

Esmerelda listened to this part intently.

"It happened when I got my letter to attend Beauxbatons," he began quietly. "Mother didn't want me to go. Said I was too out of control and I'd make the family look bad. We had a fight and I ran to my room. One of the house elves, Topsy, came in and tried to comfort me, but... but I got mad... I d-didn't mean to kill her. My magic acted up and—and it was an accident. We buried her, but she came back."

"As a ghost," she finished.

He nodded. "As a ghost..." He echoed shakily. "Topsy was the one who had raised me whenever father had to leave. I just remember feeling so guilty, so desperate for her to come back... I fainted, and when I woke up, my family was screaming. The whole house was in disarray because Topsy had returned, except she was still dead. None of us knew what to do. Father didn't want to tell anyone, but mother wanted to send me away. He was furious with her, and he had the final say. None of us told anyone about the incident and Topsy stayed in the house. She still continued to serve me, but only me. She doesn't listen to anyone else anymore..."

Because Topsy was a being created by their mother and she was a ghost, so it was only natural for Étienne to have absolute control over her. The only reason why Topsy wasn't freaking out about it was because house elves were fiercely loyal and they loved to serve.

"I see..." Esmerelda pursed her lips. She was glad that Topsy's death had been an accident but there was still other pressing matters. "Bernadine told me that you used your powers to terrorize them. Is that true?"

"No," he said, but she caught the way his fists clenched.

"Let's try that again," she activated her Charmspeak. "Have you been using your powers to purposely hurt or scare your family?"

"N... Ngh..." He struggled against it, his body hunching over and twitching here and there. Finally he fell slumped against the chair, his eyes glazing over. "Yes..." He breathed out. 

"For how long?" She demanded. 

"Since I was a child," he choked, trying to gain control. "It f-felt so good..." 

Esmerelda's heart dropped to her stomach.

When he came to and realized what he had done, he stared at her with a look full of anger and defeat.

"So Bernadine was telling the truth," she couldn't believe how he had fooled her so easily. She genuinely thought he was just a boy who had been pushed down too many times by his family, but he was actually nothing more than a snake waiting to strike.

"Bernadine's a liar," he hissed, his eyes wet with tears he stubbornly refused to shed. "It's true that I've been threatening them with my magic, but she never told you why I did that, did she? They deserved it, Essie. I wasn't lying when I said everyone aside from my father hated me. They mistreated me first, what was I supposed to do? Sit back and take it?!"

"No," she agreed, because she could understand the frustration he must've felt. The anger, the need to fight back. Had she been in his situation, she would've held back on her anger as long as she could, but she knew she would've snapped one day.

He seemingly took her agreement as an acceptance because he gave her a wide smile as the tears finally fell down his face. "So you understand then...!"

"I do," she nodded slowly, but the pure terror in Bernadine's face kept flashing back to her. "But Étienne, they're terrified of you now. I understand that sometimes you need to let your anger go or fight back, but something tells me you've been hurting them unprompted."

"So?!" He nearly shouted, banging his fists against the table. He looked angry and betrayed. "Who cares if I'm hurting them?! It makes me happy to see their scared faces after all the times they've hurt me! They DESERVE IT! They deserve EVERYTHING they got!" 

"Stop that, Étienne!" Her voice rose.

More tears spilled from his reddening face. "Why do you care about them?! You don't even know them! How could you—how could you side with them?!"

"I'm not siding with anyone," she tried to say, but Étienne was breaking apart at the seams and she didn't know what to do anymore. She watched with wide eyes and he started sobbing in front of her.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT ME!" He screamed at her, banging his fists against the table like a child who didn't get what he wanted. "You've always chosen me first, so why not now?! Why care about how they feel?! They're not important to you! I am!" 

He's completely lost it...! She thought, horrified. 

But rather than fearing him, she could feel her walls breaking with every pitiful cry he let out. Étienne was her half-brother, he was family now, and family was everything she wanted, needed, and breathed for. 

But this was all so wrong. Étienne wasn't who she thought he was. His family mistreated him, and he upped the ante and was cruel to them back. That anger, hatred, and abandonment had twisted him so much that he was reduced to this now.

"Aren't I your friend?" He cried brokenly. "You ca—can't leave me too, Essie! Please! I'm sorry, I swear I won't lash out again, I promise! Don't shun me out like everyone else does!"

She harshly bit her tongue. She wanted nothing more than to scream and cry too. Why did everything have to be so fucked up? She knew it would be wrong of her to accept Étienne after all that he had done, but all she wanted was a family.

There was no denying that she had a selfish need for a family. She was reminded of her desires every time she was with the Tonkses and witnessed their loving, familial dynamic.

She had been so happy when she found out about Étienne parentage. Couldn't she just go back to that? So what if he was terrorizing his own mortal family—they were awful to him first anyways. It wasn't like he was doing that to everyone.

He was her brother. She had lost so much, couldn't she be greedy for once and let him in despite all the warning signs? Besides, Étienne clearly understood what it was like to be left behind. How could she be so cruel and do to him what others have done to her? What sort of sister would that make her?

I can take care of him, she told herself. The Rosiers couldn't handle him, but I can. He's clearly miserable with them anyways. If—when we win the war, I can bring Étienne to camp and give him proper training, care, and everything else he needs.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and Étienne watched her through his watery eyes. He looked small and scared, as if he was expecting her to shout and hit him.

"There's no need to cry," she crooned quietly, walking over to his side. 

He stared at her with hopeful eyes. "You... you won't..."

"I'm not going to leave you, Étienne." She told him. She couldn't leave family behind, after all. "Just don't hurt anyone else. You promised me, remember?"

His face broke out into a wide, hysterical smile and more tears started streaming down his face. He got up to his feet and practically threw himself at her. He dropped to his knees and hugged her around the waist while her trembling hand combed through his silky black locks. She could feel his tears wetting her dress.

"You're so kind, Essie," he wept into the fabric. "Even to me."

Esmerelda knew she was making the wrong decision, but for once she just didn't care anymore. She and everyone she cared about was fucked up anyways, what was one more disaster?

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

Esmerelda found it really disturbing how Étienne could go back to normal as if he hadn't just tried to maul his sister via ghosts and exposed himself to her as a needy, unhinged, teenage boy. She wondered if this was how Sirius felt about her and felt really bad about any grey hairs she had given him.

No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't look at him the same anymore. It was easier to ignore him during the winter break since they were literally in two different countries, but break was over now and Étienne would barely give her any time to breath. It wasn't like she was making this easier on herself either since every time she did manage to get space from him, she would worry about him lashing out at the other students and hurting them.

But so far, everything was normal. She had been in Hogwarts for three days and since then, Étienne hadn't snapped once. Right now, he was sitting beside her at an alcove and doodling on some parchment paper like an appeased child. She half-wondered if he was drawing some elaborate death scenarios but after one quick peek at his paper, she realized he was just drawing some flowers.

So innocent. So unassuming. So fucking terrifying.

I think Lou Ellen's the only sane child of Hecate/Trivia, she heaved a sigh. Sorry sis.

A thought suddenly came to her. "Hey Étienne?"

"Hmm?" He stole a glance at her before returning back to his drawings.

"You don't, um, hurt and kill animals do you?" 

He finally gave her his attention, and he was absolutely horrified. "No, of course not." 

Her shoulders slumped in relief. "Oh, okay." 

Well, at least she knew he wasn't a complete psychopath.

Now somewhat reassured, she turned away from Étienne's task to focus more on the newspaper in her hand. For some odd reason, it had been circulating around Hogwarts since she woke up this morning and she was curious.

Turns out, it was nothing but slander against Hagrid.

DUMBLEDORE'S GIANT MISTAKE

Albus Dumbledore, eccentric Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has never been afraid to make controversial staff appointments, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. In September of this year, he hired Alastor "Mad-Eye"Moody, the notoriously jinx-happy ex-Auror, to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, a decision that caused many raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Magic, given Moody's well-known habit of attacking anybody who makes a sudden movement in his presence. Mad-Eye Moody, however, looks responsible and kindly when set beside the part-human Dumbledore employs to teach Care of Magical Creatures.

Rubeus Hagrid, who admits to being expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, has enjoyed the position of gamekeeper at the school ever since, a job secured for him by Dumbledore. Last year, however, Hagrid used his mysterious influence over the headmaster to secure the additional post of Care of Magical Creatures teacher, over the heads of many better-qualified candidates. An alarmingly large and ferocious-looking man, Hagrid has been using his newfound authority to terrify the students in his care with a succession of horrific creatures. While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being "very frightening."

"I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm," says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. "We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything."

"Oh my gods," she muttered under her breath. As if on cue she spotted Draco strutting about and called out to him. "Draco, what the heck is this?"

He smirked smugly. "I see you've read the paper."

"Yeah, and I can't believe you're still crying about the hippogriff incident. You sound a little bitch in here, you know?" She snorted.

"I could have lost my arm!" He spluttered with a dramatic flair that reminded her way too much of Sirius.

"Right."

"Whatever," he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Do you know if Potter and his stupid friends have read it yet? I bet you they're real pissed with me." He chortled at the image.

"You're so obsessed with him," she said, ignoring his squawk of indignation. "You shouldn't have messed with Hagrid, though. He's a close friend of theirs. I hope you're ready to get punched in the face again." Ron and Hermione had been all too happy to tell her about what had happened in the previous year. It was a shame she hadn't been there to witness it.

But Draco just stuck his nose up. "The world needed to know what that oaf has been hiding. Half-giant... can you believe it? I thought it was bad when Dumbledore let that mutt in, but a giant's too far."

Étienne finally looked up from his flowers. "What do you have against half-breeds? Does this school not accept them?"

While it was great that Étienne was open-minded about the topic of half-breeds (he would need that sort of mindset anyways considering he was a... well, you know, a half-breed), Esmerelda couldn't help but immediately tense up.

The good thing was that he didn't look ready to throw hands at Draco, but the bad thing was that she no longer knew what to expect from this guy. Was he going to attack Draco too? Because even though he was her brother, Esmerelda could not allow any harm to happen to her cousin. Draco was mortal and unaware of who he was messing with and Étienne was downright dangerous.

As if things couldn't get any worse, a new voice joined the conversation.

"Of course Hogwarts doesn't accept any half-breeds," entered Theodore. He stopped to stand beside Draco, looking down at Étienne almost patronizingly. "Their blood is tainted, but if you ask me, mudbloods are worse. I heard Beauxbatons openly accepts those kind of lowlives, says a lot about your school, don't you think?"

Étienne gave him a look of disgust, like he really couldn't believe someone would be so horrible. Esmerelda shared the sentiment.

I can't believe this is one of the dudes Draco approved of. He really needs better tastes, she grimaced.

She was forced out of her thoughts when she heard Étienne say: "I think you should stop breathing."

"No!" Esmerelda shot up to her feet and counteracted the Charmspeak with her own. All three boys jumped and Étienne even had the audacity to pout at her like he was some child whose toy was being taken away as punishment.

She turned back to Draco and Theodore. "You two should leave. Go back to your common room or whatever," she ordered. They did as they were told and once they were out of the way, she whirled around to glare at Étienne, who stared up at her guiltily.

"I'm sorry," he said meekly. "You're not... mad at me, are you?"

She internally screamed.

"No," she said patiently. "Just... try not to kill anyone. Please."

Gods, she thought she got the whole 'big sister' thing down when Lou Ellen arrived, but Étienne was turning out to be a whole new challenge.

She really missed being the little sister. At least back then, she didn't have to go through the stress of having to keep any of the younger siblings in line.

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

It was February now and Esmerelda was feeling like she was being stretched thin. In the Underworld, she was busy searching through the Archives and fretting over Nico's dwindling physical state. The poor kid was being worn down by all of the training sessions Hades kept throwing at him and it didn't help that Nico had the tendency to skip meals whenever she wasn't around. Most of her time there was spent forcing him to take better care of himself while she took on the burden of reading through the files on her own.

And when she wasn't in the Underworld, she was in Hogwarts dealing with the other chaotic child in her life. Étienne was a lot more open with her now that she was aware of what he was really like, and she would usually see that as a great thing if it hadn't been for the fact that he reminded her of those evil kids in horror movies.

She could handle Étienne, but that didn't mean everyone else could. Anytime he seemed even remotely close to blowing up on someone, she would have to diffuse the situation with the Mist before any blood could be shed, but that always led to him being curious about her powers and trying to get answers out of her.

She would never comply, and while it didn't annoy him, it only made him even more curious. She briefly wondered if he was slowly coming to the realization that they were siblings, because that would be the easiest conclusion to pick up on anyways. She'd be the one to tell him about the godly world later on.

"I wonder why Bernadine's acting so normal after everything that happened," Étienne said aloud as he sipped on his butterbeer. The two of them were hanging out with Cedric in the Three Broomsticks, just less than a week away from the Second Task. It had been Cedric's idea to come here since he wanted to have a 'good luck' meal before the task began.

Esmerelda glanced over at Cedric, who was too busy paying Madam Rosmerta at the counter to overhear.

"It's because I erased her memory of the incident," she answered smoothly, wiping her lips with a nearby napkin.

Even though Bernadine was carrying on as she normally would, Esmerelda still felt the need to keep Étienne away from her. She just felt uncomfortable whenever the he was near the older girl since he had attacked her. She didn't care if he had purposely meant to summon those ghosts or not, Étienne held a vicious hatred for his family and she just didn't want to risk him hurting her again.

His eyes lit up. "And how'd you do that?"

"Not telling you," she smiled sweetly. "So you should stop trying to get answers from me."

"But please?" He begged her. "You're the only other person I know who could do things like I could! Can you summon ghosts too or—"

She shushed him as Cedric returned to their table.

"So I've got a problem," he said as he sat down.

She frowned. "Are we short on cash? I can—"

"—No, no, we're fine," he assured. "But I just overheard one of the Gryffindors complaining about the screeching noises the egg makes whenever Harry opens it. I don't think he's figured out how it works."

"Then tell him," Étienne suggested.

"Well that's the thing. I did weeks ago." He shrugged hopelessly. "I told him to try opening it in the prefect's baths. I don't know why he hasn't done it yet."

Because he's jealous that you're dating Cho, Esmerelda realized, mentally facepalming. For fucks sake, Harry... Of all the things to get petty about.

"Well then he's screwed," was all she could really say. "At least we know you've got him beat. All you've got to worry about now is Viktor and Fleur."

The three champions had a similar idea on how to train for it too. They realized pretty quickly that the Second Task would be held underwater so all three of them had been training in the Great Lake. They had also divided the area up so neither one would get in the way of their own swimming practice—she helped Cedric train in the east end, Viktor trained in the middle, and Fleur was at the west.

She was pretty sure she even saw Harry walk pass them a couple of times so maybe he would get the hint that the Second Task would be underwater... but then again it was Harry, so he probably hadn't put the pieces together. Or even noticed them...

She sighed. Well, she had to help him somehow since someone was clearly hoping to get him killed in this tournament.

When they returned to the castle, Esmerelda quickly hurried off to find Harry and mentally prayed that Étienne wouldn't kill anyone while she was gone.

She found him walking down the hallway all by his lonesome and stepped in his way. He looked up.

"Essie? What—"

"—Cedric told you about what to do with the egg, didn't he?" She interrupted.

He scowled slightly at the mention of her friend. "Well, yeah, but—"

"—Then go do it already! I know you don't like him since he's dating Cho and all—"

He flushed. "—H-hold on, I never said anything about that—"

"—But you have to take this tournament seriously! There's like a 99% chance that someone's planning to kill you through one of these tasks and Sirius is going to do nothing but cry for the rest of his life if you ended up dying!"

Harry's face fell immediately.

Aaaand she got him. Guilting him with Sirius was always the best way to get him to think rationally.

"But what exactly do I do?" He asked her desperately. "All Cedric told me was to take the egg to the prefect's bath."

"You have to open it underwater and listen to what it says," she informed him.

"He told you that?"

"No, Étienne and I came with him."

His jaw dropped. "You guys took a bath together?"

"Wha—oh my gods, no!" She exclaimed. Now it was her turn to be flustered. "First of all, we were all clothed, okay?! And second of all, we just came to help him understand how the egg worked. He listened to it underwater and we wrote down everything it said."

He perked up. "Can you tell me—"

"—No," she shot that down immediately. "Try and listen to it on your own. Who knows, it might say something a little different for each of the champions."

He sighed in defeat. "Alright."

"Good. Now you've got less than a week until the Second Task so you better do this quickly. And it'll be physically exhausting too, so make sure to eat and sleep well because it won't be an easy feat, and—"

"—I got it, Essie, I'll be fine," he rolled his eyes like he was some sort of petulant teenager.

"You better be. Now I can write all good things about you to Sirius," she patted the shorter boy on the head only to frown. "And Harry, seriously, get a haircut..."

╞═════𖠁𐂃𖠁═════╡

I can't believe the nerve of that boy, Esmerelda thought moodily as she surveyed the scene. The stands that had been set up around the dragon enclosure from the previous task was now out at the Great Lake. The champions were all standing before the judges, but one of them was missing: Harry.

She had sent Sirius a letter saying that everything was fine and dandy and that Harry was all ready for the Second Task, but now he wasn't even here!

What am I gonna tell uncle now? She despaired, only to perk up when she saw Harry's familiar bedhead sprinting down towards them.

"I thought he chickened out," Ernie joked.

The four champions stationed themselves near the edge of the lake as Bagman used the sonorus charm to make an announcement.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... three!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air and the stands erupted with cheers and applause. For some odd reason, Harry pulled out a weird looking weed from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth.

Esmerelda cheered for both Cedric and Harry as they dove in. All the champions disappeared into the cold, dark waters, and her cheers slowly died out as she came to a sudden realization.

"Wait," she blinked. "Are we just gonna stare at the lake for an hour and wait for them to come back up?"

Nobody really answered her, but she already knew what the answer was.

Oh my gods, she thought with a groan. We are.

It was the most boring hour ever. It had gotten so bad that she settled with playing tic tac toe on the air using flagrate against Justin. So far he had four wins and she had three. She was about to make three X's in a row when the first person finally reached the surface.

It was Fleur, but rather then looking happy at being the first, she looked absolutely distraught.

"Gabrielle!" She was shouting hoarsely once her bubble-head charm broke. "Ils m'ont attaqué et je n'ai pas pu l'atteindre!*"

Unfortunately, Esmerelda didn't have Étienne with her to translate what she was saying.

"Gabrielle?" Hannah murmured beside her. "I think that's her little sister?"

Madame Maxime helped Fleur out of the water and gathered her up in a towel, speaking to her in rapid French.

Around fifteen minutes later, just a mere minute after the time limit, Cedric was next to arrive. He was helping Cho, who was beaming once they got out of the water. Esmerelda, as did the other Hufflepuffs broke out into wild applause.

"So that's what they're supposed to do!" Ernie exclaimed. "They gotta save someone underwater!"

That would explain why Fleur looked like such a grieving mess, Esmerelda surmised. That was certainly something she could empathize with, but she was certain the people in charge weren't going to actually let the kids die though.

The third person to show up was Viktor, who looked like a shark-man hybrid. The person with him was a shivering Hermione. As they climbed out of the lake and Viktor reverted back to his original form, Esmerelda was shocked that Ron hadn't sprinted over to her only to realize that he was gone too.

He must be the one who Harry needs to save, she thought.

Harry was the last person to arrive, but he was already way passed the time limit either way. Nevertheless, he breached the water and was lugging not only Ron, but a young blonde girl.

Does he get extra points for nabbing both of them? She wondered.

"Gabrielle!" Fleur shouted hoarsely. She scrambled to help her sister out of the water and continued to fret over her.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Bagman called out. "We have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows... Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

Applause from the stands.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." That garnered enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Esmerelda wondered if he had done that knowing he would get more points. Judging by the exasperated looks Ron and Hermione were giving him, he wasn't aware.

"Most of the judges," and here, Bagman gave Karkaroff a very nasty look. "Feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However... Mr. Potter's score is fifty points**."

The crowd, sans the Slytherins, clapped.

Sirius would be happy to hear about this, Esmerelda thought pleasantly.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June," Bagman continued. "The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

Well, Esmerelda smiled as she headed off to the castle with the rest of the students. Two tasks down, one more to go.

On the way there, a familiar angry looking owl swooped down to perch itself on her shoulder. 

"Ooh, a letter?" She smiled eagerly as she plucked the envelope out. She unfurled the paper and read the short passage:

Tell Harry and his friends to meet me outside of Hogs Head Inn at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. You come as well, there might be some important things you need to hear.

—Your favorite uncle, Steve

— author's note —

* Ils m'ont attaqué et je n'ai pas pu l'atteindre! = They attacked me and I couldn't get to her!

** It's not really a big deal, but I tweaked the points a little bit since Harry and Cedric were supposed to be tied by the time they reached the Third Task

HERE IS THE SPECIAL MEME:

(yes I've gotten to the point of making my own memes for this story, don't shame me, I just love memes ☹️)

Étienne has finally been exposed as a needy, clingy, unhinged brat-baby and omg you have NO idea how long I've been wanting to write this chapter 🥲

Before you guys start screaming, YES I KNOW IT IS WRONG AND VERY UNHEALTHY FOR ESSIE TO JUST ACCEPT ÉTIENNE DESPITE EVERYTHING SHE JUST LEARNED ABOUT HIM. If you meet anyone like Étienne, whether it be a friend, lover, sibling, stranger or anything, I'd advise you to stay away.

As you all know, Essie has abandonment issues. She has been left behind over and over again by foster parents, her own parents (though Regulus wasn't willing), her friends, and her siblings. Because of this, she is very desperate to keep whatever relationships she has left and the same goes for any new bonds that have formed. She also values family a lot, which is shown through how far she was willing to go to make sure Sirius is safe, happy and with her. The same goes for Regulus. She couldn't even tell Nico about him because she was afraid she would be barred from seeing him (ie. he would be taken away from her).

This also causes her to persist with relationships with unhealthy people. Like her cousin, Draco, for example. Let's be real here, he's awful guys. He's racist, a blood supremacist and he even schemed to get a professor fired and an innocent bird executed??? Kinda fucked up. While Essie's not excusing his behavior, she knows that because he's a child his mind is more malleable and believes that she could help him see his wrongs. Had he been an adult, I don't think she would've bothered with him because it would've been harder to deal with his more firmer mindset.

You see where I'm going here? Essie strongly, fiercely, obsessively values whoever she deems as her "family" to the point that she doesn't care how horrible they are and she might even make excuses for them. As long as they treat her good and aren't irredeemably terrible (like rapists, genocidal maniacs, abusers, etc) then she'll keep them with her. Essie's lost so much, so she was ecstatic when Étienne turned out to be her half-sibling... but finding out what he was really like broke her heart and caused her to struggle with her morals. Unfortunately, her selfish and greedy need for family won over her sense of right and wrong, which led to her to accepting him. Like with helping Draco not fall into the bad side of things, she believes she can handle Étienne and keep him from hurting anyone.

I'm not that great at explaining these sort of things, but I tried my best... If you guys have any questions, then feel free to ask me cuz I'd love to answer them (and I understand that my explanation was shit and didn't cover much).

The chapter title "l'appel du vide" is a French saying that translates to "the call of the void". It's basically this impulse to hurl yourself into the void, or dangerous scenarios that you know are dangerous. That's what Essie's doing rn about her situation with Étienne :)

⚠️QUESTION TIME⚠️: Out of these 3 siblings, who do you think is the most fucked up, dangerous, and/or dark? (basically who would you want to mess with the least)

Alabaster, Esmerelda, or Étienne? Comment and list ur reasons why, please! I'm curious :D

For me, I wouldn't wanna mess with Étienne. Then it would be Alabaster second and Essie last. They all give me yandere vibes tbh, but at least Essie's sweeter as long as I don't hurt any of her loved ones and her moral compass isn't that screwed up.