Looking for nightmares

Estrella Drage

Obliviator for MACUSA | HNZ 1st Graduating Class
 
Messages
9,177
OOC First Name
Amanda
Blood Status
Half Blood
Relationship Status
Widow
Age
45
Estrella Drage was thirty-five years old and a mother of four. All of her kids were away at school and while the Obliviation Squad kept her busy, it couldn't banish the boredom that seeped into every cell in her body. One Thursday in November, she couldn't take it anymore. She informed her boss at the Congress that she was going on a month-long holiday, packed her bags, grabbed the first Portkey to New Zealand, and promptly hurled up her cheeseburger and fries on the roof of an abandoned car park. It didn't matter which method of transportation she tried; Portkey, Floo, Apparation, they all made her guts twist up. Only flying was comfortable, but not comfortable enough to make it across the continental United States and then the Pacific ocean.

Estrella then gathered up her bags, stepped around the vomit, and showed up at her Aunt Brunhilde's doorstep. Her aunt answered with the grace and poise she always had, and asked no questions, to Estrella's great relief. After a long nap in the spare room, Estrella left to explore Obsidian Harbor.

Little had changed since her last visit. All the old shops were there: Gladrags, the Menagerie, Flourish and Blotts. She popped into Florian's for a mint ice cream and took a walk with her cone. She lapped at the treat, trying to keep it from melting onto her robes under the spring sun.

Estrella stopped at the entrance to Bleak Street. Old fears and anxieties about the place came back to her, but she killed them quick. Those memories were long buried and smothered to death. Chowing down the rest of her cone, she peered down the alley into the shadows, looking for her nightmares.
 
Her days never seemed to be her own anymore. From September to May, Cyndi's days belonged to the school, her classes and the Gryffindors doing more than enough to keep her busy. And interspersed in that were her responsibilities to her children and her husband, her favorite yet most important responsibilities. Today, it was familial responsibilities that had brought her to Obsidian Harbour. She needed to restock the family's store of potion ingredients and pick up a few odds and ends. They now sat in her shoulder bag which had been enchanted to hold massive amounts of items without weighing her down.

Feeling accomplished and with a few hours before she needed to return home and relieve her sister of the children, Cyndi strolled down the harbour, stopping to eat a sandwich she'd purchased and sit by the water for a bit. She stood once she'd finished, all set to apparate home when her gaze drifted around. Who she spotted caused her to stalk forward in that direction, her eyes narrowing and her hands going to her hips as she made her way. "Estrella Amanda Drage! That better not be you. I didn't get an owl" Cyndi stated as she finally reached her destination. It had been ages since she had seen Estrella, and try as she might to seem angry, she couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face.
 
Estrella spun around at the sound of a very familiar voice. Cyndi Weasley- er, Kingsley- one of her best friends from school. Estrella brushed away the crumbs from her waffle cone and grinned sheepishly. "It was a spontaneous decision," she said. More than spontaneous, she thought, absolutely batty "I didn't tell anyone. I kind of just ditched work and grabbed a Portkey; now here I am."

Estrella knew how that must sound. Irresponsible, rash, loony. "Hullo, Cyndi Kingsley," she said to her Gryffindor friend, with just a touch of awkwardness.
 
Cyndi gave Estrella a puzzled look at her spontaneity, but then she breached the rest of the space between them to give her friend a tight hug. "Hello to you too, Estrella Drage" she replied as she released her, giving her another look. Of all the places to come to on a day off. She could certainly understand the coming back to New Zealand. Estrella had history here.

"But why are you staring at Bleak Street? Nothing's changed about it. Believe me" she rolled her eyes, only years of practice allowing her to contain the shudder that she felt when she thought about the place. Cyndi's gaze drifted in that direction before quickly moving back to Estrella.
 
Estrella grinned; she might be twelve years older, but it was that same evil grin she had when Cyndi had to wear Ravenclaw colors after Gryffindor lost the Quidditch championship.

"How do you know it's changed unless you've been there recently?" Estrella raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're scared?"

Saying so was childish, she knew, something Olivia or Lydia or the boys would do. Well, mostly Olivia. That said, mum she may be, Estrella had a thirst for adventure she could not quench with books or chores or paperwork. She stepped further into the alley, looking over her shoulder at Cyndi. "Let's go exploring."
 
Now it was Cyndi's turn to raise her eyebrow. She knew that look well. "Please. I'm a Gryffindor" she scoffed, "We don't know the meaning of the word." She also didn't know how to say no to a challenge or dare, and she knew full well that Estrella knew that.

Watching the woman step into the alley, Cyndi hesitated for a moment. She had her family to get back to and her husband's position to think about. Surely, it wouldn't be good for his wife to be seen entering Bleak Street. Yet, the other side of her pushed her for a spot of fun, telling her that it'd be fine and just for a few moments.

Lifting her scarf so that it covered her hair, Cyndi followed her friend. "Fine. Just for a few minutes because I can't let you go in there alone. What kind of friend would I be if a hag tried to grab you up for dinner and I wasn't here to help stop it?" she reasoned aloud as they stepped further in. "Speaking of dinner, you're coming over. I'm making Shepherd's pie."
 
Estrella knew from firsthand experience that some strange characters frequented Bleak Street, but hags? That was a new one. "I wouldn't taste very good," she said, "I'm a bit too old. Overripe, you could say." The thought of Shepherd's Pie made her stomach grumble with delight; she hadn't eaten since breakfast yesterday, and that was if you didn't account for the change in time zones. "Dinner? I'm in. Be warned, though, I might eat you out of house and home."

Estrella could understand Cyndi's need to be discreet, and thought the scarf looked pretty tied over her hair. The former Ravenclaw pulled her wand out of her robes, holding it at her side. Even though she didn't think two accomplished- well, at least Cyndi was accomplished- feisty, adult witches had much to worry about in the middle of the day, her wand made her feel safer all the same. She lead her friend deeper into the shadows, noting the cobblestones caked with dirt and Merlin-knew-what-else. The smell of must and something much more foul lingered in the air, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.
 
Cyndi snorted. "You and everyone else in my house" she replied with a soft laugh that quickly went away as they continued down the unusually quiet street. The Gryffindor remained close by her friend's side, nearly stepping into a puddle of what she hoped was mud. She lifted her boot extra high, making sure it didn't come into contact with the mysterious substance. The first person that they walked past was standing mumbling to an object in his hand. Cyndi bristled, holding her bag closer to her side as they hurried past.

She looked at one of the shops, which stood out because it was actually open, and nudged Estrella with her elbow. Past the dusty windows, she could see someone inside at the register. "Books & Baubles" she muttered. "Baubles, my arse. Cursed objects is probably more like it."
 
For a moment, Estrella was tempted to drag Cyndi inside the very store she was pointing out, but she kept her head. When she and Courtney Potter, a fellow Ravenclaw, were in their third year, they had a nasty run in at the Silver Snake with the owner and a batty house elf named Tin. Estrella wondered if she and Courtney had been just bratty kids who deserved it. There were rumors that the owner was long since dead, which wasn't really a surprise considering the nature of his business.

She avoided the gentleman having a heated conversation with some trinket. "Might be some good collector's items," she said, jokingly, "Hey, I could buy your Christmas present early. You'd have your pick of anything in the store."
 
Cyndi scoffed, glad they didn't enter the dusty store. Curiosity burned through her as she wondered what kind of items rested on the shelves, but it wasn't enough for her to make the first move into the shop. She glanced through the window again, unable to make out any of the items on the shelves. "Estrella, how'd you know?" she mimicked her reaction to receiving an item from the shop. "I've always wanted this lovely, cursed shrunken head."

She was finding that Bleak Street was more sad looking than creepy or scary looking. At least this section. Most of the shops here looked abandoned, boards covering their doors. The few that were open didn't look very busy either. They hadn't walked very far at all though.
 
"Who knows, the shrunken head might even talk to you, keep you company. And," she smirked, "it would be great for scaring students who come into your office." While Estrella had never been much of a prankster herself, she always enjoyed a good joke. There was very little of that at the Congress. People at work were far too serious.

Hearing a low-pitched grumbling, Estrella stopped in front of an alley. She whispered "Lumos" and raised her wand. A shaggy black and white cat prowled between the shops. The cat arched its back and yowled when the light passed over it. Chuckling, Estrella lowered her wand and kept walking. Just a big kitty cat- is that the best you can do, Bleak Street? She didn't say it out loud, of course.
 
Cyndi gave her friend a devilish grin. "I love the way you think" she replied to her friend, ever the Ravenclaw in her thinking. The Gryffindor woman knew that Estrella was so much more than just her mind, but she did have a great love for that part of her friend. "I hope you know that I'll be expecting that shrunken head now" she said after a moment, pausing only when Estrella had done so.

She gave the woman a curious look, wondering why she'd stopped. She hadn't heard a thing, but it was obvious that Estrella had. The cat startled her, she hated to admit it, and as they moved forward, her heart hammered in her chest. Spotting two hooded people, really she couldn't tell if they were men or women, in the distance, Cyndi whispered to her friend, joking to ease her nerves. "I bet they know where to find the fun." One of the two turned, almost as if hearing what she'd said, staring at the two of them as if they were outsiders. In this part of the city, they were.
 
Estrella glanced at the hooded figures for maybe a little too long, then averted her eyes. "They could probably take us to some wicked parties," Estrella whispered, smirking. Bleak Street get-togethers would definitely be more exciting than Magical Congress socials and brunches, she figured. She curled her fingers around her wand, though it was still tucked away in her robes. Just the hint of danger, even if it was exaggerated, made her veins pound with a little more life. She breathed in deep and continued down the street.
 

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