A story (also courtesy of my holiday!) about the Peverell sisters. I know they aren't mentioned in the books, but I thought, if their brothers have a saying attributed to them, why can't another saying come from the same family?
Old Sayings
Chapter 1 – The Beginning of an Infatuation
You may have heard the saying "Witches born in May will marry Muggles." It actually does have a basis of fact. It happened to me and my sisters. When we lived we were the Peverell sisters: Annora, Caelia and Ina. We were triplets – born on the same day, only an hour separating us from each other. I suppose what happened later in our lives could be blamed on the fact we were born on Friday the 13th, although, thinking about it, that's a Muggle idea not a wizard one…
Anyway, Friday the 13th of May 1403 and we were born. Annora came first, then me, then Ina.
Actually, we were quite unusual for the time. For one, triplets were quite uncommon and for another, children didn't have much chance of reaching adulthood, so it was with great celebration that all three of us reached our seventeenth birthday, the traditional age at which wizards and witches are counted as adults. Most of our friends the same age were married long before our birthday, so, again, we were unusual in that respect.
The reasons for our still-single status were our brothers: Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus. They were in their twenties, the age at which wizards were normally married. Before that happened, our father wanted to settle them in work…and his sons were always more important to him than his daughters, anyway. However, our mother would not wait any longer, and so, she began to look for suitors.
Our village of Godric's Hollow was near to a Muggle village, an occasionally, we would frequent it – to buy little trinkets partly, but mostly out of curiosity: how could these Muggles cope without magic? How could they spend their whole lives working or cleaning? We thought them funny creatures. Everyone did.
Well, it so happened one day that my younger sister, Ina wanted to look at the baskets in the Muggle market (or so she said) and Annora and I agreed to go with her. So, tucking our wands under our cloaks, we started out on the walk to Little Worthington. When we reached the market however, Ina paid little attention to the baskets. She watched a young man travelling between stalls, with a strange smile on her face.
Before Annora and I could ask what was going on, the man turned and caught her watching him. He stared back, gave a tentative smile of his own, then turned back into the crowd and disappeared.
"Is he not handsome?" whispered Ina.
"Well, yes, a little," said Annora. "But he is a Muggle is he not? What would Mother say if she knew?"
"Relax, Annora," laughed my younger sister. "I am just looking. It is nothing serious!"
"Is that all you dragged us here for, then?" I asked. "To watch some Muggle?"
"Partly," admitted Ina. "But promise to tell no-one! I don't want the whole village to think I have bad taste!"
We laughed and started back home.
I suppose our attitudes to Muggles weren't as you might think of as normal now. You might think us prejudiced and unfair. But that was the common view of Muggles in our time. It was fine to go to their villages. It was acceptable to talk to them a little. What was not fine, not acceptable, was to become friendly with them, or worse.
Muggles still feared us and some still hunted us (often getting other Muggles however). It followed that the wizarding communities would not try to integrate with them, because of the hostility they showed to people they believed to be like us.
I know that now, in the present day, Muggles are still a source of curiosity for some, but people are not so much prejudiced against them. I even know of witches and wizards who married Muggles.
But, as I say, in my time, Muggles and wizards lived separate. Wizards kept their distance. Wizards always kept their distance.
Always?
However much she asserted otherwise to us in the next few months, it was clear to Annora and I that Ina was becoming infatuated with the Muggle man she had seen. A little wine one night and some careful probing caused her to reveal that she knew a lot more of him than we had thought.
His name was Thomas Granger, she said, and he was twenty years of age. He had at least two sisters and a brother, all younger than him. His father was a blacksmith and Thomas was to become one too, when his father died…
At this point we stopped her, not eager to hear such trivia about the Muggle. But we realised that we could not let her continue this association with him. Our parents our brothers would frown on it for sure. But how to stop it without breaking our promise? Talking would not work – our words seemed to just wash over her…
Eventually, one day ( many months after the first sighting of Granger the Muggle) we were to go to Little Worthington again, and this time, we persuaded our brothers to come with us. Well, two of our brothers. Cadmus and Ignotus agreed to come, but Antioch said he had "other, more important things to attend to." Pompous pig.
My plan was that Granger would greet Ina, in the friendly, almost affectionate way she had become accustomed to. Our brothers would see this affection, demand who he was and why he greeted her so, and hopefully, completely discourage Ina from ever setting eyes on him again. Or so I hoped.
The first part of my plan went well – the Muggle saw Ina and approached her. Annora, knowing my intentions, distracted Cadmus and Ignotus with a comment on the buildings (or some such thing). It worked, and when we all looked back, we were just in time to see that Muggle plant a kiss on Ina's cheek. Cadmus looked outraged and Ignotus had gone very white.
Thomas Granger, apparently oblivious to the uproar he had just created, spoke a few soft words in Ina's ear and walked away. She stood still, watching him go. Cadmus marched up to her- Ignotus and I followed.
"Why did that Muggle do that?" asked Cadmus, in a very, very quiet voice.
"Do what?" asked Ina, looking anxious.
"This."
Cadmus tapped the spot where Granger had bestowed his kiss, with force. Ina flinched but said nothing.
"Ina, you cannot associate with Muggles like that!"
Ignotus spoke more gently, but only marginally.
"Our types cannot mix in the way you wish them to! Muggles marry Muggles. Witches marry wizards. You cannot change the rules just like that!"
Ina looked up, eyes brimming with tears.
"I do not want to …marry him…" she whispered.
"Then you are showing it all wrong!" snapped Cadmus. "The shame brought on this family if you were to marry…that! Keep away from Muggles. As soon as we get back, Father and Mother are going to hear this whole story from me. You will not be allowed to come here again!"
He marched ahead of us, as if he could no longer stand being around his youngest sister.
"He is right, Ina," said Ignotus. "But I will try to persuade him not to tell Mother and Father of it just now. However, you must promise me not to see that Muggle again."
Ina said nothing.
"You must," persisted Ignotus. "Otherwise, I will tell Mother and Father myself."
"Yes," she said unwillingly. "I promise."
Ignotus nodded and ran ahead to catch Cadmus up. I eyed my younger sister uneasily. My plan had not gone very well. Of course, my brothers had put a stop to her association with the Muggle, but I hadn't meant to make her cry…
Annora caught my eye, looking guilty. It had gone further than we had planned.
I looked back at Ina and took note of the determined gleam in her eye. Something told me her promise to Ignotus had been false. She intended to see Thomas Granger again, in secret, risking the anger of our parents and extended family. Who knew how she would overcome that?
AN/ Ok, read and review. Use my review system if u like.
What did you think? What parts did you like/dislike?
What parts could I improve? Am I repeating myself or not using enough adjectives? I dunno…
What do you think will happen next? I just want to know if it's too predictable…
So please review! I really appreciate feedback!