I decided to post Audrey's introduction sooner than planned because the first two chapters are so short :P Hop you enjoy! Again, I promise of longer chapters ahead. Introductions are very hard to lengthen.
This chapter was updated as of 4 August 2015
2. Audrey: Death of a Legacy
Pulchra et fortis. Fair and mighty. It was a standard to live, breathe, and die by.
That was what was expected of a Callaghan.
At this point, Audrey had toured the perimeter of the estate three times. She was finding it much harder to leave the place than she had imagined. Each hedge, each fountain and well, each bench – they all screamed of her childhood and adolescence. They were hard sounds to ignore.
Childhood and adolescence. Two of the many other things that were ruthlessly torn from her grasp.
Her gaze skimmed across the ivy-covered, stone walls of the building. Her mother had always said that the first time she had visited the Callaghan Estate, she thought the place was far too gloomy for a pureblood family of Aurors. That being said, though, Audrey's grandfather had prepared her for disappointment. After the disappointment of her two older sisters, Grandpa Altair didn't expect any family better than the Callaghans to be interested in Audrey's mother.
"Not a sacred family, like ourselves, but at least," he had said, "they have ties to the Blacks, no matter how distant." As if that was worth all of the gold in the world.
Audrey finally reached the entrance of the estate. A wide gravel path lined with hedges and marked with the ridges and footsteps of many prominent names and faces. It connected the entrance to the large grey building and the green gates that used to hold the Callaghan crest. Upon being sold, the new owners ripped off the green, gold, and red crest of a roaring bear with the Latin motto boldly blazing beneath it. Audrey thanked them. It was only a painful reminder.
At the gate entrance, the real estate agent was waiting. If only she knew the things that went on in that house.
Audrey dropped the keys in the woman's waiting hands. "Sorry for taking so long."
The woman pursed her lips and gave Audrey a sour look. "Well, I guess I did say take your time."
"Thank you for the help. Don't forget to remind the new owners that the basement's been untouched since the eighteenth century." That was a lie. Her grandparents had used it for very questionable purposes. In summary, the basement was a collection of prison-like cells that were commonly frequented by house elves. Something her mother made sure to stop the moment she married into the family.
"Hm," was the only answer the woman gave. She stalked off with her nose in the air.
Audrey rolled her eyes and followed the gravel path from the gates to the beach. It was the same path she used to take with her brother when they were younger and went swimming every day during summer break.
The sky was grey and threatening to collapse its contents onto the coastline, so it was no surprise to Audrey that there was only one blanket spread on the sand, with a bundled diminutive figure sitting on it. As Audrey made her way down to the shore, the strong wind blew her shoulder-length dark brown hair into her face. She used to get annoyed by the hair flying into her mouth due to the strong Irish winds. Now, with her departure imminent, she almost welcomed it.
Audrey walked up to the figure, Erin Donoghue, her closest friend since childhood. Erin was quite short, with a mess of blonde curls that Audrey could never remember being even the slightest bit neat, and pale skin that burned easily in the summer and blushed red at the cold. Erin had attended Beauxbatons, a decision that took years of arguments between her parents to be concluded. More often than not, their fights were an exchange of "Hogwarts is closer to home!" and "You named 'er after your insufferable maman, so I choose where she goes to school, and zats final!" Eventually, Genevieve Dumont - goodness forbid she change her name to something Irish - won the argument, but that didn't stop Malcolm Donoghue, or even Audrey, from writing countless letters to Erin in English, which was enough to keep her English-speaking skills up to par.
Needless to say, the girl still kissed people on the cheek to greet them.
Anyways, despite the physical distance between Audrey and Erin throughout their childhoods, the two were as close as sisters. Often, Audrey's brother Brady would joke that Erin was stealing his place. Now, when Audrey looked at her closest friend, Erin's blue eyes were filled with worry and sympathy as she passed Audrey an opened bottle of beer. Audrey sat down on the blanket next to her and took a sip.
"So, the deed is done?" Erin inquired.
"More like the deed has been given to a pair of muggles that don't know any better," Audrey replied quietly.
"You made a good decision. I couldn't imagine living in that house after... well, you made a good decision, is my point."
Audrey remained quiet and took another sip.
"You shouldn't be angry at your parents," Erin said. "They had to preserve the family legacy, and that was to remain neutral in all blood feuds. It was a very wise decision, if you ask me. There are some matters that you just shouldn't stick your nose in."
That felt like it was supposed to mean something, coming from someone with a muggle-born father, but Audrey couldn't quite take it to heart.
"Not wise enough. It got them killed."
"They got killed by an idiot, not because they made a poor decision. They were trying to protect you and Brady."
"I wish they fought against You-Know-Who. They always felt it was wrong. Shakespeare was right, you know. Nothing will come of nothing."
"Oh, stop it, will you? You have a lot to be thankful for."
"There's nothing, Erin. Do you know what happens when I go to Diagon Alley? I get stares from all directions. My parents thought they were protecting the Callaghan legacy by not choosing a side, but they were only condemning it."
"Audrey. Stop feeling sorry for yourself already. Three years ago you wouldn't have given a care what anyone else thought of you. You're a pale shadow, you know."
"Much has changed in the last three years." That was certainly the truth. Yet, Audrey wondered if she was only using it as an excuse.
"Stop brooding. You were done a year of your Auror training when your parents pulled you into hiding. Go back to that!" Erin had a habit of being very commanding and figuring herself inspirational. Sometimes, it worked. Most times, it was idealistic.
"Yeah, I'm sure that the Ministry is looking for pureblood Slytherins that did nothing to fill their Auror ranks," Audrey replied sarcastically.
"Didn't you used to be an insufferable nénette that loved to prove people wrong?" Erin questioned. Her tone wasn't a joking one. It seethed with anger and disappointment, so much that it nearly made Audrey wince.
Silence weighed heavy between the two young women for a moment. Their arguments often went like this - they never truly ended. One of them would just say something that was obviously right, and that would be that. However, most other arguments before that hectic year concerned clothes, food, and boys. It was frightening to think that just two years ago Audrey was a seventh year student whose biggest problem was explaining to Umbridge that she had no desire to be part of her exclusive Slytherin club.
"Audrey, please, it kills me to see you so demoralized," Erin said quietly. "We're moving to London, together. We always dreamed of this. I can't do it if you're like this. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for me."
"I'm sorry, Erin," Audrey said. "I don't know why I feel like this. I've always been ambitious and done just about anything to get my way. Now... I don't feel like doing anything. I'm scared that it's all in vain."
"It's not, Audrey. Life goes on."
A cold breeze sent a shiver up Audrey's spine. Only Ireland saw cold in the middle of July. She nuzzled her face in the old green and silver scarf wrapped around her neck. That green had been her pride for seven years. Now, it was tarnished by elitist idiots.
Power-hungry Slytherin loved those of great ambition. The words hit her like a cinder block.
"Life does go on, doesn't it?" Audrey said suddenly. She turned to Erin with a smile. "Better make sure we're going along with it."
So that's Audrey Callaghan! Please do review and give me your thoughts on my writing and my perception of Audrey. I know the common belief is that she's a muggle/muggleborn, but I always thought she'd be just as ambitious, if not more so, as Percy, and ambition = Slytherin.
Thanks for reading!