Alone, but not lonely

“I’m here!” Ares said, (read shouted with enthusiasm).

It was Monday. Lunchtime. She had successfully left the school and taken the sub to Diagon Alley and because of her past strolls through the Alleys it was no problem for her to find the shop in Knockturn.

“We’re in the back. Come right through.” A shout answered her.

Hanging her wet cloke on the hanger in the entrance (it was raining cats and dogs outside), she walked through. She had already changed her clothes in the bathroom at school. On the sub, she turned it after ensuring no one would see her. Then she activated the notice-me-not on her magical cloke.

Thankfully it wasn’t the first rain. During that first rain after getting her new coat she had realized something essential. If it rained her coat would get wet and then turning it to the other side would mean her cloths would get wet. So, she had added some magic to ensure the inside would dry fast and added some to ensure clothes underneath would also dry faster, in case she needed to turn the sides while walking in an open street.

She had of course added protections and space to the pockets immediately and once she had gotten it back after the little embroidery, there were even more pockets to charm and expand. Her own magic was easily mixed with theirs, so the growth, warming, stability and protection they had placed now had her own magic too. She called it her cloat. Because it was a cloke and a coat. A cloat, which was already drying. She left her backpack there as well. It had even more protections then the cloat, because Ares would be stupid if she would trust her fellow students to keep their hands to themselves. Moving, being an orphan and always coming during the school year (most of the time at least) lead to her never truly finding friends. All groups were already formed, and she never stayed long enough to try to find her way into one of them.

Marcus, Veronica and the grandmas were eating lunch in a hidden dinning room. Ares almost cried when she saw they had already pulled a chair and cutlery for her. Almost. It was way to close. Thankfully no one expected her to say anything while Grandma Trudy put some vegetables on her plate, potatoes and carrots. There were also spare rips on the table, but they weren’t put on her plate. There were some encouragements to eat, because she was a ‘growing girl’ who ‘needed lots of healthy food’ around the table before a comfortable silence with only the sound of knives and forks on plates.

It was really good food. After she finished the portion on her plate, she could still eat a bit, so she just reached out and took some more. She was slow, in case it was not allowed, and she kept her face on her task, but her magic was checking if she broke some rule. Once her plate was filled before her, she realised that the other’s around her had all slowed down eating. There were swirls around them, questions about how her home life looked like, if she got enough to eat, if she was punished for taking whatever food she wanted- And Ares realised her mistake. Of course, they would know that her magic reached out. Of course, they would see that she was careful with filling her plate. Her mind drifted to all the times she was lectured about what table manners she was supposed to have, from there to the lectures about everything else, before the lectures could change into screams and shouts there was a noise.

“You’re vegetarian?” Marcus asked. The noise had been him clearing his throat, Ares realised.

“Am. Yes. If that’s alright. I don’t like meat…”

“Of course, it’s alright dear” Veronica broke in. “vegetables are very healthy.”

“We thought you would like it when no animals died for your food.” “So, we made sure to not mix the meat with the vegetables.” “Normally you cook the rips on the potatoes and carrots in the oven.”

Well, this time Ares couldn’t stop crying. But it was just one tiny tear. Just one! For each eye… But that was still just one and then another when Marcus held out a handkerchief for her. She took it of course. It was soft, flax if she wasn’t mistaken.

And then they continued to eat, because apparently, they could keep all their questions to themselves.

“Would you like dessert?” Grandma Trudy asked. There were lot’s of ‘yes, please’ around the table. “What about you granddaughter?” And wasn’t it amazing, that she thought about them as grandmas, and they called her granddaughter.

“No, thanks. The meal was way too good to eat something delicious and ruin the after taste.” Ares had said similar things before, some started to tell her that she was allowed to eat dessert and didn’t need to hold back, others silently accepted it and after a few meals stopped getting dessert for her as well. It was fine. She just didn’t like eating something sweet right after the main meal. Grandma Trudy seemed to understand, because she said, “Then I’ll rap you up some of the cake we’re having, and you can eat it later.”

That’s how Ares got her first food box. She hadn’t even thought about the idea of keeping food fresh with magic before, but now with the box before her, that was filled with three different pieces of cake, one from each grandma, she mentally hit her head. It was brilliant. A little box about the sizes of a matchbox, which could be enlarged by pressing on the right corner and could be filled with much more than the three pieces. Had separation inside, so the different cakes didn’t mix and kept them fresh. And they wouldn’t even be thrown around. Not even if she shook the box like a shaker. Brilliant.

While Ares continued to analyse the box, the others ate their cake. The only reason Ares stopped to study the box, was because there was suddenly a book in between her and the box.

“It has all the runes and spells we use to keep food fresh.” Grandma Smitten said.

“And this one has several recipes for desserts in it.” Grandma Hattie added, while presenting another much larger book.”

“In here you’ll find magical ways to cook different meals, but also information on how to use muggle means.” Grandma Trudy added. “These are all copies, so you can keep them.”

“And we already added some charms to make sure no one non magical will be able to read any of the magic related information.” Veronica said.

Ares looked from one book to the other. Stunned. No one had ever gifted her something. That wasn’t true, the people she had stayed with over Christmas normally gave her something and sometimes the people she was with over her birthday did the same. But never something with thought, which she truly liked. It normally was toys or ‘cute’ clothes (read: not enough pockets).

After it became clear that Ares didn’t know what to say, Marcus said, “The letter’s you wrote as well as the way you had charmed some of your clothing, combined with the meeting we had, told me that you are practical. So, when you wrote that you would come by on Monday, we wanted to gift you something practical. You can consider it as a late Yule gift or for your last birthday.”

“What’s Yule?” Because apparently Ares brain wasn’t properly connected to her mouth she couldn’t just say ‘thank you’, no she had to be impolite.

“Yule is a celebration of our religion, which is around the time of Christmas. Just like Christmas it includes gift giving. The Yule rite is illegal nowadays, but last century, before the war, it was practised by most magical beings. The religion is called The Old Ways. Of course, the different beings had their own private rites. There’re still beings who practice, even some wixen families, but they all do it in secret.”

“Except for the goblins, and all those who move abroad for the celebrations of The Old Ways” Veronica added.

Those few sentences sparked more questions in Ares.

“I can give you a book on how the Vampires celebrate, at least outside of Britain. Just don’t let anyone see it and if you’re caught, I’m not the one who gave you that book.” Markus winked; he knew Ares knew that he would do his best to ensure she stayed save even if it meant outing himself as a celebrator of those rites.

“Thank you. I’ll hide it in the safest place I know and only read it when no one is looking.”

“We’ll give you a book on how the hags celebrate as well. Just don’t tell anyone what our rites are. They’re hags’ secrets.”

“If they are secrets of your culture, I wouldn’t want to impose.” Ares quickly added without taking either of the books Marcus and Grandma Trudy were holding out for her.

“You’re our niece and their granddaughter. You are already part of our family and therefore you have a right to our family’s secrets. Not all of them yet, you’re still young, but those that will help you grow at the very least.” Veronic spoke up.

“Besides, those cookbooks we already gave you, include secret family recipes. And we’re hags, there have been wixen in the past who would have killed for only one recipe. You’re getting several books.” “And don’t even come with you being a wixen too. Even if you truly are a witch, you’re still so much more than that.” “And you’re our granddaughter. Who will continue our legacy and make our recipes if not you?”

“Thank you.” Ares carefully took the books. Then she put them out on the table and one by one she added them to her ring. The ring Scar had brought her. It was a bit difficult to add the first book, but she had already read how to do so and successfully added notes. Now she just needed to add a whole magical book. Once all the books were safely in her ring, she let it disappear again. It would still catch to much attention if she walked around with such a ring and she didn’t want to forget hiding it, once she needed to get back.

They talked a bit more, no one asked any question about the ring or her home life, at least not out loud, but Ares still told them about school as well as being an orphan in the foster system. They told her about the business (without mentioning names of costumers of course).

By the time Ares had to leave, she had already eaten two out of the three pieces. They had all been delicious and she made sure to tell her grandmas that.

She also started to call them Grandma Hattie, Grandma Smitten and Grandma Trudy aloud. And when Marcus decided to accompany her to the substation, she said ‘Goodbye Uncle Markus’. The sub was already driving in, but still Markus pulled her into a hug. Just for a moment. She knew it most likely hurt. And the new memories from him, she now had, told her that he had known that as well. But still decided to hug her, because he liked her as a niece and wanted to hug her goodbye.

To ensure that she was allowed to do something like that again, Ares wrote a letter before bed to thank them for the meal and the books and the hug.