(1) Family Ties (D. Salvatore)

Chapter Thirteen

After her conversation with Tansy, Elena and Bonnie now sit in the booth that Tansy once occupied, the two of them watch Tansy who is still seated at the bar with her fresh drink. Her mood significantly soured with everything that came out, between the magic truth told to a muggle, and the whole look-a-like thing. Elena knows what this likely means, and after her conversation with Tansy, she has to consider that she is related to Tansy in some way, that there is a link to one another somewhere and if Tansy is so sure about her family tree, then it leaves Elena. There are just too many similarities in their faces for them not to be related.

"My Grams knows her better than I do," Bonnie states and tilts her head a little. "But I don't think she'll tell me if I asked about it" Bonnie knows that her grandmother won't tell her, because she didn't tell her about Halloween and what it meant to Tansy. There is no way that she is going to discuss Tansy's family without Tansy's permission.

"Tansy is so sure she's not adopted," Elena admits. "Which means that there is a chance that...it's me"

"Tansy could be wrong" Bonnie argues, Elena shakes her head in disagreement.

"No, she was very sure," Elena counters. "And she had this look in her eyes...it's not her" She lets out a long breath and looks at Bonnie. "If there is a link between us, then it has to be mine that's wrong"

"And Miranda and Grayson never hinted at...." Bonnie starts. Elena shakes her head.

"It has to be me" Elena whispers as she fully realises what this means for her. If Tansy is so very sure in her family, that she knows her family tree as well as she seems to, and the two of them look so very much alike, then the odd one out, has to be Elena. It has to be her. There has to be some missing link in her family. Which means that there is a very high chance that she is adopted. If she'd never met Tansy, she would never have thought to question her family. But here she is. Questioning her life.

.......

Some time later, Bonnie joins Tansy at the bar as she finishes her drink. She looks as though she is about to leave and Bonnie wants to talk to her before the night is over. Because this has not gone at all how she'd hoped it would. She thought there would be some answers as to why Tansy and Elena look alike, she thought that her friends would have spent more time with Tansy. That maybe there was a chance that there could be some friendships forged here. But it's not gone that way at all.

"Tansy" Bonnie greets and Tansy glances at her. "Are you leaving?" She motions to Tansy's bag in her lap, strap pulled over her shoulder and her jacket is on. She really does look like she is about to leave.

"Well, for a party, this night has turned into rather a bummer" Tansy admits and lets out a long breath. "You know....a little warning would have been nice," Tansy continues. "One, that you told your best friend. Two, that me and Elena look so much alike that people are giving me weird looks" Tansy glances around the bar and even now there are people glancing at her and whispering. She can imagine that they are wondering if Elena's parents had another child that was sent away or whatever. It's one of those towns where rumors are going to get around fast. Tansy doesn't really care for them as she had seven years of looks and rumors surrounding her and her brother at Hogwarts and within the magical community. But for a night that was supposed to be a party, she is not feeling very jovial.

"I thought it was in my head" Bonnie defends. "I thought I was just seeing my best friend in you....I needed her to see it too before I talked to you" Tansy softens a little and then sighs.

"Okay, well, it's done now" Tansy offers as she sets her empty glass on the bar. "But I think we should just stick to our little lessons...." She slides off the stool and gives Bonnie a small smile. "Thanks for the invite though" Bonnie watches her as she walks away, disappointed that this didn't go well. She was hoping that Tansy would become another friend and not just her magical mentor.

.......

Tansy sits on the couch with a magical book open in her lap. She wanted to refresh herself on a few things before her lesson with Bonnie in the morning. She's going to go through the levitation charm a few more times before she moves on to the locking charm. Right now there are only so many things that she can teach Bonnie without the use of her own wand, whilst hers works for the young witch, it would be better if she has her own. She also has a book for Bonnie, a book on learning Latin. Latin is a basic must know for Traditional magic.

"Will this work?" Sheila asks as she sets a small wooden box onto the coffee table. Tansy hums and nods. "What are you working on next?"

"The colloportus charm" Tansy answers and then sighs a little. "The 'translation' is the hard part and this one is proving difficult" She admits and sighs.

"You studied traditional magic under me" Sheila reminds her, Tansy nods in agreement. If she hadn't taken that class at school, then she might not even be here. But she top of that class, which is probably why Sheila invited her to teach Bonnie in the first place, so she can do this. She takes a deep breath and looks back down at her notes in the book in her lap. 

"So about Elena Gilbert" She states and Sheila pauses then sighs before turning to her former student. "Did you know?"

"Yes" Sheila admits. "Over the years, living here and teaching you at Hogwarts, it was hard to miss" She sits next to Tansy. "When you were younger, you and she looked so much more alike, twins almost. But now, whilst I see the similarities, I also see so much of James in you" Tansy smiles sadly. Sheila isn't the first to say something along those lines. In her later Hogwarts years, there were a few that commented on her looking like James in ways. Her eyes mostly and a little bit of mischief that twitched at her lips, almost like an actual permanent feature of her face. 

"We could perform a blood spell" Tansy offers and Sheila frowns. "To find out how related Elena and I are"

"Except that Elena is a muggle..." Sheila warns and Tansy snorts.

"Yeah, about that" She turns to her and gives her a look. "Bonnie has a big mouth" Sheila groans a little and shakes her head. "A little blood and she and I will know where we stand with each other...."

"She might not want to face the truth of this" Sheila warns softly. "Learning that your parents aren't your real parents, and that they cannot be asked about it, is going to be hard on her" Tansy nods a little, understanding that she is going to have to wait for Elena to make a move. She wanted to leave it at coincidence, and she told Elena as much, so the chances of that happening are very slim.