Chapter 17
Gazing at himself in his dressing room mirror, Alec could hardly recognize himself. He had tamed his unruly hair with the help of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, parting it neatly. At his father's request, Badrey trimmed his waves, leaving behind an almost militaristic cut.
The Ministry's Christmas party was usually only attended by high-ranking politicians, diplomats or other influential figures. Therefore, Alec had to adhere to the strict dress code expected of the eldest son of the Lightwood house, much to his displeasure.
Sighing, Alec adjusted his white bow tie, smoothing down the thick fabric of his suit vest. The black velvet of the formal cape clung snugly to his shoulders and flared out widely at the sleeves. Badrey had been displeased to discover that Alec had grown a few centimeters over the summer and had been forced to extend the trouser legs for him. He slipped into the polished black dress shoes and reached for the Lightwoods' silver signet ring, already laid out for him.
For a moment Alec closed his eyes. The weight of the cool metal felt heavier than usual in the palm of his hand. He knew what he had to do, after all Robert Lightwood had been quite clear: there would be no tolerance for any further transgressions. Alec just had to survive the remainder of the evening, then he could probably hole up in his room for the rest of the holidays.
He had stowed Magnus' present under a loose floorboard, a small comfort to look forward to after tonight. As soon as he got back to Hogwarts, he would have to have a word with Magnus, or rather with Camille Belcourt. Ideally, his parents would never find out, at least not until his siblings came of age. What could possibly go wrong?
Alec allowed himself another minute to enjoy the silence. Then he slid the signet ring onto his pinkie, stepping into the hallway. The eyes of his ancestors, looking down from their portraits, burned into his back as he strode through the west wing. Soon he reached the grand entrance hall of Lightwood Manor.
An imposing Christmas tree occupied the far corner of the spacious room. The glowing star atop almost touched the ceiling's dark paneling. Alec's gaze swept over the fir garlands carefully wrapped around the gallery's wooden balustrade. White cocktail tables, each bearing a delicate flower arrangement, were arranged in regular intervals, creating an image of stately elegance.
It seemed that his parents had spared no expense or pains to make a good impression. Or rather, his parents had spared no expense and Badrey had spared no pains. The subtle shine of the marble floor told him that the old house-elf must have scrubbed it for hours.
The bitter taste in his mouth did not go away as he hurried down the steps and leaned against a pillar, waiting.
“Robert,” There was a sharp edge to his mothers voice. ”I thought I made it perfectly clear that Imogen is allergic to ducks. Why are we serving duck canapés? Merlin, have you even been listening to me?”
Robert Lightwood marched through the door of the adjoining dining room with a grim look on his face, his wife close on his heels. “Maybe she'll be pleased that we killed so many of the damn things.” He wore a royal blue cloak, which, aside from the color, mirrored Alec's own garments. Maryse had chosen an azure evening gown with a high collar to match her husband's, hem skimming the floor.
“But Robert-” Maryse started, then noticed her son. “Alec, thank Merlin you are here. The first guests will be turning up soon, no doubt.” She approached him, looking a little distracted, and began to adjust his already immaculate bow tie. ”You need to make a good impression tonight. Then you'll already have one foot in the door after graduating. I heard you and your father came to an agreement. I'm glad that this unfortunate matter has been resolved. You still have your whole future ahead of you, you shouldn't throw it away so carelessly.”
Alec had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. Agreement was a strong euphemism. He had definitely come to an agreement with a hard, oak wardrobe. The unfortunate matter had not been resolved, nor did he intend to bow to his parents' vision of his future. But of course he couldn't express any of these thoughts. He limited himself to a simple, “Yes, Mother,” and put on a forced smile.
Robert just rolled his eyes in annoyance and put a hand on his wife's shoulder. “Stop fussing. We have everything under control.” He turned to Alec, his mouth curving into a dangerous smile. “You look much better with a proper haircut. You really mustn't let yourself go. It reflects badly on us all.”
“I'll keep it in mind in the future, Father.“ Alec had to use all his willpower to keep his tone neutral.
“I should hope so.” Robert squared his shoulders and gave his son a stern look, searching for a flaw. Finally, he nodded curtly, called for Badrey and instructed the house-elf to get the champagne ready.
Shortly thereafter, the first guests began to arrive. Some larger groups of Ministry employees seemed to have arrived by broom or portkey, so Alec had to engage in the same trivial conversations about today's temperature and the expected snowfall. Periodically, the loud pops of wizards who had just apparated into the entrance hall could be heard.
After a while, Alec's mouth ached, contorted in a forced smile, and the muscles in his arm burned with the strain of shaking too many hands. He would have preferred to slip away into a dark corner of the room, but his parents hadn't let him out of their sight for a second. He was doomed to make small talk for the rest of the evening, with no hope of escape.
Alec dutifully shook the hand of the Minister for Magic, Imogen Herondale, as well as at least a dozen of her cabinet members. “Congratulations on your new trade agreement with the United States. I heard it wasn't easy to convince the president.” Alec said, flattering with a polite smile.
“I see you're very well informed, Mr. Lightwood.” The older woman nodded appreciatively, a slight twitch playing around the corners of her mouth. “Are your siblings here as well, tonight?”
Alec’s smile faltered for a moment, but he regained control before it became obvious. “I fear you will have to make due with me.”
“Very well then.” Imogen nodded curtly, “What a splendid party, your family has put together. If you will excuse me now.”
His mother's excited whisper told him that he had hit the mark.
Alec congratulated himself on not having suffered a mental breakdown yet. But the night was still young. The second glass of champagne was beginning to take effect, leaving a pleasant warmth in his stomach. Numbing his fears with alcohol was probably not a good idea, but then again, one sometimes had to make questionable decisions.
He caught a glimpse of Badrey, who was carrying minced pies and figgy pudding through the crowd on a silver tray. It broke Alec's heart to see how exhausted the old house-elf looked.
When he was finally introduced to Jia Penhellow, head of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement and legendary auror, he couldn't help but feel his heart leap with excitement. She had visited his parents a few times already, but he hadn't dared to speak to her until now. Her stiff posture, the neat twist of her black hair, and long scar on her shoulder indicated that she hadn’t lived an easy life.
“Alec, right?” she asked, continuing without waiting for a reply. ”Aline tells me Hufflepuff is crushing it in Quidditch this year. That must be your doing. Congratulations, but don't tell her I said that.” She stole a glance over her shoulder to check on her daughter. Aline Penhallow was a year younger than Alec and the star player of the Ravenclaw team. He had only seen her on the Quidditch pitch and in the corridors, if one disregarded a few compromising incidents with Helen Blackthorn.
“Well, I wouldn't put it that way,” Alec stammered, embarrassed. He hadn't anticipated the conversation revolving around him. ”But we've definitely put together a strong team this year. I'm looking forward to the game against Ravenclaw.”
“I spoke to your father earlier and he told me that you want to become an auror after you graduate. We're always happy to welcome promising wizards like you. I'm sure I'll see you after the summer. Good luck with your exams.” Jia gave him a friendly pat on the back and went to find a glass of champagne.
Alec's tingling excitement slowly ebbed away. What remained was a strange feeling of emptiness, as if something was on the tip of his tongue that he couldn't grasp. Then it hit him.
His father had spoken to her.
Suddenly he understood why his parents' complaints about his career choice had been so restrained. Politics would have been his first choice for Alec, but as an auror he was evidently subject to the Ministry's control.
A corrupt system that was all too familiar to him thanks to his parents. A system that enabled his father to take advantage of Badrey. A system that he could, in all likelihood, only improve to a small degree. Especially under the strict hand of his father, who would certainly not let him out of his sight for a single second.
Training as an Auror would offer him considerably less freedom from his parents than he had imagined in his fanciful dreams. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Alec had always seen his aversion to a political career as rebellion against his parents, but actually, he had played right into their hands. Now they could control him even better. After all, aurors followed orders, orders that could come from his father.
Subconsciously, he had clenched his fists. The dull pain on the palm of his hand pulled him out of his downward spiral. Alec had dug his fingernails into the skin, so hard that they left crescent-shaped imprints. He wished he could at least muster raging anger or betrayal, but he had no capacity for more than a hollow sense of resignation.
Before Alec had a chance to dwell on these thoughts, a firm hand grasped his shoulder. Startled, he spun around to find himself face to face with his beaming father. “Alexander, my boy, I want you to meet someone very special. You remember our conversation. After you graduate, you should settle down.” Robert Lightwood pushed him towards a blonde woman, not wasting another second. “Her parents are here as part of the delegation of the Ministère des Affaires Magiques, so don't embarrass us. I want you to accompany her tonight. Make sure she's well taken care of.”
Alec swallowed hard, his throat suddenly parched. So Robert had been serious about his threat; his parents were planning to marry him off.
“Alec, may I introduce you to Lydia Branwell.”
Only now did Alec realize that his fate was sealed.
*****
It turned out that Lydia Branwell wasn't any more keen to spend her evening at the ministry's Christmas party than Alec. She occasionally sipped her champagne and shot her parents dirty looks.
Her long blonde hair was pinned to the back of her head in an elaborate pattern using silver barrettes. Two loose curls framed her bored face, now no longer hiding her resentment.
Alec learned through awkward small talk that Lydia had graduated from Beauxbatons last summer and was now working in his father's department. She spoke without an accent, but sometimes slipped into French. She was entirely uninterested in Quidditch, one of the few topics Alec was able to maintain a polite conversation on.
In short, Alec was in over his head and felt his chest begin to tighten. On the one hand, he wasn't all that interested in getting along well with Lydia; after all, he only knew her for half an hour. On the other hand, angering his parents again this evening would probably not end well.
Alec took a big swig of his drink, disappointed to realize that he had emptied another glass. After the fourth, he had stopped counting. He didn't usually enjoy alcohol but today he needed to loosen up. The pleasant fizz of the light-gold liquid in his mouth made him cast caution aside. A small rational part of his brain told him that he had already drunken way too much. But Alec wasn't sure if he could survive the evening sober.
At least the worries that usually piled up in his head seemed to have been put on hold for the time being. And Magnus...he couldn't think about Magnus right now. Sober-Alec would have to come up with a good plan. His entire body existed in a pleasant, trancelike state that blurred the edges of his vision.
“Lydia,” Alec deposited his empty glass on one of the bistro tables unsteadily. His movement felt uncharacteristically off balance. “I think I need some fresh air. Would you like to join me outside?”
Lydia sighed deeply. Her condemning gaze settled on Alec's quivering hands. ”Why not? C'est parti!”
With all the self-control he could muster, Alec offered his arm to Lydia. Fortunately, she only raised a fair eyebrow. Well, at least he had tried to be a gentleman.
With a fair amount of concentration, Alec managed to guide her through the crowds towards the gallery. A thin layer of frost and condensation made the plain glass door of the balcony appear opaque. Alec unceremoniously pushed it open, allowing Lydia to step into the cold winter night.
Thick snowflakes drifted from the pitch-black sky, covering the balcony's balustrade and floor with a few inches of fresh snow. The distant light of the lanterns lining the driveway provided only a fleeting breach of the darkness spreading out before him. In the distance, Alec could make out the outskirts of the surrounding grove.
The Lightwoods' estate was located in Wiltshire, not far from the city of Bath. The rolling grassy landscape and sleepy villages with their distinctive limestone houses gave little indication that this was the seat of one of the oldest and most influential wizarding families.
A casual flick of Lydia's wand swept the snow off the balustrade. She leaned on the cold stone, propping herself up with both elbows, and turned her attention to Alec. “Would you like to explain to me why my company is so unbearable that you feel the need to get wasted?
“Um...” Alec replied, caught off guard. ‘I'm not really that drunk?’ Even to his own ears, his words sounded a bit pathetic.
Lydia just raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
“Well, maybe a little.“ Alec felt the color rising to his face. He nervously fiddled with the signet ring. “I hope you don't take it the wrong way, but my parents definitely want to set us up and I...I...Merlin, I can't do this anymore.” Frustrated, Alec ran his fingers through his hair, only to realize that he had destroyed his gelled hairdo.
“I think that's exactly the kind of declaration of love a woman wants to hear before her wedding,” Lydia said dryly. “Listen, Lightwood. Unfortunately, this is not about what we want to do. I'm definitely not interested in you, or in men in general.”
“I am.’ Alec interjected. His low inhibition threshold surprised even him. ”Well, in men, not in you.”
Lydia couldn't stop herself from giggling. It seemed his admission had broken the ice between them. “That sounds like quite the partnership for me. At least we're both clear about what we expect.” One of her barrettes had come loose, letting a few blonde strands fall over her shoulders.
Alec sighed audibly. “Lydia, I don't know if I can do this. I've only just met you tonight and to be honest, I'm already seeing someone. My parents, as you might have guessed, would never approve. The honor of the Lightwood family is at stake.” He rolled his eyes. The alcohol seemed to really loosen his tongue. “I don't really know if I have a choice, but I most certainly couldn't make you happy. I guess I won't get out of this without leaving my siblings in the same situation. It's my responsibility to keep them safe. But I'm not sure how much longer I will have the strength to do that.”
“I understand,“ Lydia nodded seriously. Her gray-blue eyes had taken on a somber expression. 'I'm not really looking for happiness. I had already found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Jeanne...” Her breath stuttered as if the mere mention of her name caused her physical pain. “She was a year older than me and loved experimenting with spells. Just after she graduated, one of these experiments went horribly wrong. She died on the spot. At least she didn't suffer for long. I lost everything all at once: the love of my life, my dreams... Now all I have left is my work, the rest doesn't matter much to me. If I can make my parents happy by marrying, I don't have much to lose.”
Alec didn't know how to react to Lydia's confession. Nothing he could say could make her loss more bearable or less painful. The thought of suddenly losing Magnus made him sick to his stomach. So he followed his first instinct by wrapping his arms around Lydia. If he had been a little less intoxicated, he wouldn't have acted so rashly, but now it seemed the best way to express his condolences. For a moment, Lydia stood motionless, obviously caught off guard. Then she hesitantly returned the embrace, wrapping her arms around Alec's back. In the bitter cold, it felt nice to share their body heat.
Just then, the balcony door slid open. “I hope I am not interrupting anything.” Alec and Lydia jumped apart immediately, their eyes fixed on the figure that stepped onto the snow-covered balcony.
With an apologetic shrug, the young woman pulled a pack of Pall Mall out of her suit pocket. “I need a breather. It's quite stuffy in there.” She extracted a cigarette from the pack and lit it with a casual flick of her finger. In the dim light of the embers glow, her black curls took on an almost reddish hue. A long, jagged scar peeked out from under the collar of her shirt, contrasting with her pale brown skin.
“Putain, elle est trop canon,” Lydia breathed, casting a panicked glance at Alec. Since Lydia was frozen to the spot, he took the lead. Alec attributed the redness on Lydia's cheeks to the cold.
“Alec Lightwood, and this is Lydia Branwell.” He politely extended his hand to the stranger. Even in his dazed state, his manners were impeccable.
“Maia Roberts.” As soon as her hand touched his fingers, she winced as if she'd been burned. The smile on her face was quickly restored, however. Alec wondered if he'd imagined the initial reaction. ”You must be the oldest Lightwood boy. I work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so we have quite a bit of contact with your father.”
Alec managed a wry smile. “My condolences,” he murmured. “I imagine it's not particularly pleasant.”
Maia returned his grin and blew the smoke from her lungs into the cold winter night. “At least I only have to see him at work.”
Luckily, Maia seemed to agree with Alec's assessment of Roberts' political stance. Otherwise, his previous statement could have gotten him into a lot of trouble. He needed to watch his tongue, drunk or not.
“I'm going to get another drink,“ Alec announced before he could let anything else slip. ʺDo you want me to get something for any of you?” When he didn't get an answer, he turned on his heel and walked towards the door, resigned. He sensed that it would be a very long evening.
*****
The last party guest staggered out of the front entrance of Lightwood Manor just before half past two. The fatigue had settled deep in Alec's bones. His eyelids felt heavy and his back ached from the rigid posture he had been forced to adopt for the evening.
Lydia had left several hours ago, but as the son of the hosts, Alec was denied this privilege. When he found her and Maia engrossed in conversation on the balcony, he had mingled with the other guests again. He didn't want to interrupt them, either. Maybe it was better this way.
He hoped that he would be able to convince his parents that Lydia wasn't interested in him. But that was most likely wishful thinking. When push came to shove, she was a better option than other candidates. At least neither of them would be under any illusions.
The pleasant buzz from the champagne had not yet worn off, but was slowly beginning to fade. With unsteady fingers, he loosened the knot of his bow tie, letting the ends drape loosely around his neck. Alec let out a sigh of relief. At least he no longer felt quite so constrained.
The grand entrance hall appeared almost eerie without a soul in sight. Dirty streaks and puddles of snow were left on the carefully scrubbed marble floor. Alec bent down to pick up a toppled glass when his body was pulled up roughly. His strained muscles protested vehemently against the spell's influence, but he had no choice but to comply. Following commands had always come naturally to him.
Maryse lowered her wand, directed at her son just a moment ago. “Alec, don't get in Badrey's way. That's his responsibility, not yours.”
“Of course, mother.” Alec replied in a flat tone, trying to conceal his disgust. There was no point in starting an argument about this. “I just wanted to help out.” He was a person, after all, and no piece of furniture that could be pushed around. His mother had no intention of making that distinction.
“It's all right,” Maryse dismissed him, pressing a cup filled with water into his hands. ”Drink, it will do you good.”
Alec accepted the offered drink, and emptied the cup in one gulp. He hadn't noticed how thirsty he had been. The water left a stale aftertaste on his tongue.
“If you want to be of use, then come with me for a moment and tell me how you feel about Lydia. Your father and I still have a lot to discuss with you.” Maryse put a hand on Alec's shoulder and gently pushed him in the direction of the adjoining dining room.
A cold shiver ran down Alec's spine. How should he answer his parents' questions? He hadn't come up with a plan yet. But fate was not on his side today. Maryse ignored his protests. Not even the late hour stopped her from interrogating her son.
Robert Lightwood sat at the head of the long table, scattered with the remains of the buffet. Several large silver food warmers had been emptied, waiting to be cleaned by Badrey. Most of the candles in the chandelier were burnt down or faltering in their final moments. The room seemed even darker than usual. Robert sat with his legs crossed, eyeing them with an indifferent expression. Yet Alec could see his father's exhaustion in the deep wrinkles on his forehead and the slight bend of his shoulders.
“Alexander, how is it, that I learn you left Mrs. Branwell unattended on the balcony? I thought I made it clear that you were not to leave her side. You'd better have a good explanation ready.” Robert shot his son a withering look but remained motionless.
“She was having a personal conversation and I didn't want to disturb her. It seemed impolite,” Alec explained, hoping that the answer would appease his father. After all, he had told the truth.
Maryse stepped behind her husband and put a hand on his shoulder. “We don't want you to close a business deal with her, Alexander. We want you to marry her. But to do that, you have to pull yourself together and impress her: Use your charm, be attentive, bring her gifts. It can't be that hard to win her over. Her parents have already given their consent.”
“But I don't want to marry her. And she's not interested in me either,” Alec blurted out. He wanted to bite his tongue. That wasn't as diplomatic as he had hoped.
Robert slammed his hand down on the table. The reverberation almost made Alec flinch. “When will you finally understand that it's not just about what you want? The universe doesn't revolve around you, son. Even Jace managed to find someone from a respectable family. He breaks the rules often enough, but when it really counts, he makes good decisions for our family. I can't say the same about you. I don't know where you get this stubbornness from, it's certainly not from me.”
“I've always done what you asked of me.“ Alec clasped his hands behind his back to hide his tremor. “Just this once: I can't do it. Anything but this.”
“You're acting as if we're sentencing you to a life in Azkaban.” Maryse interjected sharply. “One day, you'll understand that we're doing you a favor."
“But mother,” Alec realized he sounded desperate. He decided to take a gamble. ”Why can't you accept Magnus? You don't even know him. I'm sure you would like him if you gave him a chance.”
Alec covered his mouth in shock. That's not what he had wanted to say. His father's face turned dark red in an instant and his mother gaped at him horrified. Perhaps this would be a good moment to vanish into thin air.
“How dare you even speak his name in this house! You have no idea what you have done. I gave you a chance to make up for your foolish mistakes. But you insist on ruining your future,” Robert spat angrily. Maryse had to step aside when he leaped from his chair. The sound of wood scraping against marble made Alec's stomach turn. ”You have no idea who you've gotten yourself involved with.”
“I know exactly what I've agreed to,” Alec replied in a deliberately calm voice. ”I'm of age and can decide for myself how to handle my future.”
“Oh, is that so? You think you don't need us anymore, even though we've provided for you your entire life. We gave you a roof over your head, made sure there was always food on the table. And this is how you repay us?” Maryse snapped, her hand clenching the back of the chair so hard that her knuckles turned white. Usually, his mother kept a tight rein on her emotions, but today she appeared to be on the verge of cracking. ”If you're so independent and self-sufficient, I'm sure Mr. Bane has told you all about his family history.”
Alec raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Maryse gave Robert a questioning look. He nodded curtly and turned back to his son. ‘It's time you knew the truth.”
“The truth about what?’ Alec was so confused that he forgot his anger for a moment.
“Who is Max Lightwood?” Maryse asked, her face a mask of pain.
Who
Is
Max
Lightwood
Alec's thoughts came to an abrupt halt. The name triggered a primal fear in Alec, like the first humans must have felt in the face of darkness, like a child standing before a fire. He instinctively took a step back. ”I... I don't know.”
“Focus, Alec,” his mother instructed him.
But the more Alec concentrated, the more his effort seemed to recoil from the truth. He could sense something in his periphery, but as soon as he focused on it, the feeling disappeared. ”Max Lightwood was my brother. He died when he was just an infant.” Alec wasn't sure where the words were coming from, yet they emerged from his mouth without his intervention. “Why can't I remember?”
Maryse smiled bitterly and stepped up to her son. “We only ever wanted to protect you, Alec. It's time you understood that. We don't want you to get hurt, Alec.” She raised her wand and pointed it at his temple.
Alec's shoulders tensed immediately. “What...”
“Shhh. Calm down. It should be completely painless.” A soft, white light streamed from the tip of her wand, disappearing into Alec's skull.
At first, he didn't notice any difference. Then an oppressive feeling settled in his chest, slowly traveling down his spine into the rest of his body. The memory didn't feel foreign when it came back; it had always been his.
*****
Waning moonlight fell through the narrow window, its silvery fingers tracing a pattern on the faded carpet of the hallway.The ancient wood creaked scornfully under the tentative feet of the child, as if it were trying to reprimand the little boy. The gold-framed portraits on the paneled walls cast a suspicious glance at the escapee.Their pale, serious faces resembled his own, even though the burden of the family name had not been weighing on his narrow shoulders for very long.
Yet the warm air of late summer washed away the worries and doubts in a swirl of anticipation, as if they had never existed. Alec believed he could even make out the soft chirping of crickets that had settled in the immaculately trimmed hedges.
Drunken with recklessness and inspired by childlike wonder, the boy moved further and further away from the safety of his sheets. He just had to go see Max, he told himself. Max had recently said his first word, and Alec was so proud of his little brother that he struggled to find the adequate words to express it.
He was getting closer and closer to his goal, could already make out the door behind which his destination was located.The brass knob felt cool and strange in his hand. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. Despite the eerie silence, he couldn't help turning the knob. The door swung open silently.
First, Alec noticed the light breeze rustling through the open window. His parents usually made sure that the windows stayed closed at night.Then he became aware of a strange figure in the corner of the room.
It was bent over Max's crib, its face hidden in the shadows of its hood. Instinctively, Alec took a step back. The floorboards under his feet let out an awful creak. He froze. The figure raised its head painstakingly slow.
In the pale moonlight, the little boy could finally discern the other's face. Alec didn't recognize it then, but now he knew exactly who was standing before him: the straight nose, the cheekbones, the shape of his chin, the slope of his eyebrows. Alec had memorized them all in the many hours he had spent with Magnus. He was the spitting image of his father.
Asmodeus Bane raised a finger to his thin lips and winked at the little boy. He raised his wand. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. Alec knew he should do something. Anything. But his legs refused to obey any command. He couldn't move, not a single sound came out of his lips.
Alec knew it was too late when the bright green light seared into his retinas. He had stood by and done nothing, had been unable to protect his little brother.
As he began to scream, Asmodeus Bane had already disappeared.
*****
Alec lurched toward the table, having to brace himself on it. Tears stung his eyes and blurred his vision. “This isn't true.” he gasped. “Why now, what... I don't understand.”
His mother seemed to be fighting back tears as well, so Robert answered. “We thought it best to suppress your memory at the time. You weren't handling it well, you weren't sleeping, weren't eating. We had to do something. No one knows what truly happened during that night except for the people in this room and a few aurors.”
“But why? Why would anyone do such a thing?" As soon as he thought of Asmodeus, Magnus' face flashed before his mind's eye. He just couldn't bear it. Despite the uncanny resemblance between father and son, Alec was also aware of the differences: Magnus' mouth would never twist into a cruel smile, his eyes would never look at an innocent with contempt.
“I made some powerful enemies. Powerful enough to hire the finest assassin of the time. At the time, I didn't realize how far they would go to destroy me. It would have been a huge scandal if it became public knowledge,” Robert explained and sighed deeply. ”You have to understand that our enemies are everywhere. You can't trust anyone. Especially not Magnus Bane. I read his file. Who knows if he wants to complete what his father started. After all, he's already killed his stepfather. It's in his blood. I hope you see reason now.”
Alec could hardly believe his father's statement. The implication that Magnus had anything to do with the crimes of this man made the blood in his veins boil. “Magnus can't help who his father is.” He snapped to attention and locked eyes with his parents. “If you want to find someone to blame for Max's death, you should start with yourselves. Magnus has nothing to do with this.”
“Alec, what are you trying to say?” Maryse hissed, her anger barely contained.
He wasn't sure where his sudden outburst had come from, but this time he couldn't hold back. ”You couldn't protect Max and now you're destroying any chance of happiness for your other children. You are smothering us. Just because you're unhappy, doesn't mean we have to suffer.”
As soon as the words left his lips, he knew he had made a mistake. A red flash of light shot across the dining room table towards him and hit him square in the chest.
Crucio
His knees caved in under the weight of his body. Alec didn't even feel himself hit the floor with a dull thud. The pain was beyond anything he had ever known. No knife, no fire, no bullet could have caused even a fraction of this agony.
Every single cell of his body, every neuron, every synapse burned and twisted under the influence of the foreign magic. His muscles twitched in vain. He couldn't even muster the strength to scream.
Alec had always prided himself on his high pain tolerance, on his ability to endure. Now he felt foolish for even assuming he would be able to breathe through the pain. Foolish to assume that he would not, could not be broken.
He knew he was begging, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. ”Please, Mum…Please. Make it stop. I’m sorry…Please.”
The sounds that came over his lips were nothing more than slurred pleas. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. Pain dominated all his senses, preventing him from slipping into unconsciousness. He could see it, taste it on his tongue.
”I’m sorry.”
Alec would have given anything to put an end to this agony. But there was nothing he could do. No way to escape.
“Please.”
“That's enough, Maryse.” Robert gently laid his hand on his wife's wand. ”The veritaserum has given us the clarity we needed.”