It was almost dawn when we arrived home, I wanted to see my mother and take this clothes off, and I can barely feel my feet anymore, or my body, I was extremely exhausted.

We stepped inside our home, everything was quiet and calm, the healers were sat in the couch of the living room which means my mother is probably still sleeping.

"Ah, Mr. Lakewood, I was wondering when would you arrive." The healer Howler said softly, standing up from the couch, he was in lime green robes, with a sign of a bone and a wand, the usual uniform for the healers. "I need to have a conversation with you."

"Is everything okay with my wife?" My father asked softly, closing the door, and stepping closer to Howler.

"She's in good conditions, for the time being, but..." He looked over me, a worried look. "It's a delicate subject." He said firmly, and looked at my father again.

"Right, yes of course...Lara go to your room." My father said softly, but I refused to move.

"No, I deserve to know about mother's well-being as much as you do." I shouted firmly at my father.

"Lara, we've discussed this already-" I spoke on top of him.

"But-" He cut me off by speaking louder.

"If Mr. Howler says he needs to speak with me in private, then that's what I shall do." My father said firmly.

I was with my anger at my limit, I know he was only trying to protect me, I know he just wants the best to me, but he needs to understand that I'm not a child anymore, I may be a very sensitive about my mother, but I need to learn about how to face things, and pushing me away wasn't the exact way to do it.

"Oh and Mrs. Thea..." My father called the healers, standing next to Mr. Howler, dressed in the same robes as him. "Make sure my daughter stays in her room while I'm talking with Mr. Howler, I don't want her to eavesdrop." He said firmly, and I let out a frustrated groan as I climbed the stairs with the healer Thea right behind me.

I stepped inside my room, and closed the door in the healer face - not that she has any fault - she may stay outside the door, but I don't need a babysitter with me, in my room.

I slipped my dress off, and put on some comfortable clothes, and started pacing around the room, the tiredness of the party founded itself no longer in my body, and instead, a bit of concerning and curiosity replaced it.

I didn't even get to see my mother since I got home from the party, and probably that was the part that was most affecting me, no matter how many times people tell me she's okay, I still need to see it with my own eyes, just so I can relax a bit.

I opened the door, and found Mrs. Thea, standing in front of it, with her arms crossed, looking like a body guard, and turned around when she realized of my presence.

"I want to see my mom." I said firmly.

"I'm afraid Mrs. Blackwell is asleep as we talk." She said firmly.

"Well, then I want to see my father, this is ridiculous." I said angrily, I was practically letting all out to a healer in my house, if she deserved it or not, that was to be determined yet.

"I have strict orders to not leave you alone, Miss Blackwell." She said, and I rolled my eyes and groaned in frustration, closing the door harshly before she even got the opportunity to finish her sentence.

Maybe I understand now why my mother is not the best fan of healers.

But I did knew how to trick her, this is my house after all, and besides, I'm my mother's daughter, and I haven't told everything about my mother yet...

I know it looks like my mother is a kind, simple, and respectful woman, but she wasn't always like that.

If my mother knows so much about life, and riddles and mysteries, and it's such a strong woman, well, that's because she learned all those things through her life, and most probably, the hard way.

She told me that, when she was younger, around my age, she told me learnt how to be patience, with the worst way...

She teached me lots of ways on how to master the patience.

I remember we playing wizard chess, when we I was younger, while she taught me lessons, and riddles for me to resolve while trying to win the match, most of times, unsuccessful to so, and she always gave me advices:

"You can't drink a tea before it's time or you will burn yourself."

She told me when she was young, she had to learn on how to know the place before risk to wonder around it, or how you need to know a person before manipulating it.

We even trained normal fight when I was around twelve, she says we need to know how to protect ourselves, and so we are independent.

She told me she was one of the most rebels of her youth, she needed to be like that to learn on how to live in this cruel world, and trust no one.

Not that she was cold and distant, she had lots of friends, but, differently from me, she knew who to trust and choose her friends wisely, and was herself between them, like she is now.

I was nothing like her, but that's why I look up to her, she inspires me as a person, always did.

Although, she did had some dark sides sometimes, she sneaked out of home lots of times, just for fun, just to enjoy life as a teenager, and I hoped for dear life that I had those genes in me, because I needed her skills, now more than ever, and to do so, I remembered the things she had taught me.

"Always be one step ahead of your opponent."

Of course, if I wanted to see my mother, I would have to pass throught Healer Thea.

Which was pretty much impossible...

So, I tricked her, I took a glass standing on my besides table, and throwed it into the floor.

As it shattered in pieces, I quickly hid under my bed, waiting for her to fall into my trap.

Like foreseen, she opened the door abruptly to check if I'm hurt - she's a healer so, it kinda is her job - and kneeled next to the glass, and that's when I took my chance.

I got out of under my bed, the most quiest enough, and ranned outside the door, that's when she caught me, but I closed the door, once more on her face, and locked it, keeping the key with me.

"Hey open this door right now!" She demanded from the other side, and kepr kicking the door and forcing the doorknob, luckily for me, my father's office - which was probably were he was talking with Howler - was too far for him to hear her shouts and kicks onto the door.

I know she wasn't with her wand, her pockets were too small to carrie one, and I didn't saw one in her hand, but I saw in Howler, that means she must have left her wand next to my mother, either ways, this was the best plan, and I had to risk it, and if she even had her wand along with her, she would have opened the door as soon as this was closed.

I ranned away, going towards my mother's bedroom, and everything went well, at least until I reached the hallway were my mother's bedroom was located in.

Well, at least I know one thing, my father was indeed, talking with Howler in his office, because I could perfectly hear them due to the door being opened, the same door I had to pass, without being seen, to reach my mother.

Out of all the places, my father had to place his office in the door right next to my mother's bedroom.

I placed my body against the wall, and, carefully, peeked through the opened door.

"And how do you know that?" My father asked, he was behind his desk, looking extremely concerned, his face was turned to me, while Howler was turned to my father, his back to me.

"I'm going to be honest with you, I think even she knows already, more of a reason why she didn't even wanted us here in first place, it was useless." Howler said calmly.

"And there's nothing we can do?" My father asked abruptly, and turned around with his head between his hands.

I took the advantage, to pass trough the door, my heart tampered for a moment, but I did it.

They kept talking but I was too nervous with my achievement to hear them, until, a sentence caught my ear when I was reaching for the doorknob.

"Perhaps a week." I heard Howler said.

I stood there, trying to see if I actually understood what he meant, but my thoughts were quickly stopped when I heard someone quickly climbing down the stairs, Thea.

She must have found my wand.

"...And never make small mistakes."

I kinda forgot that about my mother's sentence.

Without thinking twice, I opened my mother's door, I was going to be caught either ways but at least I would see my mother.

She was layed in her bed, sleeping, the same way she was when I left, but a whole lot more of medication besides her, on her besides table.

She was breathing deeply, and I didn't intended to wake her, although she looked she was, slowly, getting better, I, somehow, knew something was not right.

"Lara?!" My father shouted from behind me.

"Dad, just tell me already, what's wrong with mom?" I asked as tears stained my eyes.

My father stared at me, as deciding on what to do, and send the healers outside, closing the door behind him.

"You're just like her, you know?" My father said softly, giving me a thin smile and slowly approached me, and we both stand now, besides my mother's bed. "She was always doing these type of things."

"Dad, please...I need to know." I said softly.

"Your mother, is not getting better, Lara." He said softly, and locked his gaze with mine, I could tell he was trying his best not to cry. "And the healers said to hope for the worst."

My heart dropped at that sentence, of course I have thought about that, I've thought about that since summer, that's why I had that nightmare, however, like predicted, my eyes still formed a large river, and such that dropped to my cheeks, decaying into the floor.

I felt my father's arms wrapp around my body, as my cheeks got stained with sadness...

"Why isn't she awaking?" I asked.

"The healers gave her a Sleeping Draught, is not easy for her to fall asleep with the way she's always coughing." My father said, as he hugged me tight.

"What is it going to happen dad?" I asked sodtly, and he took a deep breath before talking.

"I don't know."

{☆~☆}

A few days have passed, both my parents avoid the subject the healers discussed woth my father days ago, instead, we speak about good things, good memories with my mother.

Since that day, my father told me that I could be with my mother anytime I wanted to, she was good only for a few hours a day with talking without coughing, until she can't talk any longer, and we do nothing but be each others company.

I did replied to Draco's letter, letting him know everything that happened, same with Charlotte, and since that day, that Draco has been sending daily letters asking how she is, and most importantly - as he specified - how am I.

I told him I probably wouldn't reply to them all, due to my mother's current situation, and he understood.

Usually I sat in a chair besides her, and we talk, while she can, and then we spend the day together, reading, or looking outside her windown.

"Lara, have I ever told you, how me and your father met?" My mother asked softly, her voice still as frail as usual.

"Yes, mom, you have, loads of times, actually." I said laughing, she loved telling this story, even thought she pulled it off a bit more dramatically than it's supposed to do, but that's what I love about my mother, by now, I already knew how to tell the story even backwards.

"There I was..." She started. "Walking through the deep and dark hallway of Hogwarts, my heart tampering at each step I gave, walking through a unknown path, which I never stepped before..."

I've always wondered about this part, how come, a sixth year girl, finds herself in a hallway she never went before...

"When suddenly...BAM!" She shouted, as always. "I bump into a figure of someone, someone way taller than me, and way more bigger, when suddenly, the shadows, disappeared, and his face was now uncovered, and I saw, Abel Blackwell, a Slytherin one year above me, I've never talked with him before, but my cheeks felt a strange hotness when I looked at him, he picked up my books that I let fall into the floor, and I kneeled to help him, when suddenly...BAM!" She shouted again. "Our warm hands touch in unison as we both picked up the same book, and that was then, where I knew...that my face was as red as a rose." She said firmly, but in a extremely dramatic tone, as always, I was used to by now, but I always laughed at the last part.

However, I never stopped wondering if this was what actually happened or if she pretends she's in a romantic movie, and just - let's say, make the story prettier - by adding things that never happened, my dad always laughed when he heard my mother telling the story, and replied with a simple "Sure."

"Oh, but enough of speaking of me and my movie life, let's talk about yours now...how's your friends?" My mother asked softly.

"Charlote is well, she wrote me a few days ago telling me her father accidentally fired up the kitchen when tried to cook to both of them, when her mother was gone." I said and my mother gave a laugh.

"And Matthew?" She asked, but I shaked my head. "Oh, and that boy, Draco?" She asked but coughed violently, but it has been like this, so I was used to it by now, I actually thought she's getting better.

Suddenly, I heard the tea maker buzz from the kitchen, which meant the tea was ready, and I stood up, leaving my mother in her bedroom.

I walked towards the kitchen, was quite a bit far from my mother's bedroom, my father would only arrive in a few hours, which means I was alone.

My head was so distracted from the real world, that I forgot to pick up the tea maker only with a cloth, and instead, grabbed it with my own skin, burning me, and I accidentally spilled tea all over the floor.

I let out a groan of a mix of frustration and tiredness, as I took a cloth, and tried to clean the floor.

I took quite a lot of time cleaning everything, I still had to pour water over it, so it wouldn't stain, and still had to put another tea to make.

I walked back to my mother's bedroom, slowly, but my heart clenched at what I saw.

I saw my mother struggling to breath, and I ranned over her as tears already falled down my eyes.

"Mom!" I shouted, as I stood besides her, looking down at her. "Let me get your medication-" I reached my head to the besides table, but her hand stopped me.

"Lara, it's time." She said, her voice as frail as thin glass, not like she was a few minutes ago, she looked, like...like she was...dying.

"No! Mom! No!" I cried out.

She lifted her hand so I could grabb it, and so I did, her skin was so fragile that I was fearing to touch it, she was so, so cold, not to speak about how paller she was starting to become.

She locked her dying gaze with mine, and she smiled, like she always does.

"Don't...let anybody...ever tell what...can you do Lara...okay?" My mother's frail voice asked softly, between lots of coughs, and I nodded.

Please be a nightmare, please be a nightmare, please be a nightmare...

"I'm so proud of you...I know that...you will change...the world...and that boy...and-" She was having immensely issues into speaking. "Please talk honey."

"I did it mom, I-I-I-I changed him I-I-I-" I was so nervous and shaking that I could barely speak.

"I knew it...I always believed you" She said her voice fading as a ghost in the world. "...my dear daughter..." She said and gave one last smile, and took her last breath, as I saw the light leave her green eyes, and the small grip that was on my hand disappear.

"Mom...no!" I yelled, as I felt my body collapse into the cold marble floor, everything was so cold and dark, my chest was filled with a pain so hard to bare and so unexplainable.

My mother was dead.

The only person that always believed me, the only one who didn't had lost faith in me, not even once, the one who I looked up to, the one that taught me almost everything I know about life, the one that understood me, was gone.

Now, her body remained here, layed in here bed, lifeless, as her soul went to a better place.