Chapter Text
13 April, 1978
It was dark. That wasn't new, of course. It had been dark for quite a long time, if time even existed in the dark place. The girl wasn't sure, but of late the dark place had been getting less dark, which seemed to signify the passage of some sort of time. Then, quite suddenly, after a brief period of discomfort, the dark place was bright.
No, the girl thought. This is a new place.
All she could see was a mass of bright colors and shapes, blurry and vibrant. Noise assaulted her ears, and when she tried to move, she was trapped. Panic surged, but something touched her face, soft and cool. The thing— a finger, she thought— stroked her cheek.
"Hush," a soft, weary voice instructed her. "There'll be plenty of time for tears later, Dianella."
July, 1978
The girl, or Dianella, as she was called, had come to the realization that she was a baby. She must have experienced some sort of reincarnation, and the dark place, though her memory of it was fading, must have been limbo. She had very limited mobility, and spent most of her days in and out of consciousness in a crib made of dark brown wood. Her moments of lucidity were few and far between, and she was about three months old when she finally came to this conclusion.
Her new mother, Letty, and her father, Rowan, seemed to be very well off. Letty had long, wavy blonde hair and warm brown eyes, and she spoke with an upper-class, southern accent. Her father sounded much the same, but he spent less time with her than Letty did, and she couldn't remember what he looked like.
Dianella's memory was much worse than she remembered it being before, but she supposed that was part of the whole infant situation. Still, she assured herself that she would make the most of it. This new life, this gift she had been given for some ineffable reason, and this new family.
From her mother's accent, she imagined that she was somewhere in England, but when and where exactly she wasn't sure. Her mother wore strange clothes— floaty, dress-like garments that looked extremely comfortable. Today, she was wearing a pale green robe and she looked troubled.
"Hello, dearest," Letty said. "Has Lolly fed you?"
Dianella made a gurgling noise. She didn't know who this "Lolly" was, but then she hadn't been very aware of her surroundings until this point. She supposed someone would have had to feed her, and she didn't remember her mother doing anything of the sort.
Taking her gurgle as a negative, apparently, Letty produced a bottle from absolutely nowhere. Dianella drank, and the hunger she hadn't really noticed quickly faded. Letty placed the bottle on a side table and smiled.
"You were hungry, weren't you?" She said, leaning over the crib. "You'll have to be on your best behavior today, Dianella. We're having visitors."
Dianella made another noise, trying to sound confused. She must have been successful, because Letty clarified, "Your godmother, Annie, and her boys. Adam and Kenny."
Godmother? Her family before hadn't been religious, but Dianella supposed that they didn't have to be Catholic to want to specify who would look after their baby if they died. Maybe Annie, her godmother, would have some clues as to what year it was.
Letty stroked her face, humming softly. "Sleep, Nell."
Dianella felt her eyes grow heavy, and had only one thought before she drifted off. Nell. I like that.
***
The sound of several voices and the thudding of footsteps roused Dianella from her nap, feeling rested. Her godmother, Annie, and her sons must have arrived. The door to her room cracked open and two small faces poked through the gap. A woman in the hallway said something and the children opened the door, moving up to the crib curiously.
The elder and more adventurous of the two rushed up to the crib, and Letty and a dark-haired woman followed. The older boy stood on his tiptoes and stuck his hand between the bars of Dianella's crib. He looked about six or seven, with curly auburn hair, hazel eyes, and an adorable grin. Dianella reached out and patted his hand in a parody of a handshake.
"Adam!" The woman, who must have been Annie, chided. "Be respectful." She reached down to take the younger boy's hand. The boy, Kenny, couldn't have been older than four. He had the same hair and eyes as his brother, but his expression looked more fearful than Adam's.
"Sorry, mum," Adam said, his face not at all contrite. He extracted his hand from the crib and stepped aside.
Annie, Kenny, and her mother came up to the crib, and Dianella got a good look at her godmother. She had black hair cut above her shoulders and the same hazel eyes as her two sons. Annie leaned over the crib and grinned, warm and bright like Adam.
"Hello, little Nell! Aren't you just the cutest little thing," she said.
"Hey!" Adam exclaimed, offended. "I thought I was the cutest little thing!"
Annie laughed, clear and bright, and ruffled his hair. "You've been usurped, Addiekins," she explained. "It happens to the best of us."
"What about me?" Kenny said. His eyes were wide, and his hand was still clutching his mother's.
"Good question." Annie pretended to think deeply, frowning.
Dianella burped, and Adam laughed.
"I think you can manage to share the title, don't you think?" Annie lifted Kenny up so he could look in the crib. "She is very cute, you see."
Kenny giggled, and Dianella smiled a gummy baby smile. Annie burst out laughing, Letty joined in, and Adam looked at all of them, horrified. Dianella stared at him and smiled wider.
October, 1978
Week by week, Dianella regained more and more control of her body. By the fall, she was crawling all around her family's frankly enormous house. The leaves on the trees she could see through the windows had turned red and orange and started to fall to the ground. Her father spent more time with her, and she'd been able to discern that he worked in politics, always worried about votes and legislation and the like. He read the newspaper every morning, something called The Daily Prophet, and from a glance at the date on one of the discarded issues, it was 1978. Her father had soft brown hair and green eyes that, from the few glances in mirrors that she'd managed, Dianella shared. She also had a tuft of pale hair that she had inherited from her mother.
Letty had seemed more concerned for her well-being lately, always picking her up, checking her for scrapes and bruises, then sighing and holding her close for a long enough time that Dianella got a bit uncomfortable. Today, Letty was dressing her in a garish green monstrosity that Dianella supposed she would have to make up for with her incredible cuteness. Letty had made plans with a friend through some kind of messaging service she called owling. They were going to visit her and her daughter, who was the same age as Dianella.
"She'll be a very good friend to you, Nell," Letty said. Dianella thought that was a bit presumptuous. She hadn't even met the girl yet. "She's of the right sort."
What that meant, Dianella wasn't sure. The right sort? It sounded vaguely bigoted, and Dianella took a moment to hope that her new parents weren't racists. Letty seemed perfectly nice, but people could be kind to some and cruel to others, Dianella knew.
Letty picked her up, and rather than heading out the front door to where Dianella assumed there was a car, she stepped toward the grand marble fireplace. She reached into a pot sat atop the mantel and threw a handful of powder into the flames.
"Rosewood!" Letty declared. Before Dianella could muster much trepidation, Letty stepped into the green flames.
They emerged in a grand entry hall. Letty began making her way towards a side door, and in lieu of any organized thought, Dianella sneezed.
Oh my god, she thought. That was floo travel. I'm in Harry Potter. Oh my god. She could feel the emotions pressing behind her eyes. Without warning to her mother, she burst into tears and started wailing.
"Merlin, Nell," Her mother cursed. "You have impeccable timing."
Letty had reached the door, and it opened before her as if by magic. By magic, in all likelihood, because Dianella was now living in a world where that was possible. In retrospect, it was obvious. The Daily Prophet, owling, the strange way her father appeared without the noise of a car… but then again, one doesn't expect to be living in a fictional world.
"Letty!" A woman exclaimed, standing to greet them. She had brown skin and curly dark hair and was dressed in purple robes. There were a few other women in the room, sitting in fancy chairs around a table set for tea with platters of small sandwiches and teacakes. "And this must be Dianella! Hello, dear," she said.
"Hello, Perissa," Letty said. "It's been too long! I'm so sorry for your loss– Evan will be missed."
"Of course," Perissa said, not looking very sad at all. "The grief can be difficult, but we must continue; especially in these times."
"Quite," said Letty. "Now, where shall I deposit this cargo?"
Perissa didn't laugh, but Dianella thought it was quite funny. "Over there," she gestured towards the corner where an area had been separated with small half-walls and a little door,"with the other children."
Letty strode towards the pen, sidestepping the four other ladies as she made her way to the gate. With a slight push, it swung open and Letty set Dianella on the ground.
"Be good, Nell," she instructed, and patted Dianella's head. Dianella looked around the pen, taking in her surroundings. There were five other children of varying ages, the eldest seeming to be about the same age as Kenny. There were four girls and one little boy.
"Hello," the eldest girl said. "I'm Maggie." The girl, Maggie, must have been three or four, and was a bit put out at having to sit in a pen with the babies.
Dianella babbled in response, and Maggie smiled. "You're Dianella, aren't you?"
She babbled some more. Maggie plopped down next to her, and sighed. "Mum said so. That's Emmy–" she pointed at a baby with light brown skin and curly dark hair crawling aimlessly– "and that's Gemma." Gemma was younger than Maggie but older than Dianella and Emmy, with brown hair and a little dragon toy in her hands. Maggie pointed out another girl, about the same age as Gemma with dark hair and an upturned nose, as Petra. The boy was Hypsenor, which Dianella was impressed Maggie could even pronounce.
Maggie went on about other children who sometimes attended the pureblood parties– because what else could they be? Dianella knew enough about Harry Potter to know that she was in the midst of the First Wizarding War against Voldemort and that many of the women in the room were, if not Death Eaters themselves, at least married to them.
Apparently Maggie's best friend, Val, had to stay home with her newborn baby brother, which upset her.
"But you're not so bad, I guess," Maggie said. "Kadira and Alex are annoying, but you're very quiet. For a baby," she patted Dianella's head. "My uncle Barty never says anything, but that might be because he doesn't like me much."
Dianella babbled in consolation. Barty? Like Barty Crouch? There couldn't be that many pureblood Bartys in this world, but nothing in the books had mentioned Barty Crouch Jr. having a sibling.
Maggie continued to ramble about her family, Val, and her weird uncle Barty until it came time for them to go.
"Come along, Magdalene," a woman with straw-blonde hair and a pointed nose beckoned. Maggie waved and followed, taking her hand and following her out the door into the hall with the fireplace.
An Indian woman with a long, black braid stood next and collected Hypsenor, who wriggled relentlessly. Another woman with dark hair and pink robes picked up Petra, who continued to pick her nose throughout the whole process, and a tall woman in blue led Gemma out.
Letty and Perissa came over last, still chatting animatedly.
"Did you hear about Casper Nott?" Perissa asked. "Fidelia died not even a year ago, and he's gone and married her sister!"
Letty frowned. "Well, let's hope she bears him a son, at least. Wouldn't want her to end up like the others."
Dianella coughed. Like the others?
"Shh, Nell," said Letty as she picked Dianella up. "It's been lovely to catch up, Perissa, but we really do have to leave."
Perissa smiled. "It's always a pleasure, Letty."
"Ta!" Letty called as she left the room, Dianella safe in her arms. The walk to the fireplace seemed to pass faster this time, and Dianella was too tired to be afraid of the flames as Letty stepped into them and called out, "Greengrass Manor!"
Manor, Dianella thought. We must be very rich. The name Greengrass sounded vaguely familiar, and she strained her memory, searching, until– Daphne! The random Slytherin in Harry's year who must be her little sister. Dianella didn't know if there had been a Dianella Greengrass in the books, but the family name made her relieved. The Greengrasses weren't particularly plot-relevant in any way, being neither Death Eaters nor Order members. If she had to be reborn into this world, the Greengrasses seemed like the perfect family: rich, kind, and neutral.
Letty placed her back in her crib, and waved a stick– wand, Dianella thought– to produce wafts of herbal steam. Dianella inhaled, and drifted off.
January, 1979
The rest of 1978 had passed with a flurry of visits with both Annie's family and Letty's pureblood friends, Dianella's struggles to enunciate and gain mobility, and a haze of laughter. Christmas, or Yule as her new family called it, was a quiet occasion, remarkable only in the new decorations Lolly placed around the house and the company of her grandparents.
Beatrice and Anthony, her father's parents, were stern and severe, rarely cracking a smile. In contrast, Letty's parents were warm and inviting, addressing each other as "Cordie" and "Mike" (Dianella assumed they were actually called Cordelia and Michael). Cordie liked to sing strange songs that Dianella had never heard before. Mike wasn't much of a singer, but he told the best stories. Dianella's favorite was The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, but she liked Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump well enough.
On an early morning in January, just after Lolly had taken down the Yule decorations, a large owl came swooping through the charmed window the Greengrasses kept open for that very purpose. It screeched loudly, the noise piercing the house. Letty stood up from where she was sitting on the floor with Dianella and made her way towards the owl.
"Hello, Erebus," Letty said to the owl, petting it. "You are as beautiful as ever. Does Aunt Melania have a message?" The owl preened and stuck out its leg so Letty could remove the letter. Letty smiled and stroked Erebus's perfect black feathers. She opened the letter, scanned it quickly, and let out a choked gasp.
Dianella looked up, questioning, and Letty gave her a shaky smile. Her eyes were watery as she set down the letter and came back to sit down.
"It's alright, Nell," she said. "I'm alright." Dianella crawled next to her and gave Letty the best hug she could manage. Letty burst into tears and held onto Dianella for dear life.
They must have been in that position for quite some time, because when Rowan appeared out of the fireplace that was how he found them.
Letty stood and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her soft yellow robes. "Melania is dead," she stated.
"Oh, Letty," said Rowan as he rushed over and hugged her.
"Quietly, in the night, Arcturus said," Letty continued. "She's going to have Macmillan rites as soon as possible, before the magic leaves her body." She rested her head on Rowan's shoulder and sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I won't be able to come," Rowan admitted. "We're still in debates about the new Muggle Protection bill, and the vote's not for another week."
"That's alright," Letty said, her voice muffled against Rowan's shoulder. "I'll have to bring Nell with me, but one of the cousins can watch her during the rites."
Dianella babbled something that sounded a bit like "Armageddon" and Letty laughed. She reached down to pick Dianella up and held her close, burying her nose in the soft, pale hair atop her little head.
"You and me, Nell," she said.
***
A few days later, both Dianella and her mother were dressed in black and suitably somber. Letty smoothed out Dianella's pigtails one more time, then stepped into the flames with a cry of "Macmillan House!"
Letty and Dianella emerged in a large foyer scattered with other mourners. Dianella could see her grandparents, Cordie and Mike, next to a serious-looking man with graying hair. Annie, her husband Edgar, and the boys were in a corner. They spoke quietly with an elegant woman with curly black hair and a tall, redheaded man. Letty walked toward her parents, greeting them softly before turning to the man.
"Lord Black," she said, inclining her head.
"Loretta," he returned. "My wife thought very highly of you. She would have been glad to see you attend."
"And I of her," Letty replied. "May I present my daughter, Dianella?" Letty phrased it like a question, but it wasn't, of course. Dianella did her best to remain still as she felt a pressure behind her nose, eyes wide as she watched Lord Black inspect her. Just when she thought it had passed, she sneezed directly in Lord Black's face.
Letty was horrified. "Apologies," she said.
Lord Black huffed a laugh as a small smile curved his lips. "It is of no consequence. Lucretia was much the same as a babe." He looked over to the black-haired woman by Annie and Edgar, who Dianella deduced was his daughter, Lucretia. "However," he started, and for a brief moment Letty looked horrified again, "we should be beginning the rites soon."
"Right," said Letty. "Of course." Letty stepped away, and headed towards Annie and Edgar.
"Letty!" Annie said, smiling. "We were just talking about you."
The black-haired woman, Lucretia, nodded. "Annella tells me you were quite the Charms whiz back in school."
Letty blushed. "Oh, I suppose." She turned to Edgar. "Are you staying for the rites?" Letty asked.
Edgar shook his head. "I'm taking the boys home as soon as they start, I'm afraid."
Letty sighed. "Well, I must be off. I've got to find a cousin to take care of Dianella during the rites."
"Good luck!" Annie called. "Say 'bye, Letty,'" she instructed her sons.
"Bye, Letty!" Adam and Kenny chorused. Letty smiled, waved, and made her way towards two young men standing in an opposite corner, one brunette and one with the same curly dark hair as Lucretia. Another Black, Dianella guessed. Sirius, maybe, or Regulus. They looked up as she neared, and smiled.
"Hi, Letty," the brunette said with a wide smile. "And hello, Dianella."
"Iain," Letty greeted. "Are you going in for the rites?"
"Yeah," he replied. "Mum insisted."
Letty turned to the other man. "And you, Sirius?"
Dianella's eyes widened, and she looked at him closer. His hair was shoulder-length and his eyes were a piercing shade of silver, just like Lord Black, who must be his grandfather. Dianella couldn't remember his name. Orion? No, that was Sirius's father.
Sirius interrupted her thinking. "Couldn't if I wanted to, Letty. I'm barely welcome in this corner, let alone within ten feet of Granddad."
"Sorry," Letty said. "Do you think you could watch Dianella while we perform the rites?"
Sirius barked a laugh. "Me, watch your baby? I'm not sure I'm the best choice. I think Reggie's 'round here somewhere, though. He loves that kind of thing, and I know he's not gonna do the rites."
"I really have to go," Letty explained. "Could you hand her off to Reg, at least?"
Sirius's face closed off. "No," he stated.
Letty sighed. "Alright, where is he?" Sirius pointed at Lord Black, and sure enough next to him stood a slender, dark-haired figure who had to be Regulus. Letty seemed put upon at having to brave Lord Black again, but she hurried over.
"Hello, Reg," Letty said wearily. She inclined her head towards his grandfather. "Lord Black."
Regulus gave a careful glance to his grandfather. He must have found whatever he was looking for, because he smiled at Letty and Dianella. "Hello, Letty."
"Could you watch Dianella for the rites? I know it's a bit short notice, but I've already asked four other people and Sirius said you wouldn't mind," Letty fretted.
"Well, if Sirius says," Regulus reached out and Letty placed Dianella in his arms. Regulus had the same curly black hair and silver eyes as his brother, but his features were more angular. When he smiled down at Dianella, though, his eyes crinkled the same way Sirius's had.
A loud bell sounded, and Letty stroked Dianella's head one last time. "I've got to go now, Nelly," she said. "Be good for Cousin Reg, won't you?"
Dianella babbled as Letty, Annie, Iain, Lucretia, and her grandparents headed out a side door. She watched as Edgar, Adam, and Kenny flooed home and Sirius moved to speak with Lucretia's tall, red-headed husband. Regulus looked down at her and raised his eyebrows.
"Do you like to be called Nelly?" Regulus asked. "I have a complicated relationship with nicknames myself. Mother always insisted I be called Regulus and nothing else, so of course Sirius began calling me Reggie. Most everyone else calls me Reg, which I am partial to."
Dianella giggled and tugged on Regulus's hair. "You like Reg?" Regulus questioned. "I think you should be Nell, then. Cousin Nell," he declared. "What do you think, Grandfather?"
Lord Black raised his eyebrows, mirroring what Regulus had done but a few moments ago. "I should think that Dianella is a perfectly fine name for a perfectly fine girl. But if I had to choose," he said conspiratorially, "I would have to go with Nell."
Regulus smiled triumphantly. "I knew it," he said.
His grandfather shot him a look. "Don't think you can distract me, Regulus. I don't know what drivel that woman has been filling your head with, but the House of Black bows to no one. Nothing."
Regulus looked down and murmured at Dianella. He glanced at his grandfather and straightened. "You don't understand," he said.
"Regulus, Lucretia went to school with that boy. He is no god. Come with me, to Stelladomus–"
Regulus cut him off. "You don't understand. It's already done," he said.
Dianella glared at his left forearm, surely decorated with the Dark Mark underneath Regulus's black robes. She reached for it, and grabbed it with pudgy baby hands. "No," she said.
Regulus's eyes went wide and he looked to his grandfather. He moved her hands away slowly, careful not to touch his arm. "No, Nell," he whispered.
Lord Black's frown deepened. "What do you mean, 'it is already done?'"
"He has marked us," Regulus admitted. "A skull and a snake, on the left forearm."
Lord Black looked to Dianella, who did her best to look innocent and infantile. "You think she… knows, in some way?"
"It was odd," Regulus said. "Like she was looking through me."
"Hm," his grandfather wondered. "It has been heard of, among Blacks."
"Nell's a Greengrass," Regulus said softly. "And Letty's a Macmillan."
"Her father's grandmother was a Black," Lord Black countered. "My aunt Belvina, if I remember correctly. I have found that some abilities reappear when it is least expected. Andromeda's child is a metamorphmagus, an ability we thought lost to time."
"Nymphadora," Regulus commented. "Her name is Nymphadora." Dianella was surprised that Regulus knew his blood-traitor cousin's daughter's name, but he had betrayed Voldemort in the end. Right now he seemed like little more than a scared, determined teenage boy.
"Yes," Lord Black said, dismissive. "Don't think I have forgotten about what you have done, Regulus. Bellatrix and Narcissa's husband were bad enough, but you are the heir. After Sirius Orion and Andromeda disgraced us I had hoped to have one reasonable Black in your generation."
Regulus refused to back down. "I didn't have a choice, Grandfather." Dianella felt very much like a fly on the wall, but the argument was quite illuminating as to the state of the House of Black.
"There is always a choice," Lord Black said. "You made the wrong one." He leaned over, ignoring Regulus. "Perhaps you will continue our line, Dianella. Merlin knows Bellatrix won't be having children anytime soon, infatuated as she is with that man, and if Narcissa's constant miscarriages are any sign, she won't either. Sirius Orion is disowned, and uninclined to settle down at that, and your cousin Regulus seems set on killing himself before he turns twenty. Perhaps I should reinstate Andromeda. She has at least managed to procreate."
Regulus sighed. "Stop being petty, Grandfather. You know that Grandmother wouldn't want–"
Lord Black's silver eyes flashed. "Do not pretend you know what Melania would have wanted, Regulus. You will join me at Stelladomus immediately after you graduate. We will find a way to remove that brand. In the meantime, we will investigate the child." Dianella smiled as cutely as she could, and Lord Black's face softened. "I have neglected to introduce myself to you, haven't I?" he said. "Hello, Dianella. I am your Uncle Arcturus."
As if on cue, the bells that called the Macmillans out of the hall rang again. The door opened and they reentered the hall. Dianella could see her mother and godmother walking together. Annie split off to floo home, but Letty headed straight for her.
Letty bowed her head briefly in respect to Arcturus, then took her from Regulus's arms. "Have you been a good girl, Nelly?" Dianella closed her eyes briefly. She was fond of her new mother, bigotry aside, but the baby talk was getting very annoying.
"Very. Say, Letty," said Regulus, "has she spoken at all yet?"
"Oh, no," Letty said. "She's still a bit young for all that, aren't you, Nelly?" She looked up, curious. "Why? Did she say something?"
"No," Regulus answered, exchanging a glance with his grandfather. "I was just wondering."
"Alright, then," Letty said. "We should be off! It was lovely to see you, Lord Black, Regulus," she nodded at both of them.
"Wait," Arcturus said. "I find that your Dianella quite reminds me of Melania. Would you be amenable to us visiting from time to time?"
"Of course!" Letty exclaimed, quite pleased. Dianella, who had heard everything, wasn't fooled. "You and Regulus are both welcome at Greengrass Manor anytime."
"Thank you, Loretta," Arcturus said. To the lesser observer, he might seem genuine, but Dianella didn't think that Lord Arcturus Black was a man much concerned with niceties.
"We really must be going now," Letty said. She bowed her head. "Merry part!" She rushed to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder, and announced, "Greengrass Manor!"
November, 1979
"Stay here, Nelly," Dianella's mother said as she placed her in a worn chair in the St. Mungo's Maternity Ward waiting area. "I'm going to go check with Edgar how it's going."
"Ed," Dianella agreed. "Annie." She had begun speaking a few months after Melania Black's fateful funeral, and walking just before that. (She could remember the day she took her first steps, during one of Regulus's rare visits. He'd cheered her on as she toddled into her mother's arms, then hugged her. Dianella remembered what he'd whispered to her before kissing her head and apparating back to Grimmauld Place. I'm sorry, Nell. He hadn't come by much after that.)
"Yes, dear," Letty said. "Adam and Kenny will look after you, alright?" She walked down the hallway, checking doors until she reached the right one and slipped inside.
"Adda," Dianella affirmed. Adam, freshly eight, sighed. Kenny, now five, was cheerier.
"Hi, Nell," he greeted. "Mum's been in there for ages."
"Sue," Dianella said.
Adam and Kenny just looked confused. "No, not Sue, Mum," Adam corrected.
Dianella doubled down. "Sue!"
"You're weird," said Adam.
Kenny nodded. "Super weird."
"Wee," Dianella said. She had been slowly improving her vocabulary, but she could admit that it was not the most diverse. She was saved from saying something even more idiotic by Edgar stepping out of the room and walking over to them.
"Hey, kids," Edgar said with a smile. "Do you want to meet your new sister?"
"Sue!" Dianella exclaimed.
Edgar looked at her funny. "Yeah," he said. "Susan."
"Let's go!" Kenny said, tugging at his brother. Dianella still remembered when Kenny had been a shy toddler, afraid to walk anywhere without his mother, but he'd long since outgrown that phase.
"Alright, alright," Edgar acquiesced. He picked up Dianella and took Kenny by the hand. Adam walked on his other side, and entered Annie's room first. Adam rushed forward, sitting on the hospital bed. Edgar, Kenny, and Dianella followed at a more reasonable pace, and once they reached the bed Edgar handed Dianella off to her mother.
"Mum!" Adam exclaimed. "Dad says you've named her Susan."
"Ah," Annie said, glaring at Edgar. "Does he? That was supposed to be my surprise." Edgar shrank back from his wife's ire and laughed.
"Tattletale," Edgar said. Annie laughed, then coughed.
"Sue," Dianella declared.
"Yes," Annie agreed, "Sue."
***
It was about a week later when Dianella awoke from a nightmare, screaming and crying. There had been rotting hands, and green water, and–
"No!" Dianella cried. "No, no, no!" Lolly the house elf appeared for a moment, concerned, before vanishing to fetch her mother.
Letty rushed in, dressed in a sleeping robe, and picked her up. "Nell, baby, what's wrong?"
Dianella screamed and cried some more. "No! Reg, no!"
Letty's eyes widened, and she began to rock Dianella softly. "Lolly," she called. "Fetch Rowan and some warm milk, please."
"Right aways, Missy Letty," Lolly assured. Soon enough, Rowan walked in, rubbing sleep from his eyes and clutching a bottle of warm milk.
"What's wrong?" Rowan asked Letty, handing her the milk. Dianella had mellowed, but she was still sobbing quietly.
"I don't know," Letty replied. "I came in and she was just screaming, saying "no, Reg" over and over again."
"Reg?" Rowan questioned. "Your cousin Regulus?"
"Maybe," Letty said. "I can't think of any other Regs that she would know. But he hasn't come by in a while, so I don't know what could have triggered this."
Rowan stroked Dianella's head. "You could owl Arcturus. He might know, and he seems fond of Nell."
"Alright," Letty agreed tentatively. "Alright, I will." She set Dianella, finally sleeping, back in her crib. She grasped Rowan's hand, and with one last look at their daughter, left the room.
***
Dianella slept fitfully, but didn't have any more nightmares. Come morning, she felt drained, but far from the state of panic she had been in when she'd first awoken in the night. Arcturus had replied to the owl they'd sent immediately, even though it was before dawn, Letty had said. When he arrived, he had Letty set Dianella in a grand armchair, then sat down across from her.
"Leave us, Loretta," he commanded. Letty looked reluctant, but she obeyed.
"Of course, Lord Black," she whispered. Whatever power Letty wielded in pureblood circles, it paled in comparison to that of Arcturus Black, even within her own home.
"I must apologize, Dianella," he said. Dianella looked up, surprised. "I promised that I would come and visit you, but I have not. I admit that I was curious then about your magic, and even more so now."
"Loretta tells me that you know things before they happen, on occasion. Is that true?"
Dianella didn't know what he expected her to say. She wasn't even two. What could she reply? No, I'm not a seer, but I used to live in a world where this world was fictional and I read a bunch of books when I was a kid that told me stuff I shouldn't know? "Sue," she said instead.
"Yes," Arcturus said. "Susan Bones. Loretta says that you knew her name before her father told you."
Dianella nodded. "Sue," she repeated. There was no point in denying it.
Arcturus shifted in his chair and stared at her. "Is my grandson dead?" He asked sharply.
Dianella fidgeted. "Reg?"
"Yes, Reg," Arcturus said derisively. He snorted, then stood. "I can't believe–"
"Yes," Dianella answered, truthfully. She was certain that Regulus was dead. There was a feeling of emptiness, deep in her chest, that she attributed to him. "Gone," she said.
Arcturus exhaled, then sat back down. "When?"
Dianella wasn't sure. She opened her mouth to say as much, but a different answer came from her lips as if pulled. "July."
Arcturus didn't look surprised, but he leaned forward in his chair. "I had suspected as much," he said. "What else do you know, child?"
Dianella wasn't sure how she had managed to cough up an answer to his last question, but her knowledge from the books did come in handy sometimes. "Sister," she started, then looked up at Arcturus with wide, bright green eyes. "Daffy."
"Daphne?" Arcturus asked, raising one perfect dark eyebrow. Dianella nodded. "I shall have to pass my congratulations on to Loretta." He looked at her, inspecting every millimeter. "What am I thinking of, right this very second?"
"Erm," Dianella said, floundering. She spoke the first words that came into her mind. "Red socks?"
"Astounding," Arcturus said. Dianella was confused, but she supposed red socks weren't the strangest thing he could be thinking about. "We shall have to investigate further, Dianella, but for now I must take my leave." He stood, and called out towards the door. "You may come out now, Loretta."
Letty opened the door quietly and entered, followed by her husband. Rowan shook Arcturus's hand. "Lord Black," he acknowledged. "What exactly is all this about?" Letty looked a bit scandalized by his bluntness, but Arcturus only tilted his head and glanced back at Dianella.
"I suppose there is no reason to mislead you," Arcturus said. "Your daughter seems to have inherited a Black family gift thought lost long ago. It is…" he paused, and looked at her parents. They seemed to be taking it rather well, all things considered. "A sort of intuition, if you will. If she says anything odd, floo-call me. Do not write it down."
He gave a smile that looked more like a grimace and said, as if an afterthought, "Congratulations on the pregnancy, by the way. Dianella tells me it's a girl." Letty gasped, and Arcturus quickly made his way to the fireplace. "Stelladomus!" Arcturus declared as he stepped into the green flames.
"Morgana's fucking tits," Rowan said.
"Rowan!" chided Letty as she slapped him on the arm. "Watch your language around the baby!"
"Sorry, Letty," he apologized. He looked to Dianella. "Sorry, Nelly," he said, then he poked Letty's stomach gently. "Sorry, baby."
Letty laughed, then sighed. "Another girl," she said. She looked sad, for some reason. Maybe they really wanted a boy, Dianella thought.
"You believe him, then?"
"What reason would he have to lie? You're still only the heir, Rowan, and it's not as if he knows about–" Letty looked at Dianella and her expression turned shaky. "Well, you know."
Dianella certainly did not know. She wriggled in the chair and Letty came to pick her up. "Mama," she mumbled.
"It's alright, Nell," Letty assured her. "You're going to be a big sister!"
Dianella hated to spoil the moment, but she figured Letty deserved to know. She looked up at her mother, eyes wide. "Reg's dead," she said solemnly.
"Morgana's fucking tits," said Letty. They both burst into tears.
February 28, 1980
"Hello, Nell," Annie said. This being her second time in the St. Mungo's Maternity Ward waiting room, Dianella was a bit less concerned. "Your mum wants to see you."
"Daffy," Dianella said, smiling. Annie had been briefed on her… situation, so she didn't bother holding her tongue.
"Really?" Annie asked, picking her up. "I had three sickles on Flora, myself."
Dianella wrinkled her nose. "Daffy," she declared, leaving no room for argument.
Annie opened the door to the room. Rowan stood next to the bed where Letty held the little bundle. "Nell!"
"Mum!" Dianella returned with excitement. Annie passed her off to Rowan, who held her close to the baby.
"This is your little sister, Daphne," Letty said. "You'll have to look out for her, Nelly."
Dianella nodded seriously. "Will, Mum," she affirmed.
Annie groaned theatrically. "I owe Tam three sickles," she explained. Tam was Annie's sister-in-law and was heavily pregnant. Letty's pureblood teas had slowly turned into small gatherings of mothers in her extended family: Annie, Tam, Tam's sister Taryn, who was also pregnant and married to Letty's brother, and Taryn and Tam's sister-in-law, Rose, who'd just had a baby girl in December. They exchanged pregnancy woes, tips, and tricks while Adam and Kenny reluctantly played with Dianella. Sue, still very young, usually stayed with her aunt Amy.
Letty laughed. "You should know better than to bet against Tam, Annie," she said.
"Yes, yes," Annie agreed. "Now let me get a good look at the little one, please." Annie leaned over and tapped Daphne on her little nose, then pretended to have a moment of prophetic insight. "I predict great fortune! My inner eye has been opened, you see," she said, and Letty laughed.
Dianella looked at Daphne's little baby face, and constructed a semblance of a plan. We'll be alright, Daffy, she thought. We can be Hufflepuffs and it will all be alright.