Heinrich Hexenmeister
November 20, 2018 10:10 PM
Two Year Anniversary (Flashback challenge) by Heinrich Hexenmeister
Heinrich sat bolt upright in his bed, alert to danger. He wasn't sure what had woken him, but his heart was racing and he felt scared. The eleven year old was just about to pass it all off as a bad dream when his door opened and his sister, Hilda, stuck her head into his room.
"We need to get Hans," she whispered, looking even more scared than Heinrich already felt.
"What's going on?" he asked, as he got up out of bed. He looked briefly at his dresser, uncertain if he was supposed to get dressed or stay in his pajamas.
"There's people outside. Mom said to get you and Hans and hide." She saw the direction of his gaze and said, "Quickly." Right. No time to get dressed then.
"Okay," he said, and they went together to Hansel's room. Hans was still sound asleep. He was only three, though, so Heinrich just picked up his sleeping brother. Hansel stirred a little as he was removed from his warm bed, but he settled against Heinrich easily enough. Patting his little brother's back, Heirich looked at Hilda. "Did mom say where we should hide?" he asked quietly but urgently.
Hilda shook her head.
"Attic then," Heinrich decided, and led the way, carrying Hans and walking quickly enough that nine year old Hilda with her shorter legs had to run every few steps to keep up. The attic had a lot of old furniture in it drapped over with cloth. Heinrich got them all settled in under a table, with Hans still sleeping through the whole thing.
After a little while, they heard a crashing sound from downstairs, then shouting and more crashing and more shouting. Heinrich rocked Hans and hummed, trying to cover the sound of the commotion so their littlest sibling didn't wake up and start crying, and give away their position. Hilda slipped out from under the sheet hiding them, and Heinrich hissed at her to come back, but she didn't listen to him.
Heinrich considered his options, but decided to stay where he was. Hilda was nine. Hansel was not yet four. Hilda knew she was supposed to be hiding and ignored that. So Heinrich stayed where he was, keeping Hans quiet and safe, and making sure at least two of them were doing what their mother had instructed.
It was . . . minutes, hours? Probably minutes, but Hans was getting heavy in his arms, and his voice was sore from humming, and it felt like forever since Hilda ran off. Anyway, it was some time later when the attic door opened and Heinrich held still and stopped humming. Two pairs of feet that weren't Hilda's walked in. "Heinrich?" an unfamiliar woman's voice called out. "Heinrich? Your sister said you were up here. Come out, please."
Hilda sold them out.
"Heinrich, you and Hans are safe," a man's voice said next. "We're aurors. Nobody is going to hurt you."
Heinrich nudged the sheet aside just enough to be able to see them. They were dressed like aurors. They didn't look scary. They were both squatting down, looking around. He dropped the sheet back in place.
The attic door opened again, and lighter, smaller feet moved past the grown-ups. The sheet lifted again, and Hilda's head poked in. She appeared unharmed, but angry. "They're really aurors," she said, then inexplicably turned back to scowl at them. "They arrested mom and dad!" she declared accusingly.
As his hiding place was no longer a secret, he eased himself out from under the table, trying not to jar Hans too much. The last thing he needed right now was a squalling three year old. "They're okay, though?" he asked Hilda, since she seemed to know what happened and he could (propbably) trust her. At least, more than the grown-ups, who he didn't know, and who may or may not be real aurors.
Hilda glared at the two aurors, if that was indeed what they were. "Mostly. They're not dead."
"If they hadn't resisted arrest, we wouldn't have needed to fight them," the woman said sympathetically but without apology.
"Why don't you three get some bags packed," suggested the man. "We're going to need to find you someplace else to live."
Heinrich sat bolt upright in his bed, alert to danger. He wasn't sure what had woken him, but his heart was racing and he felt scared. The twelve year old looked around his dorm in the Aladren Common Room and as his gaze fell upon his calendar, lit up by the light of the moon shining in through the window, he realized it had now been two years to the day since he had last been home. He laid back down, but didn't really expect to find much more rest tonight.
He started humming quietly.\r\n
\r\nOOC: It can be assumed all dialogue is in German.
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Heinrich Hexenmeister
Two Year Anniversary (Flashback challenge)
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Heinrich Hexenmeister
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