Open Roots

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia woke to the sun crashing in through her window. She covered her face with her elbow, forgetting for a second where she was. Then she remembered. Her breath hitching, she reached under her second pillow, the one crammed against the wall. She grabbed the journal and held it to her chest. It was small and silver, not much bigger than a postcard, and tied with purple ribbon. Lydia pulled on the bow and turned to a random page. It was penciled in delicate handwriting that made her heart ache:

Whether or not you know this yet- and you will someday, I promise- your house does not define you.

Whatever that means. Lydia dressed and pocketed the journal in her mustard-colored robes. She groaned at the assortment of plants lined along the back wall, next to the dresser. They had not taken over the room, yet.

It was strange to revisit a place she used to live in, so long ago. Was this home? No, not really. To be honest, Lydia hadn't thought much about New Zealand since she was ten, when they moved back to the States. When she, Olivia, and the twins were very young, they were dragged back and forth across the world. Then, all of a sudden, their mother put a stop to this. Said they deserved to have a consistent home to come back to. Lydia shipped off to Ilvermorny the following year, but her mother stayed true to her word and lived in the same sturdy farmhouse until, well, this turn of events.

Lydia descended the staircase. On every available space were living things of every color- some still, some wriggling, some ugly, some gorgeous. She sighed as she swept away a spot on the counter to heat a pot of water and cook some breakfast. One of the plants wrapped around her wrist with a slimy tendril; she slapped it away with a yelp.

Plants, plants, everywhere. More found their way into the house daily. Like the kettle, Lydia was set to boil. As she waited, she stepped out into the garden for some fresh air. The garden- torn up to hell and back. No one had asked her opinion on the matter. She squinted at what she thought was a rock for some bizarre new landscaping, but then she noticed the rock was covered in clothes and rumbling like a thunderstorm. Lydia reached down and grabbed the lump by a shoulder, shaking it awake.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia woke, mumbling, "Thought I was safe out here." She didn't appreciate the bony fingers digging into her skin, and shook them off. A night at the Leaky Cauldron had sent her stumbling home. She was too tired and disorganized to make her way into the cottage, so she decided to sleep it off in the place she loved best. The house was stuffy with memories, anyway; she wanted to fill it all with life. With her head pounding, Olivia curled up again, inhaling the smell of good, rich earth. "I'm completely happy where I am, thank you."

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia snorted and stepped back. Her sister was caked with dirt and greenery. "You know, Olivia, you might as well dig out a hole in the ground and live in there. I swear- what in the world did you get up to last night?" Without waiting for a response, Lydia swished her wand, and earth, leaves, and grass clippings exploded from Olivia's clothes and hair. The yard was tilled and excavated, with random plants grounded here and there, and plenty of empty space between. What a mess it was.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Startled by the rush of magic, Olivia crawled up to her knees, grumbling, "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that? Are you stupid, or what?" She rose to her full height, towering over her younger sister. Where Olivia was tall and wide, Lydia was short and bony. They were only a year apart, but they were constructed so differently, they might not be related. Olivia had every mind to tell her sister where to shove that wand of hers, and her proper ways, to boot.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia wrinkled her nose at her sister. "You looked like a flesh-eating slug. You are welcome." A high-pitched whistle reached her ears. As she turned her heel, she asked, "Do you want a cup of tea? Or some coffee?" Olivia certainly looked like she needed a jolt of caffeine. Lydia was tempted to figure out what her sister had been up to last night, but she had learned that sometimes with Olivia, it was better not to ask.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia didn't hesitate with a reply, taking note of Lydia's robe color. "Well, you look like a plucked puffskein." Obviously, this wasn't true- Lydia was always put-together, and early morning was no exception.

Rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck, Olivia reached for her wand. Thankfully, it was there. If her mother had known how many times she lost it over the years, she probably would have permanently affixed it to her wrist with a charm. Luckily, their conversations had been limited. "Coffee," she replied bluntly, not looking back at her sister.

Olivia waved her wand, shifting earth, stones, and vines into a rectangular mound. It took some concentration, but she managed to construct a seatback and moss cushion. Grinning to herself, she flopped back onto the new bench, admiring her work and enjoying the sunshine. She was good at some things.

 

[Seth Drage]

Seth Drage just came back from his first date with the lovely woman known as Imogen.... He could not remember her last name for the life of him, but it was complicated, long, and it suited her perfectly. Seth opened the door to the family home to see the abundance of plants everywhere. Seth wandered the house to eventually find his sisters, arguing of course. He stopped a few steps back and folded his arms across his chest. "You both look like pixies that had their wings clipped," quipped the younger brother with a chuckle. He was in an overly good mood, and who could blame him? Breakfast dates were the best first dates ever. And he had the day off.​

 

[Lydia Drage]

"Coffee it is." Lydia felt a little sting when Olivia turned her back. They didn't have the closeness Lydia knew sisters were supposed to have. She didn't know how to fix it, and this frustrated her to no end.

Lydia rolled her eyes at Seth, but smiled. "Nice one, dragon boy. What do you have to be so happy about?" Seth was typically good-natured- the polar opposite of Slade- but he came off as unusually cheery this morning.

She waved her wand at the back door, stepping into the kitchen and holding it open with a charm. Much better than a doorstop. "I'm waiting!" she shouted, pouring the coffee and steeping tea with another few flourishes of her wand.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia didn't respond to Seth's insult. She sat back, closing her eyes. There was so much to do, but she didn't mind the break. That was the beauty of being your own boss. She valued being able to move at her own pace.

Again, with Lydia's nosey questions, Olivia stayed quiet. She opened her eyes and grinned at Seth, patting the bench. "Come join me. I made it Drage-sized." Olivia was nearly as tall and wide as her brothers. The three of them together had made Lydia and their mother, Estrella, look like house-elves in comparison.

Olivia then said quietly, so only Seth could hear, "You don't have to answer her if you don't want to."

 

[Seth Drage]

Seth narrowed his eyes as Lydia demanded as to why he was so cheery this morning. He shrugged his shoulders, "Why else? Doesn't having breakfast out with someone cute make an awful good morning?" Seth was not about to go into details about his date. This was the first one, and he did not want to jinx it yet. He also did not want to talk about Imogen in case his brother came in and gave them all hell for it. He pointed his finger down at Lydia. "Besides, being demanding makes me want to give you a noogie, shorty," teased Seth. He would never purposely hurt her. He looked over to Olivia and chuckled. "I was on a first date, sis. That's all."​

 

[Lydia Drage]

"As if you could get anywhere near me to do that!" Lydia joked, waving her wand at Seth threateningly.

She levitated two green and silver mugs steaming with hot coffee, guiding them through the door and gently on their way to her brother and sister. The sides were emblazoned with the Slytherin crest. That had been their father's house at Hogwarts New Zealand, although she knew little beyond that. She picked up the textured red mug filled with her tea and stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Breakfast with someone cute?" Lydia raised her eyebrows and sipped at her tea. "Haven't you been in New Zealand all of, what, twenty hours? Slow down, Prince Charming!"

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia reached for the coffee mug and nodded at her sister. "Thanks." She circled her hands around the cup, warming her palms and fingers. Olivia had never dated, at least, not what the average person would consider dating. In all honesty, that sort of thing just didn't interest her. There were so many other things to spend her energy on. She smiled at Seth and took a gulp of her coffee. It was hot and acidic, just how she liked it.

Olivia needed to head back to the markets today for another round of magical plants. She wanted to tell Seth about her new business, but didn't plan to start that conversation with Lydia in earshot. Olivia already had a interested buyers and was feeling excited about it- no need to dampen her mood.

 

[Christian Drage-Dolohov]

Christian balanced an extra-large box of mock cream donuts in his arms as he approached the cottage. He had thought about a small, or a medium, but who was he kidding? That would not suit for Drage appetites.

Shortly before, he had left TIlly to shop in Obsidian Harbour for her school supplies- warning her to stick to the list and meet him promptly at Florean Fortescue's when she was finished. Knowing his daughter and her need to explore, he knew he would have plenty of time to visit his nieces and nephews. Someone needed to check in on the kids, after all.

None of them were kids at this point, certainly- they were only years younger than Christian himself. But he was their uncle, and as a father, he knew they could use a kind word. Sweets also didn't hurt. Estrella had been in a bad way for a long time. Christian still had not quite processed her death. He always looked up to her, ever since he was a toddler living at Carrow Hall. Christian and his family had attended the memorial, but he didn't have much opportunity to console her grieving children.

Christian was about to knock on the front door, but he heard voices coming from the backyard. He stepped around the side of the home, and found Olivia and Seth sitting on a bench, Lydia leaning in the doorway, all holding mugs and debating hotly. Slade was nowhere to be seen.

"What's this I hear about a Prince Charming?" Christian held out the box, smiling warmly, although it all felt very bittersweet.

 

[Tristan Drage]

The cottage fireplace, which hadn't been used in ages, exploded in a flash of green. Tristan coughed as he tumbled out, his robes and suitcase covered in soot. Long-distance Floo Travel was not fun, but the thought of a flight across the Pacific on a broomstick was less so. He waved his wand and the ashes disappeared with a charm. Cracking his neck, Tristan looked around the place. The home felt small and cramped for his overly-large frame. And Merlin, there were a lot of plants. He looked down, careful not to step on a mimbulus mimbletonia- he did not particularly want to smell like manure.

Tristan was en-route to Christian's home in Samoa, but he decided to stop by Estrella's first. His daughter's death had shaken the family to its foundation. Julie, Eliza, and Elijah had returned to the States to console Estrella's Muggle family- Tristan wasn't especially popular with them, so he decided it best to stay away. Besides, he knew Christian was struggling, too, even if he hadn't admitted it. And he would be able to spend time with his youngest granddaughters before Tilly shipped off to school.

He headed towards the back door. "Who's been talking about me, now?" he asked, joking, his voice booming out into the yard.