black and white ✰ g.w.

CHAPTER ONE

The Village was a small cluster of quaint houses out in the Scottish countryside, well-protected from the prying eyes of Muggles. The Wood family lived here; an entirely wizard family who truly valued each other and wanted nothing more than to keep each other safe.

David and Helena Wood brought the idea of this 'village' to their children after the end of the First Wizarding War in 1981. David, a well-known Auror, had been a huge part of the War; he, his wife, and most of his seven children had been a part of the original Order of the Phoenix and did not hesitate to show which side they were on. Because of this, they were all in constant danger. When finally the Dark Lord met his match in one-year-old Harry Potter and the War came to an end, David was one of the few that did not believe he had died, and knew he would come to power again someday. So he and Helena came up with a plan to help keep their family safe when the time came.

They found a big stretch of land away from the Muggles and built their new home. Then, they used charms and enchantments similar to those protecting Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry so that no unwelcome visitors would come knocking on their door.

Henry, the eldest of David and Helena's children, and his wife Amelia agreed to the plan. Henry was an Auror as well and agreed that if they all lived together, it would be safer. Amelia, a Muggle-born, did not have much contact with her own family, so she loved the idea of living with her in-laws and allowing her children to live in a large, loving family. They built their new home next to David and Helena's and moved in with their two children: six-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Ben. At the end of that year, they would have another child, Fraser, and then another, Duncan, in 1983.

Catrina, the second-eldest, also agreed. She had no husband and was left to care for her two children, six-year-old Oliver and three-year-old Olivia, alone, while also working for the Ministry of Magic in the Improper Use of Magic Office full-time. Her children were not getting the care they deserved and needed at such a young age and if she were to live with her family, they would. And so she built their house next to Henry and Amelia's.

The third-oldest, Anastasia, was long dead despite her young age, and her grave was next to that of her lover, Regulus Black. Their only son, Faustus, who had been born just before his parents' murder in 1979, had been sent to David and Helena before he was even two months old. Regulus and Anastasia knew they were going to be killed and wanted their son to have a life, so Faustus was taken in by his maternal grandparents.

The fourth child, Natalia, had just gotten married to Aaron Cabot, a pure-blood wizard who did not agree with his in-law's beliefs. The newlyweds opted out of the plan and lived on their own to start their family. Just after this, their first child, Evelyn was born. In 1990, their second and last daughter was born, and they named her Scarlett.

The three youngest of David and Helena's children, Jade, Blair, and Abigail, were not yet of age at the time, and so naturally, they lived in the Village with their parents. Even after becoming of age, however, none of them left, but rather moved out of their parents home and built their own.

In 1982, when Jade turned 17, she built her home next to Catrina's. Soon after, she became an Auror for the Ministry of Magic just like her father and older brother. Nine years later, she would be gone from her home for three days and would come back with a baby boy in her arms. According to her, he was an orphan, and she had decided to adopt him. She named him Gregory and raised him as her own.

In 1983, when Blair and Abigail became of age, they did just as Jade had done and built their own home next to hers.

Elizabeth Barron, one of Helena's two sisters, did not have a spouse or children of her own. She had also been in the original Order of the Phoenix. So, Helena invited her to live in the Village as well, and she agreed.

The six houses in the Village surround a single sycamore tree. As the children living there grew older, David, Henry, and Blair all built a treehouse in it for the children to enjoy.

This was where Olivia was in early August 1994. The 16-year-old girl wore her favorite yellow sundress as she tended the flowers in the windowsill. She was joined in the treehouse by her 15-year-old cousin Faustus, who was enjoying a good book in the opposite corner. Both teenager's attention was drawn away when the family owl, Aegis, let out a screech to signal that she had arrived. They looked up and saw multiple letters clutched in the owl's feet and knew that those must be their Hogwarts letters. As Aegis soared over the treehouse, she dropped two letters and Olivia had to lean out of the window to catch them. She handed Faustus his letter and the two read over them.

"Dress robes?" Faustus asked. "Do you think this has anything to do with that event everyone keeps talking about?"

"I'm not sure," Olivia answered. She was still staring at those two words. She was dreading the moment that she would have to wear them. It would be difficult to find something she looked good in, in her opinion.

Just then, their grandmother, Helena, called up to them from the ground. "Hey! You two!" she said. They walked over to the door-sized opening in the wall that the stepladder led up to and looked down at her. "Are those your Hogwarts letters you've got there?"

"Yes," both of them replied.

"All right, then. Come on. Let's get everyone gathered so we can go to Diagon Alley."

Helena took five children to Diagon Alley that day: Ben, a seventh-year, Olivia, a sixth-year, Faustus, a fifth-year, Fraser, a second-year, and Duncan, a first-year. All of them needed at least eight new schoolbooks each, most of them needed new school robes, and three of them needed dress robes. Helena obviously did not have all of the gold this would need just lying around the house, so their first stop was Gringotts.

After collecting the needed amount of gold, they immediately went to Flourish and Blotts to buy all of the necessary books. Next was Ollivanders and Potage's Cauldron Shop for Duncan. Lastly, the party went to Madam Malkin's. After purchasing the typical school robes, they moved on to the dress robes. To keep them from complaining about being bored, Helena took Fraser and Duncan to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor while Ben, Olivia, and Faustus purchased their dress robes.

Ben and Faustus, not caring much for their looks, were finished quite quickly. However, Olivia took almost a half-hour to decide on a dress. Eventually, she chose an admiral blue ankle-length sleeveless gown that she felt quite pretty in. She left Diagon Alley feeling better about the upcoming school year.

[word count: 1266]
[written: 4/30/20]
[published: 6/1/20]