It had been a surreal evening which was only heightened by the fact she and her Father were now in a muggle car hurtling down the M6 at tremendous speeds. Considering they had apparated all the way to a muggle car hire shop, Aubrey wasn't sure why they couldn't just apparate the entire way but Jasper assured her this was necessary. 

She'd only been in a car once before in her life but was not wondering why she hadn't been in there more. Watching the small towns and glimmering street lights rush by whilst leaning her head against the window sill was truly the best place to reflect on a chaotic past few months.

"It's not long now, only about ten minutes away or so," Jasper said, breaking the silence that had hung between them since they'd left Hogwarts, "Although it could be longer if for some reason all the muggles decided to create a traffic jam for fun."

"I don't mind if they do," Aubrey replied, "It's quite nice in the car really... since when did you know how to drive?"

"I know most things, Aubrey ... but I took my test when I was about ... seventeen? No... sixteen, thanks to an aging charm."

She had no idea what he meant but judging by the grin on his face, he'd broken some rule.

"We used to come this way a lot, Cyrus got her the house way back in her Sixth year after he left her alone for an entire summer to visit a Finnish Shaman for some reason," He replied, turning down a dark road, "Gil was ... paranoid so didn't drive which is why I learnt; just the two of us cruising around in this silly, orange open top car I had playing the 50s swing she liked so much. She used to mouth along and dance like this to it," He began to bob his head slowly from side to side, sassily clicking one hand, "Although her hand would dangle out the window, very elegant of course. It was hilarious really because she was so snarky and serious the rest of the time other than in that car. We called it the Great Orangenie because she said it felt like a woman hence 'Jeannie', was 'great' as it never broke down once - even if we did get rained on a few times in it when the roof wouldn't move - and was well, orange ... I sold it for nothing though in the end. The Dealer said I was lucky to sell it all."

The look on her Father's face was a perfect match to Umbridge's whenever Gil was mentioned although with far less hungriness in his eyes. It was clear that he was enjoying talking though, the repressed memories of a man who'd forced himself into silence for years which explained why he'd launched into an anecdote for what was a very simple answer. 

"Anyway, the anti-apparition charms stretch out for miles around it so the only way to get there is to drive and know the location ... Cyrus was powerful and thorough. So I ... know how to drive."

She gave a slight nod of her head in recognition before resting it against the window, staring out at the dark countryside, "Does Professor Umbridge know how to get here or just you?"

"No, she doesn't," He replied, "Not that she'd even try. You heard what 'Gil' said in the memory, to not come back here until she'd 'returned for her'. Even if it's utter bullshit, I just know Umbridge will follow it like it's one of the flipping ten commandments ... Merlin's beard, it feels odd to talk about them both again. It's been so long since I've spoken to anyone about her other than your Mum."

"I wish you had though," Aubrey slumped down in her seat, "It would have saved me a lot of time this year. How bad was your falling out for you to not talk about an entire period of your life?"

"Bad," Jasper replied stiffly, "... but that's a whole other can of worms."

"Don't get me wrong," Aubrey continued, "I do love a good mystery but the fact I didn't even know she existed until this year gets to me, especially when she was your best friend."

"More than that, she was like a sister to me. Better than that dopey brother of mine by a long shot," Jasper grinned, "Honestly, we were unstoppable. She was a genius with no direction and I was full of ideas but didn't have the brain to do any of them. Other people liked me because I was loud and a handsome devil but  I knew they all whispered behind my back, said I was a brainless twit. She never said that behind my back, only to my face ... that was only the tip of the iceberg of the things we used to call each other though," He slammed his hands on the steering wheel suddenly which made the horn go and Aubrey almost jump out of her skin, " ... sorry. Merlin's beard, do I miss it though. It was even better when your Mother came along, our little apprentice - "

"See? That!" Aubrey exclaimed, "I didn't even know you two knew each other at Hogwarts! You made a big show of being honest from a young age that I was an affair baby but couldn't find it in you to tell me how you really met Mum? I thought you two just met later during your brief stint at the Ministry."

"Hey! That was your sisters not us! They'd just come back from one of their weekends with Aceline during a rough patch ... oh boy, that was not a fun night. There are some things books just can't prepare you for you, Aubs, ex-wives with multiple duelling titles under their belts is one of them," Aubrey merely raised her eyebrows at this, it was nothing new

"After hearing a little, you wanted to know everything so you could figure out if you hated us or not... I remember it, you folded your arms and balled up your tiny hands. With your little frown and ridiculously sweet puffy bunches what could I do, lie?" A very nostalgic smile was on his face as he said the last part.

"Seems that's what you did for the other seven years."

 "Well, we did meet at the Ministry technically ... re-meet after not seeing each other for six years. I was in my Sixth year and she was in her First so obviously, we didn't date when we first met - she fancied me since the beginning though although who wouldn't, us Jacksons are good looking charmers."

"...sure."

"I only started to like her when we met later in ... 1976, I think? She'd acquired a bountiful knowledge of  various poisons and the Deatheaters she planned to use them on by that time. You know, it was Gil who introduced us, said I didn't have any other friends, only admirers so made me pick an apprentice. Honestly, we were unstoppable the three of us. She was tiny, you see, so could get into places nobody else could - "

"Where did Umbridge fit into it all?" Aubrey couldn't help coolly remark.

"Being a royal pain the backside who essentially stalked us for several years. I swear, I could sit down and she'd bloody find something to complain about. We all hated her - "

"We? Didn't sound like Gil did..." A sudden wave of sassy irritation had washed over and she was going to use it, "Go away, Dolly, you're not wanted here ... bet she hated it when you said that."

Jasper didn't reply for a few moments before stiffly saying, "She did actually. Said it was cruel and that Umbridge wasn't evil, just my opposite. Didn't stop me saying it though, over and over again like some demon banishing chant..."

"That's why it must have stung so much when Saskia said it," Aubrey remarked, "Don't get me wrong, I don't like her but you weren't nice."

"Did I ever say I was? You always knew your old man was a bit of an arse and I'm sure you understand how vexing some people can be ... angry badger," Jasper chuckled. Even if she was annoyed, Aubrey was never the best at staying angry with him and found a smile curving onto her lips, "I know I'm meant to be the strict father about it but well, I ... approve. Obviously, I won't hesitate to duel him should he ever hurt you but Fred seems very nice, poppet... and surprisingly real - "

"Um, sorry ... what does that mean?"

"Well, Dulcie thought he might have been made up when you didn't write to him this summer and I do love a good conspiracy theory."

"... YOU LITERALLY MET HIM LAST YEAR, DAD!"

This led to a rather heated but jovial discussion that managed to lighten both their moods. However, this uplift was quickly counteracted as Jasper slowed the car to a stop, as the smile on his face was suddenly replaced by the most immeasurable sadness. 

"We're here," He stated solemnly, getting out the car and slamming the door behind him. Aubrey quickly followed suit although with far more gentleness than him. By the time she got to her Father, he'd only moved a few steps forward along the gravel, his gaze fixed on the abandoned house in front of them.

In her time, Aubrey had been to a lot of haunting places ... hell, she'd even been stuck in a graveyard with Barty Crouch Jr. the year before, the scariest man she'd ever met. What made Gillian's house creepier was not that fact it was falling apart, a decrepit house held together by sheer will alone. In fact, it was the opposite. Nobody had been in the house for twenty-four years yet it looked as if it hadn't aged a day, still waiting for its owner to return in eerily intact condition. 

The house itself was beautiful, like none she'd ever seen before. The oldest part of the house was a large, red-brick place with several chimneys and bay windows; fancy yet not decadent like Lexy's manor. Yet it didn't end there, sleek, wooden extensions had been built on all three sides bar the front, curving and branching out as if the house had a life of its own. Illuminated in the soft glow of floor lights that never went out, it was easy to imagine how once upon a time, this place would have been so welcoming, a haven amongst the thick forests and empty countryside. Yet it was hard for it to be anything but frightening now knowing it belonged to a dead girl.

"Shall we go inside?" She prompted gently.

He stiffly walked forwards to the door, fishing some old keys from his rainbow coat.

"I never thought I'd need these again," A faint smile flickered across his lips momentarily. Aubrey chose not to respond as he unlocked the large, engraved front door, ushering her inside. She was hesitant to go inside but judging by the pain on his face, it was best if she went first.

The moment she stepped inside, the deep sense of unease washed over her again for the same reasons as before. A few seconds went by and the house remained in darkness. Then it all seemed to spring to life; Jasper turned away suddenly as the first light sprung on.

"Dad, what - "

"It's automatic, just don't look," He said, more for himself than her as he turned away to shut the doors.

Aubrey ignored his words, staring with fascination as the house slowly burst into life. The lights turned on one by one in a dramatic fashion, illuminating an interior that was a strange blend of 'chaotic witch' and '70s chic' - curved, mustard yellow sofas placed directly below large, glimmering amulets that made rainbows dance along the wall for example. The clocks all began to tick at once and Aubrey jumped as a muggle record player next to her suddenly began to play the jaunty chorus of 'Fly me to the Moon', filling the large front room. 

Dusty papers, broken-nibbed quills and dog eared books were scattered across almost every surface, even that of the large sweeping staircase which dominated the open plan living room. The relics of Gillian's intense passion project were intermingled with many more whimsical objects such as floral mugs still stained with lipstick and coffee as well as a weird number of cactuses which must have been an in-joke of sorts considering they were all stuck to the walls and ceilings. 

Gillian's house had magically transformed into a bizarre yet homely place, clearly the result of teenagers suddenly having a whole mansion of their own at their disposal. Whilst it was a little dated, a house stuck twenty-four years in the past, it looked charmingly vintage and Aubrey herself wouldn't mind living in a large, 70s house like this. It was far from the horror house she'd initially seen it as.

However, whilst this had improved her mood, Jasper's face was becoming more pained by the second as he abruptly jerked the needle off the Frank Sinatra record, plunging the entire house into eerie silence once more.

"Let's just get this over with," Jasper murmured, aggressively charging towards a door at the back. 

As he walked, it was as if he was playing a tone down version of 'the floor is Lava', deliberately not touching anything. She suddenly remembered the real reason they were here: for him to prove to himself and the absent Umbridge that Gillian was very much dead. Seeing how sure Umbridge had been that Gillian was not dead, Aubrey was slightly apprehensive about what she was about to find: she sincerely hoped her Father wasn't about to pull a literal skeleton out of the closet.

Unlike the inviting front room, the corridor that they stepped into was far creepier. Jasper didn't even pause to look at the many gleaming crystals lining the walls, merely walking on in a brusque fashion; Aubrey struggled to keep up. Gillian's house was deceptively big with many winding corridors. It was easy to get lost in but Jasper knew where he was going, every action as decisive as the last.

"Doesn't this house ever end? It's like a maze in here," She remarked with half laugh, hoping Fred's strategy of humour in dark times would work.

"No."

It had failed.

At long last, they arrived at long corridor, the walls and floor completely bare of any furniture. The only thing in it was a single door at the end. As they approached, Aubrey was sure she could feel a soft, gentle breeze pulling her in from behind it.

"Dad ... what is this?"

"My proof," He replied, his voice hoarse, "If what I think is behind this is, then ... I'm right. Gil truly is gone forever."

• • •

I have literally had the past five chapters or so in my head since the start which is why the book was a bit slow at times, I needed everything to build up to this with every piece revealed before I'd let myself write this. Also the title of the book always relates to the book in some way, with the first one it was something Aubrey said a few times and with this one, it represents it in more ways that one even if the car is the direct one - E x