Chapter Ten: News from Abroad

Chapter Ten: News from Abroad

With the distant sound of Lydia at the piano downstairs, Siofre closed her journal and set down her quill, having entered her notes about the new charms she had cast on the Terwilliger house and the potion she was planning to have Murdoch brew for Gwyneth. The last thing that she wrote, though, was "J.B., tomorrow at 15.30. A date for tea with the gardener."

Aye. Tea with the gardener. Master Herbologist, Professor Johannes Birnbaum.

She looked out the window of her study and saw the magister, as she liked to refer to him, working quite a distance away from the house, but still a tall and impressive figure, his back to her. It was a warm afternoon, and he had been working hard. Johannes had shed not only his work apron, but even his waistcoat, and she could see where his braces met in a Y on his back, dark against a white shirt, its sleeves rolled up. He was waving his wand, and although Siofre did not know what he was after doing, she saw shimmering lines lay themselves down on the turf, bright and shining, subsiding to a chalky white. He looked like a conductor before an orchestra.

A tiny figure appeared suddenly beside him...Sorrel, she thought it was, from the shade of pink the house-elf was clad in...and the magister stopped what he was doing and turned to the elf, speaking to him, then getting down on one knee and examining the contents of the basket the elf offered him. Unaccountably, the sight of the tall wizard kneeling in front of the house-elf brought a lump to Siofre's throat. Johannes nodded to the elf, who Disapparated, then Johannes stood and carried the basket over to the small worktable he had set up for himself.

Siofre watched as Johannes poured tea from a flask into a mug, but then her own tea arrived, brought to her on a tray by Multry, and when next she looked out the window, Johannes was back at work, his mug of tea in one hand, his wand in the other, laying down the shimmering white lines where some new garden would be. Clouds were gathering in the west, and no doubt they would bring a hard rain with them when they arrived. Likely that was why Johannes was back at work again, taking sips of tea in between spells cast, wanting to get as much done as he could before he had to quit for the day. The bright chalky lines would survive a rain, Siofre was sure, otherwise the magister would not still be casting them. Lines, arcs, helixes, glowing brilliantly, then still bright white even after fading into the grass: the sight of them forming and fading seemed to mesmerise her.

The wind picked up, almost taking Johannes's hat, but he pulled it down further on his brow, slipped his wand into the wand pocket of his trousers, and turned toward his worktable. As he walked toward it, he took one final long swallow from his mug, draining it, then he carefully packed the basket back up, shrugged on his waistcoat, buttoned it, pulled on his dun-coloured over-robe, then packed up his gardening things in his large canvas bag. He shouldered the bag, picked up the basket, then just as a flash of lightning tore through the sky, he turned to head towards the house, thunder cracking over head.

Good that the gardener was staying for dinner, Siofre thought as she took a sip of tea. Apparating even the relatively short distance to Hogsmeade would not be wise during a thunderstorm. She could hear the door to the kitchen open and then close with a clatter. One corner of her mouth twitched upward. It was good to have Johannes in the house.

She had liked the man from their first meeting, but she wouldn't have guessed then that she might invite him to stay at the estate; even after she had hired him late that winter, it never entered her mind. He was far from family, after all. He was just a wizard contracted to do some work for them, and yet he brought a sense of steadiness and peace with him. His presence in a room always made it seem warmer, somehow, and anchored . . . But that was foolishness. It was not as though the rooms would just fly off the face of the earth without him there. They simply . . . seemed curiously empty.

The previous weekend, Lydia had commented several times about how very odd it felt not to have Johannes there, which in itself was odd, Siofre thought...despite sharing the sentiment, though not giving it voice. After all, most of the man's work took him out-of-doors; it wasn't as if he was even in the house very much.

She was glad that Lydia liked him. Lydia was a sort of people-person, as the expression went, and it was good to have a man about the place, another person to keep Lydia company. Siofre hoped that, now that he knew more about her past, Johannes would treat Lydia no differently than he had done. She doubted that he would. Still, it had been indiscreet of her, and Siofre chided herself for allowing herself so much comfort and freedom with the wizard, however solid and kind he might appear. As she had told Lydia all those weeks before, he was, after all, only a man.

Rain now fell in heavy drops, and thunder seemed to rumble from the hills themselves. A large Eagle Owl, desperate, it seemed, flew against the glass of the window, saving itself and swooping down before flying back up as Siofre leaned forward, wand in hand, and opened the window to the bird.

"Ach, poor thing!" She closed the window before taking the rolled parchment from the owl. "You stay here a while, then we'll find you a place to bide the storm. And for your trouble . . ." Siofre reached into her drawer and pulled out several large rabbit-flavoured owl treats and scattered them on the floor for the creature.

There were two parchments, Siofre saw now that she could take a good look at them, sent by international relay post, tied together with a bit of ribbon and a strong sticking charm. She removed the dark navy ribbon, then used her wand to release the charm. One letter for her, the other for Lydia. Her eyebrow rose. A peculiar coincidence, it was, that she should speak of her nephew the morning of the very day they received letters from him. Siofre didn't hesitate to break the seal on her letter. Lydia was still playing in the music room, the music stopping, starting, then stopping again, phrases repeated, varied, then repeated again.

Auckland, NZ

PS Hi, Aunt Siofre! I'm looking forward to seeing you, too. And if we're having the bonfire, we'll both help any way we can. – Sally

Siofre smiled and set the letter down. So Bertrand and Sally were coming home. It sounded like they meant to stay, too. What they would do with themselves once they'd settled down, Siofre hadn't a clue, but she'd let them worry about that. She picked up the second sealed letter. Time to deliver Lydia's post.

The Eagle Owl had fallen asleep on the back of a chair. Siofre called Gweller and asked him to bring the owl someplace more suitable than her study, then she made her way down to the music room to find Lydia.

Siofre waited until Lydia had finished adding notation to the manuscript paper she was working on.

"Letter for you, hen."

"Oh! Who from?" Lydia scanned the staves and ran her fingers lightly over the piano keys, but without depressing them.

"Bertrand."

Lydia's attention immediately shifted from the piano to her sister-in-law. "From Bertrand! Oh, wonderful! I haven't had one from him in almost a month!" She snatched the parchment from Siofre's outstretched hand, then broke the seal impatiently.

Siofre watched as Lydia's eyes scanned the first lines of the letter. Lydia's expression changed from one of happiness to one of sheer delight.

"He's coming home! He and Sally are coming home! In less than two weeks...there's so much to do! Oh, my, and I have to tell everyone!" Her hands shook with excitement as she continued reading the letter.

Johannes stepped into the music room, dressed now in black trousers, a white shirt, black waistcoat, narrow black bow tie, and a satiny black over-robe open down the front and flowing out behind him. Siofre thought he looked quite handsome. He had brushed his hair out after his work, but had not tied it back again, and Siofre liked the way his soft, sandy hair swept his shoulders.

"It is good news?" Johannes asked, seeing Lydia's expression as she read her letter.

"Oh, it is wonderful news!" Lydia exclaimed. She finished reading the last lines of the second sheet of the letter, then she turned to Siofre. "They're coming home!" She grabbed Siofre in an embrace, almost hopping up and down. Siofre smiled and patted her back.

Lydia then turned to Johannes and threw her arms around him, squeezing him exuberantly. "He's coming home, Johannes! My boy, my son, he and Sally are coming home!"

Johannes smiled and returned her embrace, then put his hands on her arms and looked down into her face. "I am very happy for you. Siofre has spoken to me of your son and his long absence."

Lydia stepped back and plopped down onto the piano bench, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "I don't know what to think! Where to begin! Oh, my, I must write everyone. I wonder if they have written to Charles and Louisa?" She looked at her letter again. "He doesn't say. Do you think Sally wrote her sister, Siofre?"

"He didnae mention them in his letter to me. I believe he is leaving that to you, though I may be mista'en. Bertrand only mentioned that Sally was writing the childer, Connor and Phoebe."

"He may have written his cousin...he didn't tell you?" Lydia asked.

"Nay, he said aught about Charles or Louisa."

"Do you think we should invite them to the bonfire? Or to the picnic and Murdoch's party?"

Siofre's brow furrowed. "They ne'er seem sair couthy at our ceilidhs. Not their kind o' thing an' all. Indeed, I'm sure Bertrand and Sally will make time to visit them in a wee." Siofre turned to Johannes. "Lydia's nephew Charles married Sally's sister Louisa," she explained.

"Ah. Close family ties, then," Johannes observed.

"Aye, so a body would think," Siofre said drily.

"When do your son and his wife return?" Johannes asked Lydia.

"He says that he expects to arrive on the twenty-ninth, although they aren't sure about the Portkeys. They may be a day or so earlier, or perhaps a day later. Since it takes a while for correspondence to get here, even using international relay post, I don't know whether we'll know for certain until they actually arrive! Oh, I must tell Gweller...he and Bertie were always close when Bertrand was a boy...and let the other house-elves know, too. We will have to get their rooms ready for them! Oh, and we should have a party for them . . ."

"They'll be here for the May Day celebration...which is also Murdoch's birthday party. I think we can wait to have another party for a while. And you know we're having Maisie's party here in June."

"Still..."

"Let's wait and see what they would like, eh, hen?" Siofre suggested gently. "And you forget that Connor or Phoebe may wish to do something for their parents."

A smile split Lydia's face. "Oh, Liam will be so very excited! He'll be meeting his Tyree grandparents!" She looked out the window at the rain and dark skies. "I wish it weren't storming so! I would Apparate right to them now!"

"Maisie said it will clear overnight," Siofre said. "Why don't you write letters to everyone else tonight, and then in the morn, you can pop down and see Connor and Elisabeth first thing and talk about your plans with them."

"Yes, I'll get up early and go see them," Lydia agreed, adding doubtfully, "I think I'll have to write to Phoebe, though. I don't fancy trying to Apparate to Ireland and back."

"'Tis a bit far," Siofre agreed. "P'raps I could go, though. I thought I might nip over to Tiree Beag this weekend, anyway. I could go there forenoon, then just skiddle across and see Phoebe. You could send a letter wi' me, an she's away, I'll leave it. Tell her to call by here when she has time during the week."

"Would you, then? Oh, that's a relief!" Lydia glanced up at Johannes. "Siofre's much better at long-distance Apparition than I am. Actually, she could Apparate to London and back several times in one day and not be in the leastwise winded! I find it hard to do a single round trip without a nice break in between. And don't ask me to Apparate far over water! I almost Splinch just thinking of it!"

Siofre chuckled. "Then dinna think on it, hen. We need you whole. Go speak with the elves. This time o' day, they're likely all in the kitchen."

Lydia bustled off, letter tightly held in her hand.

"So, and you are happy too?" Johannes asked Siofre.

"Aye, that I am. I think they plan to stay now...although I do not know if they will live here or elsewhere." Siofre gestured toward the door to the sitting room, and Johannes followed her into that room. "They're welcome, of course, but they may prefer to live in town...Glasgow, p'raps. Or even down near Connor and his family, though the wizarding neighbourhood they live in is quite small, just a cluster of cul-de-sacs, really. They might have to live in a Muggle neighbourhood if they were to move to Silloth-on-Solway, and I don't know how they'd feel about that. It can become quite complicated, I understand. The Coopers, Elisabeth's family, are Muggles, and they live there."

"Ah. It is probably good for Connor and Elisabeth to live near them, then." Johannes knew that some Muggle-borns lost touch with their Muggle families when they married into the wizarding world, which thought saddened him. "Liam can know his Muggle grandparents."

"Indeed. They are good folk."

"For English?" Johannes asked with a teasing twinkle in his eye.

Siofre chuckled good-naturedly. "Aye. For English. For anyone, actually. They are both schoolteachers. Intelligent, modest, open-minded folk with a sense of humour."

They each took a seat in the sitting room, and Siofre waved her wand to close the curtains, then flicked it at the fireplace, lighting the logs in the grate.

"We will have to look to cutting wood soon so that it will be ready in the autumn."

"Speaking of wood, do you remember an old coppice down by the cottage?" Johannes asked. At Siofre's nod, he said, "It has not been tended in a long time. It is an unsightly mess, and the woodland is suffering for it. It is sad now. Would you like the coppice to be renewed, or would you prefer it to be thinned out through singling and made into an ordinary grove of trees?"

"I do not know . . . I must consider that. However, whichever we do...or whichever you do for us...we can use some of the cut wood from there, certainly, and leave several cords for Minerva, as well. It was a very large coppice, an I remember right. It had several sections, so a different portion would be harvested every year. Would it be a lot of work to restore it?"

"Ja, actually, yes. It could be begun this year, and the entire area prepared, but if it is to be sectioned so there is always a yearly harvest . . . that would take as many years as it takes a single coppiced wood to mature. Do you remember the cycle? It was eighteen years, perhaps?"

"Nay. I do remember that some trees were on a short seven-year cycle, but others were on a much longer cycle. Thirty years? Fifty?" Siofre shook her head. "I am sorry. I don't remember."

"That is fine. I will make a survey of the trees. The types will tell me their cycles. I saw no oak, but they would have a long cycle."

"Good. That is something I would enjoy helping you with. I would like to learn more about it, and how to properly tend it."

Johannes smiled. "I would enjoy your assistance. We can take a look at it together next week. How was your visit with your daughter?"

"It was good. Dorcas came home for lunch, in fact, and she sends her regards."

"Ah, yes, how is she? She is still at the Ministry?"

"Aye, and right miserable, too. I think she should try some other type of work, though I don't know what would suit her."

"I am sorry to hear that. She seemed very bright at school, but I think the structure of the Ministry would not suit her. She is probably also not challenged."

"She also dreams too much. She gets twice the work done in half the time that it takes others, but it does not matter if she does not appear to be working the rest of the time." Siofre sighed. "I sometimes think it may have been better if Jonathan...that was her father...had married Maisie for the sake of the child, but he was a ne'er-do-well and a layabout. Probably not a good model of a wizard, and not a good husband."

"I will see if I can think of anything that might suit Dorcas better, and I will speak to Professor Flitwick, as well. He has many contacts. He may even know of something in the Ministry itself that would be better for her talents."

"Ach, thank you, Professor, but you needn't..."

"You call me 'Professor,' but do you forget why? I was her Head of House. I shall be most pleased to help her if I can, and I am certain that Professor Flitwick also feels that way, though he did not teach her."

Siofre smiled softly. "All right, then, but you already do so much for us. Thank you, Johannes."

"It is, as I said, my pleasure, Siofre. You know . . ." He hesitated before continuing. "You know you may call on me for anything. The contract is for the grounds, but beyond the grounds, beyond that time I spend, and spend gladly to make this place beautiful and productive for you, beyond that, I hope I can also be a friend to you. It would please me if it were so."

Siofre felt herself uncharacteristically fighting a warmth rising in her cheeks, but she nodded. "You have been, indeed. And tomorrow we take tea."

Johannes smiled warmly. "Aye, and it will be my reward for being diligent and checking the Melliflua mandrake garden! I look forward to it. It is an honour that you do me, Siofre."

Siofre chuckled and shook her head. "Not so. But I look forward to it, too."

The dinner bell sounded, and Siofre was surprised to look up at the mantle clock and see the time.

"Shall we?" Johannes rose and offered her his arm.

Siofre placed her hand on his wrist and stood. "I believe I know the topic of conversation for tonight," she said.

"Would that be the return of a son?" Johannes asked with a smile.

"Aye, the beloved son and his wife," Siofre replied. "I hope that Lydia stops talking long enough to enjoy her dinner!"

Johannes chuckled, and the two walked together to the family dining room, where they heard Lydia already there, chattering to one of the house-elves about new mattresses. Siofre and Johannes looked at one another and smiled.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing this little fic. It has been very encouraging, and I truly appreciate it! I am glad you're enjoying it.