Chapter Eighteen
Things began to settle down after the reading of Azalea's will, at least for the first two months or so. Schooling began for her tutoring lessons and time was flying by. While Azalea was studying hard and preparing to turn ten the upcoming year, Arcturus, Cassiopeia, and Augusta now along with Andromeda and Narcissa were all working together behind the scenes to put quite a few different plans into action.
The unofficial but still quite legal hunt for Peter Pettigrew was starting under way. Andromeda and Narcissa had come up with a complex way of sending letters between Arcturus to contact one another, seeing how Lucius had banned the two once close sisters from talking. It was a liability or so he said. Lucius was firmly on Lord Voldemort's side of the war, but they were quietly without Lucius noticing, carving out their own little niche in the upcoming war for themselves. Because that is what was going to happen when it came down to the nitty-gritty. Arcturus just knew it. Dumbledore might have declared the war over, and the Death Eaters might have all scattered or had gone off to Azkaban, but he knew something that not many knew. There were whispers, quite vicious little rumors of a prophecy. It would have made sense. The Potters went into hiding quite abruptly, without any warning or obvious cause. One of these days, Arcturus was going to quietly go to the Ministry and head over to the Hall of Prophecy records, to see if there was one for Azalea. If there was... if he was right... He would adapt his plans accordingly. He was just hoping that his instincts were wrong for once, but they never were. The last time he had a niggling feeling like he did now, an innocent man went to Azkaban for murder and betrayal.
He looked over at where Azalea, Neville and Theo were sitting at their desks. They originally had used the library as a classroom, but with the expansions of Theo and Neville, he had helped by repurposing an old unused study into a fully functional classroom, with an adjoining office for him in case he needed it. It was on the second floor, and overlooked the front of the manor. The office was full of empty painting frames. He had not decided yet on who he wanted in the office, as he was keeping Azalea out of everyone's eyes, even the public right now. As always, when the will of a family was read, there was a written announcement a fortnight beforehand, in the papers. And since that missive was sent, there was an impressive outcry of people claiming to be long-lost relatives of Azalea Potter, trying to get their grubby greedy hands on the girl and her money and estates. All of them were quite false, but it was enough to stress the nine-year-old girl out and give her a massive headache. She requested, after the fourth owl in a row begging for money, claiming to be a long-lost brother or uncle, that Cassiopeia to screen her owl post. She wasn't used to being in the public's attention and Azalea decided she didn't quite like it.
Theo was currently buried in a tome about how different ancient runes played a part in daily life, while Neville was finishing up an essay on the different meanings of rune combinations. Azalea was quite literally, carving her own set with a pen knife and blank bits of wood that she had asked Cassiopeia to gather up from around the property for her. He couldn't help but be proud of her progress. You would nowadays, never be able to tell that she spent the first five informative years of her life with magic hating muggles. She was his pride and joy, he loved her like a granddaughter. Arcturus almost wondered what house she would be sorted into when she attended Hogwarts in a year and a half. She was brave as could be, and would be well suited in Gryffindor, as was expected from the heiress of the Potter family. But she was also one of the most loyal and dedicated people that he knew, and would excel in the house of the badger. It was one of their defining traits, to be loyal. She was cunning when she wanted to be, or rather, when she chose to show that she could be, and very ambitious. The Slytherin house would benefit from having her as one of their pupils. On the other hand, she was very serious and studious, qualities that any Ravenclaw easily possessed in their repertoire of valued qualities. Simply put, Azalea Dorea Potter would be best suited in any of the four houses, and it was going to be up to the sorting hat's expert opinion and Azalea's own thoughts to where she would be sorted. To say anything otherwise would be complete speculation on her part.
Azalea looked up from what she was doing suddenly, and frowned, rubbing her forehead. She had been doing that more often lately, as in, she hadn't done it at all before this past month. She was rubbing directly at the lightning bolt shaped scar on her forehead. He would mention to Cassiopeia that she was doing so again. They both would have to keep an eye on the girl. He shook his head and checked his pocket watch for the time.
"Okay you three, head downstairs to the dining hall for lunch. It should be being served soon, and I imagine you three are getting peckish." Arcturus called out, emerging from the half empty office, as well as his own thoughts he was lost deep in. All three children looked up, looking startled at the intrusion from their own personal bubbles. Azalea looked at him for a solid minute contemplating something, before beaming up a smile at him.
"Okay Grandpa Arcturus!" She said before darting out the door, suddenly hyper. Theo and Neville looked after where she ran out the door, looked at him and shrugged. They had no idea any better than he did it seems, as to where that girl got her random spurts of energy. It truly was a mystery then it seems.
While they were eating lunch, overseen by one of Cassiopeia's trusted house elves, Arcturus went to Cassiopeia's study, where he knew she was holed up at the moment. She too was worried it seems, as she was researching different wizarding laws on how to request a proper trial for someone already locked in Azkaban. After all, Sirius Black was Azalea's godfather, but he was also blood related to the both of them. Sirius Black was Orion's son. Arcturus's heart panged for Orion, his late son. Orion had died the same year as his own son Regulus went missing. Both two years before Sirius was incarcerated. He would do his grandson justice. He would get him out if it was the very last thing he ever did. Especially now that he knew Sirius Black was innocent on all accounts of the crimes he wasn't even technically tried for.
"I see you are working hard, dear sister." He called out, catching Cassiopeia's attention.
"Yes I am. I'm swamped. You know speaking in legal terms was never my specialty. I really do think we need that lawyer that Narcissa gave us the information to." She said as she sighed, rubbing tiredly at her eyes.
"If you think so, you have my permission as your head of house to contact her on my behalf, or if you want, I will send an owl to her directly myself."
"Would you do it please? I'm sorry to ask, but between researching different ways to locate Pettigrew safely and alive, and trying to keep up with Azalea and Theo and Neville's schooling needs; did you know Azalea is already doing level two potions theory, and is doing level one practical potions? She's so advanced, she definitely has a gift for it and I will be damned if I am the reason it is stifled away."
"Believe me, I am aware. She's been begging me to begin her Latin lessons early, so she can advance more in spell theory. Her reasoning is that if she can understand the base words better without having to use a book for translation, she won't need to spend as much time on each spell and could get through the theoretical lessons quicker. For not having a wand, she sure is interested in the theory behind spell creation. She has been researching on her very own. I'm going to have to intervene soon enough before she gets in too deep, just like Regulus did when he was around her age.
It seemed Arcturus was thinking of him more often than not these days. Azalea reminded him of young Regulus, so ambitious and eager to please him, as Regulus had been with his own parents, his son Orion and daughter in law Walberga. Regulus had been so eager to please his own father, who was aligned with Lord Voldemort, that he had joined the dark sector at the meager age of sixteen. It was unfortunate, his son got it into his head that only the sacred twenty eight pureblood wizarding families mattered and that only the dark aligned families mattered. Muggle and muggle borns were scum of the earth to him and Walburga alike. He didn't know where on earth Orion got those ideas from, certainly not him or his late wife Melenia. It wasn't well known, but Regulus, so soon after joining the Death Eaters and getting higher up the ranks, wanted out. He saw how pathetic Voldemort was, how desperate he was to gain followers and obtain his goals that he would eliminate anyone in his way, whether it be a muggle or magical person, and whether it was a child or not. When Regulus discovered Voldemort would slaughter entire families, children and all, he changed his tune and wanted out. Unfortunately, that spelled his downfall. No one got out of the Death Eaters, at least not while alive, but Arcturus had a feeling, deep down in the pit of his stomach. The body of Regulus was never recovered, and Arcturus wouldn't know where to start on how to locate it, but he felt the need to bring his grandson home. One was already wronged so badly, he needed to do right by the both of them. It was decided in his mind at that very moment that he would put energy into locating and recovering Regulus Black.
"Earth to Arcturus. Where are you at big brother? Where is your mind at?" Cassiopeia called out from the doorway. She had come to check in on the kids and found him instead.
"Regulus." Was all that he said in reply.
"Regulus?" Cassiopeia asked, confused.
"Regulus Black. I want to find Regulus and bring him home. He might have made his mistakes, but I believe he wanted out. Either way he deserves a proper burial. He confided in me that he deeply regretted his actions to join the Death Eaters, and he was trying to escape. I offered him shelter, but he refused, stating that he had things he needed to accomplish before he left but never said what, and shortly after we met, he disappeared never to be seen again. The Ministry labeled it as a Death Eater raid gone wrong, but I just know something else happened. I want to get to the bottom of it. I want to bring my boys home." Arcturus finally got out after a solid minute of contemplating.
"Okay big brother. How do you suggest we do that? I'm not saying it isn't possible, I just want to know what your thoughts are on the matter, so I know where to approach first."
"I do not believe in this case that scribing will work. The ministry insisted that he's dead, so I want to know why. I'll start there, with a formal inquiry as head of house into the death of my grandson. That should get the ball rolling at the very least." He said after some serious thinking.
"An official death inquiry from the head of the Black house ought to get some wheels greased, it's a good start. Write to the Minister himself, not his understudy Crouch Sr. I do not trust that man for his weight in salt let alone gold. No, write to Bagnold. She might be more sympathetic. I never was a fan of how Crouch Sr. treated his son before incarceration."
"I think you are right on that front. May I borrow your desk to write a few letters? It seems that my list is ever-growing. I think I will write to that lawyer as well. I think I'll start then with a missive to the Minister of Magic. Shall I pass along a letter to Narcissa for you, or Andromeda today?"
"Yes please. Andromeda wants to meet up soon to discuss progress, or in our case, the lack thereof. I must hurry up, Azalea will be expecting me soon enough at lunch and I must make my appearances. She will suspect something is up soon enough, with us always being busy. It's as if there aren't enough hours in the day anymore. She's too bright for her own good, I swear by it." Cassiopeia said, as she pushed back her chair and moved to stand up. She stretched, and let out a groan as her stiff muscles protested the movement after hours of sitting as still as a statue.
Once she left the office, Arcturus took her seat and pulled out a full fresh stack of parchment papers, pre-cut to letter size, and a fresh pot of black ink. He pulled out of his breast pocket of his wizarding robes, his favorite quill that he always carried on him.
Millicent Bagnold
Minister for Magic
Ministry of Magic
Westminster, London, United Kingdom
I, Arcturus Black, Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black, hereby request all records and incident reports pertaining to the death of Regulus Arcturus Black, both as his grandfather and as the head of his house. I was informed of his passing, but never notified of the location of his body or grave site. I also request the court records of Sirius Orion Black along with the arrest report and warrant for his wand as it was never released back to the family.
With regards,
Arcturus Black
Lord of the house of Black
Order of Merlin First Class
With that letter done, killing two birds with one stone at that, he folded the paper neatly after casting a quick drying charm on it. The ink was made to be fast drying, but he was taking no chances with an official missive to the Ministry of Magic, especially to the Minister herself. She would be retiring soon, he could feel it in his own bones. He just hoped her understudy Bartemius Crouch Sr. didn't get voted in. While he was popular right now, Arcturus knew he wouldn't be soon enough. He heard from others on how Bartemius Crouch Sr. treated his son and wife. When his wife died, back when Azalea would have been around two, the man went off the rails. Rumors and word came out of how he neglected his poor son, and that had driven the boy right into the Dark Sector's open and inviting arms. He pulled out a wax sealing spoon and three pellets of hard red wax. It was used for official business, and this was definitely that. He held the wax over the lit candle on the desk, and watched as it liquified. Once it was pourable, he gracefully emptied it onto the center of the two meeting halves of the parchment, which was folded into a trifold paper. He pressed his head ring, the Black Head ring, into the wax permanently embossing the wax with the Black coat of arms, and watched as the wax rehardened with the impression on it. Arcturus wanted to send it right away, so he opened the nearby window and summoned his ever faithful bird, Artemis. It was a large elegant jet black raven, an uncommon bird to possess in magical Scotland. In flew a magnificent bird, who cawed when they saw him. He reached out and ran his fingers over the silky feathers of the bird, and greeted them fondly.
"Hello again Artemis. Thank you for coming when I call you. You're my ever faithful bird, and I appreciate that." Arcturus said softly.
"Can you take this to the Minister for me? Please make sure that only she receives it, but do be mindful not to nip too hard, I know how you can be when I ask you to do something specific."
"Caw! Caw!" Was the raven's reply.
Arcturus sighed, and opened the desk drawer, pulling out an owl treat.
"This will have to do for now my friend. Wait for a reply, and when you come back you may have some bacon. I know that it's one of your favorites."
"Caw!" The raven shouted and flew off once Arcturus attached the feather-light charmed letter to it's leg with a red ribbon. The bird was used to this, and barely noticed the ribbon at all at this point. Artemis was a proud bird, and loved being of service to Arcturus.
He then moved on, to write the letter to the lawyer that Narcissa had recommended. Her name was Isold Kaiser, she was a German witch, who specialized specifically in the greyer side of magical law. She had definitely represented some shady clients in the past, but she was a good lawyer with a solid head on her shoulders that took no nonsense from anyone. He quickly jotted out the letter to her and addressed it as such.
Isold Kaiser
Wizard's Allegiance Corp.
87 Knister Straße
Saarbrücken, Germany
Dear Miss Kaiser,
I was advised by Narcissa Malfoy Née Black to contact you concerning the trial, or lack thereof in this case of Sirius Orion Black. He was captured by the Ministry on November 1st, 1981 and held without trial, for the murder of wizard Peter Pettigrew as well as the death of twelve muggles, as well as destruction of both public and private property. I have come into new evidence not seen by the courts, that Sirius Black is innocent on all charges. I would like to contest his charge of life imprisonment in Azkaban jail. I have already requested the court records and arrest report for him, as well as the warrant ordered for his wand, as it was never released back to the Black family. I did this already suspecting that there would be no warrant report nor would there be a court record, seeing as he did not receive a trial. I am requesting from you to represent him in the court of law and uphold the interest of the Black family. If there was indeed no trial I would like to sue the Ministry on the grounds of corruption and miscarriage of justice.
With regards,
Arcturus Black
Lord of the house of Black
Order of Merlin First Class
This next letter, while just as important, was definitely going further in distance, which was more suited to Hel, Cassiopeia's red-tailed hawk. It could fly upwards of almost five hundred kilometers in a single day, which made quick correspondences a breeze. That was only one of the reasons it was Cassiopeia's favorite bird to use. It was also a visually intimidating bird. It might have been smaller than most of the other birds in use by witches and wizards, but it was visually striking, with its standout red and brown feathers. It was a North American bird, so there in Scotland, it was a sight to behold for most.
He sealed the letter much the same as he did the one before, and called out for Hel. It was Cassiopeia's personal bird, and much like her, it could be the last thing you ever saw. Cassiopeia was not a witch to mess with. On her person, she carried a little black book full of blackmail that even Arcturus did not want to know about, on almost every witch and wizard she knew, and some that she had not met yet. It was spelled and hexed and warded that only she could open and read it, let alone touch it. Arcturus shuddered to think of what would happen if someone dared to try, that's if they got it off her person without them dying a slow and most likely painful death. She was absolutely lethal like that.
The last letter he had to write for now was to Gringotts. It would be a simple enough letter to write, and as Azalea's head of house, he, Lord Black, would officially be requesting an audit of the Potter estate. He suspected foul play with her funds, and would get to the bottom of it if it was possible.
By the time Arcturus was writing and sending off the correspondences, it was time for Azalea, Neville, and Theo's Ancient Runes' lesson to continue. Their day would go on like nothing happened, with the children being none the wiser to the different political power plays being made on their behalf at hand. He headed out of Cassiopeia's study and back to the newly created classroom, but it was still quiet and empty. Arcturus checked his pocket watch, he had five minutes or so to spare before the girl and her friends would make their return from having lunch together it seemed.
That day, Azalea was approached by Arcturus and Cassiopeia after all her lessons for the day were finished, as dinner was finishing up. The next day would be a Wednesday, which in the morning from ten a.m. to twelve p.m., she would have Wizarding Customs and Formalities, while Theo would be studying about the usage of toxins and Neville took the allotted time to visit his ailing parents at St. Mungo's.
"Tomorrow morning, we will be going to Gringotts. We have an official meeting with Poisonclaw at ten a.m. sharp. I have already spoken with Lady Ironwood, she has given me the itinerary for tomorrow's lesson, so you will not be falling behind in the class. She said you are far ahead of where she tested you to be for this quarter, so you have some leeway, but do not slack off. I am proud of you." Cassiopeia informed the girl when they were all done eating.
"Poisonclaw? That's um... That's the goblin assigned to maintain the Potter family estates and vaults correct?" Azalea asked.
"Very good, I see you have been studying on your own." Arcturus congratulated her.
"I've been trying to pay more attention to my estates, but it's all so confusing to keep track of. Do you think we can stop off at Flourish and Blotts, so I may get another journal, this one just, so I am able to make a ledger of what I own, who keeps the books for it, and such?" Azalea asked, a little unsure of herself. She still did not ask for many things, simply happy to have what she already did, never asking for anything more.
"Sure, but it will be best to go beforehand. I do not know how late the meeting will run, nor can I predict the outcome of the meeting, and you will still have more lessons today. Do not forget you have Practical Magical Theory with Lady Andromeda at one p.m. after you have lunch. You still must eat, even if the news is unsatisfactory or unsavory to receive tomorrow." Cassiopeia warned. Tomorrow would go either very well, or very badly. There was no in between.
"What is the meeting about anyway? I don't remember you mentioning scheduling any meetings, or at least I do not remember you telling me that you did." Azalea asked curiously. Theo watched in vague interest at the interactions. Azalea had different moods about her, ones that she could completely switch between them when needed. She went from being carefree and childish, as was customary for her age of nine years old, or she could act much older, more mature beyond her years. It all depended on the situation before her. It was something he admired greatly about his little sister.
"That would be because they wrote to me this evening. I sent out a correspondence earlier this afternoon in regard to your estate, and they've just now replied to have requested our presence."
"Wow, whatever it is must be important for them to reply and you to get it within the same day. Especially if they want us there so quickly." Azalea said, slightly stunned.
"Indeed it is. It's a serious matter that I wish that I didn't have to go through with you at such a young age, but it is very important that you be there and hear what they have to say." Arcturus foreshadowed seriously.
"You make it sound like someone is dying... No one is dying, are they? Oh, god! Please don't tell me that you or Auntie Cassiopeia are dying!" Azalea said, slightly hysterical at the thought of her very worst fear coming to life.
"No, no you silly girl. No one is dying. Think. Think hard. What does Poisonclaw do? You yourself said that that particular goblin does what?" Cassiopeia soothed.
"Um... Umm." Azalea said, still caught up in her own panic.
"Breathe in deep, dear child. Stay calm in the moment; think rationally. Take a deep breath."
Azalea sighed and listened to the soothing words coming from her great-aunt. Think rationally. What did Poisonclaw do again? He was the goblin at Gringotts bank that was in charge of having her parents' will read, and he took care of the vaults. So, this had to do with either the will, the vaults, or both.
"Poisonclaw takes care of the Potter vaults and estates. So this has either to do with one, the other, or both of them. It could also have to do with the reading of my parents' will but that would be Bloodfist's territory, correct?" Azalea said after some serious thought. She fought through her blooming panic. She was not yet prepared for the thought of losing the two most important people in her life, her literal saviors. She did not remember her parents being alive; her only early memories were of the Dursleys. They were people she hadn't thought twice of since she was rescued. Azalea decided then and there, that she didn't quite care what happened to them. It might have sounded callus to anyone else, but after all of the neglect and abuse they put her through, she figured, whatever fate decided for them, they deserved it.
Somewhere deep inside Azalea, the palest red bond, the one that represented the Dursley's snapped, finally severing after she held onto their abuse and neglect for nine long years of her life. She felt it, but was unable to describe the overwhelming relief and joy that mingled with sadness, so for now she ignored it and paid attention.
"You are indeed correct. Bloodfist also might be there, but I wrote to Poisonclaw this afternoon, and they are the one who responded back." Arcturus explained calmly. He would take note of this rising panic in her, it would be something to touch upon again in private, where she could be herself and heal, and he could help soothe her and help her work her way through it, just as he had with many other topics that had appeared to stress out the small child.
That night when Arcturus came into her room to tuck her in, she was sitting cross-legged on her four-poster bed, waiting for him to come in.
"Grandpa, I need to talk to you. Is that okay?" Azalea asked cautiously.
"Absolutely Azalea. Is everything okay?"
"Earlier... When we were talking about the meeting at Gringotts bank tomorrow, I was getting scared, and then I started thinking about the Dursley's and I felt really weird in my chest. It felt like a string was being pulled inside, but then it popped and went away, and then I felt really happy and really sad at the same time, like I lost something, but I feel better afterwards like when I sick up?" Azalea tried to explain in her own vocabulary. Sometimes you could tell that she was still just a little kid, and to Arcturus, this was one of those times. He was trying to decipher what she said.
"So, let me clarify. You were upset, and then you began thinking about the Dursleys? What were you thinking about that made you so upset?" He asked, trying to get to the root of the issue first before he answered her question. He felt that if he just jumped right in, she would feel more confused than when she began the conversation. Usually he explained this to a child on their tenth or so birthday, but for what he suspected to happen tonight to have happened so early on, it was a unique case, almost as unique as the child before him.
"I um... I was thinking about my parents. About how I don't remember them, I only remember Aunt and Uncle, and how they always hurt and yelled at me. I started to become really scared that I would lose you and Auntie Cia. I was thinking about the fact that if you and Auntie die, maybe I'd have to go back to the Dursleys. That thought just made me scared even more."
"Foremost, there is a list of people that you are to go to in order, and Petunia and Vernon are nowhere on or near that list. If and I mean if, something were to happen to both Cassiopeia and I, you would go directly to Andromeda and her husband. She is Druella Black and Cygnus Black's daughter. Cygnus is Walburga's older brother, and Walburga was married to my son Orion. She is technically my great niece-in-law by blood, if that helps relieve any of your inherent anxiety."
"She is, really? I never knew that."
"Well of course silly. She's a Black by blood. It's a very... circular family tree at times, but it's still a tree. Now, onto the next part. You were thinking about the Dursleys, correct?"
"Mhm! And then I felt something funny in my chest. Near right here but inside, like deep inside." Azalea pointed to the center of her chest, near her solar plexus but a few inches above. That helped confirm what Arcturus already knew happened.
"What did it feel like? Try to describe it in your own words for me."
"I already told you. It felt like there was a string tugging at something inside of me, like something was playing tug of war with something else. It wasn't really painful, it felt more like a pressure being relieved. It popped, and then the tugging stopped, but then I felt really happy for a moment, but also really sad, like I had lost something. It felt weird, but I feel all better now, don't worry." Azalea rambled at a fast pace.
"What you felt, like the string pulling at something, has a special name. It's called a soul bond. You remember me teaching you your different stretches right? The ones you do in the morning after breakfast? Do you still do the meditation exercises?" Arcturus asked, a contemplative look upon his face.
Azalea looked bashful, as if she was caught with her hand inside of the cookie jar. "Um, not all of the time anymore but I still do it sometimes. Why?"
"That meditation is the beginning of searching for something, or rather, someone. It's preparing you to find and connect with your soulmate. Inside of you in your magical core, are threads. They have different colors, and different thicknesses depending on the person attached to it, and the kind of relationship you have, as well as the strength of that relationship. Red for example, is the familial bond. It connects family members. I bet, if you were to look inside of yourself, the bond between you and me, you and Cassiopeia, or the bonds between you, Theo and Neville would all be thick, red cords. Bonds that would be hard to sever."
"Wait... What? Soul bond, soul mate? What? I thought that was all just fairy tales that muggles used to tell their children?" Azalea said shocked.
"Just like magic?" Arcturus asked gently.
"Just like magic..." Azalea trailed off seeing where he was going.
"But what did I feel?"
"That would have been the bond you had between your muggle guardians, the Dursleys, and you, snapping or severing completely. Sometimes you're aware of this happening, sometimes it happens in your sleep. In this case, you felt it while you were awake, and I am just glad you asked me these questions. It can be very confusing. It's usually the duty of a parent to inform and teach their child around the age of ten, before they begin school, so they can start searching, but in this special case, I am honored to take their place. Are there any more questions you might have?" Arcturus asked patiently waiting for Azalea to absorb all of the new information he had explained to her tonight.
"Nope! At least not that I can think of. Wait, does this mean I need to start meditation again?" Azalea asked, pouting. It was very hard for her to sit still and concentrate on clearing her mind when she would rather be reading a book.
"Yes, it does. It will also help you, for when you start practicing on occulemancy."
"What's that?" She asked curiously.
"Occulomancy is the art of shielding and protecting your mind. There are people who can use legilimency, to read or skim the surface of your mind. Some are skilled enough, like Albus Dumbledore, that you usually wouldn't even feel or notice them. That is why you will be learning after your tenth birthday. For now, just focus on meditation. It's imperative that you practice as much as you can. Now, it's time for bed kiddo. We have a meeting in the morning; it will be a big day ahead of us."
Arcturus was shocked that she felt the bond snap, but maybe this was a good thing. This girl was more mature than most would be at nine years old, but maybe that was because of the rampant neglect she experienced, both at the hand of muggles and wizards alike. He vowed that she would never feel those cold hands ever again. Not while he was alive, and not after he was long gone either. He would make sure of that. She deserved that much at least. He shook his head, something that he was doing much more often lately. Things were changing around him, and he liked to think they were changing for the better.
The next day saw Azalea up bright and early as usual. She didn't fall right to sleep after her grandpa left. Rather, she stayed up and tried focusing on where she felt the tugging sensation that night. She envisioned a ball of yarn all tangled, but even when she squeezed her eyes shut real tight and tried her hardest to clear her mind, she just couldn't see anything but the blackness of the darkness of her room. The candles had been long extinguished for the night, with a sole candle lit sitting on the writing desk to light the way to her lavatory. She let out a deep sigh and finally slipped under the covers, vowing to try again in the morning after she exercised. Maybe then she would get some results. Her dreams were fitful at first, as if her mind was reminding her of all of the awful horrid things that the Durleys had done to her, but at last, she dreamed of a man on a motorcycle flying through the sky coming to rescue her. It was weird, as she had never had that dream before, but it felt so soothing, so familiar. When she woke up in the morning, despite the nightmare-like dream, she awoke with a soft smile on her face. By the time she reached breakfast the next morning, she completely forgot about the man in her dreams. She completely forgot to tell Cassiopeia in the haste to eat, so she could go exercise and meditate. She barely stopped to eat, but Arcturus stopped her before she could get through the door completely.
"Hey! You need to eat still young missy. Where did you think you were going?" Arcturus caught her by the arm, spinning her around in a giant circle, much reminiscent of how he spun her around when he first met her. She let out a giggle.
"To go stretch and exercise? I want to try the meditation exercises again." Azalea said, giving her best pout. Theo looked up from his porridge and blueberries with honey with a quizzical look. Since when did Azalea want to go exercise in the morning, let alone meditate? Usually, Theo watched her mope and drag herself outside to the field to do her daily morning routine lately. What was with the new enthusiasm?
"Yes... Well... no not exactly. I ate a muffin?"
"A single muffin. Is that your absolute bare minimum allotted amount of calories that your Healer prescribed for you?" He asked in mock sternness, knowing that she was just eager to go practice what he explained to her the night before. She pouted even harder at that. She'd been caught slacking off, and she knew when to fold.
"No... I'll go eat, and then may I go do my morning workout?" She asked.
"Absolutely, but if you do try, do not get upset if you do not get results with the first try, it sometimes takes years to reach clarity for your goal." Arcturus gently reminded the girl, putting her back on the ground gently. He watched as she went over to where she usually sat next to Theo and piled her plate high up with bacon and scrambled eggs, and fresh fruits. She was on a prescribed diet that was getting less and less restricted, but she was still small for her age, not quite meeting the height requirement goals. She needed high protein, moderate calorie foods, and bacon and eggs with toast and jam and fruit was one of her favorite breakfasts to eat. Of course, it was sweet and tasty, which always helped. She was now aware of the growth serums that spiked her daily morning pumpkin juice, and in an effort to actually help, she now drank every last drop, even if she wasn't quite thirsty that morning.
Once she was done eating everything on her plate, and she drank the special pumpkin juice, she looked at Arcturus, who was taking his sweet old time eating that morning in her opinion, waiting for permission to leave the table that time.
"Yes, Azalea, you may go now." He granted her silent question, while catching Theo's second quizzical look of the morning.
"We will talk later. It's nothing bad, but seeing as I already talked to Azalea, and your birthday is nearly here as it is, I see no harm in letting you in on the little secret. Would you like to eat lunch with me and Azalea out on the back patio? That way we can all talk and I can answer any questions you three might have at once?" He offered the silent boy.
"Yes please I'd like that."
Time flew by for Azalea that day, she breezed through her exercises with a renewed vigor, and sat in the damp cool grass panting, trying her hardest to envision her magical core. As she sat, her head swam, but she kept her eyes firmly shut, focusing on what she had previously been instructed. Keep breathing, breath in for seven seconds, hold it for five, out for seven, hold it again for five, repeat. It was something called square breathing, a technique used to keep the body and mind calm and flowing. As she repeated the routine, this time with something to focus on, she started to think about the feeling in her chest. She focused on where she felt the tugging. She tried to remember what she had been learning about the chakra points on the body, and how that played a part in how the magic flowed throughout her. It felt like it was somewhere in between her solar plexus and her heart chakra, so she focused her mind there, still repeating the breathing technique. If she closed her eyes hard enough, she could just make out the fuzzy outline of colors. At this realization, she got so excited that her eyes snapped open and the fuzzy view of colors emerging from the inky darkness disappeared as the view of trees and plants came back into her view. She got up and bolted back into the Manor, hoping that Arcturus would be somewhere around. She got her wish when again, she ran smack dab right into his chest.
"Azalea, what has got you in such a hurry. Did you get through your morning exercises that quickly?"
"IdidandImeditatedandIsawcolors!" She shouted in all but one breath.
"Now, say that again, but a lot slower. Breathe child, breathe."
"I said, Grandpa Arcturus, that I meditated, and I saw colors! It was really fuzzy, but I saw different colors than just black space!" She said beaming with pride.
Arcturus was for not the first time in his life, completely shocked at the girl before him.
"You saw colors? When you meditated, you saw colors? And without any guidance to help you other than what I explained briefly last night?"
"Yup!" She smiled with pure joy.
"That's astounding. You amaze me more and more everyday little one. Keep practicing, but that's enough of that for now. I imagine you feel slightly exhausted?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"Because to find your magical core takes a lot of energy that you don't notice you're using. It's easier to find your core when you're calm, and you usually have a bit too much energy in you at this stage in life to do so. Your magical core is still growing and stretching, and by exercising and meditating, you grow with it. Usually. That's usually how it is. But nothing is usual when it comes to you, it seems." Arcturus said with a fondly exasperated smile.
"Now, go get cleaned up. You're covered in a fine layer of sweat. We have approximately thirty minutes before we need to floo to Diagon Alley. I'll help and cast a refreshing charm on you since we do not have time for you to take a full shower. I'll have Zilly put a pepper up potion on your nightstand. Make sure you take it, it'll give you a boost of energy for when we meet with the goblins. I'm sure you'll need it. Did you still want to stop at Flourish and Blotts on the way there?" He offered.
"Yes please if possible. If not, I can always order from the owl catalog." Azalea requested.
"I think that would be a better idea, but we will see depending on the amount of people in Diagon Alley this morning. It's during the school year already, so there shouldn't be too many people but like I said, we shall see."
And with a dash, Azalea sped up to her room and got ready to go. Just like he said he would, there was a pepper up potion sitting on her nightstand waiting for her. She held her nose and drank down the potion, steam erupting from her ears as she made a face at the peppery taste. The images in the room became sharper, and her head didn't feel quite as fuzzy, she wasn't as worn out as she was a moment before. True to the potion's name, it peppered her right up. Azalea got dressed in a nice pair of plain black trousers and a blue dress shirt. She might not have been wearing dresses every day anymore, but she still liked to look nice.
"Zilly, will you braid back my hair for me? It's getting too long to reach."
The elf in question popped into the room with a loud crack, and patted the chair in front of Azalea's tri-fold mirror.
"Mistress must sit in front of the mirror. Zilly will be braiding the mistress' hair for her today as she asked." Zilly offered.
"Yes please. I'd like that, thank you." Azalea was always kind to the elves. She knew what it was like to be used and mistreated, and she vowed that she would never be that way to another living creature ever in her lifetime. She was better than Aunt and Uncle, and she would prove that every day simply by existing, thriving, in spite of their best efforts to squash her down.
Once her hair was up in an intricately done braid, as it really was getting too long for her to manage on her own at her age, she exited her bedroom, after donning her winter cloak. It was chilly, even for being the warmest October, nearly November on record in London. Her winter cloak was a rich royal blue color with silver buttons and black trim, with matching blue and black gloves to keep her hands warm. It was a gift from Lady Andromeda and Mr. Tonks for her birthday that year; they had given it to her when she returned from the Cies Islands with Neville and Theo.
"Azalea are you ready to floo over?"
"Yes Auntie Cia, I'm ready. Let's go."