The day after the battle, a palpable sadness hung over the Greengrass manor. Cedric and Evelyn were still in shock from the events, and Evelyn, exhausted from her pregnancy, struggled to remain strong. Arcana babbled softly in Evelyn's arms, while Orion slept peacefully in a nearby crib.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Cedric rose to open it, revealing Lyra Selwyn, a young woman of cold and distant beauty, with auburn hair and piercing green eyes. Her eyes were swollen and still a little red, but her expression was resolute. The Greengrasses knew her well, as she had been an apprentice to Isolde, the late matriarch of the Maga family.
"Lyra," Cedric greeted her, his tone slightly tense. "Come in."
Evelyn, sitting by the fire, straightened up, offering a faint, albeit tired, smile. "Thank you for coming, Lyra. We still have a lot to process."
Lyra entered the room, quickly glancing at Arcana and Orion. "I've come to take Orion," she declared sharply.
Cedric and Evelyn exchanged a surprised and suspicious look. "Lyra," Cedric began, standing up to face her. "Orion is under our protection now. We can't let you take him."
Lyra raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by their resistance. "Cedric, Evelyn," she said with measured coldness, "you know as well as I do what Orion's role will be within the Maga family. You are not equipped to care for him properly."
Evelyn, her face tense, tried to intervene, "But maybe with more time, we could—"
Lyra cut her off curtly, with not a trace of patience in her voice. "No. Death is all that awaits him here if he stays with you. He has no chance outside the Maga manor. Don't delude yourselves."
A heavy, chilling silence followed, as the Greengrasses began to understand the harsh reality of the situation. Evelyn looked away, visibly upset by Lyra's words, while Cedric clenched his fists, struggling with his own feelings of helplessness.
The silence lingered for a moment, thick with tension and suppressed emotions. Cedric furrowed his brow, weighing Lyra's words. It was clear she wouldn't relent, and her certainty about Orion's fate left him uneasy. Yet, deep down, he knew she was right.
"So, what do you propose?" he finally asked, his tone serious.
"I'll take him back to the Maga manor," Lyra replied, still impassive. "There, he will be protected and prepared for what awaits him. You must understand that I am the only one who can raise him properly."
Evelyn, though visibly shaken, made one last attempt. "But he's so young... couldn't he stay here a little longer, with his sister?"
Lyra, her icy eyes unwavering, replied without hesitation, "There's no room for sentiment in this decision. This is not about comfort or desire. It's about survival. Every day he spends here, away from his legacy, is one day too many."
The silence persisted, before Cedric straightened up a bit more, taking a deep breath. "If you're going to take Orion to the manor," he began slowly, "then take Arcana with you. They've already lost everything, they shouldn't be separated."
Lyra immediately shook her head, her expression hardening further. "No. Arcana must stay here with you."
Cedric, visibly frustrated, replied gravely, "They are the last living members of their family, Lyra. We cannot deprive them of each other."
Lyra shot him a sharp look, her cold features becoming even more rigid. "We don't have the luxury of being sentimental, Cedric. Their needs are far too different. Arcana can have an upbringing you can perfectly provide here. Orion, however, has a much more complex path to follow. If I were to care for both, I'd only be doing a poor job with both. I wouldn't have the time or resources to raise them both properly."
She let her words hang in the air for a moment, before adding, with a chilling coldness that echoed the gravity of the situation, "You must focus on Arcana. She needs stability, protection, love, and a political education that you can very well provide her. Orion... will need much more than that."
Evelyn, her face marked with pain, looked down at Arcana, still babbling softly in her arms, unaware of the gravity of the situation. She murmured, almost to herself, "But they're so young... how will they understand this separation?"
Lyra remained impassive, showing no emotion. "They won't. Not now. But it's not their understanding that matters. What matters is their future."
Cedric, still standing in front of Lyra, clenched his fists, clearly torn between his responsibility to the children and the cold logic of the situation. "And what should we do for Arcana?" he finally asked, implicitly admitting that Orion had to go.
Lyra briefly glanced at Arcana before replying in a more measured, though still firm tone. "Arcana will undoubtedly be an exceptional child. You must prepare her, not only for her responsibilities as the heir to the Maga family but also for the nature of her magic. Don't coddle her too much; she will need to be trained, guided, and protected. Isolde left me instructions to guide you in this task."
Evelyn slowly nodded, accepting this new reality with difficulty. "We will do our best... to honor Isolde's memory."
Lyra took out her wand, ready to Disapparate with Orion in her arms. "That's all I ask." She gave one last look at Evelyn and Cedric. "We'll see each other again. But not until he's ready for Hogwarts."
As Lyra prepared to Disapparate with Orion, Evelyn, overcome with panic, rushed toward her. "Wait! What do you mean we won't see you until Hogwarts? How do you plan to communicate the instructions for Arcana?"
Lyra stopped, her piercing gaze fixing on Evelyn with cold determination. "The Maga manor will be completely sealed and protected, Evelyn. There will be no contact with the outside world. It's the most effective way to ensure his safety."
Evelyn, desperate, replied in a trembling voice, "But... we need to know how to raise her, and we want news about the little one. How can we ensure she learns everything Isolde wanted for her?"
Lyra sighed slightly. "I'll send the instructions just before I activate all the manor's protections. However, you won't hear from us until he's ready for Hogwarts, if I deem him capable of defending himself by then. For now, focus on your family and Arcana."
Cedric, though frustrated by the lack of details, stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Evelyn's shoulder. "We'll do as you said, Lyra. But know this: we will not remain in the dark forever. We deserve to know."
Lyra nodded coldly. "You'll get what you need. But for Orion, silence is essential. Take care of Arcana."
As Lyra prepared to Disapparate again, Evelyn shook her head, refusing to accept the conditions imposed. "This is unacceptable, Lyra! We can't remain without news of Orion. We have rights as the protectors of these children!"
Cedric, his brow furrowed, stepped forward as well. "We trust you, but these conditions are unreasonable. We won't let Orion go without any contact."
Lyra turned toward them, visibly irritated by their objections. "Cedric, Evelyn, you still don't understand. This is not about trust or choice. It's about survival." Her tone grew sharper, her patience wearing thin. "I'm only fulfilling my duty to Isolde, and I don't care if it provokes your discontent."
Evelyn, her voice trembling but firm, replied, "We won't let you take him if that's the case. We absolutely refuse to be completely cut off from him!"
Lyra, at the end of her patience, gripped her wand tightly. "Then you leave me no choice." In a split second, she raised her wand, and without uttering a spell, a powerful wave of magic filled the room. Cedric and Evelyn were frozen in place, immobilized by a spell that prevented them from moving or protesting.
She approached Orion, gently picking him up in her arms. "I don't do this out of pleasure," she murmured toward the paralyzed Cedric and Evelyn. "I'm doing what's necessary to ensure his survival. Take care of Arcana, and make sure she knows her brother will find her soon."
With a sharp crack, she Disapparated with Orion, leaving the Greengrasses alone, still frozen by the spell, powerless to stop what had just happened.