Eudoria's Plan
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Holmes,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Enola ducked a blow, darting forward to attempt to land a blow on the woman.
you have a place at Hogwarts
The woman found back, her hits sharper and faster. Enola dodged to avoid a bruise.
Miss Holmes
The lady lunged forward with a rough shove that had the eleven-year-old tumbling to the ground. Enola groaned, pushing herself up from the cold wet grass. A messy hand shot out, and Enola grasped it gratefully. The girl was pulled to her feet, and she turned to smile at her mother.
Eudoria Holmes was not an ordinary mother by any means. She had no care for stringing seashells, dance lessons or learning to embroider, all things she was forced to learn as a child. She cared more about teaching her daughter about the world rather than teaching her how to be a housewife. Enola grew up with a range of subjects under her belt - English, science, sports, history, commerce, mathematics, and all sorts of exercise, both physical and mental, among many others. And then there was the fact she was a witch.
Not the sort in children's books, the green-skinned women who cooked children into stews, cackled loudly and wore massive hats - although that was a fashion choice commonly made, nor did she curse people into oblivion (she left that to her sister).
Eudoria Holmes was a descendant of a long line of fierce witches and wizards. She was the oldest of four sisters - her twin Cassiopeia, and her younger sisters Andromeda and Narcissa Black, although Enola had only met her aunt Andromeda. Their family was traditional, and while Cassiopeia and Narcissa married correctly, the former to Rodolphus Lestrange, and the latter to Lucius Malfoy II, both members of old magical families. Andromeda, however, married Edward Tonks, a wizard born from non-magical parents, something frowned upon in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Eudoria was clever enough to run before she was forced into a loveless political marriage, and promptly changed her name from Bellatrix Irma Black to Eudoria Vernet Holmes, marrying a non-magical boy, William Holmes, from a magical family and giving birth to three children: Mycroft, Sherlock, and almost two decades later, Enola. William died not long after his daughter's birth, to Eudoria's sadness.
While Mycroft was like his father, both Sherlock and Enola were magical like their Ancient family. The problem with the whole situation was the lack of respect for the Holmes name, unlike the Black, it didn't strike fear into the hearts of those who understood the family, and it caused a disastrous incident that ended with the Ravenclaw running before his wand was snapped. He magically disowned himself, passing everything to his mother, before starting a new life at fifteen in London. Sherlock grew a name for himself as a famous detective, scholar, chemist, virtuoso violinist, expert marksman, swordsman, singlestick fighter, pugilist, and brilliant deductive thinker.
Once Enola was born, everything was passed to her. Becoming the heir to two magical Houses from birth and infinitely rich and powerful was a daunting fact Eudoria didn't tell her daughter about until was she eleven. The first House was, of course, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. The second was from her father's side. William Holmes had been the son of Soren Holmes and Lavara Gaunt-Riddle, and grandson of Merope Gaunt and Thomas Riddle Senior. He was the Heir of the House of Gaunt, who were descendants of the Salazar Slytherin, a founder of the magical school. While his uncle, Tom Riddle Junior, had been the Heir, he had never claimed his heirship officially, therefore it passed down to his sister's oldest male child, William. The heirship passed to William's younger sister, Edith, when he turned out to not possess magical ability, and only went to his children when Sherlock was confirmed to be a wizard. Which meant it all went to Enola.
The whole thing was daunting when Enola realized the power she held with her name. Usually, pureblood families who held multiple heirships would have multiple children and make each an heir, however, Sherlock ignored the traditions when he left the wizarding world, and Eudoria conceived another child to avoid the power of the Black family going to Narcissa's son.
Eudoria held nothing against her sister's parenting skills, or morals, however, the statement was not the same with Lucius. Having attended school with the blonde bully, she knew how he was raised, just like the rest of the arrogant purebloods had. Narcissa had three children - Leta, Draco, and Maliana. Leta was two years younger than Sherlock, however, the Ravenclaw was very close with his Slytherin cousin. She'd gone off to study dragons in Romania, something Lucius had disagreed with, but Narcissa didn't argue. Draco and Maliana were twins in Enola's year. The fact that Narcissa had borne a male Heir meant Lucius bothered to spend time in his child's presence. Eudoria attempted to have another child as soon as she found out that Narcissa was going to give birth to a boy, fearing Lucius's influence on him.
All of this information came from the only Member of the Black Family Eudoria had spoken to since leaving the wizarding world - her sister Andromeda, given the two had a similar lack of fondness for their family. Andromeda had been the only other one of her sisters to sire a child - an accident-prone eighteen-year-old Nymphadora Tonks. Enola had grown up around her cousin, and the two got along like best friends. Despite being seven years older, she never treated Enola like a child. Her cousin was also a metamorphosis, meaning she could change her appearance at will. Enola found her gift a lot more interesting than her own, a family ability to talk to snakes, not that it had ever come in handy. It wasn't like there were any snakes at Ferndell Hall.
Eudoria's final sister, her twin, Cassiopeia, was the worst of them all. The woman was completely insane. Enola knew little about her aunt, but all she knew was horrible. Cassiopeia helped to torture Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom into insanity, leaving their one-year-old son Neville worse than orphaned. She was currently serving a life sentence in Azkaban, the British wizarding prison, with the others who helped her - her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, his brother Rabastan Lestrange, and fellow Death Eater Barty Crouch Junior.
Eudoria and Enola lived with Ms. Lane, the maid and cook for Ferndell Hall. Ferndell Hall was a large estate in Shropshire. It was a stunningly beautiful house surrounded by lawns, orchards, and lush gardens, in the middle of the countryside. There were farms and a small forest near the cliff edge.
Eudoria and Enola were in the said orchard for their daily brawl. Eudoria taught her daughter jujitsu, a close-combat Japanese martial art, and the two fought daily. Eudoria always won, although Enola got better every time.
"You're thinking about something," Eudoria noted as the mother and daughter walked back to Ferndell Hall.
Enola dragged her hand through the soft grass. "I was just thinking about what it would be like when I went to Hogwarts," she answered vaguely.
Eudoria stopped her, turning to face her daughter. Eudoria was a beautiful woman, with long, thick, shiny, curly dark hair braided behind her. She had a strong jaw, a thin mouth, and dark, heavily lidded eyes with long eyelashes. Her skin was slightly tan for all the time spent outside, and she wore a long brown skirt and white lace top. Eudoria was identical to her twin sister, and although Andromeda had softer features and lighter hair, the three looked like triplets. Enola was often told by Ms. Lane that she looked the spitting image of her mother as a child.
"You're worried about how people will treat you," Eudoria said softly.
Enola sighed. Her mother had an annoying gift to read her perfectly. "Sherlock was expelled and promptly ran away when he was fifteen. All of the teachers and a lot of the 'pure' students will know his name. Somehow, the muggles are worse. He's a celebrity to them. And I'm his sister."
Eudoria nodded, understanding dawning on her face. "As someone who has lived in the Black family, I understand how bad the fame that comes with a name is."
Enola shrugged. "What can you do? My only options are to go as Enola Holmes or Enola Black, and I think the latter would be worse," she sighed. Sherlock Holmes had a reputation in every world, and Enola resigned to her face. "As a Holmes, I'm expected to be a genius, and as a Black, I'd either be a blood purist or a blood traitor. It's impossible."
Eudoria was silent as the mother and daughter continued walking, something that was very unusual for her, as Eudoria Holmes always had something to say. "There is another way," she said finally, and Enola turned to look at the wicked glint in her mother's eye. "You won't be Enola at all." Enola's brow furrowed, and Eudoria grinned. "You become someone new. Change your name, and pretend to be a muggle-born. You've been raised half-muggle, you already know everything you need to about that world."
Enola considered it. No fame or anything connecting her to anyone from the wizarding world, and no predetermined reputation. But she would get all the muggle-born discrimination. But if anything, it would be more exhausting. She would always have to be perfect - get good grades, and stay out of trouble. When you’re Muggleborn the blame for anything you do wrong doesn’t just land at your feet. If a muggleborn were to get detention there are people who would turn up their noses and say it’s because Muggleborns are trouble.
It’s the same with classes. If Enola was to struggle with an assignment it’s not because she had a hard time with the Agrippan method in Arithmancy, it’s because muggle-borns just aren’t as smart or as good at magic as ‘proper witches and wizards. Every time she would struggle or fail or step a toe out of line, there are people who will use it as an excuse, as evidence that Enola doesn’t belong, that Muggleborns don’t belong, that they’re not good enough.
No matter what decision she took, she would have to suffer through judgment and prejudice because of things that would be entirely out of her control. Whatever she chose would define the rest of her life.
As Enola Holmes, everyone would compare her constantly to her brother. People would even use her to get to him, or rightly assuming she's just as smart and try and manipulate her for notes and lessons.
As Enola Black, all of the purebloods would try and weasel their way into her friendships, try and form alliances, and she would get forced into the pureblood life her mother tried so desperately to escape. When they found out about her being Bellatrix Black's daughter, the Heir to the House of Black, the Noble and Ancient families would try and bring her mother back and attempt to lock Enola into an arranged loveless marriage.
As a muggle-born, she would suffer verbal and potential magical abuse from the families who would've wished to have her married into theirs, but no one would have any ulterior motives to try and befriend her, because to them she would have no prospects. She would be under constant scrutiny, but it would be the closest to the normal she had.
Eudoria had a wicked plan to trick Hogwarts into thinking she was a muggle-born. And it started with her immigrant neighbors.
Hermione Granger was born on the 19th of September 1979 in Wales, although she moved to Ireland when she was four. The muggles moved back to the estate closest to Ferndell Hall three years ago, and occasionally Enola would go to hang out with her and hear tales. Hermione had spent two years teaching Enola Korean before she moved back to South Korea for a year, after which the Grangers returned to their estate.
Coincidentally, they moved back the day Enola got her letter - something Eudoria planned to exploit.
Enola went to visit the Granger estate a few days after they returned, and the ball of energy that was Hermione Jean Granger came running out to meet her. The girl was half Korean, half Irish, with long curly dark hair, shiny hazel-green eyes, and light brown skin. She wore a plaid white shirt with a long orange skirt that reached her ankles. It was a miracle the clumsy girl hadn't tripped over it. "Lon-E!!!!"
Enola laughed as her friend wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's good to have you back, Mio," she winked. "Although I admit, I am here for selfish reasons."
Hermione didn't care, dragging her over to a giant oak tree and throwing herself at the base. "Enlighten me," she said.
Hermione was raised like Enola, as a carefree girl away from society. Unlike most well-bred ladies, she was never taught to embroider. Like Enola, she never molded wax roses, hemmed handkerchiefs, or strung seashells. She was taught to be her own dictator, and society would be the one to change.
Enola sat down beside her. "I got accepted into Sherlock's old boarding school."
Hermione didn't know about magic, however, she was aware of Sherlock Holmes' expulsion. She sucked in a breath. "What do you need from me, exactly?" she asked.
Enola breathed in. "He is a celebrity, and you know how I would be treated as his sister. My mother's side of the family is no better, if anything it's worse. Her family were all manipulative dictators with massive egos the size of their family wreath. I want to go there without a reputation. I wanted to... borrow your name."
Hermione blinked, then burst out laughing. "You want to use my name? Really?" she raised an eyebrow. "Enola, I'm half Korean."
Enola chuckled. "I am well aware. But if I go in as his sister, they will assume I am just as smart-"
"Which, to be clear, you are."
"-and will try and use me to get to him. And like I said, my mother's tree is a wreath. I don't want to marry my cousin." Hermione laughed, and Enola raised an eyebrow. "I am not kidding. Her cousin's parents were second cousins."
Hermione covered her mouth to muffle laughter. "Wow, that's uhh... keep it in the family, I guess." Enola smacked her arm, and the girl merely giggled again. "You know what? Knock yourself out. Journey into this cute little body and enter the life of Hermione Granger."
Enola squeaked, wrapping her in a hug. "Thank you!"
"Just promise me," Hermione pried her hands away. "That if you make lifelong friendships you will tell them. It doesn't have to be straight away, just as soon as you feel comfortable."
Enola nodded. "That's a reasonable price to pay. And I would have to tell the truth eventually, otherwise, there would be two Hermione Grangers in a retirement home." Hermione cackled. "Now tell me about Japan. How was it this time?"
The day after Enola's trip to Hermione Granger's, Eudoria took her to London for the first time. Enola was thrilled. She was at the center of civilization. The home of polite society, of music, of literature, and the finest things that money can buy.
Eudoria was polyjuicing as Andromeda - which was no big difference really. Just softer features and lighter hair. She led her to a tiny, grubby looking pub. Inside, a bunch of wizards and witches were gushing and peeking out the back.
"That was Harry Potter!"
"He shook my hand!"
"He remembered me from the store! Harry Potter - remember me?!"
"Oh for Morgana's sake," Eudoria tutted as she led Enola past.
"Who's Harry Potter?" Enola asked her mother, who paused.
"I will explain later," she said, leading her into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a dustbin and a few weeds. Eudoria counted the bricks in the wall above the dust bin. "Three up ... two across ..." she muttered. She tapped the wall three times with her wand.
The brick she had touched quivered – it wriggled – in the middle, a small hole appeared – it grew wider and wider – a second later they were facing a large archway on to a cobbled street which twisted and turned out of sight.
They stepped through the archway. Enola's eyes flicked everywhere, taking in the bustling street. Cauldron shops, Owl Emporiums, Quidditch stores - everything looked incredible.
Eudoria chuckled at her daughter's face. "We won't be shopping today, but if this works, you will get a chance soon," she promised, and Enola tore her eyes from a store full with tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment. "Here we are," she nodded forward.
They had reached a snowy-white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was a goblin. Enola had read about them, but had never seen one before. The goblin was about a head shorter than Enola. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet.
They faced a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:
Enter, stranger, but take heed
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take, but do not earn,
Must pay most dearly in their turn,
So if you seek beneath our floors
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware
Of finding more than treasure there.
A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins on brass scales, and examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these.
Eudoria hurried over to a counter. "May your coffers overflow," she greeted.
"May your enemies be vanquished," the goblin responded.
"May we see Steelclaw?" Eudoria requested. The goblin hopped off the counter and left the two waiting.
Enola looked around, frowning as she watched a giant of a man unload his pockets onto the counter as he searched for something. He was about twice as tall as an average man and three times as wide, with a long mane of shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face. A small boy stood behind him. He had a mess of dark brown hair on his head, green eyes, a set of broken glasses, and a jagged lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.
Eudoria sucked in a breath behind her. "Who is that?" Enola asked, confused by her mother's reaction.
"That is Harry Potter, he will be in your year. The man beside him is Rubeus Hagrid, he's the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts," Eudoria whispered. The boy turned to look at the counter between them, where a goblin was weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals. Enola opened her mouth, but the goblin returned with another goblin beside him, who Enola assumed to be Steelclaw.
"Mrs. Tonks," the Steelclaw bowed. "May your coffers overflow."
"May your enemies be vanquished. May we speak in private?" Eudoria requested.
Steelclaw nodded, and they followed him to a stone room with a desk and three chairs. The second the door closed, Eudoria dropped the Andromeda disguise. Steelclaw did not look shocked. "Ms. Black," he nodded.
"Steelclaw, this is my daughter, Heir Enola Holmes of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and the Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin. Enola, this is the House of Black's Bank Manager, Steelclaw," Eudoria introduced. "She wishes to claim her Heirships."
"We can have that done for you," Steelclaw nodded.
"So how do we do this?" Enola asked.
"Well you have to take an inheritance test to prove you are, in fact, the Heir, and if you are, you try the rings on and wait to see if the magic accepts you," Steelclaw explained.
He pulled a piece of parchment from the desk along with a shiny silver blade. The goblin placed the parchment on the desk and Enola held out his hand for him to cut, wincing as he ran the edge of the knife along her palm. Five drops of dark red blood fell on the paper before her hand was pushed away and Eudoria healed it, turning to look at the results.
Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black: Enola Andromeda Holmes
Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin: Enola Andromeda Holmes
Mother: Bellatrix Irma Black
Father: William Soren Holmes (deceased)
Godfather: Regulus Arcturus Black III
Godmother: Eloise Margaret Lane
Steelclaw frowned slightly at something but didn't comment. He pulled a black box from the desk and placed it in front of Enola, opening it carefully. Inside were two shiny rings sitting on black velvet. The one on the left has a large black diamond, while the one on the right looks like a snake with emerald eyes. Enola reached for the cold silver and set the Black Heir Ring on her left index finger, the chill sending a shiver through her body. The Slytherin ring hissed softly in parseltongue as she slid it onto her right forefinger.
Her hands felt strange, not heavy, just odd. Enola flexed her fingers. "Is it supposed to feel like this?"
"That's just the magic settling," Steelclaw explained. "The heir rings have powers you will need to get used to. The Slytherin ring removes snake venom from a wound and enables the wearer to understand parseltongue, while the Black ring detects compulsion spells and potions like love potions and the Imperius curse."
"That will be very important when people discover the power you really hold," Eudoria told her daughter, who nodded, flexing her fingers. "Thank you, Steelclaw. You will be hearing from us soon. May your coffers overflow."
"Yes, thank you," Enola nodded. "May all your deals be excellent and you make a lot of money."
Eudoria shook her head as Steelclaw laughed. "You are intriguing, Heir Black-Slytherin. May your enemies be vanquished."
"Well I haven't got any yet," Enola smiled as Steelclaw led the mother and daughter back to the foyer. "But it's only two o'clock."
The next part of Eudoria's plan was casual breaking and entering.
On the last night of July, the two traveled to Hogsmeade, a small town with little thatched cottages and shops not far from Hogwarts. Eudoria led them up the path toward the school, and Enola gasped as she got her first glimpse. The path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.
Eudoria navigated her daughter through the castle under a disillusionment charm until they reached the top floor. Eudoria tapped Enola's head and the girl shivered as she felt a curious sensation - it felt as though her mother had just smashed an egg there; hot trickles seemed to be running down her body from the point the wand had struck.
The room Eudoria had dragged them into was empty but a chair and an ancient wooden table on which sat a book and quill. The quill was a long, green, and black augury feather sitting in an empty inkwell, and the book was made of finest vellum, and it seemed to have too many pages to fit between its bindings—enough for a thousand years of names.
Eudoria flicked her wand and the vellum pages turned back a couple of times, and Enola peered to see the black writing
Enola Holmes, Ferndell Hall, Shropshire
b. 3 July 1980
"So how do we change this?" Enola asked.
Eudoria shook her head, grabbing her daughter's right hand and running her finger over the Slytherin ring. "Not me. You. You're the heir of Slytherin, you are one of the eight people able to manipulate the book."
Enola blinked. That's why her mother wanted her Heirships claimed two years early. Enola sat down on the wooden chair and pressed her Slytherin ring against the page. The page glowed emerald green and a surge of power flowed through the girl's body. "Hermione Granger, Ferndell Hall, Shropshire, b. 3 July 1980" she hissed in parseltongue, and green letters and numbers flicked around on the page before forming as Enola had instructed. Enola pressed the ring against her own name. "Enola Holmes, St Thomas' Hospital, London, b. 19 September 1979."
"Is that it?" Enola whispered to her mother.
"Yes, although there is one more part. Let's go," Eudoria tapped her wand on Enola's head again, and cold trickles ran down her body.
The final part of Eudoria's plan was simple. Simply write a letter.
Dear Professor Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Although I am happy to have received your invitation, I'm afraid I will have to pass on the offer to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Given my elder brother's reputation with the school, I am instead choosing to be homeschooled by my mother.
I thank you for the opportunity and wish you luck with the upcoming school year.
Yours sincerely,
Miss Enola Holmes
A few days later, the Holmes were visited by Professor Minerva McGonagall.
And so it begun.