Familiar Solo Finished

Late July 2021
Bolded Colored Text - French | Bolded Black Text - Japanese

Madeleine Nakamura was home for the summer, spending time in her beloved hometown of Colmar, France. The bright houses, the flowers, the atmosphere - it was all such a comfort to the twelve-year-old girl. She got to catch up with her childhood friends - girls in the neighborhood that had gone to the same dance studio as her - and spend her days running around the town with them. And the best part of it all was being able to cuddle with her giant of a dog every night. Her labradoodle Louie missed her just as much as she missed him.

Of course, seeing her mother was also a highlight, but Melanie Nakamura was quite busy during the summer holidays. As a wandmaker, this is when she would get the most requests or visitors to her studio, creating wands for children about to enter their first year at Beauxbatons. Thus, Maddie spent most of her free time out of the house and hanging out with her friends or writing owls to Cassanora.

When she woke up on this particular morning, though, she smelled food cooking. Not normal food either - it smelled like pancakes! Her mother usually made savory foods for breakfast, not sweets. Sweets were reserved for snacktimes or dessert. Maddie also thought she heard - singing? With a sudden realization striking her, a wide grin spread across her face and she launched out of bed. She and Louie bounded down the stairs of the cottage and came face-to-face with a woman who was not normally seen in this house.

"Auntie Hanna!" Madeleine immediately wrapped her arms around her aunt, squeezing tightly. She had not seen her aunt in well over a year, and this was a great surprise!

"It's lovely to see you, too, Maddie," Hanna replied with a laugh, returning the hug with equal gusto. "You've grown so much!" she commented when they pulled apart. Maddie agreed with her aunt's assessment. She had grown quite a bit since they'd last seen each other.

"Where's Mom?" Maddie asked, her eyes casting about the room but unable to find her mother. "I mean, where's mom?" the young French girl made the correction to speaking in Japanese as she turned back to her aunt, since the woman was nowhere close to fluent in French. They could both speak in English, but Maddie knew this was a good opportunity to practice the language she used the least.

"She had to go to the studio for an early appointment. I've made breakfast, though!"

Over the pancake-laden breakfast, Madeleine regaled her aunt with stories of her second year at Beauxbatons and her visits to Hogwarts. She spoke highly of her best friend Cassanora. She elaborated on her dance lessons and her growing skills with her wand. She spoke of how beautiful the French castle was and its gardens. Hanna was an amazing audience, asking all the right questions and laughing when Maddie expected it. It was nice to be able to sit with her and just talk.

"So how come you're here?" Maddie asked an hour later, when both were full and had transitioned to the living room. The young girl knew there must be a reason her aunt was there - not just to provide breakfast today. She was patting Louie's head when she asked the question, but when she didn't receive an immediate response she looked up at her aunt and caught a glimpse of something. Nerves? Was that a nervous look? It was gone from Hanna's face before Maddie could make a proper deduction.

"Well, I wanted to show you something," Hanna said, a small smile gracing her lips. Maddie still thought she saw nerves and was becoming apprehensive herself, but the idea of seeing something cool was making her more excited than anything else. "Think of it as a birthday present." This statement only made Maddie more excited. She was turning thirteen in a couple weeks, which was a big deal. This must be a really good present!

She watched as her aunt reached into her purse and pulled out what looked like a picture. Maddie felt slight disappointment. Was that all? A picture? She could only see the back of it at the moment, which was devoid of any detail, and she tried to wait patiently as her aunt turned to her. Maddie met Hanna's eyes and this time definitely read the uncertainty in her look. Why did she look like she was-

"I found a picture of your father," she said.

Maddie's eyes widened at the words that came from her aunt. Her father? But- Mom had said that all of his pictures had been destroyed when he died. "How did you get it?" Maddie asked, her voice sounding foreign to her own ears. Her eyes fell to the picture in her aunt's hand, and she reached for it. Hanna jerked her hand back, holding it out of reach and prompting Maddie to focus her eyes back on her aunt.

"You can't tell your mom that I'm showing you this," Hanna said, her voice carrying a tone that Maddie had not heard before. "I found it in our childhood home, in your mother's old things," she answered, her gaze softening while looking at the young girl. "Maybe she forgot it was there, but- I don't think she'd be pleased to know that I'm showing you. I can't answer beyond that, but... I think you deserve to know what he looked like."

Madeleine's heart was pounding as her aunt spoke, barely registering the content of her words. This was probably the most she'd heard about her father in years - since she learned to stop asking. Mom said her father had worked for the government, and when he died, they had erased all trace of his existence. It was for their safety, her mother always said.

But now - now Maddie would finally get to see what he had looked like, beyond her mother's descriptions.

"I won't tell her," Maddie agreed, not truly understanding why they couldn't tell her, but also not caring. She wanted the picture. And at last, Hanna offered it to her. She took it without a word and studied the man in it.

The young girl didn't know what she'd been expecting, but her slender fingers traced the outline of his face. He was so young in this picture. Was this before he had even started his job with the government? She knew so little of her father, and she had learned not to ask questions. Her mother didn't like to speak about him much, but sometimes on a holiday or special occasion, Melanie had told Madeleine a story or two about him. Seeing his face... well, it was stirring feelings. She was suddenly intensely sad. But also- confused...

"I'm here!" Maddie jumped when she heard her mother's voice at the front door. Louie rushed off to greet the woman as Hanna snatched the photo from Maddie and stuffed it back in her purse. "Just for a few moments, but I'm here!" It seemed Melanie had returned from her wand studio to check in on them.

"Not a word, remember?" Hanna said, her dark eyes catching Maddie's. The young girl nodded, confusion still running rampant through her. Her mother entered the room, and Maddie tried to act normally. She hugged her mother, but left the conversation to the two adults. It felt like forever that her mother stayed, making conversation and apologizing for not being able to spend more time. It was only fifteen minutes that she stayed, but the whole time Maddie could hardly contain herself.

Finally, her mother had to return back to work, and Aunt Hanna walked her to the door. Maddie stayed in the living room and dug through her aunt's purse, taking out the picture.

Her heart rate increased when she saw it again. Her confusion from earlier multiplied. Her father was dead... But if that was the case... why did it feel like she had seen this man before? Why did he seem so... familiar?