With the help of two longtime friends and colleagues, Evelyn Sallow retrieves her daughter from the care of her ex-husband upon learning about his muggle wife and two new children.

The sound of large wings and a scramble of talons on the windowsill caught Evelyn Sallow's attention. She leaned around the open kitchen door and spotted an owl in her window. It was a rather tall fish owl, one she knew all too well. Its large yellow-orange eyes made it look like it was always startled, a trait she found charming, and the reason why she had purchased it many moons ago. However, this was not her owl – not anymore. This was the Dogwood family owl and belonged to her ex-husband, Desmond Dogwood.

It was his wish to split up, not hers, but she went along with it for the sake of their daughter, Eleanor, now age six. Evelyn's one condition was regular updates on their daughter, and the promise of occasional special visits. A man of his word, Desmond would send Evelyn letters regularly: if their daughter lost a tooth, spoke a new word, or if she had simply caught a cold. Evelyn had been allowed to see Eleanor only on Eleanor's birthday, her own birthday, and Christmas Eve. Evelyn would make sure to bring her daughter only the finest gifts and sweets. This arrangement had been going on for three years. While it was not ideal, Evelyn was thankful she even got to see her daughter at all – and that the meetings, while public, were always civil.

The owl cooed softly and ruffled its feathers as Evelyn went to greet it at the window. She stroked its head and offered it up a treat from the jar on the windowsill: a biscuit made of dried Flobberworms and cornmeal.

"Good boy," she said to the owl as she untied the rolled-up letter attached to its leg. "You may go now."

With one last chirp, the brown owl turned and flapped its great wings. A moment later, it cleared the tops of the surrounding trees and disappeared into the darkening sky.

Evelyn looked down at the rolled piece of parchment and furrowed her brows. It looked different this time. Desmond's letters were always tightly rolled and secured with a perfect deep blue ribbon; this letter was loosely and unevenly rolled and had a sloppy string bow around it. She untied the string and examined it curiously before dropping it on the table under the window. Carefully, she unravelled the letter and began to read it.

Hi Mummy,

I've been practicing my writing, I really wanted to send you a letter just like Daddy. I wish you were here, you're fun, Lorna is not fun. I try to get her to practise spells with me when Daddys at work but Daddy says she cant use magic. I think she just does'nt want to play with me, she only likes Ansel and Charlie.

Daddy makes me play with them but I dont like to. Charlie is smelly and cries all the time and Ansel copies me. I like playing with Suzie, she likes to sleep on my pillow and walk in the garden with me, she makes Lorna sneeze alot.

I made my first potion with Daddy. Lorna said it made the house smelly and was mad. Daddy told me to clean it up and not do it again.

I have to go now. Lorna says I must help her prepare dinner. Bye Mummy.

Love, Ellie

This was not the letter Evelyn expected to get when she saw the Dogwood owl sitting on her windowsill. She stared at the sloppy writing, uncertain of how to process the information.

Lorna… Did Desmond remarry? And she cannot use magic… Is she a muggle? Ansel and Charlie… Did he have children with this Lorna woman?

None of this had ever come up in any past letter, nor during their visits. Desmond clearly did not wish for her to find out, and rightly so, considering their vastly differing beliefs.

Evelyn gingerly set the letter on the table and stared out the open window, tapping a finger on the tabletop as she thought. She nodded to herself, bringing her eyes to the stack of parchment on the table. She sat down, pulled a piece of parchment in front of her and dipped her quill pen into its inkpot.

The quill danced as the pen slid across the parchment, leaving behind neat, deep jade script. Once the last letter dried, she folded the parchment neatly and slid it into an envelope. Dipping the pen in the inkpot again, she scribbled across the front: L. A. M.

She whistled and a grey screech owl flew from its perch in a nearby tree and settled onto the windowsill.

"You know where to go." The owl took the letter in its beak and left for its destination at once. Evelyn stood and crossed the room to inspect the photos she had on a long table near the front door. She picked up a framed photo of her daughter playing with a fluffy white cat and smiled fondly before gingerly setting it back down.

There was no need to wait for a return owl. Evelyn swiftly removed a long black cloak from the front door hatstand and pulled it on as she stepped outside. There was a soft crack as her existence bent and twisted into a blurry mass before disappearing entirely.

The tides would be turning soon – very soon.

There was airy laughter from around the dinner table. An infant sat in a highchair with his mother and father on either side. His mother, Lorna Dogwood, was fair skinned with bright ginger hair and freckles that dotted her entire face. Her pale green eyes twinkled in the light as she spooned mushy food into her infant son under the guise of an airplane. The child's father, Desmond Dogwood, tan-skinned with dirty-blond hair and a goatee, was tickling his son's chin, making the infant cackle with joy. His eyes, a deep dark blue, also glimmered with pure adoration. On the other side of the table sat the older children: a boy, aged four, and a girl, aged six.

The eldest son, Ansel, was the perfect likeness to his father but had his mother's freckles and a red hue to his wavy brown hair. He watched joyously as his parents interacted with his baby brother. The love in the air was contagious. Well, almost. The young girl seated next to Ansel at the table was seemingly immune to the jovial haze.

The girl seemed out of place, and not just because of her disinterest in the happenings around her. She looked nothing like the rest of the family: her hair was an icy blonde, her skin alabaster, not a freckle in sight. Even her eyes, with a subtle amount of gold stretching into aquamarine, did not glimmer or twinkle, but were rather stagnant. The young girl was much unlike the other children, for she was the only one of Sallow descent. This girl was Eleanor Dogwood, daughter of Desmond's ex-wife, the dark witch Evelyn Sallow.

Eleanor pushed a pea around on her plate absentmindedly as the rest of her family enjoyed each other's company. Ansel was telling their parents about something that happened during class that day. His face lit up as his waved his arms around to add a special flair to his story. It was his first year starting school and it had been an absolute treat for him.

Eleanor had much less enthusiasm about her studies. It was her third year in primary school, and, compared to her brother, her grades were sub-par, the other kids annoyed her, and she found it boring. Ansel, on the other hand, had many friends, great grades, and came home with a story each day. However, what truly irked Eleanor was the complete absence of magic. Not only was magic not part of the curriculum, but she was absolutely prohibited from speaking about anything related to magic.

An arm reached over the corner of the table and snatched up the pea Eleanor was knocking around her plate. Ansel, the thief, popped the pea in his mouth and made dramatic smacking noises as he ate it. Desmond and Lorna found it adorable and laughed with their son, but Eleanor did not. Instead, she scowled and shoved Ansel out of his chair. He fell to the floor and instantly started crying, as did Charlie. Lorna stood up with a gasp to tend to Ansel and Desmond barked Ellie's name disapprovingly. Before they had the chance to scold her, a light rapping on the front door made them pause.

Desmond, who was making a desperate attempt to silence Charlie's wailing, glanced at the grandfather clock in the adjoining room – 8:45 PM – then back to his wife who was consoling Ansel on the floor.

"Are we expecting company?" he asked.

Tight red ringlets bounced as Lorna shook her head.

Another knock came from the door, firmer this time. Desmond planted a kiss on the top of Charlie's head and then moved towards the front door. The moment he unbolted the lock the door flew open and knocked Desmond back. Charlie started crying louder and Ansel burbled from the floor. Lorna and Ellie both stared with wide eyes and open mouths at the front door.

Standing in the doorway was a woman accompanied by a man on either side of her. They were all clad in velvety black robes, and a powerful presence radiated from them. Their faces were hidden behind ornate metal masks and their hoods were pulled straight up. The woman, however, did not wear a mask, but instead a wicked grin. Her hair was silvery blonde, half pulled into pin curls secured with black pins. Around her neck glistened black pearls, striking against her porcelain skin. She looked as if she belonged on the cover of Witch Weekly, and she held herself like she knew it.

"Evelyn–!" shouted Desmond.

"Mummy–!" shrieked Eleanor at the same time.

Desmond drew his wand and readied it while Eleanor hopped out of her seat. She ran towards her mother, but Desmond shouted for her to not move, making her stop halfway across the room. The radiant blonde woman stepped up to Desmond while the masked men remained blocking the open door.

"Dessy, darling, put that away, would you?" She reached out with a gloved hand and gently lowered Desmond's wand with a single finger. He growled and raised his wand at her again, taking a few steps back, closer towards his family.

"Why are you here, Evelyn?" asked Desmond sharply, still refusing to lower his wand. "And who are they?" He motioned to the men at the door. One man was of large build and stood with his arms crossed over his chest. The other man, while not nearly as bulky as the other, still demanded respect by the way he held himself, much like Evelyn did. Perhaps it was nothing more than confidence or arrogance, but Desmond knew better than to assume. As far as he was concerned, they were all a threat.

Evelyn sniggered and stepped back to the cloaked men, placing a hand on each of their backs. "Friends, Dessy. They are here to make sure I get what I want." She smiled. "My daughter."

Eleanor, who had been frozen in place, lifted her foot to move but was stopped once more by her father's shout. Desmond, keeping his wand on Evelyn and the masked men, placed himself directly in front of his daughter.

"You are not taking her, Eve," Desmond growled. "You need to leave. Now."

"I always get what I want, Dessy, and I want my daughter." Evelyn directed her fiery gaze to the dining room table where Lorna Dogwood was seated with both sons in her arms, all three of them crying. The pathetic display made Evelyn scoff.

"You neglected to inform me of your new little... family." She waved her hand dismissively at the woman and children at the table.

"I refuse to have my daughter be raised by a muggle. She will not be surrounded by filthy blood. A witch deserves to be raised by a witch, Desmond. You owe this to Eleanor! How could she possibly reach her full potential with this muggle standing in her way?"

Desmond's face dropped. "H-how did you–"

"It's of no importance. Give her to me."

"I will not give her–" Desmond was cut off by Evelyn snapping her fingers. One of the men, the burlier of the two, apparated behind Lorna and her children and brandished his wand at them. The three of them sobbed even harder. The other masked man stepped forward next to Evelyn and drew his wand, as well. It flashed brilliantly as light reflected off it. It was of spectacular craftsmanship and featured a prominent, pure silver snake head adorned with diamond scales and glistening emerald eyes.

Evelyn grinned wickedly as Desmond's eyes widened – " You!" – he had recognized the man's wand instantly. Before he could say anything more, Evelyn drew her wand from the black leather garter hidden under her robes and pointed it at Desmond. Its ornate gold markings glittered richly.

"I'm not asking, Desmond. Hand her over. I know you are well aware of what we are capable of," she said through gritted teeth. The smug look on her face was gone and was replaced with a cold, severe expression. Desmond's eyes darted between his ex-wife and the man next to her as his mind played out scenarios as if he were in a game of wizard's chess.

"Desmond!" a cry came from behind him. "Jus' give 'er the bloody brat!" Desmond spun on his heels and stared at Lorna in horror. She had their two sons tightly in her arms, blocking them from the brute's wand. She choked on a sob and looked at him with pleading eyes. Desmond finally looked down at Eleanor. The young girl had her arms crossed over her chest and was pouting her eyes fixed to the floor.

"Ellie, darling," he spoke softly, crouching down next to her. Her eyes shot up to his and he felt his heart crumble from the hatred in her eyes. "Do you want to go with Mummy?" He knew that she would be leaving with Evelyn no matter what, but still wanted to make it seem like it was her choice, for her sake.

Eleanor's eyes softened ever so slightly. "Yes," she said through tight, still pouting lips.

"Even if it means never seeing any of us again?" He watched as Eleanor glanced around the room at everyone. A look of contempt swept across her face as her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared.

"Yes," she repeated, avoiding eye contact with her father. Desmond's heart twisted into a gnarled knot as he straightened up, fighting back the tears that were swelling in his eyes. Before him, Evelyn smiled sweetly at Eleanor as she crouched down and opened her arms, welcoming her daughter. The young girl ran over and threw her arms around her mother's neck in an embrace so tight one would believe her life depended on it.

The large, masked wizard put his wand away and bumbled back to the front of the room and stopped next to the man with the snake wand, whose focus was still on Desmond.

After a moment, Eleanor released her mother and grabbed her hand. The woman looked back to Desmond and smiled pompously.

"Smart man. We will take our leave now." She turned on her heels and paused, looking over her shoulder at Desmond one last time. "It would be unwise to follow us, lest you wish to become a widower."

There was no further exchange of words. Evelyn, Eleanor, and the two masked men left the Dogwood residence in a single file line. With a wave of her wand, the front door of the home slammed shut. The muffled crying from inside eventually fell out of earshot as they walked through the garden to the empty street.

The group walked wordlessly along the residential road as they passed by the modest muggle houses with their heads down. The buzz of the flickering yellow lampposts and soft humming from the young girl were the only sounds that broke through the heavy silence.

They made their way to an intersection and paused. Evelyn peered around to ensure no one was watching them. Pulling out her wand, she faced a metal street sign and closed her eyes. She envisioned the cobblestone path leading up to the Sallow villa; the deep green waters of the garden fountain sparkling in the moonlight; and the umber and charcoal bricks which were covered in twisting ivy.

"Portus," she whispered, waving her wand in front of the sign. The area around the sign shimmered blue and vibrated slightly as it was bewitched into a magical item – an illegal, unauthorized portkey. A sly smile crossed over Evelyn's lips as her young daughter gasped in delight beside her. Evelyn looked down at Eleanor and held a finger up to her lips. With one more glance around, they each placed a hand on the sign, one by one, and vanished from the street without a trace.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for chapter 2, where Ellie will learn more about her parents and her family's long-standing beliefs.