Minnie was ecstatic to finally serve her Missy Vulpecula again. The wizened elf filling the air with nonstop chatter and stories of how she had cared for the young Missy as an infant, and how lovely it was to see the Missy all grown up and coming into her power at last.
The elf seemed, at first glance, to be made of nothing but bone and so many wrinkles that her eyes were almost hidden. Her face was split by a friendly smile, overlapped by a large drooping nose, which itself was completely outdone by the ears. The ends of which seemed to hang around the tiny elf's knees and wiggled like elephan's ears with every miniscule movement of her head. And yet she moved around with the same manic energy as the rest of the elves in the house.
"You's been growing up so well. A powerful witch you's is. Minnie can feel the magical strength in Minnie's bones. Minnie hasn't been able to move as the younger elves do since you's Papa passed. Such good masters yous is being too! Us elves want for nothing but more work! Now. Missy asked for lunch, yes? A late lunch indeed. But not too much lest yous be spoiling the supper we is making for you! Please, Follow Minnie! Minnie be leading Missy to the dining room."
It was quite disconcerting for Vulpecula to be practically dragged through the house by the excitable elf. It was rather hard to concentrate on where she was being led as Minnie jabbered on, heedless of Vulpecula's lack of response.
Doors, portraits, and a staircase flew past as Vulpecula was forcibly led down to the first floor dining area. The informal one nearest the kitchen according to Minnie. Apparently there was a formal one near the lounge attached to the foyer which led to the open gardens which were warded to be perfectly comfortable for entertaining in all weather. For who doesn't love being out in the snow for a christmas party without feeling any of the winter's chill?
Even the informal dining room, to Vulpecula's standards, felt almost suffocatingly formal. Though, she supposed that living on the run in a tent for a year and a half would do that to a person. Especially one who had never truly gotten a taste of how 'the other side lives'.
She sat down at the nearest seat, the end of the table, and food began to appear on the table before her, much like it did at Hogwarts. A smile tugged at her lips as she noted the similarity. The hint of something familiar amongst the wave of new experiences was a welcome reprieve indeed.
As Minnie said, the fare was light. A simple french onion soup with crusty bread to tide her over until the next meal. Once she had finished that a small glass of slightly sugared lemon juice appeared. She sipped it carefully, and was pleasantly surprised at the perfect balance of sweet to acidity. Once the shot of lemon juice was gone, she was presented with an array of artfully arranged berries and mini pastries as a desert.
Vulpecula was in heaven. The deserts were wonderfully sweet and light, without overwhelming her as many candies and sweets at Hogwarts did. Nor did the flavors cling to her taste buds cloyingly like chocolate did. They were- simply put- perfect.
"Topsy?" Vulpecula called softly, leaning back in her chair full and relaxed.
With a sharp pop Topsy appeared at her elbow, enormous eyes wide and awaiting what his mistress had to say. "Yes, Missy Vulpecula?"
"I absolutely adore those pastries," she started, a satisfied smile spreading across her lips as she spoke. "Would it be possible to have them served somewhat regularly?"
"Of course Missy!" Topsy bobbed his head emphatically. "Jenny is loving to bake, and pastries be her specialty! Would Missy like some every day?"
"Oh no!" Vulpecula stated. "I would eat my weight's worth if given the opportunity. Plus I would hate for them to become any less special. Perhaps just note that I like them and serve them randomly throughout the week? I would love to be able to try many different things and expand my palate as much as possible."
"Of course, Missy." Topsy nodded his head sharply, making his ears flap like bat wings.
"Thank you," Vulpecula sighed as she stood up. "With my necessary duties tended to, I intend to spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the house and the garden. I trust you elves should be able to find me wherever I end up?" Topsy nodded once again. "Wonderful. Thank you so much. I will call you if I need anything!"
"Yes missy!" Topsy squeaked as he bowed and popped out of the room.
Vulpecula ended up mainly exploring the gardens outside. Compared to the complexity of hogwarts castle, the building layout of the manor house seemed rather straightforward. Each wing had a layout that mimicked the others, and most of the rooms had been disappointingly barren. Plenty of guest bedrooms for if she ever entertained and had people stay over, as well as a nicely stocked library near the study.
The gardens, as Vulpecula had discovered, were huge. A sprawling expanse of flowers and herbs bringing the summer air alive with their heady perfumes. Hummingbirds and bees buzzed alongside tiny fairies, dancing along the plants and giggling as they hid at her approach. A small grove of trees caught her attention as she explored. Their shade offered a welcome reprieve from the heat as she felt the breeze and listened to the rustling of leaves.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed that each tree had, at its base, a small plaque stuck into the ground. Each plaque stated what type of tree it was, as well as listing several names underneath. It took looking at a couple different plaques before she realized that this was a wand wood grove, and that each of the names was a family member whose wand was made from that tree. She was just leaning down to inspect the plaque on another tree when she heard a loud creaking from her left. She looked up just in time to see a branch fall from the tree and land with the thick end facing her.
"Well that was unexpected," Vulpecula whipped around, hand on her wand at the unexpected voice. She sighed as she saw Time sitting against another tree.
"Can't you warn me next time?" Vulpecula complained. "You scared me half to death."
"I can confirm," Death spoke up, dropping from the branches of another tree. "Their soul quite wanted to flee this mortal body but is too anchored by sheer will."
"Yeah. cool. Great to see both of you again." Vulpecula was feeling rather short tempered after being startled as she was. "Anyways what was that about?"
Death and Time looked at each other and shook their heads. "This is unexpected. But it seems that this tree has decided that it wants you to have its wood for a wand." Time was glaring around suspiciously as Death explained.
"Alright," Vulpecula was rather wary approaching the fallen branch, given how the pair were acting.
"Don't worry," Time groused as she stood up and dusted off her iridescent dress. She seemed to glow in the sunlight, her golden hair shining like a halo around her face, and her dark skin seemed to glisten with glints of gold. "Beech wood eh? Good wood. It only accepts those with open minds. Tolerant. But able to kick some ass if they need it."
Death picked up the fallen branch and twirled it in their hands. As she watched the bark twigs and leaves fell away, leaving an ornately carved wand blank in its place.
Time grinned. "Death, you've outdone yourself. It's beautiful."
Death nodded and handed the blank to Time. She too twirled the blank, but the change was less dramatic. The wood aged before her eyes, becoming less green, more vibrantly pigmented. "Oh it's lovely," Time murmured. "Just one last part I suppose…" Time trailed off as she reached up into her own hair and pulled. A single kinky strand came loose, which she blew towards the wand in her hand.
Vulpecula watched as the single golden strand danced through the air towards the new wand, before it wrapped itself around the shaft of wood and merged into it. Time looked rather pleased with the final result and handed it off to Vulpecula. "Give it a wave, see how it feels."
She obeyed and found a light warmth as her magic flowed through the wand for the first time. "Woah," she whispered. This wand felt comforting in a way that even her holly and phoenix feather wand did not. "Not that I'm complaining, but why a new wand?"
"Fate it seems," Death started, a frustrated tone in his voice, "Has decided to intervene. And being that we ourselves are skirting the laws, we can't exactly stop her. Have you used your regular wand yet?"
Vulpecula grabbed her Holly wand from her sleeve and shook her head. "I haven't had to yet." a feeling of dread washed over her as she held the beloved wand. Something felt off now that she paid attention. There was no warmth. The wood felt abnormally brittle. As she held it a chunk of the wood flaked off in the breeze, exposing the tip of the bright red phoenix tail feather inside.
"Holly wood is notoriously volatile," Death murmured as tears started streaming down Vulpecula's face. They wrapped their long bony arms around her, enveloping her in shadow as she cried, mourning the loss of her most precious tool. It had served her well. The wood slowly dissolved completely, leaving her holding just the feather. "And perhaps the feather has had a burning of its own..."
Time took the feather from her, gently prying it from her shaking hand.
"I think I can do something about this," she said, and blew on the feather. Ever so gently the feather lifted itself into the air and danced around. It was different from the hair, which had been very playful in how it twirled around in the air. The feather seemed to soar, mere inches above the hands that held the beech wand. It swirled and danced almost mournfully before it dove into the wand. The wood smoked for a moment before cooling, leaving the charred imprint of the feather on one side of the intricately engraved wood.
Time handed it back slowly, and Vulpecula started sobbing as soon as the wand was in her grip. It was perfect. She was whole once more, and the wand itself sang to her. A song of loss and pain and new beginnings and hope for what is to come floated through her magic and embedded itself into her soul. Looking up at Time, and leaning slightly into the folds of death's robes she dried her eyes and laughed wetly. "Thank you," she sniffed, and stood up on her own two feet, leaving death where they sat. "I suppose it's a fitting wand. I'm lost in time and have a new life indeed. And I suppose it'll stand up a bit better to a wandmaker's inspection now, right?"
Time nodded and smiled sadly. "I am sorry for what you have lost, but I am proud for what you have gained. May this wand serve you well." With that final word, Time faded out of sight.
Death stood, shaking their head. "She's always been one for dramatic exits."
"I can tell."
Death stood next to her for a moment, watching the bees buzz around in the late afternoon light. "Phoenixes are my creatures. You realize that right?"
Vulpecula whipped her head to stare at them in shock. "Huh?"
"Phoenixes. I understand that you humans associate them with eternal life, but they are mine. They die. They suffer in their deaths willingly, so that in life they may have blessings and pass those blessings on to others. That's why their tears can heal so well. They help anchor the soul to the body as they heal. Giving the recipient time to heal internally as the tears heal the external."
"They suffer in death? How? And willingly?"
"It is a deal that was struck when the race was created. Should they wish to end it their last death is permanent and painless. But yes they suffer. What is a worse way to die than to feel your body failing, and then to be burned alive. Aware of everything around you and feeling every nerve as they scream out in pain. And then to be new. Free from the pain once again but helpless. Still fully aware of everything going on." Death turned and stared at her as they spoke. "And despite that they are still light and good. They choose to continue on for the sake of others because they know they are worthy of being saved."
"What are you getting at?"
"In this life you are new. You are one of mine now, as much as you are my Mistress. For the first while you may feel helpless. But finding help here is easier than you might believe. Have faith." Death pressed a soft kiss to the now faded mark on her forehead, before fading out of view as Time had moments before.
Reentering the library she looked through it once more, past the initial glance through she did earlier. She found, to her surprise that it was organized first by fiction and nonfiction, and then by subject. From there it was further divided by author, and publication dates, with less relevant or older publications being higher up out of reach of small children who might harm the manuscripts.
It was a cozy room with plenty of nooks and crannies to curl up in with a book. But as she trailed a finger along some of the embossed leather bound spines, one caught her eye. Amongst the fiction books, one looked suspiciously muggle. Paper pages rather than parchment. A green linen cover and binding, where wizards at this point seemed to almost exclusively prefer leather or more extic materials. Too perfectly square to be bound by anything but a machine.
Curious as to what a muggle book would be doing in an obviously magical library, she pulled it carefully from the shelves. Only to find that it stopped part way off the shelf. It only came out far enough for Vulpecula to make out the title on the front cover- The Legends of King Arthur- before the book reset itself on the shelf with a grinding sound as the entire shelf slid open to reveal a hidden spiral staircase leading both up and down.
Small golden lanterns that hung from the slanted ceiling gracefully lit themselves as she carefully descended, careful to avoid touching the portraits hung on the outer wall. They looked ancient as their inhabitants softly snored, barely even twitching as the lanterns illuminated their stretch of corridor.
Below was a hidden potions lab. Cauldrons still set up for use in another experiment, and various other tools still scattered around the bench and tables. Upon checking the ingredients cupboard, she was greeted by the scent of rot. Despite the preservation charms upon the storage unit, it was clear that several of the ingredients would have to be replaced before she could even consider attempting to brew anything.
Vulpecula closed the door quickly and made a swift exit, looking to free herself from the stench before she spilled her freshly eaten lunch on the floor. She called Topsy quickly, and asked that he dispose of any and all ingredients in the cupboard that had obviously turned. Once all the clearly rotted ingredients were taken care of, she would go through and check what remained individually. Dried ingredients would need to be checked for potency, and the rest, assuming they weren't actively growing their own ecosystem, would have to be checked for viability amongst other things.
She breathed a grateful breath of fresh air as she exited the room, the horrendous odor stopping the instant that she crossed the threshold. Clearly there was something to keep smells and fumes inside the lab. Probably to keep any accidents contained. Quite the sensible precaution.
Breathing deeply to dispel her nausea with the clean air, Vulpecula righted herself and started upwards. The portraits barely stirred as she continued up past the library's landing and carried on upwards. It was rather a longer way up than it was going down, Vulpecula noted. An additional floor's difference in elevation compared to the sunken laboratory.
She quickly came to a landing with nought but a silver rope hanging from a trapdoor in the ceiling. Vulpecula grimaced at the similarity to the divination tower. She'd not had good memories of that particular subject.
After a brief hesitation, she steeled herself and pulled on the rope. The trapdoor swung open easily, releasing a folded ladder for her to climb up. Colored light shone through the opening, illuminating the floating motes of dust in the air, making the scene seem rather ethereal.
The ladder was stable as she climbed up, and Vulpecula gasped at the room before her. The room was perfectly circular with curved stretches of leaded stained glass depicting the tale of the three brothers from beedle the bard. The largest of the windows depicted a dark, shadowy figure, obviously representing death, presenting the brothers with their gifts.
On either side was a smaller window, dark with blues and greys depicting the eldest and middle brothers' gruesome deaths. The dramatized blood spray stood out like gems against the dark background.
The final window, opposite the presentation of the gifts, was resplendent in color. It was not nearly as large as the presentation window, but larger than the brothers' deaths. This window proudly displayed what could easily be identified as the last brother. He was quite advanced in years with a long white beard and not a single strand of hair left on his head. He was bowed over, wrapping a flowing garment of clear glass around a young child. The invisibility cloak.
Vulpecula stepped towards the last window, ignoring the neat piles of billows, blankets, and all manor of soft things with which one could make themselves cozy with a book. Instead she focused on the child. Their hair was all over the place, and bright red. The same red that her hair was even as a Potter. Originally she had attributed that to her mother's genes. Perhaps…
She looked up at the ceiling and took in the magnificence. The starry sky was painted onto the plaster dome above her head. Against the midnight dark backdrop were millions of tiny silver points that moved and shifted, twinkling like the real night sky as she first looked. But as she stared, the stars shifted to form a family tree of glistening silver stars in the void of night. The three brothers, Antioch, Cadmius and Ignotious were listed closest to the portrayal of death, and from the youngest lives had bloomed out. Names and years shone in her eyes as she ook in all the people who had come before in this life. Nearly ten generations separated her and this ancestor- Ignotius Peverel, but that wasn't what intrigued her. Rather, a single shining name joining the family tree two generations back. Iolanthe Peverell had married one Hardwin Potter.
The tree didn't show anything past that, as that was the end of the name's use. Regardless, Vulpecula was struck quite dumb. Her grandparents were in school at this time. They would be her second cousin or something of the like, but they would be real. She could know them. Supposing that she was able to live long enough, she could even live to see herself being born.
Not that it would be the same version of herself being born, but she could know her own parents, and even if things with Voldemort ended up going as they had in her past, she could care for herself, and make sure that the young version of herself was at least loved and cared for. She could teach herself everything that she was left in the dark about as herself.
Vulpecula sank down onto a nearby pile of cushions and hugged a soft blanket around herself as she sobbed, proper hope blooming in her chest for the first time since she had gotten away from the Dursleys. She could make a difference. She could make things better. Even if she changed nothing up to that point, she could make sure things were better for everyone, and all she had to do was stay alive.
She sat there for a long time, letting the feelings wash over her properly as she felt them. Once she was stable once more, she looked up at the stained glass child. The clear glass cloak showed the stars shining outside. The sun had finally set.
"I promise," she spoke aloud to the child in the window as much as she did to the child inside her heart. "I swear on everything that I am that I will change everything that I can. Voldemort will not win. And I will do everything that I can to make sure that innocent people never have to suffer through what I have."
She herself was glowing, her magic reacting to the strength of her resolve. She dropped the blanket to the floor as she stood and headed down the ladder back towards the library. She glimpsed the child one last time before the trapdoor shut behind her, and in that moment, she could have sworn that the child's face held a smile that hadn't been there before.
Shaking her head to clear it and gently rubbing at her face to rid herself of the signs of tears, Vulpecula made her way back down to the library. The secret door had long since closed itself behind her, but it opened readily enough when she pressed her fingers to a rune carved into the back of the shelf. She walked out of the library and was immediately greeted by Missy.
"Missy Vulpecula," the elf slightly inclined her head as she addressed her mistress. "Dinner is being ready whenever you is, and yous' pretty birdy is back too! Pretty owl has two letters for yous in yous' study for after supper."
"Thank you Missy," Vulpecula nodded in appreciation, exhausted after the rollercoaster of emotions she had just experienced. Food sounded wonderful, and the letters could wait for an hour. She needed a break to replenish her energy before dealing with that.
Making her way back to the dining room she had eaten in before, she was pleased to find her food waiting for her. The roast chicken and veg was a balm to her stomach and helped sooth her still roiling emotions. Along with a frozen berry sorbet for desert, she found herself quite happy as she made her way back to the study.
She had saved a couple pieces of chicken for Headwig from her supper, and laughed as the bird flew at her in a mock assault until she produced the strips of meat. Once Headwig had eaten she settled onto the back of vulpecula's chair and preened herself while Vulpecula read through the missives.
The first was from the current headmaster, Armando Dippett. It proclaimed deepest sympathies for her losses and that of course she was welcome to transfer to Hogwarts for her fifth year. She would have the option to be sorted before the first years in front of the whole school or in private in a separate room, and her class list was included.
Turning to the next page, she found, as indicated in the letter, that her class and supplies list was included. It very much matched what she expected. There were the standard class books, instructions for black robes, and the standard potions list. The only things she didn't expect was two different sheafs of parchment. Each had a note stuck to the front page stating that because she had chosen to take Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, she would need to complete the summer homework for those subjects. Partially to pinpoint how advanced or behind she was in those subjects, and partially to ensure that no favoritism was being expressed because of her situation.
It made a lot of sense when she thought about it. Students got jealous over the stupidest things, and showing up to classes without having had to do summer homework would be just the kind of thing that ticked some of the more vicious students' opinions against her, which would not help her situation of trying to make friends. She quickly penned a thank you note to Headmaster Dippett, expressing her excitement at being able to attend and looking forward to meeting him on September first.
Setting her response to dry, she finally turned to the second scroll awaiting her and sighed deeply. It was wrapped in a black satin ribbon and sealed with the black family crest. This was official family correspondence. She was surprised, however, to see two sheets of parchment included.
The first was from Lord Arcturus Black. It was rather stiffly formal, thanking her for reaching out and enquiring after his Heir's health. He was pleased to know that she had recovered from her unfortunate ordeal, and hoped that despite their unfortunate first meeting, they could begin to have friendly relations between the two houses. It was very politically neutral, as she expected, and said about as much as it didn't. He knew that she was unaligned as of yet and he was hoping to sway her to his side of the political spectrum with friendship and the loyalty that implies. She, however, firmly knew where she would stand. Neither the dark nor the light faction would bring about the changes that needed to happen. She was going to be firmly neutral. Making friends across both ends of the political spectrum. It would be hard, but she could do it.
She would have to start writing to several prominent light side families very soon though. And making friends with the heirs would have to be prioritized. The potters, she could use the familial connection. They were never the kind to ignore family, at least according to what she knew from stories she had been told. Longbottoms would be good too. Perhaps Augusta was still at school? She would always be a strong ally to have. As would the Bones Family. The Lovegoods too…
She placed Arcturus' letter aside and started to read the second missive.
To the esteemed Lady Peverell,
I was quite heartened when Father informed me of your recovery. I must confess that I had been quite concerned as to the fate of the person who had collapsed on me from out of thin air.
Rest assured I suffered no injury from your rather abrupt appearance, neither of body nor pride. Indeed, if it pleases you, We would be honored if you would join us the afternoon of August 3rd for a small, informal get together at our London townhouse, 12 Grimmauld Place.
We are celebrating my being named prefect this year, and it would be an opportunity to meet others who go to Hogwarts as well. We have heard through the grapevine that this year would be your first year in attendance at our school, and it's always nice to know a couple friendly faces when you arrive.
I beg your forgiveness if this is forward, but I am rather hopeful that you will attend. Not only that I may see evidence of your improved health, but I am also rather curious to get to know you. After all, it's not every day that a woman appears out of thin air and falls on you. It does leave quite the impression, if you will forgive my humor.
We hope to hear from you again soon.
Your humble servant,
Heir Orion Arcturus Black
Vulpecula was surprised as she read the letter from Orion. She hadn't known much about him, all things considered, but from what Sirius had told her, he was a rather closed off man. This letter reflected very little of the first one she had read. Of course she could read between the lines. She was being invited to make friends with their friends and solidify her as a political ally. But at the same time it was full of quips and jokes that she never would have thought to expect from any Black Heir beyond Sirius.
Perhaps this is where he got it from? Not that Sirius would ever admit to being at all like anyone in his family. But there was more here than even Orion knew that he had put in. She didn't just see a young man reaching out to a potential ally. Perhaps he too could be saved…
The hope in her chest blossomed a little more as she penned a response. She looked forward to formally meeting her unofficial savior, and she would see them on the 3rd.
Signing and sealing the letter, she offered it to Headwig, who took it gently, rubbing her head against Vulpecula's cheek for a moment before making her way once more.
Vulpecula stood up and stretched. It was now 10 pm. Perhaps a book from the library to read before bed…