An Awkward Reunion - July 1^ST

It was getting late when the Hogwarts Express arrived in London. Late, but not dark yet, which was nice. One of the things Opeila loved about the summer. Had it been dark, she would probably be having problems staying awake for their next journey to Finland, which would probably again happen through a number of different floo connections or a portkey. Maybe both. The young Slytherin wouldn't dream about complaining though, she was quite aware that the Virtanens could just as well have taken her out of Hogwarts and sent her to Durmstrang with Lysander. They allowed her to go to Hogwarts still because they knew that she wanted to and Opeila appreciated it.

As he had promised, she could soon spot Lysander at the station, who pushed himself off the wall when he saw the train arrive, and she was surprised how happy she felt to see him. After their last real talk things had been odd, Opeila had proceeded to ignore him and Lysander had refused to share her opinion. Their conversation via owls from a few weeks ago had also been a rather pleasant exchange, but only because it avoided the topic of their argument entirely.

And now he was here, coming over as he spotted her leave the train to hug her and take her luggage. "Hey! How was the journey?" Opeila shook her head. "Long, I guess. I have some candy left from the trolley, do you want it?" She held out half a package of Bertie Bott's Beans and two chocolate frogs. Lysander snorted amused. "Let me guess- these are the risky coloured once that no one felt brave enough to eat.", he commented, making Opeila smirk. "Maybe. But only a few!" As if to prove something, she took a bean out of the package and put it into her mouth. "See, that was a cucumber flavoured one!"

"Good enough for me." Lysander snatched the box from her hands, "So how were the last weeks?" Opeila shrugged. "Tiring. A lot of packing. Oh, but-" She turned in his direction, a proud smile on her face, "I learned something new." Lysander's eyebrows rose a little. "So? Like what?" "I met this guy from a year above me and he taught me how to split spells to hit two targets at once. It is so cool, I wanted to learn that forever!" Lysander grinned. "Good job then!"

And then there was silence. For a long time... silence. And then it began to get awkward. Opeila bit her bottom lip, not knowing what to say anymore, so she turned her head away and watched the London nightlife. Eventually Lysander spoke up. "Opeila... about last Christmas. I wanted-" "Forget about it. It's fine, I understand, we don't have to talk about it anymore." "...Will you let me finish?" Opeila closed her mouth again. "Sorry."

"What I wanted to say is that I can't help you, should my parents decide to arrange something. It is their right to do so." Opeila bit her teeth together, swallowing back her disagreement. Restarting the old argument wouldn't help either of them. "But I don't want to work against you either. You see, we have similar circumstances here. My parents will ultimately arrange something for me if I don't find something they view as worthy." "I have heard you."

Lysander paused, seemingly confused. "What?" "at New Year. Miles and I were listening at the door.", she admitted shamelessly. "...You spied.", Lysander commented, once he had come over his temporary speechlessness. "Yes. Don't even try to lecture me about it, I will not apologize for listening in on what other people plan for my future."

She could hear Lysander sigh next to her but she didn't look at him. The whole time she had made an effort to keep her tone as lighthearted as possible and she could feel that it bothered him. "Well, then don't. I'm tired of this discussion anyway, I don't need to justify not going against my parents. This is how I was raised and I am fine with it but for the last months you have been shaming me for not going out of my way to make my life more difficult for you, for trying not to pick sides. Can't you see that this is unfair?"

"Hey, I never expected anything-" "Now you are lying." "Well, fine." "Fine."
The two of them went silent again, looking in different directions. Only this time Opeila felt bothered by it, a lot. This was not what she had wanted. "Here. I don't want them." She looked back at Lysander who held out the beans to her again and groaned. "Fine, I am sorry. I'm just frustrated, alright?" "Mhm." Slowly Opeila took the box back.

The rest of the trip back to Finland happened in silence.

An Dinner to change Lives - July 1^ST

The dinner happened in the same silence. When Opeila and Lysander arrived in the manor, Lysander had disappeared to his room, leaving Opeila to get settled on her own. For a while she had just curled up on her bed, feeling quite miserable. If this was how the holidays were going to start, how would the rest of the month be? Lost in thoughts she ran her hands through Loras' fur, who had curled up next to her, purring soothingly.

Opeila didn't have much time on her own, soon a house elf called both Opeila and Lysander down for dinner. The young Slytherin didn't feel ready to already face the masters of the house and show off her etiquette, if it was up to her, she'd skip dinner altogether even, despite the growling of her stomach.
She wasn't sure if Lysander had told them about her eavesdropping, but during the period of silence in the beginning she couldn't help the feeling that she was being harshly judged in silence.

"So, Opeila", finally Jarno spoke up, "How was the rest of your year? Any more achievements since?" Opeila swallowed her food before answering. "Yes, in fact there are. I have won two more duels and was also named prefect.", she responded, unable to keep herself from smiling a little. Especially the latter still filled her with pride.
And apparently she was not the only one, Jarno nodded with an approving look on his face and Hilja sent her one of her rare smiles. Even Lysander met her gaze for a moment and smiled, making Opeila feel relieved. Perhaps their earlier discussion would not ruin the holidays entirely.

"That are great news, Opeila, well done." The Slytherin had not expected her adopted mother's praise to raise her spirits so much but it certainly did. Well- until her husband added "It seems that your education here has paid off then. Fantastic, we will carry on."
Opeila froze on the spot, pressed her eyes shut for a few seconds and sighed silently. That had to be expected, didn't it?

"We also have some news to share. There will be a visitor arriving in two days. He is going to stay with us for the rest of the holidays." Opeila began to drift off again as Hilja began to talk. Visitors and trips rarely seemed to concern her at all, it was always just a matter of telling her that she was going somewhere or/and had to be on her best behavior, that was all. "... Opeila, are you listening?"

Her head shot up and she faced the disapproving look of Lady Virtanen. "I'm sorry." There wasn't even a point in pretending that she had listened, "Could you repeat that, please?" Hilja sighed. "I want you to make sure that this visitor is comfortable. He will have a lot to tell you. Please behave while he is here." Opeila nodded, confused. "He will have a lot to tell me? Like... what?" Suddenly she felt a bit uncomfortable. Had they invited the Thatchers again?

Finally Jarno spoke up again, but only to cut off the conversation, much to Opeila's disappointment. "All in good time, child."

Blood to Blood - July 2^ND

Opeila had gone to bed with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. The hints given by both Lord and Lady Virtanen had made her nervous and she didn't like it. Why had they not just told her who was visiting? Why make those demands without telling her what all of it was about?
It had taken her several hours as well as Loras snuggling up against her- what had she bought his cat bed for again?- to finally go to sleep, but she didn't feel easier waking up this morning.

Breakfast passed in silence too, Opeila didn't miss the looks that were exchanged by the three Virtanens but didn't dare to ask. "So when is this... guest arriving?", Opeila finally spoke up, eyeing all three. "Oh, anytime now.", Hilja answered, "If you're done, we'll go and await him in the entrance hall."
And they did. All four of them were turned to the big fireplace in the entrance hall, through which this ominous guest was apparently supposed to arrive.

And then he did. No. They. The flames turned green and two men appeared, the first of them old, white haired and bearded, the other tall, younger with dark hair. A gasp escaped Opeila at the recognition, she knew this man. Not personally, but she had only seen him last year in a vision.

Everything happened at once.

Hilja was by her side at once and pushed Opeila behind her with one arm, shielded her from the guest that had obviously not been expected. In the other hand she held her wand. Jarno and Lysander both had their wands drawn as well, stepping towards the two men.
They seemed unbothered, almost as though they had expected nothing else. Then the bearded man raised both his empty hands. "He means no harm. Both of us don't."

"This was not the deal. How could you bring him here? To the place where your granddaughter lives? He's the reason she is here and not with her family in the first place!" Opeila blinked in shock as the words set in. She was so overwhelmed that the surprise at Jarno Virtanen's heated words of defense didn't reach her at first.
From behind Hilja, she looked at the bearded man, her grandfather. Lady Margary's husband.

"Mr. Ravensburg, Mr. Crane, please follow me to the salon. It seems we have much to talk about." It was Lysander who spoke the words that indirectly accepted peace. He exchanged a quick glance with his father, then his mother, before he walked ahead, followed by the three men. Hilja would turn when they passed, not allowing them out of her sight until they had left the room. Only then she would face Opeila, a mix of concern, anger and regret on her face.

"That is..." "I am sorry, Opeila." "And he is here too..." Opeila whispered, not yet looking at Lady Virtanen. "Lord Crane wanted to meet you, you are also the last family he-" "...Why did you BRING THEM HERE?" Opeila barely heard how her voice became higher, louder, until it was almost a scream, but she felt Hilja grab her arms and pull her away, into the kitchen, where she closed the door behind them.

She pushed Opeila into a chair and seconds later held out a glass of water to her. "Drink that. Take a deep breath." Opeila did, emptied the glass in two seconds and placed it on the counter. It was strange how quickly she really calmed down again. So there were those two men in the house... But she was safe, right? One of them was her grandfather and the other... never murdered her halfsister, so that was at least something.

"I invited Lord Crane here because I thought it would be good for you to get in touch with family. I promise you I didn't know, none of us did, that he would bring Lord Ravensburg with him. It was not the plan." Opeila nodded slowly, still confused about the sudden calmness. How even- Her gaze fell on the glass on the counter. "Did you put a potion in there?", she asked. "Yes. You can't freak out right now, we need to go in there in a moment."
Opeila nodded again. That sounded logical. "Ready?"

The two of them entered the salon together and despite the calming potion Hilja had given her, Opeila felt nervous and was grateful when Hilja sat next to her on one of the sofas. It was a different dynamic today that she was witnessing in the family today. Usually she felt like she was the constant antagonist to them, always fighting their decisions, but today they were united against two strangers who were a potential threat to her alone.

Lysander and Jarno rose from their seats when Opeila and Hilja entered, walked over to a table in a corner of a room and poured five glasses of what looked like some alcoholic beverage. One Opeila wasn't getting. The two of them didn't sit down again. Jarno would stand behind their sofa and Lysander leaned against an armchair next to it.

"So you are my granddaughter, Opeila. Fioria's daughter.", Dorian Crane spoke up, examining her closely, "You look so much like her, I can't believe it. You even move like her."
Opeila raised her chin a little. "I look more like my father than my mother.", she responded but Dorian shook his head. "No, Fioria was one of a kind and maybe we are all better for it. No, I meant Margary. You resemble her a lot. And you are a seer too, like her."

Nothing difficult to see if one knew what to look for. More and more of Opeila's hair had turned white in the last year, of course that didn't remain unnoticed by the man who had been married to a seer. But the comparison to Margary caught her off guard. She had never thought of it. Never compared herself to her oh, so perfect seeming, demanding, strong grandmother. Was she really like her? It could be, after all, Lady Margary practically had raised her.

"This is all very nice and good. Can we come to business then?" It was Leopold Ravensburg who ended the moment, seemingly bored, "Your mother- my wife- was meant to produce an heir to both our bloodlines." Opeila stared at the man, unsure if this was really happening. Did Leopold Ravensburg truly decide to speak to her this way? To her?
"As she failed-"

"Maybell was not a failure." "You will not interrupt me again, child. That squib girl was not my daughter, I am sure of it. As I was saying, since Fioria failed, I want to move this to the next generation. I have a son-" "How dare you.", Jarno interrupted him.
"It is only logical. It would be a good connection.", Leopold continued unbothered. Lysander rose as well. "It would be best if you left now, Lord Ravensburg. You would not want to outstay your welcome."

Lysander's diplomacy was a commendable trait that he had certainly not inherited from his father, who would step towards Leopold Ravensburg and stop close before him. "You come into my home, my family and my ward's home and demand things of my ward after ruining her family? She may not be my daughter, but Hilja and I adopted her and will protect her as one of our own. As long as Opeila doesn't agree to a connection with your family, there will be no arrangement. Get out of my house."

Leopold stared at Jarno for a few seconds, before he began to smile. "Of course, Lord Virtanen. I bid you all farewell then. I will see you later, Dorian."
And as quickly as he had appeared, he disappeared again.

A Legacy Uncovered - July 8^TH

When Opeila had woken up after the meeting with Dorian Crane and Leopold Ravensburg, the Calming Potion Hilja had given her had worn off. And with it the calmness. In fact, everything that had been numbed by the potion seemed to crash down on the young girl at once. She had been unable to get out of her bed, she could only sit and stare at the sheets.

For some reason, the vision she had last christmas had made her believe that maybe Leopold Ravensburg was not the villain, the evil of her nightmares. That with the misunderstanding over her sister's and mother's death, everything else, the whole history had been a misunderstanding. That he was a good man who... Well, what? It was after all unmistakable fact that Lady Margary and her her mother had fled from his wrath, and taken Maybell with them. Maybell. Her poor sister that was even in death still rejected by her biological father.

Opeila had dug into her memory, tried to conjure an image of her older half-sister in her mind and compare it to the man she had met the day before. Was there any similarity between her poor sister and the cruel man who had called her a failure? No, of course not. There wasn't. There couldn't be. She refused to believe it.

The chaos of emotion calmed down eventually. Shrunk together into one- fury. Opeila had been furious with the Virtanens the days after, refused to talk to Hilja and Jarno- only Lysander eventually managed to make her temporarily forget that she was mad at him and thereby broke the spell. She didn't know how to return to punishing him with her silence and frankly she didn't want to. It was way too exhausting.

Dorian had returned too. Again and again, to spend the days at Virtanen Manor, around his one remaining family member. And despite her anger with the old man, she slowly learned to appreciate him too. To realize that there was actual care for her behind his old fashioned words and beliefs. She could see the respect he treated her guardians with, as though they were her actual parents, he didn't claim any right to make decisions as she had expected.

And after days of talking to him about family, about the past, she understood why, making all anger that remained wear off entirely. Dorian Crane, her mysterious grandfather who had so suddenly entered her life had never stopped respecting, maybe loving, her deceased grandmother. He trusted her still, and her choice to leave Opeila with the Virtanens was something he respected. Was that why he had stopped looking once he realized that the women disappeared by choice? To not jeopardize what they had started? At the expense of all he loved, all that he... lived?

Spending time with Dorian Crane turned from a chore into something that Opeila almost looked forward to. In a way the old man reminded her of Lady Margary, although it became more and more clear that in their relationship it was her who had made the decisions, not him. But Opeila could see that it didn't bother him at all. He didn't feel ashamed for it, he accepted that his wife had powers and knowledge that he didn't.

And one day, he brought something with him. A thick book, that he showed Opeila in the afternoon. At first she had wondered what it was, but then found it to be a book similar to what Pericles had showed her. A sort of magical family bible. Maybell was in it, connected to Fioria Crane and Leopold Ravensburg with two neat thin lines. And next to it was Opeila's, connected only to Fioria with a single line. "Dad is not on it.", she commented. Dorian nodded. "The bible does not accept muggle connections. It will not show them."

In a way it relieved Opeila to hear it. A book in which both the Seiluns and the Ravensburgs were listed... It wasn't imaginable. Well- at least the book still showed her as a Seilun.
Opeila flipped the pages back to look at more of the Ravensburg line, that was quite an interesting one. "Lord Ravensburg has a sister?", she asked, looking at a name on the page. Dorian sighed. "He does indeed, but they don't really talk about her. For good reasons."

"Well, if I am part of the family, shouldn't I know?" "Alright. Vianne Ravensburg is really what I would call a grey sheep that got raised by the actual black sheep of the family. Here" He moved his finger to another name, Valèntina Blanchard. "Their aunt Valèntina. She got herself pregnant with Auline when she wasn't married. Hid it for a couple of years but eventually it came out. Auline is now married to a halfblood girl and they adopted a girl that should be around your age. Well, it only came out when Vianne lived with them for most of her childhood and then she was torn away, forced to return to Germany after spending most of her life in France."

Opeila looked at the page, fascinated. If the Ravensburg family wasn't one for scandal... "Well, being raised in a way that lovely Alexandra and Matthias wouldn't have approved, she was not accustomed to their expectations. She didn't agree to being married off to someone, so she fled back to France. And since then she is an outcast. She can't ever return, she is alone now." Opeila looked down at the name, the Blanchard branch. "They just cast her away? Like this? If that isn't one family bond."

Dorian shook his head. "Don't mock them. You have met Leopold Ravensburg. Without his image, what is left to him?" Opeila looked up, examining her grandfather's face. Had this been... a joke? "Who is mocking them now?", she asked, surprised to see a smirk appear on Dorian's face, only for a second.

Then it turned serious. "Speaking of family..." Opeila sat up, waiting. "I understand that this comes as a surprise to you, but you are... the last Crane family member who lives. I want you to become the heir to the family. To continue the bloodline."
Opeila blinked. "That is... Unexpected indeed. And something tells me that this is a courtesy question. In this kind of matter my opinion wasn't asked in a long time."

Now it was Dorian who looked surprised for a moment. "... Well, you know the ropes then. I have been discussing this with Lord and Lady Virtanen. Carrying the Crane name would give you an even better social standing than your seer powers do. The name is old, many know it and it gives you more meaning than anything else could."
Opeila straightened her back a little. "I appreciate the thought. But I am sure you can understand that it gets tiring after a while if your value and meaning are constantly dictated by others. I am not interested in any more of it."