7

--Caddell Manor- 18th, December 1932—

Today was an interesting one, one he hadn't expected. He was six now, and Edmund decided to teach him about Legilimency and Occulumency, which Emrys had previously thought of reading but had yet to find books in the library. Edmund had ended the lesson by giving him a book to read before their next lesson before they started his lessons on Occulumency, which was essential for him to have, especially as a pureblood heir.

When cast with a wand, the Legilimens spell creates a magical conduit between the caster and the target that is mostly, but not entirely, under his control. The Legilimens can utilize this channel to implant thoughts, feelings, mental images, and other qualia into the target's mind and monitor their reaction.

Although, there was more; the Legilimens must then accurately understand what they're reading and follow up with whatever is necessary. Most people have enough trouble consciously considering what's going on in their own heads; interpreting what's going on in other people's heads, and influencing it with any degree of accuracy and predictability, necessitates prodigious levels of general intelligence and working memory, not to mention a great deal of practice.

Occlumency is the ability to recognize, dissociate from, and ignore the injected qualia while closing one's mind and leaving the Legilimens with nothing. Advanced occlumency entails faking replies, maybe as a result of controlled dissociative identity disorder or maybe something else. The goal is to detach yourself from your emotions. Emotions are the means through which a legillimens "gets in" and sees what you're truly feeling or thinking.

Although, based on what he remembered from the movies and what he had read previously, he assumed Occlumency only required the ability to emotionally compartmentalize and strong willpower, not quite that level of emotional separation.

"What are you reading?" a voice asked. Turning his head, he saw his cousin Kester and smiled.

"My tutor has started my Occlumency, so I'm learning more about both Legilimency and Occulumency. How come you're here? Are you going home now?" Emrys asked, the book already closed and thrown to the side, and he rested on the back of the couch, looking towards the archway his cousin was standing at.

"Legilimency and Occulumency, already? I started that when I was eight. That's quite impressive that Professor Edmund thinks you're ready to start." Kester responded.

"Really?"

"Really", Kester confirmed before talking again ", I'll say you'll get it in no time, and I just happen to have to talk with Uncle Atticus, and now I'm going home."

"Can I come?" Emrys found himself asking, mostly because he had yet to see his cousin's new apartment. The young man scratched his head, "Alright, I guess I can kidnap you for an hour or so", he responded cheerfully.

--Caddell Manor--20th, December 1932--

The tapestry rooms. This was his favourite room; it was the room for their family tapestry. He could feel the family magic in the air. One could say it was overwhelming, while another could say it was calming. He was stood in the large room, the ceiling so high that when a voice sounded out, an echo erupted through the airy silence.

It was a family tree… it was practically an inheritance map or something if he thought about it.

It was bizarre how many other pureblood families he was related to.

It tracks the family. If they beyond a second-generation Caddell, with a female Caddell marrying into another family, you have no claim to the Caddell titles and estates, at least not through blood. Most people see it as a way to prove one's blood purity or just settle civil disputes, so it only tracks each branch so far.

He could not believe his excitement when he realized he was related to the Potters. What was being offered to him was mainline of the Caddell's. However, it didn't exactly show on the wall because they weren't Caddell's through blood.

All he needed to do was-

"Potters", he called out into the air, letting the family magic change the tapestry showing him his relation to the potters. The tapestry only revealed so much. Since it was the Caddell family tree, it showed a generation above the person who married into the family and the other generations? It only showed up to the second-gen of that family he was related to since they weren't of the Caddell blood.

The Potters were of his grandmother's blood. It only showed a little of her family tree because of the family magic. Once a person marries into the household, a small fraction of their family magic joins the hold, just like every other family tapestry in a pureblood household.

'Edward Wilson Potter'

His great grandfather was the father to his grandmother, Seraphina Caddell né Potter.

His finger traced the woven cursive of the name before following the artistically displayed branches to the next woven name. Two names sat right underneath his great grandfather and great grandmother on the Potter side.

'Henry Edward Potter' & 'Seraphina Elizabeth Caddell né Potter.'

Henry is his great uncle, his grandmothers' brother. It even showed his wife, 'Nora Aliza Potter né Bones'.

Then neatly placed just under them were their two sons, Emrys' first cousins once removed. James Potter would be his second cousin- meaning that once Harry Potter is born, they'd be second cousins once removed! So that meant once Fleamont had James in the future. That was close enough for him.

'Fleamont Henry Potter' & 'Charlus Harold Potter.'

Here, his finger outlined the name-face. Travelling on, ghosting from one name to the next. Following the interconnecting lines to a Charlus Potter. He stared at the year below his name '1925' and glanced towards Fleamont, '1911'. He always found the age gap interesting. A 14-year age gap. Charlus was only about a year older than him, so he'll be seeing him at Hogwarts. His grandmother was still close to her brother Henry, so there are a few times he would go along with the woman to visit the Potter manor, like later on today.

Of course, through his mother, he was related to the Malfoys.

"Malfoys", he called out to the family magic watching as the tapestry shifted to different names.

He stared at the name just beside his own name from a different line.

'Actaeus Scorpius Malfoy', his uncle.

'Abraxas Actaeus Malfoy', his first cousin. They'll be in the same year at Hogwarts.

"Mainline", he called out once more, staring at the main family line of the Caddell family. He stared at his name, 'Emrys Cyrus Caddell', following the line-up, to his father, Atticus Cyrus Caddell. Before moving up again, he glanced over to the side, following the branch to his uncle and his dead wife.

'Baratheon Alcon Caddell' and his wife, 'Regina Aria Caddell né Crabbe.'

Following the branches down, he stopped at his older cousins, 'Kester Baratheon Caddell' & 'Zion Richen Caddell'

Reaching the end, he trailed his steps back, heading towards the next name after his father, uncle, and grandfather, 'Cyrus Adonis Caddell'.

His great grandfather, 'Kester Alrion Caddell'- he stopped there, glancing at the side of his name. He stared at the hand, tracing the hand that connected him to his wife, 'Merel Mariposa Caddell né Gaunt'.

From there, he would be able to see the Gaunt line, which he had no interest in looking at again since he was aware of who would be there. Then again, most of the people he was related to, he was aware of who they were, as he had looked at the tapestry a lot.

"Sister?" he responded, spinning to turn to her, "The Gaunt's, our Great grandmother was-is a Gaunt. They're known for intermarriage within their family. How come they married into ours??"

Seraphina nodded hesitantly, "Yes, that's why she's so… strange and looks strange- did you know her parents, our great-great-grandparents, were siblings? Through her?"

He nodded. Of course, he knew. He's seen the family tapestry. Then again, marrying siblings was seen as strange throughout the world, even amongst purebloods. "-It gets worse. Not only that, but the parents of our great-great-grandparents were first cousins. Second cousins are perfectly fine but first? That's how she's the way she is. I actually passed the madwoman when I found you. I nearly had a heart attack. She was covered in snakes walking down the hall- it's a shame I hadn't been born with parseltongue ability. It would be nice to know what curses she is saying at me. You're lucky to have it."

"We're the product of incest", Emrys mused. Well, all purebloods were the product of incest, but he really didn't see it that way. He stopped caring about things like that after being born into this family, knowing it was inevitable to not be forced to marry a 'cousin'. It was just mostly purebloods marrying distant cousins, rarely going for close cousins unless desperate and maybe if they find love in that person. Staring at his sister, "It's a miracle we don't look deformed", he commented lightly, looking towards his great grandmother's name.

"Don't be daft. Of course, we don't look deformed. The blood has been diluted since. Grandfather married a Potter, and father married a Malfoy. Soon enough, I'll marry a Prince, and you'll be marrying a Selwyn."

His face scrunched up; it didn't sit well with him that his father decided to enter him into a marriage contract.

He watched his sister stare up at the tapestry, "You know great grandfather Kester hadn't wanted to marry her with how crazy the Gaunt's were known for well are known for. He was tricked into signing a marriage contract, magically binding him to it by great grandmother Merin's father, Erebus Gaunt. Crazy the lot of them, and they're still following their stupid tradition of keeping Slytherin's blood within the family by marrying each other. He only tricked great grandfather into the contract because he also wanted Ravenclaws blood and their Slytherin blood."

"That's stupid; it's not even in their mainline", Emrys responded, rolling his eyes. "They must have wanted something out of it. What do you think the marriage contract entailed? Were the Gaunts given land? Through the contract or perhaps an artefact of Ravenclaw."

"True, it's not in their mainline. You're not wrong to think about what could have been in the marriage contract. I'm wondering about it too now. I'm sure a Caddell would have been a Gaunt, but the Caddells hadn't any daughters, and Erebus wanted a union straight away, so he offered his eldest daughter. Anyways, enough talk about history, you should get some nice robes on, aren't you going to the Potters again?"

Emrys' face lit up, "Oh yeah, I'll see you later, Sera!" he yelled out before rushing towards the left wing where his bed-chamber was. He had to hurry to floo to his Aunt, Cecil's manor. The woman had owled him. '1pm no later.' The woman always stuck to time and would most defiantly leave him behind in an empty manor with her house elves offering him cookies instead of seeing his Aunt.

His Aunt was quite close to the Potters, which made sense. Her stories proved she spent a lot of time at the Potter's in her childhood, when her mother had been alive, Seraphina Caddell né Potter, unlike His father and uncle.

He was pretty sure the visits to the Potter manner came to a stop when Cyrus finally had an heir, Atticus Cyrus Caddell. Though once Cecil reached the age of majority, she left home, refusing to be forced to be married.

He stopped running and shook his head, deciding he would just ignore what he had seen pressed against the window on his right.

"Boy!" he heard her yell out… at least she was speaking English now? He sighed and walked back to the window, and at least she wasn't pressed up against it now.

The window disappeared with a wave of her wand. "My name is Emrys, grandmother." He simply told her. She completely ignored him.

"This is Salazareria, my new companion," granny Merel told him. He stared at the green scaly snake she held out and just nodded his head dumbly. "Another speaker?" the snake spoke as its head rose, staring intently at him. He nodded, offering a smile, "Yes, I am", he responded, "Hopefully more sane than this one, I rather hope?"

He looked back at her…

Then to the snake, "Yes, I would like to think so." Emrys said.

--Potter Manor, Caithness, Scotland--

"What's this?" Emrys asked, holding a strangely shaped-

The object was snatched from his grip, "You've got to be careful in my room. You'd think you'd know that by now. It's a stink bomb. I plan on pranking Monty with it when next he visits." His cousin Charlus responded as he tossed it somewhere in his queen-sized bed.

Monty was Fleamont.

Fleamont absolutely hated his name. He thought it was stupid. Lord Potter actually named him after the family of his mother. Their grandmother had been the last of the Fleamonts and wanted the name to live on, leading Lord Potter, Henry to name his heir Fremont.

Emrys grinned, "When are you not plotting something." He commented as he sat on the messy-haired boys' bed, watching him rummage through some old-looking box, which he had been doing for a while now. "What are you even looking for, Charlie?" he asked the boy

Charlus looked up from the box, pushing it aside, "Merlin's pants", responded with a straight face before it broke into a smile. "Nah, I'm looking for the snitch! I want us to play quidditch- Monty, most have taken it to get back at me for stealing his stupid potion ingredients." He responded as he crawled over to a pile of clothes he had lying near him, throwing each piece of robes he saw, looking around the room with a frown.

"…Or- maybe your mum took them after nearly splitting your head open last month?" Emrys offered.

Charlus stared dumbly at him as he stood up from the floor.

"Oh yeah… I think she did- it wasn't even that much of a big deal. The healer was able to patch me up!" the boy knocked at the side of his head, "See brand new", the Potter boy continued. "Ugh- why does she have to rip the fun out of everything?!"

"I actually just got a collection of quidditch equipment from my cousin Brax for my 6th birthday. I haven't touched them yet- I'll floo back home to get them and come back," Emrys offered the currently annoyed child in front of him. Charlus looked excited at the prospect.

"Can I come with you! I really want to see the Caddell castle- oo, and I want to see the crazy Caddell- I mean your great grandmother, is it true she only hisses?" Charles spoke as he bounced back and forth on his heel, staring at Emrys.

Emrys rolled his eyes as he stood and headed for the for as Charlus followed him through the stairwell, "Yeah, you can come, but we'll have to go in together since you haven't been keyed in through the wards. Are people really calling granny Mer crazy, Caddell?! She's a bloody Gaunt by blood!"

"Well, she has the Caddell name now, so it doesn't matter- I can't wait! Do you think she'll chase me with snakes?"

"If you ask, she'll gladly do it, but I don't know if we'll see her. It's hard to find her. You only rarely see her at the most random moments." Emrys responded, amused.

"And where do you two think you're going?" a loud voice echoed through the manor before they could take another step towards the fireplace. They saw Lady Potter standing with her hands on her hips, staring at them. She was standing at the lounge entrance where they planned to use the fireplace.

Charlus stared nervously at her, realising they forgot to ask to leave.

"-We're going to see the crazy snake lady", Charlus blurted out dumbly.

Emrys coughed nervously, "What my dear cousin here is trying to say, Aunt Nora, is that we're getting my quidd-" before Emrys could say another word, he was cut off, and he realised why.

He doubted Lady Potter would appreciate him playing Quidditch after such a scare.

"We're going to his manor to get… to get- to see Seraphina! I haven't seen her in a while. Please, mum!! It'll be my first time at the manor too. I really want to see it as well" he gave his mother pleading eyes, letting his lips pout as he slapped his hands together and pleaded.

Reluctantly she sighed and let them go.

"Yes!" Charlus cheered.

"Caddell Manor!" they both yelled as the powder disappeared into the air just as they did, stumbling out into one of the lounges of the Manor.

Grinning, he looked back at his cousins, "Welcome to the Caddell Manor."

Charlus took a nervous step out of the fireplace, looking around awkwardly, "We won't bump into your father, will we?" he asked.

"Um… no? I doubt it. Why?" he's constantly huddled up in his office.

"He scares me, pretty sure he hates me too!"

"Seriously? He's your first cousin! He doesn't hate you; he just thinks you're an idiot, especially when he heard you nearly got yourself killed… that, and he thinks you're a bad influence." Emrys nonchalantly said, and Charlus just pushed his shoulder jokingly before rushing out the door.

Where was he going? He didn't know his way around the manor.

As he reached the hallway Charlus had run off to, he was confused. What was he doing?

"Sssssssss sssss sss."

"Charlie?"

The Potter looked back at him, "Sss?"

"What in Rowena's name are you doing?!"

"I'm obviously trying to attract your great nan's attention, " Charlus responded, rolling his eyes before going back to his hissing.

"I was sleeping, thank you very much!" a voice growled out, and Charlus jumped back. "Oh, sorry, portrait, sir!" Charlus said to the man in the portrait at their side.

The man's face scrunched up, "Children, no manners! Portrait, sir? are you, daft boy, read the name on my frame, I am Alrion Wilis Caddell! I am the great-"

"Come on, if you just stand there, he'll never stop talking", Emrys whispered to Charlus as he pushed him away from the portrait, "Alrion Caddell? I think I heard of him. Didn't he make some potion or something?"

"Or something."

…

"Come back! How dare these children ignore me!" the portrait yelled.

"He's-" Charlus began.

"Nope, just keep walking, Charlie. Trust me, you don't want to be standing there for half an hour listening to a history lesson. It happened to me once, never again." Emrys spoke. As they reached his room, he pushed the doors revealing the cyan coloured walls of the room.

"Your room is larger than mine", Charlus noted. "No, it's really not. You just have so much stuff clustered around your room, making it seem smaller than it actually is," Emrys responded.