Chapter 2
Six-year-old Adler Summers and his father, Leonard, played in the garden while Helen cleaned the house. It was the middle of June, and everyone was either inside or out to the loch. Helen had enchanted the dishes to wash themselves. The laundry was folding itself neatly into a pile, and Adler's toys in the den were putting themselves away neatly. Leonard's owl, Venus, sat on her perch watching Helen move about the house, hooting as she walked by waiting for a treat. "You don't need a bloody treat you're just sitting there!" Helen yelled at her and threw a mackerel. Venus caught it midair and flew about the room. "I have no idea why you're so anxious to go out right now, its midday." Helen walked into the kitchen as the last of the dishes was being dried by a towel. The plate floated into the cabinet and the door closed just as Leonard and Adler walked in. "Helen, my love, Adler may or may not have fallen off his bicycle. I tried enchanting it so it wouldn't fall over, but he's just got a scratch on his chin." Adler peered around his father's leg to look at his mother. "Adler, my boy, come here and let mummy see your scratch." Adler slowly walked over to Helen and held his head high up so she could see. His baby blue eyes were still watery from where he had been crying. Helen smiled at him and gave his chin a kiss. "There, now my sweet prince, would you like a snack while watching the telly?" Adler smiled at his mother and nodded his head. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and headed for the sitting room to watch his programs. Helen looked at Leonard, "Why would you enchant his bicycle in this neighborhood? There are muggles around! Seriously Leonard, sometimes I don't think you use that brain of yours." Leonard stepped towards his wife, "If we didn't live in a muggle neighborhood and lived somewhere like Godrics Hollow we wouldn't have any issues Helen. Sometimes I don't think you take my ideas into consideration." Helen lowered her voice, "I didn't want Adler growing up being surrounded by the wizarding community. I wanted him to grow up believing muggles aren't different from us." "But they are different, Helen," Leonard pointed at the house next door and exclaimed, "we're bloody wizards! We aren't like these people." With a violent flick of the wrist, he used his wand to conjure up the afternoon tea. "I'll bring Adler his tea." A small tray had appeared with a small plate of crumpets. Adler's favorite tea was in a small teacup as well. "Leviosa." He flicked his wand and the tray levitated over the table. Leonard walked the tray into the sitting room where Adler was laying on the floor with his head in his hands as a cartoon was playing on the television. Leonard lowered the tray next to Adler and sat on the couch to watch the cartoon with him.
Adler watched as the cartoon cat chased the little mouse around the house and into its mouse hole. He picked up a crumpet and nibbled on it engrossed in the television. "Daddy?" Adler began, "can we get a kitten?" He turned towards his father with curious eyes. Leonard smiled sweetly at his little son, "That is a discussion we could have with your mother, son. Almost every witch or wizard has some sort of pet that they take with them to school when they head off to Hogwarts. Maybe we'll get you one for your birthday, how about that?" Adler smiled excitedly. "I'm gonna name it Apple!" Leonard laughed and hugged his son. "Quite a good name for a cat, son. Daddy's got to go to work. I love you, Ad." Adler hugged his father back. "Love you too, Daddy." Adler turned back towards the television and laughed as the mouse bit the cat's tail.
"Afternoon Summers!" Bernard Belsby waved to Leonard as he stepped out of the fireplace and into the main lobby of the Ministry. "Hello Bernard. How are you today?" They walked towards the elevators. "Oh, the usual. Karen's persistent on me to take holiday now that we can afford one. How's Helen and your little one?" "We're doing well. Helen and I got into an argument this morning about being surrounded by muggles. I tried enchanting Adler's bicycle to not fall over in the garden and she was afraid a neighbor would see." Bernard chuckled, "Have you talked to her about moving into Godrics Hollow?" "She won't budge, says that she wants Adler to be surrounded by muggles. I don't understand why. I'd prefer to have a house elf and live like a normal wizarding family. She's so focused on them, it's a wonder she didn't marry one." The doors of the elevator opened and both men stepped inside. "Level Three." Bernard stated to Virgil the house elf. "Let's see what troubles people have gotten into today. Hopefully, nothing too major that we can't work out." Bernard and Leonard worked for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Their first accident together was a young witch who was startled by her boyfriend. She was working in her garden when he came up behind her, startled, she dropped her wand on the ground and her plants grew five times bigger and swallowed the boyfriend whole. As the elevator doors opened on Level Three, Leonard's boss was standing with parchment rolls in his arms. "We've got quite the case for you boys."
Helen sat and watched as Adler rode on his toy broomstick. "Look mummy! I'm flying!" "Good job, baby! Let's put the broom away so we can go shopping. Mummy's got to get some materials from Diagon Alley." She got up and stuck her wand in her hair. Just then a sharp pain stung her side and she fell to the floor. A memory came flooding into her mind, one she had tried to bury the day it happened. Helen was carrying a sleeping Adler into his room. She had just set him in his crib and turned to leave when she heard a deep voice come from the crib. "THE END OF HOGWARTS DRAWS NEAR…. THE CHILD BORN OF THE SUMMER SAGE WILL REVIVE HER…. WHILE HER HEART STILL BEATS, THE BLOOD RUNS THIN… HER MIND WILL CLOUD AS THE LUNGS COLLAPSE… CEASING THE END OF HER LIFE. ONLY WHEN THE CHILD ACCEPTS THIS FATE WILL SHE BE REVIVED." Helen looked inside the crib and saw Adler close his eyes and fall asleep peacefully. Panicked, she sent her mother an owl asking what was meant about this new prophecy. She worried and waited for a response from her mother. Finally, a week after she sent the owl, her mother's reply came. "This family has a secret that I should have told you long ago…one that involves your son."
Helen regained her consciousness as Adler kneeled next to her. "Mummy!" "I'm okay, my love." She smiled weakly at her sweet son's concerned face. His bright blue eyes watered with worry, contrasted to his dark brown hair that covered his eyes. "We have to take you to get a trim, don't we?" Adler smiled his toothy grin as Helen swept his hair out of his face. She stood up as the pain receded and grabbed her handbag. "Grab my hand, Addy." Adler grabbed his mother's hand. Helen took him to the fireplace and took the Floo Network to Diagon Alley. "We have to get your father some new robes for work, but have to stop at Gringotts first."
Adler looked around at all the other Witches and Wizards passing by along the street. They walked by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour as a mother and child were fighting about having too much ice cream. Adler looked and saw the big white building that was Gringotts. "Adler, do not stare at the Goblins they can be quite rude. Just keep quiet and stay close." Helen began up the steps to the front door. Adler held onto her hand as he looked around and saw the large bronze doors opened while the silver doors remained closed. A goblin remained at the doors, "Identification please." "Is everything okay? I'm just here to withdraw some funds out of my vault." He gave her a stern look. "New protocol has been placed. Identification, please." He outstretched his thin arm towards Helen. She handed him her wand to be searched. He held it for a minute and looked at her. "Very well. You may enter." He held out her wand and she placed it back in her bun. "Thank you." She grabbed Adler's hand and walked through the silver doors.
Leaving Gringotts, Helen and Adler headed towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get Leonard his robes. "Helen? Helen Sage?" A woman's voice rose from the crowd. "Summers, actually." Helen stated matter-of-factly. The plump blond woman emerged from the crowd with two children behind her. "Oh my goodness! I haven't seen you since seventh year! It's me, Lynda. Lynda Thomas, from Hufflepuff." Helen smiled politely and nodded. "Oh Lynda, how have you been?" "I'm doing fantastic, these two right here are my little—Did you say Summers? As in you and Leo?" Lynda raised her eyebrow. "Yes, and this is our little boy Adler." Helen looked at her son as he hid behind her legs. "He definitely is like his father isn't he? Shy with the ladies." Lynda laughed. "Yes, well, I have shopping to do so I guess I will see you later." "Oh, of course! I'll send an owl your way here in a couple days, we should have tea and biscuits together! You can bring your little one with you to have a play date with my children." Helen smiled and began to walk away. "That sounds nice Lynda, thank you." Helen picked up Adler and carried him towards Madam Malkin's. "Mummy, do I have to play with them?" Helen smiled. "Only if you want to, Addy." She kissed his forehead and he laid his head on her shoulder as she walked.
Helen thought about what Lynda said. She hadn't heard her maiden name in years. When she was younger she was proud of the Sage surname. However, now that she was older she knew that the Sage surname was a curse. After she heard the prophecy come from Adler's crib, she began to do her research on her family history. She found that her family had a long running history of the women in the family purely being Ravenclaws. She sent an owl to her mother asking her for the reason behind it. Her mother sent a letter back, "Our family is a matriarchy dear. You're the first in a long line of Sage women to have taken her husband's name. Every first born Sage woman has been sorted to Ravenclaw for as far as I can remember. Not once have we been sorted anywhere else. With your husbands side of the family I have heard that it's always the first born male to be sorted into Gryffindor. I would like you to visit me this summer, bring little Addy too."
When the summer came, Helen had packed up the small family and headed towards the countryside where her family home was located. Sage Manor sat in the quiet countryside of Ireland, a large stone wall ran the perimeter of the property with a wrought iron gate as the only opening in the wall. "The years have not been good to this place." Leonard whispered to Helen as they walked through the gate. They looked around and saw as nature had taken its course with the Manor. Vines were growing up on the walls. The large yard had been overtaken by weeds and the grass was overgrown. Most of the trees had looked dead. "Are you sure she still lives here and hasn't abandoned ship?" Leonard said as he stepped over a large root that had grown over the pathway to the Manor. Helen was silent as they walked to the front doors. When they reached the door, Helen gripped the old Eagle head knocker and knocked in a pattern; three quick knocks, a quick knock and a slow knock, two slow knocks and a quick knock, and one small quick knock. As she finished the last knock Leonard turned to see a completely different view from when they walked in. The yard was properly cared for, the trees were full of life with their leaves, and he could smell sweet scents in the breeze from the herbs the Sage family grew in their greenhouses. "It's a masking spell like the one Hogwarts has, my great grandmother put it on the house during World War Two. If you just do a normal knock my great aunt Gertrude's ghost comes and throws stones at you." Helen laughed as Leonard stared at her with an open mouth. "I forgot you have only seen it look like this the last time you were here when we were in school."
Helen's mother, Gerta, strolled around the corner of the house carrying a basket of sage leaves. "Hello my loves!" She set the basket on the step and gave them all a hug. "C'mere Adler my baby." Gerta said taking Adler out of Helen's arms. She motioned for them to enter the house and led them into the kitchen. "Helga, we have guests! Please make up some of your very best cookies and tea, we'll be in the dining room." Helga, the house elf, bowed so far her nose pressed hard against the floor. "Coming right up, Mistress Sage." Gerta set the basket of sage leaves on the counter top and walked them into the dining room. Inside the dining room was a large U shaped table with enough space for the Queens court to be seated. "It never fails, every time I'm here, I'm always astounded." Gerta sat down in one of the large chairs and Helen and Leonard followed suit. "What was it that you wanted to talk to me in person mother?" Gerta set Adler down on the floor and looked at Leonard. "There's some children's toys in the guest bedroom, third floor up, turn right and walk all the way down to the last door." Leonard picked Adler up off the ground and carried him out. He knew that he wasn't invited to the conversation Helen and her mother were about to have, and he wasn't going to argue. He'd ask Helen about it later.
When Gerta was certain Leonard was out of earshot she began her speech. "When you told me about what you heard, I knew while waiting for me to reply you would do some research. What did you find out?" Helen eyed her mother with an inquisitive look. "I found that, like you had said, most of the women in the Sage line have always been Ravenclaws. That it's been that way for a very long time." Gerta smiled and took a sip of tea. "Yes dear, it has been that way for centuries. Since the beginning of Hogwarts in fact." She set her teacup down and walked over to the large window viewing the Sage garden. "Rowena Ravenclaw is an ancestor of ours. It was in the mid-1890s when the name Ravenclaw was changed to Sage. Maria Ravenclaw married Fredrick Sage, she was so in love with him that everyone thought she had taken a love potion from him. Truth was, she was just smitten. She had taken his name and gave him seven boys. He was thrilled. On her last pregnancy however, things hadn't been going that well for them. They were struggling to keep food on the table, and she had three little ones still at home, while the older boys were off at Hogwarts. Fredrick had become a drunk and was never home. When she finally gave birth, Fredrick had seen that the child was a little girl and swore that she wasn't his. Maria was a faithful woman and everyone around them knew that the little girl was his. When the child had turned 11 she had been sent to Hogwarts. Her older brothers had been placed in every house except for one. She was sorted into Ravenclaw, the house only her mother had been in. When she was in her third year, it was discovered that she was very gifted in divination." Gerta turned to see that Helen was still listening. "What does this have to do with Addy?" She sat back down next to her daughter. "It was the first time a true prophecy was heard. One that as we speak is coming true about our family. When you mentioned to me what Adler had prophesied, I had done my own research of what it could mean. Her prophecy was only recorded at the end, no one was able to catch it in time to record." Gerta got back up and walked out of the room. Helen just sat there in silence. CRACK. Helga had appeared next to Helen, "I apologize for the intrusion Miss Helen, I was only coming to clean up." Helen smiled sweetly, "You're fine Helga. Mum just went into the other room." Helga bowed and snapped her fingers, the plates that Helen and Gerta were eating off of had vanished, as well as the tea cups. With another crack Helga vanished as Gerta walked back in the room. "Oh good, she got the plates." In her arms was a pensieve and a little bottle with white liquid in it. "What's the pensieve for mother?" She set the bowl down and opened the bottle, "Its Aunt Gertrude's memory of the prophecy." "Wait, Great Aunt Gertrude was that little girl?" Gerta smiled and poured the memory into the pensive. "No dear, Aunt Gertrude was her daughter. Great Grandmother Sage was the little girl in the story. Now listen." The memory swam around in the pensieve and Helen saw as a much younger version of her Great Great Grandmother emerged out of the liquid. Her mouth was moving but no noise was coming out. Helen leaned closer to hear it when the voice rang out loud. "THE CHILD OF THE SUMMER SAGE APPROACHES….HE WILL BE THE ONE TO REVIVE HER…HE WILL BE CALLED THE CHILD OF THE EAGLE."