"Hello, welcome to the London Institute," a brunette woman welcomed them some minutes later after they entered. "My name is Charlotte Branwell and I'm the head of this Institute."

"Hi," Izzy said, "my name's Isabelle Lightwood but everyone calls me Izzy."

A brunet green-eyed boy spoke, "A Lightwood you say? How weird, I'm a Lightwood myself and I've never heard of you in my entire life. You don't even look like me. Gabriel Lightwood is my name."

"Is your brother Gideon Lightwood?" Alec asked.

"Yes, that would be me," he said.

"But we are family. My name is Alec Lightwood, Izzy's brother, and I know for a fact that we are related. I believe we are long distant cousins," he said trying to sound as formal as ever in his life. "You see, I know what has happened to your dear father, demon pox or... astriola if I remember correctly." In truth? Magnus had told him some bits about Tessa and Jem's background. Many related to him. Though he could not remember from what brother he was related.

"We haven't told that to anyone!" Gabriel exclaimed.

"Yes, but the members of the family were notified, and we were going to your father's house to stay but thanks to this event we have nowhere else to go," Alec continued.

"I am Clarissa Fairchild, but call me Clary."

To Charlotte, she seemed suspicious since she never knew of her existence but she let it pass also as a long-lost cousin.

"I'm Jace Herondale."

"Not another Herondale!" Gabriel exclaimed while Will smirked.

"Nice to meetcha, I'm Will Herondale!" He introduced himself shaking his hand. "It's going to be fun having more Herondales with us!"

"Hi, I'm Will's sister, Cecily. Just a question, from where are you?"

"We come from America," Izzy replied.

"I'm Tessa Gray, it's nice to meet more people from America," she said. But of course, they already knew her.

"My name is Jem Carstairs," a very silver and noticeable weaker version of the Jem they knew said.

"I'm Henry Branwell," a guy with the hair as lit as Clary's said.

"Oh! What a beautiful baby!" Cecily exclaimed. "What's the name?"

"Thanks, I guess," Alec said. "And it's Max."

"Who is the mother?" Tessa asked looking at Clary.

"Oh! Not me, I'm with Jace."

"I'm also not the mother, in case you suggested incest."

"And in case you don't know, biology doesn't work that way, so I'm not."

"Uh... his mother..." Alec tried to think quickly, he didn't think they would ask that. "Of course he... has a... mother. We-well, he had. She... died in during the birth."

His serious façade has hard to maintain thanks to his family that had expressions going from pride to amusement.

Pride for having invented a lie that was believable and that couldn't be proved to be false that easily.

And amusement for the mere thought of Alec with a wife.

"I am so sorry," Cecily and Jem said.

"What was her name?" Charlotte asked.

"Angelica," it was the first name he could think of, "Angelica Lightwood."

Suddenly, the brunette girl that received them entered. "Hello, I am Sophie, what's the name of your unconscious friend?"

"Simon Lovelace," Izzy answered quickly. "How is he?

"I managed to close the wound and stop the bleeding but Master Simon is very ill, I do not know what he has but it's not good. We may have to call a warlock."

"Please! Call the best warlock you know and we will pay for the service, right Alec?" His sister said.

He sighed. "Yes, please call the best you know of."

Alec understood that for Simon to wake up as soon as possible they would need the best in here, but, usually, the best were expensive. Luckily for him, Magnus gave small rubies as gifts after a party and some of them tend to fall to the floor, where Alec kept them. Not because they are rubies because he had plenty of money, but because he thought they were beautiful. By coincidence, he happened to be carrying them now in Max's bag.

Also, they meant something to him. For their third year anniversary, Magnus gave him a small ruby that he had had for a long time.

That one was hanging from his neck, hidden beneath his t-shirt.

"I'll call him right away," Sophie said as she left the room.

"I'll call Cyril to show them your new rooms," Henry said as he also left the room to find him.

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