5

--Caddell Manor--23rd, December 1930--

He was sat on the floor, his arms wrapped around his feet, looking at the large painting, the only one that filled this hallway. He stared at the image longer than usual, munching on the biscuit he had the house-elf, Roca, to get him. He was bored, and when he was bored, he wondered about the large castle they resided in. There was always something new to see, and this corridor was something new, just like this painting in his view.

"What are you doing?" a voice of melody called out. He shrugged his shoulders laxly, "Looking", he answered gruffly, unhappy he had been found. Turning, he saw his well-dressed sister looking down at him, taking graceful steps towards where he was sitting.

It was the Yule Holidays. Therefore his sister was home for the holidays. All his cousins were home for the holidays, cousins including Kester, Zion. His cousin Abraxas nor Charlus were yet to join Hogwarts, while Fleamont had already left the school and was now an apprentice in Potions, his passion.

She stood behind him silently, looking at the painting. It was of a small boy smiling brightly. You could swear the painted green eyes were sparkling. She smiled slightly, looking at the image, having not looked at it often, knowing she couldn't remember the boy in the painting all too well.

"Who is he?" Emrys asked curiously, staring at the boy with the same dark hair as himself and his father. The boy looked very much like their mother. "Theo", she whispered.

"Theo?" Emrys questioned, looking back at her, his sister Seraphina Ophelia Caddell. The girl had turned thirteen earlier in the year. She was already in her third year of Hogwarts, being in Ravenclaw, which the wizarding world had expected, with the Caddell's being related to Ravenclaw. Only a handful of Caddell's from the mainline would get into other houses. One of those handfuls is his father, Atticus.

His father had gotten into Slytherin. He wasn't sure who it was, but it was an ancestor that lived ages ago. They had gotten into Hufflepuff- it was quite a shocking occurrence that it had been on every tabloid. Most of those who didn't get into Ravenclaw got into Slytherin. Only two other times recorded in history ended up in neither Slytherin nor Ravenclaw.

While the other person to get into a house that wasn't Ravenclaw or Slytherin was his uncle, Baratheon Kester Caddell. The man had gotten into Gryffindor. Apparently, he had convinced the hat to sort him out of rebellion when he found out he was to marry Regina Crabbe. Regina Caddell, the mother of his two sons, Kester Caddell, a boy of 20 and their youngest, Zion Caddell, who was now 12. She had died giving birth to Zion.

"Yes. Emrys… meet Theodorus Atticus Caddell, our older brother. When I was four, I woke up to see no one. Usually, Theo would wake me up with that big smile, but not that morning. One day he was there, and the next, he was gone."

"…What happened to him?"

"He passed in his sleep- enough about that, stand up! Are you trying to get your robes dirty? Grandmother bought them, especially for you!"

Theodorus… hm, the name was nice. It's a shame he died young, barely having the chance to get an understanding of what life truly was and what he held for him. Who knows what he could have been? He could have been a villain, a hero, a creator, a person to be written in history.

But alas, he wasn't able to start his great adventure in this place we call life. He himself was still trying to get an understanding of life beyond the fact it allows us to breathe. Now thinking about it, there wasn't anything to it. There wasn't meaning to it at all.

Everyone lives differently. It's all about experiencing, learning, and trying things, but it doesn't have to be. It's the intent or goal of the word 'life'. It just is and makes it what you want. He wouldn't even get started with 'reincarnation'. It was too complex for him to start thinking through, to possibly understand how he was here. All there was to it was he was here, and that was it.

"They're quite interesting to look at… but not in a good way", Emrys drawled as he looked down at them, pulling at the collar. He couldn't help it, looking down at the dazzled out robes his grandmother seemed to demand he wear after trying to refuse the heartfelt 'gift' looking down at his sister. He couldn't exactly say that his robes were worse than the ones she had received.

His sister gasped dramatically as she tried to hide her amusement, "Emrys Cyrus Caddell, I won't listen to you slander such beautiful work. Grandmother didn't have to get us these robes, but she did out of the kindness of her heart."

"How kind of her to show her love. She really shouldn't have", he found himself drawling once more.

"Why is she even here?" he questioned, even though the answer was obvious. The woman was quite the bore. It was hard to get her to stop talking when she started, and there was nothing you could do about it since he had to respect his elders.

"Stop groaning. It is unbecoming of the heir to our prestigious house Emmy."

"Stop calling me Emmy!" he yelled, appalled at the nickname. He didn't miss the small smile she gave that she attempted to hide. "Alright, Ry", she responded, and Emrys nodded firmly, liking that nickname better. "Will Prince be there?" he found himself asking as they made their way to the right-wing of the ancestral manor."

His sister was silent at that question, unconsciously fidgeting with her fingers. A scowl marred his face when he saw the slight smile on her lips.

What? Did she actually like the boy?

"…Well yes. Father invited the Prince family to the Yule dinner, so you have to be on your best behaviour. Lord Prince, Lady Prince and… Heir Prince will be there. It is only expected that they would be invited. After all, Heir Prince is my betrothal." She tucked a blonde piece of her hair behind her ear as she hurried onwards, having just realised she needed to be there to greet the Prince family as they arrived.

"You better not wander off", His sister called out to him in a solemn voice, and he rolled his eyes, keeping his slow pace towards the Lounge in the right wing of the castle.

It was remarkable- excellent that he was reborn into the world of Harry Potter. Four damn long years he's been in this world, and what great 'luck' he got to be born in some blood purist family. It wasn't expected… but to be born in 1926?! That was ages away from the cannon.

If he had been given a chance to choose which timeline to be born into, he definitely wouldn't have said in Harry Potter's era, seeing as he wouldn't have much time to prepare not to die. He much rather read peacefully and not when there's a war raging on outside his house.

He never even heard of this 'Caddell' family, but apparently, they were the oldest in Britain, descendants of Ravenclaw herself, just like how the Gaunt's were related to Slytherin. They were seen as royalty. They've kept their line with all the wealth, power, and purity.

When he woke up in his new life, he was confused.

One second, he was sitting in his economics class, tapping away at his phone screen under his desk, trying to figure something out since the teacher could barely teach properly. Then the next, everything went black, and he was staring at blurry figures who cooed at him. Then he heard a loud, proud voice, 'Emrys Cyrus Caddell' was what the person said… He had been named, and that was when he knew he was really not where he was supposed to be.

"Emrys, my grandson, there you are," a rich voice said, and he froze and placed just one foot at the bottom of the stairs. Looking to his side, he forced a polite smile dipping his head down, a mannerism that was beaten into him.

"Grandmother, the flowers blooming in mothers' gardens are nowhere as beautiful as you." He commented politely. That was what you always do. You have to compliment these old farts. The flowers in his mothers' gardens were actually beyond impressive. He found it amazing that the wards were set to have any weather the Lord of the house wished for, which was always a summer feel.

"Oh, stop that- come here, it has come to my understanding that Lord Caddell, your father, neglected to introduce you to the Selwyn's."

He walked towards the woman's outstretched arm, her arm coiling around his shoulder as he looked up at the new faces.

There were more people at the manor than he expected. He thought it would be some small dinner, but no one told him anything. Looking around, there were a lot of people. It was a gala. The Caddells weren't frequent Ball holders, usually attending the ones the Malfoys frequently had.

It was interesting to see the Ballroom in use for once.

"Well, met Lord Selwyn, from my studies, I have heard of the Selwyn's. I didn't think I would have the fortune of meeting someone as pure as the Selwyn's. I am Emrys Caddell, heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Caddell."

The man looked as though he had just kissed his shoes. He seemed overly impressed. "How polite." The man drawled, assessing the Caddell heir. "As expected of one with Slytherin's blood in his veins", Emrys heard his father's rich voice say from behind him. "Lord Caddell," The man said neutrally, dipping his head low.

"I apologise for not greeting you and your family as you arrived." His father mentioned. For the first few years of his life, he was pretty sure his mother hated the man, glaring at him whenever he would approach him when in her presence. It was as though they would have an argument through their eyes,

"No, it is already a blessing to have been invited and have the chance to see the ancestral home of the house of Caddell- let me introduce you to my wife, Mariposa."

Holding his hand out, Lady Selwyn placed hers in his, smiling politely, "Lady Selwyn, a pleasure." With her hand in his, he pressed the back of her hand on his forehead, properly greeting her and Lord Selwyn gave him a firm nod before pushing someone in front of him. It was a girl around his age, he would say. She had light brown hair, the same shade as her father, with soft blue eyes. She gave Emrys' father a shy smile as all the attention was directed at her.

Lord and Lady Selwyn were expecting her to introduce herself.

"W-Well met Lord Caddell, I gracefully like to thank you for inviting the house of Selwyn. I am Callista Selwyn."

Father smiled approvingly as he turned to Lord Selwyn, who gave a knowingly look. His father turned sharply towards him, "I'm sure Emrys would have nothing more than to show you around the castle, Miss Selwyn."

"Of course, father", Emrys responded dutifully, trying not to roll his eyes. He would much rather be sat in his room doing nothing.

"Shall we" Lord Caddell nodded towards Lord Selwyn.

"We shall, " and like that, his father led the man somewhere else, leaving Madam Malfoy and Lady Selwyn to talk.

He took her hand in his, "Well met, miss Selwyn he greeted the girl, pressing the back of her hand on his forehead as her cheeks flushed. "…Um- Met in kind, heir Caddell" she replied kindly as she followed him out of the parlour her green robes swaying as she walked.

He was sent away to mingle with all the other children brought with their families throughout the night. It never ended- who knew being a child was so tiring when you had to accommodate other children.

Blacks-

Crabbes-

Keynes-

The names went on and on. How many people were invited?! And why did they have to bring their children? Annoying little slobs with their perfect pureblood manners and uptightness.

"Oh-" he let out after bumping into someone as he was guiding Callista after leaving the Greengrass boy. He opened his mouth to apologise before someone sent a mention of his 'behaviour'. Still, he stopped before he did and rolled his eyes at the old woman standing in front of him.

"Granny Merel! What are you doing alone? Where's Alana?!" he blurted out at his great grandmother. He couldn't really tell where she was, with each eyeball looking differently. Instead of getting a proper reply, she hissed at him in Parseltongue, which was to be expected. He was glad to be able to tell when one was speaking parseltongue or not.

"I'll kill that boy myself if he truly thinks I need to be babysat!" was her response. He didn't need to scratch his head nor dig deep into his brain to figure out who that 'boy' was. It was obviously his father, who just didn't think leaving his grandmother to do as she wished was a good idea.

She refused to teach him about parseltongue, something about him not having enough Slytherin in him. Then there was his father, who had said his grandmother had said the same to him, which was rubbish. Although, he doubted there was much to tell. There were books on it, but most of them just talked on and on about the history of the language and how it was a trait of Slytherin's blood.

His father was obviously not fond of the woman, usually ignoring her or just having angry conversations in parseltongue with her.

He had just nodded at her response, not responding back to her in English or parseltongue. His father had told him he shouldn't be allowing people to know of his ability, which Emrys agreed with. It wouldn't do good with people knowing.

"She… um was nice?" Callista commented, glancing back at the woman who walked off.

"She's not that crazy", Emrys thought was correct to say.

----Caddell Manor---- 23rd, February 1931----

"Mother…" Emrys called out glumly from under the archway he stood. He stared at his mother, reading away on her favourite armchair. A pair of knitting needles floating in the air, beside her, as a long trail of blue wool was being meshed together.

She turned to the archway, raising a brow, "Darling?" she said softly. He loved her, really. It wasn't hard to, seeing as she always showed her love. Always caring for him, making sure he was happy. He never had a mother in his past life, so… was it wrong that he was attached to her?

She smiled at him.

"I'm bored, mother", he finally said, letting out a large sigh. Living in 1931 wasn't easy. Therefore, he was still four and wasn't allowed to leave the Manor alone. He was sure his sister had so much more to do, now in her third year at Hogwarts.

Sure he could read… then there's studying, then he could just go for a walk outside, watch the clouds, go on an adventure through the woods surrounding the estate, or maybe he could just take a nap, or perhaps talk to a few portraits which wouldn't mind the company and a conversation.

The thing is, all of that? Right, all of it he did. Everything. He woke up early as he usually did and began studying the material he had gotten from both Edmund and Eron. The assignment Agatha had given him would have to wait. It wasn't hard, it just needed effort and concentration, and he didn't feel like trying today.

She had him learn off all the French pureblood names and the British ones from some book she had given him, and he needed to be able to at least recognise their family crest and know their mottos. After doing so, he was sure she would give him two other countries to do the same with.

There was literally nothing to do, that was what he was saying, but there was. He could find something to do if he just motivated himself to do so, but he simply couldn't and didn't want to. Up until half an hour ago, he had been just lying in his bed staring at the ceiling after waking up from the short nap he took and decided to see what his mother was doing.

His sister was gone, just like his cousins. Aunt Cecil wasn't around. He had been told she had gone to Germany for a minor holiday- they should have brought him along. He could go to the Potter Manor, but they weren't home, either. They had gone to France with some of the Bones family.

He didn't feel like doing anything at all. Exploring wasn't an option… he didn't feel like it. He already did some exploring of the Manor grounds last evening. Reading? No! he had done enough of that the past week, huddling himself in the library. His mother had always called him her little Raven, suggesting he would be a Ravenclaw from all his reading.

She put her book aside, stretching her arms towards him, waving him over. With no question, he walked towards her, and she wrapped her warm arms around him, and he climbed onto her lap, resting his head against her chest, listening to the beat of her heart.

"Why not read if you're bored?" her soft voice asked as she ran her finger through his messy hair. He hummed, feeling relaxed, struggling to keep his heavy eyelids open, "I already did that, mother. I read both educational books and fictional books. I don't think my mind could handle the exorbitant activity."

Her chest began to rise and fall quickly as she started laughing. He moved his head from her chest, slightly sitting up in her lap, raising a brow at her. "What's funny?" he asked. "Nothing, darling," she said gently, and he rested his head back on her chest, her hand back in his hair. "A four-year-old using words like 'exorbitant'," she mused loudly, "My little mini-man", she chuckled, and his face flushed in embarrassment. No wonder she was laughing. What kind of four-year-old says 'exorbitant', let alone know how to pronounce it.

"Mother, what is there do to? I'm bore-d" he extended the word trying to make his point.

"Bored", an amused voice sounded from the doorway Emrys had been standing. He pushed off against his mother to stare at his father. He looked warily at the man, hoping he wouldn't just tell him to study like he had done last time.

"Yes, dear. Our little Caddell is so bored that he has no interest in reading." Ophelia commented. He pushed off of her and stood at the side of her chair, staring at his father.

"No interest in reading", the man gasped dramatically. It seemed Atticus Caddell was in a good mood. "What if I had something for you to do? For all three of us to do?"

Emrys raised a brow in interest, "I'm listening", he said slowly.

"Front row seats to a Quatre final of the All-England duelling competition. Aden Shaklebolt against Kalson Shafiq."

"Duelling, really, Atticus?" Ophelia said unsurely. Stuff occasionally happened, especially in competitions, with awards at the end. It was possible that it could get gruesome. He was glad they weren't arguing as much as they used to when he was two. His mother seemed to move past what it was she was angry at him for. He must have been able to make it up somehow.

"Yes! Let's go! When are we going, now?"

"Yes, now. Though, we'll be going to Diagon Alley first."

Emrys ran out of the room, leaving Lord and Lady Caddell alone. Ophelia stood from the chair, walking towards Atticus, who was smiling widely, "What has you so happy?" she asked, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "You know the business Theon, and I partnered with the Blacks?"

Ophelia hummed, "The one you wouldn't tell me about?"

He narrowed his eyes, nearing her, "You mean the one you didn't ask me about?"

She rolled her eyes, looking away from his deep green eyes. He was close, maybe even too close. "I'm glad you were able to find something for Emrys to do, although he most likely would have slept off in my arms."

"You do realise you're coming too?" Atticus added, his hand pressed against her face, facing her towards him. His hands moved to the tips of her hair, trailing down as his hand laid against her warm neck. Her breath hitched as they stared into each other's hands. "Atticus?"

"Hm?"

"W- What are you doing?" she said breathlessly as he closed the space between them, their noses almost touching. "Am I not allowed to admire my wife?" he murmured softer to her. She gulped at his tone and words. It had been a while they had been this close, seeing as they didn't even share sleeping chambers.

She could feel her cheeks heating up. He was never what one could call 'intimate'. She could remember the last time they actually shared a kiss.

"What's going on?" Emrys asked, his face scrunched in disgust. Since when were they close?

Atticus and Ophelia pulled apart.