Up and Down

Virtue and Iniquity

It's a beautiful and crisp December morning. Long awaited Saturday heralds the coming of the weekend, not that it means any sort of relaxation usually. Anna and Sebastian still have Quidditch practice and the preparation for NEWTs is taking up the rest of their waking hours.

But everyone needs a break every once in a while, or they would go insane.

The five of them - Anna, the boys, Anne and Poppy are on the road to Hogsmeade when a man Apparates in front of them.

Anna gasps, expecting an attack, her wand already swishing through the air. She has been on edge since the Gaunt brothers showed up at Hogwarts, tense any time she had to leave the protection of the castle walls.

Sebastian's wand also flew out of its holster at his hip, both of them more than used to fighting and sudden ambush.

But it's...

"Uncle Solomon?" Anne's eyes widen. The older Mr Sallow spins to face them and turns towards her voice.

"Ah, luck is on my side for once. You wrote you'll be in Hogsmeade today. I thought I'd seek you out."

"What is it, Uncle?" Sebastian's wand is pointed to the ground now but is still in his hand, and there is tension in his arm.

His voice isn't belligerent... but is not not hostile either.

They still haven't quite made up after the tumultuous fifth year.

"I wanted to invite you four to Feldcroft. To meet with... with Grace."

"Grace?" Anna's eyebrows rise as she tries to remember someone by that name who might be connected with Solomon, and comes up blank, "pardon me, but who is Grace, sir?"

She had always tried to be polite to the man. If anything, to try and heal the breach, no matter how deep and painful. For both of the twin's sake. Sebastian's anger towards his uncle runs deep, but it isn't like him to hold a grudge for this long, and it clearly hurts Anne that her brother and uncle, her last remaining family, do not see eye to eye.

"The woman that had agreed - by her immense patience and acceptance which I do not deserve - to become my wife," Solomon's stern face betrays a small smile.

"Five," Sebastian responds, shoving his wand back into its holster.

"Huh?"

"Five of us. Don't you dare exclude Poppy from this, old man."

The boy nods in the direction of the tiny Hufflepuff holding hands with Anne.

"H-hello, sir," by her nervous tone, Anna guessed that Poppy and Anne hadn't yet broken the news to Solomon.

"Oh. I... I see. Pardon me, Miss, I meant no disrespect," his eyes linger on the yellow trim of Poppy's cloak, "Grace is a Hufflepuff too. A healer."

"So much for that badger loyalty," Anne grumbles, her face - previously sunny and bright - darkening with anger and pain.

There is clearly something Anne is holding against the woman.

"I should like to meet her," under the cover of their warm cloaks, Anna grips Sebastian's wrist tightly, probably tight enough to leave indents in his skin.

Behave.

"Very good, Ms Visconti. Would tomorrow work?"

"So soon?" She raises an eyebrow at the man. They've got a mountain of homework to plough through, and their outing to Hogsmeade today is already stretching it.

"Yes, well, I know it's a bit sudden, but her schedule is rather erratic..."

"We would be honoured to," Ominis bows his head politely while Anna tightens her grip on Sebastian's wrist even more, sensing he is about to protest.