Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl. Chapter 54: A Black Easter
DISCLAIMER: Daria is the creation of Glen Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom. The world of Harry Potter, its plot, its characters, its backgrounds and its situations are the creations of JK Rowling and are the property of JK Rowling, Wizarding World, and Warner Brothers. And as you can guess, I don't own them. I do claim rights to Astarte de Gasconne and the house elves.
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Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl* Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl* Daria Ravenclaw: The Year of the Owl
Ted Tonks stood up and dusted off the ash from the Floo in the small outbuilding. His wife and daughter arrived shortly afterwards. "Well, here we are," said Ted, looking around, "wherever we are."
Andromeda looked around and smiled. "This is one of Uncle Arcturus' retreats," she replied. "I remember coming here as a young girl."
"So where is the house?" asked Ted. "I hope you remember the way."
"This way, I think," said Andromeda. "Through the door and out." It had been years since she'd been here.
Ted opened the door and stepped outside, inviting his wife and daughter to join him. They were immediately greeted by a pair of house elves.
"Miss Andromeda! Miss Nymphadora!" Good to see you! We've missed you!" they squealed.
"It's nice to see you again, Rollo, Fitty," said Andromeda with a smile. "Only it's Mrs. Andromeda now."
Fitty smiled sheepishly, then turned to Nymphadora. "Miss Nymphadora! Good to meet you!"
"Good to meet you, too, Fitty!" said Nymphadora, swallowing her irritation at being called Nymphadora. House elves could be cute, although their status bothered her.
The Tonks family made their way from the outbuilding and its oversized fireplaces to the main house. The house was what Victorians would have called a cottage, although later Britons would have called a country house. It was a rambling, largely one-story affair set well back from what were then the heavily-traveled highways of early nineteenth-century England. It was still well offset from Muggle roadways although Arcturus had again started using it as a country retreat after the end of the First Wizarding War. Arcturus and his mistress were outside in the small patio waiting for them.
"Welcome!" said the old wizard.
"Thank you, sir," said Ted, an air of bemusement mixed in with his pleasure. "And I thank you for your invitation."
"Andromeda, you look as wonderful as ever," said Arcturus. "Being a mother and healer suits you."
"Thank you, Uncle," said Andromeda.
"Nymphadora, I see you've grown up to become a beautiful young woman," said Arcturus.
"Thank you, sir," said Nymphadora, uncertain of what exactly to call him.
"I'm sure you're wondering why I invited you all over here," said the Black family's patriarch. "It's not simply a family get-together. We do have some family business to discuss after dinner."
"In the meantime, I'd like you to meet Madame Astarte de Gasconne."
"Nice to see you again, Astarte," said Andromeda.
"And you, Andromeda," Astarte replied.
Oh, so this is Uncle Arcturus' mistress, thought Nymphadora.
"And Ted," said Astarte.
"Pleasure to meet you," said Ted. Madame de Gasconne was an attractive older woman. From conversation with Andromeda, he wasn't surprised that the head of the Black family would choose such a woman to be his mistress. Madame de Gasconne was a widow in her sixties who looked like a Muggle in her forties who'd continued to take care of her looks. If she wasn't a member of the Old Families, she was one of those people who'd risen high enough in wizarding society that they' moved above its middle strata. Attractive, cultured, and intelligent, she was the sort of woman Ted thought an older man in Arcturus Black's position ought to have.
"And you, Ted," Astarte replied. "I hope you don't mind me calling you Ted."
"Not at all," replied.
"And Madame Tonks," said Astarte.
"Please, feel free to call me Andromeda or even Andy, at least when we're in private," said Andromeda.
"Let's go inside," said Arcturus. "The house elves have prepared us a delightful luncheon."
The meal was excellent. Whatever the fading status of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Arcturus' hospitality was still at the level of hospitality as it was when the House of Black was still at the apex of British Wizarding society. Despite the fact that it was only a modest mid-day meal, there were beverages, appetizers, a main meal, and dessert, with wines and coffee available for those who might wish to partake. Ted almost made a fool of himself with dessert, but his wife and daughter ate more sparingly. None of the Tonks drank very much, contenting themselves with a few sips.
Conversation at table was largely about old times and what had happened since Andromeda's estrangement but before her reconciliation with Uncle Arcturus and the surviving members of her family. Nymphadora learned new things about her family's circles and about her mother's and her aunts' old friends, things she hadn't heard while her father was alive, her mother Drusilla being displeased with the increasingly visible turn Uncle Arcturus was making with the Black family's external politics.
After dessert, coffee and tea, Uncle Arcturus invited them all to join them in the drawing room. Andromeda and Ted exchanged glances: the more serious reason for this visit was about to start.
As head of the House of Black, Arcturus was the one to begin to shift the conversation towards his plans for the younger members of the family. He did so obliquely enough:
"So, Nymphadora, you're now a Seventh Year," said Arcturus. "From what I've heard, you'll graduate with flying colors. What are you thinking of doing after you leave Hogwarts?" asked Arcturus.
"Please don't call me Nymphadora, Uncle," said Nymphadora, "I really don't like that name."
"What are you thinking of doing after you leave Hogwarts, Dora?" said Arcturus.
"Please don't call me Dora, Uncle," said Tonks.
"Well I'm not going to call you Tonks," said Arcturus.
"I have my mind set on becoming an Auror," said Nymphadora.
"An honorable profession," said Arcturus. "Are you certain you have the right temperament?"
"I do, Uncle," Nymphadora replied.
"It's a very hazardous profession," said Arcturus. "A lot of Aurors died during the last war."
"I know," said Nymphadora. Left unspoken was the fact that certain members of the family, notably Bellatrix and Regulus, had caused them. Nymphadora knew, her mother and father knew. Astarte probably also knew as well.
"We older Blacks made some truly awful choices during the last war," said Arcturus. "It cost us dearly."
They'd not only supported Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but Aunt Narcissa had married one and Aunt Bellatrix and her cousins Regulus and Sirius had joined them, Nymphadora thought. "It cost other families even more," she replied tartly.
"I am aware of that," Arcturus replied. "We should not have supported the Dark Lord. In doing so we cursed our legacy and nearly ruined the future for you and your cousins."
Cousins. Plural. Nymphadora was grateful she wasn't holding a tea-cup when Uncle said that. She would surely have dropped it.
She took a breath. "There aren't very many of us around," she said, "especially those of us of marriageable age. Sirius isn't getting out of Azkaban, which leaves me and Draco."
"There is another," said Arcturus. "I'm sure that you remember that I had asked you to look in on a certain first-year Ravenclaw before school started."
At last, the great reveal, thought Nymphadora. Uncle Arcturus had shown a remarkable amount of interest about one of this year's unusual Firsties, a young Ravenclaw from Texas who seemed to have no immediate English ancestry. She'd long ago concluded that Morgendorffer was related to one of the old families, otherwise why should she be at Hogwarts? She occasionally wondered whose child she was.
"Can I ask why you asked me to keep an eye on Morgendorffer, Uncle?" asked Nymphadora. "I doubt it's just because you wanted me to keep an eye on random Yanks attending Hogwarts." There were almost never any Americans at Hogwarts to Nymphadora's knowledge. The only ones she'd heard of had been children of American witches and wizards who'd moved to Britain. The last one she remembered graduated two years ago.
"Your surmise is correct," said Arcturus. "If we can't make a Slytherin of you at this late date, I hope you're developing an ability to see things below the surface."
"So, to explain. To begin with, Miss Morgendorffer is one of ours."
Blimey, thought Nymphadora, the way Uncle Arcturus said it, the girl was not just a relation, but a close relation.
"She's a Black?" said Nymphadora. The idea sounded so farfetched that she felt like a fool the instant the words came out of her mouth.
"She is indeed," he replied.
Nymphadora was stunned. "Whose?" she said. "I don't know that much about her family but I do know that her Mum is married to someone else."
"She is indeed married to someone else," Arcturus replied. "I've met the woman and her husband. The girl is the result of a one-time tryst."
"So who is the father?" asked Andromeda.
"Sirius," replied Arcturus. Andromeda's teacup fell to the floor. Fortunately, it fell on a rug and wasn't broken.
"How? When?" she said.
"Dumbledore gave me a story. I didn't accept it at face value, but many of the facts seem to match," said Arcturus.
"As you know, back in the summer of 1978, young Sirius and James Potter were freshly-minted Aurors working in the countryside. That same year, Helen Morgendorffer, little Daria's mother, and her husband Jacob were hiking through the countryside and took shelter at a magical inn."
"Is Mrs. Morgendorffer a witch?" asked Nymphadora. "If not, how could she possibly find it?"
"Mrs. Morgendorffer isn't a witch. Mr. Morgendorffer isn't a wizard," said Arcturus. "But just as we wizarding folk breed Squibs and Muggles sometimes breed witches and wizards, sometimes Muggles also breed what American wizards call "Wild Squibs."
"Wild Squibs?" asked Nymphadora.
"Some Muggle folk are able to see magic just like witches and wizards," said Andromeda. "The Ministry considers them to be as Muggle as anyone lacking any magic whatsoever, but they do exist."
"Wild Squibs. Hmm" said Nymphadora, savoring this idea.
"Mrs. Morgendorffer and her mother apparently come from a bloodline that regularly produces wild squibs," Arcturus continued.
"To continue, Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer took shelter at the inn during a thunderstorm and were allowed to spend the night. Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer partook of dinner and also mixed Satyr's cakes and alcohol."
"Oh, dear," said Andromeda.
Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer then got amorous and the rest of the story is from surmise," said Arcturus. "Someone, I suspect James Potter, altered Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer's memories. By the evidence, Mr. Morgendorffer wasn't the only person Mrs. Morgendorffer had relations with that evening. She also had relations with your cousin." Nymphadora blushed and wondered if this was too much information. "Nine months later, little Daria was born and she is not Jacob Morgendorffer's issue."
"And you have proof that she's Sirius' child?" asked Nymphadora.
"Yes," said Arcturus. "After I learned of the girl's existence from Dumbledore, I began my own investigation. Not just photographs but other things like blood samples. Little Daria is definitely his."
Nymphadora took a deep breath. "Stone the crows," she said.
"I was hoping that one of you would do her part to see that the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black would continue."
"Begging your pardon, Uncle, I don't think I'm willing to be shopped off into an arranged marriage," said Nymphadora.
"Considering what your mother did when we tried to arrange a marriage for her, I'm not sure that I could force you to," said Arcturus.
Which, assuming that Texas Morgendorffer was indeed a Black, that meant that she'd be the one most likely to be pressured into an arranged marriage, Nymphadora realized. She didn't know whether to laugh or shudder.
"Sir," she began. "Uncle," she continued, "My cousin is not only a half-blood like me but is also illegitimate. Sirius and Mrs. Morgendorffer are not married."
"And according to most wizarding law and Muggle law, for that matter, she would be considered such," said Arcturus. "However, according to Black family law, she can be made legitimate by family law, regardless of her awkward circumstances."
My Gods, Uncle Arcturus is thinking of making Texas Morgendorffer a family heiress, thought Nymphadora. "What about Sirius?" she said.
"He would be the heir if we could get him out of Azkaban," said Arcturus said. "I've discussed his case with Mrs. Morgendorffer. She's a lawyer, although her specialty is Muggle civil law, not criminal law. She's unsure about his innocence, but believes there are irregularities with his case."
Nymphadora decided to risk asking one of the most outrageous questions she could think of. "Would the Morgendorffers go along with her becoming an heiress?" she said.
"Her grandmother would," said Arcturus.
"Mrs. Morgendorffer's mother?" said Nymphadora.
"Mrs. Lillian Des Feuilles Barksdale's husband was a diplomat with the American Muggle federal government. She and he served as conduits of communication between the American Muggle government and the MACUSA," said Arcturus. "They know about our world, and Madam Barksdale is no fool, unlike most members of the Barksdale tribe."
"And Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer?" asked Nymphadora.
"They say that it's little Daria's decision," said Arcturus.
"So what do you want us to do about it, Uncle?" said Andromeda, who was fascinated by the plotting.
"Don't be obvious but be friendly when circumstances warrant it," said Arcturus. "For now, we've all agreed to let little Daria enjoy her life as a schoolgirl. We can discuss other parts later on."
"And the Morgendorffers are all right with this?" Nymphadora said wonderingly.
"For now," Arcturus replied.
Martha Haddaway
Astarte de Bordet