It was April 15th, and Alice was torn between wanting to study for her final exam, the desire to relax after spending the morning in Green magic class, and wanting some sort of mental stimulation. Her solution was to go over the diagrams of floor plans and pictures of different styles of furniture her decorator had sent her. She was working on the parlor, pictures spread all over her bed, when Ellen walked into the room.
Ellen looked a little down, which did not really surprise Alice. Looking back in her diary, she had found that today was the anniversary of Ellen's severance with her family.
"Come sit down with me," Alice said, gathering the papers into a pile to make room.
"You look a bit busy," Ellen said.
"This doesn't have to be done today, and it's the last room I have to arrange anyway," Alice insisted, and Ellen placed herself on the bed.
"You're arranging the living room?" Ellen asked, gesturing to the pile.
"The parlor actually," Alice admitted. "I did the living room last week."
Ellen shook her head. "That's some house. I'll have to come over and see it sometime."
Alice smiled at her. "After the furniture is arranged, the warding starts. I'll have you put on the list of approved visitors."
"There's a list? What does it do, prevent anyone not on the list from entering?" Ellen asked.
"Pretty much, or at least the ones with magic," Alice admitted. "After what almost happened with Nancy…."
Ellen nodded. "I can understand your grandfather wanting the best protection possible for her. I'm just surprised he isn't keeping her locked up in one of his vaults."
Alice shrugged. "Apparently, emotional upheaval can affect her powers. It kind of makes sense, since you have to be calm to use much White magic anyway. It's part of the reason Grandfather wanted her with me instead of taking care of her himself. He would have been happy to, but…."
"But she would do better with a sister she knows than a grandfather that she does not," Ellen finished for her. Her roommate sighed, leaning back against the wall to stare at the ceiling. "We both had our families torn apart by magic, didn't we?"
"I suppose you could say that," Alice answered carefully. "And you have not changed your mind that your family is happier in what you did for them?"
Ellen grimaced. "I believe they are happier…it's just that…I sometimes feel left out."
"Virginia and I don't intend to leave you out of things," Alice tried to assure her. "I'm sorry if it seems that way sometimes."
"Oh, I know that," Ellen admitted. "I mean, all the drama you've had to put up with wasn't exactly your fault. It's just that every time something happens to me, it gets overshadowed by either you or Virginia. Even when Donald and I had that fight over Christmas…."
"You expected some sympathy from me," Alice guessed, "and were instead told about how my father-in-law tried to 'help' a grandchild along."
"Exactly," Ellen said. "Virginia only told me that if you could tolerate being married to Grabiner, I could quit worrying about a little spat I had with Donald."
Alice thought for a moment. "You had been worried about losing Donald. You feel that it is because you are with him that the Dansons treat you like family, and that losing him would strip you of the closest thing to a family that you have left."
The tears in Ellen's eyes were answer enough. Alice scooted over, and pulled her friend into a hug. "Oh Ellen, even if you do breakup with Donald someday, you'll still be as good as family to me. I'm sorry that I didn't think to tell you sooner."
"I…I didn't say anything at the time, and that was my fault," Ellen said quietly. "I just didn't want either of you to think I was a crybaby."
"I think Virginia didn't understand what you were really worried about. She's always had a supportive family, and has never had to hide anything from them," Alice noted. "And I would not describe you as a crybaby. You do realize, though, that all couples have the occasional spat? And you are dating Donald because you care for him and not because it gives you access to a family?"
"Logically, I know couples do fight occasionally," Ellen admitted, "and I am staying with Donald because I care for him. I guess, with you moving out I'm afraid that everything will change."
"It won't change all the way," Alice noted. "I'll still be assigned to this room, even if I don't sleep here. I'll probably use it to hang out with you and Virginia when I'm here but not in class. And it's still a good place to study. You'll still see plenty of me. If you want, I could ask Hieronymous if he minds if you stay over at our house for some of the summer."
Ellen brightened a little. "If he doesn't mind…he should be teaching summer classes and be out of the house sometimes anyway. I would still like to spend some of the summer with the Dansons again, though."
"And while at my house, you could ask my baby sister to help you brush up on your White magic," Alice teased, which finally got a smile out of Ellen.
"You do know that rumors about her falling into Otherworld on 'accident,' and her rescue are making rounds?" Ellen asked.
On 'accident?' Alice could smell a cover-up there. Maybe the authorities merely did not want to start a panic, with parents wondering if dark spirits would try to snatch their children in the night. Or perhaps they did not want to admit that they had no idea who or what was responsible, and did not want to be seen as incompetent. On the other hand, Grandfather might be allowing that version of the story because he did not want people to start asking why such a young girl would have been singled out in such a fashion. He would not want to increase Nancy's visibility as a target, especially since they still did not know for certain why she had nearly been assassinated.
Her husband had told her of Madame Steward's theory, and if it was accurate her sister would be as instrumental as her son would one day be. In the meantime, the more secret that possibility was the safer Nancy would be. Fear often triumphed over logic, and then chaos resulted. That an Oracle might be necessary would cause fear, and Nancy had to be advanced enough to defend herself before such a thing could become public knowledge. There were ways to defend yourself with only White, such as mind control or separating your enemy's soul from their body either temporarily or permanently, but Nancy's sense of judgment would have to be very mature to use those methods safely.
It occurred to Alice that Nancy might have to grow up even faster than she had herself, whether she really was an Oracle or not. The general public would only start to suspect it if she could not use other colors once she arrived at an academy after Nancy turned sixteen. It was not unheard of for a child to start early with a color of magic that they had an inborn skill in, though it was rare at Nancy's age. The reason Alice suspected it might be true was that she knew of the coming war.
It was widely known, however, that Nancy would one day be a powerful White mage. Grandfather had told her that he had had to publicly say that he would be entertaining no offers for her marriage until she was of age, as he had already received more inquiries concerning her than he had for Clark. As she was the youngest grandchild, she was not considered likely to inherit control of the House, but White mages were highly sought after if only as unequaled sources of information and she could easily pass the trait to her own children one day. Information was power in any world, as those that acted without a sufficient amount of it often did so to their own peril.
"How far off are they?" Alice asked, curious as to how much of the truth of that night was publicly known.
"Not that far off, actually," Ellen admitted. "The facts that she was able to find your dream, and that your husband rushed in to get her are common knowledge."
"So next year, he'll be known as the scary teacher that fights off hordes of goblins to rescue small children?" Alice guessed.
"Instead of simply the scary teacher, yes," Ellen agreed.
...
The following Saturday, Alice found herself entering Potsdam's office after delivering the mail and giving Hieronymous the list of supplies needed for the end of the year snack-pack fundraiser. It was a little strange, thinking that it would be the last fundraiser that she had to organize. She had decided not to run for Treasurer next year, given that she would likely have less time for extracurricular activities in the future. Her focus would have to be on her own household and studies. She knew that it would not merely be strictly magical studies, but she would have to study things like protocol and politics as well given that she would have to be able to function as the wife of a Councilman very soon after she graduated. She would have to be presentable in 'high' wizard society at that time.
Potsdam smiled at her from across her desk. "Come in and have a seat Alice," she said, gesturing to an overly-stuffed chair.
Alice had made this appointment specifically to see what parts of the potion her father-in-law had dosed her with were still in effect. She sat in the chair indicated, and Potsdam came over to inspect her with subtle webs of magic. Apparently, her professor was being very careful because it was almost ten minutes before she finally spoke.
"Only the part of the potion that would ensure any child conceived is a boy is still in effect," Potsdam told her. "The portion boosting fertility and canceling out any birth-control method has completely faded away."
Alice nodded. "Thank you Professor." She paused, realizing something. "You have not called me by any nickname since the night Nancy was rescued. Why did you change the way you address me?"
Potsdam smiled. "I use whatever is appropriate to the person I am addressing. My pupils are my young plants, needing to be cared for just so that they might be able to thrive. Their minds need to be watered and fertilized with the correct knowledge, they need just the right exposure to the necessary but potentially damaging power of the sun in teaching them to acclimate to their own power, and dangerous habits must be pruned away before the fledgling plant is destroyed. They know no other reality beside themselves, and most believe that the world revolves around them so they must be protected from themselves until they learn the truth. Because of these reasons, it is appropriate to address your classmates in such ways as I do."
"So," Alice clarified, "you address anyone you see as a child with the plant derived nicknames?"
"Precisely," Potsdam responded. "As you now carry the responsibilities of an adult, and do so with grace, I no longer find it proper to address you as I would a child. Hieronymous tells me that you did not flinch or waver when you decided to take your sister as your own child. You knew that it would directly impact the rather comfortable life you are leading now, but chose what was best for her rather than what was convenient for yourself."
Alice blinked, and then nodded. Why would she have done things any other way? Well, she did have to admit that she and her husband could have more privacy if Nancy did not live with them. And running a house would be a new experience for her, and raising her sister was a big deal especially in light of her sister's unusual circumstances…but the conveniences were hardly worth turning her sister away when Nancy needed her. So, her decision to keep Nancy was what made Potsdam decide that she had grown up?
Come to think of it, the real estate agent had seemed surprised when he had learned that she was eighteen during the purchase of the house when she had come to close on the house. She had needed to show her ID before signing the papers. It had been fortunate that her grandfather had sent her a new ID, since she was now Alice Grabiner. People had told her that she acted older than she was since she was twelve; perhaps recent advents had accelerated it.
"There's nothing like accepting responsibility for others to make you grow up, I guess," Alice said.
"Exactly," Potsdam said. "You should continue to address me as you do in class, but outside of class or in private you may call me 'Petunia.'"
"Thank you," Alice said with a smile. Now that they were talking so much, there was something she had always wondered. "If I may ask, why have you been so determined to do everything in your power to push Hieronymous and me together?"
Potsdam…Petunia…sighed and sat down beside her. "Well, I have always liked matchmaking, but with the two of you…. One of my invisible friends was certain that there would come a time when you would need him just as much as he needs you. It was not only for your own sakes, but for the sake of the entire wizard world. I did not know the why of the last…until I heard Violet tell you two about the babe."
"And you did not tell either of us about this because it would be better for us to choose each other on our own rather than attempting to force our feelings or commitment to each other?" Alice guessed, and Potsdam nodded. "You know," Alice continued, "Hieronymous originally thought his father might be bribing you to ensure we remained married."
Petunia laughed. "The man has been in contact with me, off and on since Hieronymous started working here. He has been obsessed with getting Hieronymous married off and giving him a grandchild for some time now. I have no problem with accepting his 'donations' to fund the scholarships…especially for those like Ellen who no longer have a family to support them…but I tried to encourage the two of you because you needed each other."
"And did you know that before our first wedding?"
Potsdam grinned at her. "Why do you think I declared you his bride instead an adoptee? Being his adopted child would have saved you just as well as being his fiancé did."
"But wouldn't his father have had to ratify the adoption?" she asked, thinking of why they couldn't have adopted Nancy and lived at Iris.
"There would have been a grace period, in which he could have finalized or denied the adoption," Potsdam answered. "It would have given him an heir…but one that was outside of his bloodline. He might have threatened to deny the adoption, forcing Hieronymous to marry you instead. My way saved time, and Hieronymous would have been more upset if his father had forced him to marry you. There was also the fact that you could not be adopted without your grandfather's willing participation in the process, but neither of you knew of that at the time. If, say, he had come to before he did and tried to announce you as his adopted daughter, I would have simply said that you were House Carleton's heir. It would have surprised you both, but he would have recognized that an adoption would be permanent and would have robbed you of your House, fortune, and the power that you would have been heir to, while a marriage could be temporary and you would still have your birthright available to you."
Alice could see the issues with the legal technicalities, that Hieronymous would not have wanted to rob her of her House, and her husband's own dislike of his father. She suspected that if his father said 'right,' Hieronymous would turn left on principle whether the left path led off of a cliff or not.
"So, Alice," Petunia asked, "about how much effect would you say I had?"
Alice grinned. "A little support every now and again was nice, but Violet was right. She was a better meddler than you are, since she was able to help create the situation in the first place."