Chapter 7
Augusta, Nelda and Azalea made their way out of Gringotts to meander their way to Ollivander's wand shop. It took about ten minutes to reach the shop which was relatively empty since it was only Yule break and not the summer.
Nelda could help but figet as she waited at the front desk for the owner. After about five seconds he basically materialized infront of her. She had to take a step back due to him leaning in close to stare at her unblinkingly.
"Hmm Nelda Longbottom. I expected you last summer. You're late. I guess being late is better than never though. You look remarkably like your father dear. Frank had a walnut wand with a dragon heartstring core. Served him well as an Auror. Alice Fawley on the other hand had a willow wand with a unicorn hair core. Particularly good for healing. You have her hair color though. And her cheek bones. Of course I'm sure you know this, now let's find you a wand that claims you, hmm." Ollivander said in an airy voice. He fluttered away without another wood and came back with thirty boxes. It took about 38 minutes before she found the right one. It was 13 1/4 inches made with Cherry wood. The core though, it shocked them all. It was that of the Manticore claw.
"For one such as yourself I am deeply surprised that this wand chose you. Green witches don't tend to be strong in defensive dueling spells. With a wand like this if you wanted to be an impenetrable wall, well that's exactly what you would be. It's almost the flip side of young Miss Potter's wand. While hers is to attack, yours is to defend. Curios, curios indeed. Of course it's understandable. After all Augusta wasn't an eight Tim winning dueling champion and she did raise you." He rambled on not really looking at anyone while cleaning up the pile of wands onone side of the table.
She glanced shyly back at her Nan from under her eyelashes and noticed a pleased look on her face. Augusta's face was set in a look of pride and protective love.
"I'm proud of you Nelda." Augusta stated firmly. "I know that you will make your parents and myself proud."
"Nelda, Nelda! We could make such a good tag team in partnered dueling. And I bet Theo would be great too!" Azalea exclaimed.
As Nelda and Azalea talked about the possibilities of team dueling Augusta walked over to Ollivander and paid. When she finally got their attention about seven minutes later she told them it was time to move on.
"Come on Azalea it's time to get you new clothes. The store we are heading to is Twilfit and Tattings. There we can pick out the type of cloth we want your clothes to be and maybe a new cloak as well." Augusta explained.
"Alright Nan. Which direction is it in when we leave Ollivander's?" Azalea said while skipping towards the door. She was too busy looking at Augusta and didn't notice the other person before crashing into them. She looked down only to gasp in happiness. "Theo! What are you doing here? I'm so happy to see you! Are you here with someone?" Asked Azalea. She was too busy hugging him to notice that behind him stood an exact copy of him only older. It wasn't until she heard a warm laughter that she looked up to the older man.
"Yea Azalea I'm here with my father. He and I just went out to pick up more books today. We were heading home before you jumped me. I'm happy to see you too little sis. What are you up to today?" Theo replied with a content smile.
"Well we went to Gringotts, which was extremely eventful. Turns out Dumbledore had blocked Nelda's and my magical gifts and core. He also portioned and used spells on us. He tried to give me an aversion potion keyed to you! Why would he do that?" She asked with tears in her eyes, not really noticing that she was still laying on top of him.
"I don't know Aza but now we know to look out for it. We won't let him ruin our friendship alright so chin up. Also can we get up now, the gravel is starting to hurt." He said evenly.
"Oh!" She gasped out before breaking down into giggles. She slowly shifted off of him and stood up before offering her hand to the taller boy. As he stood he ran his unoccupied hand through his ruffled light blonde hair. His slate grey eyes alight with amusement. He laced his fingers through hers and gently tugged her over to his father.
Thorros was a tall man of about a 6'4 height. He had high cheekbones, a strong jaw and an aristocratic nose. His honey colored blond hair, which was swept back, ran down to below his shoulder blades he also had a four strand braid on his right side that was clasped in a dark blue hand crafted sapphire bead. His face had a look of amusement as the little girl was led to him. He could see that she was nervous about him but had complete trust in his son. So much trust in fact that she let him lead her without even asking for Augusta to come with her. He could tell that Augusta was unsure of this situation. He knew what others thought about him, after all he had cultivated that reputation tirelessly. He was a dangerous man, of that there was little doubt and he was a death eater. His father before him made sure of that, but this little girl had adopted his son and he always wanted a daughter. It was a win-win situation for him.
When they finally reach him he crouched down, just now noticing the daggers on her waist. "Hello dear one. My name is Thorros. It is nice to meet my son's adopted sister." He said with a slight smile.
"Hello Mr. Nott. It's nice to meet you. I think you did a great job being Theo's dad, he is a wonderful brother to have." She replied softly, shyly looking up at him with a faint blush. She too knew he was dangerous. He practically oozed Magic but she felt safe. After all, Theo was wonderful. His dad couldn't be meaner than the Dursley's or he would have been like Dudley or worse, Draco.
Thorros reached out a hand to pat Azalea's head softly, stroking her hair and took in the traditional way she wore it. "Now little one, as Theo's sister you can call me uncle Thor if you want. You are family after all. If you ever need a place to escape to, come to the manor. I'm sure Theo would love to have you over along with his other friends. I will have a room set up permanently in the manor for you." He spoke softly. His voice was rich and soothing. He was unprepared for her to reach out and hug him though. Normally children felt too threatened by him. He wrapped one arm around her in a strong but gentle hold.
"Thank you uncle Thor." She mumbled into his chest. She squeezed one more time before letting him go. When he stood back to his full height she grabbed his and Theo's hands and led them over to the two Longbottom women. "Nan, Nelda, this is Mr. Thorros, Theo's dad. Uncle Thor, this is Mrs. Augusta and Nelda Longbottom." She introduced the two sides completely missing the fond look on both of the adults' faces.
"Hello lord Nott. It is quite good fortune that we bumped into each other. I want to extend an open invitation to both Theo and yourself to come to the manor. Seeing as I have offered sanctuary to the young Lady Potter I am now her magical guardian. And it seems only fair to extend a truce to her brother's family." Dowager Longbottom said to the taller man.
"Please Dowager Longbottom just Thorros is fine. No need for formalities if we are to be seeing each other as often as I'm sure Theo hopes." He supplied back. "If you don't mind me asking, why did Azalea need sanctuary?"He inquired.
"My Nelda has come to the conclusion that her previous guardians were abusive and I must agree. The girl is way too thin and will instinctively flinch away if she doesn't notice you till the last minute. She is also hyper aware of her surroundings. Also you may call me Augusta." She replied back with a look of distaste at the thoughts of Nelda's aunt and uncle.
"Oh really now." Thorros practically purred out. His eyes darkened with untold violence and savagery. "Do you know their names by chance?" His voice thick with dark intent.
Augusta met his eyes squarely. The same need for violence tempered by age. The thought that anyone could hurt the girl was reprehensible. "My Nelda was able to get their names for me. I was going to get the Blacks to solve it but I guess you'll do. Their last name was Dursley. Vernon and Petunia. They have a son around the kid's age. From what I understand it wasn't an easy life there." She replied
"I see. I thank you for the information. Do you have anything left to do in Diagon? It'll be noon soon." He asked.
"Why yes. We were on our way to Twilfit and Tattings to update Azalea's wardrobe. If you want you and Theo can tag along." She suggested.
"I don't see why not. Theo could use some new tunics. It seems that he has grown an inch." He answered. "Theo, kids come on let's get a move on it. If we make it to Tattings before noon I'll treat
us out to lunch. And if you're good I'll take you to Fortescue's ice cream parlor." Thorros called out.
"Yes father." Theo called back.
The three children walked over to the adults. When they got to them, they made their way to Tattings. It took them about ten minutes to get to the store that was halfway down the road. As soon as they entered,, they were hit with the enticing scent of fresh linen and clean silk. A portly man fluttered his way over to them.
"Hello, how can I help you?" He asked in a soft lilting tone.
Augusta stepped forward and met his eyes in a very dominant manner.
"I am here to get a new wardrobe for my ward, as well as a new cloak for my granddaughter." Augusta commanded with an air of finality to it.
Thorros stepped up next to Augusta "I need some new tunics for my son as well as a new winter cloak and New spring cloak.
"Alright let's start with the smallest order first and work our way up. I'll call two of my best employees and get started." With that said he flicked his wand and summoned his measuring tools. "Danica, Anwyn come to the back please." He called out. Two young women strolled through the door. Both were thin and looked about mid twenties, but that was where the similarities stopped.
The first woman had a fiery red mane of riotous curls. She was of fair skin but had a dusting of freckles that spread across her cheeks. Her eyes the color of warm cinnamon that held a joy for life. She stood at about 5'7. Her willowy frame was clad in a deep forest green tunic and soft brown leggings. Her feet were clad in low heel dragonhide boots that came to her ankles. She quietly introduced herself as Anwyn Caddick in a soft welsh accent.
The second woman had long dark brown hair that was pin straight and reached her waist. She had the top half pinned but with a silver hair ornament. She had a light olive tone to her skin and her eyes the color of Ice. She stood at an intimidating height of 5'10 and height toned muscles in her arms and legs which spoke of many years of labor. She was dressed in an ice blue tunic that reached mid thigh and black leather leggings that stopped below her knees. She had on flat dragonhide ankle boots that lace up in the front. She had introduced herself as Danica Vlahović in a mild Romanian accent.
Nelda drifted towards Anwyn while Azalea skipped her way over to Danica, leaving Theo with Mr Tatting.
"You look really pretty Miss Danica." She said as soon as she stopped in front of the stoic woman causing a slight smile to spread across lips.
"Thank you puișor. That is very kind of you, da?" Her voice was warm and lilting. "Let's start on making your new wardrobe. What colors were you thinking?"
"I like turquoise. Oh and purple." Azalea answered as she followed Danica towards the cloth template.
"Hello Miss Anwyn. It's nice to meet you, my name is Nelda." She introduced herself when she settled in front of the older women.
"Hello there Nelda. What is the plan today." Anwyn said as she looked down to the younger witch.
"I need two new winter cloaks and 3 new fall cloaks. One winter cloak I need to be teal with silver floral embroidery and soft grey fur lining the inside please. The second winter cloak I would like to be a dark emerald almost black with a rich brown fur lining the inside." Nelda supplied.
"Okay and what material would you like them to be made out of?" The redhead asked.
"I would like them to be made out of merino wool. For the fur I would like it to be a bear pelt for the brown one and Direwolf for the grey." She replied.
"Okay and what about the fall cloak?" Anwyn asked.
"I would like it to be made from acromantula silk in medium green with brown stitching. Can I have the Longbottom crest to sown on the right side of the front please?" She answered.
"Sure thing love." And with that Anwyn got to work.
After about two hours they were done. Azalea's order took the longest and wasn't completely done but the rest would be delivered to the manor in two day. She was able to change into a jade wrap tunic made of pure cotton that reached her mid thigh. It was paired with a black leather belt with gold stitching that rested just above her hips. She also had on black dragon leather leggings and boots that stop halfway up the shin. She had about fifteen other wrap tunics in various colors of blue, purple, red, black, and green. She also had about ten pairs of leather leggings in black, charcoal grey and Brown. To add to that she got 3 leather Capri leggings. She got three dresses as well. One dress was an off the shoulder knee length acromantula silk jade dress with delicate floral lace that laid over top.
Another was a chiffon A- Line scoop neck black knee length dress with gold beads sewn into the bodice. And the third dress was a deep burgundy floor length full skirt with lace laying gracefully over the bodice. She got two merino wool Winter cloaks, one that was onyx black with red floral embroidery and the Potter crest on the right side and nundu fur. The other was the color of molten gold with black geometric shapes embroidered with black bear pelt lining the inside. The fall cloak she got was acromantula silk that was jade. The hand stitched hem was burnt orange. She bought a pair of black velvet kitten heels to match the dress and to finish it off she had four dragonhide boots that were black and brown in color. One set that reached mid shin and one set that went to the ankle.
Theo walked out sporting a new wit cloak in a deep royal blue. The cloak had a grey wolf pet lining the insides. His father was holding onto his new royal blue fall coat as well as six tunics in various shades of blue, green, and silver.
"The total today for young Azalea is 620 galleons. Would you like to pay with cash or through your head ring?" Danica asked.
"My head ring, please Danica."Azalea replied.
"Alright just stamp your head ring onto this log and an invoice will be sent to Gringotts." Danika told the youth.
"Thank you Danica for everything you've don't for me today." Azalea said as she reached into her galleon bag and pulled out 10 galleons to hand to her. "Here. I want you to accept this for your wonderful help and patience with me."
"Oh no puișor, that is not necessary." Danika tried to say but Azalea just dumped the coins into her hands with a mischievous look.
"But I want to." She said with a pout.
"Alright I accept. Thank you dear one." Replied the older witch.
When they left the store they followed Thorros to a nice restaurant called Badgers Hideout on the corner of Vertic Alley and Diagon Alley. It was a cozy little eatery that had cream walls, ash wood floors and powder blue accents.
"Lord Nott! Right this way sir." Said a young man of average height with sandy blond hair and cognac eyes. He had a friendly smile but unsure smile on his face as he took in the unlikely group before him. "Hello Dowager Longbottom, my name is Alasdair MacDonaugh, welcome to my establishment. If you'll follow me I'll seat you in a private room in the back."
"Thank you young man." Augusta replied as she pulled Azalea to herself to keep unwanted eyes from noticing. Thorros noticed what she was doing and moved to the other side of the small girl, pulling Theo with him to have him stand in front of her. As a collective group they followed the owner to the back of the restaurant.
Once they were all seated Alasdair passed out the menus. "Your server will be with you shortly." He said before leaving.
Not even three minutes later a curvy woman 5'3 tall strolled in and took note of everyone at the table.
"Hello everyone my name is Carina Avory and I will be your server." She said without making eye contact with Thorros.
"Little Carina? Does your father know what you're up to?" He asked with a raised brow.
"No and he doesn't need to. I ran away eight months ago." She replied, looking down to the ground.
"Ahh I see. What did he do?" He inquired.
"He was going to force me to marry Mulciber. I took my clothes and jewelry and ran. I've been working here to save up money to join the Healer program at St Mungos." She stated with a hint of determination.
"If you don't mind me asking, miss. How much more do you need to save up? And how much do you get paid?" Azalea asked.
"I get paid two galleons an hour without tip. And I just need to save up 51 more galleons. I rent a place in Horizont Alley for 130 galleons a month. So it's been hard but I'm almost there. I'll show that old man I can make it without him. I won't fall in with his crowd. No offense uncle Thorros." She spoke passionately. The majority of the money she had saved up from selling her jewelry. She had about 21 thousand galleons saved up now, that's nothing to sneeze about for a woman who started with basically nothing.
"I can't believe he wanted to offer your hand to Mulciber of all people. He knows well what he does to people. If you need a place to hide away if he finds you come to the manor no exceptions. Your mother was my favorite cousin and I won't lose to your fathers idiocy.
"Will do, uncle, now what can I get you?" She asked.
"I'll have an order of mince and tatties and a cup of lavender Earl grey tea please." Azalea order.
"I'll have an order of shepherd's pie and the same tea as Azalea please." Theo replied.
"I'll have the roast lamb chops and a cup of Darjeeling please." Nelda requested
"I'll have the baked Scottish salmon and a glass of your house white dear." Augusta replied while collecting the menus from the children.
I'll have the Lancashire hot pot and a tankard of drought Thanks Rina." Thorros said as he passed the menu to the Avery heiress.
Time seemed to fly as the kids caught up on everything that happened for the time they spent apart.
"Nan visited Azkaban. She wanted to test Rodolphus. He passed the test by the way since he isn't dead." Nelda said.
"Apparently I'm the heir to both the Blacks and the Rosiers." Azalea supplied.
Both of the girls' statements were said so nonchalantly that it caused Theo to raise his eyebrow. 'Hold up' he thought to himself.
"First off Nelda what do you mean by your statement. You think your Nan would have killed him?" he inquired not even paying attention to the fact that his father was blatantly eavesdropping.
"Yea. She has at least fifteen different weapons on her at any time but because she is now a grandmother no one really searches her anymore." Nelda said so, matter of factly he could do nothing but stare blankly.
"Azalea what do you mean by being the heiress to the Black and Rosier families." He asked semi-robotically.
"Well it seemed that Lily Evans' real name was Lillian Rosier and there is no remaining blood relation close enough or young enough to be heir. Not to mention that the current head, Even, is locked up in Azkaban for being a death eater. And my godfather was Sirius Black. He blood adopted me after birth and my grandmother was Dorea Black. I am the only child of direct descent to the main line alive. So yea. I'm the heiress to both houses." She said as she shrugged. Not noticing that Thorros' eye twitched at the new information that he was gleaming from both of the girls while chatting with Augusta.
"Huh." was the only thing he could say as he stared off blankly into space. It took about a minute to digest all of the information that the two girls dumped onto him. He shook his head slowly at their antics. He had already known that there would never be a dull moment between the two but he never expected this.
He cleared his throat before opening his mouth. "Well my first day back was not as exciting. We did have a minor issue with one of our Andalusian fowls though. It seemed that it strained it's hind leg somehow." He informed.
"Oh I didn't know that you had horses Theo! How many do you have?" Nelda asked.
"Yea the Notts are known for breeding Andalusian war horses. We have as many as 50 horses at one time with ten mares and five stallions as the main stock." He said with a slight smile. He had started to help with the herd last year and was quite proud of them.
The chatter continued on as the food was served. After about two hours though they were ready to leave. Before they left though Azalea slipped about 55 galleons into Carina's pocket with a note telling her to continue to strive for her goals and to reach out when she finished the program. She wanted to help someone the way Nelda had helped her, plus it didn't hurt to have a healer feel in debt to her. She had signed the note at the bottom in cursive and continued out the door.
"Since we all got healed at gringotts I think it's best if we head home for the day girls. How about you invite your friends to the manor after Yule."Augusta said.
"Okay Nan. I'll write to Daphne when we get back." Nelda told her grandmother. She watched as Azalea skipped over to Thorros.
The larger, more dangerous wizard tracked the small girl's movements with his eyes as she made her way over to him. He could help but smile softly as she stopped in front of him and fidgeted for a second.
"Will you and Theo come to the manor after Yule uncle Thorros? She asked, looking up shyly at him.
"We will come, Azalea." He supplied as he affectionately ruffled her hair.
At his assurance she beamed at him. The look on her face was radiant. She reached out and hugged his waist before working her way to Theo and pouncing on him. Nelda who was watching Azalea had set herself up when she saw the mischievous look on the smaller girl's face so she could pounce from the other side.
Before he knew it Theo was trapped between the two girls in a tight hold. He sighed out and looked up at the sky. This was starting to become a common occurrence he thought to himself as his eye twitched. He looked over to his dad for help but Thorros looked like he was trying not to burst out laughing at the predicament his son had found himself in. He could feel his eye twitch again. 'Oh great now I won't hear the end of it from him.' He thought to himself.
"Bye Theo see you soon!" Azalea chirped at him.
"Yea bye Theo. Can't wait to see you next!" Nelda chipped in.
"Alright alright guys. I'll see you soon." He sighed out.
The two girls squeezed him one more time before releasing him and trotting over to Augusta. She took one look around before placing one hand on each girls shoulder.
"Alright girls the leaky looks a bit packed so I'm going to apparate us back. You will feel a little woozy so brace yourselves." She informed them. And with a loud pop they were gone.
Soon they were standing in front of a massive black steel gate with the Longbottom crest weaved into the gate. Both girls doubled over to try and catch their bearings. After about two minutes of dry heaving they made their way to the manor. Hand in hand the girls made their way to the blue sitting room and curled up together on the lounge. It had been a tough day and a nap seemed to be called for.
Augusta found them not even ten minutes later cuddled up together. She didn't have the heart to wake them up. They looked so comfortable and innocent that a protective surge of emotion bubbled up. She would protect these two girls with her life.