The Seven Days of Adler

[Ruth Adler-Roux]

Ruth had just got the children to sleep and was in the library, a book on wild fungi open across her knees, when the news arrived in the form of a house elf. It was to be truly life-changing. She would look back on that day with great curiosity as to the way things would be if the events had not gone as such. That next week would be the most crucial. And Ruth knew it.

Ruth had spent the day at the nearest muggle village, her children in an enchanted, old-fashioned, black pram. It was the same pram, with its silver innings and white velvet lining, which had encased Ruth for her youngest years. The pram was enchanted to hold more than it seemed to and it would set off an alarm should the child or children present, be removed without the charm being deactivated. Ruth felt safe with this pram and she pushed it, happily, past many staring muggles. She was wearing a large knitted fleece which draped down to the ground. She looked like she had walked straight out of the nineteen-fifties. She had considered killing a few muggles for the fun of it.. But why? Ruth needed to start thinking fast about her life and the way in which she responded to decisions. The murder of muggles, for instance; if she was for such a thing, she would be entitled to the Adler estate. All of it. But if she chose to fight against, to save muggles or to just ignore them in general, she would be cut from the Adler inheritance and all would go to her brother.

These thoughts had accompanied her back home and upstairs. But now, she sat in the library, an eyebrow raised, silently questioning the house elf's presence. It was the pained expression which gave it away. Ruth leapt from her chair, her hand on the elf's throat, forcing it up to head height. "Darusm," she began venomously, "What has happened?"

 

[Darusm]

Darusm shook under the sheer strength of this woman's vice-like grip. He wasn't sure what he had done to deserve it, but as a house elf, he had learnt to accept the abuse and continue with his orders. "M-Mistress!" He choked, his hands trying to prize hers off. "It's y.." there was a moment of struggle as Darusm felt his feet hitting the ground. He took only a moment to catch his breath before managing, through the sudden lump in his throat to reply "Mistress is.. is.. gone." The words hit him like a rock to the face and he looked up at the woman who could be his new mistress.

 

[Joseph Adler]

---

Supper was dined upon in a mourning silence.. But it was not just the passing of their mother that the siblings mourned, it was the knowledge of the battle to come. Now, they were finally about to find out who inherited the Adler estate. Joseph knew that it was purely up to his sister and whether or not she chose to kill or save muggles. After the funeral, she would have one week to decide both their fates and, with thoughts such as these buzzing around Joseph's head, supper soon became an awkward and undesirable prospect.

The house elf had transformed his scruffy, filthy beige toga into a clean black one. Joseph barely noticed the creature as it sped between the kitchen, in the servant's quarters, and the large, polished oak table, lain with silver cutlery and diamond-white plates. Ruth and Joseph sat at opposite ends of the table, scarcely glancing up at one-another. They were both in black and Joseph had even gone to the trouble of wearing his best black suit.

They were just reaching the main course when there resounded four slow knocks of the crest on the front door. Joseph, Ruth and the house elf, all turned their heads at once in the direction of the noise. Joseph and Ruth exchanged looks before he commented on the situation, throwing in a few choice cuss words. "Darusm!" Joseph snapped at the elf, "The door." The two of them watched as the creature disappeared to answer. "Oh," Joseph called out suddenly, "If it's Clara, tell her to stick it."

 

[Darusm]

Darusm headed to the door with no hesitation. He heard his master call out something and he shook his head slightly in a disapproving manner. Of course, he did this out of site to avoid being called insolent. But when the house elf reached the door and opened it on a latch, he could easily see it was not Clara- A girl master Joseph never stopped talking about. "I'm sorry," he squeaked to the people outside the door, "we are in mourning, today. Please come back tomorrow." And he tried to shut the door- But, no sooner had Darusm began to push the great, dark oak door, a wand had been blasted in his face and had sent him flying backwards.

 

[Ruth Adler-Roux]

Ruth sat in silence, picking at the large starter they had been given, her thoughts pestering her; it seemed that the house elf knew that overfilling a stomach could distract one from the pain of loss- a loss which neither sibling felt. Yes, she had vaguely cared for her mother once, but Ruth had always been very much, her father's daughter. She was still unsure, however, for how she would go about deciding the fate of the Adler estate. On one hand, Ruth could not kill muggles and could be killed by Joseph, as a traitor. On the other hand, Ruth could start killing and keep her children safe. It was a difficult decision and, thankfully, she had until seven days after the funeral, to decide.

Ruth and Joseph had exchanged looks when the knock on the door was heard. Ruth found herself rolling her eyes at the snide comment her brother made. In her opinion, Joseph was blindingly obvious and she had thought of asking him too tone it down- But where was the fun in that? She lifted her fork, once more, into her mouth, feeding herself another piece of melon. She was still picking lightly at her food when she heard a loud thud from the other room. "Elf!" Ruth called out, but after a moment of silence, she sighed to herself, stood up and walked towards the front door.

It was upon her arrival in the entrance hall, that she saw something- or rather, someone she did not wish to see. Ruth's eyes darkened and she gave a low hiss. "Get out of my house!"

 

[Lisbeth Adler]

The mansion was larger than Lisbeth had expected. Of course, this was no problem. In fact, it gave her great pleasure to think that the land she would soon come to own was vaster and more spectacular than the place she had been raised. She had been informed by the wizard they lived with- a seer, that the matriarch of the Adler family had past away. Lisbeth barely knew the woman, but she felt she would have cared little for her, anyway. Lisbeth had sent the house elf to pack her and her brother's bags. She thought it best that she oversee the agreement, the estate transferral into her name, herself. Unfortunately, she knew she had other competition and the eldest Adler was the first in line. Lisbeth was not going to let Ruth, a woman she deemed scum, take control of the family.

And so it was that, bags packed, the twins had set off for the mansion. It was a long ride in the smart black coach, led by pure white horses. Lisbeth spent the journey completely silent, contemplating what was to be soon hers and where she would place her siblings in the family. Well, for a start, Ruth would have to go. The two had never liked one another and they were very different women; Lisbeth who married muggle men for their money and then killed them with a quick and undetectable curse (to muggles). She had got through many husbands and she did not find herself caring for any of them. She was a very rich woman but, for once, it was not greed which sparked the sudden vying for the mansion. It was hatred for Ruth. She supposed that her baby brother could have a place in the family and her twin brother would become something identical to that of a right-hand man.

The carriage pulled up silently, not far from the door. Lisbeth stepped forward, Silvester trailing behind her like the lost little soldier he was and had always been since he had been abroad, fighting in a wizarding war. Oh, how Silvester loved to fight. Lisbeth gripped the door knocker with the tips of her fingers, giving it four good, hard swings. A moment later, after blasting aside an elf, unlatching the door and stepping inside, she came face to face with that red haired woman. "Hello, sister dearest." she smiled in a sickly-sweet way. Her attention soon turned to the elf. "Go and fetch our luggage." She barked in command. The house elf looked to Ruth for confirmation before he ran outside, past the rather gormless man that was Silvester Adler. "Well, Ruth," Lisbeth spat the name, "aren't you going to show us to our rooms?"

 

[Ruth Adler-Roux]

Ruth could have easily reached into her pocket, taken out her wand, have murdered Lisbeth and then gone back to her mournful supper- and she probably would have, too, had it not been for the fact that she preferred to watch her sister suffering as she lost out on the estate. The woman deserved a good smack in the face, however, and if Ruth did not wish to remain the better person, then she would have delivered. It was obvious that her sister had every intention to stay for some time and it would save much time just to allow the cow inside. "Along the hall, down the stairs, on the left." Ruth barely raised an eyebrow as Silvester asked if she truly expected them to stay in the servant's quarters. "Well," Ruth replied with nothing short of a poison in her intentions, "I thought that you would fit in nicely among the filth."

---

The siblings walked to the dining room, not exchanging even the slightest glare. Ruth kept her head held high as she entered the room and sat back down in her seat at the end of the table. Joseph had looked up and was staring at her, then at the two guests. He was silently demanding an explanation, and quite rightly so. "Joseph," Ruth said in a nonchalant way, "This is Lisbeth and this is Silvester. They are your brother and sister." She ignored the expression upon Joseph's face. A moment later, Darusm walked in, looking tired from transferring all the luggage to the guest rooms in the back of the house. "Elf," Ruth said, not glancing in his direction, but keeping her head held high as she sipped her glass of red wine. "A couple of our shoddiest chairs for the dog and her pet sheep." The elf bowed and fetched some chairs.

"How long do you intend to stay?" She asked the air before her face, not wishing to look at her siblings for fear of vomiting all over the silverware. She heard a sudden fumbling and her eyes dropped to the opposite end of the table where her youngest brother seemed not to be coping with the news so well. "Joseph," she said simply, "don't smoke at the table. And please stop sweating so much- it's awfully distracting." Ruth was acting as though this was just a casual event. She had no plan to let her sister take control of the estate and, after all, it was Ruth who was the first in line.

---

---

 

[Joseph Adler]

Joseph had still been sat firmly in his seat. The confident look on his face, having expected Clara to be at the front door, was soon wiped from all existence as two strangers entered the room. He observed as Ruth ignored them, looking to his big sister for an explanation- which she duly provided. It was not something he had been expecting and Joseph, after a moment of sitting very still, his face paling fast, he fumbled about his pockets, taking out one of his homemade cigarettes, Joseph pushed it clumsily into the corner of his mouth, pulling out his wand and lighting the tip which he drew on for a long moment, before plucking it from his mouth and releasing a great sigh of relief as he felt himself calming down. It was only now that he had relaxed a little, that he could feel the sweat on the back of his neck and the hairs which stood up with it as the cool air brushed passed.

Ruth spoke up and Joseph found all eyes, for a brief moment, on him. He reddened slightly as he shakily stubbed out the cigarette and sat back in his chair, a small amount. Never had he wished so much that it had been Clara at the door. "Well," Joseph said, assuming the casual tone.. But, it was obvious that Ruth could sense the slight pitch change in his voice as it attempted to act fine with this whole situation and not tense up. "This is lovely, isn't it?" He really wanted a few dozen cigarettes. His nerves were terrible and his mind was on the inheritance, the estate. Who would be getting it, now? And, what would become of Joseph and Ruth should the twins take over? No, Joseph was sure that the terms and conditions meant that Ruth was the first in line. He was confident that she'd checked it to be foolproof before she had allowed their siblings inside.

"Bloody marvelous." Joseph commented as he stood up to leave. He ignored the eyes watching him when he headed for the door. He also ignored Silvester getting to his feet and following him from the room. He was in the entrance hall before they found themselves engaged in conversation, Silvester turning out to be the boasting sort. And soon, they moved on.

 

[Clara Schwarz]

Germany once more. Clara would have complained about having to keep the Schwarz manor in order, but she really found she didn't mind. Mark didn't like to show his face about if he could help it, and Gretchen...well, she was barred from the manor, had been ever since she married that foolish mudblood. As far as their ancestral portraits were concerned, there were only two people worthy of the Schwarz household, and Clara was the only one who could be bothered putting in the effort to keep the place in order. She was used to it now. She had been looking after the place since her grandmother died. Which was when Clara was merely seventeen. And now, at twenty-four, she knew the place may well have just been hers. If Mark did go ahead and marry that half-breed and bear children with her, the Schwarz legacy would fall solely in to Clara's hands. Or loins, as it were.

Such was always the problem with pureblood families. And as the matriarch of the Adler family had passed on very recently, she was sure that that family was going through plenty of upheaval. What better time, then, to mess with her absolute favourite target, Joseph? Being very much attracted to him didn't help in that regard, but it would be good to see him, to mess with his head a little. Clara was nothing if not childish. And there was no way she was admitting she just wanted to see him again because he was attractive. No way. It was only because he made for such excellent sport, nothing else.

So with a crack, Clara left the grounds of the Schwarz manor and reappeared outside the Adler estate, a wicked smirk spreading over her crimson lips. Walking with her head held high, Clara approached the door and knocked on it loudly. If anything, she'd perhaps provide a little stress relief for Joseph, if he so desired.

 

[Joseph Adler]

Joseph had not spoken with Silvester for a great deal of time before he heard a familiar noise; somebody was knocking at the door. Joseph knew the house elf was still in the dining room and, as he knew how very fast news travelled around these parts, he thought it best he answer the door, anyway. Silvester was almost on his back in an attempt to see who was at the front door. Joseph opened it only a crack before he found his thoughts, and mouth, turn sour. "Oh," Joseph began, voice dripping with sarcasm, "What a pleasure it is to see you. Please," he said, opening the door fully for her, giving Silvester a chance to gawp, "don't come in."

He may have been pleased to see Clara- more than he cared to show, but he was not comfortable with his brother being around. If their five minute chat had taught him anything, it was that this man, aside from having not a single intelligent cell in his body, was a man who like to flirt. Silvester had been boasting about all the witches he had 'tamed'. Joseph had laughed, but now his eyes were on Clara, wondering if his brother would be stupid enough to try his moves- Which he was.

 

[Clara Schwarz]

Clara, hardly at all discouraged by Joseph's reaction, merely tossed her blonde tresses and gave a small laugh. His face may have looked displeased by her appearance, but his body language said otherwise. Clara cocked an eyebrow, before looking past Joseph to the man behind him. He was rather attractive (though Clara honestly thought Joseph was better looking...not that she'd admit that), and looked as though he was, perhaps, a relative. Flicking her hair back, Clara placed a neatly manicured hand on her hip, and looked directly at the man, a smirk on her face. He looked like an absolute fool, but things could be interesting, to say the least.

Still, Clara knew that there was something going on here. For one thing, the appearance of a mysterious relative clued her in that something wasn't exactly right. No doubt they'd be fighting for the estate. Well, this would no doubt be a soap opera. "Joseph, the pleasure is all mine," she purred, before looking over at the older man. "Clara Schwarz, and you are?" Formalities took too much effort, sometimes. Especially considering that this man, while rather good looking, didn't look like he'd be a valuable use of time.

 

[Silvester Adler]

Silvester had spoken with Joseph only moments before, of his skill with witches. The knock at the door brought him to his senses- well, he became about as alert as the sheep he was, could be. He attempted to see around Joseph to witness whom was behind the great oak door. This having failed, he found himself looming behind his brother in an intimidating way. His ears pricked up at the sound of a feminine voice and he even held his breath to listen. Joseph did not seem particularly happy to see this woman but she did not take his rejection as an answer and simply waltzed on in.

"Silvester Adler," Silvester said in his most formal manner, taking Clara's hand and inclining his head to give it a brief peck. "Heir to the Adler estate, pleasure to meet you." He smirked over at his brother, a glint in his eye. Maybe his time staying here wouldn't be so dull as he had thought. Silvester's goals were changing; where they had originally been to support his sister in the transferral of the estate to their names, Silvester now had the idea of pursuing this curious young creature to the sack. His brother seemed to be getting rather agitated by the way he was acting. Jealous, even. "Would you care for a walk around the mansion?" He asked her directly, holding a hand up to his brother's face as he blanked the attempted interruption.

 

[Clara Schwarz]

Oh, Clara was going to have fun while she was here. What better way to torture Joseph than to flirt with this mysterious man who claimed to be the heir of the estate. As far as Clara knew, Ruth was the heir of the estate. Then again, Clara had been unaware of the existance of any others apart from Ruth and Joseph. She was very curious now. Clara had always loved gossip. Knowledge was power, and power was the thing Clara craved most. What was the harm in having a little fun to get what she wanted?

"The pleasure is all mine" Clara said, softly and seductively, as she took Silvester's hand. "I trust you do not object, Joseph?" she added, almost as something of an afterthought, her eyes flicking to Joseph's face before looking back to Silvester. She couldn't care less about this man, apart from needing to know his business, but that wouldn't stop her from having fun. Especially if it got under Joseph's skin.

 

[Silvester Adler]

Silvester fanned his hand at Joseph, blowing away the reply he tried to make. "No," Silvester answered, "of course he doesn't." Joseph was looking really distraught at the thought of Clara and Silvester taking to the hallways of the mansion for a long stroll and a chat. A chat which could soon turn into something much more interesting. He was already pleased by Clara's forward, no-nonsense introduction. It was a good sign.

"May I?" Silvester spoke in a soft and gentlemanly voice, sliding of his arms up from beside his body. This was going to be, with any luck, another sharp stab in the back of Joseph Adler. Silvester offered his muscular arm to Clara. It matched the soldier attitude he carried with him, constantly. Did he plan for Clara to be anything more than just a bit of fun and a great chance to annoy his brother? Probably not, as was his way. Still, the prospect of fun with a pretty young witch was promising than that of sitting around, pretending to mourn his dead mother.