Prologue: The Beginning of a Line
In a village in the Highlands, in the year 1032 Aisling Brennan was born to a prominent silver smith named Robert and his wife Collie, a witch who would never, even under pain of death admit to being one or use her magic. Aisling started showing signs of witchcraft in the cradle; never crying out, simply showing people what she needed or getting it herself. Collie began her descent to insanity, watching her daughter become something she sought so hard to hide in herself. As Aisling grew, her magic became even more prominent and Collie fell farther and farther in to the abyss that was her mind.
A letter arrived at their little cottage in the most peculiar manner just before Aisling turned eleven years old. It was letter welcoming her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; it was after this incident that Collie Brennan threw herself off a cliff because of her husband's insistence that their daughter go away to school.
When the time came to leave her father gave her a chain-link silver bracelet with a single charm on it: a flame to remind her of who she was; a light to others.
The first Brennan witch was very talented, quickly becoming the teachers' favorite student and even earning the grudgingly given respect of Salazar Slytherin, even though her blood wasn't quite a pure as he would have liked.
During her fifth year she gained the attention of one of the upper classmen, one of Slytherin's favorites, a Phillip Bicorne. He was impressed by the power and talent she displayed, and wanted it for his own line. Upon her graduation from Hogwarts he asked for her hand in marriage, but before she would agree to be his wife, she made him make her a promise that any witch born of their union would carry the name Brennan. He agreed, and after having five sons, she had the girl that would carry her name and legacy on; Anne Bicorne Brennan.
Aisling, not wanting to leave a witch of her line without protection created a spell to seal a portion of her power away in the charm on the bracelet her father had given her all those years ago, and when Anne went away to school, the bracelet went strapped on her wrist with a new charm, an emerald eyed cat.
When the time came for Anne to marry, she made her husband make the same promise her father had made to her mother, and when she had her daughter, Kathleen, Aisling taught Anne her spell, and when Kathleen went to school she had the bracelet with a charm in the shape of a star added to the others. And so it went for thirty-four more generations before Aisling's careful planning came to a head with the birth of Hermione Granger Brennan to Gabrielle Brennan and Charles Granger.
Our story truly begins with her. . .
The Brennan Witches
Note: it's year of birth: name; charm added on their behalf. Traditionally it's the father that picks the charm that goes on the bracelet.
1032: Aisling; flame
1069: Anne; cat
1090: Kathleen; star
1116: Emily; tower
1139: Jeanette; sword
1175: Violet; violet
1193: Athena; owl
1220: Aineer; Celtic knot
1257: Persephone; half pomegranate with 6 ruby seeds
1277: Corinne; heart
1302: Lilith; lily
1331: Mariah; amethyst bead
1355: Amelia; fox
1385: Regina; snowflake
1404: Jacqueline; broom
1436: Brenna; moonstone bead
1456: Dymphna; tiara
1485: Rose; rose
1519: Sabine; dancing shoe
1549: Isabelle; arrow
1571: Catalina; horse
1596: Mary; quill
1629: Celeste; moon
1650: Selina; fairy
1674: Elizabeth; winged horse
1701: Marie; cake
1732: Tara; white pawn
1761: Charlotte; amber bead
1793: Fawn; fawn
1820: Helen; ship
1847: Arianna; crystal slipper
1870: Janelle; carriage
1892: Felicity; clock
1912: Pearl; pearl
1950: Gabrielle; Eiffel Tower
September 19th, 1979: Hermione; book