Cyrna scoffed, though really she was more relieved than anything else. "Of course," she said. She was quiet for a moment, giving it some thought, then she spoke—"I swear upon my life that I am not here to obtain the Philosopher's Stone or the information on how to replicate the Stone. I swear that I will not knowingly endanger the Stone, nor will I share my knowledge of the Stone and of the plan to protect the Stone, to those who do not already know." She cocked her head at her mentor wondering if it was thorough enough. Nicolas nodded, but she couldn't help but be confused by regret she could see in his eyes. "So mote it be," she concluded.
"So mote it be," he answered.
Her magic rose in roar before settling down, signifying that the oath was bound and functioning.
Nicolas stared at the child—his student, and he sighed heavily. "You are a fool." What idiot willingly vows on their life?
Cyrna's smile was bittersweet. It was stupid for her to grow any attachment to the Flamels, but neither did she want them to turn her away. "It seems that I am. In more ways than one," she said wistfully.
...
In the months that followed, Cyrna tried to detach herself from the Flamels. They were going to die within a year, so what use was there to care for them? Really, Cyrna didn't know why she was struggling so much with this. She never had this problem before.
The only thing she could blame was her new body—and the memories and feelings she had inherited. Cyrna still felt mostly like herself, but back then, she hadn't know the intensity emotions could paint; now she did. Even if her days were mostly spent in muted colours, she was more prone to larger waves of emotions, hitting slightly higher highs, and slightly lower lows.
Cyrna suspected that her abnormally strong attachment to the Flamels might've been because they had saved her and had basically given her everything she currently owned—a situation that was entirely novel to her. They did so without asking for anything in return, which placed her in a difficult position. The longer she stayed with them, the more she felt obliged to give something other than her promise not to lie to them. But she didn't have anything to give, and so she felt an even stronger compulsion to stick around longer.
And then, somewhere along the line, she had gotten a bit attached. Like a fool.
Cyrna gave a heavy sigh, staring at the large white pieces of snowflakes floating down from the sky. Her fingers tapped irregular beats on her desk as she wondered if she should tell them her secret. The deadline was fast approaching for her. If she told them too late, she may as well not tell them at all for what little good it would do.
She reviewed her arguments in her head. Yes, her safety was the priority—But the Flamels were important too. They were literally giving her free meals, shelters, and education! A point in the Flamels' favour was that she owed them so much.
And really, the Flamels had such a small part to play in the books; how much would change if she kept them alive? Besides, it wasn't ever clarified how much longer they lived after the Stone was destroyed. Dumbledore had told Harry in the book that they would live long enough to sort their affairs—but what did that mean? A week? A year? Several years?
Cyrna chewed on her bottom lip, deep in thought. The war really only affected Wizarding Britain, so maybe it'd be fine if she just got them to move somewhere else?
The more she rationalized her new plan to save the Flamels, the more she was tempted to act.
And weeks later, Cyrna had properly convinced herself to bring it up after dinner.
"There's something I wanted to tell the both of you," Cyrna said. Prince purred quietly on her lap, as if sensing her nerves. She combed through his hair, giving him a soft smile when he licked her fingers.
"What is it?" asked Perenelle.
Nicolas set down his fork and watched her attentively.
Cyrna licked her lips, wetting them before she spoke, "Nicolas asked me how I knew about the Philosopher's Stone," Cyrna paused when she saw Perenelle turn to Nicolas in surprise. It seemed that Nicolas had trusted her to inform Perenelle. That trust was... undeniably touching. Cyrna felt a bit more confident with her decision, and she went on, "I've decided to tell you how I know about it—That was what I was hiding from you."
The Flamels exchanged a look. "Do you want us to swear an oath?" Nicolas asked.
"No," said Cyrna dismissively. Then she paused, put-off by her own response. "No," she said slowly, as if realizing her own truth, "your word is good enough." Cyrna didn't catch the soft smile that Nicolas directed at her nor the beaming look of joy that transformed Perenelle's face.
....
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