Chapter One: Inheritance Test
Author note: This story is the nineteenth in the Magical Flashpoint series. It follows "Explaining Magic".
Full credit for the inheritance test goes to dunuelos, author of the long standing "Lone Traveler" series here on this site. I'll be borrowing both his inheritance test, as seen in "Lone Traveler: The Greatest Minister in History" and the cost (10 Galleons in the aforementioned story and 50 British pounds in a different Lone Traveler story).
Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, or Merlin.
With everything else going on, Alanna ended up staying the night at the Wordsworths. Shelley warned her girls against any repeats of their stunt from the last time Alanna had slept over, while Alanna retreated to the guest room, trying not to blush too badly at the reminder.
A knock came on the door roughly ten minutes after Alanna had unpacked her bag. "Yes?" she called.
The door creaked open, Shelley peeking around the edge. "Do you have a minute, Alanna?"
"Sure," Alanna replied, turning to her pseudo-aunt. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and sitting on the edge of the bed, she asked nervously, "Uncle Wordy hasn't had any more attacks, has he?"
"Not yet," Shelley reassured the young girl as she entered and closed the door behind her. "But he is insisting on sleeping in the living room tonight…on the floor."
Alanna bit her lip. "He might be right," she admitted. "Honestly, this is probably the first time any techie's been actually treated for exposure to the Cruciatus…so not even the Healers were sure how long it would take for the aftereffects to fade."
Shelley frowned. "If I recall correctly, those 'Death Eaters' went after techies and tech-borns quite a bit, right?"
A bob of the head and Alanna didn't look up at all. "Yeah, but, well…" Alanna fidgeted a little, studying the floor and playing with a bracelet on her wrist. "For me, it's history," Shelley nodded, "But I always got the impression that even though the 'good guys' knew that non-magicals were being targeted and cursed and stuff…they didn't really do anything. Not in the First War, not in the Second. The Second War, some of them had the really, really good excuse that they were trying to keep themselves alive long enough to stop the bad guys…plus, they were kids, about mine and Lance's age." Alanna pulled one knee up and hugged herself, still staring at the floor. "But there isn't any excuse, not really…none of those people asked to be targeted by a madman or a war they didn't even know about."
Shelley studied the young girl a moment, then reached out and tipped her 'niece's' head up, meeting violet eyes. "Events and decisions made before you were even born aren't your burden to bear, Alanna. Yes, it's disappointing to know that my husband isn't the first techie to be hit with this curse and he won't be the last, but that is not your fault." Shelley's eyes warmed. "Sometimes, little one, you are far too quick to take the blame for things that aren't your fault or your choice. Auror Anderson chose to kidnap Claire and that other girl, he chose to use what you yourself called an 'Unforgivable'; Kevin chose to stay on duty and go after the girls without backup."
"But…" Alanna protested. "If Lance and I hadn't told Uncle Wordy about magic…"
Shelley laughed, but not meanly. "It sounds like Kevin and I would have found out about magic regardless, Alanna." Her smile was bright and wide. "Don't ever regret that day, little one. I don't, neither does Kevin…you and your brother have given Greg Parker and Team One far, far more than just magic." The woman cocked her head to the side. "You never had to hide who you are from us…and believe me, that makes a big difference."
Silence hung, but, at last, Alanna gave Shelley a tiny smile.
"I did want to ask you something else," Shelley admitted. When Alanna gave her a curious look, she continued, "What would it take to get that inheritance test for Claire?"
Alanna's eyes widened. "You want to do that?"
"Yes," came the simple reply.
The girl frowned, considering for several seconds. "We'd have to go to Gringotts; it costs money, but I can authorize the Calvin vault to pay for it…"
"You don't have to do that," Shelley protested.
"If you pay for it with non-magical money, it will be more expensive," was the flat reply. "I can ask what the conversion rate is while we're there and then you and Uncle Wordy can pay us back, but, please, let me do this," Alanna gave the older woman a pleading look, "That way, it's not quite as bad."
Shelley was still not pleased, but, studying the girl, she realized Alanna was still feeling guilty over the curse Kevin had been hit with. In the end, she decided it was worth a bit of pride to let the girl 'apologize' in her own way. "All right," she gave in. "Tomorrow?"
Alanna nodded.
"Okay. It's late, but I couldn't get dinner together this evening…I was too worried…so dinner is in ten minutes."
As Shelley turned to leave, a small voice from behind her came again. "Aunt Shelley?" She turned, arching a brow at the redhead. "Thanks."
Alanna led the way into Gringotts; behind her, the Wordsworth girls were wide-eyed at the sight of their very first goblins. The pureblood turned her head, watching as the Wordsworth parents soothed little Ally, who'd lost her adventurous spirit at the sight of the goblin guards outside the bank. A tiny, wistful smile worked its way across Alanna's face; well over two years and she still missed her parents, every day.
Looking at the guard still keeping the door open, she said, "Sorry about making you wait."
The guard gave her a startled look, unused to customers paying the guards any mind. Then he gave a little shrug, "Young have their own ways of doing things, milady, and their own sense of timing; it is not a problem."
Ally was finally persuaded into the bank's environs by her very patient father, who carried her past the goblin guards with an apologetic look of his own at the guard. The guard watched them with an unreadable look in his eyes.
"You wish an inheritance test for the young witch?" Silnok inquired, his reading glasses on his nose and a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"Yes," Alanna confirmed, "And I'd like the Calvin vault to pay for the test, if you please, Account Manager Silnok."
The goblin account manager was no fool; he already had what reports there were to be had concerning Auror Anderson and his actions towards Team One, Auror Simmons, and Constable Wordsworth. He could refuse, on the grounds that Sergeant Parker wasn't present to authorize the charge, but the ten Galleon cost for the test was much too small for him to make an issue of it. "Very well, Lady Calvin," he agreed. Turning to the young witch with her parents, he gestured her forwards. She moved up to his desk, eyes wide and nervous. "Please sit directly across from me," Silnok requested; once she sat, he rose and went to his office door to summon another goblin.
Once the goblin returned with the requested items, Silnok returned to his desk, placing the stone tablet with its stone inkwell on the desk between himself and the young witch. The inkwell had a fresh quill and the tablet's four corners each had a small, shallow bowl with a shiny, gray stone inside. A bottle of ink was on the tablet's surface with a large piece of parchment.
Silnok removed the quill from the inkwell and poured the fresh ink inside. Rather than give the girl instructions, he gestured for her to hold out one hand and maneuvered her right forefinger over the inkwell. A quick nip with a small dagger and he allowed three drops of blood to fall into the ink, then one drop of blood on each stone. Before releasing the young witch's hand, he pressed a bloodstone against the cut to heal it.
As the witch moved back to her parents, Silnok placed the quill back in the inkwell, then incanted in Gobbledegook and made a quick motion over the tablet before tapping it. The quill filled with ink, draining the inkwell, and lifted out of the well to begin writing. The three young witches and their parents watched, impressed by the quill that wrote by itself; it rapidly filled the parchment. When the quill was finished, Silnok gave a brief nod, picked up the quill, and walked over to the fireplace in his office. Without a second glance, he tossed the quill into the fireplace, letting it burn.
He heard Lady Calvin explaining his action to the technological family as he walked back and removed the parchment from the tablet. Naturally, he examined the parchment before offering it to the waiting family. His exclamation, in Gobbledegook, was best translated as, "Oh, Great Aslan, what have you gotten me into this time?"