Chapter 1
July 15, 1995
Chelsea - New York City
Alexis Greengrass lay on her bedroom floor; the hardwood beams cool against her back. The summer heat was oppressive, especially in New York, and anything to lessen the sheen of sweat that covered her body was a relief. Her eyes roamed over the walls, now void of all its posters and pictures, which had been tacked up by pins and sticking charms. Her gaze traveled to where her desk and chest of drawers used to sit, and then it went up and lingered on the ceiling, where glow-in-the-dark star stickers completely covered the space. The stickers were a No-Maj birthday gift she had received when she turned six. Her mother insisted they could charm the bedroom ceiling to show the constellations and the night sky instead, but Alexis had stubbornly begged to use the stickers. That evening after her birthday party, she watched as her mother and house-elf, Tippy, carefully placed the star stickers in patterns the No-Maj way.
Her mother loved the constellations, and so did Alexis. Her middle name was Lyra, after all. Whenever she was sad or upset as a child, she would rest her head on her mother’s lap and listen to softly whispered stories about each constellation while letting her mother’s soothing motion of her long fingers run through her hair, calming her down. Her mother told her that if she stared at the stars long enough, she could see where she came from. Alexis never quite understood what her mother meant, but she always nodded along. Losing herself in the constellations was her safe space, her childhood escape. Now, as she looked at the patterned stars, she only saw pain and heartbreak.
Alexis squeezed her eyes tight for a moment and then silently wiped away the tears that had escaped from her eyes. Grief tried to weigh her down, and she would give anything to let it pull her under, but instead, she carefully pushed the memory back behind her Occlumency walls. She excelled at closing off emotions and placing the most painful memories behind walls. Her mother said it was a natural gift inherited from her father and his family.
A quick glance at her wristwatch made Alexis bolt upright. Shit, 15 minutes to the hour, she thought. Even though she knew all her belongings were packed away, she wanted to walk through the empty brownstone one last time, as it had been her home for as long as she could remember. It was the place where she watched her mom sing No-Maj 70’s rock tunes at the top of her lungs when she washed the dishes after a meal; the home where she experienced her first bout of accidental magic by lighting the Christmas tree on fire in excitement when she was five; and the comforting refuge during the holidays when she came home from Ilvermony throughout the school year.
Standing up, she brushed off her tan linen slacks and re-adjusted the cream sheer blouse covering a white spaghetti-strap tank. The mix of No-Maj/witches clothing was her conscious way to show that although she was a pure-blood witch and could fall in line when required, she still was rebellious enough to dabble in No-Maj things. She picked up her robes from the floor and threw them over her arm—and, without looking back, stepped out of her room for the last time.
As she entered the hallway, a small grey cat wrapped itself around her legs. It purred as it rubbed its face against the fabric of her slacks.
“There you are, Coal. Ready for a new adventure?” She bent down and carefully picked up her familiar. Placing a kiss on its head, she continued down the hallway.
Coal was the feline she had chosen to take with her to Ilvermorny during her first year. The summer before classes started, her mother had taken her on a trip to the magical shopping district. After getting the required school supplies, her mother had surprised her with her choice of a familiar. When the two had walked into the pet menagerie, her eyes immediately landed on the tiny, fluffy British shorthair with dark grey coloring, sitting in a small cage separate from the playpen where multiple kittens were tussling together.
She and the kitten immediately bonded, even though the shopkeeper warned her that the cat was independent and aggressive, with Kneazle tendencies. Her thoughts took her back to the menagerie, a smile teasing the corner of her lips.
Tucking that memory behind her walls, Alexis rubbed Coal between the ears and checked the remaining rooms. As she made her way into the entry hall where her trunk, backpack, and cat carrier sat, a small pop sounded off as her house-elf materialized. The elf stood next to the fireplace which dwarfed her, and gently bowed to Alexis.
“Tippy has swept through the basement and attic. Everything young Mistress requires is packed and nothing left behind.” The petite elf rocked back and forth on her heels. “Mistress, are you ready? Mistress has packed her wand, yes?”
Alexis tapped the side of her pant leg and felt the long, cedar wand. “Yes, thank you, Tippy. I think that’s about it.”
She smiled down at the elf who helped raise her and was her first friend as a child. Tippy was bound to the Greengrass family and had been for many years. She came over to America with her mother and was now bound to Alexis. When the move to England was brought up, Tippy did not hesitate to demand that she travel back home with her Mistress. Alexis wondered if Tippy was excited to go home, albeit not the Greengrass estate, and when she had asked, the little elf just commented that her place was now with Mistress Alexis.
Alexis handed Coal over to Tippy and watched as the house-elf placed her familiar in the carrier. Coal hissed in response but quickly settled in.
She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out two small silver bracelets, each carved with the words Toujours Pur. She rubbed her finger along the bracelets and wondered about the engraved words as she set them down on the fireplace’s mantel. From what she remembered of her French lessons, the translation was ‘Always Pure.’ But why were they on the portkeys? She asked her lawyer—who had delivered the package containing the portkeys—about the words as maybe he had more insight, but he only shrugged and mumbled something about old, pure-blood English family mottos.
Alexis picked up her backpack and reached into its front pocket, pulling out a folded note that had accompanied the portkeys. Although the beautifully hand-written words were memorized to the point of absurdity, she often found herself repeatedly unfolding and folding the note to reread its contents. It had become a small ritual that anchored her to the new reality she found herself in. The number of times she had held that note over the past month was shown in the worn folds. For the last time, she opened the smooth parchment and scanned its contents:
Dear Alexis,
I know this note brings little consolation, but I hope you are well and that everything is being settled for your move to London.
I’ve enclosed two international portkeys. One is for your house-elf and your belongings; the other is for you. Both portkeys will activate on July 15th at precisely 8.00 AM and will deactivate 15 minutes after. Simply place one bracelet around your house-elf's wrist and the other around yours—they will transport your house-elf and belongings to your new home, and you to King’s Cross Station in London. I urge you not to miss the time frame. I’ve also included a potion to take once you’ve landed, as international travel can cause waves of nausea.
Although words cannot express the sadness of missing the past 15 years, I look forward to experiencing life with you, my daughter.
Again, please do not hesitate to write.
Sincerely,
Your Father
Sirius Black
Sirius Black... her father. He was an enigma, a man she had never dreamt of meeting, and he had a name she never heard of until a month ago when her lawyer showed up, explaining that they had located her father across the pond. There was the whole bit about him being a convicted criminal who spent several years in prison, but he had been released early due to his innocence and had been cleared of all charges. That ordeal complicated MACUSA Social Services requirements, but seeing that he came from a well-known, pure-blood British family, they sped up the paperwork.
A part of her was relieved when her lawyer explained that she would stay with her father instead of her mother’s brother and his family. She knew of her mother’s side, the Greengrass's, but there was tension between them as her mother had left abruptly without telling any of her family. Another part of her was worried that she would be living with a parent she had never met, one who did not know of her existence up until now. She was upset at her mother for never disclosing her father’s name, no matter how often she had asked, but somehow, Elizabeth Greengrass had gone 15 years without ever mentioning it. It drove Alexis crazy as a child, but as she grew older, she learned to accept what little information her mother offered.
What Alexis had gathered from what sparse information her mother had offered was that her father had black hair and the same grey eyes that she had inherited. He came from one of England’s noble and ancient magical houses. He was rebellious and free-spirited, but also loyal and fiercely brave. Traits that Alexis hoped she had but often found lacking. She was loyal and somewhat rebellious, but she was not brave or a free spirit. She was calculating, cautious, and logical.
For all the bravery that her mother said her father held, she could not understand how he was able to let go of the woman he loved and abandon her across the ocean, never knowing if she was safe, happy, or content. If that was bravery, she decided long ago that she was glad she did not have it in spades. She supposed it mattered little now since she would have all the time in the world moving forward to get to know her absent father and find out why he let her mother leave. Folding the note closed, she placed it back in the front pocket of the backpack and threw the strap over her shoulder.
At 8AM precisely, both portkeys began to glow. Alexis walked to the mantle and picked up one of the bracelets. It was cool to the touch, which surprised her. She walked to Tippy, who looked annoyed while waiting to travel, and placed the bracelet on her small wrist.
“See you soon, Tippy. Please take care of Coal when you arrive. Best let him out right away.” She bent down and hugged the elf. Tippy placed her hand on Alexis’ trunk, and within a few moments, the small elf vanished from their embrace along with her other belongings, leaving no trace of where they had previously stood.
Alexis took one more look around the entry way and sighed. Her nerves started picking up as she did not know what to expect when she met Sirius Black. The unknown seemed to form a knot in her stomach. What if he was a horrible man? What if he did not like her? What if he never wanted a child and was now being forced to take care of one? She shook her head and remembered the letter. He would not have written that he was looking forward to life with her if he truly did not mean it, right?
Walking back to the mantle, she lifted the remaining portkey and rubbed it between her fingers. Carefully, she slipped her hand through the bracelet and let it fall against her wrist. The tell-tale tug behind her navel arrived, and she allowed herself to be pulled away. Alexis let a tear slip down her cheek as she watched her home fade away in twisting whirl. The whirl became so dizzying that she thought she may pass out, but before she blacked out, her feet slammed hard onto the stone slats of King’s Cross Station.