#lineage challenge

[kathrynalicemc]

The Lineage Challenge - August 3rd to 8th

I was gonna create some content for my Arcano family but I remembered lots of other people have their own large family trees so I decided to make this a challenge! From August 3rd to 8th I’ll be doing these challenges, feel free to join me! I’ll be tagging it with #lineage challenge.

Day 1 (August 3rd): Family Crest

Draw or edit your family's crest. You can even explain the meaning behind what symbols or colors you used.

Day 2 (August 4th): Family Tree

Use websites like Familyecho or draw/edit your own to show off your entire family tree!

Day 3 (August 5th): Playlist

Create a small playlist with songs that help define the family or specific members within it. Feel free to describe why you picked each song.

Day 4 (August 6th): Character Spotlight

Create any content you wish to show off a member of the family who is overlooked, needs more development, or is the newest addition!

Day 5 (August 7th): One Shot

Write a small one shot story about any member(s) of your family or any lore the family has. If you’ve already written one in the past, feel free to reblog it.

Day 6 (August 8th): Ask Game

Answer a list of questions about your family and lore. Other people are welcome to send you some Asks to answer even more questions.

Canon or Fiction? If your family is a Canon one you made your own: What drew you to that specific family? Did you make any changes to Canon, and if so, why? If your family is completely original: Where did the Family name come from? What was your inspiration and who was the first OC you created for it?

Family Ties: What other families are related/connected to this one? Are they Canon families or creator made families? (Tag them!)

Foundations: What year and which OC was the founder of the family line? If the family goes back hundreds of years and you don’t know the first member, tell us about the oldest OC in the family you have created.

Fun Facts: Do you have any misc lore you have that you haven’t had a chance to post about? Talk about anything you like!

Free Space: Feel free to ask any creator a question not listed here and maybe you will get one in return!

#hphm #hphl #hpma #hogwarts mystery #hogwarts legacy #magic awakened #lineage challenge #arcano family

[the-al-chemist]

Cleopatra Sara Rai Hexley

Cleo Hexley transferred to Hogwarts School from Ilvermorny for her NEWTs, with dreams of becoming a magical art historian and anthropologist. It soon transpired, however, that the majority of Cleo’s peers were more interested in her face than her mind. After she grew tired of being the face of the Egwu fashion house, Cleo embarked on a career as a tour guide for Globus Mundi Wizarding Travel Agents, where she was able to use her looks, charms, and knowledge, all at once.

Profile

Born: 24th May 2000 (Gemini)

Hometown: New York, New York, USA/Camden Town, London, England

Nationality/Ethnicity: Mixed White British/British Indian, born and raised between America and the U.K.

Blood status: Half-Blood

Gender identity: witch (she/her)

Sexuality: bicurious.

Personality

Myers-Briggs Type: ENFP (Campaigner)

Strengths: clever, charming, curious, quick-witted, creative, hard-working.

Weaknesses: nosy, stubborn, defeatist, hates to be wrong, vain/proud, insecure.

Interests/hobbies: history, art history, psychology, anthropology, fashion, writing, reading, painting.

Appearance

Height: as an adult, 5’9”

Weight: as an adult, 58kg

Hair: dark brown, almost black, thick, wavy-curly.

Eyes: brown with a ring of green around pupil.

Skin: brown.

Defects: none.

Style: Varies - Cleo receives many gifts of clothing from wizarding fashion outlets, which means that she is easily able to keep up with the latest trends. At home, she will wear whatever she feels most comfortable in, which is usually either lounge/sportswear or loose-fitting clothes made from light, floaty materials.

Faceclaim: Simone Ashley

Witchcraft

Wand: Cherry and Wampus Cat Hair

This very rare wand wood creates a wand of strange power, most highly prized by the wizarding students of the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan, where those who own cherry wands have special prestige. The Western wand-purchaser should dispel from their minds any notion that the pink blossom of the living tree makes for a frivolous or merely ornamental wand, for cherry wood often makes a wand that possesses truly lethal power, whatever the core.

Animagus form: none.

Patronus: bat.

Boggart: the floor beneath her turns into a view from a great height.

Riddikulus: none - Cleo has found that the best way to get rid of her Boggart is to jump/step on it.

Amortentia (what does she smell?): Cleo has never smelt amortentia before.

Amortentia (what does she smell like?): amber, ink, wisteria, speculoos.

Magical abilities: Occlumency.

At Ilvermorny

Ilvermorny House: Thunderbird

Best subjects: Magical Theory, History of Magic, Ancient Studies

Worst Subjects: Flying (Cleo has an extreme fear of heights!)

At Hogwarts

Hogwarts House: none, temporary student.

Best subject(s): History of Magic, Muggle Studies

Worst subject(s): none - Cleo arrived in the N.E.W.T. year and only chose subjects that she enjoyed/was good at.

N.E.W.T. Subjects: History of Magic, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Quidditch position: none.

After Hogwarts

July 2018-February 2019: Apprentice at the Department of Magical Artefacts, British Ministry of Magic

December 2018-January 2021: Model and muse for the Egwu fashion house.

March 2021-present: tour organiser, Globus Mundi travel agency.

Relationships

Family:

Jacob Hexley (father) and Angelica Cole (mother) - Cleo’s parents separated when she was very young, but maintain a somewhat cordial relationship, if only for her sake. Cleo spent her childhood between her parents’ homes and is close with both of them, but sometimes feels as if they have too high expectations for her - she is not as academic as her father, nor is she as brave as her troll-trainer and former Quidditch champion mother, neither of whom were particularly happy with her decision to leave her career in magical artefact restoration barely after it had begun.

Sara Kowalski-Hexley (grandmother) - Cleo’s grandmother Sally is always hard to read. Though somewhat distant, she is generally affectionate to Cleo, even if she occasionally seems to put up walls around herself.

Artemis Hexley (aunt) - Cleo has only met her aunt a handful of times, but she has heard plenty of stories about her from her father.

Quentin Kowalski (second cousin) - cousin Quentin is a Quidditch prodigy, the youngest ever Chaser to make the US National team. He has tried to encourage Cleo onto a broom many times, never with much success.

Friends:

Rylie Hopper-Lee - Rylie was tasked with looking after Cleo when she first arrived at Hogwarts, and the two bonded over their love of art, history, ancient runes, and ice cream @thatravenpuffwitch

Danielle Parkin - Dana was the first person to make a point of introducing herself to Cleo, and after discovering a mutual love of trashy romance novels, became book sharing buddies @lifeofkaze

Zadie Taylor-Allen and Victoire Weasley - Cleo and Victoire vaguely knew each other through their families, and both she and Zadie were always pleasant to Cleo during her time at Hogwarts, unlike one of their friends…

Andre Egwu - Cleo was ‘discovered’ by the head designer of the Egwu fashion house at sixteen, and after agreeing to the occasional fashion shoot to get a bit of extra pocket money, eventually signed up to work for him as a full-time model, having grown tired of no one taking her seriously in the field she was working in. Though he is somewhat judgemental, Cleo appreciates Andre’s ability to see and say things as they are, and he quickly became a sort of surrogate uncle figure to her.

Love interests: None, yet.

Pets: Cleo’s father owns a few owls, but she has no pets herself.

Rivals:

Rory McTavish - Rory is just the worst, honestly. Cleo doesn’t understand what Rylie sees in him.

Reva Amari - Reva and Cleo have absolutely nothing in common, and so a close friendship was never on the cards. Unfortunately, Reva seemed to take Cleo’s disinterest personally. @lifeofkaze

Duncan Ludwig - Duncan and Cleo immediately got off on the wrong foot after Duncan decided to prank her shortly after arriving at Hogwarts. He was nothing but friendly to her after that, but Cleo hasn’t been able to trust him since. @usernoneexistent

Ancestry: as the daughter of Jacob Hexley, Cleo is the descendent of Jim and Héloïse Hexley, Ophelia Burke, and Jacob and Queenie Kowalski. Via her French lineage, she is a direct descendant of Morgan Le Fay.

#cleo hexley #the hexley family #magic awakened #harry potter oc #lineage challenge

[thatravenpuffwitch]

The Lineage Challenge

Day 1 — Family Crest

hosted by @kathrynalicemc

Motto: Saltu Fidei / Leap of Faith

Shield: the chevron, which signifies protection and faithful service.

Colors:

• Green: hope, life, and ambition

• Yellow: generosity, loyalty, and creativity

Charges:

• Spearhead: readiness for battle

• Bell: power to disperse evil

• Sun: glory, splendor, to invoke the sun is to invoke the truth

Supporters: Two rabbits to represent balance. One is white for peace and prosperity, and one is dark brown for authority and intelligence. Rabbits are also symbols of good luck, rebirth, and cleverness.

#lineage challenge #the hopper family #hphm #hogwarts mystery

[gaygryffindorgal]

the malinda lineage: family crest

the malindas have been a an influental gryffindor family for generations, allegedly even descendant from a cadet branch of godric gryffinor’s line. 

the words sometimes inscribed on the crest are “memento audere semper“. which translates to “remember to always dare.”

click here for the challenge by @kathrynalicemc​

#lineage challenge #the malinda family #*mine #i am NOT a graphic designer #this was difficult af and didn't turn out quite as i wanted #but it was close enough #i couldn't get the motto to look nice on the crest so i just left it out

[lifeofkaze]

Lineage Challenge - Day 3

Create a small playlist with songs that help define the family or specific members within it. Feel free to describe why you picked each song. ~ Challenge hosted by @kathrynalicemc ~

I didn't do an entire playlist specifically for this challenge but decided to pick 3 songs from the existing playlists of my Fraser girls. And yes, I do realise Dylan technically falls into the same category, but... bare with me 😅

Selene Fraser

Bon Jovi - We Weren't Born to Follow

Tuomas Holopainen - A Lifetime of Adventure

Tom Petty - Wildflowers

Caitlin Fraser

Vienna Teng - Lullabye for a Stormy Night

Michael Schulte - You Let Me Walk Alone

Billy Ray Cyrus & Miley Cyrus - Butterfly Fly Away

Lizzie Jameson

Train - Drops of Jupiter

Owl City - Good Time

Skillet - Freakshow

Reva Amari

Bowling for Soup - Girl All the Bad Guys Want

OPM - Heaven is a Halfpipe

Monster Truck - Young City Hearts

#selene fraser #lizzie jameson #reva amari #lineage challenge

[usernoneexistent]

Moss Family Playlist

I really wanted to embody the Moss family ideals the most in this playlist however I felt the mood should be scattered throughout too.

Cure for me by AURORA

Frozen pines by Lord Huron

Little lion man by Mumford & Sons

Giving into the love by AURORA

Freaks by Surf Curse

Human by the Killers

Everything matters by AURORA

Nina cried power by Hozier, Mavis Staples

The seed by AURORA

Little dark age by MGMT

#lineage challenge #moss family #playlist #i love auroras song so what

[carewyncromwell]

Lineage Challenge Day 2: Family Tree

hosted by @kathrynalicemc​

YES! A newly updated family tree of the Cromwell Clan and their relations, including Charles’ parents and older brothers and Carewyn’s son ward Erik Apollo’s wife Roxy (owned and played by @mira-shard​)! The red boxes represent those Cromwell blood relations who would’ve been, er... “blasted off the family tree,” so to speak.

For more information on the main players in this family tree, toward the center, you can consult the first post I did...but here’s some new info based on the people and details I’ve added!

Isabelle was a very clever and talented, but incredibly immature and self-absorbed little thing who resented being affianced to marry a (in her opinion) boring man over ten years older than her, and so she had a series of affairs while married to Angus. Angus Cromwell tried very hard to tamp down his wife’s “scarlet woman” reputation, but that proved difficult when his youngest son Charles was born, looking very little like him. Many hypothesized Charles was actually descended from the Carrow or Black families, but neither family would’ve given any credence to that, given that the Cromwells wouldn’t be considered “pureblood” enough for most of their members’ liking. One thing standing in the way of this, though, which Isabelle always pointed to when pressed, was that Charles had inherited the almond-shaped blue eyes associated with the very oldest members of the Cromwell line: something even his own father didn’t have. But who knows, human Transfiguration is a thing, some people would whisper -- perhaps Isabelle craftily Transfigured her baby’s eyes with magic, to cover her tracks. Regardless of the validity of that rumor, it is unusual that every single direct blood descendant of Charles Cromwell has inherited those exact same eyes. 

Against all odds, Charles beat his father and both of his older brothers in being chosen by his grandfather as the next head of the Cromwell Clan. He did this by A) reaching a higher position at the Ministry than his father ever did; B) exposing his eldest brother Henry’s clandestine affair and child with a Muggle; and C) either being actively involved with or just unable to prevent a serious accident that left his other brother Francis paralyzed from the neck down and in a lot of pain for the remainder of his short life. Henry committed suicide not long after being disowned by his family and thoroughly disgraced in “polite society.” Francis lingered in St. Mungo’s alone for the last five years of his life, only receiving infrequent visits from his parents -- his most constant companion was one of the chief Healers of the ward, who was heartbroken that there wasn’t more she could do to help him. 

Roxanni “Roxy” Kim is the eldest daughter of Carewyn’s old friend Jae Kim and his wife Marina Willows-Kim. She and Erik met while working at Hogwarts as a school psychologist and Defense Against the Dark Arts TA, respectively. They end up having several children together.

When Charles rightfully dies in Azkaban after the defeat of R, Blaise officially takes his place as head of the Cromwell Clan. He continuously tries to pressure Carewyn, Jacob, and Lane back into the fold, with no success. As if the already established bad blood between him and that side of his family isn’t enough, Blaise absolutely loathes Carewyn’s legal partner Orion, his “bastard” daughter Eos, and Carewyn’s Muggle-born ward Erik. Blaise is of the stupid-ass opinion that his niece Carewyn deserves a “real” husband, one who could give her a “real” family. 😒 (Really, though, Blaise would undoubtedly hate any significant other Jacob would choose after Duncan’s premature death, too.) 

Marek and his son Elmer Yaxley are both drafted into serving the Death Eaters, during the Second Wizarding War. Marek was much more willing, considering his twin brother was already a Death Eater, but poor Elmer -- who was only 21 years old and a follower-type personality like his mother Claire -- only agreed out of fear for his and his family’s safety. Blaise actually went out of his way to try to bully Carewyn into defending her cousin and uncle before the Wizengamot, which failed miserably -- but Carewyn did still decide to offer some legal counsel to Elmer’s attorneys, considering he clearly was put under duress. Carewyn’s assistance helped Elmer avoid any further prison time, though he did have to give back to society for the next ten years in the form of community service. 

#lineage challenge #hphm #hogwarts mystery #charles cromwell #blaise cromwell #carewyn cromwell #erik apollo #roxanni kim #jacob cromwell #elmer yaxley

[magicallymalted]

Lineage Challenge - Day 3 (Herrity Family)

[Link to Playlist]

Here we are! A playlist that culminates in some of the old Irish folk songs sung by members of the Herrity family, as well as just vibes. There is also of course some overlap with Deaglán's own personal playlist, but for the lineage one I tried to target songs that can feature elements of the various generations. Also note that it's not organized in a particular order, so feel free to shuffle to your heart's content.

Much of the playlist is influenced by folk music — and also just Irish musicians in general — as it is a big part of the identity of the Herrity family. That aside, there are some conflicting elements in the playlist as well, pertaining to the overall essence of stillness and unobtrusiveness that govern much of the line's existence. Of course, for the moments where there are certain souls that venture out beyond the confines of the family's values, things have not always turn out very well.

Some standouts:

The Bold Fenian Men - OMNIA | Although the song itself was not written as an Irish rebel song until the 1910s, it speaks of previous Irish nationalist generations taking up arms in the 1800s. With the Herritys not only descending from Fionn mac Cumhaill who headed up the Fianna Eireann (of which the Fenians derive), but also having a branch of the family that split off into nationalism, this song was included as reference to these extended members of the family, although dead.

This is the Sea - The Waterboys | A song about relinquishing past tethers and letting go, and the internal struggle that it brings. It seemed quite fitting particularly for Deaglán and his siblings especially as the former ventures out into the world and strays far from his family ideals before returning home in his old age.

The Killer Was a Coward - Dermot Kennedy | A song that connects to one of the older members of the Herrity family tree, Feildhlim Herrity, who lost all of his brothers and sisters during the Williamite War (aka, The War of Two Kings), and for whom after getting revenge instilled the practice in the family of not getting involved in outside affairs, muggle or otherwise.

That's Day 3 complete of the Lineage Challenge by @kathrynalicemc

#the herrity family #lineage challenge #hphl #oc: deaglán herrity #Spotify #harry potter #playlist

[endlessly-cursed]

— -`𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕´-

— 𝘕𝘖𝘚 𝘚𝘌𝘔𝘗𝘌𝘙 𝘔𝘈𝘕𝘌𝘛 “we always remain”

The Somerset dynasty was founded in 1453, in the midst of the deadliest civil war the UK has ever known: the Wars of the Roses, when Lord Matteo Somerset married Sancia D'Este, from the most prolific family in Italy, owners of the Duchies of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio.

After the war ended in 1486 with the Tudor dynasty created, he created the motto, alleging that no matter how many kings and queens of England would come, the Somersets would always remain in England. The sailing Crown was later added during Elizabethan Era, when piracy was at its peak, and which enriched the family.

This is my entry to @kathrynalicemc 's Lineage Challenge

#lineage challenge #hogwarts legacy #hphl #somerset family

[kathrynalicemc]

The Brave Shall Live Forever In The Halls Of Valhalla

Long ago, the Gifted Three families guarded an ancient wizard city called Valhalla. The women born to these three families were blessed with arcane gifts. Those gifted could pledge their service to guard this city. They were called the Valkyries....

The Arcano Family

The Arcanos originated from one of three brothers. This brother loved magic and knowledge and so he imparted his love for it down the generations. The Arcano shield features the norse Vegvisir which means guidance and protection. It also has Nordic runes that was said to have some magical properties long ago before the use of wands in Norway....

The Varangr Family

Being from the second of three brothers, the Varangr family lives a life of solitude and freedom like the brother before them. They prefer the company of animals before any humans and like to live off the land. Their shield honors that, baring an animal claw. It also represents the Lycanthropy that runs deep within the family. Unlike their Arcano counterpart, the Varangrs hardly ever use magic as they believe it’s better to do things yourself as magic could fail you. This has caused a rift between the two families for centuries....

The Ymir Family

Not much is known today about the third family. Their shield is long forgotten and so is their name. It is said the family line died out centuries ago....

#lineage challenge #hphl #hphm #hpma #arcano family #varangr family #ymir family

[the-al-chemist]

It’s Day 4 of @kathrynalicemc’s Lineage Challenge, and today it is spotlight day, a chance to introduce a new or lesser known member of the family tree. I will also be posting the profile for Cleo, but there’s one member of the Hexley family who gets even less time in the spotlight…

Lucienne Hexley

Lucienne Aurore Hexley is the second child and only daughter of Jim and Héloïse Hexley. Born in 1908, she attended Hogwarts school whilst her mother worked as an Astronomy professor. Lilou grew up bilingual, speaking a mixture of French and English at home, and holds both French and British citizenship.

At school, Lilou was sorted into Gryffindor house, and after graduating, used her skills in linguistics as an employee in the Ministry of Magic’s Department of International Magical Co-Operation. As the growing threat of Grindelwald spread globally, she transferred to the French Ministry. She was employed in the Department of Magical Communications, but covertly worked as a cryptanalyst, at first in the Ministry itself, and later at her maternal family’s ancestral home, which became a hub for undercover spies and cryptanalysts working against Grindelwald’s army.

After the war, she went back to her work in international relations and magical communications, later becoming a creator of crossword puzzles and brain games for newspapers in Britain, America, and France.

#Lucienne Hexley #the hexley legacy #lineage challenge

[thatravenpuffwitch]

The Lineage Challenge

hosted by @kathrynalicemc

Selwyn Family Crest & Playlist

The Selwyns are a Pureblood British wizarding family known for their wealth and status among the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Its members are traditionally sorted into Slytherin house and hold positions of influence in government and society.

Over the generations they hid many dark secrets, including the slaughter of mermaids and a mysterious blood curse.

Their family motto is Pura in Mors which translates to Pure in Death.

Selwyn Family Playlist

• The Stranger by Billy Joel

• Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Lorde

• Sinners by Barnes Courtney

• The Devil You Know by X Ambassadors

• River by Bishop Briggs

• Way Down We Go by KALEO

• The Logical Song by Supertramp

• Muddy Waters by LP

• Waterloo by ABBA

• Dear Wormwood by The Oh Hellos

• Bad Blood by Bastille

#it’s a double post kind of day #I couldn’t leave out my Selwyns #even though most of them are terrible #but that just makes them fun #the selwyn family #lineage challenge #hphl #hogwarts legacy

[gaygryffindorgal]

the goldcrest lineage; playlist

[listen on spotify]

chapter one: our choices seal out fate

broken crown - mumford and sons

the tradition - halsey

every breath you take - denmark + winter

little dark age - mgmt

~

chapter two: and when you go, don’t return to me, my love

(don’t fear) the reaper - keep shelly in athens

mama - my chemical romance

zombie - damned anthem

no time to die - billie eilish

~

chapter three: these are the days that bind you together, forever

shadow preachers - zella day

bad blood - bastille

house of wolves - my chemical romance

dynasty - miia

~

chapter four: can you stake me before the sun goes down?

icarus - bastille

everything i wanted - billie eilish

vampires will never hurt you - my chemical romance

writings on the wall - sam smith

you should see me in a crown - billie eilish

click here for the challenge by @kathrynalicemc​​

#lineage challenge #the goldcrest family #playlist #*mine

[lifeofkaze]

Lineage Challenge - Day 1

Draw or edit your family's crest. You can even explain the meaning behind what symbols or colours you used. ~ Challenge hosted by @kathrynalicemc ~

This crest for the wizarding branch of the Fraser family is basically a combination of two crests the actual clan Fraser of Lovat uses, as is the motto 'Je suis prest' (= I am ready).

The blue-and-white shield with the white flowers and red crowns (closest to crowns I got) is technically only to be used by the clan chief but bear with me. The stag in the middle is taken from the general crest (I think? Heraldry is complicated af).

On most crests - and most importantly - the signet ring passed on to Selene from her grandfather, the stag is actually golden, but a free coat maker app has its limitations. Or at least, my skill has.

#hphl #hogwarts legacy #selene fraser #meet the frasers #lineage challenge

[unfortunate-arrow]

Character Spotlights: The Lynch-O’Donnell Family

Day 4: Character Spotlight for @kathrynalicemc’s Lineage Challenge

→ The eldest son of Bain and Clodagh Lynch, Cillian Cathal Lynch led a complicated life. Nothing he did, whether it was voicing strong disdain for muggles and muggleborns or fiercely dueling his twin brother, was good enough for his father, who died when he was twelve. In the canon timeline, he was arrested for the murder of his twin brother. However, Cillian maintained his innocence until his death, alleging that he wasn’t the one who cast the fatal curse.

→ The marriage of Seán Michael O’Donnell and Ailis Ciara Lynch in 1962 united the O’Donnell and Lynch families into one. They had both been in Ravenclaw during their time at Hogwarts, but had only ever been acquaintances. That changed when they met again in Diagon Alley. Ailis was a healer, while Seán was an auror. Together they had five children. Sadly, they were never able to grow old together. Ailis fell fatally ill shortly before their quadruplets’ first birthday. Seán never took off his wedding band and even spent a year as Hogwarts’s Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, before his own death in 1978.

→ The eldest son of Seán and Ailis, Cian Jacob O’Donnell never recovered from the grief of losing his parents, grandparents, and love interest. The grief left him vulnerable to the manipulation of his uncle and the lure of the Cursed Vaults. After his release from the Vaults, Cian disappeared and his four younger siblings wouldn’t see him again until his death in December of 2002.

→ Declan Ryan O’Donnell-Lee loved his family dearly. But being the son of a world renowned magiozoologist and one of the famous Hogwarts cursebreakers wasn’t always easy. It didn’t seem that way to most people, but once he started at Hogwarts, Declan began to feel like he didn’t matter. It seemed like the only thing that people found interesting about him was his surname and familial connections. It didn’t seem to matter that he was exceptionally talented on the quidditch pitch. No one ever seemed to remember his first name.

#lineage challenge #cillian lynch #hphl #hogwarts legacy #seán o’donnell #ailis o’donnell #cian jacob o’donnell #cian o’donnell #hphm #hogwarts mystery #declan o’donnell lee #hpma #magic awakened #my aesthetic #my writing #provided a link to cian’s profile… although i’ll probably end up giving him a new one #the o’donnell family #the lynch family

[carewyncromwell]

Lineage Challenge Day 5: One-Shot

hosted by @kathrynalicemc​

x~x~x~x

“Listen to the wind blow -- down comes the night... Run in the shadows -- damn your love, damn your lies! Break the silence -- damn the dark, damn the light! And if you don't love me now, You will never love me again --  I can still hear you saying You would never break the chain...”

~“The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac

x~x~x~x

brief reference to Jacob Silvers @dat-silvers-girl 💜

x~x~x~x

The fall-out from the Second Wizarding War lasted years. The Ministry of Magic falling to the Death Eaters had eroded public trust so completely that its new officials had to work very hard to both reassure and stabilize the British Isles. The Wizarding World’s economy was in tatters, international relations were shaky, and on top of that, so many more people had died at the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters this time around, in large part to the efforts of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, that there was a deafening outcry to bring every last associate of the Death Eaters’ to justice. And the person who spent the next three years prosecuting nearly every ex-Death Eater case brought before the Wizengamot was Carewyn Cromwell. As one could expect, it was exhausting work -- hence why Carewyn’s boyfriend, Orion Amari, actually found her lying on the couch with a warm compress over her eyes, when he arrived in her living room fireplace one January evening. 

When he saw her, he smiled sympathetically. Then he swept over quietly so that he could ease himself down on the couch beside her. 

“Good evening, my Abraxan,” he greeted gently.

Carewyn groaned. It wasn’t out of drowsiness, though -- instead, it sounded much more frustrated. 

Thinking to preempt her from getting up, Orion came up right beside her so that his arm rested on the back of the couch behind her and rested his hand on her forehead, just over the warm compress on her eyes. 

“Your voice echoes with crackling cinders,” he murmured, “set to burst into flame.”

Carewyn’s red lips curled up in a dark smile. “So you can tell I’m not happy?”

“Generally you do not hide your eyes from others, when you are,” Orion said mildly. 

He hesitated, before very gently trailing his hand through her ginger bangs. 

“Would you like to share the spark behind these cinders with me...or would you like me to distract you from it, in the hopes that their fire cools?”

Carewyn gave a very low sigh. 

“...I have company coming over before we have dinner tonight,” she muttered at last.

Orion raised his eyebrows. He wasn’t displeased: merely surprised. 

“It must be important company, for you to revise your plans.”

Carewyn gave an irritable sniff. “He certainly fancies himself to be important, anyway.”

She brought a hand up to slide the compress off her eyes, her right hand brushing her hair out of her face while her left hand holding the compress came down to rest in her lap.

“Yesterday I got a letter from my uncle, Blaise Cromwell...he’s my mother’s brother...”

“He was part of R, then,” Orion surmised. He’d heard some things about R in passing through both Carewyn and McNully, who’d read about it in the Daily Prophet after their mass-arrest at Hogwarts back in 1990. 

“Yeah. Grandfather was the one actually in charge of R, and Blaise isn’t as bad as he was, by a mile...but he was still fully complicit in everything he did -- all of my mum’s siblings were. He never had any problem with scaring, blackmailing, or hurting people, if it meant Mum, Jacob, and I would be under Grandfather’s thumb, same as him. Even now that Grandfather’s dead, R’s been dismantled, and Blaise is Head of the Cromwell Clan, he still tries to assert his will over us now and again...keeps pressuring us to ‘return home’ and live at the Cromwell estate, under his rules.”

Carewyn spat these last words like poison. 

Orion’s eyes grew a little smaller. “So we have a bird in a cage who has an inclination to imprison you in that same cage.”

“Pretty much,” said Carewyn. 

“Hm.” Orion sounded rather detached and thoughtful. “As much as I pity any creature who could see love as nothing but locks and chains...I must wonder why you have chosen to entertain such a bird.” 

“Because he’s given me no other choice,” Carewyn scoffed. 

She got up from the couch. She bustled over to the kitchen, opening a drawer to put away her hot compress and then busying herself further by tidying up the tiny dining room.

“He sent me a letter yesterday, demanding an audience with me about some members of the Cromwell Clan who are set to go on trial next month for aiding the Death Eaters,” she said, as she wordlessly summoned a cleaning rag from the sink with her wand so she could wipe down the table. “I had planned to write back later in the week, after I had more time to look over the case files, but that absolute boor apparently decided that me not immediately dropping everything and throwing myself in front of the Wizengamot to demand pardons for those two family members warranted him bursting into my office and trying to bully me into doing what he wanted.”

Orion blinked. Then, despite himself, the Montrose Magpie actually found himself chuckling very softly. 

“The man thought to bully the likes of Carewyn Cromwell?” he said, his mouth spreading into a rather broad white smile as his black eyes sparkled. “I can imagine that didn’t go too well for him.”

“I told him to never even think of giving me orders again and to get the hell out of my office before the Aurors escorted him out,” Carewyn spat. 

She chucked the still slightly damp cleaning cloth across the kitchen so that it landed in the sink, before setting about checking the vegetable lasagna she had cooking in the oven. The display of righteous anger made Orion’s shining dark eyes crinkle up with both pride and fondness. 

“Your inner fire blazes bright, as always, little Firecrab.”

Carewyn couldn’t fully bite back a small wry smile as she went into the cupboards and started taking out plates and silverware so she could set the table for two.

“Maybe...but I knew I’d have to deal with Blaise sooner rather than later. So I sent him a quick note and told him I’d speak with him tonight. Not long after I wrote that to Blaise, though, Jacob contacted me through my Two-Way Mirror. He has a good friend in the Auror Department -- Jacob Silvers -- who told him two Cromwells had been arrested, so Jacob knew they’d end up opposite me in court, and he called to ask me about them.”

She rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling, looking a bit more exasperated again.

“And as soon as I brought up Blaise, Jacob immediately invited himself over for this little meeting too, because he doesn’t want me to have to deal with ‘that no-good feck’ on my own.”

Orion cocked his eyebrows, his mouth still turned up in a slight smile. “It seems your brother has just as strong of a protective instinct as you do.”

“Maybe, but no one would ever have to worry about me losing my temper and potentially choking someone,” said Carewyn. 

“Hopefully that person isn’t me,” Orion said very drolly.

“I wouldn’t let him,” Carewyn said irritably. 

“Much obliged,” Orion said with a bright white grin.

Carewyn soon found herself smiling amusedly too despite herself, though she bowed her head and tried to hide it. Still smiling, Orion eased himself up off the couch and came up behind her, resting his hands over hers on the table.  

“...This will be the first time...I’ll be meeting your brother,” Orion said softly. “Any of your family, for that matter.”

Carewyn frowned. “Mm...well, Blaise is hardly family. Family by blood, maybe, but that’s all it is.”

“And yet you’re still helping him,” Orion pointed out. 

“I’m simply doing my job, and doing what’s right,” Carewyn said dully. “I owe Blaise nothing, after everything he’s done.” 

Orion’s smile softened slightly. “...No, you do not.”

He brought his head down to rest on Carewyn’s shoulder.

“...That’s why...I’m so very inspired...by how your heart is so large that you will do such a noble thing, even for someone so distinctly lacking in nobility as your uncle.”

Carewyn smiled a bit more again, genuinely touched by Orion’s support. She tilted her head somewhat to kiss Orion’s temple, and he in return brought his arms around her from behind and kissed her nose and cheek in return.

WHOOSH.

At that very moment, the fireplace in the living room sparked to life with animated green flames. With a loud cluster of shuffles and gasps of greenish smoke, a young man dressed in a hooded red sweatshirt and ripped jeans with a long ponytail of dark curls stumbled out, holding a Tupperware container under his arm. When he straightened up, it was clear from his eyes who he was -- despite how sunken-in they were, they were the same almond shape and sky-blue color as Carewyn’s. 

Jacob Cromwell took one look at the stranger hugging his sister from behind, and his face immediately turned very ugly. 

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded at once.

“Jacob,” Carewyn scolded. 

She looked from Jacob to Orion and back quickly. 

“...This is my boyfriend -- Orion Amari.”

The two siblings, when their eyes met, looked at each other very intensely. It was like they were having a conversation that no one else could understand -- and they were, thanks to their shared Legilimency.

Orion flying beside her during the Slytherin VS Ravenclaw Quidditch Final -- Orion and her sitting together in the stands, back at Hogwarts -- Orion rescuing Carewyn’s thirteen-year-old ward, Erik Apollo, from a swarm of dementors with his Winged Horse Patronus -- the Patronus that was the same as hers -- 

Something in Jacob’s eyes seemed to flinch. 

What? -- Jacob reading a book about Patronuses -- the passage about matching Patronuses and soulmates --

Yes -- Carewyn struggling to bite back tears as she watched her Patronus approach Orion’s -- Orion’s and her Patronuses touching noses before Carewyn’s disappeared --

Jacob’s lips knit together in a very stiff, straight line as he stared from his sister to the man behind her. Rather than relaxing at all, though, he only seemed to bare his teeth further.

“Boyfriend, huh?” he said drolly. “I didn’t think you were the type to date meathead jocks, Pip.”

Rather than be offended by this, however, Orion actually smiled pleasantly as he gently let go of his significant other. 

“I would say Carewyn Cromwell is not the type to date much of anyone,” he said placidly. 

Jacob’s eyes flashed up at the taller man. “She isn’t.”

“And yet I’m dating Orion,” Carewyn said very coolly. “Now what’s that under your arm, Jacob?”

She’d sensed him thinking about it, when he arrived. 

Still looking a bit surly, Jacob nonetheless took out the plastic container from under his arm and held it out for his sister.

“Sticky toffee pudding!” he said, forcing a slightly brighter smile. “Fresh out of the oven. Thought if I was going to upset my Pip’s ridiculously over-planned schedule by putting off her dinner, I ought to bring you something to make up for it.”

Carewyn blinked in surprise. “...That’s oddly thoughtful of you, Jacob.” 

However talented of a Leglimens and Occlumens and Jacob was, he was notoriously dumb when it came to interacting with other people. 

“Well, it was actually Silvers’s idea,” Jacob said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Was venting to him about this crap, and he said if I was going over to your place for dinner, I should bring something. Sure, I wasn’t planning on staying and eating...but I still reckoned he was sort of right.” 

Carewyn smiled. “Thanks, Jacob.”

She moved to give her older brother a light peck on the cheek before she took the box and moved to put it over on the kitchen counter. When her back was turned, Jacob shot another irritable glare at Orion.

“...So when is old Blaise skulking his way in here?”

“5:30,” said Carewyn. 

Both Orion and Jacob looked up at the clock over the fireplace. 5:20.

“Reckon he’s using the Floo Network too?” said Jacob, smirking amusedly at his sister despite himself. “Or is he actually going to knock on the door like a gentleman?”

A fantastical image of a thoroughly revolted Blaise, being squeezed comically inside a circle of homely, middle-class Muggles --

Carewyn bit her lip to hold in a laugh. “No, he’s using the Floo -- I don’t trust him to walk around this neighborhood without raising a few eyebrows.”

Blaise storming into her office, dressed in very un-Muggle-worthy, high-necked burgundy robes -- 

Jacob gave a low, derisive snort. “True. At least you change out of your hoity-toity dress robes after work’s over...I reckon old Blaise would be the sort to strut about London looking like something out of The Witches and acting like everyone else is the weirdo...”

“I take it your uncle is rather unfamiliar with the Muggle World, then,” Orion said thoughtfully.

Jacob glowered at Orion. “Unfamiliar? Feh! He’s a Muggle-hating bigot.”

“The entire Cromwell Clan believes in magical superiority,” Carewyn explained a bit more coolly as she opened up the top cabinet and fetched out some matching white mugs. “They don’t believe in blood purity, per say -- they’ll tolerate wizards of mixed ancestry, so long as they don’t have any association with Muggles or their way of life. But Muggles themselves they hate beyond reason. Mum marrying a Muggle was a sin, to them.”

Jacob’s lip curled angrily. “As if any of those bastards are in any place to condemn Mum’s choices, after everything they’ve pulled.”

“Would you like some hot cocoa, Jacob?” Carewyn asked over her shoulder, while she set about putting on a pot of coffee. 

“Cheers, Pip,” Jacob said with a grin.

“Tea for you, Orion?”

“If you please,” said Orion. 

Once she’d finished getting the pot of coffee ready, she set about putting on the tea bags for Orion and mixing the hot cocoa for Jacob. Orion settled himself down on the couch to wait -- after a moment, Jacob moved to the far end of the couch himself, keeping a healthy distance from his sister’s boyfriend. 

“It’s good to finally meet you, Jacob Cromwell,” Orion said to him politely. “I have heard much about you, from Carewyn.”

Jacob gave him the side-eye. “...Hmph. Can’t say the same for you.”

This fact seemed to irritate him.

“Well, although Carewyn and I have known each other for a long time, this particular incarnation of us as an ‘us’ is rather new,” Orion said in a rather soothing voice. “We only recently shared the depth of our feelings with each other. And before that...well, both Carewyn and I were hesitant, to broach the topic.” 

Jacob cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Orion gave a light shrug. “We live in two different worlds -- live two different lives. It’s not easy to build a bridge, however much one may want to surmount a gorge.”

Jacob’s face twisted up in a bizarre combination of bewilderment and suspicion. “What?”

“Orion and his daughter Eos have to live in Montrose, so he can fly for the Magpies,” Carewyn called over in explanation. “Erik and I have to live in London, so I can continue my work for the Ministry.”

“We’re still charting out a possible path ahead for us,” Orion said pleasantly. “Your sister has shown astounding patience, during this process.”

“As much as a Flobberworm?” Carewyn said coolly.

“If you showed any more, you’d be excreting mucus,” Orion said amusedly.

“Thank Merlin I’m not.”

Jacob looked from Carewyn to Orion and back in utter bewilderment, but before he could say anything else, there was another loud WHOOSH from the fireplace. With a bit less clamor than Jacob, another man stepped out, brushing green cinders off of his high-necked burgundy robes and adjusting the inside pocket. He was noticeably older with slicked-back blond hair, a trimmed mustache and beard, and almond-shaped blue eyes just like Jacob and Carewyn’s. 

Blaise Cromwell had arrived at Carewyn’s flat right on the dot of 5:30. 

Blaise surveyed the flat, his eyes narrowed critically before landing on Jacob, who’d already immediately gotten to his feet as if readying for a fight. His mouth spread into a small smirk. 

“Jacob...this is a nice surprise.”

Jacob’s eyes flashed venomously. “Get bent, you scumbag.”

When Blaise’s eyes fell down to the man still sitting on the couch behind Jacob with his hands clasped in his lap, however, the head of the Cromwell Clan’s face lost its amusement, becoming more distrustful.

“Who are you?” he asked very coldly. 

"Orion Amari,” the Star Chaser introduced himself, his voice incredibly placid. “Your niece and I just entered into a relationship, last month.”

Blaise’s eyes grew very wide, almost horrified -- within seconds, though, that horror had snapped back into a bizarre kind of rage.

“Entered into a relationship? You mean to say that you intend to court Winnie?”

“Marriage would be incredibly impractical for us, considering we can’t even live in the same country, Blaise,” Carewyn said very coldly from the kitchen without turning around. “And it’s Carewyn to you.” 

Only her mother, Lane, was allowed to call her “Winnie.”

Blaise whirled on Carewyn, looking scandalized. 

“Winnie, you can’t be serious -- the whole point of a man and a woman entering into a romantic relationship would be securing a future marriage!” 

He shot a disgusted look over his shoulder at Orion. 

“Surely you don’t intend to disgrace yourself thusly...living in sin, when there are so many more deserving husbands that could be lined up for you -- ”

“Lined up for me by you? No thanks,” Carewyn said very dryly. “Now would you like coffee, tea, or cocoa, Blaise? We have actual business to attend to.”

Blaise seethed in silence for a moment, his eyes boring into his niece’s back. His eyes flickered menacingly over to Orion again very briefly, before he took a deep breath in and out through his nose.

“...Coffee. Black.”

Carewyn came into the sitting room to put Jacob’s mug of cocoa and Orion’s cup of tea down on a pair of drink coasters on the coffee table in front of them.

“Thank you, my Abraxan,” Orion murmured. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Did you brew it decaf?”

“Yes, only because it’s late and I’ll have to get to bed early, to be up for the next round of hearings tomorrow,” Carewyn replied under her breath. 

“Try to eat some eggs, along with your cup in the morning,” Orion said gently. “The protein will give you energy, rather than a shadow of it.”

He gave Carewyn a short peck on the cheek that made both Jacob and Blaise glare daggers into him. Carewyn then returned to the kitchen to take another mug for Blaise out of the top cabinet. 

“Sit down, Blaise. I’ll be there shortly.”

Blaise looked around at the tiny sitting room he’d found himself in, his blue eyes flickering over Orion on the left side of the couch, Jacob on the far-right corner of the couch, and then the second-hand leather armchair set up beside it. Curling his lip in distaste, Blaise reluctantly settled himself down into the armchair, cringing a bit at just how much the chair’s cushions compressed under him when he sat down.

“I had no concept you lived in such...squalor, Winnie,” Blaise said, his voice dripping with condescension. “For you to be only scraping by like this, while being the Ministry’s star prosecutor -- ”

“I’ve already told you, Blaise, that my name is Carewyn. And if this is squalor to you, then you should consider yourself very fortunate.”

Jacob sneered at Blaise. “Hmph, right. I’d like to see you having to buy anything second-hand...reckon you’ve got it in your head that yard sales carry fleas.”

Blaise seemed unable to lean back into the armchair like a normal person, so instead he sat perfectly upright as he crossed his arms.

“Really, now, there’s no need for sass. I merely mean that you and your mother all deserve better than what you’re settling for. Lane living like a hermit out in the country...you, Jacob, wandering the world aimlessly, when you could be teaching the next generation of witches and wizards, here at home. You deserve to live in a real house, Winnie, one befitting your work ethic and family name -- not this dinky little shoebox...”

“I am very happy where I am, and I’d thank you not to insult the home of the person who’s hosting you,” Carewyn said sardonically.

She brought out two white mugs of coffee, one of which she offered to Blaise.

“Put it down on this, if you decide to put it down,” she said, as she took out another drink coaster from the stack set up on the coffee table and laid it in front of him. “I don’t want to leave any rings on the furniture.”

Blaise quirked an eyebrow at the drink coaster, which like the others resembled tiny Muggle records. Blaise’s in particular was for a band called the Beatles. He then took the mug from Carewyn, considering the liquid inside critically. He even inhaled the steam, so as to sample the scent. 

“Where did you get these particular beans?” he asked. “I presume they’re ‘second-hand’ as well?”

“I bought this blend at the market, like normal people,” Carewyn said dryly as she settled herself down between Orion and Jacob on the couch. “Maybe you should actually drink the coffee and then judge.”

Blaise shot Carewyn a rather withering expression. Then, shooting the coffee in his mug one more beady look, he took a measured sip. He smacked his lips once, considering the taste.

“...This is not terrible,” he said at last.

Carewyn gave a light huff. “How charitable of you.”

Once she’d taken a sip herself, she rested her mug in her lap.

“Now, then...to business. I looked up Marek and Elmer’s case files...Marek’s set to appear before the Wizengamot on the first of February, with Elmer one week later.”

Blaise’s lips came together in a tight line. “...Yes. Claire has been fretting to no end about the length of their stint in Azkaban...particularly since the Ministry has seen fit to place restrictions on visitation...”

“No more restrictions than were placed on Rakepick and Hagrid, when they both were in Azkaban,” Carewyn said lightly. “It’s just fortunate that Elmer and Marek’s guards are wizards, and not dementors.”

“The nature of their guards is irrelevant -- what matters is that they’re not at home, where they belong,” Blaise said bluntly. He took another drink of coffee before putting his mug down on the coaster in front of him. “So how do you intend to get them out of there?” 

Carewyn’s eyes grew a little smaller. “I don’t.”

Blaise reacted with anger. “What?!”

“They aided and abetted the Death Eaters, Blaise. They were both party to property damage, trespassing, high treason, and terroristic activity, and both of them were accessory to arson, kidnapping, and murder. That will more than earn both of them a stint in Azkaban.” 

“I don’t care what they’ve done!” snarled Blaise. “This is your uncle and cousin we’re talking about -- your flesh and blood. You will not turn your back on your family -- !”

“Don’t you dare tell my Pip what to do!” Jacob spat. 

He put down his own mug of hot cocoa with a loud clink.

“You may be able to order around the rest of the little lemmings swimming around you, but we’re not that sort -- neither Pip nor me, nor Mum. We didn’t cower before old Charles, and we won’t cower to the likes of you.”

Blaise’s eyes flashed dangerously. “I will not accept such insolence from you, Jacob!”

Jacob gave a humorless laugh. “Too bad! You’re getting it anyway, old man.”

Blaise's expression turned very ugly. It was amazing how these two men who were so different in so many ways both seemed to bare their teeth like animals when they were angry. 

“Whatever delusions of irresponsibility you may fancy, Jacob, you, your mother, and your sister are Cromwells,” Blaise shot back fiercely. “Cromwells do not care for what’s right, what’s wrong, what the outside world wants or likes -- we care about family. Noster familia, nostra gloria.”

His eyes darted over to Carewyn.

“And Marek and Elmer are your family. You will put them first, before whatever ambition or morality or delusional sense of duty you have dancing about in your head.”

“Or what?” Jacob challenged him. “You’ll threaten us? Blackmail us? Are you gonna impersonate one of us with Polyjuice Potion again, just to try to force us to do what you want? Or maybe you’ll just emulate old Charles and break out the Unforgivables -- then maybe you can get chucked back into Azkaban along with those idiots you’re trying to call our family -- !”

Blaise actually shot to his feet and made an angry move toward Jacob. Even though Blaise’s rock-solid Occlumency had made it harder than normal for Jacob to predict that move, he still reacted fast enough to get to his feet himself and punched his uncle right in the face. It knocked Blaise right off his feet and to the floor, stunning him enough that he couldn’t retaliate right away. This hesitation gave Orion the opportunity to step in.

“Peace,” he said in a very soft, but quelling voice, holding up both of his hands. “Aggression solves nothing, in these circumstances -- voices are not better heard when used to shout -- ”

Carewyn got up from the couch too, reaching out to take hold of her brother’s shoulder. 

“Jacob, sit down,” she said very sharply.

She shot him a very quick, pointed look.

Blaise getting punched in the face as if in slow-motion -- Carewyn herself, trying not to smirk -- Blaise disguised as Jacob getting blasted backwards by Carewyn’s Banishment Charm into a wall -- 

Jacob smiled a bit despite himself. He could tell even if his sister didn’t exactly approve, she did still get some tiny pleasure from seeing Blaise getting punched.

Her face holding no trace of a smile, Carewyn came around the couch, bent down beside Blaise on the floor, and took out her wand. 

“Episkey,” she said lowly.

The spell healed the cut on Blaise’s lip. Carewyn then put her wand away in her jacket’s interior pocket and extended both hands to take hold of Blaise’s arms, as if to help him up. Blaise looked down at her hands supporting him in bewilderment, looking both confused and almost derisive by the kindness of the gesture.

“What in the world are you doing?” he said. “You’re not even half so strong that you could lift me.”

He straightened up on his own, brushing himself off. Carewyn cocked her eyebrows coolly at Blaise as he settled himself back down in the armchair, almost as if trying to pretend the whole blow-up had never happened. She glanced at Jacob, who shot her a rather dull expression.

Blaise getting punched several more times in rapid succession -- “You’re a saint, Pip” --

Carewyn then looked at Orion. His face was rather unreadable, but his hands were clasped tightly in his lap. Carewyn got the feeling he hadn’t liked how loud and hostile the room had gotten. 

“What is it that you intend to do then, Winnie?” Blaise said lowly. “You could not have summoned me here just to tell me that you won’t do anything.”

Carewyn crossed her arms. “Don’t call me Winnie. And no, I didn’t.”

She crossed back over to the couch so she could sit between Jacob and Orion, resting a hand on Orion’s knee. All three men’s eyes went to that hand like a shot, though Blaise and Jacob’s expressions were more irritable than Orion’s, which was much more unreadable, even as his shoulders slowly relaxed and he closed his eyes as if he were meditating. 

“Marek’s charges are pretty much uncontested,” said Carewyn, ignoring all three of their reactions in favor of the task at hand. Her eyes lingered on the far wall as she talked. “By all accounts, he supported the Death Eaters’ efforts wholeheartedly, being trusted with significant secrets, suggesting additional targets...there’s even correspondence between him and his brother, Corban Yaxley, that pretty much confirms he was set to receive a Dark Mark of his own, soon enough, and that he likewise wanted to secure one for his son. There’s nothing I could do for Marek, even if I wanted to -- nothing anyone could do for him. He will be sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban, when he goes before the Wizengamot.”

Blaise’s eyes narrowed. “...And Elmer?”

Carewyn felt a hand come down on top of hers. She glanced at Orion, who’d opened his eyes again and was smiling at her. Through his eyes, she could sense his gratitude and the warmth of his affection -- as if he wanted to lean in and place a tender kiss to the side of her neck, but had decided to hold off until later. She offered him a small smile in return before taking a deep breath and turning her focus back to Blaise.

“...Elmer is a different matter,” she said slowly. “His case suggests a lot of coercion from outside sources -- manipulation and intimidation, sometimes even outright blackmail. Most accounts paint Elmer as naive, clueless, cowardly -- easily led.”

Jacob snorted loudly. “An absolute sheep, then. Why am I not surprised that that’s how one of Claire’s kids turned out?” 

Surprisingly, Blaise didn’t scold Jacob for this -- instead he cynically confirmed it.

“Claire raised all of her children to be as stupidly people-pleasing as she is.”

His face then turned a bit more serious as he turned back to Carewyn. 

“...Still, if that stupidity sets him free, then we may as well lean into it. Do you believe that will be enough, to sway the Wizengamot toward leniency?” 

Carewyn’s fingers interlaced with Orion’s on his knee. 

“Perhaps,” she said levelly. “Elmer’s association with such prominent Death Eaters, even under duress, could still stain the Wizengamot’s image of him...Barty Crouch, Jr. professed his innocence left, right, and center and still got convicted, just for being caught with the people who tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom. Still, it’s the best defense he’s got.”

Blaise’s lips came together tightly. “Then you will speak for him?”

“I will give some recommendations to his attorney,” Carewyn corrected. “I’m the Wizengamot’s main prosecutor, in these cases -- it’s not my role to defend anyone in that courtroom, aside from the many people the Death Eaters have harmed.” 

“Your role should be protecting your family,” Blaise said irritably.

“You and I have very different ideas of what defines a family, Blaise,” Carewyn replied dully. 

Blaise scowled. He picked up his mug again, holding it between his hands as he considered his own murky reflection in the brown liquid. 

“Claire will not be happy, losing her husband,” he said lowly. 

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’d say she’s already lost him, if he decided to turn Elmer into a Death Eater when he was clearly terrified of them.”

“Kind of you to presume your uncle Marek has ever done anything but make all the decisions for his family,” Blaise said airily. “If it weren’t for me making sure he knew he still answered to me and to the Clan, I daresay he would’ve run off to join the Death Eaters years ago...”

He exhaled heavily through his nose, clearly a bit miffed. 

“...I suppose if we must sacrifice Marek in order to save Elmer, that is a price we can pay,” he said at last. “Any upset Claire might feel I daresay she’ll get over soon enough.”

Jacob and Carewyn exchanged a rather dull look.

“We care about family” -- “I suppose if we must sacrifice Marek -- that is a price we can pay” -- bloody hypocrite -- “flesh and blood” -- I guess in-laws you don’t like don’t count -- 

No kidding -- “we care about family” -- Blaise as Jacob fighting alongside Rakepick against the real Jacob and Carewyn disguised as Rakepick -- “we care about family” -- Blaise dueling Jacob in the Sunken Vault -- “we care about family” -- blah blah blah -- 

“Your sensitivity never ceases to astound me, Blaise,” Carewyn said very dryly.

Blaise smirked over his coffee mug. “Sensitivity is your strong suit, little Winnie, not mine.”

He finished off his coffee, put the mug down on the coaster, and then got to his feet.

“Well, now that that’s settled, I’m afraid I must return to the Cromwell estate -- I’ve left Tristan at home, and I know my son well enough to know that leaving that boy to his own devices for more than an hour or two is a recipe for disaster.”

He paused, before reaching into the pocket of his robes. He took out something small in his hand, before tapping it with his wand silently to enlarge it back to its normal size.

It was a small bouquet of pretty white flowers. 

“Here you are,” he said, as if prompting Carewyn to take them. 

Carewyn frowned in confusion. “What are these for?”

“Your table -- however small it might be, for such a centerpiece,” Blaise added a bit more cynically.

Carewyn shot him a faintly irritated look, which made Blaise roll his eyes.

“Contrary to your apparent belief, I am not completely lacking in manners. I am your guest -- you are my host. And considering you, Jacob, and your mother wouldn’t come home for Christmas, you never received any proper gifts then, either. So here you are -- I thought hellebores would be suitable. Your grandmother always quite esteemed them, at this time of year.”

Orion’s eyebrows raised with vague interest. “Ah yes -- I’ve heard tales circulated, about these plants.”

Carewyn looked at Orion, startled. “Really?”

“Yes,” said Orion. “It’s said that there was once a shepherd named Madelon, who wept at the thought of having no gift for the baby Jesus -- then, lo, an angel appeared, pointed at the ground at Madelon’s feet, and suddenly peeking out through the snow was a perfect gift -- a beautiful white Christmas Rose."

Blaise looked at Orion out the side of his eye with both mistrust and faint discomfort, before shifting his gaze back over to Carewyn haughtily.

“...Well, then, are you going to just make me stand here holding this thing forever, or are you going to be a proper host and take them?” he asked cynically. 

He held the bouquet out a bit farther to make his point. Carewyn shot her uncle a rather dull look, but nonetheless took the flowers from him.

“Thank you,” she said politely. “They’re beautiful.”

Blaise’s lips upturned in an unpleasantly smug kind of smile -- rather like a teenage boy who managed to coax his parents into letting him stay the night at his girlfriend’s house. 

“There are more of them in our garden, back at the Cromwell estate. They’ve grown up quite nicely outside the window of Lane’s old bedroom -- I think it would be the perfect size for an office, for you -- ”

“Have a lovely evening, Blaise,” Carewyn cut him off very coolly.

Rather than taking offense, however, Blaise’s smug smile actually seemed to spread, becoming brighter than ever as he turned his back, giving something of a backhanded wave as he strolled for the door. 

“I’ll be in touch, Jacob -- little Winnie,” he called behind him. 

“Don’t bother!” Jacob snapped.

“And don’t call me Winnie,” added Carewyn.

Blaise opened the front door of Carewyn’s and snapped it shut behind him. A moment later, a loud CRACK signaled he had Disapparated. 

Jacob growled under his breath like an irritated Doberman. “That smug prat -- I should’ve punched him in the nose, instead of the mouth...maybe then he would’ve had some more permanent damage...”

Carewyn put down Blaise’s bouquet on the coffee table and turned to Orion. Her other half’s eyebrows were high over his narrowed eyes as he considered the door through which Blaise had left.

“Orion?” she asked.

Orion looked at her, his face rather unreadable. 

“Your uncle is rather like a Pogrebin,” he said levelly.

Carewyn raised a curious eyebrow. Jacob fixed Orion with a perfectly baffled expression.

“Why, because of his big head?” Jacob said with a dark laugh.

“Because of his attitude,” said Orion. “Like the Pogrebin, your uncle seems determined to latch onto you -- to follow along behind you, watching over you. Yet the longer you would be in his company, the more unhappy you would probably be. And if you were ever to give into that despair...you would be part of him forever.”

Something oddly thoughtful flickered through Orion’s eyes as he looked at Carewyn.

“...I’ve never considered feeling pity for such a creature before...but as much as I’m glad that you and your brother have maintained some distance from this man...I lament that your uncle never learned how to express his fondness for you in a way that didn’t involve treating you like an object to possess.”

Carewyn’s expression softened somewhat. She brought a hand up through Orion’s uneven haircut, smoothing his bangs out of his eyes affectionately.

“Fortunately I have people in my life who know what love really means,” she said softly.

She placed a chaste kiss to his lips. Orion then swept in himself, kissing her a bit more deeply.

“Ahem.”

Carewyn and Orion broke apart, to look over at Jacob, who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed and his eyes averted uncomfortably.

“I suppose I’d better get going too,” he said gruffly. “Now that old Blaise has seen fit to slink off back to his rat hole...”

Carewyn didn’t need to look Jacob in the eye to know he was incredibly uncomfortable, in the face of his sister being all lovey-dovey with Orion. Feeling a prick of compassion for her older brother, she shot a quick look at Orion, almost asking permission. Guessing what she wanted at once, Orion smiled fully and turned to Jacob.

“If you do not have plans, perhaps you should join us for dinner,” he said kindly. 

The offer made Jacob look up, startled, before immediately turning away again and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“What? Oh, no, I...I’d better get on back to my flat, so I can pack -- got a train ticket back out to France, first thing in the morning...”

“You won’t have to stay too late,” said Carewyn, “I’ll have to be up early for work myself in the morning.”

She walked up to her brother, taking hold of his shoulder to try to coax him to look at her.

Carewyn hearing Jacob’s voice and trying to answer in the Ice Vault -- Carewyn running to Jacob after he was finally set free from that cursed Portrait -- Carewyn hugging a sobbing Jacob at the Lakeshore -- Carewyn sitting with Orion in the Quidditch stands -- “you know...when we first met, in my third year, you kind of reminded me of Jacob” -- “Your brother? Hm. One could take that as quite a compliment, considering how fond you are of him” -- 

“We’d love to have you,” she encouraged him. 

I want you to know him. Please, Jacob, I want you to know him, like I do. 

Jacob stared at Carewyn for a long moment. His thoughts were definitely turbulent and a bit conflicted -- pain, thinking about his little sister talking about him, to this guy -- hurt, thinking about his little sister not telling him she felt so much for this guy. But nonetheless, after a long moment, Jacob exhaled heavily and finally relented, his mouth spreading into a smile.

“...Okay, Pip. I’ll stay.”

I’ll stay for you.

Fortunately, for as uncomfortable as it got at points between Jacob and Orion, the three had a very nice meal. The vegetable lasagna recipe Carewyn had tried out had turned out pretty well, and Jacob’s pudding had turned out even better. Orion had never had sticky toffee pudding before, but he looked very forward to eating it again sometime. Carewyn could sense Jacob wasn’t totally keen on cooking for Orion again, but after a light bit of mental chiding from his sister, Jacob didn’t verbalize that sentiment. 

After Jacob left, Orion and Carewyn sat on the couch for a while, chatting about various things, before shifting over to Carewyn’s bed, where Orion draped himself beside Carewyn, his head resting over her heart as she sat up in bed, reading through pages of Elmer’s case file.

“You have a lovely menagerie for a family, my Abraxan,” Orion said absently.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. A Jarvey for a ward, a Pogrebin for an uncle...and a firedrake for a brother.”

Carewyn laughed. “Firedrake, maybe...or maybe a hippogriff. That’s Jacob’s Patronus.”

“A hippogriff,” Orion said, sounding oddly pleased as he closed his eyes. “...Yes, that works a lot better.” 

He placed a soft kiss through her shirt, right over her breast.

“I look forward to seeing what sort of creature your mother is,” he murmured against her shirt. 

Carewyn’s eyes sparkled fondly as she kissed the top of Orion’s head, her hand trailing through his hair. “Mum’ll love you, Orion. I know she will.”

“That’s a comfort. I do not think I’d survive the ire of your brother, uncle, and mother, simultaneously.” 

When Orion and Carewyn finally turned off the lights that night, the white “Christmas Roses” Blaise had bought -- now in a vase full of water over by the window -- seemed to glow slightly in the moonlight. The enchantment on them would make them bloom for three whole months. 

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #lineage challenge #my writing #aesthetic #moodboard #carewyn cromwell #blaise cromwell #jacob cromwell #orion amari #elmer yaxley #claire cromwell #lane cromwell #a day late but gaaaaah work is crazy #this took way longer than I intended too XD #oh well