Two points before you proceed to read:
a)The chapter has a superficial discussion on oppression where racism, sexism and prejudice against muggleborns are compared. I am not an expert on the first, but I felt omitting the conversation was not an option. I did my historical research on it to be at least somewhat accurate in demographics. the juxtaposition of it with houseelves is deliberate, but I am not making a slogan out of them here.
b)Remember, Juniper is coming out in heaps through Cordelia's personality. Her biases, her issues with people. And because the memories are coming out broken, she has poor impulse control. If she seems OCC from herself, it is deliberate on my part to show the dissonance.
Chapter 45
To Build a Home
Tom's POV
Slytherin Manor was not exactly in disrepair. Magic and old wards had ensured that it was at least not crumbling.
The ivy was overgrown everywhere. And everything seemed to be frailer, paler than what it was supposed to be like.
But it was workable.
Tom claimed the wards and inserted Cordelia into them. They were weak but would do for now because the house was unplottable.
"We should explore before beginning. A rudimentary map should inform restoration and repair much better." Cordelia had mused.
And so, it began.
They were covered in dust all the time, the manor was still a maze at the end of one week, they worked from dawn till night, and Cordelia bunked at Evelyn's or Malfoy's most of the time.
Tom had taken to staying in the manor. He had a special trunk now, and a magical tent that they had set up in the great hall.
He could have stayed at Malfoy's, but because Cordelia was there, he did not want to set tongues wagging. Lord Malfoy's ideas on chaperones and proper behavior were even worse than theirs.
Tom liked the manor. It was his place. It was not someone's benevolence.
They were still looking for suitable house elves. They were hard to come by.
It was the first gathering of Solus at Potter Manor that a solution presented itself.
Evelyn's POV
For the trial run, the first gathering was at Potter Manor. Pureblood, and yet very welcoming to muggle-raised.
Evelyn was currently pressing into Cordelia incessantly, "You mean to tell me that Charles's mother is The Madeline Maxfield! The Shipping Empire heiress."
Cordelia looked very amused by her enthusiasm.
"Yes, and if you would let me get a word in, I was telling you and Tom how that came to be."
Tom and Cordelia had come over to hers for tea in the afternoon. Cordelia had some work with her father and Tom had decided to tag along to greet his parents.
Mother liked him. She was liking more people than she normally did. Either Evelyn's judgment of friends had gotten better, or her mother had become a softie somewhere in the last year.
"I thought his mother was a pureblood because he is a pureblood." Tom was confused.
"It is one of those rosy stories where everything worked out somehow." Cordelia agreed, "She is pureblood. Her given surname is Moon. Her parents were pureblood but passed away when she was very young. Her mother's squib sister married Maxwell, and the sisters were close despite the difference in magical abilities. When her parents passed away, they adopted her, so she goes by Maxwell-Moon in the magical world. She managed the Maxfield empire now and Aldrich Maxfield had managed to expand it very profitably before handing it to her. She also managed to integrate the magical and muggle supply lines without breaking the statue. Of course, from Evelyn's reaction, we know she is a prominent muggle socialite. Obviously, she is married to Charles' Father who is the son of a Potter and a Gambol. She is well-established in magical circles as well. At the very least, no one can afford to offend her terribly. Tom's shipping to India has been arranged via her."
"You write to her?" Evelyn gaped.
"Yes." Cordelia did not understand Evelyn's perturbance, "Her son is courting my sister, and I admire her. I knew no one else in the family would take the initiative for starting a correspondence so I did. It helps that I genuinely like her, and she has been a darling about it all. I have been meaning to introduce you to her for ages. I thought you might learn a lot about straddling your title and magical abilities from her, or at least earn an experienced perspective."
Madeline Maxfield-Moon was a delight. Cordelia had understated their correspondence because those two got on like fire and fuel. Evelyn felt herself pulled in so much muggle business and political conversation with the duo, that she realized a few minutes later that they had probably left everyone else in the wind.
Dorea had a hard time breaking into that conversation. She also seemed to be very conscious about it. Evelyn realized that this was her potential mother-in-law, and Dorea had been raised very traditionally in comparison to Cordelia and her upbringing.
The day went swimmingly well despite Evelyn's concerns over Dorea. Mrs. Potter was perfectly sweet to her, but she saw Dorea eye the conversation that Cordelia and Mrs. Potter have with some trepidation. Heiress Black was hard to keep up with.
There was a pickup quidditch game with mixed teams, and the snacks were aplenty.
For the first time, they saw Gobstones club president Eileen Prince lose dearly to Charles's aunt.
Bolton, who had somehow snuck into the inner circle just like Kyran, uninvolved in politics but around, blushed and stuttered when Mrs. Potter complimented his father, "Messrs. Bolton, Hector and I had absolute the pleasure of seeing your father in the production of Hamlet just before things got shut for war. It was exquisite, you must pass him our compliments. We hope to see him again."
The lunch was followed by a screening of Gone with the Wind. That explained why Cordelia had taken Titania aside at the beginning of the day. She was courteous like that.
"Discriminating based on skin color is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of." Burke had folded his arms in recoil.
"So is discriminating on the pureness of blood." Cordelia had said mildly, "People do not need justifiable reasons to hate and divide."
"You would not believe how many people protested when Hattie McDaniel got an award for this." Evelyn could not help but add. She usually stayed quiet when the discussion was on blood, but slowly those around her had fused her with the courage to advocate for herself.
"She was not allowed to attend the premiere because of segregation in the States and sat alone at a table on the side at the award ceremony. Mum was upset. She and her grandfather made a lot of enemies by not trading in goods produced by slave owners. When grandfather retired, they thought a woman might be an easier target for compliance. Of course, they learned better but it has only made mum's stance on racism stronger." Charlie scoffed.
Titania added, "You should see the looks of people every time I venture on the muggle side of things. It made me very empathic when I saw a muggle-born struggle in Diagon Alley."
"They are not liked." Jade Marks admitted quickly, giving an apologetic look to Titania, "Mum scares us to behave by threatening that a Blackamoor will kidnap us if we did not. I was very shocked when I saw your brother had been the head boy, Titania, but I learned."
"The local librarian told my brother that Blacks have smaller brains. They also said the same about women, so Mother did not buy it and whacked my brother when he brought it up and banned him from the library. She works as a secretary. And my grandmother was a suffragist so she does not tolerate people saying anyone is less than based on biased science." Amy confessed quickly.
'We do not know how purebloods are made anyway. What does it take, 4 generations of magical parents or eight or more? We do not know how we began. The standards simply are to keep a hold on the power nexus." Cordelia sighed.
"What came first? The phoenix or the fire?" Tiberius mused.
"The circle has no beginning," Trinity said solemnly.
"We don't know if it's a circle." Abraxas shrugged, "But that does not mean blood-based discrimination is not wrong or as ridiculous as this."
"The whole argument about brains being smaller is reminiscent of magic being weaker, more dilute." Dorea wondered.
"Family magics are stronger, but not all purebloods have them." Timothy Rowle mused. He had this intense research look that most Ravenclaw scholars got.
"Family magic is a function of time and luck, not just blood. Tom and I had a theory, it is still nascent, but we thought that over time magicals intermarried into magicals. It is propinquity and similarity. Would you not want a partner that is not frightened by you, or a partner that understands your ability? It created concentrations of magic. All families have guiding principles, or norms and they develop over time and then steady themselves for a time until amendments become necessary. Think of how certain families tend to sort themselves in certain houses, it is because they value those traits more and nurture them in children. Similarly, certain principles and usage of magic would almost create a focus of magical force that broadly follows the larger will of the family that has been in making for centuries. Of course, if the will changes, or families are scattered, there is no way to have that concentration. Our families were lucky that we were not scattered over time." Cordelia explained slowly and thoughtfully.
"That is an interesting theory." Rowle looked very interested.
"It is. Why am I only hearing this now?" Kyran groaned from a sideway lounger.
"Like I said, it just came up in one of the conversations. We simply noted it down and forgot. We have had other things on our minds." Cordelia looked amused.
"Stop whining. I will give you the notes." Tom simply said, "It just seemed like a waste of a theory to not mention it with this discussion. We need historical corroboration for it to mean anything."
"I and Rowle will find the corroboration. Anyone who finds anything that is shareable in the family archives, please send it to me."
"It might be a fool's errand. Most families do not easily part with the history." Gambol shook her head.
"Yes, because they are afraid of what will be found out." Walburga rolled her eyes.
When everyone looked at her, she merely snapped, "Oh spare me, I am not the only one whose world Corrie upended. I am doing better."
"She IS doing great," Evelyn found herself saying at the same time as Cordelia.
Walburga colored at their collective defense.
"Yeah, so people whose parents won't disown them for showing me some things. Please do it. I promise I will behave because I am very terrified of Heiress Black and what she would do to me if I cause even indirect harm to one of her cronies."
"They are not cronies." Cordelia protested, her tone said they had the same argument repeatedly.
"Advisors, cronies, same thing." Kyran waved away his hand.
"And what are you? A useless hanger on that mooches off her friendships." Dorea glared at him in reprimand.
"I deserve that," Kyran said with a tilt of his head.
"Yes, can we put Kyran in the doghouse instead of me now? I apologized for the incident at the beginning of the term so many times." Sebastian chimed in as he ate away a berry tartlet.
Tom gave him a straight look, "No."
"You can both go to the doghouse," Walburga muttered.
"Oh, oh," Gore jumped, "I heard that you had grievances against Longbottom Cordelia. So does Eileen, he makes such a ruckus in the classroom. I will hex him for you."
"Please do not cast hexes in the Potter grounds." Hector Potter had arrived back from wherever he had been, "Good evening everyone, I apologize for not being able to greet you earlier."
Gore looked stricken at being caught in mischief, but she also looked crestfallen at not being able to hex Sebastian.
"Writing to Callidora Longbottom might be a better bet for reforming him. You should see him tremble when he thinks I will tell on him to his mother." Hector Potter winked at Trinity.
Trinity blinked and then gave Lord Potter a wide smile, "I shall take that advise Mr. Potter."
"How could you Uncle? To your favorite godson." Sebastian cried out.
"You are his only godson." Charlie patted his hair in a gesture of 'there, there'.
"Now go inside everyone, there is a pineapple sorbet that no one would want to miss." Hector gestured inside.
It was somewhere between savoring that sorbet that Charles overheard their conversation, "House-elves?"
"I opened the manor." Tom said in a low voice, "Because it has been found and accessed for the first time in ages, I am reluctant to hire cleaning crews. We have had Cherry, Cordelia's personal elf helping out. But the property is large, I will have to hire several elves to be able to maintain it. The loyalty clause in their magical contract takes care of much of the paranoia. We cannot find any suitable ones though. Goblins are being cagey."
"Did you speak to Mother?" Charles asked Cordelia.
Cordelia tilted her head, "I did not, but I should have because she runs a logistics and storage company that has elves."
"Let's go find her," Charles said and dragged the duo away.
Abraxas's POV
In Abraxas' defense, he was trying. It had been a hard year, but it was getting harder by the minute.
He had always been Cordelia's favorite among the cousins. She was responsible for the Blacks and she took great care, but he knew that he was the favorite, unequivocally. Partially because they were almost raised as siblings.
He knew he was still the favorite, cousin at least. Because he knew that Tom had long replaced him as her absolute person.
He was happy for her because Tom did take care of her in ways that Abraxas and her dynamic did not allow. Cordelia had always been protective of him, taking care of him, nurturing him. She still did all that.
And he did like Tom. At least now. He approved of him and he could not think of anyone that he would want for Cordelia.
But it was all happening so fast. They were promised to each other. Cordelia was helping him set up his home. He knew she had done the same for Slytherin chambers, but his sister playing the role of the mistress of Slytherin Manor at 15 was hard for him to swallow.
He and Evelyn had tagged along to the House elves' auction the goblins had set up. Mrs. Potter had been able to shift the contract of two elves to Tom, but Slytherin Manor was humongous when Cordelia's cousins (which included Evelyn ubiquitously) visited.
So, they did need more.
Cordelia had been furious with the treatment, and she had said, "We will take them all."
Tom had not said a word of protest, not at the prices the goblins set, not at the way Cordelia signed away a huge portion of his galleons.
Abraxas was trying hard not to begrudge the elves. It was not about the elves, but them functioning like a unit without conversations.
It was the same at the breakfast table at Malfoy Manor.
She poured his juice out without needing to look. He arranged her favorite jams around her seat before she asked. She had a photograph of theirs on her bedside table.
Father did not say a word. Oh, he noticed, and he always had an amused smile.
Evelyn also noticed when she had joined them a few times, and it was as if she was the only one in the world who registered it all and was equally alarmed.
Abraxas had vocalized it to her, and her face said she had understood, but she had no words to soothe it away for him.
This morning, Evelyn arrived for their customary alternate-day breakfast and Cordelia did not. Abraxas had just assumed that she was running late, or picking up Tom.
But then Evelyn said, "I will go and wake her, or has she already left to go wake Tom?"
"She stayed at yours last night because she never came here," Abraxas said slowly.
Of course, he knew it to be false the minute he had said it because if she stayed with Evelyn, then Evelyn would not have asked.
Their eyes met, and Evelyn's alarm and Abraxas' unrestrained rage were palpable in their eyes.
"If your father asks, she slept at mine and left early. Even he would not be so permissive as to let her sleep over alone at his. Let's do breakfast quickly."
Abraxas barely tasted his.
His father did quirk his eyebrow questioningly and it was Evelyn who came to the rescue, "Cordelia is doing something dangerous. He does not approve."
"Son, you have got to stop doing this to yourself. I was lucky that Adelaide has no troublemaking bone in her body so I was rarely in your position, but I have been on the receiving end of her temper. Corrie has inherited that temper. She is a grown woman; she is here with the full consent of her parents who know all her abilities and penchants. It is not your responsibility."
Abraxas' eyes flared in anger. "I am the one who is seeing her do it."
"You are presuming that Altair has not seen the most vicious wards and has not predicted what Slytherin Manor could have. She spoke to him about it. Tom spoke to him. They both took extensive notes. Cordelia is very capable and she is very viciously protective of him. It is not so dangerous that it will harm him."
Abraxas wanted to lash out. Of course, Tom did not mind having her in his bed. He wanted to call out his father, his aunt even. What were they thinking?
It was so dangerous in other ways.
It was Evelyn who sensed the impending explosion so she quickly said, "Yes, we should head quickly so you can see for yourself that she is alright. That should make you feel better."
His father gave her a grateful look, and she gave him a tight smile.
So, here they were in the foyer of the manor. Abraxas was yelling at the top of his lungs and no one was answering him.
Evelyn simply started climbing the stairs and Abraxas vaguely recalled it as the way to the Master suites from the perfunctory tour that they had done.
Cordelia was sprawled deep under covers on the bed in the Master suite. Tom was nowhere to be found.
Evelyn whispered urgently, "The other side of the bed is not slept in, Abraxas. You can lose your murderous instincts."
Then why had she not come home?
They met Tom at the top of the stairs where Tavi, the elf from Maxfield-Moon had apparated him.
"The wards are slow to inform me just yet." Tom said quickly, "You did not wake her, did you? She did not sleep all night. I went to bed pretty early and she said she was staying with you Evelyn and would leave after that tiny thing she needed to do but I found her doing the Ballroom at dawn and put her to bed."
All anger that Abraxas had held drained out of him. Of course, Corrie had simply lost track of time.
He vaguely registered Evelyn assuring Tom that Corrie was very much asleep.
"Are you alright Abraxas? You look very flushed. We only have done a couple guest rooms but you are welcome to lie in here if you need to. You really did not need to come to help us with the Ballroom if you were ill."
Oh, it was the Ballroom day.
"Anyway, I do not think I wish to wake her before lunch at least."
"The Goblin auction elves?" Evelyn asked.
"Not due until tomorrow. And then, we do not think they could work immediately. Those were some bad injuries. So, the first thing is the elves' quarters so they can rest and heal before taking on the estate. The Kitchens and pantry are functional, we have made progress on the grounds, and the entrance and great hall."
Tom's voice seemed to come from far away. As his anger washed away, so did Abraxas' strength and he desperately wanted to lie down and close his eyes.
Tom took one look at him and firmly said, "You are lying down. Come on, Corrie set up a guest room with you in mind. It overlooks a clearing that she thinks has good bones for a quidditch pitch."
He was firmly grabbed by the arms and dragged to a room.
It was very like his rooms in his home, except for his tiny personalizations. Cordelia had even put up his league team's posters.
Guilt consumed him.
"I can show you the grounds, we are working on the first greenhouse. It is all set, we are just planting at the moment. Good revision for OWLs." He heard Tom offer Evelyn, as he felt elf magic tucking him in.
"Should we call a healer? He heard Tom ask and Evelyn saying that sleep should suffice.
He woke up ravenous and as he descended the stairs, his senses drifted to a heavenly smell of Turkey.
He found the three of them seated on the patio floor of the great hall, overlooking the vast grounds, a heap of turkey sandwiches in between them, and chilled summer wine.
"At least, the elves know how to make turkey sandwiches." He said lightly.
"Cordelia made them," Evelyn said pointedly, her gaze asking did you know that your cousin could cook?
"I do it with Cherry all the time. The elves are doing an inspection of the Ballroom on this one's insistence because apparently, I am foolhardy."
"Tampering with old magic with barely any sleep is stupid." Tom flicked her nose lightly in reprimand. She surprisingly took it, just pouting at him and rubbing her nose to soothe it.
"Come eat, Tom said you looked flushed and woozy." Then she patted her side and Abraxas could not help but plop beside her and start devouring the sandwiches. It was hard to stay mad at her.
Tom's POV
Tom was being supremely cautious as they delved further into the crevices of the manor. The elves had mostly given a clean chit to everything.
So when Cordelia urgently shouted out to him to come to her, he sprinted across the ground floor to reach a corridor that seemed to be yet another way into somewhere that they had not touched yet.
Cordelia was speaking to someone, gesticulating wildly. She immediately turned as soon as she sensed him, and gestured to whatever she had been talking to, "I found the portrait of Salazar Slytherin and he has consciousness."
$Of course I do, $ came the voice from the portrait.
Tom was not surprised that they had missed it. The background of the portrait almost melded into the dark walls; the frame booked like the pillar paneling. It was too deliberate to be a coincidence. Salazar wore robes that were probably one shade different than the background, and if he turned his dark hair would have covered his pale face completely.
He did not want to be found. That Cordelia had found him today was no coincidence, he likely wanted to be noted, after watching them for a few days.
$So, you are my heir$ Salazar said with a raised eyebrow.
Tom gave a single firm yet careful nod, not taking his eyes off his ancestor.
$Well, introduce yourself boy$
$He is not your boy$ Cordelia snapped.
Salazar raised a brow, $You did not seem to mind me calling you a lass. Is boy a slur now, is it? What is it, the 20th century? $
$A hateful man refers to us as his boy and girl, we would appreciate it if you did not$ Cordelia hissed back.
$It is 1943 Lord Slytherin. By the estimates of your journal, the Hogwarts Four opened the school in 890. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle$
$So it stands$ Slytherin seems to look relieved.
It was Cordelia who nodded. She was looking at him narrowly as if expecting an attack anytime. Tom had never gotten the sense that she disliked the founder of their house.
$Riddle? At least you are not Gaunt,$ Salazar sniffed.
Tom and Cordelia's eyes met.
$You are$ There was disgust in Slytherin's eyes.
$The man who led his wife to death should be more careful of accusing a child of something his ancestors are responsible for$ Cordelia said calmly.
$I knew you looked like her, child of magic too. I suppose$ Salazar mused.
Tom's hair were standing on the back, he was ready to grab Cordelia and hide her away from this man, but he seemed to freeze.
The hostility in the man (and Tom realized that there had been even before the Gaunt remark, and Cordelia had been responding to it) seemed to melt into a spirited defeat. He looked tired.
$You have not earned any answers.$ Cordelia's response was clipped and accompanied by a glare.
$You must be from Estelle's line. She did say she was going to name all her children after Stars$ Salazar seemingly did not register Cordelia's snub.
$Why, why is the magic still punishing me?$ Salazar Slytherin muttered.
$Gaunt, how did you access the manor finally? Wore down the wards, got the child of magicae to unlock it for you?$ The gruff defeated voice was addressed to Tom.
$I have never met any Gaunt. My mother was one, she died birthing me. My father was not in the picture. I passed the blood magic test you set out with Goblins$ Tom informed.
$Better illegitimate than a Gaunt$ Salazar sighed in relief. Tom flinched.
Cordelia had her wand at the portrait, "You may not know but there are ways to make a portrait suffer too."
$Child of magic, $ Salazar sighed again, and wiped his face, $Forgive the lack of tact of this old man. I meant no insult.$
Cordelia raised her brow.
$Oh, you have the fire. You are definitely one of Estelle, $ The man chuckled
$I meant no insult, the entire bloodline is illegitimate if we are being pedantic$ Salazar confessed, $You know it, child. I had no child with Alessa.$
$Her memories were not very coherent towards the end. Insanity tends to do that, $ Cordelia relented before another verbal strike.
$I deserve that and more$ Salazar said mournfully, "But no, we did not have a child and she died, and it broke my heart and I never took another lover or partner."
Tom was realizing the implications of the wordplay. Cordelia seemed to have become curious too.
$I was given a potion, $ Salazar admitted, $Eoghan had not been pleased I married an outsider, and Alessa had passed and I was drunk, refusing to believe or grieve properly. I made for an easy mark. Estelle had come to check on me, she was furious at me for what I did to her sister, but for Alessa's sake she came, and she rescued me and I left and I never looked back. Asmunder found me years later at Hogwarts, and I legitimized him. He was not responsible for what Eoghan did, or what I had allowed to happen. It took me time to realize that, but I did it."
$Assaults are not allowed. Do not do this disservice,$ Cordelia promptly corrected him.
$You look like Alessa, but you have Estelle's spirit. She had sympathy for me too but she did not mince her words, and told me to remember it all the next time I lorded over a lass uncaringly. It is not nice to have no control, $
$No, it is not, $ Cordelia said pointedly, throwing a look between Tom and Salazar.
$Apologies lad, set in my own ways. Paid for it dearly too but seemingly have not learned yet.$
$You left Hogwarts?$ Tom questioned, sidestepping the half apology.
$Asmunder married a Peverall. Kori. I had grandchildren. This manor was built, and there was a fidelity charm. Rowena convinced me to visit a couple of times. We commissioned the portrait on one of those visits. And in one of those visits, or as my son told me when he came to wake the portrait when I was going back, I never made it to Hogwarts.$
$Gaunts publicized that you had a fallout with Godric and left Hogwarts in rage and left behind a monster to cleanse bad blood, $ Tom informed.
$I had fallouts with Godric everyday$ Salazar snorted but the mention of his friend/co-founder had lightened his demeanor, $That is what happens when you stick a fiery-spirited young lad, and a jaded slightly more grown man together.$
$You note as much in your journal, as far as I have been able to read or access$ Tom gave a nod.
$He was hot-blooded. Not like me. My mother was born out of a Naga slave and a slave owner. My father was a wizard but could shift into a snake. Godric was a lion shifter and could afford to pounce directly on people and win simply because of his size. A snake had to lie in wait. He lost his family to black magic wielders. He had the pedigree, trained in swordwork. He was taking out mundane bandits when all of us found him. As if, tales of a Lion in the middle of Brittania would not raise concerns. And bad blood, whatever does that mean$
Cordelia explained. Tom was tired from the weight of the information.
$Alessa was a so-called muggle-born. I am 1/4th creature,$ Salazar pointed out.
Cordelia simply shrugged $Does not preclude prejudice or hate. Would just make you hypocritical.$
$You are definitely related to Estelle, and you still have not introduced yourself$ Salazar said shrewdly.
$So I have not,$ Cordelia tilted her head in agreement. She ignored the question phrased as a statement and reached for Tom's fingers, Tom held on for his life.
He was feeling overwhelmed and he did not know why.
Cordelia spoke to him in French, "It does not matter where you come from Tom, what matters if who you are, sweetheart. Ignore the old man, he is nobody to judge you."
"He is the father of my line." Tom took the cue to revert back in French because Salazar looked frustrated at not being able to make heads of what she had said.
"Is he, or is that a slaveowner somewhere? Or is that his resilient son who tried to reconcile and build things despite his circumstance? Or are you the beginning of your line, not a Gaunt, not a Slytherin, but your own person. Choices matter, Tom. And even if you consider him the father of your line, you do not owe him much. Uncle Arty may be a lord and I may spend his money in that sense, but that does not mean that I have to take his crap. Salazar keeps invoking Estelle and his wife, but I am not them. I am not fiery simply because I am related to her. My mother and father are as gentle as they come. I just am who I am." She gently caressed his cheek.
"And you are lovely as ever," Tom murmured and kissed her temple lightly.
$Now that is just uncouth$ Salazar said impatiently, $You must not…$
$I am not surprised Estelle's lessons on power and autonomy have still not sunk in years later, Lord Slytherin.$ Cordelia snapped.
Salazar gaped at her,
$Heiress of House Black, Cordelia Faye Black, daughter of Adelaide and Altair Black, and descendant of Estelle Serpens by many, many generations. You have no business telling me what is uncouth. I am not Alessa, who took your bullying lying down$
$Do not address her that way$ Salazar was infuriated.
$It is hypocritical the way you address two living people, but expect me to not state truths about someone who is dead$
If Salazar were alive, he probably would have rained down fire on Cordelia.
A calculated look came over him$Does he know about anchors? Soon you will be in the same position as her$
$I know$ Tom said simply. If there was more to what Cordelia had already addressed with him, then they would be discussing it away from this man, much like Cordelia's newfound memories of Alessa and Estelle. She had been having more nightmares, more influx of memories. A lot of them were of dying or their anchors dying. She was still sorting through them when she could.
$Why is it that men after losing much in life still do not find a way to be better?$ Cordelia addressed Salazar $There was no need to take offense. Of course, I do not cower for you. You are not my anchor. I care about Tom and his well-being. He is mine and you are hostile to him. Why do you expect any deference from me? Especially after what you did to the last child of magic you knew and claim to love$
$Alessa was young and naïve$ Salazar said slowly.
$And you knew better as an older man$ Cordelia nodded seemingly in agreement with him.
Salazar gave a thin, coiled smile $I do understand when I am being mocked, lassie. Estelle did it too$ In the end, he seemed wistful.
$I am not her either$ Cordelia said simply, $ Nor am I a lassie. You may call me Heiress Black or Magicae. Anything else is unacceptable. I suppose I am younger than her.$
$You may not be naïve.$ Salazar gave in.
Tom snorted. This looked like a game of Russian roulette. It had been ages since he saw her battle wits with someone like this but it was very attractive and entertaining.
Cordelia gave Salazar an amused smile that turned sharp at the end,$ No, you are naïve if you think you get to test us. You are a shadow of a man. A mere portrait. The magic already accepted him. He does not need your approval. You do not define Slytherin alone. She may have been naïve or young, but it did not preclude her from knowing what she needed. A child can say it needs water and deserves to get that water.$
$She wanted more anchors, you do not simply get anyone you want$ Salazar raged again.
$You should have let her ask and you should have let the other anchors decide. You simply did not like it.$
$of course, they would have wanted influence on a child of magic, her father entrusted her to me$
$She was not a piece of meat to be entrusted. Oh, it was never about others. Your manhood could not take that you were not powerful enough to be the only anchor. Only you see, Magic designed it that way so the child of magic has a diversity of counsel. You were pushing against the cosmos and you got your wife to blow herself and your tower up because you could not contain that much magic. She loved you and refused to channel all of it through you, she saved your life even in that destruction.$
$She should have let me die. I never wanted to live$ Salazar snarled.
$What you wanted, and what she thought was best for you were very different old man. Welcome to the other side, the entire world keeps doing things that are best for women, never stopping to wonder about what their take on it is$ Cordelia shot back.
$ You were both wrong. She should have stepped up in her role. And you should have stayed in your lane but that is not here nor there. I am not her. Tom is not you. Perhaps you can stop holding onto that bitterness and have a civil conversation.$
They had a stare-off, but Salazar disappeared from the portrait in less than a minute.
"Well, that could have gone better," Cordelia stretched her limbs like a cat.
Tom started laughing and kissed her hair.
"Sorry if I stepped over the line. He said something about my clothes and how you were ruled by your desire for me and were a dunderhead to the boot before you came in, and the bar was already set."
Tom glanced down at her clothing. She was wearing denims, the kind of fabric that railway foremen wore around London and he had seen her cut off its legs with scissors so it reached her knees.
It was practical. It was summer and hot. They were durable and did not fly everywhere like skirts and did not get damaged like the more delicate fabrics like Linen. And she wore one of his shirts on top of her chemise.
She looked ravishing. And he probably understood Salazar's reservations from a certain perspective, but he had not looked at Cordelia in other clothes. She was ravishing all the time.
"Should I change?" She teased in amusement.
"Probably, we are meeting everyone at the teahouse in an hour. This will not go very well there." Tom pretended to think.
"Oh, I completely forgot. I should head to Malfoy Manor; all my decent clothes are there."
"I will meet you there in half an hour." Tom kissed her temple and let her run away.
Tom's POV
He stayed over at Malfoy Manor that night.
Cordelia wished to sort through the Salazar era memories at the earliest and do it in Slytherin manor whilst Salazar was sulking and spying was not the greatest idea.
They sat in the den, amongst a small ward, courtesy of the warding stones he had gifted her. Spying was probably going to come from Malfoy portraits too and even though they could switch to parseltongue, multiple deterrents were a safer bet.
She quickly filled him in on the major events, "Estelle was the older sister of Alessa. From memories, it seems that their mother was a squib, and their father was definitely a muggle. He had been martially strong, so ended up leading the clan, and the magic and herb recipes were accepted. Alessa's magic got wilder as she grew. She did not understand it and had no instructions. Slytherin somehow met her, and she was beautiful. It is a character trait for magicae. They were married. Now, her magic stabilized a bit. And she left with him eventually. It pulled her away from her first anchor, her sister. Secondly, Salazar realized the magicae bit and fledgling bonds she was developing nearby within some time. He semi-caged her, forbid other bonds, and did not let her visit her home lest she develop bonds there or Estelle take over. The magic needed the outlet, and it was given to her for a purpose. It eventually burst out, and wreaked havoc."
Tom was ashen, "Why would he…?"
Cordelia wet her lips in nervousness, "To be honest, there have been anchors who are mates. The intimacy is such that it can get physical. I would not decree it paranoia. It does not need to be, but it can be. I have analyzed it logically. It started with male magicae, men generally had more freedom when it came to such things where we are. With female magicae, it usually happened in the absence of familial anchors, lack of support from family, orphanhood, and finding their people later, and slowly, so all bonds were equal in dimensions so to speak. I will not deny that some enjoy polyamory. Of course, no anchor was forced to partake in it but…"
"I do not see the moral qualms." Tom said slowly, "We are both possessive and I have seen no inclinations from your end to engage in it. However, if people wish to, they should be able to."
"He was afraid of adultery. Or maybe of not being sufficient. He probably knows. Estelle's granddaughter was a magicae of Serpens. Estelle told her the story. She thought magic chose Alessa because she was so helpless, she thought that magic may have conjectured that others would rally around to protect her, and thereby protect magic. Of course, a protective gaze only works so far. Salazar was trying to protect her."
"Lia, you need to talk to me because you are nervous."
She burst out, "I am sure you have questions and you are angry, and I would rather have it hashed out than wonder about it."
"I do not wish to share you like that with anyone. I am also working on the knowledge that at least for now, you have no inclinations to be shared. It is hard thinking about it, but should it come to that need, " He swallowed hard, "I think I could tolerate it."
He knew he meant it. He could not imagine decreeing such a fate on his Lia, slowly turning mad from the magic.
He saw her eyes sting, and he hastily wiped them, "I have trouble with this, I know. But I have learned to share your love Lia. You give it out in abundance, perhaps not in the same way, but you do. And it has not lessened anything between us. In fact, I seem to find more people who love and care for me. I do not think polyamory is for me. For one, we are too young, This is also premature. I think if it comes between the bigger pain, it will most certainly be losing you permanently than sharing you somewhat if you wish to be shared."
"I don't want to. Not right now. I can't say what magic might need." Cordelia said quickly, tears still coming down rapidly, and her hastily wiping them away, and then she hiccuped, "I don't want you to hate me for imposing something like that on you."
"You did not ask for Salazar. Or my orphanhood. Or …" Tom shrugged, "It just is. I am who I am. And you are what you are. Lia, I cannot change that. I do not want to change that. Oh, come here love."
She was in his lap and sobbing her heart out.
"Lia, the thought of me hurting you is as painful for me as this is for you right now."
"This is the fatal spot of all magicae, Tom. They love deeply. Anchors are always used against them. Or anchors use them. I don't. I wish I were not, I love you so much, I do not want to cause you any pain. I am so sorry!"
"For what, a possibility that has not occurred and might not." Tom rubbed soothing circles on her back.
"I cannot lose you." She murmured, burying in his chest further, clinging closer.
"You won't" Tom assured, "Give me some credit. I know I was a pain in the ass in the beginning but I dare say I have gotten better at it all."
"I don't want to hurt you," She murmured.
"Then don't cry like this love. We both do not want it so maybe let us find ways to do that. Let us actively make familial anchors. Let us talk more, let's learn from the past."
"He hates her you know, resents her even. He may think he hates himself and is doing penance but he hates her for making him think he was insufficient."
"Salazar is not the most sorted man. And as you said, I am not him. I am not capable of hating you."
"You say that now, " Cordelia hiccupped.
Tom stopped arguing, It was going to end in spirals. It was all too much, the assault of memories on her, and the conversation with Salazar, maybe she needed a good cry and cuddle.
He just held on tightly, and murmured a quick "I love you." And let her cry.
She fell asleep like that. Tom held on.
Abraxas found them like that, him leaning against the leg of a loveseat, and she sprawled on top of him.
He immediately tensed before forcing himself to relax, he did not want her to wake up.
He dispelled the ward and cast a silencing charm around her ears. Hopefully, a few minutes would not alarm her mind.
"I could not find her," He said slowly, "or you. I thought you might have gone back."
"No, we were talking and since it was late, we decided on here," Tom said softly despite the silencing charm.
"You can relax, I have seen you before in Black Chateau. Aunt Adelaide told me. Though she implied that it was you who had nightmares?" Abraxas said, trying to keep his tone light.
Something in Tom washed off the tension, of course, Cordelia's mum knew. There would be little repercussions.
"I do." Tom nodded, and then decided on telling a version of the truth, "We found Slytherin's portrait today."
"Salazar Slytherin?" Abraxas was noticeably surprised and excited.
Tom nodded, "It did not go as well. Cordelia argued with him for quite some time and she was not feeling great after that."
"What did he say?" Abraxas' entire demeanor shifted from excited to hostile.
"He was not kind to me. And then by extension to her. It was all crap." Tom was tired.
"He is a portrait, what does he know?" Abraxas scoffed.
"That is what your sister told him. She gave him all his crap back and hundredfold. It was magnificent. But it drained her. And she leaves for India soon, so it is not easy for both of us. She cried for a bit."
"Want me to order some blankets and pillows?" Abraxas offered, "You can kip here. You might as well get some sleep before breakfast."
"I did not want to presume," Tom said.
"I don't like it," Abraxas said bluntly. Tom tensed. He did not have any more patience left.
Abraxas added, "But that is my problem, not either of yours. Her mother knows. It helps you and her, and I care about both of you enough to try to keep my trap shut. So, I don't like it but I am trying to work on it."
"I appreciate it?" Tom said.
"No, you do not. You both prefer when people fall in line." Abraxas gave a small smile, "But pitch in for me next time I say something stupid and she is mad at me, and we will be even."
"I did not say I owed you." Tom pointed out.
"Aren't I your friend, Riddle?" Abraxas raised his brow in a sardonic manner quite reminiscent of his father.
Tom mimicked the brow thing, and then relaxed and gave a small smile, "A very good one."
Abraxas's cheeks colored a bit but he gave a solid nod back.
The pillows and blankets appeared in a bit, and Tom adjusted them both for sleeping. Cordelia stirred a bit but he hushed her and she fell right back asleep.
Evelyn's POV
Evelyn entered the Slytherin manor via the giant fireplace recently restored by Tom and Cordelia. The floo system at her house was working marvelously.
Courtesy of it, she had hosted a summer soiree at her manor and it had gone swimmingly. The newspaper had caught the eye of people, and there had even been some discussion on the war with Germany.
Most of all, Cordelia had convinced Tom to sing along to the new piece Evelyn had been composing and simply give Cordelia a feel. She knew he could sing, and she was glad that it was not done in tears near a hospital bed anymore.
The Slytherin Manor (or keep or palace they were yet to figure out what exactly it was) was cleaner than the last few times she had visited.
And there was furniture. There were still areas that were clean yet barren but it would take time to fill up the place.
"We want to do it thoughtfully, slowly. So far, we have only done a few rooms. We do not mean to simply fill the space, I mean to build a home for him." Cordelia had admitted over scones one day to the Black sisters. It had been a rare day that Lucretia had made it to the Black sister tea party. She had been quiet and not quite responsive to needling on the marriage, so Cordelia, as usual, had diverted the attention to herself to give Lucy a reprieve.
So, a few rooms were furnished. Kitchens were done.
But the rest of the focus was on the grounds, documenting the flora and fauna, setting up orchards and greenhouses, and training grounds, and she knew from Abraxas that there was a beginning of quidditch pitch that Tom had hinted at.
Everyone knew that it was for Cordelia. Tom did not play quidditch.
They were meeting in the hall with the great staircases. The room was done in warm colors, oranges, reds, and yellows. Of course, it was ancient so it was probably a few shades duller than it was meant to be. It was a family brunch and just as Evelyn exited the entrance hall, she heard the whoosh to the floo and curse noises from Alphard.
The floo at the keep was still temperamental.
From the way the invite was delivered to her, Evelyn knew that it was something important. Cordelia had looked grave and grey and since there were barely any times when Evelyn had seen traces of fear on her, Evelyn had braced herself.
She found Dorea and Charlie already seated at the dining table, and there was some flashing of the rings.
Their betrothal had just gone through. Evelyn had expected a party but there had been recent massive losses in both wars and Potters had deemed a party unsavoury.
Cordelia had apparently asked Dory if she wanted one, and Dorea had been glad to be rid of it, "It is enough that we will deal with remarks on the wedding. I just want to be with Charlie, this pomp can rest."
And they were happy. Dorea saw her and got up to embrace her joyfully, "You must invite me for tea Evelyn, it cannot just be these two miscreants all the time."
"You are welcome anytime. Charlie's mum wrote about visiting once we are back from India, but perhaps you could come over the day after. Mother is very fastidious about the packing, so I need the time after that to finalize things."
"I cannot believe you two hatched a plan to go to India. Mum barely lets me go the docks without proper gear." Charlie said.
"It is important Charlie," Cordelia gave half a smile, she looked distracted, and then she looked at Tom with some fondness. He had likely squeezed her fingers to soothe her.
Everyone had made it to the brunch, except Lucy who had turned it down on account of something the Prewetts were doing. Evelyn was not surprised by Kyran's absence, he might be close to both Tom and Cordelia, but both of them kept him at arms' length when it came to politics. So, this had political implications.
Whatever Evelyn was expecting, the description of the magicae and admittance of Cordelia being one was not it.
Of course, the sheer power Cordelia had unleashed, and then pulled from the grounds and then released back to the grounds had ceremoniously left them all dazed with dilated eyes.
She had memories going back more than a millennium, of magicae whose blood had even touched the Black line.
The actual gift was from Serpens, a line that married into Blacks, who were actually Black magic hunters, always pure of magic. Toujours Pur.
When Sebastian had looked too quiet, Cordelia had transformed into a lioness and licked his nose, and when he yelped and pushed her away, she turned into a bird and flew off before becoming a snake and coiling possessively around Tom's collar, who simply petted her and held her securely. She rested there calmly while everyone got the verbiage out of the system and then she transformed back, literally cradled in Tom's lap and arms, before getting up and cutting through all the speculation.
Of course, she also informed them about being a metamorphmagus but that was simply a postscript in all the revelations.
"So, Evelyn you see I do know where the entrance to the Naga stronghold is. Pending differences in geography, I can find it within two weeks. It also has a distinct magical aura." She had mused out loud.
And that had been it.
And then they saw Cordelia do a complicated bit of magic that restores the roof and frescoes and walls of all of the keep in a single go.
She swayed quite a bit after that, and let Tom scold her and hand-feed sandwiches and chips and cakes to her.
She simply smiled and ate it all up, and then just leaned on him like he was a pillow, and he again cradled her securely in his arms, despite all the reprimands he was giving.
At least, Abraxas did not look like he had swallowed something bitter seeing the display.
Privately, she would talk about something else with Evelyn, Anchors. There was a fledgling bond between her and Cordelia and whether Evelyn consented to be one of the people who kept Cordelia grounded, or Cordelia would try to nip the connection.
"It will not be for another few months, maturation, that is. Tom and my bond is very nascent and that needs time to settle."
Evelyn was just bewildered that Cordelia's magic had chosen her! And right after Tom, and not any of her family.
"Hmm, there is a theory about anchors. Most of them are either or both: powerful or paradigm shifters in their own right."
She was neither.
Cordelia had simply given her a patient look, and shook her head, "You do not see what I see Evie."
And of course, Evelyn was honored to be one of the anchors.
"Is Tom alright with…"
"Absolutely," Cordelia said with such grave firmness and confidence that Evelyn knew she was not feigning. Cordelia had never put Tom second anyway.
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