Chapter 56: Family Values (3)

Lord Gregory Lloyd McMahon was walking through a long corridor, his footsteps completely muffled by the thick violet carpet. Many portraits were watching him from the walls and some of them were even smiling and waving when he was passing by. The young wizard could still hear the shouting from the dining room downstairs, where his sister and mother were arguing about Catherine's hair and her alleged need for a haircut. 

"The fact that you need to keep a low profile doesn't mean you should look like a street dweller!" – insisted the Duchess – "It's way too long and it lacks any kind of shape."

"Don't you have hair of your own?" – snapped the young witch – "You can shave your head clean for all I care! Leave my hair alone! I like it the way it is!"

This was the moment when Greg had left the room and went to meet his father, grateful that he didn't need to take more active role in the quarrel. The boy stopped in front of the Duke's private study and heard the loud bang of a door somewhere, indicating that his sister was done arguing. The young wizard knocked once and entered the spacious room filled with the soft light of several glowing orbs, levitating around the celling. 

"Is the power off?" – joked the boy. He was perfectly aware his dad preferred this type of light, nevertheless, he couldn't help but tease him a little. 

Duke Edward McMahon, who was reading some letters behind his mahogany desk, turned his attention to his first-born.

"Are they done shouting?" – he asked wearily.

"Yes, Catherine's in her room, and I suppose Mom's in her atelier, drawing." – confirmed the young lord.

"It's been a complete nightmare lately." – sighed the older man, closing his eyes for a few seconds – "I'm afraid your sister's losing her grip on herself."

"I don't think that's the case." – disagreed the boy – "She's fine at school. I mean, yeah, she had occasional outbursts, but nothing truly major."

"That's what Carsilion says, but then I see her like today and I just… I can't recognise my little girl." – said Edward with deep sadness in his voice.

"Well, she changed a lot in the last two years." – Greg admitted contemplatively – "But you should have expected that. She grew up completely isolated from the world, and then she found herself in the middle of this chaos that's Hogwarts. Honestly, I was surprised how quickly she adapted. Dad, trust me, she's completely normal! You should see Flame with her friends; they all love her. I think it just gets harder and harder for her to be Catherine McMahon."

"What do you mean? She IS Catherine McMahon!" – the Duke disagreed immediately. 

"Is she, though?" – asked his son, shaking his head – "I've been thinking a lot about it recently, trying to figure out why she was always so mean and sarcastic to me and so different with her friends… and you know she once told me that she likes them so much because they only see her as Catherine. As for me, I'm a constant reminder of who she really is, and all that it entails."

"Son, you have no idea how much I wish to pretend she is just Catherine, my sweet adorable little daughter… but it won't erase the demon locked inside her, it won't change the fact she would be hunted down as an animal if the other aristocrats find out about her, and it won't alleviate the burden she carries due to her blood and her powers." – Edward said, pacing nervously in front of the fireplace. 

"I know." – mumbled Greg – "And I believe she knows it too. She was so much against being Catherine Plantier in the beginning but at the end of the day, it turned out it was her shield and her safe space where she could be whoever she wanted to be. Don't judge her too harsh, Dad, she just doesn't want to be back to her old lonely existence."

The Duke turned away from his son and stared through the window. He felt like a complete failure as a father. All his planning and effort during the years had just one goal – to keep Catherine safe, both from herself and from the rest of the world that wanted to destroy her. Yet, it seemed he never prioritised her happiness. He had just assumed she was a little grumpy and self-sufficient, and he was completely fine with that, even loved her more because she was his hidden misunderstood treasure, that nobody could appreciate.

'I don't know my own child.' – he thought with regret, fighting the burning sensation in his throat. 

He turned back towards his son and looked at his calm ocean-blue eyes, very similar to his own. 

'At least I've done something right with this one.' – passed through the Duke's mind then he cleared his throat and said.

"You're a really good big brother, Greg, and I want you to know I'm going to think very seriously about what you've told me."

The young wizard nodded and headed towards the door.

"Wait, son!" – Edward stopped him – "I actually asked you to come here for a different reason. You're old enough now, and I believe you're ready to start your training as an Elementalist."

Greg's face turned a little pale. He knew this day was about to come sooner rather than later, yet he couldn't help but feel anxious about it. Learning elemental magic was a dangerous task, even if guided by a mentor. However, it was customary for the Heads and heirs of the major Houses to be accomplished Elementalists. There was a practical reason for that. Elemental magic was one of the strongest types of magic, as well as deadly in combat. No aristocratic family wanted to expose themselves at the risk of being put into disadvantage in a potential fight. Therefore, regardless of how strong their abilities turned out to be, every Head of the seven major houses and their heirs used elemental magic.

"Are you nervous?" – asked the Duke as if he had read his son's mind.

"A little bit." – the boy admitted. 

"There's no reason to be." – smiled the wizard – "Thankfully, you are inclined to water, so I can teach you myself. I promise, no harm will come to you."

"I've heard about this boy who was training to be a Water Mage and he accidentally evaporated all the liquid he had in his own body and died." – said Greg softly, staring at the floor.

"This story was old even when I heard it for the first time in the Academy." – chuckled Edward, having a brief flashback to when the teenage Carsilion was telling him this exact scuttlebutt, of course including all the gruesome details – "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. There have been very few people who are stronger Water Mages than your old man."

"What about Salazar Slytherin?" – asked Greg with a grin, feeling a little relieved. 

"Oh, well, the legend goes that he was the strongest Water Mage in existence. In addition to being a Kraken type, he also possessed the rare ability for a Water Mage to control living beings through the water in their bodies."

"Do you think I would be able to do that?" – the boy asked, a little excited.

"There's a chance, although a slim one. You have Slytherin's blood in your veins. You could have inherited some of his talents." – answered the Duke, smiling at his son.

Greg paused for a moment, considering whether he should share with his father about another heir of Slytherin and her newly found ability, but eventually decided that it would be best if he leaves this to Catherine herself.

'It's not like she would find any snakes nearby to speak with.' – he thought in an attempt to persuade himself he was making the right choice.