Honor

Chapter 43

Freedom and New Possibilities

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Warm light shone from the lanterns around the room, midmorning in the villa, as Ivy sat in one of the comfortable chairs, a spellbook on her lap, as she practiced small spells assigned by one of the family tutors. Luisa had decided that as soon as Solstice had passed, Ivy should begin her magical education, alongside the children. So here she sat, practicing the basic wand motions required by most of the spells she would eventually use on a daily basis.

Swish. Flick. Swish. Flick. Circle around. Point. Flick. Lift. Again and again she practiced the motions, saying the spells to herself. She had begun to grasp the finer spell movements almost immediately, only having difficulty with spells that required more force of magic. Everyone told her not to worry, that it would come with time, but she remembered how easy magic had come to Lily. She wished it would be that easy for her. Lily had been extremely gifted at Charms and Potions. Luisa told her to just concentrate and take her time. Her magic would come on its own. Since hers had blossomed so late in her life, sparked to life by Jami's inherently strong magic, Luisa told her it would be a bit slow at first. But because of her lineage, the magic would be there for her.

So, she sighed and began again, checking the illustrations in the book periodically to make sure she was doing the movements correctly. The witch on the page smiled and nodded at her in encouragement and repeated the motion. Ivy tried it again, while carefully repeating the spell, making sure to enunciate it properly. There. That was the tenth spell she felt she had mastered the basics of this morning. She laid her willow wand in the crease of the pages, and laid her head back, closing her eyes.

It had been a busy month, since she had left her house in Little Whinging, for the last time. Now she was halfway across the world, healed from her physical wounds, all of them finally safe, with a new family, new identities, and new appearances--at least for her and her son. Jami's appearance had stayed the same. She had cried so many tears, though since arriving in Italy, they had been tears of gratitude and joy. They were just now getting comfortable with their new appearances and new identities. The Winter Solstice and Yule had been the best that she and the boys had ever had together, and the first for her since she had left her family. They were safe and the boys squealed with joy as they pulled at the brightly coloured paper on each gift. The spelled paper, ribbons, and bows had fascinated them. Jami was almost frightened of them. Severus had finally picked the boy up and settled him beside Tori and Remus. They encouraged him and showed him how to pull away the paper and that it wouldn't harm him. He sat quietly mesmerised for the better part of an hour, watching the other children open their gifts, seeming to enjoy their glee with their gifts.

Finally, when the others had finished opening their gifts and the floor was littered with colourful paper and ribbons, Remus laid a gaily-coloured box in Jami's lap. Callum squealed and clapped his hands. Jami looked at Callum, then back at the box. He looked at Callum again. His cousin pointed at the box.

'Gif' Jami, gif'! Open gif!' Callum encouraged Jami loudly.

Jami reached toward the bright green ribbon, and hesitated as the ribbon danced under his fingers. He looked up at Remus, who smiled and nodded at him. Looking back down, with a bit of determination, he carefully grabbed the ribbon in his small fist, and pulled. The ribbon came free very easily, and slithered to the floor. Jami watched open-mouthed, as the ribbon hit the floor, resembling a fabric snake. When the coiled ribbon stopped moving, he returned his attention to the paper on the box.

The paper was silver, with white unicorns bearing yokes of holly galloping across its surface, chasing pixies dressed in white and red. He reached out a finger and tried to touch one of the unicorns, but it whinnied and darted away. One of the pixies flew across the paper and stopped just short of his finger and waved at him as she winked, then darted off again. His eyes danced as a small smile touched his lips, one so small it was almost missed. Tori took his hand and pushed his fingers under the edge of the paper, prompting him to finish opening his first gift.

As his fingers were guided along the edge of the paper, he watched in fascination as the paper released and fell away, revealing a glossy white box, free of markings. Remus reached over and released the tab holding the top secure. Jami lifted the lid and cautiously peeked inside. The room around him was silent, as everyone watched, knowing this was a first for the tiny boy. Even Callum was as quiet as can be as he watched his cousin look inside the box.

The silence was broken by a tiny gasp, immediately followed by a squeak, as a puff of steam issued from the box, causing Jami to lean back into Tori. Large green eyes stared at the box, not sure what to do. He looked at Tori, then to Remus. Callum's eyes were round, as was his mouth, as he watched, waiting to see what gift his Jami had gotten. Tori reached into the box, and lifted out a small plush dragon, in colors of green, blue and silver. A red tongue flicked from its mouth as steam floated from its nostrils, and it had silver and black eyes. Jami's mouth formed an 'O', as he reached out to tentatively touch the soft fur that resembled scales. When his fingers made contact, the dragon trumpeted at him, causing Jami to smile.

'Here, take him Jami. They like to be hugged.' Tori placed it against Jami's chest and put his arms around it. 'It's ok, hug him.'

Jami hugged his new toy, and a sound very similar to a purr came from it, as plumes of steam puffed from its nose. Jami smiled wide and giggled, leaning down to place a kiss on its head. Everyone else in the room started to laugh, Jami's giggle being infectious.

He looked up at Remus. 'What it?' he asked.

'It's a dragon, Jami.' He stroked a finger across the dragon's head. 'He is your dragon, so you have to give him a name.'

'Name?'

'Yes, Jami. A name, like the Goddess gave you,' Ivy said, from her seat across from Severus.

'New name.' Jami's brows furrowed as a serious expression appeared on his face.

Callum crawled over and kneeled in front of Jami, patting his knee to get his attention. 'Emmett. Dragon is Emmett, Jami.'

It was a name Callum and Jami had always liked since he'd heard it in a story his mother had told them before naptimes—starting before Jami lost his hearing. The story, was one Ivy and Lily, had been told by their father when they were small. Ivy smiled.

'Em-me-tt.' Jami held his plushy dragon up, looking it in the eye. 'Em-mett. D-do you li-ke?' He waited for a response. The little dragon snorted and Jami smiled. 'You Em-mett.'

'That is an unusual name,' Severus commented.

'It's from a story we were told as girls, and I continued the tradition with the boys. My father made up the story, but it was our favourite. The dragon in the story was named Emmett.'

'Ah, that makes sense then.' Severus smiled as he watched Jami again hugging his new toy/friend.

A light tapping brought Ivy's attention back to the present. She opened her eyes and sat up when she noticed a familiar black wizard standing in the doorway. Faegan was standing behind him, having just taken his outer robes. She closed her spellbook and placed it on the table.

'Scusi, Signorina. I am looking for either Signora Luisa, or Signora Petunia Dursley.'

His voice was deep and rich as he spoke in a very polite but official tone. Ivy looked at him, thinking she knew him from somewhere, but couldn't place him. He noticed her confusion, and shuffled his feet as he realised he had not introduced himself.

'Oh! Mi dispiace, Signorina. I am Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, a friend of Professor Minerva McGonagall and Signora Luisa Bianci-Snape. I am here on official business.' His cheeks felt warm and he was, at that moment, thankful for his ebony complexion that did not reveal his sudden blush of embarrassment. The young lady looked so familiar –so much like…like Lily Evans Potter! He managed to hide his sudden gasp of surprise.

'Signore Shacklebolt, please sit. I am sure Luisa is nearby.' She motioned to the chair near hers, by the fire. 'Let me call Toria.'

As he sat, she closed her eyes and concentrated on a mental image of the maternal little elf and snapped her fingers. An immediate pop caused her to open her eyes, and she smiled down at Toria, who's answering smile told her she had done well with the summoning spell.

'Auror Shacklebolt is looking for Signora Luisa, Toria.'

'I will inform the Signora.' She promptly disappeared.

Before either of them could speak, Luisa appeared in the doorway, impeccably dressed in tailored robes of dusty green with embroidery of fine gold thread at throat and cuffs, her dark hair twisted up and coiled on the back of her head, and secured with a gold comb. Delicate gold pendants hung from her ears. Kingsley stood as she approached him, a smile on her face.

'Kingsley! Caldo Benvenuto! It is good to see you. Do you come bearing good news?'

She grasped forearms with him and kissed him on both cheeks. 'Sit! I will have Toria bring tea.' As if anticipating the need, Toria appeared bearing a full tray and set it on the table between the chairs, and proceeded to pour three cups of the steaming brew.

They both sat, and Kingsley leaned forward a bit. 'Signora, please, before I tell you why I have come today, I beg a favour.'

'Of course. What may I do for you?' she asked with a smile, suspecting what he was going to ask.

'Please introduce me to this lovely Signorina. Is she a relative visiting for the holidays?' he asked, hesitantly.

Luisa's smile broadened as she looked at the flustered expression on Ivy's face. Obviously, she hadn't had time to re-introduce herself to the Auror who had rescued her from that hellish house in England. She would clarify things for her, making it easier on Ivy, who was still attempting to adjust to all the changes in her life.

As she accepted the cup Toria handed her, she turned to Kingsley, who was sipping from his own teacup. 'Why, Kingsley, you already know her. This is Ivy Petunia Ewan Potter. You know her as Petunia Dursley.'

Kingsley's eyes widened and he sputtered in his tea. Before he could say anything, Luisa continued. 'She and both boys went through renaming rituals on the Solstice. New lives require new names.'

Kingsley remained silent as he tried to absorb what he had just been told. Obviously, the Ministry wouldn't know; the records would be quietly changed by members of the Covenant, covertly working there. He looked at Ivy, studying her appearance.

'You look so much… like your sister…I don't understand.' He looked at Luisa, for an explanation.

'Fawkes appeared unannounced at their Official Naming on the night of the Solstice. His tears released the unconscious 'Glamours' Ivy and her son, Callum had been living with. Young Harry – now known as Jami, was the only one not 'Glamoured.' Though, sadly, the phoenix's tears did not heal his hearing loss.'

'Merlin's ears! That must have been quite a surprise for everyone, especially you, Signora Pe—Ivy.' Kingsley looked at Ivy with empathy.

Able to speak for the first time, since the Auror had arrived, Ivy took a deep breath. 'Mr.—Kingsley, it was quite a shock to realise my own magic had slowly changed my appearance; in such a manner that it was so gradual I didn't notice it. Now, when I look in the mirror, I still can't believe that the woman looking back… is really me. Even Callum looks very different now.'

'Do not let it trouble you. Like your sister, you are… beautiful.' The last word was uttered almost in a whisper, as Kingsley realised what words were spilling from his lips, but he was unable to stop them.

Ivy Ewan blushed beautifully at the compliment and Kingsley found himself smitten. Luisa watched the exchange quietly as she sipped her tea, smugly satisfied that her strategies were working. The paperwork she had been waiting for could have been sent by registered owl, but she had requested that Kingsley deliver them in person. She had sensed the chemistry and the magical compatibility between these two when he had first escorted Ivy and the boys to her home.

'Kingsley, I believe you were bringing important documents for Ivy?' She smiled as she saw the two startle slightly as her voice interrupted their moment. Ivy patted her hair nervously, as the blush faded from her cheeks, and Kingsley stood to remove a thick roll of parchments from his robes.

'Yes. I was told you wanted these immediately.' He handed the parchments to Luisa before sitting down again.

Ivy leaned toward Luisa, trying to see what was on the parchments, as Luisa unrolled them and flipped through them. 'Luisa, what are they?'

'Patience, Mia Sorella.' Luisa flipped through them one more time, rereading paragraphs here and there. She smiled, apparently satisfied. 'It seems everything is in order.' She looked at Kingsley. 'I trust all the Muggle documents have been taken care of as well?'

'Oh yes…'

'Luisa, please, what are those?' Ivy looked worried.

Luisa patted her hand. 'Calm yourself. There is no need to worry. These parchments all concern your and the boys' futures.'

Kingsley sat back and picked up his tea, freshening it from the pot. 'Members of the Covenant, and certain members of the Ministry, sympathetic to our wishes, worked to carefully change records in both the Wizarding and Muggle Worlds, to allow the three of you to start new lives. Safer lives.'

'I don't understand. What has been done? What was changed?'

Kingsley cleared his throat to gain her attention. 'After we moved you to Arabella's, a group of Covenant members arrived at your house, in the guise of a cleaning and lawn service. They packed the items that came here with you, and set the house up to look like you had left in a hurry. Paper work was filed with the Muggle Family Services and the local constable, regarding Vernon's abuse of both you and the boys. It seems several of your neighbours were aware of more than you realised and were willing to come forward. He has been formally charged with abuse and neglect, and is under suspicion due to the sudden disappearance of the three of you. It will keep him close to home and quiet for some time to come. Also, an emergency decree of divorce has been filed to dissolve your marriage. The British Ministry of Magic has also modified the records to nullify your marriage—though it is not general knowledge. The files have been sealed and new files opened under your new identities. To protect you further, of course.' He smiled at the awed expression on her face. 'Welcome to freedom, Ivy Ewan Potter.'

'But—but—Vernon…' she stuttered. She couldn't believe he wouldn't come looking for her and the boys.

Luisa chuckled, an evil, knowing glint in her eye. 'Believe me, Sorella, the last thing that man will want to do is look for you! There are people keeping him very occupied these days.'

Kingsley snorted. He was very well aware of what far-reaching connections Luisa Bianci-Snape and the Covenant had, especially when one of their own had been threatened. He'd heard about the incident in the Muggle airport. He was just glad he was on the Covenant's and Luisa's good side.

Draining his cup, he set it down and stood, straightening his robes. 'Well, I really must be going, though I would much rather stay and chat with you lovely ladies for the remainder of the afternoon. But my work waits for me and no one else, sadly.' He took each lady's hand and kissed it in farewell.

'Perhaps you would consider joining us soon, for Sunday dinner? We will be having the usual bonfire and celebration at Imbolc, and our celebrations at the Spring Equinox. You are invited to those as well.' Luisa stood to show Kingsley out.

Kingsley looked at Ivy, with a warm smile before answering Luisa. 'It would be my pleasure. Please owl me concerning what day I'm to come to dinner.'

'Ciao, Kingsley. It was very nice to see you again.' Ivy stood next to Luisa, as she spoke, her voice almost a whisper.

'Buon viaggio, Kingsley. Do not be a stranger. You are always welcome.'

Kingsley slipped on his robes. 'Ciao, Signoras. Until we meet again.'

Tbc…