|| Chava wasn't okay. It had only been less than a week, and the trauma of Lucedio breaking into their house, almost killing her and her family, and gouging out Damien's eye, of course, had not left her yet. It wouldn't for quite a while. And in the few days since, Chava had not slept, true to her word. Most of the time, she pretended to, to please Damien, but she was always keeping an eye out and listening for Lucedio to break in again. She knew it would happen eventually. Most days, she could feign normalcy. Sometimes, however, it was all she could do to barricade herself in a corner and rock back and forth until the sobs and memories and forefront fears passed. Today, thankfully, was a better day. Though she was, of course, exhausted, and largely paranoid every minute of her life, today she could fake it. She felt gentler, much more docile, and was ready to go look for Damien and curl up into his side when something else caught her attention. The owl outside the window made her jump, immediately screaming, before she realized no, it was not Lucedio breaking in, but still something slightly unusual. An owl? Maybe some Ministry shit for Damien. She'd grab it and give it to him when she went down to find him. But grabbing the letter and watching the owl fly off, she closed the window, her eyes widening. The letter had the Hogwarts seal on it. Someone was getting a Hogwarts letter. And somehow Chava became even madder at herself for not yet realizing this was about to happen with her own daughter. Aveline was eleven and perfectly magical, and it was the summer before her train would leave. She had gotten her Hogwarts acceptance letter- she had to go find her. Without hesitation she hurries to the girl's room that she never quite left, knocking on the door. Now was a good time to prove she could be a good mother.
|| So much had happened, that Aveline was having a hard time keeping up with everything that was going on. The latest events were something she was completely unprepared for. Seeing her mother without a hand was shocking enough, but seeing her stepfather without an eye had nearly made her sick. /Nearly/. She was used to seeing death or limbs removed, though typically she saw them in animals, and not humans. But seeing an eye socket where an eye used to be... that was jarring. But all the shock and dismemberment couldn't keep her spirits down. She knew that she would receive her Hogwarts letter soon. She didn't lack for magic, though she did prefer her bow, so there was no doubt it would arrive. She just hoped it was soon. Yet there was some small nagging thought in her mind. One thing that made her fear a possibility. What if she couldn't go to Hogwarts. What if she wasn't able to afford everything? Sure there was that bowl of galleons down in the living room, and she had no doubt that Chava would be able to snag the galleons if she wanted to, but even she knew that the amount there wouldn't really be enough to buy everything. A wand alone was expensive from what she heard. Though her stepfather was rich, absurdly so, would he even buy for her? The man had always seemed cold, indifferent, with the exception of her mother. Not even to mention that he was sadistic, and a cannibal. She dared not ask him just in case. A small knock on the door to her room caused her head to snap up in that direction,"Come in." It was odd to hear a knock on her door. For the most part, everyone had been content to just let her be.
|| Why was she nervous? She and Aveline hadn't ever had the greatest relationship, and Chava wanted to prove herself better, but how? She wanted to prove she could handle an 11-year-old and two twin babies, with another on the way. Lots of kids /had/ to have a good mother, there was no doubt about that. She pokes her head into Aveline's room, before slipping in, leaving the door open a crack. Perhaps Damien would show up soon looking for her. She doesn't say anything at first but slides the unopened letter to Aveline, the Hogwarts seal on the front out and in the open. She cracks a smile, standing awkwardly away from her daughter. Would a good mother hug her? Congratulate her? At least give her a pat on the arm and a way to go? She bites down on her bottom lip. "Well we'll have to go shopping soon, which means sunlight for us," she muses, cracking a grin to show it was something of a joke, trying to break the ice. It was strange, to not know what to say to her daughter. "I believe we've plenty of things to get you and very little time."
|| The letter had arrived. For a few moments, Aveline sat there, holding the letter in her hands a small smile in place on her lips. It wasn't until her mother started speaking that she pried the letter open looking at the contents within. There was the usual spiel she was told it would contain. Pleased to inform, await your owl, etc. She pulled the second part of the letter out of the envelope wanting to see exactly what they'd have to get. As her eyes lowered further and further along the list, the more her face fell. The galleons in the bowl would never be able to get all of this, not even if she got everything second hand. "Will Damien...?" Her voice trailed off leaving her question unfinished. Will Damien pay for this? Would Damien even allow them to go to Diagon with all that had happened recently? There were just too many variables. "This will all add up," She stated simply, waving her hand at the list.
|| Chava couldn't help but smile as she watched Aveline, happy for her that she had gotten her letter. Chava's own letter had been nothing special, and the only reason she got decent things for school was because her pureblood parents wouldn't allow their own pureblood and newly Slytherin daughter to look and appear anything less than perfect. Hence came Chava's perfect scores and prefect status. Chava wouldn't pressure Aveline into doing much of the same. Hogwarts should be fun, not all study and work and worry about home. Though with this kind of family, she supposed Aveline was bound to worry either way. She took note of her daughter's falling expression, tilting her head. What could possibly be worrying her? Would Damien what? At her last words, she suddenly understood. And it was almost cute. She opens her mouth in understanding and moves to sit next to Aveline. "Oh! Oh, of course he will. Aveline, I /married/ him." She grins faintly. "You're technically his daughter too." It occurred to Chava how little Damien and Aveline communicated, and how strangely they must see each other. Damien must have not looked very warm at all. Chava glances towards the door. "In fact, maybe I should get him."
|| It took a while to get used to the lack of his left eye, but he had managed it easy enough. He could still see with his right eye, so it wasn't as big a deal as Chava's hand. Though he made sure to cover it up with a patch, so it wasn't as jarring for those around him. He planned on going into Diagon to get a glass eye of some sort at some point. As he sat on his throne contemplating his eye as well as trying to figure out how to move forward from there, he heard footsteps walking across the upper floors. He waited a few moments, before pulling himself out of his throne, figuring it was Chava going to check up on the twins or something. He made his way up the stairs, before hearing voices over towards his right side, which crossed out the twins, as they were in the left hallway. That left Aveline or Clover, and he was betting on the former. He walked over towards Aveline's room pushing open the door a little bit, only to catch the last snippets of the conversation. "No need. I'm here. Now, what will I do?" He smirked lightly, before leaning against the doorframe, waiting patiently for an answer.
|| The words had some reassurance, but Aveline couldn't tell if this was the truth or if it was just placating words. "Stepdaughter." She mumbles slightly. Just because she was his wife's daughter, didn't mean he had to like her. He had the sneaking suspicion that he didn't like everyone minus a very select few. Either way, Aveline would have to find some way to do without, in case the man didn't want to pay for her Hogwarts things. Perhaps she could go hunting again and sell hides in order to pay her way. The sudden sound of Damien speaking made her jump. She hadn't been paying attention to the door, her focus primarily staying on the slip of paper between her fingertips. With nary a word, she extended her hand to give her stepfather the second part to the letter. "I got my Hogwarts letter." She spoke cautiously as if she thought she was tiptoeing on broken glass, and the slightest noise would lead to trouble.
|| Yes, Chava was feeling better today, but paranoid Chava still jumped and nearly knocked over everything in her vicinity when Damien popped up suddenly. She hadn't screamed, but she clutches her chest as if she had been having a heart attack, before calming herself down and grinning sheepishly at her husband. She slides over to him, curling one arm around his torso. Along with being more paranoid, she was much more affectionate and needy for affection and attention from him. She nods as Aveline's hands her letter over to him to examine, noting the caution in her voice. She looks Damien in the eye as if trying to tell him unspokenly how worried Aveline was, especially with him around. Perhaps she would try to prove more to her daughter that Damien really did have a heart so she would be more comfortable around him. "We need to go shopping for her and she's worried about money," Chava states bluntly, skipping right over Aveline's carefully worded statements. "But there's no need to worry." Chava shrugs. There was no doubt in her mind that Damien wouldn't care about shelling out some of the fortune for her.
|| A brow raises as he reaches out to grab the letter that the girl was handing him. Was Aveline eleven? Time seemed to fly by fast. He remembered first hearing about the girl when she was what eight? Nine? Somewhere around that range. It didn't seem that long since those events. "I was planning on going to Diagon anyway." He waved a hand towards his eye, before glancing over the list. "So we can kill two birds with one stone." He winced slightly at the list, disgust showing clearly in his face. "There are a few changes since I've been, but a few things haven't changed at all." He handed the letter over to Chava in case she wanted to take a look as well. "Just three work robes? You need more than that." He shook his head slightly before counting out on his fingers. "You'll need a full week's set of work robes and casual clothes." He tilted his head, before continuing. "A couple pairs of dress robes and a single set of formal wear. You never know what could happen. In my own first year I ended up having to attend a disciplinary hearing." he winced again, at the thought of the events that led up to that. It was one of the few things that stuck with him to this day. The first casualty of an endless war. "Though you won't want to hear about that. And you'll want two wands. What do you do when you get disarmed? Always be prepared. Expect the unexpected. That's my motto."
|| Aveline shot her mother a subtle glare at her completely subverting her careful words, and telling Damien so bluntly that she was worried about money. She didn't say anything though, only turning to listen as Damien spoke. A well of relief welled up within her as he spoke about going to Diagon. So she wouldn't have to worry after all. She opened her mouth to speak when she noticed the look of disgust in his expression. This was it. He was going to completely turn around and say he wasn't buying anything, and she would have to spend quite some time hunting. If she could even find a forest nearby. Plans started rolling out through her head on how she could get what she needed. Perhaps she could find a map somewhere and find a forest that way. Her fears were shown to be completely unfounded as the man began to speak again. She couldn't help but let her jaw drop in shock. Not only would he be buying what she needed, but he'd be getting extra as well. Her first impressions were so completely off, or were they? Perhaps Damien had two faces. One that he showed those close to him, and one he showed those he didn't know. "Thank you."
|| Chava couldn't help but smirk as Damien kept speaking, ticking off everything they should get her as opposed to what they absolutely needed to. And Aveline's face was priceless. Chava holds out a hand to drag Aveline towards the two of them. "Like I said, technically his daughter now," she muses, grinning wickedly at her daughter. She was right to have no doubt, but Aveline's doubt was childishly adorable. "I insist on coming with, I'll change my face or something to-" Chava stops dead in her tracks, her excitement immediately trailing down as her face completely falls, looking slightly crushed. She had just remembered there were two seven-month-old twins sleeping in the other room, and Clover somewhere around here, and Lucedio probably watching and waiting to strike. If Damien and Aveline went to Diagon, there was no way Chava could leave the other kids alone here while Lucedio was perfectly capable of breaking in and striking. Paranoid. Paranoid, that's all she was. Nowhere was safe. She starts to feel her breathing get heavier, clutching her chest once more as if she were having a heart attack. "Nevermind," she murmurs, her face turning starkly pale as if she were going to pass out, utterly downtrodden.
|| A chuckle escaped his lips as he watched the look on Aveline's face fall and rise. Since Chava didn't take the letter, he folded it up, placing it in his pocket. "You don't have to thank me. I would have done it regardless. Just like I'll do for my daughters when they get their letters." He smirks slightly, before glancing over at Chava. He understood her worry, though he doubted Lucedio would be a problem quite yet. It was still so soon after the last fight, and if he knew Lucedio, he'd wait until they started to get comfortable again before he struck. He waved his wand, summoning two sheets of parchment, he started to write. One of the letters was going to confirm Aveline was going to Hogwarts, where the other... "I'm going to have a couple people I know from the ministry come down to watch the children. The don't have work today, so they'll arrive a minute or two after we leave." With that said, and the letters written, he figured he'd send them out while they were getting ready. "So yes, come along. I'm not letting you stay home."
|| As much as Chava wanted to go, she didn't know how she could now. Aurora and Orianna were just babies who were barely learning how to speak and stand. They'd stand no chance against Lucedio, and some people watching over them from the Ministry? People Chava didn't know into their house to look at and touch her babies or even find things they weren't supposed to? "Are you crazy?" she hisses at Damien, her hand now clutching at her hair in anxious habit. "I don't know them, how can they watch my babies?! How are they supposed to fight off Lucedio when /we/ can't even do that most days? They're dead. God, they're dead." It took quite a bit of coaxing for Chava to calm down some again to agree to go, as she really did want to be there for her eldest daughter as she got her things for Hogwarts. And she knew Aveline would be more comfortable that way too. But it wouldn't stop Chava from being anxious and paranoid, clinging to Damien every step of the way. Her disguise on and she would be ready to go, practically bouncing off the walls with how nervous she was for this. Lucedio had ruined her.
|| A sigh escapes his lips before he shakes his head at Chava. "Don't worry. They're trained Aurors. They won't find anything anyway." One she finally was willing to come along, he walked down towards the living room, tying the two letters to his owl to send out. Once that was done, he waved his wand and the wards did the rest. Every dangerous object, every incriminating thing. Everything that shouldn't have been in a normal house changed appearance. The thrones simply became tall chairs. The dagger displays now displayed other things instead. The daggers on the wall appeared as paintings instead. The door to the basement completely disappeared, appearing as a solid wall instead. With that done, he walked out of the house, figuring the others were in tow, before walking towards Diagon. "We'll need to head to Gringotts first. Pick up some money." A small smirk appeared on his lips, knowing that neither of them had seen the vault before, so he knew it would be a bit of a shock. It was ten minutes and a crazy ride later when they finally stood in front of the vault door. The goblin that had led them there inserted the key into the large door before it opened. The vault itself was neat and orderly, and coins were stacked in neat piles. The only issue was that you couldn't really see beyond the first row of stacks, which only sat half a foot away from the door. And of the stacks of coins, only a single stack was silver, where every other stack was gold. "I think we should be able to cover it." He moved over towards one of the smaller stacks that he could reach, before shoving several of the galleons into a small pouch, though it had been fitted with an expansion charm. "Where to first?"
|| Aveline used to feel confident that nothing would surprise her anymore. With her mother's hand gone, Damien’s eye gone, and even being nice, she felt that there was nothing else that could surprise her. Of course, that wasn't true, as it was barely five minutes before she faced another shock as various "household" objects appeared normal. Was it a transfiguration thing? Or simply an illusion. She hadn't the slightest clue. The only thing she knew was how excited she was to go to Diagon, as she'd been thinking of what possible wand type she would end up with. The long walk to Diagon was thankfully short, and reaching the vault didn't take that much time either. She tilted her head in curiosity, peering through the cracks to see inside the vault. There, laying within was yet another surprise. She knew that her stepfather was rich, yet she didn't know the extents to which that reached. Yet now, she could see it before her very eyes. It seemed that the vault was entirely filled with galleons, and that was no small feat in of itself since the coins weren't haphazardly filling up the vault, instead, fitting as much as it could by being in neat stacks. Once again, she couldn't help the look of sheer shock that appeared on her face as she watched Damien scoop coins into a bag. "Wand," She blurted instantly.
|| She wanted to be outside, yet she didn't at all. Chana couldn't keep her mind away from the twins back home, how they might not at all be in good hands. How Chava didn't trust anyone but herself and Damien around the both of them. Lucedio could kill some Aurors and some babies. The thought kept her on her toes but in her own head the whole trip, glazing over in thought as they got to Diagon and entered Damien's vault. It wasn't a surprise to her. Purebloods typically had fortunes such as these. She wouldn't be surprised if her family had one somewhere in here where she was locked out of the will and any cent from the money. Damien had been quite crafty in gaining his fortune. Aveline stated she wanted her wand first, and Chava spun out of Gringotts rather quickly, expecting the other two to follow along with. As much as she wanted to be here she'd also want the trip over with. She shakes slightly, not wanting Damien to see how freaked out she was. She didn't want him more concerned or worried about how she would handle anything. Yet she kept tripping over her own feet walking, occasionally muttering something under her breath about the twins. "Wand, I know where they are, wand," she mutters, moving to lead the way, gripping her hair in her nervous habit.
|| Chava's mini freak-out didn't go unnoticed by Damien, and he pulled ahead of Aveline a little, to walk next to Chava. "It's alright." He speaks, trying to make sure Aveline didn't overhear them. Didn't want to freak her out as well. "The Auror's are well trained. They can handle Lucedio if he shows up again." He remembered one of the previous encounters, where an Auror had shown up during a fight and winced. No wonder she was worried if all she had to go by was a rookie dying to protect them. "The last auror was new. The people I asked have a bit more experience." With that, he waved his hand towards the wand shop that was now in view. "Let's get Aveline her wand. And hope that doesn't forever. I remember my experience being a bit lengthy." With that, he pulled open the door, stepping inside the dusty old shop, ushering Chava's daughter up to the counter.
|| This was it. The moment she'd been playing over and over inside her mind. What type of wand would she get? She stepped up to the counter, and the man behind immediately walked towards the back rows, pulling off wand after wand. "Let's try these first," The man placed the first set of wands on the counter. Aveline picked up one of the wands at random and flicked it. When nothing happened, the wandmaker snatched the wand from her hand "Clearly not this one. Try another." Another wand was shoved into her hand, and yet again she gave it a wave. Wand after wand failed to yield any reaction whatsoever, and Aveline was starting to worry. Was she a squib? Did she not have any magic? She couldn't really remember any times of accidental magic, yet she had always assumed that they were more subtle than most. Was this not the case? Finally, a wand was pressed into her hand that did yield a result, though not quite the result she was hoping for. Instead of nothing occurring, each lantern in the shop burst into a flurry of flame and glass. The wand-maker let out a loud yelp, before quickly waving his own wand to clear the mess. "Close, but clearly we're going to have to try another." The wandmaker paused, before quickly adding, "One preferably less explosive." The wandmaker hurried off to grab another selection of wands, before returning to the counter. Weary about causing another explosion, Aveline tenderly grabbed the first wand presented to her. Her eyes flickered about the shop looking for a safe direction to flick the wand in. At slight encouragement from the wandmaker, Aveline finally waved the wand. As she did, a shower of green and blue sparks emitted from the tip. "It seems we have found your..." The wandmaker's voice trailed off as a rattling sound came from one of the boxes on the counter. "What's this?" The wandmaker opened the box before placing the other in her hand. Like the first wand, a shower of sparks, though this time in silver and bronze. "That will be fourteen galleons."
|| Chava should have been paying attention, but how could she? While Aveline was off getting her wand, Chava was curling herself into Damien's side, as if trying her hardest not to be seen by anyone around. As if anyone could recognize her for who she was at a moment's notice. And maybe if she hid close enough to Damien, arm wrapped around him, she could be saved. She was trembling slightly, her body jerking at every movement from anywhere else, any sound or voice that reached her ears. "It's not alright," she whimpers, wanting to just collapse into a ball right then and there. "Lucedio will kill them all and he'll kill me and then he'll kill you and the twins aren't safe and we aren't safe we're never safe we're-" The explosion that came from Aveline's wand was deafening to Chava, and she could help but jump from Damien and scream, holding her face in her hands with a whimper. When she realized it was just the wand, she calms down somewhat, but her breathing was a considerable amount heavier, clinging back onto Damien and burying her face into his chest. "Let's hurry up please."
|| Nearly a half hour had passed, and almost everything on Aveline's list had been bought. He made sure to buy things that were in the best quality, as he remembered the stuff he had to work with when he went to Hogwarts. Most of the books he had were old and decrepit, and the cauldron had broken after only a year's use. He didn't want any of the kids to have shoddy equipment. There was far too much that could go wrong in that case. Another couple hours later, and Chava was dragging him out of Flourish and Blotts when he kept piling more and more books in front of Aveline, constantly saying, "Be prepared. Expect the Unexpected." The final place that they had to go, Damien saved for last, as he knew it would take the most time. Another hour later, and they had arrived at home. When the two Aurors saw the group walk in, they nodded at Damien and walked out of the house, since they were no longer needed. All in all, the trip to Diagon had been successful, even if it had taken a while to acquire everything they needed, including his glass eye. "See," Damien spoke, turning his gaze towards Chava, "Everything's fine. Noone's dead. Check if you must."
|| The day had gone by better than she could have hoped. She had everything she needed and more, even if she really didn't see the point of the extra clothes. She doubted she would need any sort of formal wear whatsoever, but said nothing regardless. It was better to have something and not need it than need something and not have it. She took one of the pouches from Damien, the one with everything that had been bought for her, "Thank you." She could have had a worse mother and stepfather. She could have had nothing to her name. It gave her a new appreciation towards them. After all, she had spent a few years fending for herself, hunting for her food, hunting to sell the pelts to pay her way for anything she might need. And from the small little comments that Damien had made during the trip, she suspected she had it better than him, even if she had to fend for himself. She wasn't a 'touchy-feely' kind of girl, but she couldn't help but hug her mother, and even Damien, with some hesitation. With that she walked up to her room, to pack everything into a trunk, except for the books. Those she planned on reading.
|| The first thing Chava did was check, after giving Aveline her hug she ran upstairs to where she knew the twins should be, to find them lying safe and sound. So relieved was she after the long day and ordeal that she picked both girls up to press kisses to their temples, before laying them back down, stumbling back downstairs to find Damien. He had been very kind today, and Aveline's thankfulness was evident in the way she even hugged Damien, very gently. Chava cracks a small smile, before falling onto Damien, closing her eyes. She was absolutely exhausted. But she still couldn't sleep. There was still absolutely no way she would sleep unless Damien forced her to, which was perhaps very likely tonight. "Thank you for being so sweet to her," Chava mumbles, pressing a small kiss to his lips. "And for helping me. I'm just... scared." Scared was an understatement. She was terrified. She couldn't even live her life properly. But she had to. She still had another kid to birth, and twins to raise, and Aveline to watch out for, and a husband that she loved, that she had to keep happy. She couldn't very well do that dead. "We'll be alright," she murmurs with some strange finality, kissing him one last time. And maybe one day she'd actually believe that.
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