✧OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD✧

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Welcome older version of Aurora Lestrange
Face claim: Caitriona Balfe

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One Year Later

|4 from running away|
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Dear Rabastan,

I don't know why I kid myself into writing to you, but I feel the need to share the children's achievements as they come. The twins received their Salem letters, as if they weren't going to be accepted into the school.

I am still on the Salem council, the lad's program is doing beautifully and they are starting to combine classes between witches and wizards, but not all of them just yet. Now I am focusing my time for new project, I don't think I've told you much about understanding wolfsbane, but besides that I plan to further the Salem name to create a University for secondary education after Ilvermorny and not have it exclusive.

Otherwise everything is alright, not that you deserve to know how I'm doing. Saros and Phoenix allow Lorelei not to feel entirely alone, I feel slightly guilty that she's the youngest from her siblings and older than her 'cousins.'

Phoebe is with child again, twins. Bloody hilarious if I do say so myself, Romulus and Imara are thrilled for more than one reason. Though I have to admit I'm saddened that they aren't going to Ollivanders, but it's better this way.

Have you given any thought on Hogwarts or Ilvermorny?

-Aurora

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She blinked numbly to the parcel, and it the sudden knock to her study door suggested that it was time to get going. "You ready to go?" Regulus questioned, and Aurora coward down to the drying piece of parchment and shook her head.

Her brother crept his way up slowly, locking his head down onto hers and wrapping tight arms around her. "They're excited sister, you know how Romulus is when he sees you upset." He was a hundred percent right, the eldest Lestrange had done everything in his power to help his mummy.

"It feels like I just taught them how to walk Reg..."

"You still have three others to be your lil babes...Now wipe those tears away before they see their mummy crying." She did just that,  as well as attempting to hide the already seen parcel.

It threw Regulus in an angry rage and a new subject to report to Orion that she was writing Rabastan. Still.

Either him and their father suspected that since they were in high maximum security they wouldn't be receiving letters or he simply couldn't reply on his own account.

Either way it was causing his sister to hold onto hope, and after four years. He was praying that instead of all this, that she'd move on.

More importantly, move on with Aidan.

Bless that patient man, because Regulus knew their problem was that Rory still worried about giving herself entirely to the relationship in relation to saving an explanation to the children.

"Is mummy ready?"
"She's drafting a parcel little lad, are you ready for today?" Romulus smiled up to his uncle and nodded, holding up his little pouch of coins that he planned on paying his wand with.

Regulus gave his sister props in teaching the children a sense of earning money, even if they were rightly wealthy without the Black fortune behind them...And the Lestrange. But Regulus wanted to pass this off with his own children, and better yet, he wouldn't be teaching at Ilvermorny anymore. He completed his degree and would be joining the faculty at Salem's school for gifted young witches and wizards.

It allowed an easier schedule for him to return home to his wife and sons. The twins were still a mystery on whether there was a girl hidden away in there, and Reg prayed that for a girl.

He so desperately wanted a daughter.

"Is mummy still working?" Imara asked, and Regulus reached down to pick up the young girl and cocked a grin. "When isn't mummy working?" Aurora flicked her brother's ear and shook her head.

"She's not working right now, and I believe that we have some business to attend to in town." The children cheered and Imara threw up her own pouch to show off her saved up coins. Course it was difficult to teach them how to manage and save, but it would come in time.

Especially when Romulus saved up most of his coins and was already asking to go to the sweet shop.

Wheres Imara has only the amount to buy a wand.

Ronan was rightly fine helping Phoebe with Saros and Phoenix, as he favored acting like an older brother to other lads.

The four of them plus Aidan were all prepared in arriving at the American version of Diagon Alley. Only it was named the Enchanted Trail.

"Mummy? What happens if our wand isn't at Warren and Bishop?" Rory blinked down to her child and smiled lightly. "What did Uncle John say before we left the house this morning love?" Romulus thought for a moment and then smiled.

"The wand chooses the wizard, and the goddess read our nexus." Aidan smiled lightly behind the son and daughter, after being with Aurora for the past few years allowed him his own enjoyment in watching this milestone.

Especially since Romulus would be one of the first few years within the start-up of the program, and either was generally excited to see Mr.Blackwell in the classroom setting.

Even though Aurora was rightly her brother's boss right beside Aidan.

The Brits looked downright confused at how the layout of the wand shop appeared, it didn't have the same clutterness of Ollivandars. It resembled a jewelry shop to Aurora, but also allowed the witch or wizard to personalize a wand.

Which sounded rightly disrespectful.

"Mr.Proctor...Twelve-inch willow, Hippogriff feather core..." Imara watched in awe as his mum and uncle watched brighten almost instantly. Perhaps some things were the same here as well.

"Perfect for potions, as you predicted sir." Aidan blushed, and Rory grinned at her boyfriend having suddenly turning flustered.

"I always am, now then...Salem students?" Romulus erupted in a grin and nodded to the man behind the counter.
"Yes sir, mum attended Salem." It was already a rather high ranking to attend the pristine academy, but it indeed caused the man to nod along.

"Come along son, what core do you have Mrs?" Aurora hadn't realized that this question would suddenly spark an addition to the process but she answered.

And it caused the helper to assume that the twins were Aidan's children.

"Ah, actually their father's wand is Dragon heartstring." She gripped her son's shoulders to release a bit of tension, and Regulus sighed as it seemingly always led back to Rabastan.

"Phoenix feather and Dragon heartstring, strong combination...Hand on the book son." Nobody in the Halliwell house had shared the process in which Warren and Bishop would take, and it made the two Brits rather excited as well.

The book looked fairly old, and it was clear that the two foreigners were engrossed with what was happening, especially when one of the cases had begun to violently shake.

"Not to worry, your wand'll be in there." The crowd followed him to the shelf to find the subcategory and then display five wands.

"Alrighty son, seems like you take after your mother...Wave away." The boy looked between the five, and although he was about to pick the first one wanting to go down the list, he was indeed drawn to the third.

A slight shock and tingles told all the adult lingering that it was indeed his wand, but the second he looked up to his mum in doubt she soothed him. "Give it a whorl Romulus." She encouraged, a soft grip to his shoulder once again, and he did just that. Though most of the furniture was protected by spells as underage magic and new wizards attempting magic would break everything.

"Luminos!" He cheered, and a solid light began to shine, causing him to squeal in delight.

"Did I do it right?" He questioned, and although everyone shared their words of praise, it was his mother's kiss that Romulus craved.

"Beautifully done love." And he relished in the soft voice of his mom and smiled to his sister in hopes of destroying her worry.

But Imara hadn't been thinking about that, she was emulating what Auntie Phoebe said a few days prior. That the heart of her wand would be her chosen path, and she very much wanted it to involve creatures.

"Alright little one, center of the book." It wasn't that much of a shock to hear the same cubby begin to shake and the clerk smiled at how easy it would make his job today.

Imara had stared at the five in front of her now, her brows came together as she attempted to concentrate like she had seen Romulus done to feel the correct one.

So Aurora came up behind her child and leaned down behind her ear.

"What are you thinking about love?"

"I don't know which one." She pouted, such sad twist to her voice and it caused Rory to hum just beside her daughter's ear. "You're overthinking it darling, close your eyes." She shot back to look at her mum in protest.

"Trust yourself Imara, don't force it, nothing comes when you force it." Romulus had smirked at his mother hypocrisy, it felt like just yesterday she been trying to demand the ideas of wolfsbane potion to pop into her head.

Romulus has smiled up to Aidan and his uncle as they knew their mother's worth ethic as well. But then he caught something that his mum would like, so while his sister was feeling her out, he asked Aidan if he would sneakily buy that for his mum and he slipped him the extra gallons.

It was an adorable gesture, and when Aidan claimed he didn't have to purchase it with his own money, Romulus shook his head. "But mum's birthday passed already." His own protests matched his mother's stubbornness and the man sighed in defeat.

Regulus had watched with a kind smile, Rory had done beautifully raising her children the way he knew she wanted them to see the world.

He even joined them on vacation, as he wanted to have this good energy. And while he was caught in the moment, Rory turned back to her brother and winked. "You'll be here too soon papa."

"I have a few more years sister." She rolled her eyes and watched in awe that her oldest little munchkins had secured their wands and managed to pay for it themselves.

Aidan had bought the gift as another clerk was able to do it without much notice on Aurora's part, and Romulus had been given it by the end of the day.

"Alright, but I didn't help you with this. Yeah?" Romulus laughed as the group continued down the Enchanted Trail to enjoy the day out in town. It wasn't the first time they were here, nor will it be the last. But since they were going to be away for the majority of the year, it was going to be a difficult dose of reality for Aurora to deal with, so she wanted to enjoy the rest of the hours left with these two.

"Mum, do we have to give up our wands when we get home?"

"I want you both to get used to having it on your person, but no experimenting without my being there or another adult. Imara?" She knew Romulus wouldn't act on such impulse, and the young daughter smiled up to her mum with her hand still firmly interlocked together. "Yes mum."

Aurora shared what would happen in a punishment sense if they disobeyed, and Regulus knew straight away that it would be nothing compared to what their own mother would do in retaliation to punishment.

Hell, even Orion had hit her for falling asleep with a book in her lap.

Or being told multiple times that they wanted a son rather than her.

"Mum, won't the trace be on our wands?" It was Aidan's turn to take the conversation as he would know the inner workings, and it was much like the Britain Ministry though it didn't take everything so far in terms of punishment and fines.

That is why Salem had been opened in the first place, as it allowed those would usually been act out with magic would be the first to find their way into the campus.

But they opened to around the world.

As the children finally arrived at the candy store, Romulus knew he didn't have much leftover when purchasing his mum a gift nor did he rightly have such a sweet tooth.

Instead he claimed he didn't want anything, and it caused Rory to recoil. Thinking that something was wrong, usually Romulus would buy a small something whistle in the store. So she attempted to coax him into sharing what her own favorite snacks had been.

Sour quills especially.

Imara, on the other hand, wanted to bring home treats for her siblings and Aurora thought that was a much better idea as Ronan and Cara felt rather left out. But the promise of this year's activities would prove otherwise, even Lorelei at the age of three proved to be a calm child.

Bless it be because Aurora was thoroughly done the nappy days, and Lori was the easiest babe to train to use the loo.

"Romulus, is everything alright?" He wasn't surprised that his mum came to check on him that night, and here she was sitting on his bed with a glass of warm milk to try and persuade him again to speak.

He had remained silent and reclusive to speaking about it, but in truth he didn't want to leave to Salem. He wanted to stay home and watch over his mum.

A soft smile erupted from his mum, and out of embarrassment had his hair shot a turquoise. "...And here I worried that you two wouldn't owl me."

"Of course I will!" He cheered, his hair fighting the urge to turn red, and in the end it flashed in demand.

Aurora responded with her own change of hair to make her son, and he watched the angelic laughter that graced his ears.

"Rommy what are we going to do when you graduate from Salem? I want you to enjoy your education, not worry about your mother."

"Does that mean we're going to Hogwarts?" Rory's shoulders fell as she knew that the question was coming eventually, and she shook her head and shrugged.

"I don't know yet love, it's unfair that you would've gone had it not been for all that happened."

"Is it that bad mum? What happened I mean?"

Romulus watched as his mum turned rather silent, it wasn't that it was odd. It usually occurred when Aurora had an idea and needed to jot it down, but here he knew she was receiving whatever was keeping us away.

"What are you leaning towards mum?"

"Ilvermorny." The boy tried to hide his disappointment, he wanted to attend the school that his mother and uncles walked through.

But he was a bit adamant being near anything that involved his father, his attendance to Salem wasn't his father's doing. Nor was anything else, all Romulus saw Rabastan as was the damnable bloke that left when his mummy needed him most.

He didn't bother with question like Ronan and Imara had, instead he watched his mother's heart shatter with each question from thereon. Although he had some kind memories of a man playing with him, his mind was confusing him with Regulus more times than not.

And all was questionable, he was too young to really retain it all anyhow.

"We'll all be at Ilvermorny at once, Lorelei will be in first when Imara and I will be in fifth." Rory agreed with her son, finally settling with cuddling the young lad. Even if she planned on experimenting, these were the moments she catered to the most.

"As above?"
"So Below."
"As within?"

"So without...As the universe?" She smiled and hid her wobbling lip as she thought of her brother so vividly when she shared this with her son.

Especially considering he looked the most like his uncles instead of his father.

"So the soul." His grey eyes sparkled with delight, and though Sirius never rightly found any interest in the religion, Romulus did, along with his siblings.

Aurora soon tucked her son away as he fell asleep far too easily, the warm milk always worked like a charm with him. And so she traveled down the house to place the cup in the sink before going to her bedroom.

"He alright?" Aidan questioned, already in bed reading a book. And Rory simply nodded, headed into the closet to change into her nightwear.

It hadn't taken all that long to find a comfortable position beside Aidan, humming into the side of his chest as she looked back on her conversation with her son.

"He asked if he's going to Hogwarts..." The wizard knew that this question would be asked sooner or later, and although Rory had enough time in the world to get used to the idea that the twins were heading off to Salem, she still couldn't get it passed her thick head.

And purchasing the wands today surely drove her further on edge.

"Sunshine, they're still in the same state. They'll come home for weekends. It'll be good for them to gain independence, and you already said that Romulus should get some time away from you." Rory closed her eyes in stubbornness, she had said that, and she meant it at the time.

But now she didn't want to let either of them go.

"And when they graduate and head off to either school, what will you do then?" He didn't want to make her feel worse, but this mother had to let her cubs go.

"I take it back, I'll teach them."
"No Rory, you can't do that to them. I know you want to see who's the Ravenclaws and Slytherins, and I hold to what I've bet against." She hummed into his chest once again, seemed like everything had been perfect until the letter came.

"But Ilvermorny makes so much sense, they've been here almost as long."

"But that's where their entire family attended, what happens when the war sparks up again?"

"And the war sparks while their attending?" The questions continued to wrack up and up, just confirming why she never wanted to discuss it. But with the two-year countdown, it rightly made her anxious.

"Stop pouting, or I'll take you to Hawaii now."

"Sod off." Having unlocked her British lingo he threw her for a surprise as he followed her down for a small peck on the lips before smiling to her.

"Are the kids coming?"

"Not this time, no...You'll have the beach all to yourself." She grinned, having caught the lust in his eyes, Aidan hadn't pushed her even for a moment, but even she couldn't deny how he had been with the children today, having been there meant the world to her.

So she leaned in forward to pull him closer and he complied instantly, the book he had been referencing while waiting for instantly fell to the floor and Rory giggled at their actions.

"Was it anything important?"

"Not as important as this."

*

 It had been an exhausting day at the labs, and although she prided herself into taking up a steaming cup of tea to her study in order to gain some motivation in order to complete the rest of her work...She would most likely fall asleep in her reading chair yet again, but looking to her regular seat had she frowned to see a gift bag.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples, silently praying that it wasn't another job offer. Gods it was as if any field demanded to have her, some herbology network chain sent a representative a few weeks ago.

Opening it with caution did she reveal a rather beautiful leather belt, but it had a small holster built-in for her wand and vials. Indeed a potion mistress or masters accessory, but reaching into the small bag did she realize it was completely misinterpreted.

Romulus had gotten her a late birthday gift.

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Happy belated birthday mum!

Maybe now you won't lose your wand all the time if it's on the belt.

Love you,

-Romulus

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Aurora tilted her head up in an attempt to push the tears away, but in that she thanked the gods and goddess at how damn sweet her children were. It wasn't only Romulus who showered her with kindness, Ronan found little moments of his own to love him mum.

All the children did it in their own way, even little Lori found herself snuggling up and demanding attention. And Rory wished she could devote all her time to being a mother, but Aidan and everyone were right, if she continued to hold their hands through life then what good will that do them?

She turned to her desk and enchanted a small piece of parchment to call upon Romulus to join her to read in her study, as that was her plan coming up here. But also she wanted to thank him for the gift.

Romulus rightly forgot about planting the present there as he had such a busy day as Chaser with his siblings and cousin that he wasn't prepared to see him mum holding the belt like she had.

"Do you like it mum?" It worried him as she was relatively silent since his arrival up to her loft, but she opened her arms and allowed a full-hearted squeeze as she leaned back into the chair and pulled him further.

"You don't have to get me anything Rommy."
"Of course I do! It was your birthday." How odd it was indeed, Rory had indeed never favored her birthday, and even now being twenty-eight? It gave her a heart attack to know how old she has been and still so much to complete.

"But we had a cake and a party munchkin, I don't need anything more." Romulus pouted and looked down at the wand belt thinking that he failed.

"But I do like it Rommy, they aren't popular in Britain." His mum didn't rightly speak about where they were born, and if she did it'd usually end up retelling a story from Hogwarts. But here he felt rather brave and snuggled further.

"What's it like?"
"What?"

"Britain. What's it like?" Rory soothed herself as she weaved her fingertips in her son's hair and kissed his temple.

"It's cold...Always bleek. Makes anytime perfect for a cuppa. Our New England weather doesn't match for it."

"I don't remember anything from the house." Rory shook her head beside her son, confirming that it wasn't worth remembering.

"But we were born there, except Lori, will we ever visit?" Another sigh escaped his mother, and he realized that his bravery overstepped a line entirely.

"If you go to Hogwarts, I assume that some people will force us to stay." It simply confused him greatly, but then kissed his mother's cheek before rushing to the shelf for her to read him a book.

Of course it was the Norse Mythology encyclopedia.

"And I was shocked by Lorelei's name."

"Is Lori going to Salem too?" He whispered and she nodded in confirmation, Salem prepared their letters years in advance, yet she made him promise to not share with anyone else.

The two managed to enjoy one of the few nights together before the trunks were packed and the family found themselves in the Halliwell car.

Aidan was behind the wheel as that was another thing Rory had yet to feel confident about, instead she found herself watching Romulus and Imara in the rearview mirror to see how her children are fairing.

Their owls having been purchased just a week after their wands as she wanted another lesson of saving coins. Though she did buy them in the end and pushed the kiddos to bring their allowance with them to Salem.

Aurora had the camera ready, and even when the two twins had had their trucks and owls at the ready, she managed to snap dozens of pictures already.

The lack of a train would give either secondary school a different surprise, but it was giving either Romulus and Imara a worrying start to the semester that their mum was on the council and friends with the Headmaster.

"You'd think Mr.Crawford and mum wouldn't get teary-eyed every time they bloody see each other." Aidan attempted to withhold himself from scoffing, but he turned to the two children, Imara especially and explained that Rory was one of his favorite students and he was the one that allowed her to the Halliwell manor for every other weekend.

"Will we be coming home often then?" Imara questioned and Aidan shrugged his shoulders, he rightly didn't make the decisions for the children. Though he was the stand-in father-figure, he left the big choices to their mother.

Rory was indeed jittery when leaving the children, and no matter how much Aidan consulted her, she threw herself into her work and managed the children all while awaiting the given owls from her children.

Aidan was surprised when he too received mail, but it was a delight considering he did start to see and love them as his own.

Aurora grew up writing parcels out to Regulus, Sirius, Rabastan and their parents while she attended. But the twins had all their siblings, their mum, their aunts and uncles, Aidan, and their cousins.

Their little family here was indeed large, and it made Rory happy to see that there had been a bundle from either child to pass out in the morning.

Though she usually received the most, nothing compared the delivery for Ronan's birthday as he received two gifts from his siblings who would be missing his birthday.

But Aurora treated him to a beautiful adventure to Arizona as he too found himself interested in ThunderBirds. Yet currently Rory was packing for her own trip with Aidan to talk to suppliers and turning the entire thing into a final vacation, the two were going to dive into their academic careers as Rory pushed herself into corresponding with Otto about the production of wolfsbane.

Especially when a rumor has already been leaked.

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Date Posted: 01-24-2020

Time: 5:01

Words: 4700

Author's Note:

I had so much fun writing the wand choosing ceremony for the kiddos, and isn't Romulus such a sweet lil lad 🥺

Also, before this semester started I binged watched Outlander up to season 3, and I found that the main character Claire is the perfect face claim for an older version of Aurora:)

And the new face claim for Rabastan will be Sam Heughan.

Now this have been a debate between so many characters as to where the Lestrange children will go, and I am having trouble sorting out one child.

So I thought maybe I could ask you guys where you think each Lestrange child would go if they attended Ilvermorny or Hogwarts.

Leave a comment by their name below to what house in either school and why! I want to hear your thoughts as to why:)

Here's a reminder on the house traits!

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Horned Serpent is equivalent to Ravenclaw
Wampus is equivalent to Gryffindor
Pukwudgie is equivalent to Hufflepuff
Thunderbird is equivalent to Slytherin

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Romulus Dimitri Lestrange

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Imara Halsey Lestrange

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Ronan Bastan Lestrange

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Cara Regulus Lestrange

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Lorelei O'Hera Lestrange

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Also there will be two updates on Monday:)

|Chapter Thirteen is very Lupin heavy so to compensate there's an extra chapter|