Cassandra Higgs sighed as she settled into her favorite love seat by the fire. She could hear her husband in the study shuffling through the day's post, in search of the latest Daily Prophet. She knew the urgency of his search was spurred by the rumored Death Eater attack on the town in which their only daughter, Aurelia, lived.

It had been three years since they'd heard from her and three years since her marriage to Sirius Black. Cassandra knew it was her fault that their daughter had cut off all ties with her parents. Her pride and pureblood upbringing refused to approve of her only child's marriage to a known blood-traitor and a Gryffindor, no less.

"Terrance," she called. "Come sit with me by the fire. It's too early on a weekend to do office work." Cassandra sipped her tea, inwardly cringing. She knew full well her husband had yet to forgive her for running Aurelia from the manor. Multiple times had she reminded him that although she did not approve of Aurelia's marriage, she did not ban her from the estate. Her daughter's lack of visitation simply implied that she no longer wanted a relationship with the people who raised her and gave her life. It didn't seem to help.

Terrance Higgs strode into the drawing room, running his fingers haphazardly through his hair. Streaks of grey blended with the man's formerly blond hair. "Have you heard anything from your brother, Cassandra?"

Cassandra regarded him carefully with her strikingly green eyes. "No," she said curtly. Her young nephew, Evan, was associated with the Dark Lord's closest followers and it was not something she liked to discuss. "You know better than to ask me about that, Terrance."

Terrance let out an exasperated sigh and moved toward the door. "I'm going to the office," he stated, shortly. It was 8 o'clock in the evening. He threw open the door and dropped his umbrella to the floor. The wooden handle hit the marble floor with a hard crack. His daughter stood just outside holding a small bundle in her arms.

"Grandfather!" Octavia ran downstairs, her blonde hair flying wildly behind her. She skidded at the bottom of the staircase, nearly bowling over her grandmother who stepped back gracefully, yet disapprovingly as she watched her granddaughter's grey eyes widen in surprise as she realized who she almost ran into.

Raising an eyebrow, Cassandra softly reprimanded her granddaughter, "Octavia, a lady doesn't sprint through her home. It's quite unbecoming and reckless." She looked down at the parchment in the young girl's hand. "What do you have there?" She asked curiously, a small smile appeared on her worn face. She knew full well what the parchment said.

Octavia took a deep breath and stood up straight, her aristocratic chin gracefully extended as her grandmother had taught her. "It's my Hogwarts letter!" She exclaimed excitedly, unable to contain a small hop of delight. "Do you know where grandfather is? I'd like to show him."

"He's in the study but knock first, dear." Cassandra smiled as she walked toward the kitchen. She paused in the doorway and looked at her granddaughter. "I'm proud of you, Octavia."

Octavia grinned as she gracefully walked past the balcony doors. Glancing over her shoulder to see that her grandmother had disappeared into the kitchen, Octavia sprinted, sliding across the marble floors and then came to a stop in front of the large dark oak doors to her grandfather's study. She knocked the special rhythm her grandfather had taught her from a young age, to inform him of her presence.

"You may come in, Octavia!"

Throwing open the wooden doors, Octavia shuffled over to the desk chair where her grandfather sat, reading the Daily Prophet. She held the parchment behind her back and announced, "I've received a very important post, grandfather." She set the parchment reverently on the desk. "We must immediately go to Diagon Alley to purchase my books if I am to be a prefect at Hogwarts."

Her grandfather stood up, grinning widely. Octavia loved to pretend she was ages older when she walked into his study and her grandfather lovingly played along with the act. He held his elbow out to her. "I see," he stated as Octavia took his arm, standing on her toes. "Then I suppose we should be going before all of the heaviest books are gone!" The pair marched out of the study, Octavia giggling as her grandfather ruffled her hair.