ink - sirius black

pillowfights and stolen kisses

"Veela are gross!" Anneliese cried back, eyes wide and mildly offended. "They transform into those weird monster things, and I am definitely not that!"

"Veela make me wet," Dorcas muttered to Marlene, who nodded in return. "So that just supports the theory that Anneliese is part one-"

"DOR!" Mckinnon shrieked, but she was laughing as well. "OH MY GOD."

Callaway's cheeks had turned bright red after James had spit out his water partly in shock, while Sirius was making no effort to hide his very knowing smirk.

"Well, technically, half or quarter veela only take in the good traits," Remus pointed out factually. "So you could still be an eighth or something and we would never know."

"I. Am. Muggleborn," Anneliese said, snapping her fingers with every word. "There's not a damn drop of magic in my blood going back for decades."

"Proof?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow. "None. You can't have met every member of your family and traced it all the way back for sure, none of us can. For all we know, even my mom could be a squib or something and I would never learn."

For some reason, that causal statement hit Callaway deeply. What if her parents were somehow related to witches or wizards? She had never met all of her mother and fathers many siblings, and for all she knew, one of them could have magic that was simply hidden from their brother or sister.

Anneliese had no idea how she had never thought of this earlier.

Maybe there was a reason that her parents had been so appalled by her showing signs of magic. Maybe they had been harmed by it deeply, or were so scared of it from their own experiences and it wasn't just mindless hatred.

What if my sister has magic? she thought, slight panic rising in her. What if my parents dumped her at some other orphanage after I was and I would never even know? What if she went to another magical school somewhere? There are dozens all over the world, it's possible.

On the thought of siblings, another thoroughly disturbing thought hit Anneliese.

Why did we live so far out in the country away from everything and everyone? she wondered, skin starting to crawl. What if there was a reason I really only ever saw certain members of my family at certain times for a reason?

Everything around her began to fade into muffled noise and pointless sounds for Anneliese as her mind spiralled deeper and deeper into this tunnel that was seemingly unstoppable once it had started.

What if they were hiding from something, or someone?

Callaway honestly couldn't fully blame them. She herself had witnessed what magic could do to people, tearing them apart, pulling them down, and splitting bonds between family, friends, and lovers alike.

Something could have happened, something to make them want to give me away, she thought, hope rising. Maybe they really did love me, maybe it was hard for them and for their own good.

And then, more just a moment, Anneliese let herself bask in that fantasy.

The fantasy that her parents had wanted a life for her where she wouldn't be contaminated by magic, and that in some sort of desperate haze, they thought that giving her away would help that. The fantasy that at some point, she really had been loved.

At some point, she had a perfect family on that little farm with the blue glass windchimes.

But maybe I'm making up excuses, she reminded herself. Stop being such a hopeful idiot. Your parents hated your magic, and there was nothing else to it. They hated you, and now they're gone.