"This house has a soul," was the first thing Facilier said to Malefic when she stepped out of her bed.
The Mansion, as if in agreement, gave a rumble.
"It does," she agreed and moved to her closet to get clothes for the day.
The Addams Family Mansion was sentient, that much was a fact. Having served as a mental asylum years prior to Morticia and Gomez moving in it was to be expected that perhaps there would be some negative energy that remained.
More than just negative energy had remained. Through an unknown process that had even Granny scratching her head the Mansion had developed a soul and a, admittedly violent, personality.*
For years after they had moved in the Mansion had tried to purge the Addams' out. It slowed to the occasional threat or violent act after Wednesday was born.*
The Mansion had a grown to grudgingly accept them - well, as accepting as a violent, angry house could get to residents it didn't want. All except for Malefic.
The Mansion adored her.
In her first year with the Addams' through a bout of somewhat accidental magick Malefic had pushed some of her Death Magick into Lurch, strengthening him significantly.
Lurch had been a patient at the Mansion when it was still an asylum. When Morticia and Gomez had moved in he had come back from the dead in a similar question raising way that the Mansion had. He served as a butler of sorts to the family, though he was very limited in his jobs - not even able to go up stairs with his barely functioning decaying body.
When Malefic came along he had been with the family for about five years. In his sixth year and Malefic's third year of life she had wanted to be picked up by the undead butler but once again Lurch was limited and so with a push of her Magick she raised him from the dead properly.*
His body, though having a bit of a grey twinge to it, was as functional and healthy as a living human's. He was stronger than the average human, not being limited by the brain that toned down the body's strength* and chose not to talk as Malefic couldn't entirely fix his damaged vocal chords from his death and due to this it was rather painful to talk.
The Mansion and Lurch alike adored her for it. Which was why should she ask for it the Mansion would move her bedroom and hide it away.
"Are you going to explain how?" Facilier prompted sounding rather annoyed.
"No," she answered and started changing.
Facilier turned away to give her some decency though he was mumbling things such as "I'll find out how you gave this house a soul" and "could that dress be any more out of fashion?"
Facilier turned back to face her when he heard her vanity table drawer open. He watched as she brushed then tied her hair back with a white ribbon.
"White?" He couldn't help but question.
"For protection," she replied easily. Her hand reached out to touch the wall. "An exit, if you please," she requested as Facilier wrapped himself around her body.
Much like the day prior a staircase descended from the roof allowing Malefic to exit through the hole that the stairs came from. She entered the entrance hallway and glided toward the kitchen where her family was.
"Malefic!" Fester greeted.
"Uncle Fester," she responded coolly taking a seat beside Wednesday. "Did you sleep well?"
"Terribly," he responded grinning. "I heard that you're a witch."
Malefic hummed, reaching for a bowl of Granny's oatmeal.
"Could you cook me up a love potion?" He asked.
Malefic took a spoon and ate a bite of her oatmeal. "Love Potions are sexual assault, Uncle Fester, and if you ever ask me to make you one again I will castrate you," she answered taking another bite. *
Fester gulped, crossing his legs and nodded frantically.
"Has Goetic returned?" Malefic asked.
"Yes, he's with that white owl of yours," Wednesday answered. "What have you decided to name her?"
"Freya," Malefic told her.*
"Another Norse name," Facilier observed, "do you honor them?"
"I honor Lady Magick and the Earth Mother, I have yet to feel a connection with any sort of patron god or goddess like Granny and Mother has," Malefic explained.*
"What of your Father? And your Uncle?" Facilier pressed.
"They do not practice our traditions. We, the children, are free to practice what we wish to practice. Thus far we have all been practicing alongside Mother and Granny."
Facilier moved as if nodding his head. Malefic looked back to her family and to her surprise Granny was staring at her, with her mouth agape.
"Granny?" Malefic prompted.
"Maeve," Granny started, "when were you going to tell me you were a Parselmouth?"
"I am not sure what that means."
"By all the gods above, below and around us what did this woman teach you?" Facilier groaned.
"You can speak to snakes!" Granny exclaimed. "Are you of the of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Slytherin?"
"Yes. Lady of the House, in fact. Through Magick and Rite of Conquest," Malefic informed her.
Granny made a choked noise. "What other Houses are you apart of? I need to know what gifts you may possess."
"I know what gifts I possess, I saw them. I just never knew what to call the one I got from the Soul Magick."
"Soul Magick?" Morticia questioned.
"Saw them?" Granny asked.
"Yes," Malefic told her mother, "I am the container of a Horcrux. I thought that the goblins had told you when I was sent to see a Lifebearer, it seems I was wrong."
"They did not," Morticia confirmed. "Sir Bludcrest merely told us that that there were some complications."
"A Horcrux, Malefic?" Gomez asked sitting forward. "Truly?"
"Truly, Father. The soul piece of one Tom Marvolo Riddle," Malefic told him.
"What do you mean you saw them!" Granny burst out viciously before her father could make further comment.
"Yes, Liferbearer Retina did seem interested in it," Malefic said remembering how the goblin had seemed overtly interested in her words. "I saw my Magick Cores. Twice, in fact."
"I've never heard of something like that ever happening. How did they look?" Granny asked much akin to an awed child.
Malefic barely refrained from scrunching up her face. How did she describe perfection? How did she describe something so raw? How did she explain something that supposedly no one has ever experienced?
"Like ribbons," she decided to say. "Ribbons of light and pureness. My Death Magick was as black and dark as Nyx's palace is described in the stories. My Borne Magick would be compared to the golden locks of Apollo if poets were to write about it. My Soul Magick was green like the forests that children wonder into and are never seen again afterward and jt belonged to another yet mine in a way that the others weren't. My Divination Magick, the purple of a black eye and the feeling of danger that only tomorrow could hold." All of this was said monotonously, of course, there was no need to sound like an over excited child.
"You cannot tell another of this ability," Granny told her, seeming to sober up. "And until your school year begins I will be teaching you of your gifts and pushing past the boundaries of Borne Magick. You may very well die in the process."
"Delightful," Malefic commented and easily ducked a javelin thrown at her by her brother.
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* In one of the animated shows and the most recent Addams Family Movie (and possibly more, I cannot recall) the house is alive and constantly tries to get the Addams' out of the house. Also, the Mansion previously being an asylum isn't in all the movies/cartoons/shows but it is in some and I'm going with that canon.
* Two things: 1. I am aware that Wednesday is younger than Pugsley but as this is fan fiction I can and am changing that for the sake of certain points in the plot that will come later. 2. The Mansion is admittedly violent but it would NEVER intentionally try to harm the children, hence the slowing down of the brutally violent acts committed by it.
* Remember when Monica Weasley insulted Malefic unknowingly, yeah, this is how.
* According to some (maybe shoddy? I didn't fact check - correct me if I'm wrong, please) articles I've read the human body is strong enough to lift a car but due to the exhaustion and stress this would cause to our bodies our brain kind of tones that down but it's there and can be used in fire situations (adrenaline). Lurch's brain does not do that because he's all ready dead so there's no need for his brain to be concerned about the condition and stress that the body is under.
* I am absolutely, 100% against the use of love potions, it's literally a rape drug??? I know that the Addams' are pretty violent and revel in chaos but I do like to think that non consentual sexual violence is a no-go for them.
* I decided to rename Hedwig to Freya (Freya is the goddess of love and fertility in Norse mythology, and she is associated with sex, lust, beauty, sorcery, gold, war, and death.)
* This is who I honor however I have patrons, unlike the Addams children.
My sincerest apologies for how long this chapter took, I had to study, write tests and had overall writer's block. I've all ready started the next chapter so it won't be as long a wait as this one was.