Alexandra Quick and the Deathly Regiment

Reunion

The Master of Death wasn't a spellbook, or a book about magic at all. It was a collection of legends, loosely assembled into a sort of novel. The eponymous 'Master of Death' (who was never actually named in the book) was supposedly one of the greatest wizards ever, having never lost a duel. But there was one opponent he had yet to defeat, and to prove himself invincible, he sought out Death himself.

This might have been a very interesting story, except that it was written in archaic, meandering prose with frequent philosophical tangents. Alexandra found it very abstract, and after reading a couple of chapters, set it aside to concentrate on her schoolwork, and on her other books which actually had something to say about magic.

In the last week of November, there was a school assembly. The Drama Club put on a production of The Fountain of Fair Fortune. Alexandra had never heard of it before, but Anna told her it was a classic wizard fairy tale from Beedle the Bard.

On the other side of her, Forbearance nodded. "We growed up with Beedle the Bard, and Brother Randolph's Tales, and Troublesome and Responsible."

At the end of the play, before dismissing the assembled students, Dean Grimm took the opportunity to introduce the school's new groundskeeper and head custodian, a large, intimidating woman named Boudica Fletcher.

Ms. Fletcher wore colorful robes of dyed wool. Alexandra didn't think she looked very friendly, but then, Ms. Gale hadn't liked students much, either. After Mr. Journey, Alexandra had learned not to put too much faith in friendliness.

As they filed out of the auditorium, Angelique was talking to David about the play.

"Beedle the Bard is for children, of course," Angelique said. "I wish we could see a more modern play."

"Maybe they should do something from a Muggle fairy tale," David said.

"A Muggle fairy tale?" Angelique looked skeptical.

"We -- I mean, Muggles have fairy tales, too. And plays."

Angelique sniffed. "But, what do Muggles know about magic?" And when David frowned, she said, "Oh, David, you know I didn't mean it that way."

David looked like he was about to argue, and then Constance said, "I'd like to see a Muggle play."

Forbearance nodded. "Our Muggle Studies class is gonna have a field trip to see a Muggle movie picture next month."

"If I could figure out how to make electronics work here, I could show you one on my phone," David said.

Angelique rolled her eyes.

Alexandra quickened her pace; listening to David and Angelique bicker was annoying. Anna tagged along after her. They had plans to study together; Alexandra was feeling a bit guilty that she was going to Roanoke for Thanksgiving and leaving Anna behind, so she was spending as much time as she could with Anna before the weekend. But as the press of students squeezing through the hallways carried them forward, she found herself trapped behind Larry and Adela.

"My father says it's subversive," Adela was saying. "The Pureblood Preservation League has been trying to have it banned for years."

"It's just a stupid play," Larry grumbled. His exasperated tone sounded very similar to David's when he was arguing with Angelique. "It's a children's fairy tale, Adela! Who cares?"

"A Muggle, marrying a witch? That part wasn't in the original Beedle tale -- Muggle-lovers inserted it in the --" Adela's voice trailed off, as she caught sight of Alexandra and Anna behind them. She sneered. "And look, this is what we have to put up with as a result! Charmbridge used to be pure."

Alexandra was determined to make Anna proud by holding her temper. To her surprise, it was Anna who reacted, saying something in Chinese. Alexandra didn't understand it, but it wasn't hard to guess the general meaning from her tone.

"Excuse me? What did you say, little Mudblood?" Adela demanded.

The tide of students was beginning to eddy around them and form a circle, as onlookers sensed a fight.

"Anna," Alexandra whispered, grabbing her friend's arm with one hand and reaching for her wand with the other. She looked around quickly, watching out for approaching adults.

"My father says our ancestors commanded armies of stone soldiers and dragons, summoned fire from the sky, and raised castles from the earth, while your ancestors were playing with goat entrails and scratching lines on rocks," Anna said. "I may be a Mudblood, but you're a --"

The word Anna used was Chinese, but even without knowing the translation, Alexandra could feel it almost blistering her ears. Adela turned red with anger, but Larry grabbed her arm.

"Later!" he hissed. "Look!" He tilted his head, and Alexandra followed the direction of his gaze, and saw Dean Cervantes heading their way.

Adela glowered at the two eighth graders, and then she and Larry turned around and continued down the hallway. Anna and Alexandra mingled with the kids around them and likewise let themselves be drawn down the hall and away from the scene.

When they got back to their room, Anna just stood there for a moment, trembling with anger and nervousness, looking abashed and indignant at the same time.

"Wow, Anna, what got into you?" Alexandra asked, not without a touch of admiration. She was almost smiling.

"My father..." A tear slid down Anna's cheek. "He told me to always be proud of my ancestry. We're better than them." She swallowed. "He's brave enough to go to prison, and I just let people say those things and they're talking about my mother --"

"Your father would be proud," Alexandra said. "And your mother."

"Not if I get expelled."

Alexandra laughed softly. "So let me be the one to get in trouble."

Anna shook her head. Alexandra brushed a tear off of Anna's cheek. "Who's them, by the way?"

Anna looked back at her solemnly. "You," she answered quietly. "Non-Chinese." She sighed. "Sometimes my father isn't much better than the PPL."

Alexandra hesitated, then patted her shoulder.

"Trust me," she said. "It's okay to think your father's wrong about some things."

---

Two days later, Alexandra was saying good-bye to Anna in front of the school, as Mrs. Speaks and Ms. Fletcher tossed students' bags onto a hovering carpet.

"I wish you could come," Alexandra said. "I mean, I'm sure Ms. King wouldn't mind having another guest. Croatoa is big enough --"

"I'm not family," Anna said softly. "And anyway, a Portkey ticket..."

Alexandra nodded. She felt uncomfortable enough letting Ms. King pay for her trip. She didn't ask whether Anna's mother had access to wizarding money.

"I'll be fine, Alex." Anna gave her a hug. "Charlie will be okay, and I'll feed Nigel and make sure he stays warm, and I won't be all alone -- Constance and Forbearance are staying, too."

"And with me gone, Sonja and Carol might be willing to hang out with you."

Anna smiled. "Sonja doesn't mind hanging out with you."

"Only to practice dueling."

They separated, and looked over to where David and Angelique were holding hands and giving each other little kisses -- one, then another, then another, smiling fatuously.

Alexandra and Anna looked at one another, and simultaneously stuck their tongues out and gestured with their fingers as if to shove them down their throats.

"All right, that's enough, you two," said Mrs. Speaks. David and Angelique reluctantly let go of each other's hands.

"I'll send an owl soon as I get home," David said.

"Have a good Thanksgiving," Angelique said. "Maybe you can bring me back one of those movie pictures."

"Umm, yeah. We'll see." David nodded. Alexandra rolled her eyes.

Darla had been standing a few yards away, looking nearly as disgusted as Alexandra and Anna. As always, when forced to be in proximity to one another, David and Darla did their best to ignore each other.

Angelique separated from David and gave Darla a good-bye hug, and then waved as everyone leaving for the long weekend began walking down the path away from the academy and into the woods. Relatively few students went home over Thanksgiving weekend, so they were all taken on a single bus to their various destinations. Alexandra and David walked together; Darla kept her distance, well behind them.

"You'll send an owl?" Alexandra snickered. "We're only going to be gone for four days."

"So?" David replied, flushing a little.

"Can't falcons carry letters?"

Inside his cage, David's falcon let out a little screech.

"Malcolm isn't good with other people." David looked at Alexandra's backpack. "Where's Charlie?"

A shadow passed over her face. "Charlie's staying behind this time. Animals don't travel well by Portkey, and you have to pay full fare for them."

Charlie had not been happy about being left behind; Alexandra had had to lock the raven inside its cage when she left, and Charlie's squawks and cries of "Alexandra!" still sent pangs of guilt through her. She suspected Charlie was going to be a very disgruntled familiar when she returned.

"Man, teleportation!" David said. "Wish I could take a Portkey."

"It's not as much fun as you think." Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "How are you going to bring Angelique back a 'movie picture'?"

"I don't know."

"You could give her a DVD, and tell her it's a magic disk. She just has to spin it real fast --"

"Funny."

Alexandra grinned. They didn't say much else until they'd crossed the Invisible Bridge and reached the bus waiting on the far side of the valley. Alexandra paused as she boarded the bus, letting David go on ahead to take a seat and standing next to Mrs. Speaks while Darla and then the younger kids behind her squeezed past.

"How have you been, Mrs. Speaks?" she asked. "You looked like you were pretty tired when you were bringing us all to Charmbridge in September."

The elderly bus driver looked surprised. "I'm fine, thank you, Miss Quick. I hope you've had a good semester?"

"Not too bad." Alexandra smiled. "I was wondering... did they make you use a Time-Turner to pick up everyone while the Wizardrail was shut down? That must be pretty hard. It seems kind of unfair to make one person do all that work."

Mrs. Speaks's thick white eyebrows went up. "Well... I didn't mind, not really. It was only for a short time." She smiled. "And I got paid for my time, so really, it was like being paid twice." Her face grew serious. "Not that I would want anything like that to happen again..." Then her expression became graver still, as she remembered who she was talking to.

Alexandra nodded. "I understand. Where did the Time-Turner come from, anyway? You don't still have it, do you?"

The elderly witch squinted at her. "No, I returned it to the Department of Magical Transportation. Why are you so interested in Time-Turners, Miss Quick?"

Alexandra shrugged. "I was just kind of curious... I read about them, and was wondering what one looked like."

"Mm. Well, you'd best take your seat." Mrs. Speaks gestured towards the back of the bus, as she closed the door.

"Okay. Thanks." Alexandra gave the driver a cheery smile, which faded the moment she turned around.

She was sure Mrs. Speaks was watching her in the mirror as she walked down the aisle and joined David in his booth. She ignored Darla, who was sitting by herself a few booths down, alone except for her cat, which she was taking out of its carrying cage.

David, fortunately, had not been paying attention to Alexandra's conversation with the bus driver. Alexandra was thoughtful as they proceeded to Chicago, which meant she was no longer inclined to tease David about Angelique. They played wizard chess for most of the trip.

"Well," David said, when they reached the Wizardrail station, where Alexandra was getting off. "Have a happy Thanksgiving, Alex."

"You, too." She didn't think it would exactly be a happy Thanksgiving, but she forced another smile. "It will be good to see Julia again."

David nodded. "I hope... well, you know. Take care, 'kay?"

They hadn't talked much this semester, Alexandra realized. David looked a little abashed -- without Angelique or his friends around, he was much less cocky.

"Yeah." She waved. "See you in a few days, dork."

She didn't need or want his concern, but down deep, she appreciated it.

About half of the students on the bus got off with Alexandra at the Wizardrail station. The rest, including David and Darla, would be driven by Mrs. Speaks to their homes. Alexandra was obliged to walk into the station with a senior who'd been assigned to see off the middle school-aged students.

The Chicago Wizardrail station was less busy than it had been on her previous trips. The Wizardrail had resumed operation, since the Thorn Circle's attack in the summer, but not all lines were running -- in particular, many inter-Territory lines were still shut down for 'maintenance.' The Roanoke Underhill from Chicago to Blacksburg was one of them.

Alexandra was one of the few people in the Confederation who knew why. So long as her father had the power to enter the Lands Below, no train that passed through that realm was safe.

So, instead of riding a train all day to Roanoke Territory like last time, Alexandra would be taking a Portkey -- those, so far as anyone knew, Abraham Thorn had not yet figured out how to sabotage.

According to a letter from Ms. King, her Portkey fare had already been paid for; she only had to go up to the booth and identify herself, and so she did.

"I'm Alexandra Quick," she told the witch on the other side of the bars separating the occupant of the ticket booth from the line of customers. "I'm going to Blacksburg -- there should be a ticket for me..."

"Right here," said the witch, consulting a list. She rang a bell, and a porter came forward.

"This way, Miss," the porter said, beckoning toward a row of booths with a sign over them saying, 'Portkeys.'

It was so easy, Alexandra was suspicious, as she waved good-bye to the senior chaperone and followed the porter.

On all of her previous trips, either by Wizardrail or Portkey, she had at some point been intercepted and interrogated by Diana Grimm, so she was looking around, more than half-expecting that the Special Inquisitor would suddenly appear and delay her trip. But there was no sign of Ms. Grimm as the porter stepped into one of the booths, carrying a very large, red office stapler on a pillow. He set the pillow down on the shelf inside the booth, and gestured to Alexandra.

"Wait until I close the door, and then just touch the Portkey and you'll be transported to your destination," he said. "Try not to hold your breath, and remember, it may be a little disorienting."

She nodded. "I've traveled by Portkey before."

'A little disorienting' -- yeah, right. More like being yanked out of your socks by your belly button.

She looked around one more time, and wished Charlie were coming along. She felt her heart pounding as the porter closed the door, and not just in anticipation of the Portkey jump. Julia was waiting for her at the other end, and the ghosts of Croatoa.

And maybe Ms. Grimm, too, she thought, and with that in mind, she reached out and touched the stapler.

Perhaps because she had done this before, it didn't seem quite so bad this time, but it was still an uncomfortable sensation to feel that sudden jerk, like someone had grabbed her spine, and then a sensation of tumbling haplessly through space, barely able to breathe, before she could feel her feet beneath her once more. She slumped against the wall of the Portkey booth, breathing heavily, and then the door opened.

She was looking out into a much smaller building, and she could see a shaded copse of trees outside, with a dirt road running through them.

It wasn't Diana Grimm looking down at her, but another porter, a wrinkled old man with heavy jowls. "All right there, Miss?" he asked.

She nodded, and stepped out of the booth, shouldering her backpack.

"Alexandra!"

Just past the painted line separating the booths from the main floor of the Portkey station, a pretty girl with long, brown hair was waving at her eagerly, almost bouncing up and down with excitement.

Alexandra beamed as happiness and relief flooded over her, and she stepped directly across the line, dropping her backpack to embrace her sister.

Julia was wearing lavender robes and soft velvet slippers. A pair of glittering earrings floated just below her ears as if dangling from an invisible string. Alexandra had dressed a little more carefully this time, wearing one of her nicer pairs of slacks and a long-sleeved shirt under a yellow robe, but as usual, she felt quite plain next to her half-sister. Julia squeezed her tightly, and then stepped back to look her over.

"Still determined to dress like a tomboy," she sighed. "And you've cut your hair so short!" She clucked her tongue, but her smile was teasing. She ran her fingers through Alexandra's straight black hair.

"Let the poor girl recover from the Portkey trip before you begin criticizing her appearance, Julia," said a tall, dark-haired woman wearing deep blue robes. "In fact, don't criticize her appearance at all."

Alexandra let go of her sister, and walked over to Julia's mother.

"It's okay, Ms. King. I really don't mind. Thank you so much for letting me come. And for paying --"

"Shush," said the older witch. She laid a finger on Alexandra's lips, and then wrapped her in an embrace that was almost smothering. "We're delighted to have you. I'm sorry we weren't able to bring you here over the summer."

Alexandra nodded. She felt happy and relieved and anxious and sad, all at the same time. The combination of Portkey travel and seeing Julia and Thalia King again was making her stomach flutter and forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut, so at first, she didn't hear Ms. King when she released her and said something about a surprise, but then another voice said, "Hello, Alexandra."

Alexandra opened her eyes, and realized a third witch had been waiting with Julia and her mother. She was a curly brunette, barely Julia's height despite being ten years older, and stockier than either of the other two girls.

"Valeria!" Alexandra exclaimed.

"Valeria will be joining us for Thanksgiving also," said Ms. King.

Alexandra walked over to her other half-sister, a little uncertainly -- she still felt as if she barely knew Valeria. But Valeria held out her arms, and so Alexandra embraced her as well.

"It's so good to see you again, Alexandra." Valeria patted her back. "How have you been faring?"

"I'm okay." Alexandra stepped back to look at her sister, the Historicist. "I thought you were still in Europe -- you never answered my letter..."

"I thought this would be a nice surprise." Valeria glanced at the Kings, who were smiling.

"Are Lucilla and Drucilla here, too?"

Valeria shook her head. "I'm afraid not." She sighed. "I visited them before coming down to Roanoke. Lucy has a beau, and she's spending the holiday visiting his family, so Dru is staying with our parents. I wish I could spend more time with them before I return to Europe, but since I have so few chances to see you --"

They continued to talk as they walked out of the Portkey station. Unlike Chicago, the Blacksburg Portkeys were down the road from the Wizardrail station. Alexandra was relieved when they made it out to Ms. King's carriage without any Aurors or Special Inquisitors stopping them. Alexandra glanced at the black, skeletal creature in front of the carriage and then tried to ignore it -- the last thing she wanted to do was remind Julia that she could see Thestrals.

Valeria sat in front, next to Ms. King, while Alexandra and Julia sat in the back. For a while, the two adult women chatted -- about traveling, and Europe, and Valeria's older sisters -- while Julia and Alexandra caught one another up on their semester thus far. Alexandra spoke only of her classes; Julia likewise. Alexandra wondered if Julia was leaving things unsaid -- how her life had changed now that she'd been exposed as Abraham Thorn's daughter, how she was coping with her brother's death -- but she knew Julia was probably wondering the same thing about her. It was impossible to say everything that needed to be said.

They reached the beach, and the Thestral spread its wings and pulled them onward, straight into the surf. Then the carriage was skimming across the waves, heading over the sound, towards Croatoa.

---

The Kings' mansion sat at the top of a hill overlooking the island. It seemed even larger than on her last visit.

Because it's emptier, Alexandra thought. She glanced at Julia, who smiled back at her, with a touch of sadness.

Samuel Hunter, the ranch hand who took care of the Kings' winged horses, was waiting for them, and helped Ms. King down from the carriage before taking the reins of the Thestral. He nodded to Alexandra. "Good to see you again, Miss Quick," he said gruffly.

"Miss Alexandra!" exclaimed a reedy voice. Several of Croatoa's house-elves were waiting to take everyone's luggage as she hopped to the ground.

"Hi, guys." Alexandra didn't bother arguing, but handed her backpack to Gun-Gun. She was perfectly capable of carrying her own things, but she knew that denying the house-elves an opportunity to serve would be like taking Bran and Poe away from their books. It took two elves to carry Julia's trunk, and a fourth to take Valeria's suitcase. The elf looked quizzically at the airline tags that were still attached to it.

There was a round of introductions for Valeria, who had never been to Croatoa before. Mr. Hunter shook her hand warmly, and the house-elves were overjoyed to meet another of Abraham Thorn's daughters. Whatever his reputation might be elsewhere, Croatoa's elves loved their former master.

"Deezie has prepared Miss's room, just like last time," said one of the elves, appearing at Alexandra's side. "And if Miss needs anything at all, Miss only needs to call for Deezie. Deezie will be there --"

"-- snap-snap-snap," Alexandra finished, holding her fingers up to snap them along with the elf. "Thanks, Deezie."

The four witches all proceeded up the steps into the mansion, surrounded by helpful elves. Alexandra was a little unsettled, as always, by their eagerness to wait on her hand and foot, but they had spent months with only Ms. King to take care of. Having four humans in the mansion to do things for had practically sent them into a tizzy.

"I'll give you three girls some time to settle in, and change out of your traveling clothes," Ms. King said. "And I'm sure you want to catch up amongst yourselves. We can all talk over dinner, which will be served shortly."

"Yes, Mother," said Julia, embracing her mother and giving her a kiss.

"Thank you, ma'am," Alexandra and Valeria said together.

Valeria's room was downstairs. She told her younger sisters, "If you don't mind, I must send an owl before nightfall, but I'll join you shortly to talk." She gave Alexandra and Julia another hug, and retired to her room.

Alexandra and Julia went upstairs and walked down the hall, under the watchful gazes of generations of Kings and Thorns hanging on the walls. Several greeted the girls from their portraits. Alexandra paused as they passed the door to what had been Maximilian's room.

Julia slipped her hand into Alexandra's, and Alexandra took it.

"How have you been?" Alexandra asked, in a soft voice.

"As well as can be expected." Julia smiled at her. It was definitely a sad smile, now. "Some days I almost feel fine. I was used to being away at Salem and not seeing Max for months at a time. But then, sometimes I remember I won't be seeing him again, even when I come home, and..." Her voice caught in her throat.

Alexandra nodded. Julia swept her up in a fierce embrace, and held her tightly. Alexandra put her arms around Julia, and could feel her sister trembling a little. She knew Julia was crying. Her own throat hurt, with the lump she was trying to force down, and she stared at one of the few blank spots she could find on the wall and tried to think about nothing, to keep the stinging in her eyes from turning into traitorous tears.

"And you?" Julia asked at last. "How have you been, dear Alexandra?" Slowly, she loosened her hold on her younger sister and stepped back. Tears were running down her face, but she forced herself to smile at Alexandra, as she laid a hand on her cheek.

Alexandra wondered if perhaps Julia would think she didn't miss Max, because she wasn't crying. Should she allow herself to cry, to make Julia feel better? Or was it better not to show as much grief as Julia? She knew she wasn't entitled to grieve, not really. She suddenly realized she wasn't sure how to comport herself. She didn't want all these emotions that confused her and made her unsure of how to act.

"I've been..." What should she say? Okay? That would sound like Maximilian's death didn't bother her. Terrible? That would make Julia worry about her, and Alexandra should be concerned about Julia, not the other way around.

I've been trying to find a way to bring Maximilian back. No, clearly, that wouldn't do.

Julia nodded, saving her from having to answer. "It's hard, isn't it?" she whispered.

Alexandra swallowed, and nodded.

"I'm so glad you're here." Julia kissed her cheek. "We must always stay close, Alexandra."

"Yes," Alexandra agreed.

"And you'll tell me if you're having any trouble -- if memories are bothering you, if you're having bad dreams -- oh, Alexandra, you say so little in your letters, but I know you must feel guilty, sometimes."

Alexandra knew Julia didn't mean that as an accusation, but her words rang in her ears as a condemnation: You must feel guilty!

"I will," Alexandra said, in a voice that was barely a whisper.

Julia rubbed Alexandra's cheek, even though there were no tears there, and then wiped at her own. "Oh, look at me! I've only been home for five minutes and I'm already a mess! You must think I'm such a silly, frail thing!"

"No!" Alexandra said, much more firmly.

"Well, I'll go get cleaned up." Julia took a deep breath, and glanced over her shoulder, at that door. "It's difficult," she murmured. "Mother says it will get less difficult, as time goes by, but the pain will never go away."

Not unless I fix things, Alexandra thought. I will fix things.

That Valeria was here was so fortuitous, Alexandra would have thought it was an omen, if she had believed in that sort of thing. It was wonderful, if bittersweet, seeing Julia again, and she really was happy to get a chance to get to know her other sister better as well. But it was much more important to learn what Valeria knew. If she did indeed have access to a Time-Turner, then she was Alexandra's best hope of getting her own hands on one. And if she could do that, then all of her months reading about them might not have been wasted. She wasn't going to leave Croatoa without knowing that her efforts hadn't been in vain.

---

The house-elves had prepared a feast for them, even though Thanksgiving wasn't until the following day. But there was fish and lamb, golden potatoes and pumpkin, green beans and peas and corn, pitchers of pumpkin juice for Julia and Alexandra, carafes of wine for Ms. King and Valeria, and the elves kept bringing more until Ms. King finally told them to stop.

"Well, I'm not used to being served by elves, but I must admit, they know how to cook," Valeria said, patting her round stomach.

Rolly, carrying empty plates away from the table in precariously tall stacks balanced on his hands, beamed.

"You don't have house-elves?" Julia asked.

Valeria shook her head. "Not at the Academie, and I didn't grow up with them, either." She had been rather quiet at first, but with several glasses of wine in her, she had become more talkative. "Lucy and Dru remember when Father was still married to our mother, and we had house-elves, but I was a baby when they separated, and Father took his elves with him."

"Miss Valeria never had another elf to take care of her?"

It was the oldest of Croatoa's house-elves, Triss, standing quietly in a corner, who spoke. Alexandra realized that she had been there throughout most of the dinner, while the other elves were running in and out carrying plates and pitchers. Now, the old elf's rheumy eyes were fixed on Valeria, who turned to look at her in surprise.

"No," she replied, in a friendly tone. "My stepfather... well, he doesn't approve of keeping house-elves." She glanced at their host. "No disrespect, Ms. King. I can see that you treat your house-elves very well."

Alexandra noticed that Valeria spoke to the elves very politely. Even Julia, while always nice to the elves, was rather imperious at times. Maximilian had been the same way.

Ms. King smiled. "No offense taken, my dear." Her smile faded, as Triss suddenly began bawling. Everyone turned to stare at the old house-elf. Rolly and Deezie looked at her in horror.

"Miss was abandoned!" Triss wailed. "No one took care of Triss's Valeria after Triss left her!"

Valeria's mouth fell open.

"Oh, my stars above," Ms. King said. She looked from Triss to Valeria. "How foolish of me. I never realized --"

"Triss didn't want to leave, but Master Thorn said we must!" Triss sobbed. "Master Thorn promised Miss Valeria and her sisters would be taken care of!"

Rolly hurried over to the older elf, carrying a handkerchief, while Deezie whispered something frantically in her ear. Alexandra suspected the other elves were finding Triss's conduct most unbecoming of a house-elf.

Valeria, however, rose from her chair and walked over to squat in front of Triss.

"We were taken care of," she said gently. "By our mother. And our stepfather -- he's a good man. He's... really the only father I ever knew. I'm sorry, Triss. Lucy and Dru might remember you, but I don't. But please don't be sad on our account."

"It is horrible! Horrible! Master Thorn's daughters grew up without any house-elf taking care of them!" Triss blubbered.

Valeria patted the house-elf on the shoulder, and looked at Ms. King helplessly.

"Dear Triss, you must get a hold of yourself," Ms. King said. Rolly and Deezie were standing on either side of Triss, now, trying to calm her down while looking quite embarrassed.

"Triss is s-s-sorry!" Triss wailed, blowing her nose messily in the handkerchief held by Rolly.

"It's quite all right," Valeria said. "Please... I had no idea, Triss. I would love for you to tell me all about when I was a baby, when you were living with our family."

Triss nodded, bobbing her head back and forth vigorously.

Ms. King shook her head. "Abraham brought Triss with him when we married. I never considered--" She sighed.

"Triss is sorry," Triss mumbled, still choking back sobs. "Triss has embarrassed her Mistress and childrens..."

"Not at all, Triss." Ms. King smiled gently. "You may spend as much time with Valeria as you like, while she is visiting us."

"Thank you, Mistress." Triss wiped her eyes. "Triss must clean up first, and make sure Olina and Nina is not burning the pudding. Triss will speak to her Valeria later?"

This last was said in a pleading tone, and Valeria nodded. "Of course."

Triss disappeared with a pop, and Valeria sat back down in her chair, and wiped at her eye with a finger. "That was quite unexpected."

Alexandra watched the scene silently. She knew house-elves were like family -- at least to the Kings. She had heard that not all pureblood families treated their elves so kindly.

"It must have been very difficult for her," Julia said. She smiled fondly at the other elves, who were now scurrying out of the room, carrying dirty dishes and muttering amongst themselves. "They would be heartbroken if they had to leave us, wouldn't they, Mother?"

"Yes, they would." Ms. King nodded.

"I can't imagine growing up without them," Julia said.

"It's not so bad," Alexandra said.

Julia flushed. "Oh, of course not! I didn't mean --"

"It's all right." Alexandra gave Julia a half-smile. "I would have loved having elves around, when I was little. My parents would have freaked, though."

"Freaked?" Julia giggled.

"I would like to hear more about growing up with Muggles," Valeria said. "And I'd like to hear more about growing up here, at Croatoa." She looked around the table, holding a fresh glass of wine in her hand. "We have so much in common, and so many years to catch up on."

Everyone else nodded. Alexandra looked at her two sisters, and thought about what Valeria had said. They did have much in common, and yet the three of them were very, very different as well. Her emotions had been in constant flux since arriving at Croatoa. Every time she remembered Maximilian -- which was practically every time she looked at Julia or Ms. King -- she felt a fresh pang of sorrow. But the easy conversation with her sisters made her feel something she never really felt at Charmbridge or in Larkin Mills -- acceptance. They knew all about her -- her father, her Muggle upbringing, and even her terrible journey to the Lands Below -- and it didn't matter to them. It was like being with family.

---

They talked long into the evening. Valeria told them a little about her family -- her older twin sisters, who were Artificers, and the three children their mother had had with her second husband. It sounded as if the family was quite close, and happy, and Valeria spoke fondly of her stepfather, whom she called 'Dad.' It made Alexandra feel almost jealous.

Alexandra was more interested in Artificing and Historicists. She asked casual questions, not wanting to sound too interested, but when she mentioned Time-Turners, Valeria gave her an odd look, and changed the subject.

Valeria and Julia asked her about her life in Larkin Mills. Alexandra had never thought living in Larkin Mills might be considered exciting or exotic, but even Valeria, who had some experience dealing with Muggles, was fascinated by the most mundane details: what Alexandra liked to watch on television; what her favorite Muggle foods were; whether she was allowed to drive an automobile, etc.

Eventually, Valeria, blaming the wine, retired for the night. Triss appeared instantly at her side, and followed her to her room. Deezie and Nina were waiting for Alexandra and Julia, when Ms. King told them it was about time for them to go to bed also.

"And don't stay up too late talking," she admonished the girls.

"No, Mother," Julia replied, winking at Alexandra.

"I saw that, Julia." Ms. King gave both of them a kiss on the cheek. "Good night. Do sleep. Deezie, Nina, nag them if they don't."

The house-elves took their mistress's orders seriously, so while Alexandra sat in Julia's room for a little while, they mostly talked about Charmbridge Academy and the Salem Witches' Institute, while Deezie and Nina came in every few minutes to "check" on them and give them disapproving looks.

They talked uncomfortably around the topic of Maximilian. They couldn't ignore him, didn't want to avoid mentioning him, but neither one of them were prepared to open fresh wells of grief just now.

Alexandra asked Julia if she had heard from their father.

"Once, during our first field trip," Julia answered quietly. "He never sets foot on Salem's school grounds, but while my history class was visiting a museum, an old man came up behind me, as if he were just looking at the exhibits, but I knew it was him." She stared up at the ceiling. "We only talked for a few minutes. He asked me how Mother was doing, and if there was anything I wanted, and, well, I'm afraid I gave him a rather short response. What he did to those poor people -- the Muggles, too! -- was so dreadful, and I simply couldn't pretend that things were the same." She sighed.

Their conversation eventually became lighter. Julia still laughed, teased, and even giggled, but Alexandra didn't hear her talking much about her friends at Salem. Julia asked Alexandra whether she had a boyfriend, and laughed at Alexandra's disgusted demurral, but when Alexandra asked her the same question, Julia shrugged and simply said no, rather than bemoaning the absence of boys at Salem, as she would have a few months earlier.

Alexandra knew she could never be really happy as long as she was a walking reminder of Maximilian's death, so she assumed Julia felt even worse. She gave her sister a hug good-night, after Deezie asked her for the fifth time whether she'd like her to draw a warm bath for her, and returned to her room, where she lay in bed for a long time, thinking about Valeria, downstairs, and whether the Historicist could get her a Time-Turner, and whether her ancestors' ghosts in the woods down the hill from the mansion had answers for her about Maximilian's fate. She had to get those answers in the few days she had remaining at Croatoa.