13 A Weekend Between Brothers (02/02)
| September 7, 1991 | ???? |
"You see, I told you I was going to help you," his smile was really starting to annoy me.
"What was all that, and why don't I hurt anymore, and even better, where are we?"
All around me was a white space that seemed to extend to infinity, with a starry sky above us, illuminated by the new moon, creating a mystical atmosphere with the whiteness around me and the silvery glow. It's curious, as if I were at the center of a universe under construction.
"So, in order. It was a potion enhancing your entire body and making it more responsive to your brain, hence your mind. You don't hurt anymore because your consciousness is no longer in your body, but if you were to come back, you would still hurt. And finally, at the moment, you are inside my mind, which is connected to yours."
This answer surprised me on many levels. We were in an imaginary place! But with everything I've seen this week, maybe it was normal.
"This is possible without a ritual because we are twins, and the more time we spend here, the more we will have a spiritual or telepathic bond, call it whatever you want." A permanent connection with Lilian, so we'll be like George and Fred.
Before I could even ask, he replied, "No, we won't be like the Weasley twins; they leave their link open all the time, even though I think they're not aware of such a link. I'm going to teach you a lot of things this month."
I could feel his joy; it was a strange sensation to feel someone else's emotions. But...
"Yes, I can read your thoughts. If you want the magical version, it's called Legilimency, a mind-reading spell that allows me to read your thoughts, and it turns out I have the most talent in the field of the mind. And for the Muggle or scientific version, I think our brains emit electromagnetic waves that, boosted by magic, can connect with each other, and since we are twins, our waves are close to each other, but given our time apart, they have dissociated from their common frequency, which we are fixing now."
It was really complicated to understand, and what is an electromagnetic wave? I really don't understand anything.
"It's because you're not trying to understand and don't have a good foundation like I do. I always ask Nixie to send me scientific book from the Muggle world. But anyway, we're getting off track while your body is reconstructing. I brought you here for three things:
To prevent you from suffering from the effects of the potion.
To show you the knowledge needed for our class today.
And for us to share our experiences with each other. Of course, I will hide memories and thoughts that I consider too early or unnecessary to show you. But mainly because it would be the most efficient and quick way for us to understand each other. It's up to you if you want it."
The idea that someone could see everything about me frightened me, but curiosity and the desire to know more about Lilian took over.
"So, let's get started. We have a journey into each other's minds to do. Phew, okay, I'll stop answering you before you can speak. Is that good for you?"
My annoyance was very apparent; it's very frustrating to be answered before being able to talk. I don't understand how the twins do it.
"We won't be able to contact each other while we're in each other's memories." So don't panic if I don't respond to you.
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The scene that lay before my eyes changed, and I found myself in a large dining room with several children and an old lady who seemed to be praying. Everything seemed larger.
Oh, I'm in Lilian's perspective, and it looks like an orphanage.
"What's wrong, Lilian? Why aren't you praying with us?" asked the old lady, with a calm smile. Just looking at her made me feel calm and comfortable, as if all the problems in the world were no longer problems in her presence.
"It's because he hasn't managed to escape yet. We'd be much better off without this whiner with a girl's name who keeps bothering us in the middle of the night. So why don't we let him go? It's clear he thinks he's better than us, preferring to spend more time with books than with us." The one who spoke was the tallest of the children here, he seemed to be my current age and had red hair, a rustic look with suspenders and a sleeveless T-shirt.
"Oliver, don't talk to Lilian like that. All the children here have the right to stay no matter who they are and how they are. I thought I had raised you better than that, judging people like that." The old lady frowned and scolded the giant, who became smaller at her words.
"I was just wondering what's the point of praying for something that won't answer us? It seems illogical to me," my brother asked, seeing the scene through his eyes. Wait, my brother could see!
The old lady froze at the question, then cast a sad look in my direction, or rather, Lilian took him in her arms and said, "Oh, my dear child, praying to God, even if he is busy saving the most unfortunate, is not only about making him hear us but also about keeping hope. Believing in something, no matter what it is, is important. In life, you will experience dark moments, joyful moments, sad moments, moments of endless love, and deep voids. But in all these moments, you must keep hope and believe in something. And if you're really at the end, you can always come back here with me and your brothers and sisters for help."
In my brother's body, I could feel deep joy even though he had an expressionless face, a profound feeling of warmth that almost made him cry. But the word 'almost' because behind this joy and warmth, there was a deep void, as the old lady said, which came from the feeling of not belonging.
He was happy with the company he had, but he missed something; the words he had used to describe his memory of spending time with me, mom, and dad came back to me—a curse to remember all those moments.
I followed his journey in the orphanage, all his attempts to escape, all the beatings he took from the other orphans. All the quiet moments in the company of the old woman.
All this until the scene changed before me, and now I was in a place I would describe as old but luxurious. A place filled with books on shelves, much like the library at Hogwarts.
"Young Master Lilian, you are still here; it's time to sleep. You only read this book even though I'm sure you've already memorized it."
Nixie, the house-elf from our house that Lilian had told me about, stood out with her worn clothes, suggesting a simple elegance that contrasted with the usual simplicity of house-elves from what I understood. Her benevolent gaze towards my brother caught my attention, revealing a deep affection for him.
"Nixie, I've already told you it's not just any book; it's Mom's journal."
When he said that, I focused more on what was written. I couldn't read the language, but I could understand, maybe because I saw it through Lilian's eyes.
Day after day, he dedicated a small part of his day to the journal, which, even for me, who could understand it, was too much.
I continued to observe the world through his eyes for what seemed like a year and finally reappeared in the white space.
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"I'm going to kill them," were the first words that came out of his mouth as he emerged from my memories. And I didn't think he was joking.
"Calm down, Lilian. I know you're angry for me, but it's better not to do anything too extreme."
"How do you expect me to calm down while those beasts have taken you for their maid? Even dogs take care of each other, but them—just the thought makes me want to learn a torture spell, tie them to a chair, and make them eat their spoiled brat after boiling it alive."
It took me about ten minutes to dissuade him from taking action against them, negotiating that he would just talk to them.
After taking a very deep breath to calm the rage that I still felt in him, he said, "I see that looking through my memories has made you more confident. I'm glad my plan worked, but then again, how can you not be confident with a brother like me."
"You mean the one who wet his bed and swapped places with another not to get teased or the one with a terrible talent in singing."
He looked at me with a dead expression on his face and muttered to himself, "Note to self: quickly learn the memory-erasing spell for my little brother."
I laughed at that, and I was sure he would make me pay for it today. After all, we're here to train, and as time inside and outside seems different, the day has just begun.
