#toby tremblay | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

melodymidway · 20 days ago

Text

Turbulent Times

In this story, the First Wizarding War ravages the magical Britain, and Jonathan makes a decision to secure his family's well-being. In the end, it proves to be a very sensible one.

Trigger warning: death, corpses, injuries.

Cynthia, Lottie, Louis, Garrett, Olivia, Renée, Joseph, Loretta, Toby, and Luscinia belong to @helenadurazzo

May 1981

Spring blossomed outside of the Midway Estate, basking it in the gentle rays of sun. The pleasant weather, not yet hot but already out of endless rains and occasional frosts, presented a perfect opportunity to engage in outdoor activities, and Jonathan was certain, had the circumstances been more peaceful, Cynthia would have organised a whole entertainment program for Melody's and Lottie's birthdays. Yet, this year, a modest dinner in the company of family and their closest friends had to suffice for the girls.

No sun could disperse the black clouds that hung over Jonathan's head constantly, from every sunrise to every sunset, installing the feeling of unending alarm in his stomach. The Death Eaters had never been merciful, especially when it came to terrorising Muggles, but the strategy of outright slaughtering the families whose members took part in the Order of the Phoenix was a fairly recent one. The Midways had been added to their list of wizards and witches to annihilate, Jonathan had little doubt. Cynthia, when she didn't stay behind to take care of the children, was a formidable menace to the ranks of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and Jonathan himself wasn't claimed to be second only to Alastor Moody in throwing his cutthroats to Azkaban for nothing.

It was only a matter of time, and though a tried Auror like himself had no business feeling apprehension, he dreaded what his family would most likely be forced to face. Admittedly, he and Cynthia both did their absolute best to weave an intricate web of spells to protect their home, yet Jonathan hadn't worked in the Auror Office for so many years to still possess any foolish naivety. The houses of his fellow warriors had surely been secured in a similar manner, but the lives of their whole lineages were lost all the same.

"The Bones were murdered this night," he informed his family hollowly, having returned from another mission for a late dinner, "by You-Know-Who himself, or so they say."

Uncle Edan's shoulders slumped, as though the words added another decade to his already respectable age. "Our kin," he said, voice heavy with grief. Jonathan might have been a young boy when Tamsin Bones, his great-grandmother, had passed, yet he could still recall her welcoming embrace and the warm smile on her withered face. Uncle always pronounced her name with utmost respect and affection. "Tell me there were survivors."

"I only know that Amelia and her little niece yet live. Edgar's family is no more, though. They spared no one," Jonathan gazed at Melody, Lottie and Louis, busy with their merry games in the living room, "not even the children."

"Accursed scum," Aunt Assana spit in a feat of anger so uncharacteristic of her kind and patient personality that he felt his eyebrows rise in mild suprise. She immediately proceeded to lean on her husband's chest, providing silent comfort, and Uncle Edan hugged her in return, placing his chin on her fair head.

Theirs was a genuinely loving marriage, unlike the one of his own parents, and since Jonathan grew up observing all those tender gestures, he guessed, he could only let himself marry someone he cared for, not the first witch of pure blood and decent standing that Mother straightforwardly pushed in his direction. In the end, it was what he had done. Now, Cynthia walked with him hand by hand through the life, and Jonathan cherished her, his beloved wife, in a way he would never do any other.

The Boggart he encountered during one of their numerous mutual missions came unbidden to his mind. Losing her had turned out to be his biggest fear.

"Have you heard about Desmond and Grace Winger?" Cynthia inquired quietly, serving him a salad of fresh vegetables in addition to baked potatoes and meat. "They were also found dead in their house a few days ago. At least their son managed to escape to safety, thank Merlin for this small blessing."

"The bastards will all pay tenfold for their crimes," Jonathan assured her darkly. He had the pleasure to know the Wingers, though not very closely, and considered them good, earnest people. The news of their murder shook him to the core. "None shall go unpunished as long as I draw breath. Yet, the current situation also raises the question of your security. I can't possibly allow anything of the kind to occur here."

Aunt Assana frowned at him. "Do you imply that you mean to send us away?"

"I won't run away as though those sorry excuses of wizards have intimidated me!" Uncle Edan exclaimed, eyes blazing brighter than his red hair. "If need arises, I will fight beside you."

"Precisely." Jonathan chose to ignore the unhappy looks on the faces of his family members. "While the last word is, undoubtedly, yours, Uncle, I strongly recommend you to visit Alyssie. Consider it another ordinary stay, if a bit longer than usual. Your grandchildren will be ecstatic to see you."

That was particularly true about Gwendolyn Windward, their little Gwen, who was very close to her maternal family and expressed a keen interest in Britain. While shy and gentle from her very childhood, Alyssie's daughter pursued the career of a journalist and lived many a week in the Midway Estate, writing articles that delivered the truth of their war to wizards and witches around the world.

Jonathan had no right to impose anything on him - Uncle Edan remained the head of the Midway family, through as of late, he preferred to dwell in his and Aunt Assana's private villa or in America where his daughter created a family of her own, leaving the duties to the youth - but he could attempt to appeal to his common sense.

"Uncle," Jonathan addressed the man who had been his only father figure for the vast majority of his life softly, "you're eighty and not a warrior by profession. Don't ask me to risk your life."

"While you risk yours?" Cynthia intervened dryly. "Am I to understand that myself and the children are included in your grand scheme?"

"Of course. I will write to Aunt Cerise today and ask her to find you accomodation in France."

At first, Jonathan planned to contact his cousin Desirée who lived in Bordeaux, but reasoned that Cynthia would prefer to settle closer to the north where her own French kin resided. Fortunately, the coast of the English Channel was also the land of the Auclairs, his Grandmother Bernadette's family, so he couldn't think of a better area for his wife and their three younglings.

"Have you not forgotten anything?" Cynthia's eyes narrowed indignantly. "Perhaps asking what my thoughts on the whole endeavour are? Or did you intend to enlighten me on the day of our supposed departure?"

"You really should leave for a while," Jonathan argued. "I don't doubt your ability to protect yourself, my dearest, but we can't afford to be ignorant of the danger, not when the best of the Order perish so often."

"Jonathan does have a point, Cynthia." Aunt Assana's voice sounded apologetic. "Think about Melody, Lottie, and Louis. Jackie may be relatively safe at Hogwarts, but what of his younger siblings? They can come to harm, even with all the shields that you put on the estate."

"Besides," Jonathan added almost casually, finishing his meal, "the children should have at least one living parent."

"Don't you dare!" Uncle Edan hissed, and his face twitched in unmistakeable horror. "My brother had already returned from the battlefield half-dead, only to lose the last bits of life in the following hours. You won't even think of sharing his fate, Jonathan Griffith Midway!"

Cynthia's frustration seemed to wane, and the same fear for his life that his uncle had expressed drove her out of her seat and right into Jonathan's arms. He buried his face in her black curls, inhaling the smell of her perfume he so loved. Did she truly believe that he had made the decision easily? The thought of not seeing his Cynthia in an indefinite length of time clawed at his neck, as did the fact that his children, his sweet Lottie, would soon be taken from him.

"They won't reach any of you," Jonathan murmured his vow, placing a short kiss on his wife's temple.

July 1981

Jackie and Renée's confusion and worry was palpable when Jonathan met them on the platform in the end of their third year of Hogwarts, grim-faced and deaf to their endless questions. Only the calming safety of the Midway Estate let him loosen his tongue without scanning their surroundings for possible threats every now and then.

It had been almost two months since the floor of his home felt any footsteps other than his own, and while relieved, for the Death Eaters would have a hard time trying to find his family if they even considered it a venture worthy of their time in the first place, Jonathan missed waking up to Cynthia's warmth by his side, and watching his children make their first attempts to duel, and hearing Uncle Edan's throaty laught and Aunt Assana's gentle reprimands because Jonathan would surely kill his own health with that infuriating work schedule. To have his eldest son and niece back for the summer holidays became a consolation he had never known he needed, especially since his contacts with France and America were reduced to the absolute minimum, lest the dark wizards and witches would trace them.

Constant vigilance, Alastor loved repeating, and Jonathan couldn't agree more. Better be safe than sorry.

Garrett and Olivia, while not in immediate danger, made a decision to leave as well. Admittedly, Jonathan was pleased with the outcome, for his family would feel surer with familiar faces nearby, even if it placed the responsibility for Renée on his own shoulders. Olivia passionately promised to remove his head from them should her daughter be harmed under his care, and Jonathan waved off her laughable attempts to seem intimidating like she was a particularly annoying fly - which she was - but did everything in his power to ensure Renée's safety like he did Jackie's for the time period they spent away from Hogwarts.

His niece, of course, moved to the Midway Estate, though the two of them did journey to the Tremblay house to collect some of her belongings. Feeling particularly vicious and a little bit mischievous - his son's eyes lit up with a nearly blinding gleam when he realised that his strict father was capable of pranking - Jonathan innocently suggested that Renée feed her creatures with the plants Olivia grew in her greenhouses while the latter was away. Now, it became his obligation to survive this war, if only to see the expression on his sister-in-law's face upon her return. Renée agreed to the offer enthusiastically and started clinging to him in a way she had never done before afterwards.

Jonathan had to admit, he didn't deem it necessary to bond with Garrett and Olivia's children, especially since their inclinations proved to be just as disturbing as their parents'. His approach contrasted drastically with that of his wife's sister and her husband: Olivia was infamously fond of Melody, in spite of her feelings not being reciprocated in the slightest, and happened to dress her similarly to Helena and Miles for them to look like triplets while Garrett took Jackie under his wing and even went as far as gifting him a crup puppy without consulting Cynthia or Jonathan himself. Tendency to forget that their godchildren weren't their actual children had been yet another one of their many oddities, but Jonathan long since came to terms with the fact that his lovely wife only went in a set with her questionable relations.

Still, left without her parents and siblings in the midst of a war, Renée needed support. She seeked it in Jackie's company, and in Jonathan's as well, though he wasn't particularly skilled in such matters. In the very least, he tried. Merlin be his witness, Jonathan was against having animals in the house - his acceptance of Jackie's crup had been very reluctant - but he figured that a couple of Renée's pets wouldn't ruin the Midway Estate beyond salvation, all while cheering the girl up. When a sunny July day marked his niece's fourteenth birthday, Jonathan made a small dinner, traditionally including her favourite cake with burning candles on the top, and invited Joseph and Loretta Hearst to be their guests, for their son Toby was only a year younger than Jackie and Renée, and they seemed to be quite close. After years of work in the Auror Office together, Jonathan himself also grew to consider Cynthia's cousin a friend.

It was when the children retired to one of the bedrooms, likely Jackie's, to plot without supervision, and the adults were conversing unhurriedly over a glass of good wine that Jonathan sensed the instability in the protective shield, as though someone was repeatedly hitting it with powerful spells. The defence was a solid one, yet in case of a full-fletched attack, it could only be a means of winning time, not a wall to hide behind eternally, which had never been Jonathan's strategy anyway.

Having heard an attempt to kick down the door, Joseph and Loretta jumped out of their seats. "I will warn the youth," the witch declared.

"Jackie and Renée have a one-sided Portkey to France," Jonathan informed evenly. "Tell them to use it, and send Toby along."

"And join them, perhaps?" Joseph asked. Jonathan knew the emotion in his voice: he was fearful, and not for himself.

Loretta only shook her head and took a swift leave. Jonathan squeezed the wood of his wand tightly and sneaked to the living room, seeing out of the corner of his eye that Joseph's soundless figure stepped closely behind.

When he was teaching his son and niece how to activate a Portkey should the situation like the one they found themselves in happen, Jackie inquired about his own fate. Jonathan, never the one to hide bitter truth, stated plainly: the Death Eaters would have to step over his dead body if they wished to defile the Midway Estate.

A Midway never backs off a fight, that was the saying Jonathan grew up hearing, the one he betrayed not a single time. Honourable is the death in a battle, he recalled his grandfather whispering brokenly over his father's grave. Jonathan lived to be older than Archibald Midway had been at the time of his death, though only by mere years, and if his path would end in a fight against the despicable scum as well, so be it.

After much struggle from the other side of the door, it did fall to the ground, and numerous forms in black robes and masks slipped into the house. He should be flattered, Jonathan guessed. Their pathetic lordling apparently considered him a strong opponent, if the fact that he had sent a whole group of Death Eaters, approximately seven as far as Jonathan could tell, to deal with one Auror was anything to go by. It took five to murder Gideon and Fabian Prewett. They had been cheerful and brave boys, too young to leave this world, in such a brutal manner no less. Theirs were only two of the big number of deaths that caused a heavy lump of bile to permanently reside in Jonathan's throat.

"Are you sure that Midway's home?" A man's voice sounded from under the covers.

Another snorted. "The lights are very much on. What could that possibly mean, how do you think?"

"Then where is our chivalrous Auror hiding?" This time, it was a woman. "Come on, Jonathan Midway, they say that Avada Kedavra makes one's death quick and painless. Poor Cynthia will cry bitterly when she finds out, though."

Jonathan fired a spell first, and judging by a splash of light nearby, Joseph instantly followed suit. The woman who had just spoken poisonous words pounced on him like a kite, as did two figures beside her. Their attacks went smoothly swallowed by his defence, and new charms broke off his wand, aiming to maim or to kill. It wasn't only a matter of his own survival, Jonathan mused. Dark wizards and witches had always been the illness of their society: the more of them were neutralised, the less innocents would die by their hands.

In the other corner of the room, a seemingly lifeless body hit the floor, and Jonathan exhaled with immense relief upon seeing that it wasn't Joseph but his opponent. As his fellow Auror occupied himself with another Death Eater, Jonathan noticed that two figures thoughtfully avoided the improvised battlefield, moving in the direction of living quarters. Of course, they needed to check whether he hid his family somewhere deeper inside the Midway Estate and slaughter them like animals in case he did. Though Jackie, Renée and Toby most certainly left for a safe place already, and Loretta knew how to take care of herself, Jonathan's blood felt unbearably hot in his veins. He would gladly cause Cynthia's displeasure - she protested against the relocation passionately and until the very day they were supposed to part - if it meant that she and their children remained alive.

Jonathan clenched his teeth and let the fury guide his movements, making them abrupt and unpredictable. One spell, and the Death Eater stumbled, a wound on his leg bleeding actively; another, and he let out a choked, pitiful sound as his chest was cut in half, and he fell to his knees like a puppet that no longer was supported by strings. The woman let out a horrified scream.

"If anyone is going to wail tonight," Jonathan pronounced slowly, his words tasting like ash, "it will be you, not my wife."

Her previous assaults, though quite intense, seemed half-hearted in comparison to this one, driven by vengeance and bloodlust. Her remaining companion, now understanding that Jonathan could and would murder them without hesitation, chose a different, defence-oriented strategy, preferring to shield himself and the woman while leaving most of the actual fighting to her. It might have been one of the few sensible thoughts on his part, Jonathan concluded with disdain, for with the man's meager skill, his fellow Death Eater appeared to be the only hindrance between him and death. Even a task as simple as protection was too much of a responsibility for him: both he and the woman all but flew into the wall from another charm of Jonathan's, and the woman's mask fell off her face in process.

She was young, likely in her thirties, and her eyes burned with all-consuming rage. Even though the twist of her lips betrayed pain from the latest hit, she pulled herself together in the span of a second and made another sharp move towards him. Jonathan's wand didn't waver as he aimed at her face, and a loud hiss told him everything he needed to know. The man caught her when the woman swayed, her vision blinded by the red flow of blood. Apparently having found the situation unpromising, he hurried to vanish, but not before receiving a new spell in the shoulder.

Jonathan only scoffed. He expected nothing less from cowardly, treacherous rats.

At last, he allowed himself to look around. The Death Eater Joseph was fighting turned out to be made of sterner stuff than his predecessor: they circled around each other, but no one managed to get the upper hand so far. Jonathan stepped forward, determined to help, yet Jackie's voice, of all things, startled him before he could wave his wand.

"Barclay, bite!"

The mess of brown and white fur tangled up in the dark wizard's legs, claws reaching for skin and doing so successfully: the man let out a short cry, all while conjured ropes immobilised his body. Jonathan cast a quick Expelliarmus, leaving him unarmed, and turned to his son.

"What in the name of Godric Gryffindor are you doing here?" The boy seemed unharmed, but it did nothing to diminish Jonathan's wrath. "How can you be so careless? The Death Eater attack is no laughing matter, and an escape plan wasn't created for you to throw it away in the decisive moment-"

"We fully intended to activate the Portkey, I swear!" Jackie exclaimed, looking shaken. "It's just, we got delayed while instructing Toby, and they found us soon enough... Aunt Loretta ended up injured. We couldn't just leave her with those two, could we?"

Jonathan ran his hand through his hair, feeling the weight of accumulated exhaustion on his temples suddenly clearly. He considered himself a good dueller, but the fact remained undeniable: if he hadn't invited Joseph and Loretta for dinner, he wouldn't have dealt with seven Death Eaters all on his own. Sure, he would have harmed some and dragged a few with himself to the grave, but that would be the end of him.

Joseph rushed up the stairs, having heard about his wife's state, and Jonathan told Jackie to accompany him, depriving his son of the sight of corpses. In one of them, Jonathan recognised Mulciber the Senior, one of You-Know-Who's closest peers. Good, he thought, not without a little bit of satisfaction, this death would sting a painful lot. The next mask hid a new pleasant surprise: they captured none other than Rosier, another confidant of the abomination they called their lord. Not only did he send a whole battalion to get Jonathan's modest self, but also some of the best the Death Eaters had to offer!

As the remaining two were dragged down to the living room, Jonathan looked at Joseph. "How is Loretta?"

"Unconscious, but the injuries don't seem too grave." His fellow Auror was pale. "I've already sent a note to St. Mungo's."

"Go with her, you and Toby. I will deal with those," Jonathan nodded at the prisoners, "and join you."

Joseph smiled weakly, but gratefully. "I also contacted the Order. They should be here shortly."

The male Death Eater glared daggers at him, wincing every time ropes cut into his wounds, but Jonathan ignored him, examining Renée instead. "I thought you more reasonable than Jackie, but you two are cut from the same cloth, it seems!" he scolded, relieved as he spotted no visible damage. "What exactly happened?"

"Uncle Jonathan, please, don't be angry," Renée begged, snuggling up to him. Jonathan hugged her with one arm, and Jackie immediately dived under the other. "We only wanted to help Aunt Loretta. She managed to strike that man, but he kicked her down next. I figured that unleashing my creatures on him might be a good idea-"

"Creatures?" Jonathan echoed, bemused and irritated in equal measure.

"You should have seen it!" Jackie declared, finally sounding like his usual lively self. "Renée's pets took him down, meanwhile Toby and I fired spells on the woman!"

Said woman turned out to be a rather sorry sight indeed. Jonathan sighed. "It was very foolish," the faces of his son and niece fell, "and very brave, admittedly. You remained composed, however dire the circumstances, and fought remarkably well. Still, you're children, and you ought to get more training before taking part in skirmishes such as this." He patted them on the shoulders, receiving smiles in response. "Now, stay in your chambers for a while. I should be able to end this matter."

As Jackie and Renée left, Jonathan finally set his eyes on the Death Eaters. Apparently, he was too quick in his assessment of their capabilities: nowadays, the dark wizards and witches seemed to be reaching the new low if three younglings and an armful of creatures appeared to be more capable duellers! Jonathan couldn't restrain a derisive snort that escaped his mouth. Truthfully, he didn't really attempt to do so.

"Names?"

The wizard pursed his lips. The witch hesitated, but then exhaled quietly. "Astrid Lee. This is my husband, Sheldon."

"What are you doing?" the man hissed, but she only squeezed his hand in what looked like an unpleasantly tight grip.

"I'm making the best of our current situation. If we cooperate with the investigation, will you reduce the punishment?"

Rosier spit on the floor, muttering a curse that contained something suspiciously reminiscent of the word 'traitor'. "It's a possibility," Jonathan answered, not entirely sincerely. If they did commit crimes, not a single sensible soul in Wizengamot would be inclined to grant them the tiniest mercy. Jonathan certainly wouldn't, not after they launched an attack on his home.

"Who was that man?" he inclined his head to the second corpse. Wounded by Jonathan himself, the Death Eater bled heavily and perished by the end of the fight. The Auror remarked bitingly: "One of your companions seemed so upset by his passing."

"Dorian Nott," Astrid Lee informed, voice wavering. The face, though that of a person around his own age, was unfamiliar to Jonathan, but he did recognise the name. "You must be talking about Luscinia. He was her cousin."

"Where are she and Sigmund, anyway?" Sheldon Lee's eyes searched the room for the upteenth time.

Jonathan scoffed, not bothering to spare their feelings. "They abandoned you and fled as soon as they got the chance. Now, I don't believe you owe any loyalty to those who saved their own skin while you were struggling. What is their surname?"

Sheldon Lee furrowed his eyebrows, looking thunderous. Through clenched teeth, his wife gritted out: "Snyde."

Sounds of apparation right outside of the house marked the arrival of the Order members. Jonathan tied three surviving Death Eaters even more tightly, moved two lifeless bodies closer to the exit with a wave of his wand, simultaneously cleaning the fine thick carpet that covered the floor of the living room of blood, and spared a thought for two escapees. The Auror Office still had much work to do - the scar across the whole face that Luscinia Snyde, no doubt, gained was certainly too petty a price to pay for all the woe the bastards inflicted - and Jonathan thought, yet another time, that it was a cause he would fight for until breath forever left his lungs.

0 notes

helenadurazzo · 2 months ago

Text

Genna x Elma

Here is some information for the HPMA MC of Jonthia, Genevieve ‘Genna’ Raleigh and her friend and love interest, Fidelma ‘Elma’ Truell

Elma and her family belong to @melodymidway

First a little introduction to both Genna and Elma is in order, so we will start with the former. Genevieve Raleigh, better known as Genna, is a muggle born witch and the daughter and only child of Andrew Raleigh and Eleanor Murdock until the birth of her little brother, Blaze, in 2010. Ever since she was a young child, Genna was fascinated by books and movies, especially if they were about fantasy related topics, wishing magic could be real and one day, she realized her wish was true. Upon learning of her magical abilities, she was sent off to Hogwarts and sorted into Gryffindor for her bravery and courage.

Meanwhile, Fidelma Truell, better known as Elma as she thinks her fully name is too pompous, is a pureblood witch and the youngest of Teagan Truell and Laramie Nott's two daughters. Her sister Imogen is four years her elder, and the girls are quite close. Elma is a Metamorphmagus and often changes her style, though she also has an appearance she likes best. Her sweet and friendly demeanour, the reason she ended up entering Hufflepuff like her father, succeeds in hiding her mischievous side more often than not. Though Elma enjoys learning about the muggle world, she's equally in love with magic and particularly enthusiastic about researching charms. She has a rather big family due to her parents divorcing and remarrying when she was young. Her father married Rhoslyn Beddoe where she gained a stepbrother named Noah and a half brother named Dafydd. While her mother married Tobias ‘Toby’ Hearst where she gained two stepbrothers named Idris and Ajax, along with a half sister named Roxana.

Genna and Elma first encountered each other when the former spotted the latter mid transformation while she and her cousin, Sloan, were trying to find seats on the Hogwarts Express with the help of Imogen. Fascinated and curious, Genna went over her and started energetically compliment her abilities and asking question to which Elma politely responded to all of them, explaining how she was born a metamorphmagus which allowed her to change her appearance at will. After that the two got along almost immediately, and soon after Elma and Sloan invited Genna to sit in the compartment they were sharing with Rex Tremblay-Rath.

The two got along so well in fact that they also thinking of the possibility to be in the same house and both waited patiently with anticipation for their names to be called. Since her surname came before Elma’s alphabetically, Genna was called up to the hat and was rather quickly declared to be a member of Gryffindor house, although the hat did very briefly consider Hufflepuff for her. Meanwhile, Elma was sorted into Hufflepuff shortly after, although it was often believed that if she wasn’t a member of Hufflepuff, the hat would have placed her in Gryffindor.

The girls taught each other about the world the other didn’t know much about. Genna would talk for hours about her favorites books and movies to Elma, even letting her borrow some of her copies to check them out for herself or dragging her to a movie theater to see the newest releases. Additionally, she also took Elma to the bookshop owned by her Aunt Agatha and Uncle Mateo in Nottingham. Meanwhile, Elma taught Genna more about the magical world and personally gave her more information about the war against Voldemort, even admitting her grandfather was a death eater. However, despite this, Genna did not hold it against Elma saying her grandfather’s beliefs don’t define her.

One thing about the magical world that Elma taught Genna about in particular was quidditch and the two went to multiple matches together to be spectators. However, neither ever attempted to join the teams of their respective houses. Genna had a quite eventful day on her first flying lesson when she mounted her broom backwards and never really improved her skills in flying being continuously disastrous. Meanwhile, Elma had bad asthma which would make quidditch extremely difficult for her since she was prone to having asthma attacks. The two also were friends with some of the members of the quidditch teams such as a Hufflepuff Beater in their year named Rex Tremblay-Rath who shared a similar reputation to his professional quidditch player mother.

Elma was the first of the two friends to start realizing her feelings for the other. One day, she and Genna were planning a simple, light hearted prank that required Elma to use her metamorphagus abilities to change her appearance to match Genna’s. She was about to go join her friend to enact her plan but found herself stopped by a mirror where she was her reflection. She normally checked in a mirror to make sure her transformations went well if they were for plans or pranks but this time was slightly different as Elma started consciously releasing how gorgeous she believed Genna was and spent many minutes studying her face before she went on her way. However the feelings stuck with her even after she changed back to her normal form.

Interestingly enough, Elma’s sister, Imogen, was often called Gen or Genna rather that her full name, with the specific nickname used depending on the family member as Imogen was fine with either. However, as Elma pursued her relationship with Genna, she found it strange to call her sister Genna as well and started to exclusively nickname her Gen instead to keep them separate. Imogen was perfectly fine with this and often found it amusing that her sister was dating someone with such a similar name to her own.

Meanwhile, Genna was so invested in the magical world that she didn’t even notice Elma’s feelings for her despite everyone else knowing. In fact, Elma’s cousin, Sloan, in particular teased Elma mercilessly for Elma’s crush on Genna while Imogen joked around that she should lend Genna her glasses so she could see how much Elma fancied Genna. Some like Rex were even exhausted and annoyed by how much Elma talked about Genna. However, as their fifth year approached, Genna started gaining feelings for Elma which were first noticed by her fellow muggle born friend, Sonny, who noticed her constantly gazing at Elma during their classes, following a dance for the Intercontinental Wizards Tournament with Wiley Donoghue that didn’t live up to her expectation as she realized she didn’t have feelings for Wiley

Since Genna was uncharacteristically awkward and shy when it came to pursuing Elma. The latter asked the former to be her girlfriend first to which Genna accepted happily, grateful that Elma felt the same way as their good relationship could be preserved and not ruined by unrequited romantic feelings. This happened during their fifth year and the two went on numerous dates in Hogsmeade and attended a couple of Hogwarts dances together throughout their remaining years at Hogwarts. The majority of people were happy when they start dating, such as Rex since it meant that he would have some peace in the Hufflepuff common room, but there were some who were a bit uneasy.

While not outright being displeased with her daughter’s relationship, Genna’s mother, Eleanor, didn’t have the best impression of Elma. Even back when Genna and Elma were just friends, Eleanor viewed her as a bad and inconsiderate influence because of the pranks she would pull and ‘drag’ Genna into. However, with time, she did see how happy Genna was whenever she was with Elma and remembering how Andrew became one of the feel people she could truly relax and let her guard down around, she decided that it was only right to give her daughter the same chance at that type of happiness with someone she loved

Yet Elma’s maternal grandmother, Chloe, despised the idea of her granddaughter being in love with a Muggleborn. As such, she tried a few different schemes to get the couple to break up. One of these schemes happened through an alliance she made with Yubert Thorne to give Genna a Bloom for You flower that affected her with the Mysterious Malady. Elma was worried about Genna and hoped that she would indeed be able to wake up, and luckily, she did when Yubert Thorne’s scheme was revealed and Astrid Cole brewed an antidote to cure Genna and others affected by the Malady.

After graduating from Hogwarts, Genna and Elma decided to get corresponding tattoos themed after the sun. Genna chose a design that reminded her of one of her favorite movies, Tangled, although Elma was confused at first until watching it with Genna herself. Meanwhile, Elma chose a design that mimicked the wand movements of spells. Genna decided to put her tattoo on her upper right arm while Elma opted to put hers closer to her heart for two reasons. One, because it reminded her of Genna, and two because it could remain hidden regardless of who she transformed into meaning her true identity could not be easily given away since the tattoo would not change with her.

After Hogwarts, the two supported each other as they pursued their careers. Elma chose to work from home as a mixture of a scientist of charms and transfiguration and a translator so she could learn more about magic. This allowed her to have time to experiment and also work more on creating her own spells. Meanwhile, Genna, being the talented dueler she is, became both a champion dueler -competing in numerous competitions- and a freelance curse breaker. Genna would often travel and be away from home but would always write letters to Elma when there were apart and would send her souvenirs.

Similar to how Elma was the one to ask Genna to be her girlfriend, Elma was also the one to propose to Genna. Elma wanted it to be extremely special so she took Genna on a boat ride on a nearby lake where she presented a spell she came up with inspired by one of Genna’s favorite movies, Tangled. The spell allowed for her to conjure numerous lanterns that were all different shapes and colors. She also enchanted the lanterns to make sure that if they for whatever reason flew into a tree (which one did), it would not cause a fire or at least delay it long enough to remove the lantern safely. Genna often stated that on that night, she was more in love with Elma than she ever had been before.

Eventually, the ladies decided to start a family of their own. Rather than adopting a child, the two decided to use some of Genna’s muggle connections and chose to use a donor to have children of their own. Genna offered to be the one to become pregnant since she worried about Elma’s severe asthma and worried pregnancy would put her in a more delicate state. Elma took care of Genna throughout her pregnancy and was happy that it allowed Genna to be around home more for a while. On August 14th 2023, Genna gave birth to a baby girl whom she and Elma decided to name Lumina ‘Lumi’ Elle Raleigh-Truell. The girl had red hair like Genna and also had brown eyes which were coincidentally Elma’s natural eye color. The ladies decided to also name Elma’s sister, Imogen, as the godmother, and Genna’s friend, Sonny, as the godfather.

Lumi was often known as Elma’s tail as Elma was often the one to watch and spend time with her at home because Genna was always busy with work and traveling. Little Lumi grew up fascinated by her mama Elma’s work with inventing spells and studying spells when it came to charms and transfiguration, the latter of which Lumi was particularly fascinated by to the point when she decided to become an animagus when she was older and later, a transfiguration professor. However, one thing Lumi always wanted was a younger sibling which was something that Elma in particular wanted to give her herself.

Genna insisted that she would be happy to get pregnant again if she and Elma wanted to have their second child the same way they had Lumi rather than adopting. However, Elma insisted that she was perfectly fine with being pregnant despite her health conditions, which particularly concerned Genna since she always grew panicked whenever Elma would have a severe asthma attack. Eventually, using the same donor, Elma became pregnant and on March 28th 2029 she gave birth to a boy whom she and Genna named Odhran naming Elma’s cousin, Sloan, and Genna’s cousin, Lisbeth, as godfather and godmother respectively.

Baby Odhran was an energetic child who enjoyed spending time with his mothers and older sister. It was also discovered that he was a metamorphmagus like Elma. In particular, whenever he threw a tantrum or got really excited his hair would change colors due to him not being able to control his powers. However eventually when he was old enough, Elma taught him how to properly use his abilities and eventually he settled on a new appearance for himself, with lavender hair, green eyes, and a scar he later added when he was older to look cooler which he emphasized with dramatic stories.

Eventually, it was time for Lumi and Odhran to go to Hogwarts. Lumi was sorted into Hufflepuff while Odhran was sorted into Gryffindor. Lumi was a well behaved and sweet kid while Odhran was more of a trouble maker. In fact, during his time at Hogwarts, he did struggle in classes that he wasn’t interested in because he tended to space out. This caused him to have bad marks in certain classes such as history of magic. However he did enjoy classes where he was able to express himself which was one reason why he decided to become a playwright after graduation.