Chapter 537 - Mulciber Citadel Ⅱ

When Peregrine Mulciber finally came to himself, he finds that he is standing just outside of his mother's bedroom. There is a slight pause of hesitation, before he knocks on his mother's door. "Who is it?" A soft, melodic voice asked.

Taking a deep breath, Peregrine replies with a simple statement, "It's me, mother."

There is a loud gasp heard as the trembling voice of Meredith Mulciber is heard saying, "Please do not toy with your mother's feelings, Damian. I am in no mood for your cruel antics."

Hearing his mother's tired and pained voice, Peregrine furrows his brow. He had the impression that his younger brother enjoyed playing such cruel hoaxes on their mother. And even worse, his younger brother had become completely twisted under their father's tutelage.

Not one to give up easy, Peregrine quietly says again, "Mother, it's truly me."

Inside the bedchamber, the figure of Meredith Mulciber can be seen. She had violent bruises on her face on body that were still healing, but even still, she was still a willow like beauty even now. Tragically, that had been her undoing.

Meredith had been a studious Ravenclaw, who was warm and kind, and had loved to learn. However, alas, like all these things time does not halt, and she had grown into a famous willow like beauty. She had not wished to marry Mulciber, but the bride price offered to her father had been more than generous, and as such she'd quickly found herself under a betrothal contract which had led to her marriage with Mulciber.

Things had not been all bad at the start of their marriage, but with the passing of time Mulciber grew more and demanding until he struck her that first time. He had apologized with a great big bouquet of her favorite flowers at that time, Hyacinth. She had quickly forgiven him then and had put it behind her.

Then Meredith had found herself with her first child, Peregrine. Meredith eyes fill with tears as she recalls that sweet golden-haired babe that smiled so sweetly at her. She had been so happy then, so young, and full of hope for the future. But then one evening, Mulciber had struck her again.

Meredith had not been so quick to forgive him that second time, but she had believed in his sincerity and countless promises. Utterly a naïve little fool, she had foolishly once again fallen into Mulciber's cunning trap. T'was not that Mulciber had been truly repent rather his father-in-law, her father had still been alive at that time. And if she had demanded a divorce, he would surely have aided her in fleeing from her abusive husband. But she had been so incredibly young then only nineteen years old, when her first born had been born.

Truly, Meredith thought she could live with the occasional outbursts of violence for her son's sake. She had at that time wanted her son to grow with a father and not have the stigmatism associated with being the child of a divorcee. She had truly been thinking of her son's wellbeing, but once more she had been made the wrong choice. Her entire life had mostly been made up of wrong choices ever since she had met Mulciber.

And what should have been the second happiest day of her life was in fact the start of her tragedy. The day her second son had been born, Damian, her father had died. And with him the hope of any escape and any mercy from Mulciber.

A bitter, soft laugh burst forth from Meredith's lips as she continues in her reverie. Mulciber had begun to beat her more and more often after that day including in front of their two sons. Bless his soul, Peregrine had attempted to protect her, but he would only be tossed to the side by his father.

And as for her second son, Damian, she had witnessed that evil seed that had been planted that day in the study that had only grown until it wholly consumed his mind with malice. But Mulciber was not wholly to blame for the blame lay with her too. She should have fought back, back then, but now it was much late for only the fiery pit of Hell awaited her.

Meredith eyes are dry despite the strong emotions clearly visible in her eyes. But she had ceased to cry and weep over her situation many years ago. There were no more tears left for her to weep. There were none left, and no more would come.

Sighing in resignation and tired of playing these cruel games with her second son, Meredith leans back into her pillows and says in a bone-weary tone, "Fine, come on in."

Meredith does not even stare at the door as she waits for the smug expression and jeer to begin from her second son, Damain. Failing to hear anything, she frowns and wonders, what evil thing he is planning next?

Glancing over Meredith freezes and whispers in disbelief, "Peregrine?"

"I've returned, mother," Peregrine whispered as he rushed over to his mother, who he had not seen since his seventeenth year, during one of her secret visits.

"Oh, my precious, per-per," Meredith murmured as eye ducts that she had long since thought dried filled with moisture. Hugging him to her chest, she kissed his head and rocked him in her arms as she whispers, "Oh, my per-per, how I've failed you and your brother. How you must be so very utterly disappointed in me?"

"That's not true mother!" Peregrine rather muffled replied from his mother's arms as he gently pulled away to add, "You can't leave father, can you mother?"

Meredith makes a bitter expression as she motions to her son to take a seat next to her. Peregrine sits on the bed next to his mother as she anxiously pats his head as if making sure he is in fact real and there with her. After a moment, she withdraws her hand, but keeps him in sight.

"Why didn't you leave him, then mother!" Peregrine finally asked the question he had had his whole entire life and had not dared to ask until now. "You should have left with brother and I!"

"I could not," Meredith sadly shook her head. "Father, your grandfather genuinely thought the best of your father, and had written an anti-divorce clause into the betrothal contract. I did not know that at that time, and had I known, I would have not signed the marriage contract."

"Mother must you continue to wait until father finally beats you to death!" Peregrine whispered in disbelief. "Please mother leave with me! I have money and I work at Gringotts now. I can take care of us both!"

Meredith blinks back the tears in her eyes as she touches the face of her firstborn. "He will have you killed by per-per, Gringotts or not," Meredith matter-of factly replied in a heartbreaking tone of voice. "And that is the only reason I have yet to slit my own throat, my per-per."

"Mother, please!" Peregrine begged again in a futile effort to further convince her. "I don't wish to see you dead!"

"Oh, my per-per," Meredith said with a jaded expression. "I am already dead. I am nothing but a bag of bones just waiting to die."

Peregrine opens his mouth to protest, but Meredith puts her finger to his lip to stop him from speaking. "Shh, my per-per, I know that which I speak of. There is hardly anything left of me, and I am far too old, and set in my ways to start anew."

Slipping out of the bed, Meredith barefoot walks across the carpeted floor towards her vanity desk. Pulling off a key on a thin silver chain off her neck, she quickly opens a locked bottom drawer and removes a small locked box. Carefully holding the small box in hand, she places it in her son's lap.

"What is it?" Peregrine asked as he stared at the chest now on his lap.

Taking her son's hand, Meredith wraps his fingers around box and says, "Open it."

With a skeptical expression, Peregrine does as he is told. His eyes widen in surprise at seeing a simple golden key to a Gringotts's vault. Glancing up at his mother with eyes full of questions, he asks, "Why are you giving this to me, mother? Father removed my access to any of the Mulciber family vaults at Gringotts."

"I know," Meredith answered, with a tiny triumphant smile that made her seem filled with life for just the briefest of moments, before that cruelly faded away.

"It is the key to my private vault before I was married. Your father is not aware of it nor does he have any access to it as this was my personal vault before our marriage," Meredith further explained. "I was going to give it you once you grew older, but with your scholarship to that muggle university, I thought best not to. But now with your new job at Gringotts's, I know that you will have further use for it then I."

"Thank you, mother," Peregrine croaked as he carefully put the small box away in his pocket.

"Now you must go, my per-per" Meredith steadfastly declared almost looking like the woman from Peregrine's childhood, before life had violently extinguished that vibrant light in her eyes. "Your father and brother will soon return, and I do not wish you be hurt, my son. And knowing them they will only use us against each other. You must not let them. Promise me that, my per-per. Promise me that you will never return!"

Peregrine opens his mouth to protest, before painfully closing his eyes, before opening his eyes with a determined expression. "I am not a child any longer mother, and I will not cower in fear mother," Peregrine resolutely answered to his mother's great despair. "And though I will leave for this evening, I will return to see you again, mother."

Meredith soundlessly opens her mouth with despair and a trace of pride, before laughing a bit mockingly to herself. "Well, I suppose that you had to inherit something out of your father as well. That stubborn streak of his like a bloody Hippograff."

"I suppose so," Peregrine grimly said, before adding, "but I prefer to think it is courage, mother. And to be precise inherited from you."

Meredith shakes her head and says, "That is a terrible lie, per-per even for you."

Not wanting to further debate on the subject, Peregrine squeezes his mother's hand and says, "Take care mother, and I will return to visit you, soon."

Meredith merely sighs and squeezes her son's hands before he pulls away and departs. Clenching her hand together, she intently listens until at last she hears nothing. He was gone and safe, but for how long? She could only pray that he did not return, but she had a feeling that he would. And when that day came, she did not know what she would do. But this time, she would not fail him.