Inheritance and Legacy
Chapter 4
★
“Come on, Prongs! It’s a celebration; where’s your drink?” Sirius shouted when he saw his best mate sitting away from the party. The woman of his dreams had said yes to his proposal, and in a few months, she would be his wife. He would have the family he had always wanted with the only person he would ever want. His stomach did a funny flip, and his cheeks warmed slightly. Both had nothing to do with the firewhisky he had been consuming.
“Are you sure you’re not rushing into this, Pads? Even Lily and I have decided to wait a few more years before tying the knot,” James inquired. His tone was placating yet a bit frosty. It was enough to make Sirius bristle. Lily had only just started tolerating James enough to date him. She still had reservations about his friends, so it made sense for them to wait longer. Comparing the two relationships the way James had struck a nerve with Sirius. They were nothing alike.
“Of course, you’re both waiting; you’ve hardly been in an actual relationship. Lydia and I have known we were meant for each other since childhood. We’ve been together for years. Why aren’t you happy for me, James?” Sirius’s joyous mood was quickly deflating. He thought it’d be one of his cousins making a crude remark or his grandfather disapproving of their relationship, but Lydia was a Flamel, and that mattered more than her Squib status. In their eyes, she was still a pureblood capable of producing pureblood heirs. James being the one to spoil the mood wasn’t something he could’ve seen coming. It was more likely Remus to snark at him. Moody git always with a stick up his arse.
“How is your family okay with this?” James hissed. “They’re pureblood tossers who would never accept someone like her.”
Sirius grew cold at his best mate’s words. “Someone like her?”
“She’s not like us. Like them. She doesn’t belong—” James was abruptly cut off by the wand digging into his throat. He was near hysterical in his bluster. He didn’t hear Sirius breaking the glass holding firewhisky or his wand being drawn. He swallowed thickly at the fire in his friend’s eyes.
“I think,” Sirius’s voice was deathly calm as he drew himself closer to James, “I think you need to leave before you say something you’ll regret or I do something I most assuredly won’t.”
“Padfoot,” James tried. His voice sounded broken.
“Leave, James.” Pulling away, he kept his wand pointed at the man he considered his brother. “Just leave.”
Sirius watched as James disapparated, letting his eyes linger on the spot where he had stood for a tick before turning back to the sound of his Lydia laughing. The heaviness in his heart lifted at the sight of her head thrown back, her carefree happiness shining through, her golden brown skin sun-kissed from spending the day in the garden celebrating their love.
The party continued around him, but Sirius felt a pang of disappointment mixed with a fierce protectiveness. How could James, his best mate, not understand? Lydia was everything to him. She was strength and warmth, a beacon of light in his tumultuous life. He watched her move through the crowd, her laughter infectious, her presence magnetic. Her dark, curly hair framed her face, and her warm honey brown eyes sparkled with joy. It was these moments he cherished most, seeing her happy and knowing she chose him despite his family's dark reputation.
The memory of James's words lingered, a bitter reminder of the prejudices that still existed, even among those he loved. Lydia was a proud French woman, a Flamel by birth. Her status as a Squib had never diminished her spirit or her worth in Sirius's eyes. She was his equal in every way that mattered. The magical bond they would share, blessed by Hecate herself during their handfasting ceremony, was proof of their unbreakable connection.
He approached Lydia, who was now surrounded by friends and well-wishers, and wrapped an arm around her waist. She turned to him, her smile radiant, and he felt the weight of the evening lift slightly. She leaned into him, sensing his unease.
“Tout va bien, mon amour?” (Everything okay, my love?) she asked softly, her concern evident.
“Oui, maintenant que je suis avec toi,” (Yes, now that I'm with you) he replied, kissing her temple.
They stayed close for the rest of the evening, basking in the warmth of their love and the celebration of their future together. Despite the shadow cast by James’s words, Sirius knew that he and Lydia were destined for a lifetime of happiness. The bond they would share was stronger than any prejudice, and together, they would face whatever challenges the world threw their way.
///
"I must say, Heiress Flamel, it has been such a long time since we have had a Flamel heir in our office." The older goblin sat priggishly in his chair, his fingers laced together, staring at both ladies over his glasses.
Addy glanced at her maman, wondering if she would take over the meeting, but Lydia did not respond. Squaring her shoulders, she looked back at the goblin. "I was under the impression the heirs were taking care of the family estate."
"Hm? Oh yes, but an heir hasn’t been born into the Flamel line in over a century, and the last time a member with proper authorization received was a decade ago." Ricbern snapped his long claw-like fingers, and a file appeared in the middle of his imposing marble desk. She sat unmoving as he proceeded to go through each parchment. He paused occasionally to make a separate pile.
"It would be wise," Ricbern’s gruff voice startled Addy’s mind back into focus. She had been so entranced by watching him go through the parchments she didn’t realize his focus had turned to her, "to take the bracelet off. Suppressing your magic will do no good in controlling it."
"But," Addy covered her wrist and, subsequently, the bracelet as if it were to be snatched away at any moment.
"Adhara," Lydia spoke up for the first time since the meeting began, "les gobelins ne donnent que rarement des conseils gratuits. Ne le prends pas à la légère. (Goblins rarely give free advice. Do not take it lightly.)" She held out her hand, waiting for Addy to hand over the piece of jewelry that kept her metamorphic abilities at bay. Seeing her daughter hesitate, she gave what she hoped was an encouraging smile, "Ça ira, petite étoile. Tu n'aurais jamais dû le porter aussi longtemps. (It’ll be okay, little star. You never should have worn it for so long to begin with.)"
Addy knew her words to be true. She shouldn’t be dependent on a crutch or suppress her magic. It could weaken her, leave her vulnerable, or worse, be too far gone to control. The thought made her mind flash to scenes from the Fantastic Beasts movies, where she had seen Credence Barebone transform into an Obscurus. The raw, destructive power, the uncontrolled fury—it sent a shiver down her spine she couldn’t suppress. Nodding, Addy unclasped the bracelet and handed it over to her maman’s outstretched hand. She swayed slightly as soon as she broke contact with the metal. Tingles of what she now recognized as magic travelled through her body. They were comparable to light shocks, only everywhere, all at once. She sucked in a sharp breath at the foreign feeling.
"Oh mon dieu (Oh my god)," came the muffled words from Lydia as she covered her mouth in shock from the sight of Addy’s physical change. Hair that was once pure black as a raven’s wing was now shimmering white. Addy’s long curls were now short with tighter curls.
"What? What is it?" Addy asked, panicked. Reaching up, she grabbed at what her maman had been transfixed by. Her hair had changed and sparks flicked from the ends. The suppressed accumulated magic finding an escape.
"That is to be expected," grouched Ricbern, who had returned to sorting parchments. "Right then. This is your vault key," he slid a gold antique key towards Addy. "Do not lose it, do not misplace it, do not leave this in the possession of others. If lost, you must come directly to this branch to have the old key made inactive and a new one commissioned. All for a fee, of course," he warned with a predatory smile. "You will need to sign this parchment," the parchment he passed was blank, and at Addy’s confused glance, he continued, "It is to be signed with a blood quill. Your magical signature will only confirm you are who you say you are and will be kept for our records should it be needed." The quill he handed her didn’t seem as nasty as she thought it would have. It was simple: a black feather and a sharp, gleaming metal point.
"Will it hurt?" Addy asked. To her relief, her voice remained steady.
"Only for a moment," was the only reply she received. It did nothing to ease any concern, but she pushed on. She was standing before the goblin with the quill pressed to parchment.
Addy glanced at her maman one last time, seeking reassurance. Lydia gave her a supportive nod, her eyes filled with pride and encouragement. Addy took a deep breath and signed her name. A sharp, stinging pain shot through her finger as the quill drew blood, but she didn’t flinch. The parchment glowed briefly, confirming her identity.
Adhara Cassiopeia Black
She internally cringed at the chicken scratch that was her handwriting. The quill felt awkward in her grasp, and in her haste to sign, she had overlooked the fact she had no clue how to wield it properly. As if reading her mind, her maman had given her shoulder a comforting squeeze, “Eet’s okay. We will 'ire you a tutor. You’ll learn.” With a grateful nod, Addy returned to her chair.
“Right, let us have a look.” The goblin tapped the parchment with a clawed finger, invoking the charm.
Adhara Cassiopeia Flamel-Black
18th of October 1992 -
Mother: Lydia Marguerite Black née Flamel
22nd of May 1960 -
Father: Sirius Orion Black III
3rd of November 1959 - 18th of June 1996
Guardian: Antoine Nicolas Flamel
8th of February 1957 - 3rd of May 1998
Guardian: Nymphadora Vulpecula Lupin née Tonks
11th of May 1973 - 2nd of May 1998
“Everything is in order,” Ricbern stated abruptly. He snapped his fingers again, making the parchment disappear into an opened drawer. He drew a long piece of parchment from his previously made stack. “This holds the contents of your main vault and heir vault. You’ll see the heir vault only holds liquid funds. The main vault holds liquid funds as well as ancestral artifacts, heirlooms, and the like. This parchment only categorizes the vaults. This,” he tapped the stack to the right, “is an itemized list. An audit was performed in preparation for your return. Not a book or galleon out of place.” He shuffled the papers closer to Addy. She forced herself not to fidget under his scrutinizing gaze. “You’ll want to go over these before signing. You’ll, of course, receive copies of everything we go over today.”
His mouth twisted into a smirk at the sight of Addy’s widening eyes. She had to look through this and more while she didn’t know exactly what she was looking for or at or confirming. Her memories offered no help for this, and suddenly, she felt so small.
“These are the current investments,” he pulled more paper from who knows where. “I have not been permitted to add new investments to the Flamel portfolio, only to maintain.”
“And if I wanted to invest in new businesses? Stocks? Could we do that in the muggle world as well?” Addy asked, figuring she could do this right without making a fool of herself.
His grin was feral at the mention of the Flamel vault no longer lying dormant. “Of course, for a percentage.”
“What base percentage have you received for the other investments?” Addy asked, hoping to sound more knowledgeable than she felt.
“Last negotiated was ten percent for every ten thousand galleons earned. As you can see, the Flamel investments have been bringing in just that annually. Enough to cover vault fees, the yearly heir vault deposit, main vault deposit, and my ten percent fee. I’ll keep the percentage for the old investments the same, but I’ll require twenty-five percent for the new ones.”
Addy sat back in the oversized chair, arms relaxed on the armrests, and one leg crossed over another at the knee, “Fifteen percent with the assurance of profits above ten thousand galleons annually.”
Ricbern grinned, and he sat back, taking her in, “Twenty percent. No assurances needed.”
Without moving, Addy responded coolly, “Fifteen percent with sign-off to invest in other stocks outside of the list I have in mind. Fifty thousand galleons annually to work with, but a guarantee in return profit.” From the corner of her eye, she saw her maman smiling proudly, her own feeling of pride growing inside her.
Barking out a laugh that would’ve startled any sensible person, Ricbern clapped his hands, making another parchment appear. “I look forward to working with you, Heiress Flamel. The details of our contract will require your signature. Usually, one would use their wand, but until then, tap on the signature line with your finger. Your magic will do the rest.” Addy read over the contract. Everything they had discussed in plain print, even going as far as to mention Lydia being a witness since Addy was still a minor. Tapping the signature line, she felt warmth flow to her finger. Her signature from earlier materialized. Lydia was handed a quill to sign as a witness.
“I’ll review the vaults’ inventory list while you finish with Ricbern. It’s been a while, but I remember most of what should be here,” her eyes cut to said goblin as she reached for the parchments. Ricbern grinned and bowed his head slightly.
“Just a few more things need to be settled. There is a list of real estate holdings and the price of upkeep being withdrawn from the main vault. The estate in Pontoise is the permanent residence maintained by the house-elves. The townhouse in London is currently housing renters. The cabin in Hogsmeade is also being rented. The villa in Greece is being maintained once a week. The manor in the States is looked after once a year for a week but remains empty,” Ricbern slid the parchment towards Addy. She knew the Flamel family held wealth, but hearing about the property she now owned made her slightly lightheaded.
“Townhouse in London?” she asked at the same time her maman spoke.
“What manor is in ze States?”
“Is the townhouse next to the Black townhouse? Is that how you and papa met?” Addy asked rapidly, ignoring the glare the goblin was giving her.
“Oui et non (Yes and no). Ton père (Your father) and I met at a Yule Ball as children. Owning a ‘ome near Grimmauld Place was only a coincidence. Et une heureuse à cela (And a happy one at that),” Lydia smiled fondly, thinking back to when she first met Sirius. The ball was mostly for older generations, but she adored how her dress sparkled while she twirled. Sirius was all energy, trying to get her older brother to play with him. Simpler, happier times when those she loved were still within her reach. She cleared her throat in an attempt to smother the ache. “What manor is in ze States? When was eet purchased?” Her attention turned back to Ricbern.
“Hm? Right, the manor,” he pulled out a comparatively minor parchment, “was purchased by Antoine Flamel in 1998, months before his death. The deed is under Heiress Flamel’s name. We sent missives but never heard back.”
“Antoine?” Lydia sighed out. “Bien sûr (Of course).”
“Will we be living there, maman?” asked Addy.
“Il semble que ce soit la meilleure chose à faire (It does seem the best thing to do), and eet’s in Virginia, not far from our old town. You could see your friends again,” Lydia replied, already mentally planning to have the manor warded and which house elves to take.
“Moving on,” Ricbern tapped on his desk, and the sound of a drawer opening could be heard. He removed a dark red pouch with a symbol embroidered in gold thread and a small black leather box. “The purse is connected to the heir vault. It is charmed to have proper change. There is a recall and anti-theft charm if ever lost or stolen. Just a drop of blood on the purse, and it will be keyed to you.”
The prick the small blade made registered as Addy stared at the blood that began to bead at the tip of her finger. Before she could hand the dagger back to the goblin, Lydia took hold of it and wiped away any trace of blood that could have been left behind. Addy gaped at her maman, waiting for an explanation for such odd behaviour.
“Blood,” Lydia began calmly, “even ze faintest amount is too precious and dangerous to leave behind. 'Anding somezing over wiz one’s blood on eet could be seen as willingly given, producing an especially potent curse. One strong enough zat could be passed down zrough bloodlines.”
At that moment, Addy vowed to learn as much as possible about her new world. She didn’t want to go through life ignorant of what was around and what was now essential to her home. Her memories provided very little knowledge of this world, realizing that Harry was left woefully uninformed.
“The heirship ring of House Flamel,” Ricbern announced, opening the small leather box with a click. Addy felt a connection, a vibration in the air that felt almost electrical. Her eyes gravitated to the delicate gold ring, the ruby red-centred stone glinting under the fire of the torches lining the office walls. It was magnetism that drew her hand to the ring. It was warm under her touch, like a living thing.
“What’s the symbol engraved on the inside?” Addy murmured, unsure if her question had been heard. She was too entranced to care.
“Lapis philosophorum. Eet’s ze symbol of ze Philosopher’s Stone; eet also represents our family.”
“C'est magnifique. Quel doigt dois-je mettre? (It’s beautiful. Which finger do I put it on?)”
Ricbern interrupted before Lydia could answer, “It belongs on your non-dominant hand, but before that, you must know what will happen if the ring does not recognize you as the Flamel Heir. There’s a possibility you’ll be stripped of your magic as punishment for trying to take what does not belong to you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. I understand,” Addy replied, dazed by the ring and new information. It felt right, though. In her hand, it pulsed with what she felt was her own magic. Like heartbeats synchronizing. Without a tremor or tremble to her hands, Addy slipped the ring onto the middle finger of her left hand. It sent a pulse of magic through her, searching. The pulse grew stronger, testing the fortitude of her magic, her will to push back and claim what was rightfully hers. Addy sent her own wave of magic, intermingling and pulling the ring’s magic deeper. Once both magics settled, she breathed deeply, feeling lighter than she could ever remember being, not knowing when she had felt weighed down.
Ricbern clapped his hands together. “Excellent. It would’ve been a shame to have ended two prominent lines.”
“I could have died!” Addy exclaimed before scowling at the cackling goblin.
“Et tu penses que je t'aurais mise en danger, ma coeur? (And you think I would’ve put you in such danger, my heart?) You wound me,” Lydia sniffed but gave a sly smile to convey she wasn’t actually upset.
Ricbern coughed, drawing their attention back to him. “If you’ll just review the vault inventory documents, that should conclude today’s meeting.”
“Zere’s a book missing from 'ere. Alchemista Liber de Anima, written by Jean de Roquetaillade. I do not see eet on ze list; eet is one of our oldest and rarest books. Zere’s nevair been a time it wasn’t in ze box,” the calm around Lydia was chilling. “Qu'avez-vous à dire pour vous-même? (What do you have to say for yourself?)”
Sounds of rustling papers could be heard where Ricbern sat, but Addy couldn’t take her eyes off of her maman. She looked graceful and strong, not backing down from a creature that held power beyond his name. Lydia was fearless and everything Addy wanted to be.
“That specific book was loaned to an Albus Dumbledore by Antoine Flamel. Now in the possession of one Lord Potter per Dumbledore’s will.”
Lydia’s hands clenched at the mention of the Potter name. The boy that led her Sirius to his death. “'Ave a missive sent for ze book’s return. Eet was nevair zat old fool’s to give.”
With Addy’s last signature, they stood to leave. Addy briefly hesitated before gathering the courage to ask her question. “The purse, does it only work for galleons, or will I be able to take out muggle money as well?”
Ricbern’s eyes narrowed slightly, but his tone remained professional. “The purse will dispense muggle money as needed. It is charmed to adapt to your requirements.”
Addy nodded, relieved, and slipped the pouch into her pocket. She glanced back at Ricbern, who was already organizing the parchments they had reviewed. “Thank you,” she said, her voice softer now, filled with the weight of everything she had just learned and accepted.
“Do not mention it,” Ricbern replied curtly. “And remember, Heiress Flamel, the weight of your family’s legacy now rests on your shoulders. Do not take it lightly.”
Before they exited La Banque des Enchanteurs, Lydia turned to Addy and said, “Appelle Flipsy, ma chère. Nous devons envoyer nos bagages au domaine Flamel (Call Flipsy, my dear. We need to send our luggage to the Flamel estate).”
Addy, feeling a mix of curiosity and surprise, called out softly, “Flipsy!”
With a small pop, a house-elf appeared before them. Flipsy was a small creature with large, round eyes and bat-like ears. She wore a simple pillowcase dress and looked up at Addy with an expression of pure joy. “Oh, Mistress Addy! Flipsy is so happy to see you again! It has been so long since Flipsy last saw little Mistress Addy.”
Addy blinked, a fuzzy memory surfacing of big, adoring eyes staring at her when she was a toddler. “I remember you,” she said softly, feeling a strange warmth in her chest.
“Yes, Mistress! Flipsy has missed you very much,” the young house elf said, practically bouncing on her toes with excitement.
“Take our luggage to Flamel Estates,” Lydia instructed, her voice gentle but firm.
“Yes, Mistress. Right away,” Flipsy replied, snapping her fingers to make the luggage vanish. “Is there anything else you need, Mistress Addy, Mistress Lydia?”
“That will be all, Flipsy. Merci (Thank you),” Addy said kindly, still marveling at the sight of the little house elf.
With another bow, Flipsy disappeared, leaving them to continue their journey.
Lydia gave Addy a reassuring smile, “Let’s go, ma étoile. We 'ave much to do.”
“Oui, maman. Allons-y (Yes, maman. Let’s go),” Addy agreed, feeling a mixture of excitement and determination.
As they exited La Banque des Enchanteurs, Lydia’s hand found Addy’s, squeezing gently. “Tu as bien fait, ma petite étoile (You did well, my little star). Your father would be proud.”
Addy looked up at her maman, seeing the mix of pride and sorrow in her eyes. “J'espère, maman. J'espère vraiment (I hope so, maman. I really hope so).”
~