Summer 1975
July 11th, 1975
London was in one of its rare warm days. The heat had pleased some people, who had left the comfort of their home to go on picnics in the park or get a cup of coffee on the terrasse of a pub. The sun shined bright in the sky and birds were singing, flying from tree to tree, hiding behind large plane tree leaves.
Agnes was looking outside her window, which she had opened to enjoy the heat directly in contact with her skin. She had already tanned a little bit, after Jimmy and her had been wandering around London, looking for the infamous Hyde Park, a muggle park where the youngest Dunbar liked to visit every now and then to feed the squirells living there.
They had stayed a whole afternoon and had taken a nap in the dry grass, exhausted by the walk and the excitement of seeing all sorts of animals wandering around the park. When they had woken up, they both had sunburns on their nose and foreheads. making them look all silly.
A few days later, the red had fortunately turned into an early tan, which gave Agnes a sun-kissed skin she really liked.
She had stayed home for the most part of the day. She was waiting eagerly for the mail to arrive by owls, as she was expecting a letter in particular. The next day, she was expected in France, to attend Jean's wedding. It was the event of the summer, and the young witch felt excited and couldn't wait to celebrate one of her childhood friend's marriage. Jean was still young but a few years older than Agnes, which made him a grown up and confirmed adult.
She was also excited to finally see her best friend Jeanne. They hadn't been able to meet since Agnes' mother funerals, over a year ago. They had written to each other every week or so, keeping up with everything happening in each other's life. But it wasn't the same thing.
Jeanne had seen her last when she was still 15. She was now a taller, prettier, and more confident 17-year-old witch! She could not wait to see her. And Pierre. And Antoine!
From afar, she noticed a bird flying towards her. When she realized it was an owl, she jumped to her feet, opening her arms to welcome the flying animal. Seeing how well-fed and healthy the bird looked, she knew it was coming from the ministry itself.
They always had the best owls in the country. The owl quickly landed and Agnes took the letter right away, giving some treats to the messenger before it flew away again, happy with its course.
Agnes opened the envelope, hurrying to read the main part of the letter.
"Dear Witch or Wizard,
This letter encloses the results of Agnes Lenoir's attempt in earning the certification for the Official Apparition Test. Please find the results below:
Certification Attempt: Licence Granted.
Congratulations,
The British Ministry of Magic
Departement of Apparition and Apparition Test Center
5th Floor"
At last! Agnes thought. She ran downstairs to Mr Dunbar and Mrs Dunbar who were chatting around their usual cup of tea.
- I got it, I got it! She said, smiling and out of breath from running down the large set of stairs.
- Oh, darling! Congratulations, dear! You are an accomplished young witch now. I never doubted your success! Told Mrs Dunbar, putting her cup on the table before clapping her hands elegantly.
- This is a rite of passage in the life of every wizard, you are now an adult in the eyes of the ministry. Congratulations, Agnes. You are all set for tomorrow's departure. Added Mr Dunbar.
He was not smiling but she could hear a tone of joy in his voice.
She was so happy. She had prepared intensively for her apparition test and had gone to the test center with Mr Dunbar as soon as she got home from Hogwarts. Her father had been truly helpful as he had managed to get her the best jurys he knew would judge fairly her skills. She had met some of them during dinners and other events so hadn't felt nervous and had completed every task with brio.
She had promised Jeanne she would apparate to her house this summer, instead of taking a portkey or any other transportation. Since she was still a newbie in terms of apparition, her and the Dunbars would first take a portkey from London to Brest, a port city on the west coast of france, and would then apparate carefully towards the south.
That evening, Joshua had gone home late from the Potters, where he had played Quidditch for the whole day, and looked even more sunburnt than Agnes and Jimmy. He got scolded by his mother, who found his reddened cheeks unappropriate to attend a wedding the next day.
They celebrated Agnes' new licence, as well as the victory of Ravenclaw in the house cup, thanks to her victory in the duelling championship. Indeed, she had earned just enough points to overthrone Gryffindor. She had become the star of Ravenclaw, and kept receiving owls congratulating her, from students in her house (and even from their parents at time).
She felt so good and had found her place among her new family and at school.
After dinner, she finished packing her travel bag, and Cosmey came to give her some clean clothes that had finished drying outside. Their house elf would not travel with them, but had promised to take good care of the house, and had even made a list of the chores she was planning to do during their absence. Agnes had begged her to take it easy. but she knew asking that to an elf wasn't going to be acknowledged.
Jimmy came to her room, asking whether his outfit for the wedding was 'french enough' or if he had to change. She convinced him to keep it this way, imagining the encounter of her step-brothers to her friends. She laughed at that thought.
The next morning, everyone was ready to depart. Everyone would travel together to Brest, and Mr Dunbar and Agnes would apparate together, while Mrs Dunbar and her sons would take another portkey. Mrs Dunbar had always feared apparating alone, yet having to take both her underage sons with her. Therefore, it would take them a little longer to get to the Delacour's family home.
It was thrilling, being able to apparate freely, without having to grab someone else' arm or sleeve. It was her doing it all, and she was brilliant at it.
When they finally arrived at the large house, many people were already walking in and out from the house, houseelves running around, preparing everything meticuliously. It was warmer than back in London, but the large garden of the Delacour was well taken care of, and the trees as well as the grass were greener than ever. It was so big Agnes couldn't see the end of it. The house was a typical three-level southern french building. The windows had been closed to keep the freshness inside. Mr Dunbar seemed quite impressed by the greatness of the place. The Delacour family was wealthy and well represented among the wizarding families in France. Jeanne and her older brother had always carried this sort of royalty atmosphere to them, and it showed that they came from a rich family.
- Agnes, ma belle! Someone called from behind her.
- Jeanne!!
The two young woman ran towards each other, hugging passionately. They had both got taller, and their body had taken the curves of adult women. Their face had lost a bit of their child-like roundness. Jeanne looked beautiful. Her blond hair were long and wavy, and her eyes were as blue as ever. Her skin was tanner than Agnes' a sign of her daily exposition to the sun of southern France.
After their warm-hearted reunion, Jeanne politely introduced her parents to Mr Dunbar, and left them discussing european ministry affairs. The blonde haired witch led Agnes to the side of the house where a group of people were either smoking or were chatting together. Among the crowd, two tall french boys were standing out from others, as they were the only young people there. Pierre Leroy and Antoine Deguire were sharing a pipe they had borrows from one of the older wizard next to them.
- Oh come on boys! Called Jeanne. It isn't the time to try out new vices!
The two boys looked up at her as if caught doing mischieves. When they noticed Agnes next to her, their face lightened and a big smile reached their mouth. All four friends jumped in each other's arms, happy to finally be reunited. It had been so long. Agnes was shocked by how tall her friends had gotten. Their face strucutre was manlier than in her memory, while their adam apple was now clearly visible in their throat. Their voice had changed a bit too, it was deeper.
- How's it going in the land of endless rain, Lenoir? Asked Pierre, a smirk on his face.
- We had wonderful sunny days this week, thank you. Claimed Agnes, restraining a laugh.
The little group joined back Mr Dunbar and the Delacour parents to get introduced, and guests were now filling the beautiful gardens. At last, the mistress of the house invited everyone to join their seats in a gorgeous decorated wedding venue and Jean Delacour stepped out of the house, wearing an elegant groom gown. He looked so much more mature now, and had a beard on his chin. He saluted everyone before joining the front of the little public. He seemed nervous and a yougn wizard stood next to him. Agnes recongized him from Beauxbatons, she had often seen him alongside Jean at school. He must be the best man, she thought.
A soft music started to be played by instruments levitating in the air, all coordinated by a wizard conductor on the side of the venue. Jeanne and her friends were sitting in the front seats. Finally, the bride appeared and walked slowly to her soon-to-be husband. It was a mesmerizing woman, who looked almost surreal. There was something ethereal about her.
- She's half-veela, I heard. Whispered Antoine, in awe before the tall and thin bride who passed by them.
She truly was gorgeous. Jeanne seemed moved by the moment, but not as much as Jean who looked already teary.
The wedding ceremony was perfectly handled, and the whole guests enjoyed a filling traditional french meal. The whole day was much fun and Agnes felt at peace, surrounded by her friends and family. Mrs Dunbar and her sons had arrived just in time, and were now interacting with the other guests politely. Although Joshua was not at ease with speaking french, Jimmy was there to make the conversation. He had always loved learning new languages, and had practiced with Agnes throughout the year.