The Girls

“-her health is more likely to benefit from the program they’re offering-”

Lily’s lips were pursed, bottle-green eyes sharp as they stayed on her youngest, final daughter as she sat swinging her legs idly. At eight years old she had come a long, long way from her shaky and unstable birth. But that didn’t mean she was unscathed either.

Regular check-ups, specialty tutors that were most of the time, not human to better try to help little Teary-deary learn to control and regulate her magic. She’d been avoiding sending her off anywhere, even the daytime facilities meant to cater to potentially dangerous or particularly powerful abilities in magically-gifted children.

With Nena in Beauxbaton but the twins in Hagzissa Das Dorf after Crystal’s glowing praise and Isa’s gleeful stories and Tuney cautiously allowing Lettie to go with them, Lily had thought that her girls would attend either one or the other. And to be fair, Pea was in Beauxbaton and Leni was slated to attend Beauxbaton as well the coming September.

...To be entirely honest, Lily had sort of assumed that Teary would just continue her education through tutors.

The thought of sending her away, sending her somewhere Lily couldn’t reach her made her chest ache and memories of desperately scouring through an Albanian forest and on particularly bad days, of what should have been a calm day alone at the market before even any of that.

Hexerei Institut had never been on her radar. Mainly because it was intensely selective and the process for even screening potential students was not only kept very quiet but the actual amount of students who made it in was relatively small in comparison to other schools. In fact, it seemed to mostly recruit through other means; not really like the Hogwarts Book of Admittance Lily thought but maybe some similar way?

That being all said, their programs were advanced and in later years of education students were also welcomed to apprenticeships as opposed to waiting until their students graduated.

“I’ll,” Lily interrupted the Mediwitch she’d consulted about the invitation she’d be sent, “Think about it.”

It wasn’t exactly a school letter but it could lead to one. She’d go in during daytime hours for medical exams and a few classes that might fill in anything her tutors hadn’t.

...But she did need to speak to one of her tutors. An apparent alumni of Hexerei who’d alerted the school in the first place without informing or warning Lily.

xXx

“But she’s so young?” Pet frowned, tapping off her fag lightly and eyes flicking every so often up at their older children and a small gaggle of their friends, and Dauphine, gleefully playing flying horse polo.

“That’s what’s concerning me. For now it would mostly be as a patient to a few exclusively available Mediwixen and Healers.” Lily frowned, setting down a sheath of papers she wasn’t even really able to concentrate on anyways. “But there’d also be student-apprentices there to shadow them, and she would get some specialty attention in private lessons from a few of the professors there.”

“Do any of your friends know Hexerei?”

“No. The closest would be Vera and even then it’s a distant cousin from the Huangs and he was only a guest lecturer.” Lily sighed in frustration, swiping the carton to light up herself. Pet snorted indignantly but didn’t bother stopping her.

“What about your government friends? Colleagues?”

“The few who did or had a sibling or something that did don’t say much besides about what a great opportunity it is and not to waste it. They’re not actually giving me much to go off of besides that there aren’t actually very many that had gone or knew someone that had there either, at least not in my social rings.”

“Hate that, don’t you?” Pet smirked at her, a sly look as she tossed her head, though her chignon stayed in effortless graceful place. “We can see if anyone in Luca’s family knows anything better. Maybe Vennes too.” her eyes flicked up again, watching her ex-husband clutch the Abraxian he was on for dear life. He really was better on the ground but Luis had asked and so up he went. “If it does sound like something we’d do, how are we going to bring it up to notre petite poupée? Oh, now don’t make that face. Better to come up with something now and you know it.”

“...I suppose, given it’ll only be day courses and scheduled appointments that we just treat it like her usual appointments and tutoring.” she sighed, dragging a hand down her face. “And it only may result in an invitation to the school itself, there’s no guarantee.”

“So this may also be a screening test you mean.” then Pet glanced to the side. “Oh.”

“Hm?”

“Quil has gotten out the pom-poms.”

“Is he rooting for Mal or for Dauphine?” Lily raised her brows, leaning forward in her chair to get a glimpse. Ah, there he was, wide smile and the flashy muggle pom-poms he’d bought after seeing some kind of ‘cheerleading’ film, gleefully bouncing about and doing cartwheels. Exuberant, and so far from the idea of Lucius Malfoy in his pretty, carefree manner and expressions that it was startling that they could so easily pass Mal as his daughter. In the last rag Alice had sent, Malfoy had been in the second page with the Minister and while he was handsome, certainly, his was an oily, sharp and regal handsome sort. Not at all like pretty Quili who was breezy, at times mischievous but also concerningly sharp eyed when he really wanted to be. It was that more hidden discerning eye that helped soothe some fears about appointing him to fatherhood; that and his boundless enthusiasm for becoming a papa. “Did he-”

“Oh he did.” Pet chuckled, leaning back more comfortably in her own chair as they watched Leni, Teary and Dureau follow Quil’s now heavily broadcasted movements with the pom-poms, with their owns sets of pom-poms. “Hang on, I need to get pictures of this-”

“Already on it!” their mother was bustling past their table with a heavy camera in hand, eager expression and all, Walburga not far behind her with a more solemn expression but also with her own camera and glinting eyes. Lily suspected the only reason Wallie wasn’t also up in the air was because she and Dauphine got too competitive and it was supposed to just be a fun game right now.

“Well then.” Pet plopped back down into her seat. “Suppose since the others have grown up so fast they’re trying to get more now while the youngest are still young.” she said wistfully. “Tal just has a tot now though doesn’t she?”

Lily blinked, distracted by the way Quili delightedly starting hoisting the children up to shake their pom-poms for pictures the two grandmothers were eagerly snapping.

Personally, Lily had only met Walburga’s brothers a handful of times but with Alphard and his family just over in Alberobello, the rest of the family had met them more than while Lily was busy in research jags. At least after what was apparently a messy reunion between him and Walburga anyways, but Lily had been pretty shocked to learn that she had a brother that’d gone off and married a muggle.

But then she’d also been shocked at accidentally finding Walburga’s other brother snogging Dauphine’s brother too.

The Blacks, she had eventually had the epiphany, were just a huge dramatic dysfunctional family with money, a horrid amount of bloodism. and apparently very nosy and judgmental portraits.

And honestly, for all the Black that had been in her own House seemed a wild card, looking back now it made much more sense with more exposure to other Blacks. And that Narcissa who had also been in their year but Lily hadn’t really known, was actually more of an outlier. She didn’t really know much about Regulus Black either, aside from what Walburga had haltingly spoken of, given...Well, the husband thing. She was pretty sure he might have been part of the shady group of Slytherins Seve-...Snape had been with in the later years.

Anyways, Pet had kept in touch with Walburga’s niece Talitha more and they went out sometimes for coffee Lily knew.

It felt like their families had expanded so, so much more than she’d ever anticipated.

And with more Malfois and Malveaux and Blacks than ever expected, alongside a lot of Vennes’ family when they bothered stopping in the country. At least it made good use of the ballroom whenever they had a big party or anything, especially when Quili was on good terms with his family and they also stopped by here and there during those parties.

xXx

Clöwy hummed to himself a cheery little tune as he moved through the truly massive document that he’d requested about the potential new student they’d be taking.

Well, he says potential but honestly it was nearly a given. Cleopha’s favorite suggesting someone? Practically a guarantee. Though he wasn’t used to such close documentation on children to be honest, even besides the medical records. The extensive medical records. He was also slightly interested in the sisters, but that was more out of general curiosity from Cleopha’s boy making little comments about his latest project’s siblings and sisters. Supposedly he’d only applied to become a tutor (of all things! Laelius a tutor!) out of a sense of obligation for his youngest sister who idolized the mother; Lily Evans. Something of a trailblazer with her research. And for no small reason either. Good that the young man wasn’t wasting his time with the child at least, Laelius tends to be very overt when he wasn’t impressed or engaged in something to the point of being blatantly rude about it.

The child in question, Wisteria Evans, was still very young however. Not that it stopped Cleopha from organizing and shuffling things around for the girl which he was sure would inspire some amount of ire over the blatant favoritism. Cleohpa’s bad habits usually did and while Laelius was able to carry that brunt of misplaced wrath, a very young and secluded child probably couldn’t. She’d need a champion in her place, or to very quickly get stronger allies on her side. Her youth would only shield her the smallest amount; Clöwy knew his colleagues well enough to know that.

Although, he considered, her mother might generate a certain protective shield alone, the Evans name preceding her. Many people were grateful for the woman’s research and would defend any child of hers viciously in response. Just the same, some might dislike the girl for her mother’s name, spitting about riding coattails even as a young child despite their school not being the type to take legacy students unless they genuinely met the standards. Certainly, those inclined to butting into things would make their opinions known.

Regardless, for now the child was to come in to be examined with a few smaller side lessons here and there, mostly gauging her. And would Cleopha be organizing any of that? No, of course not and that meant it, once more, fell to Clöwy. He should be getting a raise for handling personal assistant duties, honestly. The sooner she found a real secretary or assistant, the better.

xXx

Dorea snorted, covering her mouth when Wallie and Lulu both shot her dirty looks. Marius didn’t have any problems laughing in their faces however and even Cyggi cracked a smile. Al was leaning over Wallie’s shoulder, eyeing the chess board between the two thoughtfully.

Things could still get a bit tense between Wallie and her brothers despite the time that had already passed, but that would likely ease with more time now that the apologies were out of the way and they actually sat down and communicated with eachother.

She drummed her fingers thoughtfully on the end table between she and Marius’s chairs. This already was a surprising reunion, that they had all come.

But it might be nice to try to get some of the younger, more amenable Blacks as well in a real reunion.

Probably it would be better to wait until Wallie’s granddaughter was older.

...Still. It might be better to let Sirius in on his not-daughter, given she is supposedly his niece. And if it isn’t a formal gathering, then they won’t need to invite Dru or Narcissa and with them, the young Malfoy child as they try to butter him up to getting the Black name under him. Which even with Sirius not taking on the Lord mantle and Reggie gone, Walburga would have never allowed. Narcissa doesn’t even have a second child to properly have one raised and primed for being Marquis Black, it would be the Malfoy name absorbing Black Vaults and properties and all. Absolutely not.

And with an informal, they also didn’t need to invite her and Marius’s older brother Pollux; Wallie’s father, and Irma with him. Cassie they might get away with.

But they could bring over Andy and her family, might be able to ply Sirius with Dorea edging him on to come with Al and other blasted Blacks and the hint of something his brother left behind.

(She was in the room when Sirius had received the news of Regulus’ disappearance. He might have left the house and his brother behind, but that was still his brother.)

And through them, perhaps she can convince one of them to bring Molly around. Lulu was wilting and she was sure her husband Iggy was doing even worse since Molly had been such a daddy’s girl.

The thought of being banned from even meeting Carter just because her maiden family…

Her lips pursed.

Wallie had given her pictures. Of the grandchild she’d not even known about before everything else catapulted into this unlikely reunion.

Wisteria.

And, she frowned in dismay, yet another victim to Bellatrix. Wallie didn’t know all the sordid details, but she had learned well enough.

Early, dangerous birth. Getting kidnapped from a facility and then being found with the corpse of her kidnapper and of a giant snake. Moody, lashing magic and specialized tutors.

In a family of five older sisters, three cousins raised as good as siblings, and an often too-busy mother.

And yet Evans denied Dorea meeting her own grandchild, a child hidden from her despite still. The only upside was that the redhead had quickly and wholeheartedly agreed not to use a ritual to change her paternity, given her medical history.

Yes, an informal meeting they could get Sirius into. And with that, exposure to his ‘niece’ Malva.

And with that, exposure to her sisters.

Dori saw the pictures. There was not a shred of doubt in her mind that it was James’ daughter. Evans might try to be careful, but she wasn’t actually around enough to know everything.

Better still, through Dori the child was still close enough to the Black line to be included in these new reunions that really, would have to become more regular than they had been. Not to say that over the last few years they hadn’t had them, but things had only become smoother in the last year or so. After many very bitter, acidic arguments, vicious duels and some very painful breakdowns, but such was the nature of healing.

Or something, Dori had personally never really been the sort to be directly in the drama.

And, since Carter would be taking the Potter name, it was another child not tainted by the Dark Lord to run the Black banner, even without the direct Black name. But within enough immediate blood to still be pulled under the protection and name of. Better still, a sister of who was to be Marchioness Black.

Oh, there might not be as many in James’ generation, what with the war, but that didn’t mean that the tapestry they’ve woven with their Black blood wasn’t alive and present still.

Although it would be with a weary look, if they could also just get Molly and Arthur to come around...Molly, mostly to be honest. Surely they could spare a child or two for the cause.

And a worthy cause indeed, because what could they possibly say against the new leaf the Blacks would be turning, appointing the daughter of a muggleborn who’d grown up with that mother rather than through rigid Black upbringing. And especially, that the Black name, power and history wouldn’t be devoured instead by the Malfoys, who had a blood-feud with the Weasleys that started over something moronic, she was sure, almost four generations ago and that had been the beginning of the downfall for the otherwise moderately well off enough Weasley family to what they were nowadays.

A family that had still, despite their apparent love and acceptance of muggleborns and muggles in general, married Pureblood and had ousted squibs just the same as any other prominent Pureblood name.

She glanced again at Lulu.

She was closer with Wallie, which wasn’t surprising, given they had both generally been able to bitch and moan about Orion and whatever skirt he’d been chasing at the time and the troubles it caused.

Didn’t mean Dori liked seeing her so obviously depleted, sundered from her surviving child and the grandchildren she’d since had, entirely cut off because Molly was trying to blot out her entire maternal bloodline. And her husband’s maternal bloodline for that matter.

So for now, Dori luxuriated in the presence of her bloodkin and schemed.

She hadn’t been much one to dip her toes in but it’s just been terribly long enough, in her opinion.

xXx

Neville, Teary reflected, was possibly the only one outside of Reau (who was technically her cousin, but really they were raised together-) who was her age that she regularly got to play with. Not to say that she didn’t like playing with her older sisters, or their friends, or sometimes the Malfois children, or Malveaux children or more occasionally if Luis’ dad brought over his whole family or-

Well, the point being that Teary didn’t actually have many other children her age exactly to play around with on the regular outside of her family and their families. And with so many of them being older, they’d go to school and leave her behind for long stretches of time. Not to say she was ever really lonely! She did still usually have Dureau with her, and his friends were also very open to play with her when they came over. But they were still his friends before they were hers.

Teary also knew that she was...Well, a bit of a freak.

Her sisters and brothers all got to go to primary. Her sisters and brothers didn’t have big scars on their faces or weird white in their hair from that scar. Her sisters and brothers didn’t have to go for check-ups and Medi-wix appointments nearly as often as she still did.

Her sisters could do lots of amazing things; Nena had mind powers, Lettie was practically proclaimed a duelist prodigy, Mimi could turn into a dog and change around her face and colors, Mallie could put people in a thrall and make ice and not get cold ever, Pea could set things on fire and she didn’t get burned ever, Leni had fantastic visions.

Luis was half-Satyr, and Dureau was popular and already in a youth boxing group.

What could Teary do? Make horrible storms that she still couldn’t really always control and ruin sunny days if she went and got in a snit.

Oh, and talk to snakes. To be fair, the talking to snakes one was pretty wicked.

Although none of the snakes she’d talked to were the greatest of conversationalists and usually just chattered about eating or napping or whether they were warm or cold.

Teary thinks it must be nice to be a snake and only worry about things like that. But if she were a snake, she probably wouldn’t have her sisters and brothers and Tante.

Then again, she thinks seriously, if she were a snake, she wouldn’t need to be going to offices all the time and poked and prodded and all.

As she sat and pondered about the pros and cons of being a snake, she only really noticed anything when she went to go ask Dureau about if he’d ever rather be a snake.

Mostly, because she didn’t have legs anymore.

And also, no arms. But she did gain a tail, and scales, and she thought to herself that it was odd to be a snake.

xXx

“Red coral kukri.” the medi-wizard hummed thoughtfully, delicately handling the curious snake. Who was actually a child that unintentionally turned herself into a snake, which is why he was called at all. He did specialize specifically in children accidentally or otherwise transformed partially or no.

“Yes, fantastic- how do we change her back?” Lily stressed, having been called from her lab and having gotten a horrible fright when she was first told they couldn’t find little Teary anywhere. Only to find that she had, somehow, been turned or turned herself into a snake. It didn’t take long to actually find the snake, once they started following some of the tracking baubles Lily had made. Especially given the brilliant orange-scarlet color of it.

“Ah, the interesting thing about the red coral kukri,” the pediatric medi-wizard went on, “Is that their rarity is actually a very particular thing. In that it is a particular talent that lines to perhaps, a handful of families and specifically only the parselmouths of those families.” he told the small crowd in the room he’d commandeered in their local hospice, given it was closer and more willing to loan a room out to outside practitioners. And apparently well used to mishaps regarding the Evans and Malveaux of the area by what a few of the aides had sighed. “A secretive bunch, you know.” he mused, eyeing the snake curling around his wrist and taste-scenting the air around her in interest. “If you can get one of them to perhaps share their wisdom with her, that might be for the best. Nonetheless, in regards to her changing back it should be fairly straight forward. She’ll be able to do it on her own after the first few times, from what I know of it. A bit of blood from a direct relative. Parent, sibling, aunt or uncle, grandparent, any of those will do. Perhaps...Four, maybe five times, and then her body and magic should be able to handle itself otherwise.” he shrugged, gently lowering his hand to a small cot in the room. The snake slowly slithered down onto it, though the end of her tail remained wrapped steadily around one of his fingers. It was the red-haired mother that strode forward, eyes only for her tiny snake-form daughter as she nicked at a finger, offering it to her with a laser like focus. The snake didn’t seem particularly interested in the fluid but reluctantly flickered her tongue against it. The figure shuddered for a few long moments, thick steams of magic becoming visible as the snake once more became a girl. The girl, a bit rumpled, blinked and then wiggled her fingers and toes. Not that she was free for any much longer though, since she was immediately besieged by her relatives.

He watched in idle curiosity. It wasn’t something he expected to find, but he supposed that odder things have most certainly happened.

At least his job as a pediatric medi-wizard never got dull, no matter how many decades it’s been since he’d switched to pediatrics.

xXx

“You should come to Hagzissa. If that other school doesn’t work out.” Mallie told her youngest sister firmly as she roughly sketched her.

“I don’t think maman would like that very much, fée.” she pointed out, kicking her feet idly before stilling herself again. “I don’t think she really wants me to go there either anyways.”

“Well you’ve got to go to some kind of school.” Mal frowned, carefully drawing the curve of the stained glass window behind the smaller girl. “You’re pretty fluent in German now anyways.”

“Kaum.”

“Das reicht.” Mal shrugged. “And you’d need to learn it anyways right? Tante said German’s a big language there too.”

“It’s also encouraged to learn Italian.”

“Es gibt noch so viele Dinge zu lernen.”

“I might not end up going there you know.”

“Then come to Hagzissa, Riri.” Mal offered simply. “It’s not all combat magic and roughhousing, je te promets.”

“Could still always got to Beauxbaton.” she said in return, just to watch her sister’s face screw up.

“Die pedantische Kleiderordnung verlangte von den Schülern, jederzeit formelle Kleidung zu tragen.” her lips twisted, “Es würde dir nicht gefallen.”

And Teary did notice the marked difference between her siblings’ dress codes, even out of their schools. Luis, Nena and Pea always looked tidy and elegant, even the way they walked refined; Pea said that was part of their etiquette classes which was technically optional but really, mandatory in a social sense. Luis had said it was a little different for him, since he was a Satyr and had hooves, but his fur was always silky and well-maintained and his hooves diligently seen to, alongside care for his horns, which included sometimes adding an oil or slight shimmer that was always pretty. Down to their nails, even, everything was well-kept and they took their appearances as a point of pride and had lots of and lots of different products for those purposes. Flittering, sort of, with an elegance trained to be effortless and ingrained.

Mal, Mimi and Lettie were...Different. There was a lot less focus on ‘frivolous’ and more rooted in practical and martial attitudes, a lot more immediate physicality that their movements and gestures were immediately more purposeful without the effort of making it showy just for the sake of being viewed, though they did have their own flavor of what they considered grandiose. The three Hagzissa students, and Isa who was also in Hagzissa were all mostly more obviously athletic, musculature more blatant than the more slender forms of dance-muscle. But they did also have a kind of etiquette class their own too. Just not with quite the same substance or pomp as Beauxbatons. Hagzissa was also and all-girls school, unlike Beauxbaton.

If she went to Hexerei, how would she turn out compared to her sisters and brothers? Lala, her tutor from that school, had said that Hexerei was less ‘localized’ than either of the schools her siblings went to and she still wasn’t really sure what he meant when he said that. And while he said that the French and English she was already fluent in, and the German she’d picked up and was learning were probably enough, but that they took students from more than just Europe. But they were picky or something so it wasn’t as large in terms of student body as places like Beauxbaton or Durmstrang or Hogwarts, the three biggest schools this side of Europe.

The few times she’d gone already was mostly for scans and tests and more medical things but she’d also gotten to be taught by a few portraits during the mornings which was an interesting experience since she’d never had a professor that was a portrait before. Lala had said the most interesting professor he’d had as a student had been a quarter Tabib al-Bahr and had a yellow gemstone on her forehead that could cure both illnesses and injuries and her hands and feet were webbed and she could breathe underwater, though Lala had been smirking rather meanly when he said she absolutely did not inherit the kind or altruistic nature known of the Tabib al-Bahr. He said she usually hid her gemstone with a silk scarf, given that despite the Tabib al-Bahr being protected, there were still poachers and his professor fell out of the line of protection for having so much human heritage.

She did like Lala’s stories, even more than the ones her siblings told them from school. She did think she’d like to go to an actual school too, and make her own friends and have her own stories to tell, even if maman didn’t want her to.

And then she’d have her own space too.

She didn’t mind the room she was in or anything, not really, but she had to go through maman’s room to get to hers, or to leave it. Her sisters eventually sprawled into their own rooms but Teary was still where she’d always been, Last time she asked, maman’s face twisted funny and it made Teary feel bad, so she hadn’t worked up the courage to ask again. Mal sometimes teased her about how she always had her own room and didn’t have to share but…

She thinks she might have liked it more if she did. Get to share.

Mimi wasn’t quite as nice when she talked about how Teary never had to share and Nena always pursed her lips about her room being attached directly to maman’s.

She didn’t think Nena liked her very much. But it was easy to not get in her oldest sister’s way at least and especially since Nena was so much bigger now and constantly went out. To operas, or ballet performances, or something called dance-mania parties where people just...Danced until they dropped? Teary didn’t really get why anyone would want to do that.

Mimi didn’t mind too much. Mal was the closest with her, along with Reau and even if Nena could be cold, she could be disdainful of Mimi and Mal sometimes, so it wasn’t like Teary was the only sister she didn’t really like as much. Nena was much older anyways. Probably didn’t want to hang about with her youngest sister…

Mal always made time for her though. And Leni and Pea were nice enough and included her in things too. Mimi might be gruff sometimes, but she liked flying with Teary and all of her tricks and stunts and Lettie always shared her snacks if she thought Teary would like them.

She stared at Mal, and her sister quickly noticed, given how often she looked back to her for reference.

“Love you, fée.” she told her earnestly and watched the small smile curl on her sister’s pale face even as her shoulders hunched a little and she hid behind her sketchpad.

“Yes, love you too Riri.”