Cassidy Diana Pearce was five years old when her mother decided that she needed help. Monica Pearce, a young nurse at a hospital in Norfolk, had adopted Cassidy three years prior, after the little girl had been abandoned at her place of work. The only sense they could make of most of the child's words was that her name was 'Cassie.' Any attempt to find Cassidy's parents had failed and Monica couldn't bear the thought of parting from the child she had come to love in such a short amount of time. Despite her age and single status, the nurse was eventually granted custody of the toddler.
On November 23, 1982, Monica Pearce became a mother and Cassidy Pearce gained a birthday, celebrating turning three years old with her new family. On March 18, 1985, Monica could no longer deny that there was something wrong with her beloved daughter. One can only watch vegetables disappear into thin air so many times before conceding defeat.
The young mother turned to the only person she could trust to believe her, her own mother. Leanne Pearce was a rational woman. She had always taught her daughter to think logically and trust her mind in all matters. These facts are what led Monica to laugh hysterically in her mother's face when she said that her granddaughter was a witch.
"Okay, mum. You got me. Now, really, what am I going to do? Do I take Cassie to the doctor?" Monica glances worriedly to her daughter who sits on the floor of the sitting room coloring, not giving a single care to her Mummy and Nana's conversation. How did grown up issues matter when she needs to find the right shade of purple for the cartoon dragon's wings?
Leanne sets down her tea cup and saucer, reaching across the sofa to grasp her daughter's hand. "Mon, I'm serious. This isn't a joke. There's so many things I've never told you. Things I never thought you would need to know." Her own gaze trails to the auburn haired girl, worry apparent in her eyes. "My mother, your grandmother, used to tell me of this whole other world. A world we would have, should have been a part of, if not for her foolish actions."
"Mum?" Monica's eyes flew to her mother, surprise clear on her face. "You've never mentioned her before."
"For good reason." A scowl covers the woman's face as she sniffs and straightens in her seat, smoothing a hand over the top of her dark hair. The action is futile, of course, as Monica has never seen her mother have any loose hairs in her ever present updos. "That woman cost our family everything. We would have had completely different lives if she hadn't done what she did."
"And what did she do?"
"Forced a man to love her." The scowl that had furrowed Leanne's features transforms into shame.
"Forced? How could she have forced someone to love her?" The confusion is clear in Monica's voice.
Leanne sighs, looking away from her daughter and off into the distance, not really seeing anything at all. "Delvinia Burke was the Heiress to the Ambitious and Most Ancient House of Burke. She was the oldest daughter of Lord Eustace and Lady Veroncia Burke She attended and graduated Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1918 at the age of seventeen. In 1923, Delvinia became infatuated with Master Reginald Shafiq, second son of Lord Andronius Shafiq. Unfortunately, Master Reginald did not return Delvinia's feelings. He was courting another lady when Delvinia set her sights upon him. Overnight, Master Reginald left the witch he hoped to one day be his lady-wife to chase after Heiress Burke. Only, he was not acting of his own free will. Mother Magic frowned on the actions of the Burke Heiress. To bring balance back and return the wizard gone astray to his lady, she stripped Delvinia of her magic, leaving her as a Squib." There's a moment of silence that Monica doesn't dare interrupt, sitting at attention as she listens to her mother. "Delvinia was cast out of her family, her younger brother, Edin, taking her place as heir. Without magic, Delvinia was left to the Muggle world. Eventually, she met a man who she married and they had a child." Leanne turns her eyes back to her waiting daughter, sadness within them. "In 1932, they named their only child and daughter Leanne Delvinia Johnston."
The silence following her story carries on for several moments, if not for the interruption of Cassidy, it may have gone on for minutes more. "Mummy! Look at my dragon! He's purple like my sparks." The girl rushes to her mother, shoving the coloring book into her lap.
"That's wonderful, sweetheart." Monica forces a smile onto her pale face, running a hand over the braids woven through her daughter's hair, all of it piled atop her small head.
"See Nana!" The child turns to her grandmother with a wide grin, holding up her picture. "I named him Howie! Like Grandpa Howard."
Leanne's smile is much softer as she hears her granddaughter's words. "Your grandfather would have loved it, darling. Almost as much as he would have loved you!" She pokes the girl in the belly before the child runs back to her abandoned crayons, flipping through her book for a new picture to color.
"So my grandmother, your mum, was a… a witch ?" Monica's question is quiet as she looks at her mother in disbelief, glancing between the woman and her own child in bewilderment. "And you think that Cassie, our Cassie , is a witch too? How ?"
"My best guess would be that her birth parents are mages. Though she could be descended from a Squib as we are. Eventually, when Mother Magic deems the time right, squiblines will birth a magical child, a muggleborn. These muggleborns attend the same school as other mages, Purebloods, and have a chance to make vows to Mother Magic and become New Bloods. Not everyone makes these vows, muggleborns who don't follow the Olde Ways are known as Mudbloods."
"Mum, it's like you're speaking a different language." Monica scrubs a hand over her face as she watches her mother retrieve her teacup once more. "Why did you never tell me any of this?"
"I never imagined that you would need to know. The chance of you having a magical child was slim. The chance of you adopting one, even smaller. I didn't see the need for you to long for what you couldn't have. My mother did that to me, I didn't want it to be done to you. It's not fair to either of us to know of a world we'll never be a part of." She pauses for a sip of tea. "Your father didn't know, either. I never saw a reason to tell him. Though, I doubt that he would have believed me if I tried. Howard was always too logical for fairytales."
They lapse into silence, both of their gazes trailing to the child before them once more. Monica's mind whirs with the new information, hardly believing her mother's words despite the visual evidence of magic from her daughter. Even now, as she colors, Cassidy makes the crayons dance before her. She doesn't look away from her daughter as she asks her next question.
"What do we do? About Cassie?"
"We love her. We help her find her way in the world she belongs to. And we hold tight to her so that we don't lose her."
-
It took several days and a trip to London before the two women and child were able to find where exactly Cassidy's new world is. Leanne's knowledge on the magical world is limited to what her mother, Delvinia, would ramble and reminisce about in Leanne's younger years. She knew that the entrance to the epicenter of Wizarding Britain, otherwise known as the Kingdom of Avalon, is located in London. She vaguely remembered her mother mentioning Charing Cross Road when she would speak of the wondrous alleys she would visit. Delvinia would lament that no matter how many times she walked the road, magic would never allow her access to the world she longed for.
It was on their sixth lap around the block that Cassidy suddenly asks about dripping pots. "Mummy, why would a shop sell pots that drip?"
Monica looks down at her daughter in confusion, making sure to always keep a firm grip on the child's hand as they pace the sidewalks. "What do you mean, sweetheart?"
Cassidy points across the street with her free hand, garnering her grandmother's attention as well. An early reader and faster learner, the girl still sometimes struggles to pronounce the words she deciphers. "That shop says their 'call-dee-rons' leak."
The two women look to the establishment that caught the young witch's attention. Suddenly, as if appearing out of thin air, a dingy looking pub is in their line of sight.
"Hm. I don't know why they would sell faulty cauldrons ." Leanne says the word slowly, Cassidy repeating it under her breath in an attempt to fix her mistake, as she shares a weighted look with her daughter. "Let's find out."
The pub does nothing to impress upon their quiet entry, even dirtier on the inside than it appears on the outside. Cassidy clings to her mother as she gazes around with wide eyes. None of the patrons pay any mind to the newcomers, despite the fact that there is now a young child in their midst. Leanne and Monica's eyes are just as wide as they take in the scene before them. The dress of the people are not even the oddest thing about them, but their odd words and waving sticks still confuse the women. Monica nudges her mother, nodding toward the fireplace that sits on the wall opposite the bar.
Leanne gasps in surprise as she watches a man emerge from the flames . She grasps her daughter's shoulder tightly, knees feeling weak as she watches magic that she's only heard stories about. It's a moment before Leanne realizes they are moving again, that her daughter and granddaughter are leading her through the pub and out the back, following a shorter man dressed in bright orange (are those robes ?) to a… brick wall. The man nods to the women as he notices them behind him, though his nose scrunches at their attire. He pulls a stick from his sleeve before tapping the bricks.
Both women gasp as the world behind the bricks becomes visible to them. It's only as the bricks begin to build themselves back into the wall that they hurry through the opening.
"Mummy! Nana! Look at those birds!" Leanne and Monica are too busy looking at everything to focus on the flying creatures Cassidy points out. "This place has more colors than my crayons !"
The hilarity of the statement is what brings Leanne's mind back to the task at hand. She looks down at her granddaughter, a smile forming on her lips at the look of wonder on the girl's face.
"Okay girls!" Monica finally tears her eyes from the sights before her at her mother's voice. "Let's find that bank."
"And the goblins! Right Nana?" Cassidy's excitement is obvious as she bounces on her toes, curls barely restrained in the twin buns on her head. As her mother before her, Leanne's always wore her hair up when not in the presence of her direct family. A sentiment she ingrained into her own daughter and is happy to see Monica doing with her granddaughter. This has always been the only part of magic she has had leave to participate in. Even if she didn't tell Monica of her family's past, she would have never kept her daughter from the value of their hair, and who exactly should be allowed to see it down and full.
"Yes darling, the goblins, too. But make sure to be on your best behavior!" While her tone is stern, she still shares a smile with her favorite witch.
"Yes ma'am." The young girl nods, taking her grandmother's hand in the one that her mother does not occupy.
Leanne looks down the alley, Diagon Alley if her mother is to be believed. Further down, where the road splits on either side, a tall, white, marble building towers over all who bustle about the alley. Glancing at each of her girls once more, Leanne begins to lead her small group in the direction of the building, anticipation and nerves building within her.
As they climb the steps of the building, Cassidy rips away from her caretakers, skidding to a stop in front of the two armored creatures that stand guard at the tall double doors. "Hi, sirs!" The scaly brows of both creatures rise up their foreheads as the small witch bows to them both, something she must have observed from others greeting acquaintances coming up the alley. "Me and Mummy and Nana are coming to talk to the goblins! We need to see if my magic-y stuff is because I'm a witch - like Merlin from The Sword in the Stone !"
One of the, what must be, goblins makes a snorting sound that could be construed as a laugh if one tries hard enough, mirth dancing in his eyes as he watches the grinning child before him. "Enter then, young one." Both of the goblins bang their own swords against the shields they carry.
Leanne and Monica finally catch up, each dropping a curtsy to the goblins before Monica snags her daughter's smaller hand. "I'm so sorry. Please, have a good day." There's obvious nerves in her voice as she drags her child into the bank behind her own mother, the little girl steadily waving at the creatures they leave behind. The women miss the surprise on the goblins' faces.
The inside of the bank is even grander, the marble walls matching the marble floor seamlessly. It's as if the entire building and all the desks inside it have been carved continuously from the same slab of stone. The other fixtures and doors that fill the space are made of gold or black obsidian. It's a striking picture to the eye. A powerful one as well.
After a moment of observation, Leanne leads the other two to the back of the shortest queue. They continue looking around, heads constantly turning as they take in their new surroundings. It's all too soon that they are at the front. Again, Cassidy is the first to greet the goblin, a teller this time rather than an armed guard. Though Leanne isn't sure if this comforts her any based on the creature's needle-like smile.
"Hi, Mister Goblin! My name's Cassie!" The little witch stands on her tiptoes, peering over the edge of the counter. She extends her hand up to the goblin, as if for a handshake. "What's your name, sir?"
The surprise on the goblin's face is evident, even if the evidence is only visible by the look in his eyes. That surprise extends to the mages at other counters, not-so-subtly glancing at the odd family.
"Good day, young one. I am Master Teller Snarkfume." Even more surprising to the women accompanying the girl, the goblin does shake her hand. "What may I do for you today, Miss Cassie?"
"We need to find out if I'm a witch!" The excitable child drops back to flat feet, rocking back and forth on her heels as she clasps her hand behind her back.
"Excuse us, Master Teller Snarkfume, we are not as familiar with your culture and customs as we wish to be." Leanne steps forward, offering a curtsy now as she did to the guards. "I am Leanne Pearce. This is my daughter and granddaughter, Monica and Cassidy Pearce."
"Good day to you, Missus Pearce. By the young Miss Pearce's statement, it seems as if you have come for an inheritance test?"
Leanne raises a brow, wondering how a paternity test could be performed without any of their possible magical relations present. She agrees despite her doubt. "Yes, please."
The goblin, Snarkfume, gives a single nod before snapping his fingers. The sign on his desk shimmers as the words change from 'open' to 'closed.' At the same time, the desk space between him and the next teller disappears. Snarkfume steps down from his post, gesturing for the women to enter through the opening and follow him. Cassidy does so readily, her mother and grandmother trailing not far behind. The desk solidifies once more behind Monica as she steps through. They are led through the length of the main room of the bank and into a dimly lit corridor that sits behind an obsidian black door. Leanne feels the eyes of the other goblins and mages in the bank follow them until the door closes behind them.
They follow behind Snarkfume for several minutes, almost surely becoming lost in the winding halls as the floor slowly slopes downward. Eventually, they stop before a wooden door, engravings of some sort covering the frame around it. A plaque on the door, presumably, states where it leads, but seems to be in a language that neither Leanne or Monica can read.
"In-inheri-tee-ank Dee-part-man?" Cassidy speaks slowly, sounding out words as she stares hard at the golden plaque.
"Inheritance Department." Leanne corrects automatically, brows furrowed as she looks at the unreadable plaque once more.
"Master Mage Saltvein will be waiting for you inside." Snarkfume explains before the door opens with a wave of his hand. He waits for the three to enter before allowing the door to close.
"Bye, Master Snarkfume!" Cassidy calls behind them before turning to the new goblin, this one much older than Snarkfume. She curtsies with a smile, though a little clumsily. Her grandmother and mother do the same. "Hi Master Saltvein, I'm Cassie Pearce! We're here to see if I'm a witch."
The wizened goblin observes their group for a moment, critical eyes tracing over the individuals before him. Finally, Saltvein speaks.
"You most definitely are a witch, Miss Pearce. I believe the question is how a muggleborn and her guardians have found their way into our world half a decade early?"
Squib or not, Leanne was raised with the same values her once Pureblood mother was. She did not flinch under the heavy weight of the goblin's stare. She bows her head once more before meeting his harsh gaze.
"I am Leanne Pearce, this is my daughter, Monica. Myself and my daughter are Squibs. I am the daughter of the late Delvinia Burke." The expression that covers Saltvein's face at her words causes Leanne to grimace. "I am no more fond of Delvinia's actions than I'm sure you are, Master Mage Saltvein. Nevertheless, I was raised with stories of this world. I knew immediately what my granddaughter was when my daughter came to me with tales of strange happenings. We have made our way here to make sure Cassidy is given the best start in this world she is able to have."
Silence follows her words. Leanne is almost sure they will be shown the door by the time the goblin mage speaks again. "Very well, Missus Pearce. That does not explain why the young Miss Pearce would need an inheritance test. It seems as if you already know of the origins of your granddaughter's magic."
"Cassidy is adopted." Monica speaks for the first time since entering the bank, her words blurted out. Leanne refrains from cringing at her daughter's abruptness.
Saltvein raises a brow, looking at the child once again. He watches the girl looking around his office in wonder for a moment before gesturing for the ladies to take a seat. "Let us begin, then."
Anticipation and nerves course through Leanne as she watches the mage reach into his desk, pulling out an athame, a vial of shimmering white liquid, and a roll of parchment. The goblin sets the items atop his desk, unsheathing the athame and uncapping the vial.
"For the most thorough inheritance test, which I suggest as I assume you know nothing of Miss Pearce's origins, you will need to slice her nondominant hand across the palm. Seven drops of blood will need to flow into the vial. Once the potion within changes from white to rust, I will pour it over the treated parchment, here. After approximately three minutes, a family tree for Miss Pearce and any titles she holds will write themselves out." Saltvein watches the women for understanding, waiting on them to nod before holding the blade handle first to Leanne.
"How long will it take her wound to heal?" Monica clasps her hands in her lap anxiously, leaning forward to examine the potion and parchment more closely.
"As soon as the seventh drop of blood enters the vial, her cut will close. She shouldn't even be left with a scar. The athame is self cleaning as well, no trace of her blood will be left."
Leanne nods along to the explanation before turning to her grandchild, who sits in the chair between the two adults, swinging her legs. "Cassidy, darling, I need you to be a very brave girl for Nana, okay?"
"Why, Nana?" The young witch tilts her head to the side as she looks up at the woman.
"Because, sweetheart, I need to make a cut on your hand so Master Saltvein is able to color his picture. It will only hurt for a moment and then it'll heal right up. Like magic." The child seems to consider her grandmother's words for a moment before nodding uncertainly.
Leanne grasps Cassidy's left hand, taking a steadying breath. Not hesitating further, she quickly slices the knife into the small palm before her. Cassidy and Monica gasp at the same time, one from pain and the other fear. Leanne slowly guides the child's hand over the potion, counting each of the seven drops as they fall into the vial.
As Saltvein promised, the cut seals itself as the last drop of blood enters the potion. Cassidy looks over her hand in wonder, swiping away the few tears that fell through the ordeal. The room sits in silence as they watch the potion slowly change color. As soon as it settles into a red rust color, Saltvein upturns it and pours it over the parchment before him. The liquid spreads before soaking into the paper.
Monica pulls Cassidy into her lap as they wait out the minutes for the writing to form. Just after the three minute mark has passed, the parchment glows gold before ink covers the page. Saltvein pulls the results to him, looking them over with narrow eyes. Leanne feels her anxiety heighten as the goblin's eyes widen and his brow raises.
"It seems that Miss Pearce is most definitely not a muggleborn."
The sentence stretches before them, the implications of such a statement rolling through the minds of the two women.
"Her parents were wixen?" Monica clears her throat to ask, hugging her daughter tighter.
"They are wixen, yes." The goblin mage lays the parchment back on the desk, not yet offering it to the family.
"Her birth parents are alive?" Leanne's breath catches in her throat.
"Alive but not able to care for her."
"What do you mean?" Monica's question is more of a demand. Cassidy looks between the occupants of the room, confusion obvious on her face.
"They are currently imprisoned for the torture of the Lord and Lady of The Valiant and Most Ancient House of Longbottom."
"T-torture?" Leanne almost chokes in the word, gaze flashing to her granddaughter for a moment before looking to Saltvein once more.
The goblin leans forward, folding his hand on top of his desk. "Yes. On the night of November 29, 1981, Lord Rodolphus and Lady Bellatrix of The Fearless and Most Ancient House of Lestrange were arrested for the assault and torture of Lord Francis and Lady Aliceson Longbottom. They were tried and sentenced to life in Azkaban Prison on December 19 of the same year."
Saltvein finally holds the test results out to the family. Leanne takes them into her hands, leaning over so that Monica is able to read along with her. An extensive family tree covers most of the parchment, though some parts of Cassidy's immediate biological family are listed separately.
Lady Cassiopeia Druella Lestrange
Father : Lord Rodolphus Geraldan Lestrange
Mother : Lady Bellatrix Druella Lestrange nee Black
Sibling(s) : Heiress Lyra Bellatrix Lestrange (Magical Twin)
Paternal Grandfather : Lord Geraldan Henry Lestrange (Deceased)
Paternal Grandmother : Lady Honoralda Tansy Lestrange nee Borgin (Deceased)
Maternal Grandfather : Master Cygnus Pollux Black III (Deceased)
Maternal Grandmother : Lady Druella Isla Black nee Rosier (Deceased)
Paternal Aunt(s)/Uncle(s) : Lord Rabastan Henry Lestrange
Maternal Aunt(s)/Uncle(s) : Lady Andromeda Isla Black (Mister Edward Franklin Tonks), Lady Narcissa Cassiopeia Malfoy nee Black (Lord Lucius Abraxus Malfoy)
Maternal Cousin(s) : Heiress Nymphadora Andromeda Black, Heir Draconis Lucius Malfoy, Lady Valeria Narcissa Malfoy
Godfather : High Lord Marvolo Salazar Slytherin
Godmother : Lady Pandora Octavia Lovegood nee Malfoy (Mister Xenophilius Deronden Lovegood)
Godsibling(s) : Lady Luna Pandora Lovegood
"She has a sister ." Monica's voice is soft as she looks over her adoptive daughter's family tree. "And cousins and aunts and uncles. Where are all of these people? Why was she abandoned in our world? Was her sister, her twin , abandoned as well? What are they not together?"
"Lord and Lady Lestrange and Lord Rabastan Lestrange are imprisoned. High Lord Slytherin is presumed dead. Otherwise, I am unsure why Lady Cassiopeia was not placed with one of her other relatives or her Godmother." Saltvein taps his fingers together. "To my knowledge, Heiress Lyra Lestrange does not reside with any of the individuals listed, either. I'm not sure where she is located as of present."
"Could these people take Cassidy from us?" Leanne speaks before her daughter is able to respond, focusing on all of the names listed, the ones that are alive and not imprisoned.
"If it was discovered by one of her relatives, I imagine that a case could be made for Lady Cassiopeia to be returned to Avalon and placed with her rightful family." Saltvein nods. His words cause the women to pale.
"No. I will not lose Cassidy. These people abandoned her, she is my daughter." There's a rawness in Monica's voice that has her daughter holding tighter to her, trying to comfort her mother.
"What can we do to keep such a thing from happening?" Leanne finds her resolve, reaching across the chair between them to hold tight to her daughter's hand, looking determinedly at the goblin.
"While Miss Pearce has adopted Lady Cassiopeia in the Muggle world, that means little to nothing for her legal rights as a parent in Avalon."
"So, we can fix that. Monica will adopt Cassidy in the Magical world as well."
Saltvein sighs. "It is not so easy, Missus Pearce. Miss Pearce and yourself are Squibs. You are unable to complete a blood adoption. You do not possess a substantial enough magical core to do so."
"You say it's not easy, but not impossible." Leanne raises an eyebrow imperiously.
The Squib and goblin stare at one another for several moments. After a time, a sharp smile curves Saltvein's lips. "I suppose we can find an alternative solution."
Leanne watches with careful eyes as the goblin mage retrieves two more vials and pieces of parchment from his desk.
"First, you will both need to complete an inheritance test. You should possess enough latent magic as Squib descendants in order for the potion to work."
Never one to hesitate after her mind is made up, Leanne swiftly snatches the athame off of the oak desk and slices her palm, allowing the blood to drip into the white potion. She takes Monica's hand and does the same.
After the allotted time has passed, they look over their results together.
Monica Lynn Pearce
Father : Howard Glenn Pearce Jr. (Deceased)
Mother : Leanne Delvinia Pearce nee Johnston
Paternal Grandfather : Howard Glenn Pearce Sr. (Deceased)
Paternal Grandmother : Lynn Helene Pearce nee Ross (Deceased)
Maternal Grandfather : Jeffrey Jameson Johnston (Deceased)
Maternal Grandmother : Delvinia Veroncia Johnston nee Burke (Deceased)
Leanne Delvinia Pearce nee Johnston
Husband : Howard Glen Pearce Jr. (Deceased)
Child(ren) : Monica Lynn Pearce
Father : Jeffrey Jameson Johnston (Deceased)
Mother : Delvinia Veroncia Johnston nee Burke (Deceased)
Paternal Grandfather : Raymond James Johnston (Deceased)
Paternal Grandmother : Elizabeth Leanne Johnston nee Brown (Deceased)
Maternal Grandfather : Lord Eustace Calvain Burke (Deceased)
Maternal Grandmother : Lady Veroncia Elladora Burke nee Rowle (Deceased)
Maternal Aunt(s)/Uncle(s) : Lord Edin Eustace Burke (Deceased)
"This makes it seem as if my uncle, Lord Edin Burke, had no wife nor children?" Leanne looks up from her results and to Saltvein for confirmation.
"That would be correct. He was the last Lord Burke. The line died with him."
The two studied each other for a moment. "Why does that seem to amuse you, Master Mage Saltvein?"
"I'm sure you will come to understand my amusement soon." Something similar to a smirk twists his face. "Now that we have confirmed your identities and heritage, we are able to move on to the matter of adoption."
"I thought you said that I'm not able to adopt Cassidy in Avalon?" Monica's tone is confused as she rocks in her seat, the five-year-old in her lap close to sleep. It has been a big day for the young witch.
"I said that you are unable to blood adopt Lady Cassiopeia. I said nothing concerning a magical adoption."
"What is the difference between the two?" Leanne furrows her brow, uncertain of how they would not have enough magic for one and not the other.
"As with the inheritance tests, Miss Pearce should possess enough latent magic as a Squib's descendant to adopt Lady Cassiopeia into the House of Burke."
"We are not members of the House of Burke. That right was stripped from us by my mother's actions." The elder Pearce has a sharp edge to her voice as she mentions her mother.
"Normally, yes. But yourself and Miss Pearce are the last living descendants of the Burke line. Magic will be more likely to accept Lady Cassiopeia as a daughter in magic as she will become Heir to the house."
Shock settles between the two women as they absorb the implications of Saltvein's words.
"So, Cassidy will become a Burke rather than a Pearce or Lestrange. She will be Heiress Burke?" Monica asks unsurely.
The goblin nods. "While she will continue to be a Lestrange in blood and magic, she will be a Burke in magic as well. As the last Magical of the House of Burke, she will have a claim to the Lady title. Once the adoption is complete, she will be Lady Burke, materfamilias of the Ambitious and Most Ancient House of Burke. You may choose to have her adopted name be Cassidy, but she will continue to be known as Cassiopeia where her connection to the Fearless and Most Ancient House of Lestrange is concerned."
"She's too young to be the Head of her House." Leanne cuts in with concern.
"Which is why you will be named Regent Burke. Through a magical adoption, the two of you will be recognized as members of the House. Lady Cassiopeia will need a Regent until she comes of age."
"I won't be able to complete those duties without magic." She shakes her head as she looks at her sleeping grandchild, curled up in her daughter's lap.
"Not all of them, no. But you will be able to manage her properties and finances. The political aspects will have to wait until Lady Cassiopeia is of age."
"How do we do it?" Monica interrupts her mother's worries, seemingly having already made her decision.
Leanne studies her daughter for a moment, gaze trailing, then, to her grandchild before finally settling on the goblin mage before them. Just as she knew Monica must be thinking, there really is no other option than protecting the little witch they have come to love so much.
-
The family that walks out of Gringotts Bank is somehow completely different and exactly the same as the one who entered. Instead of three Pearce women, there are now three Burkes: Regent Missus Leanne Burke, Miss Monica Burke, and Lady Cassidy Burke. While their appearances match the group who found The Leaky Cauldron this morning, the knowledge that fills their heads is so much more.
Cassidy skips happily between her mother and grandmother, her hair almost seeming to shimmer with magic. Her usual lavender colored sparks are intermingled with blush colors, as well. Leanne and Monica each hold a bag filled with books from the Burke family vaults, minds whirring with all they now need to learn and teach the young witch between them.
While they now have the answers they came for, they are leaving with so many more questions. The most prominent being: Where is Lyra Lestrange?