The sensation almost knocked Lina out cold. She struggled to remain aware of her brother's hand, which began to slowly slip from her grasp. A sudden impact against her shoulder jerked her hand back, and when feeling returned to her hand, she noticed Noé was no longer beside her. She hit the ground a second later. Wrestling with her consciousness, Lina opened her eyes and glanced around her. There were no Death Eaters in sight. Her eyes slowly sank shut. She heard papa stir beside her.

'Wait here,' he pleaded, quietly, his voice hoarse. Lina heard his footsteps receding. 'Noé!' his voice grew more distant by the second. Within a matter of minutes he was gone.

Lina rolled over onto her side, her shoulder screaming in protest. She sucked air in through her teeth as she moved into a crouch and began to rise. In opening her eyes she noticed that the sun had not yet risen where she stood, the darkness and the silence pressing in close around her. She turned in a slow circle, examining her surroundings. Dry grass crunched beneath her feet, and was accompanied by a more sudden, louder, crack. Lina flinched, her hands reaching down to the dark earth, pulling up the shattered fragments of the wand she had taken from the death eater; the only evidence she had that any of the events of this morning had happened. She tucked the fragments into the pockets of her trousers, unsure of what to do with them. They were currently her only possession. Her books lay uncared for on the dining table of the cottage. She recited the only spells she knew, silently muttering the incantations in order to calm the panic that was beginning to flutter in her stomach. Homenum revelio. Protego. Expeliarmus. Stupefy. The only spells she had been taught to keep her father and her brother safe.

The sun was beginning to rise over the barren hilltops that enclosed the valley. A light glimmer revealed the white gown of a figure who stood perhaps five hundred paces away. The figure moved slowly, though Lina was too far away to be able to see which way it was facing. She ducked quietly behind the nearest rock and waited. Homenum revelio. Protego. Expeliarmus. Stupefy. The shadows grew shorter as the sun grew higher into the sky. Lina's two large brown eyes squinted over the rock. She fell back. The figure in the white gown was now no more than one hundred paces away.

'Lina!' The sound came from behind her. She willed it silent as she turned halfway, her eyes remaining fixed on the woman steadily moving towards her. A second voice shouted her name, the wind reducing it to a whisper. Noé. If not for her fear she would have breathed a sigh of relief. After perhaps a minute, she heard eager footsteps brushing through the grass behind her. They stopped. Three pairs of eyes were now fixed at the woman in the white gown. Lina's dad's face stilled, unmoving, until a smile cracked it in two.

'Cassandra!' He sprang forwards with a certain energy, his body lurching towards the woman who smiled and waved politely, until she thought better of it and opened her arms wide for a hug. Their arms clung to each other for a number of seconds before Cassandra stepped out of the embrace.

'It's good to see you Elias.' Her voice was warm, earthy, filled with the promise of a brighter day. She smiled kindly and continued.

'And it's wonderful to see you Lina,' she nodded towards where Lina knelt behind the rock, 'and you too Noé,' her fingers fluttered in the air in greeting.' Lina and Noé looked quizzical, Noé starting forward and Lina pulled him back by his forearm with a stern look, her face clouded by a distrust no eleven-year-old should feel. Lina winced as she noticed the bruises on Noé's arm – likely from the mishap with the portkey.

Their father smiled apologetically towards the woman in the white gown. 'I'm sorry I think they - '

'It's quite alright, Elias. I didn't expect them to remember me – they were so young when I last saw them,' then, speaking to Lina and Noé, 'I was a friend of your mother's.' She stretched an arm out towards them, and when Lina still refused to move, she drifted through the grass, her skirts suspended for a moment before she sat down, folding her legs neatly beneath her. 'You must be going to Beauxbatons this year Lina. I'm sure you'll be the brightest student, if you're anything like your maman, that is.' She smiled, And Elias nodded but his eyes were heavy.

'She will be.' Elias' voice was gruff, thick with the tears that were spilling across his cheeks. He stood proud and pulled the corners of his mouth upwards with agonising effort. 'She can already do a little magic.' He reached over to squeeze Lina's hand before moving to hold Noé's as well. Cassandra smiled encouragingly at them both. 'But that's enough small-talk,' He searched the plains for death eaters. 'We must find somewhere-'

'I don't know how you've managed these last three months,' the words escaped her lips softly, and she paused for a moment, wrestling with a decision. 'Would you like to come and stay in my house? I've got a spare room and - '

'I couldn't ask that of you,' Elias seemed to wrestle with his conscience as his eyes flickered anxiously around, settling on the sky while he raised his brows and squeezed his lips tight in order to clear the tears, and then the ground. 'The Death Eaters would put you in danger too.'

'Please - allow me. For Camille.' The name of Lina's maman lingered in the silence. It was the first time it had been spoken as more than a whisper since her death. 'I - ' Cassandra's head drooped, her silver hair obscuring her face. 'Let me know if there's anything I can do.' She rose. Elias stepped forwards, hesitantly.

'Thank you. We truly appreciate. If we could stay – just for a short while of course - we wouldn't want to impose – really just a day or two.' His guilt was clear in his eyes and the tone of his voice dropped with an air of heavy responsibility. 'I'll find someplace safe soon, a place we can stay for as long as we need,' he directed his voice at Lina and Noé. Noé nodded slowly, the little boy's face pensive; adorned with a serious frown. Cassandra held out her hands. Elias gripped one and Lina and Noé the other.

'Hold on,' she smiled. The world began to fade into darkness and when light once more erupted around them they were standing in the cosy living room of a small cottage. Noé blinked as he stumbled back, surprised. His legs crumpled beneath him and he giggled. 'Woah.'

Cassandra smiled as she lifted a small stack of books that were lying splayed across the coffee table in the centre of the room. 'The spare bedroom is the first door on the right up the stairs. Get comfortable I'll prepare some snacks,' and she was gone, her gown fluttering behind her, the air suddenly rich with lavender. Lina ushered Noé upstairs. She walked slowly, heavily, her arm aching from the fall from the portkey, her mind trying to rationalise their last desperate escape from the death eaters. She had left all her books in the previous house. Homenum revelio. Protego. Expeliarmus. Stupefy. She glared out of the window, her eyes scanning for dangers. Noé tugged at her sleeve, and she was shaken out of her thoughts by the mischief in his deep brown eyes. She took one last glance at the sun, drifting through the clear blue sky, tinting the grass an artificially bright green. Before Lina could slow him, Noé leapt at the carefully made bed, and began to bounce, a cheerful giggle erupting into the room. She didn't know how he was still able to find such energy, but without hesitation, she followed him. She soared through the air, arms and legs flailing, smiling widely, and laughing breathlessly. She landed, and the flawlessly tucked white sheets and neatly folded cotton duvet were thrown into the air with force as the mattress sprung away. They bounced on the bed, suspended in this instant of blissful ignorance, allowing themselves to be lost to laughter while the memories of a painful summer slipped away. Their father, Elias, was downstairs engaged in conversation with Cassandra. A tea kettle boiled away on the stove, the warm, sweet, earthy scent of chamomile blending with the lavender that encircled the cottage. The brightness that was pouring through the window gently dulled as clouds began to thicken in the sky.

Elias wrung his hands nervously on his lap. 'I don't think Lina can go to Beauxbatons.' There was a long pause with only the whistle of the kettle on the stove to fill it. 'It's too dangerous - she'd never be able to defend herself from all of those who want revenge on… on Camille,' he whispered the name, wincing as he did so.

Cassandra, blinked slowly, understanding. She hesitated before she spoke. 'Elias I'm sure there are plenty of people who would look after her there, and… and - and if Lina makes sure to never expose her identity when there then perhaps she wouldn't need to defend herself.'

Elias tensed his jaw and began to shake his head before Cassandra had finished speaking'It's too late.' His voice came out a little louder than either of them had expected, tinged with frustration and concern. 'All it would take would be for one Death Eater's child to recognise that Lina's mother was the auror who locked them away in Azkaban and she would never be safe again. So far away from those that could help and so alone. I can't do it.'

'You might be right.' The tea began to boil on the stove and the kettle whistled consistently. Thick white steam began to billow into the kitchen. 'But think of how many others are in Lina's position. So many refugees from Hogwarts will be joining this year, so many who lost parents to either sides of the fight. Lina wouldn't be the only one.'

'Camille would know what to do,' is all Elias confessed, hanging his head in resignation. 'She was always supposed to be there to protect us.'

Cassandra nodded. 'I'm sure Camille's many old friends, teachers who she both taught and fought alongside, will be there to help.' Camille breathed in a deep sigh, steadying herself for what she was about to admit. 'But I understand your hesitation, Elias. These are dark times and although one battle may be won, the war is far from over. They found Death Eaters in Paris last week. There were enough people there who still supported them and helped them escape. It won't be easy if Lina does go, for either you, Noé or her. Nevertheless I think she must.'

Upstairs, Lina's ears perked up at the trumpeting whistle emanating from the kitchen. She quickly collided with the door before pushing through, giggles still bursting from her lips and stomping happily down the stairs. Cassandra and Elias went quiet at the sound, polite smiles appearing as Cassandra lifted herself to her feet and removed her wand from her robes. She motioned for four ceramic cups to come from the cupboards behind her. The kettle drifted into the air and slowly filled each cup. Despite the breeze drifting in through the open windows, the entwined lavender and chamomile which filled the room and the polite smiles painted onto the faces of Cassandra and papa, Lina knew something was wrong.

'What is it?' She whispered with hesitation, steeling herself because she knew there was never good news anymore nowadays. The teacups drifted through the air, accompanied by small spiced biscuits. Cassandra took hold of Lina's and handed it to her directly. Her smile was apologetic.

'I said, what is it?'

Elias cleared his throat and straightened up in the plush white armchair. Lina steadied herself against the banister, her fingers clasped around the teacup.

'I don't think you should go to Beauxbatons.'

'But –'

'It's too dangerous.'

'But –'

'Too many people want their revenge. The war is not over.'

'But –'

'I'm scared Lina.' His voice broke.

'Going is the only way I can protect myself!' She stopped short.

'It's too dangerous,' Elias repeated, his voice softer this time.

'It's already dangerous for me here. At least if I go I can protect myself,' and raising her chin, she added abruptly 'I want to go.'

Noé and Cassandra glanced nervously between them, Cassandra taking small sips of her tea and Noé crunching noisily on his biscuit. Eventually Cassandra stepped forwards, looking kindly at Elias, and parted her lips slightly to speak.

'I can send an owl to some of the teachers I know we can trust, if it helps you make up your mind. I'll be working at the hospital wing of Beauxbatons myself so I can also help keep an eye on her.'

Elias nodded slowly in response. 'Ok, send the owl. But this doesn't mean I'm agreeing just that I'm considering.' A heavy puff of air forced its way out of his chest. He looked sharply down towards the ground to his left and bit down on the inside of his cheek. He slowly sank back into his chair and rested his head back, before remaining motionless. Lina sipped at her tea, her sense of victory wrestling with the guilt of papa's her tea was finished, she went to bring it to the kitchen. She smiled at Cassandra who was opening a window there, before stopping to stare at the large stack of books on the table, which she recognised as having been on the coffee table earlier. She brushed her fingers over the lettering on the spine as she read the titles. The cup clattered as she popped it on the table, but she didn't notice, she was engrossed in the idea of reading and learning the books, leaning forward to open the top which was titled 'A History of Modern Magical Medicine, Volume III'. Lina sat in an available chair, sliding in, her feet dangling above the floor which she couldn't quite touch, as she flicked through the heavy book past the contents and the foreword until she reached the first chapter.

'Until the Renaissance, which saw the start of the exponential growth of new magical cures to treat various ailments that we are familiar with today, the bezoar stone was hailed as a broad-spectrum cure used by muggles and wizards alike. Now we understand that whilst it has seen great success as an antidote to a wide range of poisons, there are far more effective specific cures, labelled as 'magic bullets' by early researchers, which enable us to target known poisons with greater success. Nevertheless, the bezoar is still a cure favoured by many…'

Cassandra cleared her throat nearby and Lina looked up sheepishly. She apologised and moved to close the book, yet Cassandra reached out a hand to stop her.

'Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're curious – it reminds me a little of your maman – I just thought you might like me to get something more relevant; something that you're likely to learn in your first year at Beauxbatons.'

Lina smiled her gratitude and nodded. Cassandra exited the room, leaving Lina to feel a flutter of excitement stir in her stomach. It was real. She was going to Beauxbatons, if she could convince her dad. But that battle was nearly won. The calendar hanging from the wall above had a small red circle over the 7th of September, Lina counted three weeks exactly. She should get her letter any day now. She withheld a squeal of enthusiasm and set to calming the wide, toothy smile that pulled on her lips. Cassandra returned silently, holding three tidily bound books. She leant to hand them to Lina when there was a knock on the door. Reacting instantly, she dropped them onto the table before reaching for her wand and allowing her arm to float gently through the air, whisked the door open. Outside stood a tall, slender woman with olive skin and dark hair pulled back tightly into an elegant bun. Sleek satin was draped daintily over her frame and opal adorned her wrists, fingers and neck. She smiled elegantly, authority, elegance and kindness apparent in the flickers of light that passed through her onyx eyes.

'Bonjour Cassandra. The famille is here?'

Cassandra returned the greeting warmly and nodded, indicating Elias, who sat in the chair behind her with Noé in the living room and Lina, who was just emerging from the kitchen, three books clutched tightly in her arms, which were folded defensively across her chest. 'Thank you for coming so quickly, Maxine, it will mean a lot to Elias, and to Lina.'

'Je suis Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons. I received your owl and thought it best to welcome you immediately and in person, there is no point in allowing worries to simmer for longer than necessary.'

Then speaking directly to Elias she added 'I have many parents in the same position as you and wanted to comfort you with the knowledge that we will do everything in our power to ensure that your daughter is safe. Beauxbatons has excellent facilities and no tolerance for the followers of Voldemort. She will be safe with us.' Madame Maxime smiled warmly as she placed a hand over her heart in earnest.

'Cassandra will help you find the required texts for the first year of your studies.' The headmistress slowly allowed a slender arm to drift elegantly through the air and reach into a pocket to remove a letter. It was adorned with silver calligraphy and a pale blue seal. She released it from her fingertips and allowed it to drift towards Lina.

'I formally invite you to Beauxbatons and look forward to welcoming you in a few weeks' time.' She smiled one last time at each person in the room, before waving her goodbye and disappearing. A stunned silence filled the house.

Lina fumbled to catch the letter without dropping her books, transferring her books to one arm to be able to extend her right hand to catch the clean white envelope. Noé leapt up excitedly.

'Open it! Go on. Open it!'

And Lina did, seating herself first to steady her shaking legs. She placed the books on the coffee table and proceeded to tear the seal on the envelope, pulling out fine parchment. She unfolded it to find two separate pages, one inviting her to Beauxbatons and the other a list of required things, including books, a wand, robes, a cauldron and an animal. She tucked it neatly away. She smiled up at her father, and his eyes, rimmed red and glistening, his jaw clenching, his throat bobbing, slowly returned the smile, nodding with gentle encouragement. He leant down and pressed a kiss to Lina's forehead. He smiled sadly at Cassandra. Then, weighed down by invisible sorrows, he made his way towards kitchen. The lights were off and the darkness was closing in outside. His silhouette placed his elbows on the table with gentle thuds, and pushed his palms onto his forehead, just above his brows. His body slowly withered with a deep sigh.

That night, when Lina was lying on a mattress on the floor of the spare room, her heart ached. Maman should have been there to open her letter with her. She would have jumped into the air with excitement, and brought them all cake to eat until they were bursting. She would have been here, talking late with Lina when she couldn't sleep for the excitement, her smile brightening every moment until the past was so distant that it nearly ceased to exist, living only for the present and the future. As that smile faded away from her memory, leaving Lina with only the terrible sound of the thunderstorms that struck when they had received the news of her death, and the rain that had rolled down her cheeks with her tears. For she had been left with a hole in her chest that gaped so wide that it could never be filled. Not with books, not with laughter and not with excitement. At least not for now. Lina's inner tempest battled, all of her happiness at this day oppressed by all of her sadness and all of her fear. Her feelings stirred restlessly until her eyes drifted closed and her breathing steadied.

A few days late but I hope you enjoyed it nevertheless! Once more I have no claim to the Harry Potter world, just this story :).