How to tell your parents?
August 2, 1975. (Saturday)
“Hey girls, how was your trip to Diagon? You do not seem too put out?” Cæla asked when the sisters came home smiling brightly.
“Hey mum! Put out by what?” Answered Petunia, frowning.
“Lily’s Headmaster came by, earlier. He seemed really sorry but firm in the fact that Ivy was not magical. Are you alright with it, finally?”
Lily glowered at these words, but Ivy was clasping her hand tightly to restrain her from speaking.
“He was wrong, mum. The goblins have a test, and it came back positive. Ivy really is magical. In fact, so am I.”
Eyes widening, Cæla Evans looked at her daughters. She took in their happier gait, their eyes shining with joy, their expression radiating happiness.
“He was? You… You are?”
The eldest daughter, seeing her mother on the verge of fainting, took her gently by the shoulders and guided her to the sofa. Their father was already in one of the armchairs, reading a newspaper.
“Girls, you’re back! How was it?”
Ivy let go of Lily’s hand and bounced up to him, smiling.
“It was so cool, dad! The goblins are really sweet, and magic is wonderful! And I’m a witch! Their test is saying so! And guess what? Tuney is, too!” She babbled, hugging her father despite the newspaper in her way.
“Really? All my girls are magicals? But what about schooling? Will you go to Hogwarts too? And you, Petunia?”
The young adult sighed, smiling lightly, and took place in the sofa, near her mother. Lily took the place on the other side of a shocked Cæla.
“Well, dad… We don’t know yet about schooling. But…. There are some things that we need to tell you and mum. I… I don’t know how to explain it but… Uh…”
She looked at Lily, arching an eyebrow questioningly. The middle daughter shrugged.
“Just take the Band-Aid off, Tuney. We could always go back on some things if needed.”
“Yeah, alright. So… Dad, Mum… You are both coming from families who used to have mages. Dad, yours are a bit far away, but they are here. Mum… Grandfather Marius’ parents are magicals.”
The silence that followed was almost deafening. Ivy, who had succeeded in sitting herself in her father’s lap, tried to alleviate the atmosphere.
“And we met Cousin Sirius in Diagon! His grandfather is a cousin of Grandfather Marius, you know? He is so cool! Sirius, not his grandfather. And he said that Marius should know about magic, too. And he invited us to meet his grandfather. Can we go and meet his grandfather, please? He says that he is not bad, just kind of cold?”
Cæla seemed to regain some colours at that.
“Absolutely not! We don’t know them yet, and… Well… I guess we need to speak to my father, first. If he knows about magic, that will be just a little bit awkward…”
“We can corner him next week? We need to go to Diagon Alley Saturday at 9 to bring back our super-fancy posh pureblood dress robes, but we can be at his home for 10. And we could stay the night, to already be there the Sunday for his party. Right?”
Their parents seemed to consider the idea for a moment, looking at each other, then Ambrose sighed.
“Yes, we will do that. I’m rather curious about all of it, to be honest. Do you know exactly when the last mage in my part of the family was, girls?”
Ivy excitedly took her genealogical tree from her little purse and unrolled it.
“Here,” she said, pointing at a name. “Lana Iseult Parkinson, nee Sayre. She was born in 1852! That’s not so long ago, right? And she died… She died recently, too. 1960. That’s when Lily’s born!”
Her dad said nothing, but his fingers traced lightly around the names. He was almost in a trance, whispering the names as he went.
Lily took hers and showed her mother. With a gasp, Cæla read the names of her family nearly reverently.
“What is that word? Squib?” She asked after a moment.
“It is a term used by the mages to design someone magical with too little power to do anything. Just enough to see through the spells meant to keep away non-magical people, or to use the Floo network or the Knight Bus, but not enough to use a wand. I think squib can do some potions, too,” said Lily, thoughtful.
Her father seemed to wake up.
“Potions? We can do potion? Will you show us, Lily? It should be fun, right?”
“Yes, dad, I can. And it is fun! I love potions! And charms! And runes!”
“Yes, we know, Lils,” laughed Ivy. “It’s all you are capable of talking when you came back for the holidays!”
“Oh, and maybe we can have our hearth connected to the Floo network too, now that all the family is magical! What do you think, Tuney? You can ask the goblins when you go in to deal with the Sayre estate? And we can go to Dia-”
“What is the Sayre estate?” Interrupted their mother, shaking herself from her reverent reading of the tree.
“Oh, um… It’s… We were gonna tell you, too. It’s…”
Petunia rolled her eyes at Lily and took one of her mother’s hands.
“The Sayre are a magical family from whom we are descended. It was thought to be extinct. But as we are of Sayre blood, well… I accepted to become the Head of House Sayre. From what I understood, it’s a bit like the Lords in our… In the non-magical government. But it is also outdated. Or, really, since the Secrecy dates back to 1692, it had evolved differently. So, being the Head of House Sayre, I have a voice in the Magical Government, as well as a fortune and some properties too.”
She showed her Head of House ring, preening as her mother whispered it was beautiful.
“Actually, I was wondering if dad could help me sort through all of that?” She took the ledger containing the files related to the Sayre’s estate from her bag and put it on the coffee table. “It has some account statements, the inventory of the vaults, the list of properties belonging to the Sayre family, the list of investments… I don’t know much about investment and bank statements, and it was something I thought about asking you about for some months already… It’s just the perfect excuse to do it now, right?”
“Of course, Tuney. You know you could have asked me anytime, right? I will be glad to help you go through this,” her father replied, smiling. “After all, you are nearly eighteen, it’s something you will need to know eventually.”
“Thanks dad!”
Her sisters were smiling, and she laughed a bit.
“God, I really didn’t expect all that when we went to Diagon Alley this morning!” She exclaimed, finally integrating the fact that she was magical, and she was also a filthy rich lady from an ancient wizarding family.
“Me neither,” said Lily, fanning herself with her family tree. “And to think I’m your heir for the moment! Do you think I will need to know about it all, too? I thought it was just while waiting that you have children, but maybe not? I don’t really know… I should have asked Sirius.”
“He would have told you that you needed to know anyway, what with his friend Potter fixated on his idea to marry you,” chuckled Petunia. “He did say the Potters were also one of those magical family with a lot of money, and titles, and all.”
“Ugh, Tuney!”
Ivy dissolved into a peal of laughter when she saw the expression of Lily.
“Lily has a crush! I knew it!” She said, amidst her laughter.
“No I don’t! Take that back, V!”
“You do! You’re all red faced whenever Potter is mentioned!”
“No I’m not! He’s an insufferable toerag!”
Rolling her eyes, Petunia let her sisters to their bickering and took the ledger to give it to her father.
“Do you want some tea, mum? Or I can start the dinner if you want, while you and dad read through all of that?”
“No, thank you dearie. I will help you make dinner, alright?”
Petunia nodded and went to the fridge to pick a beer and brought it to Ambrose, already immersed in the reading of the files.
“So… Children?” Asked her mum with a teasing tone.
“Mum! I don’t even fancy a guy at the moment!”
“Just kidding, dearie,” laughed her mother while peeling some potatoes. “But really… How do you feel about all of this? Magic, and family history, and magical estate? Are you alright with it all?”
“I… I don’t know, mum. You know, I was certain I was magical too, when Lily was going to Hogwarts for her first year… And then when it seemed that nothing magical was happening anymore… I think I resigned myself to just be normal. But I always knew that Ivy was magical. She has that… Spark? Exactly like Lily has. But I didn’t imagine that I was right about me either. And when the test showed that I had magic… I think I’m a little bit in shock, to be honest.”
“It’s normal, my darling. You know, your father and I always thought all three of our girls were special. This? This is just the confirmation that your three are the amazing persons we knew you were. And some bonuses, with all this estate thingies. But a confirmation nonetheless.”
“It’s a lot, mum… I mean… I’m seventeen! And yet, I’m an adult in the magical world. I can have a seat on their Parliament, and I can vote, and I can do magic, but I don’t know how! I don’t even know how to learn to do magic, and Lily’s Headmaster is weird and not truthful, and we don’t trust him after all this and…” She trailed off, looking lost.
Her mum came and hugged her from behind.
“Petunia, maybe you are not an adult in our non-magical world, but you are brilliant enough to figure out how to be one in the magical world. And your father and I will be here, every step of your journey. You will finish your schooling in high school, for now, and we will figure out how you can learn magic. Alright? And maybe my father will have some ideas! So don’t panic, dearie, and help me make the food. Everything else can wait for now, alright?”
The eldest of the Evans’ girls took a deep breath, relishing in her mother’s arms around her, before nodding.
“Yes, you’re right mum, as always. And panicking will lead us nowhere. Dinner first, the rest can wait.”
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