A Forbidden Birthright

Chapter Two

Their funeral was a week from the day the news of their death broke, and it was as though the weather laughed at their demise, for it was the first day without rain. The sun shone brightly, warming the air that had grown so accustomed to being cold, and the remaining Peverell family squinted against its light that made their tears look like diamonds.

It was a large funeral, easily over a hundred and fifty mourners, but only a handful shed real tears. One of which was a younger woman with chestnut brown hair and small, glittering eyes. Although her face was soft, her voice gentle, there was something about her that unsettled those near her. Wendlyn Delvaux was a pureblood, like many of them, but little was known about her, aside from her ambition, as she was from Denmark. Her father worked in the French Ministry until he transferred to a city in Denmark to help establish a new branch for the Ministry.

Due to the lack of a wizarding school in Denmark or the Holy Roman Empire, Wendlyn had attended newly established Beauxbatons Academy in France, and was therefore impressively fluent in French, Danish, and English.  Her intelligence was intimidating, and her quiet demeanor made the guests uneasy. She felt like a shadow that appeared at the most inopportune times, during private conversations, and everyone worried she would somehow use their whispers against them. However, she would simply smile and excuse herself.

Ignotus had seen her standing closely to Antioch's grave, and it peaked his interest. Antioch had been ten years older than her, at the least, but her eyes had welled with tears when his name was mentioned, only to rapidly blink them away. He approached her once the service was concluded and introduced himself and his wife.

"Wendlyn Delvaux," she offered with a curtsey. "I am truly so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you very much, thank you," Ignotus replied. "May I ask how it was you knew my brothers?"

She shook her head. "Only Antioch. I never had the pleasure of meeting Cadmus. We met two summers ago in France."

"Not many people cared for my eldest brother's company," Ignotus said, and his wife discreetly prodded him in the side with her elbow. He didn't react to her warning of impropriety.

"Yes, well I knew him better than most. We've been courting for the better half of a year. To think we could have been relatives," she revealed with a demure smile.

Ignotus was now uneased, however, and pressed on in shock. "You mean to tell me the two of you had affections for one another and he never told us?"

"Antioch was very protective over our relationship. I was quite young when we met. He wanted to spare me from all the gossip. It was quite secret."

"You must stay with us a while then," Cora suggested and Ignotus chimed in with his support of the idea.

"I couldn't impose," Wendlyn avoided, but the Peverell's were insistent, and the conversation ended with her agreeing to a fortnight, where Ignotus excused himself, leaving his wife to chat with her.

"You're really inviting her to stay with you?" Leander Carrow whispered harshly, catching Ignotus in the hall.

"Why wouldn't I?" He asked in equally hushed tones.

Carrow took him by the arm and led him into the corner of the living room, away from the black-clad mourners. His shifty eyes scanned the room before settling back on his friends face.

"She's an incredibly ambitious girl. I heard she nearly killed a fellow student just to be the top of her class. I'd bet twenty galleons she wants something. She always appears with a purpose."

"And I thought little was known about her," Ignotus scoffed but Carrow shook his head and said, "I have a friend in the Academy. Only reason that I know. All of her antics have been kept confidential."