Chapter 12 - Afternoon Tea Party Ⅲ

After dinner, Rowan unhappily makes her way to the east wing to apologize to Aunt Georgine. Rowan stops before an intricately decorated bedroom door. Rowan takes a deep breath and knocks on the bedroom door. "Yes?" Georgine loudly asked.

"It's me, Aunt Georgine, may I come in?" Rowan replied.

Georgine snorts and says, "Well, you're already here, I can't very well say no, can I? You might as well come in."

Rowan turns the golden handle as her eyes widen at the exquisitely decorated room of Aunt Georgine. Unlike the rest of the house filled with lavish items, Aunt Georgine's room had the reminiscent oriental vibe as various enchanted fans and other weapons hung against the wall as tasteful decorations. Rowan politely closes the door behind her as she turns to see Aunt Georgine in a scarlet robe relaxing against a pile of bed pillows reading a book.

Georgine carefully puts a scarlet dragon-shaped bookmark between the pages and closes her book with a snap as the enchanted dragon bookmark twines around the book to mark its place. Georgine raises a lofty eyebrow and impatiently says, "Well, I'm waiting?"

Rowan grimaces and takes a deep breath before saying, "I came to apologize for my rash behavior of this afternoon. Not only did I overreact, but I acted in a most inappropriate fashion. I was in the wrong."

Georgine purses her lips as she waves her fingers in a gesture for Rowan to stop. "Well, I suppose you're honest enough," Georgine muttered. After a moment, Georgine beckons Rowan with her fingers and says, "Come here, child."

Rowan cautiously makes her way towards Aunt Georgine and halts at her bedside. Georgine long, pale fingers reach over and firmly grab Rowan's wrist. Before Rowan can wrench her hand out of Georgine's grasp, Georgine pushes Rowan's sweater sleeve up to reveal the still healing bruises.

"Mm, I thought so," Georgine murmured to herself as she gently tugged the sleeve back down and released Rowan's wrist.

Rowan carefully smooths down her sweater sleeve as Georgine says, "I'm frankly surprised, Reginald, won't be killing your brute of a father."

Rowan blinks in surprise and asked, "Is grandfather going too?"

"Oh, he desperately wants to, but Sirsa made him promise not to," Georgine snickered out loud.

"Would grandfather have if not for grandmother?" Rowan asked again.

Georgine narrows her eyes and tilts her head to the side. "We are the Prince family, we are quite vicious to our enemies, it's in our blood," Georgine chillingly stated.

"Good," Rowan steadfastly answered causing Georgine to raise a surprised eyebrow at the reply.

"It would appear that you've most certainly inherited the cold-hearted heart of the Prince's," Georgine mused out loud in approval. "But it seems you are a tad bit reluctant to see your brute of a father dead."

"No, it's not for me, but for Severus," Rowan truthfully said causing Georgine to raise an eyebrow in solemn question. "Severus for all his doom and gloom is quite sensitive at heart. I don't want him to be hurt any more than is needed."

Georgine's eyes flicker at the truth of the statement and leaned back into her pillows. "Well, I suppose you don't have anything to worry about in that case. At most, that brute will be transfigured into some sort of pack animal and be sent to the fields to work for the rest of his days. While at best, he'll find himself guilty of some sort of muggle crime and sentenced to a muggle prison for several years," Georgine plainly stated.

"That would be for the best," Rowan said in agreement, before changing the subject. "Aunt Georgine, have you visited China and Japan in the past?"

"Mm, I did a bit of touring of the Asian continent in my youth," Georgine fondly replied. "They are the most brilliant people and I did enjoy my time there."

"Any fond romantic tales to regale of your misguided youth?" Rowan mischievously asked with a cheerful gleam in her eyes.

Georgine furrows her brows and stares down her nose at Rowan. "You are much too young to be hearing such tales," Georgine huffed. "And secondly, I wouldn't be sharing them with you in the first place, you, nosy brat."

Rowan snickers at Georgine's words as Georgine a sad light enters her eyes. "Now, off you go, it's time for your bedtime," Georgine grumbled as she shooed Rowan away with her hand.

"Goodnight, Aunt Georgine," Rowan faintly called out as she closed the door behind her. Georgine's eyes become distant as she stares aloofly into the faraway distance as her hand unconsciously creeps under her pillow for a locket. Georgine clutches the locket in hands as she becomes lost within her memories of a happier much brighter time filled with hope and dreams.

*

Tobias Snape irritably exits the machine shop cursing the government and immigrants for running the d*m country into the ground. The lights flicker dangerously causing a new stream of curses to spew from Tobias Snape's mouth. "Not another bloody, power cut, da*n them!" Tobias cursed as he stomped across the flickering street.

However, a few seconds the lights stabilize with a buzzing sound as the yellow streetlights remain abuzz. "Thank God," Tobias grunted as he made his way to the pub for a cold pint after work.

A street away from the pub, Tobias sees a squarish vehicle with an orange line across the doors with white letters that read, "POLICE," with a smaller blue sign on top of the vehicle with the same words and a blue siren. "Cripes not this again," Tobias grumbled out loud at his misfortune.

Police Constable Wilton, a dark mustached man with sideburns rolls down the window and nods at Tobias. "Good Evening, Tobias," Constable Wilton said as his partner a watery-eyed man, Constable Sharron nods as well.

"Good evening, Constable," Tobias growled.

"A fine evening for a walk, don't you think?" Constable Wilton politely said.

"Mm," Tobias grunted unhappily at being stopped.

"Well, Tobias, I wonder if you don't mind taking a stroll with us down to the station. We've got an interesting case and we'd like to gain your version of the events," Constable Wilton firmly declared.

"What is it this time?" Tobias snapped. "I told you all already, that my wife ran off and took the kids."

"It's concerning another matter that just came to our attention," Constable Wilton pleasantly said.

"What? I know my rights!" Tobias huffed.

"We have you on charges of theft and fraud-," Constable Wilton said, but before he can finish Tobias Snape starts running. "We got a runner!" Constable Wilton shouted as he turned on the blue siren and rushed forward.

Constable Wilton squeals to a stop as blocks off the street as Tobias leaps over the front of the car to only be slammed into the car by Constable Sharron. "Keep your hands where I can see them," Constable Wilton said as he held a police baton in hand.

Constable Sharron snaps handcuffs onto Tobias Snape's wrists and hauls him into the back of the car. "I swear I didn't do anything!" Tobias Snape howled from the back of the vehicle.

"Sure, you didn't," Constable Sharron snickered from the front seat.

Constable Wilton shakes his head and mutters under his breath, "Blimey, Tobias. I knew you were an angry drunk, but I never thought you were this cowardly." And with that Constable Wilton drives off to the station with Tobias Snape in tow. Because frankly speaking, they already had a case and evidence against Tobias, but it was just a formality of getting Tobias Snape's confession. And thusly forth, Tobias Snape would be charged and sentenced to prison for the next eleven years of his life.