1958 - 1969
March 1st, 1958
In the large Manoir house, Murielle Lenoir was screaming of pain. Her whole body ached and was damping from sweat. As she grabbed the chair to sustain her heavy body, water started running down her legs. An old lady who had been carefully attending the young woman suddenly cried out as she ran to Murielle.
- Madame! Madame, ça y est !
Rushing her to the bed, the old lady who was wearing servant clothes hurried to bring some clean towels and hot water. Murielle was hurting so bad, her hips could not hold her anymore and she brutally sat down, screaming once more from the pain. Her hair was sticking to her forehead, and her breathing was unstable, alternating from screams to weeping. She was scared to death. She was going to give birth alone, for only friend her dedicated servant Genevieve and her old cat hiding in the back of the room. That was it. Her life was going to change forever.
She was about to become a mother. She did not know how she felt, the pain was blurring all her ideas. She was just scared for all she knew. Scared to give birth, scared to die, scared that this child would be the end of her. The feeling was unbearable, she could barely hear what Genevieve was telling her. All she could manage to understand is that her uterus was widening, and it hurt like a bitch.
She screamed for help, for God to forgive her, for the father of her child to be by her side, for all of this to stop. An hour passed, or two. Murielle could not tell. But when she heard the first scream of her baby, it was as if all her senses came back to her at once, and she looked up at her. The tiny baby girl was all dirty, crying out loud and moving slightly her fists to manifest herself. Genevieve was smiling and crying at the same time, and so was Murielle. When she held her for the first time, she loved her instantly.
- Mon petit miracle…
***
July 7th, 1969
The summer had already begun and the weather was all sunny and the days long and bright. The sun had risen and another sunny day seemed to be ahead. Murielle woke up early and was reading her book on Fantastic Beasts of northern Africa she had acquired a few weeks ago. She had always loved learning about these creatures and had become interested in studying them through books.
That very day, she had planned to take a trip to the swamp to perhaps get the chance to witness the mackled malaclaw’s eggs hatch. Murielle slightly caressed the page she was reading, touching the beautiful drawing of a strange-looking lobster. She smiled to the thought of sharing that moment with her daughter. She loved spending the day outside with her and teaching her on various subjects. The young girl had shown early signs of great intelligence, expending her studies from foreign languages to magizoology. Murielle was so proud of her.
She closed her book and left the room to climb up to the second floor where the bedrooms were still silent. She knocked on one of the doors lightly and opened it right away. The room was still dark, but the sunlight was already piercing through the thick curtains. In the large bed, a little girl was sleeping, mouth open and arms up her head. Murielle smiled as she came closer to her daughter. She carefully caressed her hair, meaning to wake her up.
- Agnes, ma chérie. Réveille-toi.
The child emerged from her sleep and asked for her mum’s arms. The two hugged and stayed like this for a bit, and Murielle went to open the curtains. The room went bright at once and the little Agnes seemed in an even brighter mood. The summer in the south of France was hotter than ever, the sun was darkening skins and the grass was turning yellow from the drought. Murielle was spending her summer with Agnes in her childhood’s home. Her mother had passed the previous winter, and she wanted to spend time with her father who was still grieving his late wife.
The Lenoir was a pure-blood wizard family, who was closely linked to other famous clans like the Delacour. When Murielle had graduated from BeauxBatons, she had plans and aimed for a career as a teacher. But she had met Agnes’s father that very next summer and all her life had changed at once. He was a handsome, older man from England. He was already in his thirties, but Murielle had found him charismatic, and his broken French had made him even more attractive. His family wanted him to marry but he had fled to France in order to find his own path.
It was a fling for him, but the first love for her. She got pregnant and he ran away, promising her he would send any money she'd need, but did not want to get involved either way with this child. She had cried every night and day for weeks before she could tell her parents.
- Maman? When will it come out? It’s been over an hour…I’m bored. Agnes said.
They had been waiting in a bush for a while, but the lobster-like creature seemed to not want to show itself. The sun was hot and the mosquitoes were starting to fly around the little family. Murielle grabbed her wand and re-initiated the protection spell against surrounding insects. Agnes often spoke to her mother in english, as she was currently learning it. Her education was made at home through private tutors and Murielle herself.
Agnes had turned 11 in march, and she was growing up so fast, it was already time for her to leave the house and attend a proper school. That is why Murielle had tried her best to spend time with her before she left. They had even gone to a muggle theater play a few weeks ago, and Agnes had enjoyed it a lot.
Murielle came back to reality when she saw a bird flying right at them from afar. A beautiful dove landed right next to them. Agnes's eyes widened as she received politely the letter the bird had been holding in her beak. Once the child had the envelop secured in her hand, the dove flew away instantly. Agnes looked back at her mother, waiting for her approval and proceeded to open the letter.
- It must be it ! It must be it !
Chère mademoiselle Agnès Lenoir,
[Dear Miss Agnes Lenoir
Nous avons le plaisir de vous informer de votre admission à la prestigieuse académie de magie de BeauxBâtons.
We are pleased to inform you of your admission to the prestigious Academy of Magic BeauxBatons.
Vous trouverez ci dessous les ouvrages nécessaires et l'équipement dont vous aurez besoin pour votre éducation qui débutera le 1er septembre 1969.
Please find enclosed the necessary books and equipment needed for your future education which will begin on September 1st, 1969.
Nous attendons votre colombe pour le 1er août au plus tard.
We are expecting your dove by no later than August 1st]
A month and a half later, the luggage was already out the door, and Agnes seemed excited and ran around the house enthusiastically, annoying her grandfather who seemed more grumpy than usual. The last weeks of august had been hectic, as the preparation for the young girl entrance in her new school had asked for full dedication from Murielle. Days had passed, and finally it was the time for departure.
Agnes had woken up early and had rushed to the bathroom. She had washed her face with fresh water as usual and combed her hair religiously. Her beautiful long and wavy brown hair made her feel pretty and she loved its softness when she played with it with her fingers. Her bright blue eyes were wide open as she was focused on trying to comb her thick eyebrows with her toothbrush. After a good breakfast, she felt ready for her new adventure.
Two hours later, The three Lenoir were waiting in front of their manoir, and were scanning the sky for any unusual movement. After a few minutes, a large carriage suddenly emerged from horizon and Agnes felt her heart bumping heavily inside her chest. Her fingers were playing nervously with her hair as the carriage was getting closer. And then, everything seemed to speed up.
Agnes kissed her mother goodbye, the latter hiding her tears behind her fan. The BeauxBatons carriage had landed, Agnes entered and smiled once more at her mother and her grandfather. Inside, there were other students already sitting, who seemed curious to who was the next person to join them. By the window, she turned to her family who suddenly seemed so far from her, and she waved one last time as the horses quickly rode back up to the sky.
She was going to BeauxBatons Academy of Magic.