Chapter 61 ~ Family Trees.

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"Today, students, the subject of this class will wandering slightly. Instead of going by the book and covering Giant Wars, we will be covering something that is not included in your O.W.L. syllabus." Professor Dowler announced as the class fell silent. However, upon these words, many students, particularly the Ravenclaw half of the class, exchanged confused glances and a few murmurs rippled across the room. Maxine and Stefan were two of the ones to look at each other with confusion, but there was no time for them to comment as Professor Dowler noticed the reactions and spoke again with a smile.

"Yes, it isn't on the exam syllabus and may not be of use to you. But I guarantee it will b fun for you, and we are ahead of schedule thanks to the head work from your two houses." The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws tried to hide proud smiles then, though many were curious as well; Stefan being one of the latter.

"But Professor - what will we studying?" He questioned, face inquisitive and eyes on the teacher. The attention of the students was also pulled back to the teacher and Dowler answered with another smile as he approached a pile of papers on a nearby cabinet.

"Good question." The Professor answered with a grin. "Today, we will be studying magical family trees." He picked up the bundle of parchment before turning back to the class. "Your family trees."

Maxine eyed the pile of parchment as the teacher plucked one from the top and held it out to study and couldn't help but comment. "Wait - are those Evolving Lineage Certificates?"

Professor Dowler looked up and nodded. "Yes. One for each of you."

"Er - what are Evolving Lineage Certificates?" Asked Matt Dell, seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team, from the back of the classroom.

"Evolving Lineage Certificates are specially enchanted pages of parchment."  Began Professor Dowler. "The spells they are enchanted with, a combination of many simple but obscure charms, cause them to record a person's family tree in whole, updating as new members are added and others die or marry. They are typically made for old wizard ring families as official presentations of their lineage and a few of you will already have them. However, for those who do not, myself and Professor Maddox were able to create one each for those who do not own them."

"That'd take a long time though - wouldn't it?" Asked a polite Hufflepuff with dark plaits wound prettily round her head, hand up straight and face pleasant and enquiring.

Professor Dowler smiled at her. "Myself and Professor Maddox have been researching the charms involved in the process of constructing them for a long time, out of curiosity, and long ago started making family trees for the fifth-year students in our classes. All of them are complete and accurate now and that's why we thought we'd feature them."

"Thanks all the same, Professor D." A grinning Hufflepuff prefect called from the back, eyeing the papers. "It sounds awesome."

The Teacher cracked another grin. "Hopefully you'll find it so. Anyway, can a couple of you come here and hand out the family tree certificates and once everyone has theirs I can instruct you how to use them and we can begin our investigations."

Fauna came forward immediately, and the Hufflepuff Girl with the plaits round her head, Netta, followed, both taking half of the large pile of parchment and going round the class delivering the correct family trees. When Netta reached Maxine, however, who was itching to take a look at hers, the girl frowned at the parchment and turned to the professors, still holding the certificate.

"Professor Dowler, this one is slightly different from the others."

Maxine looked at the teacher, still unable to see the parchment but now further intrigued. Dowler, however, simply smiled quickly and came forward to explain, taking the family tree off Netta. 

"That's because myself and Professor Maddox didn't make this one - it's actually an original. I found it in the school records." He looked up, addressing the whole class and holding up the paper for them to see. "You can notice how much older this one is, despite the parchment being enchanted to stay intact. There are also sketch pictures, and it will be a lot more extensive." He gave the paper to Maxine, speaking namely to her. "You'll find that the names and sketches will be appear as you take it hand because are a member of the family and they will only show if you are holding it. Others cannot view it, including me. However, I do not believe your father's family are on there as he and your mother were never married." 

Maxine looked at the teacher and nodded, curiosity growing even more. Presumably no one had looked upon this document for along time, if it had been found in the school records, and it felt special to be viewing. Not only would it be updated, but she would also be able to look back on her ancestors as well, even if they were a bunch of vindictive, cold-hearted pure-bloods who were an excellent example of one of the greatest evils of the wizarding world. Maxine already knew how to use the paper - she had been taught using the Weasley family tree by her Aunt Hermione, when sharing a lesson with her cousins. So, whilst Professor Dowler explained to the rest of the class, Maxine found slight satisfaction in her prior knowledge and started to uncover hers. Holding the parchment carefully, her touch triggered the writing to appear. As the writing and images became clear, however, she found it had been left on a different page, covering the generation of Lestranges after her Grandfather's. Raising her wand and pointing it at the parchment, touching the bottom edge with the tip of it, she incanted under her breath; "Denuo Vagi". A thread of cream light went into the page from the tip of her wand and the contents of the page shifted to detail the next generation. Maxine shivered as she saw an ink-and-pen sketch of her grandmother, still on the page but haunting all the same with it's hollow eyes and gaunt face. Looking up, she saw that her classmates were now attempting the spell, Stefan concentrating intently beside her. Maxine felt a spark of curiosity as she saw him examining writing on there and leant across, leaving her own for the time being. Several other students were discussing them and Dowler didn't seem to have a problem, so she spoke freely.

"What've you found?" She asked as Stefan looked up. He didn't have time to answer to that question, however, as another thought came to mind and Maxine spoke again. "Oh my goodness - you don't think that-"

"-that my dads family would be on here?" Stefan finished for her. She nodded, but could see from his disappointed expression that it wasn't so, even before he went on: "Nope. They're not here. I suppose Maddox and Dowler could only find records of my maternal family." 

"Oh." Maxine answered, disappointed herself. "Well, that's a shame."

Stefan shrugged. "Well they hardly could have found out who my father is." There was a pause as he looked over at her family tree page, blank as it lay on her desk and untouched by her hands. "What about yours?"

She turned to look back at hers, sitting down in her seat once more but still leaning over as she picked the parchment up once more. "I haven't looked at the most recent page yet - but Professor Dowler said it wouldn't have my father on it because he never married my mother." Hands coming into contact with it once more, the writing appeared, Stefan watching as Maxine performed the simple spell to move the display down another generation, showing a sketch of Maxine's mother beside the name 'Beatrix Lestrange." Dowler had been right, however, there was only a blank box next to her mother's name and no drawing to accompany it. Stefan still over her shoulder, Maxine moved down another generation, this time it showing only her name. Well, that was what she had expected.

Both she and Stefan reacted the same way as they laid eyes on the writing held on the most recent page of the family tree. Their gasps were simultaneous, as was the movement to turn their heads and look up to exchange glances. There was a tense pause as they came to terms with it, filled only by the sound of Professor Dowler talking to another student, before Maxine said in a hushed voice.

"Oh my god....my sister..."

Because, next to Maxine's name, a name was written. And a birth date. Of course, they already knew of the existence of this woman but it was still a revelation to discover her name. The name of a sister Maxine suddenly longed to find. A sister who was most definitely alive. It gave her shivers as she read it out from the page after another pause.

"Theresa Lestrange-Rubel." She breathed. "My twenty-one year old sister. My sister."