( 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 )

xv. a journey through Italy

Seven days passed. Seven days where the summer air grew warmer with each passing day. Where the sun would push further into the evening, shielding the moon from taking its place in the night sky.

The week Matilda and Harper would spend with their dad was over. They had seven days with him until their vacation with their mum was over. Then, Zara would bring her daughters back, with only a few days to spare before school would again start.

They switched off like this every summer since they'd divorced. Each parent would take turns spending the summer with the girls. Since they'd spent the majority of the summer with their dad last year, this summer belonged to their mum. Their parents never did fight about the arrangement. Never argued or made snarky comments about the other. They split their time fairly, even if it made it more of a hassle for both, Harper and Matilda.

Rueban had dropped them off at their mum's place in the London countryside, their summer home, away from the busy townhouse beside a bustling street. He didn't stay long. He never did. Only long enough to have a conversation with Zara and greet Daniel and Finn. Though Finn wasn't old enough to properly greet someone, he was still growing his molars.

Finn had been the unexpected surprise after the divorce. Matilda was eight and Harper ten, and Zara and Daniel had set them down, smiles stretching across their faces, and told them that they were adding to the family. Their mum was pregnant. The bliss that hung over Zara and Daniel didn't seem to rub off on Harper and Matilda. Neither of them smiled, in fact, they both were confused. Her mum and dad had only been divorced for a little more than a year at that point and Daniel hadn't even proposed to Zara by then. It did seem though that the pregnancy was enough of a push to speed that process up. They'd been married the very next year.

"I hate planes," grumbled Matilda, her arms folded defensively across her chest as she walked with the line through the tight rows of the airplane. "They're too crowded. Would be easier if we apparated."

Matilda already knew that her mum was rolling her eyes behind her, "We are not going to apparate with your two-year-old brother."

"He's nearly three,"

"Enough, Tilly, find your seat, please."

She scoffed. Matilda hadn't even wanted to go on this family vacation. She pleaded with her dad to talk to her mum for an entire week and ask if she could stay with him this summer instead of prancing around Italy. She could go to work with him at the Ministry, and sit at his desk while he's away. She's done it before and she quite enjoyed it. But Ruban wouldn't budge. He said that her mum missed her and Harper, especially since Matilda had bailed on spending holidays with them, and that she needed to spend time with her mum this summer.

Matilda dropped into the seat beside Harper with a long sigh. She watched her mom walk past them and stop a few rows in front of them, handing Finn off to Daniel before finally getting to sit down herself. She watched the two of them talk, smiles on their faces. At one point Daniel leaned across the armrest and placed a kiss to the side of his wife's head. Matilda turned her head to look out the small window on the plane.

"Yeah, it's still weird for me too," said Harper unprompted, barely glancing up from the muggle magazine she'd bought from the airport.

She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head at her older sister, "I didn't say it was weird."

Harper looked at her little sister, "You didn't have to

When the plane took flight Harper put her magazine down, resting it on her lap to trade it out for a pair of headphones as she turned on the seatback screen to select a movie to watch for the two and half hours they would be in the sky.

The original plan had been to drive. A family road trip, Daniel had called it excitedly. But Matilda could think of nothing worse than having to squish inside of a car with her two siblings for over nineteen hours. Even Harper had voiced her concerns, not wanting to be squished beside Matilda, or a not completely potty-trained, Finn. So, they decided to fly to Italy.

Two hours and fifteen minutes later the plane touched down and finally the passengers were able to slowly file out of the plane. The flight attendants expressed the need to be patient and to stay in a single-file line, but everyone was so eager to be out of the confined space that they were stepping on heels and pushing people over to get a breath of air.

Daniel grinned as he took in a long breath, looking up at the cloudless sky that shone blue above them. Matilda watched him, her eyebrows furrowed.

Finally, he turned his head back down and sighed, "It's so beautiful here."

Venice. They'd started their summer in Venice Italy. Here they'd spend a couple of days before

Milan. They'd start their summer in Italy in Milan where they'd stay for about three days before heading off to Verona where they'd stay a couple more days. Matilda's summer would be spent trekking through the entire country. She'd been to Italy already when she was five, but nothing like what she was going to experience this summer, as she and her family would make their way down the country and then back home.

"It's the outside of an airport."

Beside Matilda, Harper elbowed her in the rips, to which she responded by rolling her eyes.

"Which is... beautiful?" she climbed into the car waiting for them after Harper, scooting close the window at the other side of the door she came in through.

The drive to the hotel was short. Matilda didn't bother unpacking since they'd only be spending three days in the hotel, but she did lay down on the twin-sized bed in the room that she and Harper would be sharing and close her tired eyes, only to wake up when the sun had left the sky and darkness had fallen over them.

Her stomach grumbled as she sat up. Her feet were cold against the aged wood as she made her way toward the living area. Zara was sitting on the large couch, Finn beside her with a few toys around him. He babbled incoherent words as her mum flicked through the channels on the television.

"What time is it?" she asked, her voice tired and hoarse.

Her mum turned away from the TV and smiled at her daughter, "A little after seven," she told her. "How was your nap?"

Matilda shrugged, going to join her mum on the couch.

"Danny and your sister are out foraging for food," said Zara with a yawn.

She nodded, picking up a toy to play with Finn, who was always, for an unknown reason, happy when Matilda decided to pay attention to him.

"So," Zara started. "Want to tell me how your year went?"

Matilda glanced up. She knew what this meant. Her mum wanted to talk about what happened at this school this year. Better yet, the supposed danger she put herself in.

"Don't see why I'd have to," she told Zara, still playing with her little brother. "I'm sure you know everything already, anyway."

And she knew that her dad had already told her mum everything about their own discussion.

"You could have been hurt Tilly," her mum sighed, taking the caring parent approach to this scolding. "There were so many dangerous situations that you went and put yourself into."

"It wasn't that dangerous, mum," Matilda rolled her eyes. "There was only once when I questioned if I was in danger or not. And I walked out fine. Not even a scratch."

She was lying. When she'd been dropped by the giant spider she did scrape her knee, but it was nothing more than superficial.

"Yeah?" Zara raised her dark eyebrows. "When was that?"

"When I had gone into the Forbidden Forest past curfew."

Zara's eyes widened, and Matilda then realized her mistake, she hadn't known that tidbit of information. Either Dumbledore had kept quiet about it when he told her parents everything that happened, or her dad had known and didn't relay that part to her mum.

Matilda sighed, falling back onto the couch. Her eyes closed as she awaited her mum's reaction.

"The Forbidden Forest? Really Matilda?" she asked, though Matilda knew those were questions not actually meant to be answered. "You know the dangers that wait in those trees, especially at night? Why would you go and do such a thing?"

It was true. Her mum had told her over and over again about the creatures that lay in wait there, waiting for prey to come stumbling by. They waited for the sun to set so their shadows couldn't be seen while they stalked for their next meal.

But what Zara was forgetting was that she'd also taught Matilda how to deal with those kinds of creatures, how to fend them off and defend herself should she ever need to. It was because of that, that she hadn't been afraid.

"If I hadn't gone into the forest that night, there was a high chance that Harry and Ron wouldn't have walked out. Because they would have gone without me," Matilda told her mum. "I knew how to handle myself in the forest. I was okay. You taught me how to be okay."

Zara was quiet. She was angry and wanted more than anything to try and yell some sense into her youngest daughter, but she bit her tongue. Because Matilda was also right. Zara had prepared her for the worst when dealing with magical creatures, especially those that linger around Hogwarts. Harper and Matilda both would be able to stand their ground, she made sure of that. From a young age, she had them around animals of all kinds. Magical or not. They would come to work with her, watch and help her train wild animals – they'd assist her with rehabilitation and more. Her daughters were familiar with dangerous creatures. And because of that. Matilda had no fear in walking into the Forbidden Forest well into the night.

Zara went to speak finally, her voice calm, the anger having subsided, "Matilda," she said. "You are brilliant. You have talents that are beyond anything that I've ever seen. You're extremely gifted..." her mum sighed, reaching over to take her hand. "But you are not invincible."

Matilda wanted to roll her eyes. She'd heard it about a billion times already. About how she wasn't invincible. As if she didn't know that. She wasn't stupid. Matilda knew she was no immortal being. She also knew that she was great and she'd win – she'd win every time.

"I know that, mum," she said. "I don't do these things because I think I'm invincible. I do them because I know that I can."

Zara nodded, "So what happens when you can't do it?"

"I learn how to."

And there had been no hint of hesitation in that answer.

"I need you to promise me that you won't put yourself in danger like that again," said Zara, shaking her head. "The thought of you getting hurt, or worse, losing you–" she stopped short, taking in a long, deep breath. "It's unbearable, Matilda. I need you healthy, okay?"

Matilda laughed, "Mum, calm down. I'm not planning on dying any time soon," she said. "Besides, I still have to become Minister of Magic."

"Is that still what you want?"

Ever since she was a little girl. Since she's learned the hierarchy of the Wizarding World. She decided there would be no one better fit than herself to lead it.

So, she would.

Matilda looked up, from where she'd started playing dinosaurs with Finn, and she said–

"I want to be great."

In this city that has existed for three millennia, history crawls and lives in every crevice and crack. Every stone in the narrow streets. There is architecture so grand it bewitches the travelers that the ancient city beckons. It is still a baffling sight as the stones from millennia ago and the sandy-hued rock and brick plaza homes keep a home still to people now. Not just the ones from the books that tell the amazing tale of Rome.

Matilda thrived in Rome. Since arriving in Italy just a few days short of a month ago, Rome has been her favorite destination. And it had come to no one's surprise. Rome was a place where ancient history hid around every corner. A place thick in culture and learning. Those like Matilda could feed off the knowledge forever.

The first day they'd actually gotten to Rome everyone had been so tired. They'd just spent two and a half hours in the car coming from Assisi and then another hour navigating the resort Daniel had reserved for them. Everyone was ready for a nap. But not Matilda. With permission from her mum and Daniel by her side, she'd gone into town. And she spent hours exploring the many sights and wonders that just lay near her resort.

The days passed too quickly in Rome. Matilda had packed her days full, from morning until dusk. Visiting the museums and libraries. They'd gone to the Roman Forum and the Arch of Constantine. She'd got to see the Panthion with Daniel. She'd actually spent most of her time with Daniel during the trip. Like Matilda, he too was enriched by the history the country holds and took up as much of it as he could learn in the short amount of time they spent in the cities. Though a doctor, her mum's husband was quite the historian.

Today though, she lounged on Ostia Beach with her sister. Harper had somehow convinced their mum to let her and Matilda go on this small extrusion alone. Zara and Daniel had proposed a day of relaxation at the resort they were staying at but Harper insisted that she and Matilda wanted to use as much of their days away from school as they could. Zara had relented and let them go, giving them money and more in case of an emergency. Beaming Harper thanked them and practically dragged her little sister out of the resort lobby.

"You're really just going to read out here?"

Matilda glanced up from the book in her hands and to her sister who sat in the lounge chair beside her. A large umbrella sat between them casting a nice, cool shade over them.

She shrugged, "Why not?"

Harper rolled her eyes. She sat in her seat, her feet slung over the side of it as she unbuttoned the long shirt she'd stolen from their dad's closet to use as a cover for her bathing suit. When she stood it rolled off her shoulders and fell a good while to the ground beside her feet. Her older sister was so tall, always had been.

She rolled her shoulders before pulling her long brown hair into a scrunchie that had been around her wrist the entire trip, "We're on vacation, Tilly," Harper said, her tone teasing. "And we're at the beach."

Matilda sighed as she watched her sister adjust the waistband to her black two-piece bathing suit. Her skin glowed golden beneath the sun. More so since they've been here.

"I'm not the only one reading here," gestured Matilda, pointing out the many others on the beach with books or magazines opened to them as they lay beneath the scorching sun.

Harper merely shrugged, "Suit yourself, I'm going in the water."

Matilda watched her older sister effortlessly run down the beach and toward the water. She noted the many differences between them and once again concluded that she and her sister were nothing alike. Not even in their physical attributes.

The most notable difference was their height. Harper was nearly 5 feet and 7 inches tall. She towered over the 5 feet 1 inch – if even that – that was Matilda. Harper's golden, tan skin and brown hair, that resembled their mum, Matilda got none of them. She only ever tanned in the summer and barely so, she mostly had to watch out for being burned by the sun. Her mother had once said that Matilda's hair was just a very dark brown, so it looked black, but Matilda never did see any brown in her hair. It was black. Her dad has black hair too – that was where she assumed it had come from. But her blue eyes, neither parent nor Harper had those to match. Hazel and brown, but not blue. Matilda's dad explained that those eyes had come from his family. He'd told her his parents had eyes just like hers. She'd never met her dad's parents. They'd died before she could. And she didn't think he had any other family since he was an only child.

She couldn't help to feel like an outsider in her family some of the time. Matilda was so different from them. In her attitude and everything. She felt misunderstood as if they couldn't ever know how she was feeling or how they thought. Most of the time Matilda pushed the thoughts away, mere distractions were what she considered them. But there were times, like now, as she watched Harper swim out in the ocean when she couldn't help them creeping back in.

Sighing, Matilda sat up, crossing her legs so that she could lay her book on the lounge chair with her. She brought up the bag she'd packed before leaving the resort and began rummaging through the random items she'd tossed into it.

There.

She snatched the neatly folded envelopes. Unopened, unread, and unresponded to.

Opening the first, Matilda leaned back into the chair, allowing the shade cast from the oversized umbrella to fall down upon her once more. She read.

Matilda,

I do hope you are having a good summer. I find myself writing to you after remembering that you mentioned you would be in Italy during the break, and so, I thought to recommend you a book. It is "The Night Battles," written by muggle writer Carlo Ginzburg in the 60s. The book talks of witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries and is a great read, I thought.

I've also been wanting to thank you, even though you have told me not to countless times. But you helped tremendously. Without you, I'm not sure I would have been able to finish the potion so quickly, I know you don't think of us as your friends, but Ron and Harry are my friends and you aided them when I was not there, thank you for that as well.

Have a wonderful time in Italy.

See you soon,

Hermione Granger

Matilda folded the envelope back up after reading it, making sure to memorize the name and author of the book that Hermione had recommended. She bit the inside of her lip as she looked down at the short letter, pondering on whether she should bother writing back. Hermione had said it herself in the letter, she knew Matilda did not think of her as a friend, so she should not expect a response.

There was still another letter in Matilda's hands that she'd yet to read, so, she opened that one up as well.

Tilly,

I am sending you this letter from an entirely different continent. I am all the way in Egypt visiting my brother, Charlie, he's a dragon trainer. Hope you're having a good summer and not wasting all your time reading the days away. Knowing you, you are.

Matilda couldn't help it as she rolled her eyes, but she went on reading. And a small, nearly undetectable smile played at the corners of her lips.

Thanks again for all your help this school year. Without Hermione there, Harry and I needed all the brains we could get. Luckily, you have a big one. I'm also sorry you didn't get to take those final exams, I know you were excited about them, don't know why, I consider them torture.

Anyway, hope this letter finds you and doesn't get lost on the way from Egypt. Can't believe I got to see a real-life dragon! See you back at Hogwarts.

Oh! And before I forget, thanks for making me brave inside the Forbidden Forest. Owe you one for that!

Ron.

"What's the smile all about? Letters from your boyfriends?"

Harper's tease sounded beside Matilda. Quickly Matilda folded the letter and placed the envelopes beneath her legs. She looked up at Harper, baffled by how she hadn't even noticed her walking up from the water.

"I don't have a boyfriend," said Matilda, nose scrunched with a foul look on her face. "Don't even know why they've sent the letters – Ron and Hermione."

Harper laughed running her towel through her dripping hair. She sat back on the lounge chair beside Matilda and fell back into with a sigh. Her long legs stretched out, and her toes nearly touched the end of the chair.

"What about you?" Matilda asked.

Her sister turned, eyebrows furrowed with slight confusion, "What about me?"

"Any letters from your boyfriend?" she teased.

Harper scoffed. She rummaged through her own bag of things before pulling out an opened letter. She tossed it to Matilda.

"And Cedric isn't my boyfriend."

Matilda rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah," she was careful while unfolding the parchment, knowing that if she ripped her, Harper wouldn't let her live it down. "Tales of unrequited love. Heard it all before."

Harper,

Hey, just checking in. Summer has been kind of boring back here at my place. I mostly practice Quidditch or go with my dad to games. Other than that I usually have the days to myself. It's quiet without you here to make life interesting.

Can't wait to see you again once we're back at Hogwarts. Have you been keeping up with your training? Not that you need it, you're the best we've got on the team – besides me, of course. Hopefully, we stand a chance at the Cup.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm here dying of boredom while you spend your days lounging in an Italian resort. Can you tell I'm jealous?

I'll see you soon though!

And don't forget to bring me something back from your travels.

Your Friend,

Cedric Diggory.

"Real charmer that Cedric Diggory," said Matilda, as she folded the letter back up. "Though what about it has you all giggly?"

Harper rolled her eyes, "Did you not just read it?" she asked. "He said he misses me – well, he implied it."

"You ever going to tell him that you've been drooling over him since your first year?"

With a gasp, Harper snatched the letter from Matilda's hand, "I do not drool over him, Tilly."

"You do, actually," she told her big sister. "Leave a trail of it following you and everything."

Matilda laughed as Harper rolled her eyes, shoving her letter back into her bag.

Times like this one would trick those who might not know Matilda and Harper. Might make them believe the sisters were close. Believe that they joked like this all the time. But those people would be wrong.

The sisters were not close. They fought more than they got along. Or they ignored each other entirely. The girls had very little in common. Not even a hobby of theirs intersected. If it weren't for their shared last name no one would ever think they could be sisters. Let alone, be related.

Harper was an extrovert – a people person. She made friends easily and had this magnetic pull to her that made others want to be around her all the time. She was an extraordinary athlete, excelling in Quidditch from the moment she sat on a broom. She was even part of a football league that a few of the students at school had put together. Harper was funny and charming, she liked to be a part of things, surrounded by people.

Matilda was an introvert. She was not a people person – she cared far too much about herself. When people got too close to her she'd push them away, she didn't want the distraction. People were curious about Matilda, suppose she and Harper had that much in common, but Matilda did not invite them to come get to know her. Matilda hated sports, she was not athletic. She was actually quite the clutz, her dancing lessons had helped her become slightly more graceful in the way she moves. Matilda read a lot, she loved books, anything that would tell her something she didn't already know. She always wanted to be the smartest person in the room. So, she knew she'd have to work harder than everyone else. She did not care to be charming or nice. Matilda did not need to make jokes to make people laugh. Matilda wanted to make herself great. Harper just couldn't understand.

Sometimes Matilda wished she and Harper could be more alike.

But she wasn't willing to change for anyone.

The sun had become a ball of orange, casting a pink hue across the dimming sky by the time the beach emptied. Matilda and Harper had made it home thirty minutes before their mum had told them to.

Now, showered and completely exhausted, they sat beneath the stars scattered across the night sky. Golden twinkling lights have been strung to the terrace above them. Stems of roses tied to the railings following the length of the legs of the open terrace. Soft music played and a hum of conversation sounded around them as well as wafting through the open door that led to the dining room of the restaurant. Waiters and Waitresses were in and out, hurrying to their tables with plastered smiles on their lips.

When the waitress made her way to their table everyone was a bit taken aback that Matilda had spoken almost perfect Italian. Just to order spaghetti with vegetarian meatballs and a water with lemon.

"When did you start learning Italian?" asked Zara after handing her menu off to the waitress.

Matilda shrugged, "Since I caught up on Dutch."

Harper shook her head, mumbling something under her breath as she toyed with the dark cloth napkin before her.

"Dutch?" Daniel laughed. "You know Dutch?"

"Ik verveelde me met het leren van Spaans, dus begon ik afgelopen zomer Nederlands te leren. Ik zou studeren bij het ministerie."

"What?" Harper furrowed her eyebrows.

"I got bored with learning Spanish, so I began learning Dutch last summer. I would study at the Ministry," she told them with a tired sigh.

Zara looked at her daughter, eyes wide in wonder as she sat completely stunned.

"I had no idea you had taken such an interest in language," she said.

"You never asked," Matilda told her and she watched some of the light in her mum's eyes dim, so quickly she cleared her throat, "And it isn't an interest – not really. I just thought by knowing them it'd make me that much better than the people around me."

Her mum and Daniel nodded, "Well," said Daniel, looking at Matilda with pride in his eyes. "It's incredibly impressive, Tilly."

Matilda gave a tight-lipped smile before looking down at her plate. She didn't mean to make her mum feel bad about not knowing that she's been learning to speak multiple languages. Her dad didn't know either. Matilda only told her parents what she had to tell them and what she knew they wanted to hear from her. She didn't see why she had to tell them every little interest she had or thought she had in her head. Those were things she liked to keep to herself. Stuff that she wanted to belong to only her. Matilda liked secrets, they gave her power – maybe not physical power, but power over people.

Harper cleared her throat, "So, did you get the notice about the new brooms coming to the shops?" She looked up at her mum with a sheepish smile. "They'll be in stores by the time we go back to school."

"Your dad just bought you a broom last year," said Zara, her eyebrows furrowed. "Is something wrong with it?"

Harper sighed, "No, nothing's wrong, but–"

Their mum laughed, "The broom is only a year old Harper, and is still in great shape, why would you need a new one?"

Harper rolled her eyes but said nothing else, stabbing at her plate with a pouty look on her face.

After a moment, Zara sighed, Harper's gaze lifted, "Maybe for Christmas, okay?"

She nodded, "Okay," Harper smiled. "Yeah, Christmas works."

Matilda looked between Harper and her mum. They'd always been close. Like Matilda and their dad. There was just a bond there. Their mum understood Harper in the same way Rueban understood Matilda.

"Well then I was something too," said Matilda, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair.

Zara shrugged, "Alright then," she said. "What should I get you for Christmas then?"

For a moment Matilda stopped, thinking. What did she want? What did she need?

"Books," Harper answered for her.

Matilda scowled at her bigger sister, but she wasn't wrong, "Books are always appreciated," she told her mum. "But I don't know what I want yet. I'll get back to you when I do."

Zara and Daniel laughed, making Finn break into a fit of giggles between them.

"Alright then," her mum nodded. "You just let me know then."

They finished dinner quite quickly and got back to the resort later than Zara would have liked. It was hours past Finn's bedtime and they'd all likely be tired tomorrow since they'd be waking early. They were leaving Rome in the morning. Now, setting off to Naples for another five days, then to Pompeii where they'd only spend a day or two.

There was a little less than a month left on the trip, it was ending rather quickly, more quickly than Matilda would have guessed. She had actually found herself enjoying the time in Italy, rather than spending every moment wishing she was elsewhere. Today, as she lay in her bed she found herself saddened that their trip would soon end.

Perhaps spending time with her mum and Daniel wasn't all that boring. 

ϟ

( 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 )

𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵 & 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘢'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵

ϟ

𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆

A longer chapter, but I do combine two chapters, I figured all of this was easy enough to digest, rather than action-packed chapters. Also, I don't actually know Dutch. I got this from a translation site (not google), so if it's wrong please let me know how to correct it.

So, what are your thoughts on her family dynamic? What are your opinions on her family so far, or opinions on how she interacts with them? 

This chapter has been edited. You can tell if a chapter has been edited by looking at the title font (it'll look like this one) or at the end of every chapter, it'll have a stamp of the date it's been edited.

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As always, I ask that you leave comments on how you liked this chapter here. Comment all of your thoughts and theories here. Let me know your opinions on characters and views on characterization. Are we hating or liking Matilda? Any ideas on her role yet? I'm excited to read about all of your thoughts.

𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝: 𝟏𝟎/𝟏𝟐/𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑