In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*Getting the Letter

The Forrest household, buried in the green countrysides of Canterbury, was often a lively one in the mornings as Juliette Forrest woke her three children Oliver, Elizabeth, and Briar up for school. But today when Juliette checked the calendar, she knew today was going to be different

10 years ago to the day, on July 8th 1982,  Juliette Forrest and her late husband James had been entrusted with a one-year-old baby girl, named Briar. Except, Briar wasn't a 'normal' child per se, in fact she was a witch. A witch whose parents had left her to this muggle family to hide her, but today Juliette knew she would have to tell the young girl the truth. There was a good reason for that though. Briar's parents had been friends of Juliette and James's, Remus Lupin and Kendall Lyman. Remus and Juliette had grown up nearby to each other, and thus when Remus left his daughter, he saw no one better for the job.

Now Briar knew she was adopted, but she had no idea of who her parents were yet. She had asked her adopted mother repeatedly, but Juliette had always told her that she would tell her one day when she was old enough.

The poor girl was so young, and Juliette feared what might happen if she told her the truth. Briar had a complicated past, that Juliette was unsure about explaining properly. Especially since her late husband James had passed away three years ago. He had known everything, and to be faced with the prospect of telling Briar all of it on her own, was daunting.

Her father was a werewolf, and her mother a half-veela, making Briar a mix of both, as well as a witch. She had shown all the signs for it early on, from the blonde-silver hair atop her head, to the way things seemed to break when she got angry, and Juliette was afraid that without Remus or Kendall around, she wouldn't be able to explain any of this properly.

"Good morning, mother," Lizzie, her eldest, said as she walked into the kitchen and her mother returned a brief smile that didn't reach her eyes

Elizabeth liked to think of herself as the perfect child. She was an organised, smart, and punctual child, but she was also judgemental and critical of others who she didn't think were enough like her.

One of those people was Briar. Briar had always been her opposite. Lizzie preferred quiet, Briar made noise. Lizzie enjoyed indoor activities, it was hard to keep Briar inside. Lizzie was punctual, Briar was never doing anything on time. And Juliette knew Lizzie didn't like the fact that Briar was adopted.

The girls were only two years apart in age, however, they could not have been further apart as people, and it was something Juliette had had to accept. 

"Mum!" Ollie shouted as he ran down the stairs too "Have you seen my camera? I want to film Briar's birthday!"

"In the living room, darling" She replied

Oliver was the complete opposite of his sister. He was loud, and rambunctious, and when he walked into a room he liked everyone to know that he was there. Ollie and Briar were always very close, he wasn't bothered by her being adopted, and he liked having a playmate since Lizzie wouldn't do it, despite him and Briar being 3 years apart

Juliette's own two children were so different that sometimes she had wondered if Lizzie had been the adopted one. However, one look at the blue eyes both of them had, made their relation clear.

His sister turned her nose up at the crinkled clothing Ollie was wearing, and was about to say something, when, to Juliette's relief, Briar walked into the room.

She looked nothing like them, that was obvious. The Forrest family all had their signature chestnut brown hair, and ocean blue eyes, but Briar stood out amongst them. Her hair was light and silky, and her eyes were hazel brown, and she had a smile brighter than anyone else's.