Since Herbert had already accepted the reality of what was to come, Cohen no longer felt the need to hold back. He began to explain the actual events of the past to Edward and Rose.
Starting from the death of Herbert's son—"Cohen Burke"—to the Burke family inviting Herbert to participate in an experiment, and eventually turning their attention to Rose's child.
Herbert wasn't the kidnapper. In fact, when he realized the Burkes had abducted Rose's child, he tried to stop the experiment and save the kid—he just failed. He ended up imprisoned by his own family until the manor was destroyed. It was only because the newborn Cohen let him go that he happened to cross paths with Edward and Rose afterward.
"..." Edward and Rose stared at Herbert for a long while, unable to find the words.
"Why did you confess back then…" Rose looked at Herbert, her voice hoarse. "At the time… I never even suspected you. You were the only one in the Burke family I never hated…"
"I wanted to die…" Herbert lifted his head, his eyes hazy as he looked at Rose. "I just wanted to die… I thought you'd kill me—you should have killed me—I could've stopped it all…"
"Whoa…" Arnold stood frozen in the corner, wiping away a dramatic tear. "This is the most twisted story I've ever heard."
"You've got no sense of timing, Baldy Uncle," Cohen snapped. "Ruining the mood is my job, thank you very much."
"I'll zip it now," Arnold said quickly, sealing his lips.
"So, who am I supposed to punch next?" Edward tried to lighten the mood, though it didn't quite land. "No? Not funny?"
Given Rose's red eyes and Herbert's bruised face, laughing wasn't really on the table.
"Told you you should've learned from me," Cohen muttered smugly.
"Alright, that's enough," Rose said, rubbing her eyes. "Cohen's got the competition tomorrow. We're here to watch the tournament, not ruin it…"
"Get up, I'll find you some potion—or try a few healing charms…" Edward muttered while helping Herbert off the floor. "If I knew the whole story, I wouldn't have hit you so hard… we even brought Cohen to see you for the holidays, and you get clobbered like this…"
"That's it?" Arnold blinked.
"You want Herbert to get back up and return the favor?" Edward said irritably.
"Right, I'll leave you all to your family drama—I'm going for a stroll," Arnold said as he made his exit with all the grace of a man escaping a soap opera.
"Wasn't he supposed to be guarding this place?" Cohen raised an eyebrow.
"Well, now there's nothing dramatic left to watch, so of course he bailed." Edward helped Herbert to another chair. "He keeps telling me he wants to go back to Hogwarts and explore all the places he wasn't allowed in before—like the Forbidden Forest."
"You've got to be kidding." Cohen's eyes widened. "There are people who went to Hogwarts and never snuck into the Forbidden Forest?!"
Edward couldn't find any healing potions, but a few well-placed charms did the trick—Herbert's bruises were already fading.
Feeling guilty for punching him a bit too hard, Edward even poured him a glass of water.
"Forget the forest for now—what have you prepared for the first task tomorrow? Want some pointers from your dear old dad?" Edward asked cheerfully as he pulled Cohen over to sit beside Rose.
"Are you nervous?" Rose asked, clearly worried. "They haven't even told you what the first task is…"
"It's a dragon," Cohen replied casually.
"A what?!" Rose's voice shot up a few octaves.
"A dragon?! *Cough cough!*" Herbert choked on his water. "Are the people running this tournament mad?! You're fourteen! Even adult wizards need several people to handle a dragon—"
"Phew…" Edward sighed in relief, only to notice Rose's death stare immediately after.
"A dragon isn't dangerous enough for you?!" Rose snapped. "Absolutely not, this tournament—"
"I have to compete. And I have a plan," Cohen said confidently.
"Conjunctivitis Curse? I remember dragons have really sensitive eyes," Edward recalled. "But it's still dangerous. Even blind, they stomp around and breathe fire… but with Norbert, you've got experience, right?"
"Nope. Norbert was gentle and obedient because I raised him myself," Cohen corrected him.
"Norbert?!" Rose turned to him, wide-eyed. "You raised a dragon?! When?! Where?!"
Oops.
Too busy discussing dragons with Edward to notice the growing storm cloud.
"Uh… Norbert is… one of Cohen's pets…" Edward tried to smooth things over, but it was clear no amount of sugar-coating would help now.
"I raised a dragon," Cohen confessed to Rose—figured it was better to come clean now, especially with the Triwizard Tournament as the perfect excuse.
As long as he could prove that raising magical creatures was worth it, then maybe...
——
"What do you mean, 'a few other small creatures' besides the dragon?!"
After Cohen and Edward explained the Basilisk, the Nightmare, and the Chimera stashed in the trunk, Rose's frown deepened with every word.
"You're calling a Basilisk and a Chimera little pets?! And that trunk—!"
"We knew you'd be mad, so we didn't tell you…" Edward said in a soothing voice. "And besides, those creatures are like family to Cohen. Remember that experiment? All those creatures who escaped—they won't hurt him."
"Exactly, exactly." Cohen nodded fervently.
"Is that the issue?" Rose fumed. "The real issue is the fact you two kept this from me! Do I seem like the kind of person who's totally unreasonable?!"
"Then I apologize. I apologize, darling," Edward said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "We won't hide anything from you again—ever."
"So does that mean I can keep my pets?" Cohen asked hopefully.
"I never said you couldn't," Rose replied. "And… considering some of them are your blood relatives…"
"That Basilisk… is it called Sissoko?" Herbert suddenly asked.
"You speak Parseltongue?" Cohen asked, puzzled. "Did he talk to you?"
"No," Herbert said, thinking. "I named him. Someone brought back a clutch of Basilisk eggs… which didn't feel right to me. Basilisks aren't supposed to lay eggs, right?"
"What's your relationship with him?" Cohen asked, curious.
"Friends, I suppose… if that counts," Herbert said. "Could I… see him?"
"I'd like to see them too," Rose said. "But Cohen…"
"Hmm?" Cohen hummed innocently.
"If I remember correctly… aren't you supposed to be in class right now?"
dont forget to comment and leave some vote .... ( ▀ 益 ▀ )