Closed Special Meetup

[Slade Drage]

Slade could hardly believe that they were here. The Styx Manor had all spells temporarily lifted so that the four siblings could come to the address. It was hard to locate, even with a portkey provided. The Manor was huge. It looked almost like a castle. He noticed that the portkey seemed to be deactivated now that it was used. He turned to look at his siblings, with Estrella's notebook still in his pocket, and he smirked. "I am ready to know the truth of our father. Aren't you all?" Slade read in the notes that Kalif, Tristan and Valcan were all former Death Eaters, and that Kalif and Tristan hated each other (he wish he knew that prior to the funeral since it all made so much sense why Kalif was so uncomfortable). ​

 

[Seth Drage]

Never did Seth realize what they were getting into until they arrived. The place was huge. The doors remained closed, and Seth wondered if anyone was home. After all, this man appeared to not waste much of his free time. He walked up to the door and gave it a few knocks to let the owner of the manor to allow the four inside. Though, he had a feeling that this might not be the most friendly of places. The plants alone looked like they have had some attitude to them.​

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia couldn’t believe she’d let her siblings talk her into this. But she supposed that she owed them after the debacle at Grandma Julie’s funeral celebrations. On top of that, she wanted to make sure they were all safe. Her mother had warned her enough.

Lydia looked up at the imposing building. Normally composed, confident, and authoritative, Lydia found herself shrinking between her giant siblings. She wore plum robes, hoping that amongst the other three she wouldn’t stand out too much.

She’d just accepted a position at the school and had kept this to herself, even from Olivia. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts likely wouldn’t be well-received in the Styx family.

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia couldn’t remember the last time she’d visited the Styx Manor. She knew she had, at some point in her childhood. But in all honesty, the first years of her life were a blur. She wasn’t even sure if her memories of her father were real or not. Olivia remembered a strong embrace, the thud of his cane, and digging in the back garden. She supposed that was why she loved all things botanic.

Speaking of Herbology, she had a potted plant cradled in the crook of her arm. Olivia did not give a shrivelfig what her siblings thought. She’d decided to bring Kalif a present, and that was that. Even if he was their adoptive grandfather, and they hadn’t been close in over a decade.

Olivia looked over at Slade. What did he know about truths? He’d been a fetus when their father had died. But she wasn’t here to shut him down for his cocky attitude. She wanted to rebuild bridges.

Olivia was wearing one of her nicer items, a forest green dress. Despite its long sleeves and knee-length, the thin material kept her cool in the summer heat. She’d been careful not to visit Kalif covered in dirt, even if that was her natural state.

 

[Radoul Antoaneta]

Being invited over to the Styx Manor on a weekly basis came as no surprise for Radoul. However, it was more or less himself staying longer than a couple of hours which was originally intended. A couple of knocks got the old man's attention, so he walked to the front door while Kalif was sitting in the study, at a desk where he was writing something. Attending to family business was a job never done. He walked through the corridors and opened the door widely to four young adults. Three large and one small, though it was about the same size as himself. Perhaps just a bit smaller. Right, he knew who these people were. Kalif already filled him in on the details. He beamed a crooked smile, and boomed, "Welcome! We've been expecting you!" He opened the door wider to allow the four in. "The grump is this way." Radoul walked to the corridors and opened the double doors to allow the four to enter.​

 

[Hades Styx]

Hades Styx was sitting down across from his father's desk, with his arms across his chest. Even now, Hades still looked as menacing as ever. After all, he was waiting on an order from the Patriarch, though it seemed like he was handling a lot of the paperwork behind it all. Hades caught him up on some of the family members and their lives. Things have been a little quiet, which was good in a way. Not many people were killed the last year, though that was a disappointing fact by itself. He heard the double doors open, though did not turn around. He knew his father was expecting company, but he had yet to figure out who it was. After all, Hades just got here himself.​

 

[Slade Drage]

Slade watched the door open after Seth knocked, and opened someone that Slade was not expecting. After all, who was this guy? He was HUGE! Slade thought that maybe this was the wrong place, but after the man held the door open, and said where the grump was, Slade was the first to go through the doors. He was eager to see and know Kalif, probably enough for the entire group of siblings. As the double doors opened to the study, Slade barged in and saw Kalif, finishing up the parchment, but Slade jumped back a small bit when he saw another man. His skin was pale as snow, and his hair jet black. His sinister look was what caught him off guard. Since his days joining the Scitorari, Slade never seen the likes of him. "Right, so, I was unaware that you had others. We are here to learn the truth."​

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia did not recognize the tall, dark man, but she could tell in an instant that he was nothing like Kalif Styx. A smirk started to turn the corner of her lips at the man being called a grump. She thought this was someone she could appreciate. But then she chastised herself- she wasn’t planning on getting to know anyone here. She wanted to get out, pack her bags, mount her broom, and escape to the school as quickly as possible.

Lydia trailed Seth into the study. She noticed Kalif and a man so pale he could hide himself in a vat of milk. She occupied one of the chairs against the wall and stayed silent.

When Slade opened his very loud mouth again, Lydia narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at him. He could use a healthy dose of Langlock right now. Strutting around like a stupid peacock. He was so eager, she felt embarrassed for him. Lydia always had a soft spot for Slade, but right now, the witch was fed up.

 

[Olivia Drage]

“Well, hello!” Olivia said, smiling brightly at the man who had answered the door. He seemed approachable enough, though she’d never met him before. He looked like he would fit in with her mother’s side of the family, big as he was.

Olivia’s eyes opened wide as she took in the hallway. She felt like she was hovering through a dreamscape. The memories were there, but faint and grainy. Olivia was a tad slower than the others. She trailed after her siblings into the study, noticing Kalif first, but then a man, almost ghostlike, across from him.

Olivia’s voice hitched. “Hades.” She took a seat next to him and stared. Maybe staring was rude, but she couldn’t help it.

There was a point Olivia thought Hades must have been an imaginary friend. Her mother hated the subject of Hades and refused to talk about him. Olivia pulled the potted plant closer to her chest and wasn't sure whether to laugh or weep.

 

[Hades Styx]

Hades smirked a fair bit when Olivia came and sat next to him. He did not mind the staring, but after Radoul left them alone, and Slade opened his mouth... It pissed him off. That arrogance. The disrespect. Hades stood up, approached Slade and noticed how scared he was. Hades then forcibly shoved his palm into the young man's forehead, knocking him down, before kneeling down and placing his hand over his throat. "A little more attitude out of you, and you won't get up so easily, boy." Hades didn't even squeeze hard, just a little bit of pressure to know that he meant business.​

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Kalif listened to the tone, after the four arrived, that the youngest had, Kalif glanced up as Hades fixed that situation easily. He sighed, "That is enough, Hades." Kalif watched as Hades got back up, and went back to his seat, and sat down next to Olivia. "And you can calm yourself, Lydia." He looked at her as if she were getting ready to attack. "If you want to know the person who actually crippled your father, it was Hades, not I." It was somewhat true though. Kalif knew that if he went after his son, Jaken, it would not have ended the way it was. Asparuh wanted Jaken dead, but Kalif made a deal instead. He knew that killing Jaken would have been rather easy. Plus, he had two children. The memory situation was a bit off though.​

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia’s hand was at her hip in an instant. How dare this man raise a hand to her brother. Even if Slade was being insufferable. But before she could draw her wand, Hades had heeled at Kalif’s command, like a trained dog. Lydia turned to the older wizard, narrowing her eyes at him.

Estrella had mentioned Hades, but not in great detail. Her mother’s suspicions were right. Kalif was involved. In some way, Lydia was shocked that the truth had slid so easily out of Kalif’s mouth. Though he hadn’t crippled and distorted Jaken’s memories, Kalif was guilty by association, in Lydia’s mind.

The witch turned her attention back to Hades, not unlike a viper. “And you’re the reason he’s dead, too?” she asked, her voice dripping with venom.

 

[Olivia Drage]

The warmth and nostalgia that had briefly colored Olivia’s world evaporated in an instant. Her body tensed as the long-lost friend she had been so delighted to meet attacked her little brother. As much of a loudmouth as Slade was, he didn’t deserve this.

Olivia’s instincts screamed at her to escape. She struggled to breathe. Squeezing her eyes shut, she counted back from seventeen and tried to picture her happy place, naturally, somewhere filled with greenery. As she’d grown older, she experienced panic attacks less and less, but she wasn’t free from them. No, she’d learned to navigate around her triggers: violence being one of them.

 

[Hades Styx]

Hades chuckled as his father said that he was the culprit of the operation. Well, he did the dirty work, yes. He would not deny it, and that smirk across his lips spoke volumes on how much he enjoyed doing the task. "Shame really, my memory wiping spell was a bit too strong." He looked over to see the two boys, which both seemed to be in shock, more or less. When Lydia accused him of being the reason why he was dead, Hades' smirk faded. "Well, yes and no. You see, there was a man, father's late wife's father, may he rest in pieces, confused Jaken for me. I may have pissed off some of the wrong people, so Onix Hensel poisoned Jaken mistakenly. He was dealt with accordingly, thanks to myself, and father's late wife."​

 

[Seth Drage]

Seth could hardly believe what he was seeing. And hearing for that matter. When Hades revealed he had crippled Jaken, but not actually killed him, like Lydia accused him of, Seth was hesitant to believe it himself. That was, until he heard that name. Onix. Seth spent a lot of time in Russia while studying some dragons, and he stumbled across that name, and that family. Since Hensel was their father's supposed adopted mother, Seth could not help but look into it. Onix was a terrible man. He orchestrated the death of that family, using muggles against them. "I heard of that man. Terrible person, he was. I wouldn't put it past him to do that. He had a knack for poisons too. So, I have been wanting to know for a bit. I grew up knowing that our father was adopted. If he looks so much like Hades here, is he really, truly adopted?"​

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Lydia's attitude reminded him so much of his late wife, it was a bit annoying. Hades told the truth about what happened, and it seemed as though Seth heard about that wretched man, but also asked the question that was likely burning in their heads for a while. "Jaken is the firstborn son of Nicolette Hensel and myself. We faked the adoption records because her father, Onix, was an issue at the time, so Nicolette had to leave to deal with that. So, by blood, you four are ours. And that is why Hades and Jaken looked similar, as they are half-brothers." Kalif paused for a moment, before clasping his hands together and leaning back in his chair. "Oh, also fun fact. Your mother knew Jaken was not adopted as well."​

 

[Slade Drage]

Slade listened, after getting the sh*t scared out of him, to everything that was unfolding. But, there was one thing that bothered him the most. It wasn't that Jaken was crippled, or that some old crazy man killed him thinking it was some male version of Snow White, but it was the last part. "Mom knew this whole time, and didn't say anything?!" Slade looked at his siblings, and took out the notebook that his mother wrote. He shoved it into Seth's arms, not wanting to have another thing to do with that. "I wonder if she was telling the truth about you guys all being Death Eaters or something like that too."​

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia felt like she’d been dropped in the middle of one of the great lakes in the winter. That couldn’t be right- surely they were lying? But when she looked, really looked Kalif Styx in the face, she saw her own gray eyes gazing back at her.

Lydia’s skin crawled. Her mother knew? Why would she keep this from them? Suspicions be damned, wasn’t it in their best interest to know?

She couldn’t blame her little brother for his anger, even though anger was his default setting. “Slade, what do you mean, about Death Eaters?”

The Death Eaters were a supremacist organization, long defunct before her mother was born. Having attended Ilvermorny, Lydia had only brushed up on the history, as Voldemort had centered his attention on the other side of the pond.

 

[Olivia Drage]

While she wasn’t quite there yet, Olivia was getting her pulse and breathing under control. She conjured a tall glass of water with Aguamenti and drank up. Olivia frowned as she realized Niccy must be dead. The pretty, blonde, and golden-eyed woman had always been sweet to her as a little girl. Golden-eyed… Olivia looked over to Slade, and then tipped back her glass again, draining it. Kalif- no, her real grandfather- wasn’t lying. Even though Olivia and her siblings took after her mother’s family, she could see what they shared with Kalif and Hades.

Olivia had been born Olivia Styx. Estrella had changed their surnames when they were very little- too little to mind. Seth and Slade might have been Drages from the start; she couldn’t remember. Olivia felt another surge of fury towards her mother, but she would mull on that later.

With some of her strength back, Olivia set the glass and potted plant down on the floor. She sat up tall in her chair and turned her body towards Hades, her face screwed up in frustration and disappointment.

“Why in the world would you do such a terrible thing to your own brother?” Olivia scolded him, and then added, “you look so pleased about it.” She turned to her grandfather. “And why did you let it happen?”

Although the meeting was unraveling with secrets, this was the story Olivia wanted to know.

 

[Hades Styx]

"Because I am pleased about what I did. The feeling of my dagger rubbing against his femur, the warmth of his blood. It was absolutely delectable," Hades purred, almost yearning for that feeling again, and again. "Father didn't have much say in the matter. If you want to shout your cases about it, talk to grandfather Asparuh. He wanted Jaken dead for being an Auror. If anything, father spared his life." Hades pointed out with a smirk. ​

 

[Slade Drage]

Slade turned to Lydia when she questioned about the Death Eaters. He raised an eyebrow. She had the notebook for a while, and she did not know about it? Slade looked to her and shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Lydia. Point is, I can't trust mom!"Slade looked away, wanting to know more about his father's side of the family. But, when hearing Hades speak, Slade felt his blood run cold. Who the hell were these people? Slade wanted to get out and run, but he was stopped by Seth's hand, gripping him tight.​

 

[Seth Drage]

Seth listened to everything, though not quite believing it either. It sounded too ridiculous. But, deep down, he felt that it might be true. Even as the dark one spoke, it just made sense. That was where their father's injury was. He looked to Kalif and wondered why did Kalif's father hate Aurors so much, to warrant one dead? Did this family have that many secrets? Of course, he ignored the whole Death Eater thing, since he felt that was just in the past, decades ago. "This might be strange to hear, but because of Kalif, I feel like what he did, although different methods should have been used, might have been the best for our father at the time. The adoption and the Auror thing. We need to give them a chance. I don't feel like we are in any danger for being here." Seth tangled with dragons, from afar, and while this family seemed to scare him, somehow, he still felt safe too.​

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

"Hades. Enough of that," Kalif ordered, before gesturing him to leave. Hades scoffed before leaving the room, closing the door behind him so that Kalif could have a moment with his grandkids. Truth be told, it was Kalif's idea to maim Jaken since death was too kind. But, that would never be revealed. It did seem as though Slade was a little freaked out, but against Estrella, whereas Seth seemed to see the point a little too easily. "I believe that might be enough for today. It won't be long before I will have you study the family tree, knowing who is who. You may discover a couple of interesting faces along the way. You will need to know about the family, which will be in due time."​

 

[Olivia Drage]

Olivia’s insides turned as she listened to Hades’ descriptive recollection of events. How he had tormented their father, and delighted in it. Olivia was, by nature, a gentle and forgiving person, and it was difficult for her to detest someone. But she felt her heart harden against Hades and Kalif both. Hades, she knew she hated. Kalif- that was more complicated.

She rose to her full height, near that of her brothers, picking up the plant she’d brought with as a gift. No one here deserved her gifts. She scowled at Seth for insinuating that what they had done was right.

“Seth, you are a damn idiot. Are you listening to any of the words falling out of your mouth? They're hot garbage.” Olivia snatched the notebook from his hands and jammed it into her robes. She was the oldest and it was her right to read it next.

Olivia turned to Kalif. “I’m not interested in anything else you have to say, or meeting any more family. I’m Olivia Drage, and that’s that.”

Even though Olivia was pretty annoyed with Lydia, she stood next to her sister and reached for her hand. They needed to leave, now.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Listening to Hades, Lydia thought she was going to puke. She remembered the volatile fights with her mother.

Lydia, if you become an Auror, you will be killed. Like your Dad.

As a younger witch, Lydia had thought her mother was protective and paranoid. So this was why Estrella campaigned so hard against the idea. Lydia squeezed her eyes shut and tried to shake off the anger.

Lydia rose and narrowed her eyes at Seth. The one who was most easy-going and peaceful, accepting of this madness. “I agree with Olivia. Seth, did you fall on your head? Off a dragon’s back, perhaps?” If Drage men fell, they fell hard. Maybe that would explain it. Fortunately, Slade seemed to have more sense.

Squeezing Olivia’s hand tightly, Lydia said, “Let’s go.” She felt the weird rush of disembodiment as they Apparated together out of the Styx Manor with a pop.